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prose-for-hire · 4 years

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Me and You

Pairing: Faith x fem!slayer!reader

Request: Hi, could you write a faith x female reader (maybe also a slayer) story where the reader is like Faiths opposite, really responsible and serious (sorta like Kendra) and her and Faith keep squabbling but end up falling for each other? If not I completely understand, its your call, thanks :)

Requested by: Anon

A/N: I absolutely love Faith, I want her to hold me lol 💖🖤

As soon as you had been called, your life had completely slotted into place. You were a Slayer. One of the chosen ones. You had perfectly crafted a ten-point plan and highlighted all of the goals you wished to reach now that you were on this path.

You took studying very seriously, you read more than the watcher that you had been assigned. He was actually pretty hopeless, you wondered why he had been assigned to you.

But, you did respect those in authority. So, you assisted him and somehow the correct tome made its way to his desk as if by magic. You respected the status quo for the most part. The way that everyone had their place and yours was to fight vampires and other kinds of demons.

You had arrived in Sunnydale, having been told there were already two slayers there. You weren’t really used to friends and so you didn’t know what to make of them. Faith had taken one look at you and decided she knew everything she needed to know about you.

“Slayer?”

“Yes! Isn’t it a gift?”

“Yeah, the kind you return” She had rolled her eyes at you and dipped. Not needing to hear you recite the entire Slayer manual to her backwards.

As time went on, you got on with Buffy although you felt she wished you would switch off as well. But you had a duty, it was what you had trained for. You couldn’t relax for a moment, you didn’t want to.

However, you entirely didn’t get along with Faith. You were always squabbling. You infuriated each other. You never agreed. Especially not on slaying. But it ended up bleeding through into all parts of you lives.

You just couldn’t stop arguing. Sometime sit was heated and one of you had your hand curled into a fist. Other times it was stupid and petty and you both knew it, but it didn’t mean you would stop.

However, as this continued, you began to find yourself becoming increasingly attracted to her. It confused you and you hadn’t understood at first. But soon you were watching her lips as she spoke. Imagining kissing her. Having those toned arms wrapped around you.

You only snapped more at her when you realised. Didn’t want anyone to notice, much less her, the way that you felt. You had never even considered that she felt the same. And she really did.

Buffy had said you needed to patrol. There was a nest of vamps and she needed you to take the west and you would meet your patrol partner there.

She had chosen to have her actual friends with her so that she wasn’t bored and decided to pair you and Faith up on the far side from where she would be.

“You?!” You squeaked, your voice higher in pitch than you had expected it to be.

“Yep. Just me and you” She grinned at your expression walking past you her stake in hand. You exhaled, sighing audibly in frustration as you stalked after her to catch up.

You were going to be alone together. You didn’t know if you were annoyed or elated. You couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to be her girlfriend.

It took about three steps before you began to squabble again. As you usually would. Your voices had carried across the cemetery you had been walking through. It wasn’t your usual stealth. Because of how much attention you were paying each other and how engrossed in the interaction you were, no matter how heated it was getting, it meant you hadn’t noticed the vampires that were beginning to surround you.

You walked for a while until you made a left turn and suddenly found yourself surrounded. A nest of vampires were apparently a whole army of vampires.

But they had a mastermind behind them. They had rushed you, you managed to thin the herd slightly but not by enough. You and Faith retreated into an old tunnel system. You fought hard, but it was no use. You were strong but there was too many.

You had began fighting in-sync but you had soon ended up as if you were fighting your own battle. Getting in each other’s ways. You shouted at each other but it was no use.

Suddenly as more vampires could be heard running to join the fight overhead, there was a loud cracking sound above your heads. The foundations weren’t solid in this area. The ground above had caved in and left the concrete crumbling into the tunnels.

Luckily, you and Faith had been left in one half and the vampires in the other. Unluckily, you had hit a dead end and had been sealed in.

Now you were trapped. Together. Because you had been paying more attention to each other rather than the threat.

“Well, that’s one threat gone” She shrugged as you just stared incredulously. You hadn’t taken out the nest and now you were trapped. There was no good side.

“Oh yeah, well done. I could have handled it”

“You and what army, huh? You’re kiddin’ yourself” Faith shook her head at you. At the way you were so self-assured you were giving her a run for her money.

But despite her faults, of which you had pointed out many to her as she had to you, she was perceptive. She noticed something about you. She wished she could pretend she hadn’t been taking notice of you on purpose. Because of that guilty affection she harboure for you. The one she couldn’t dare name. She didn’t want to get hurt, she would rather stick to relationships with guys she didn’t care about. She only had to pretend to care for a night.

With you, it was different. To be vulnerable with you and to have you reject her. To not be affectionate with her the way she was embarrassed to admit she had dreamed about.

She didn’t usually do this. Let you see that she took notice of you, but she couldn’t help saying it.

“Not everything is you havin’ the whole world on your shoulders y’know?” she asked, her tone had changed. Almost… softened. You didn’t take care of yourself at times, she had noticed. Sacrificing yourself for your duty.

“Yeah you wouldn’t know” You snapped back at her despite the tone you had thought you caught from her. But your voice was wavering. Every second you spent trapped you began feeling worse and worse.

Faith didn’t take your snapping personally, she never did. In fact, she found herself enjoying it. Finding herself noticing the absence if you hadn’t interacted that day. Even if it was just you at each other’s throats.

It had been hours. You had both barely spoken since. You had to take your jackets off as the room began to heat up. You were beginning to sweat. Your breathing irregular. You were pacing.

“I-I can’t do this!” You suddenly shouted, “I need to get out of here!”

“Hey, y/n/n-”

“Help!” You screamed, pounding on the wall. Hoping that someone, anyone would hear you. But Faith, as you usually would, knew that this could bring threat. You were panicking so Faith clasped a hand over your mouth, muffling your shouts. You missed the way her other hand lingered on your shoulder in your panic.

She expected you to push her off but you just sort of let her hold you there. The proximity to you was agonising and your breathing was heavy. From the fear. From the way her skin felt against you.

But rather than argue, you just stopped. She moved her hands away and you moved against the wall, sliding down it to sit at the bottom on the floor.

You put your head in your hands. You didn’t like this. You were truly scared. She had never seen you this way. You were always cool. Taking everything as it came at you. You took on every duty that was expected of you.

But now you just couldn’t handle it. Couldn’t follow protocol. You didn’t want to be stuck here. Didn’t want to have to wait it out. To possibly never see the light of day.

She saw that you were scared. Genuinely scared in a way you would never usually let her see. She presumed you were so cool all of the time. A robot. Y/n the slayer-tron.

You were visibly worried. Expecting the end. She watched you for a moment, debating whether to comfort you. Before her mouth decided for her.

“Hey, don’t freak okay? B knows where we are. Her and the others’ll come” She shrugged, sitting down beside you on the floor.

But she wasn’t as sure of herself as she came across. She was being strong. For you. She had never seen you be this vulnerable before. You would never admit you were scared. But being confined here it made you rethink everything. Your very purpose.

“What if we die down here?”

“Hey, don’t sweat it, huh? It’ll be cool” she said firmly.

She looked at you for a moment, wanting to put her arms around your shoulder. Provide some kind of comfort. She couldn’t explain it. She cared about you, she had just never known how to show it. Arguing and working up a lot of sexual tension was so much easier.

“B-but it’s real, isn’t it? That we could die. That we will die… sooner than later” You never allowed yourself to think of it, much less discuss it. But this situation had gotten to you somehow. Had made you question your resolve. Your duties. How you just listened to the rules without questioning them.

This also made you incredibly guilty. You prided yourself on how seriously you took your duty. On the way you were a watcher’s dream. How you had saved the world.

It shocked her, that you would include her in your thoughts. Gave her this strange feeling. Hope. Or, a feeling that you trusted her in some sense. Could rely on her in the way she wished you would sometimes.

“Look, I don’t know about you but I’m here for the long haul. We’re good at this, we’re survivors” She offered, talking of you both as a unit. As something that appeared to meant she was by your side. That you weren’t alone in how you felt.

“Yeah, when we’re not getting ourselves trapped” You berated yourself more than her. You didn’t want to be stuck here, but you would be lying if you hadn’t imagined having her to yourself this way. In a conversation that was kind.

“Accidents happen. Me and you, we’re, uh, the ultimate team. We’re- we’re gonna get through this, right?”

“Me and you” you repeated and she nodded, smiling. As if telling you ‘that’s the spirit’. But her smile dropped a little when she saw the look you were giving her. Your lips were parted slightly and she couldn’t help scanning your face. You were so close she could map out every feature so clearly. She was making a mental picture so that she could submit it to memory.

The temperature had been rising the entire time you had been stuck there. The proximity of the way that you were sitting made those words feel intimate. You had wordlessly shifted closer as you spoke.

The meaning growing as you both leaned in. Agonisingly slowly. Heat rising around you, but you still reached for her weaving your fingers through her shiny brunette hair. She felt so good under your hands it propelled your forwards her lips were waiting. She had waited so long for this moment.

Driven herself wild with want. With the lust she had, the thoughts she had drove her crazy. That she wanted all sides of you. Even your stick-by-the-rules nature. She was fond of you. She had such deep feelings.

Your lips met. Crashing against each other in your haste. In your innate need to connect with her. Through the arguing. Through the frustration. Focusing only on her lips, the way her tongue entered your mouth urgently.

You couldn’t get over how good she tasted. How you never wanted to stop. You were addicted to her touch. To her.

But of course, you knew this already. You were only confirming it. And this was no mere kiss. Not to either of you. This was Earth-shifting. Ground breaking.

You had kissed her. She was surprised at the way you had initiated this. She didn’t expect you to actually feel the tension the way she did. But she fucking loved it.

You were hungry for more. For her. In that moment, you were willing to forget your situation. Hell, you were ready to forget every responsibility. Your very destiny. Just to keep her lips on yours. To have her reciprocate your feelings even if it was only physical for her. But it wasn’t just physical to her. This meant something.

Suddenly you heard something. A spell had broken through the barriers that had blocked you in. A flash of light and you had sprung apart. Both breathing heavily, trying to catch your breath. Chests heaving. Eyes glancing towards the other, making sure it wasn’t dream.

Some guilty secret. Somehow, you both knew that wasn’t the last kiss you would share.

Your rescuers all pretended they hadn’t seen anything. But your friends were all as relieved as you, it had been about time.

#Faith lehane #Faith lehane x reader #Faith x reader #Faith x you #Faith imagine #Faith lehane x you #Faith lehane imagine #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #buffy the vampire slayer imagines #btvs #btvs x reader #btvs imagine #btvs x you #buffyverse #slayer #slayer reader #female #female reader

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princeanxious · 4 years

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Part One; “A Wounded Snake Lies Still”

A continuation fic in the au i built from this art piece I did and this post that I’d written that inspired this whole idea. I don’t know how many parts there will be, but the plan is for it to be hurt/comfort? It’s just that the comfort comes in small increments, but I promise the ending will be happy!

Fandom: Thomas Sanders Sides

Ships: mentions of past healthy Anxceit, start of story begins w/ analogical, end goal is analoceit! Side royality, Remus is lowkey Aro.

Minor Trigger Warnings: in no particular order.. brief mentions of painful memory loss, brief food mention, Remus and Deceit as sympathetic characters in general, accidental revealing of a secret-Remus feeling awful about it and Deceit being completely forgiving on it. Deceit being sorta selfish but also being very selfless without realize it. Deceit lying when he speaks/ backwards talk.

Serious Trigger Warnings: (slight spoilers) Deceit ignores his own distress in favor of keeping up a nonchalant act around the others, and doesn’t process his inner emotions in a healthy way. Deceit repressing years of his own resurfacing emotional trauma that originally came from his separation from Virgil, Deceit also briefly relives said trauma in the fic and pretends nothing is wrong even though something Really Is. Patton has minor empath abilities in this au and accidentally gets hit with a ride of very negative emotions that Deceit is already internally feeling when he touches Deceit.

(Let me know if I need to tag something else!)

Summary: Virgil’s missing memories have always been a touchy subject. After Remus and Deceit gain their acceptance of from the Light Sides and Thomas, Deceit still seems to have a few secrets to hide. If you asked him, he’d tell you it was for the best that he kept them. Partially concealing the truth was a slippery slope, indeed. But, could you really blame him? When Virgil was dating Logan and finally seemed happy again? To him, All the repression of his own trauma was worth Virgil’s happiness. Their years of love were lost with Virgil’s memories of the past, and there was no way in hell Deceit was about to jeopardize Virgil’s current stability now, not when the only person at fault for losing was Deceit himself.(or, was it? He’s never sure anymore. Trauma is a fickle beast.) Well, one slip up from Remus is all it takes before Deceit finds himself faced with that exact dilema fast approaching, and he finds he is less than prepared to face the music..

[[MORE]]

“Ugh, gross. In front of my deodorant?? Could you guys like. Not?? Be romance-y in the living room?? You two remind me of when Dee and Virgie were dating.” Remus grumbled offhandedly, too tired to deal with his twin’s particularly loud and loving attention directed towards Thomas’s literal representation of the heart this late into the afternoon.

They’d been loudly and shamelessly flirting back and forth from across the room while everyone set up for movie night, Roman in the living room with the others and Patton in the kitchen with Deceit making snacks. It was only seconds later that the duke realized his slip up as everything and everyone around clattered to a halt, the other sides turning stare at him in confusion.

Three years. It had taken Deceit three long, painstaking years and counting to distance himself from the years of memories he’d spent in bliss, to separate his mind from the heartbreak of losing his only love. Three years to come to terms with the fact that his only love now held no memories of the time they spent together, to accept that his love now deeply loved another.

Three years to come to terms with the fact that Virgil would never know what it was like to watch helplessly as his love writhed in pain. To watch as The Line ripped the memories from his love’s very being, forcing Virgil into a clean slate. Three years to come to terms that Virgil would never remember.

Three years of patience and heartbreak and anguish and lies, telling himself that it’d be okay, telling himself that he would move on and heal eventually. Three years of painstakingly separating himself from the narrative he and Virgil used to share, and ensuring that Virgil never had any inkling to what had been of his past. It was the only secret Deceit ever asked Remus to keep.

Rest assured, he’d tried to respark Virgil’s memories many times in the first few months after Virgil crossed over The Line from Dark side to Light, having ultimately crossed for good. It’d only led to fight after fight, driving a wedge further and further between them with each escalated argument. With a bleeding heart, he’d eventually given in, and stopped any further attempts. After all, each attempt only seemed to fuel Virgil with irritation. It had been clear then, that whatever they’d had, was never going to be again.

Three years it’d been. He thought he’d nearly healed, really. Most days he found he could exist and interact with the others and not be reminded of the past, and be comforted that he himself would not be a reminder to the past. Repression had always been his strong suit, though, conciously or not.

The Line had diminished as of late, after Thomas had really begun accepting Deceit and Remus. They could cross The Line for long amounts of time now, and mostly be fine. Occasionally they suffered from a bout of fatigue when disagreements with the others briefly turned sour, feeling The Line tugging back at them insistently. It never lasted for long, but there was always that underlying worry that The Line would finally snap them back into the dark for good if one of them made a final wrong move. The Light Sides didn’t know about The Line, not even Virgil remembered stumbling away from it after all that had happened. And well, if it were up to Deceit? They would never find out about it. Too many questions, too many messy answers.

Three years later, Deceit finds his heart splintering once more, an ache sinking into his chest that he knows Patton feels as they stand nearby one another. Memories flood in harshly, a deep painful longing resurging from the depths of his mind as it always did when faced with his reoccurring trauma sinking its claws into his psyche.

It’s only been seconds, but the silence is starting to feel heavy. Instead of moving on from the previous comment, Remus glances to Deceit, eyes pleading and devastated by having made his mistake, breaking the only promise to Dee he’d ever been seriously asked to keep. And Deceit knows he must do what he does best to save face, there is still time to redirect the carnage.

“Remus, please don’t refrain from spreading lies, that’s certainly not my job, after all.” He teases lightly, keeping his tone precisely on the edge of amused confusion, though his eyes hold an understanding none of the others know to read for. “Next you won’t be telling me that your favorite animal is a squid, not an octopus. Not your worst try at shock humor, yes?”

Remus catches on after a millisecond, drawing out a full cackle. “Sorry, not sorry! You should’ve seen the looks on your faces though! Priceless!! Who knew a shitty joke falling so flat would shock everyone so good!”

Their reactions held the desired effect. Quickly, everyone around the room seemed to relax, Roman even firing back his own playful quip to further lighten the mood. In the end, it was just a bump in conversation, something Remus caused every once in a while as everyone adjusted and Remus learned. Not a single step amiss that wasn’t already expectedly out of line.

Still, he’d have to talk to Remus in private later. Remus was just as sensitive to rejection as Roman was, and paired with his inherently intrusive thoughts, it would come to no surprise if Remus already thought Deceit now hated him. He didn’t, it’d been an accident, and Remus’s first ever slip up in three years since making the promise. Even if Dee had been mad about the slip up, he wouldn’t have had any right to be. He’d be sure Remus was the first person he sought to soothe when they got a free moment alone, it wasn’t right to let those kinds of thoughts fester.

Remus first, Virgil next, as it wasn’t quite crisis averted. He could feel Virgil’s eyes on his back from the living room. He denied his bleeding heart the closure of meeting Virgil’s gaze, of sharing his expression. He was too vulnerable, even now the anxious side could read his tells far too well, often without even realizing why. There was no doubt Virgil would try and talk to him later about it, and no matter how good the terms they were on with each other now were, Deceit knew the conversation would be a rough one. Virgil knows he has missing memories, and only recently had he accepted Remus and Deceit’s vague answers when he’d asked lightly about his past. It was at least him acknowledging they had the answers to the past he doesn’t remember.

If he wasn’t careful, each and every brick in the wall that Deceit had carefully worked to build up in the past three years could crumble right before his eyes, leaving him stripped emotionally defenseless, his trauma bared for all to see. And who knew what the others would do if they knew so much? What would they think of him then? Deceit inwardly shivered at the thought. It would not come to that.

Slipping into the nonchalant act was an easy card to play, it being his strong suit and most comforting form of security, a version of his own little lie of omission to soothe the bumpy situation over.

What he didn’t account for, was Patton gently reaching to touch his arm when everyone else had settled and their attentions returned to their tasks at hand. Deceit fought against his immediate urge to pull away, knowing the moral side just preferred connection through touch when addressing another, and instead looked up to meet Patton with a questioning gaze.

Whatever Patton was about to say died on his lips as he suddenly seemed to reflect an absolutely heartbroken expression, tears welling up in his eyes. Pain and sorrow and surprise seemed to seep into the other’s expression, warring for dominance amongst the primary confusion. It was only then that Deceit realized that Patton was still touching him, his bare arm with an equally bare hand, to be exact. The memory that Patton bore minor empath abilities that were tied into his existence as the representation of Thomas’s morality and feelings sunk in two seconds too late.

Direct skin to skin contact, something Deceit sought often to avoid in general nowadays anyway, was a direct way for Patton to tune into another's current feelings through said abilities, often by accident. There were limits that Patton could control, of course, and Patton only ever seemed to struggle coping with that ability when faced with an overwhelming swell of emotions from the other side. And, well.. Deceit’s mind certainly hadn’t taken well to being reminded of his repressed past, seeping through his protective mental walls with all sorts of roiling negative emotions.

From self-loathing, to dread. From anger, to guilt. From longing, to grief, then to depression, and finally apathy. It just couldn’t be helped that Deceit, a master of disguise and deception, had had three whole years to perfect the act that hid it from the outside and controlled it all from within.

Carefully, Deceit pulled Patton’s hand from his arm, and gently tucked it against the moral side’s chest. Still, he keeps his gloved hand there, letting Patton grasp it with both hands to ground himself after such an emotional ride.

“Deep breaths, dear Patton. Whatever isn’t the matter?” He asks gently, still playing into his act but his eyes plead a different story. ‘Not now,’ they say, ‘I will tell you, but not here,’ they beg. Patton nods slowly, and Deceit carefully wipes away Patton tears. In a move he knows he might regret later if it raises questions, he slips his hat off to gently plop onto the moral side’s head, and gently presses against the others clothed shoulder with his own in a show of comforting affection. It has the desired effect of distracting Patton and lightening his mood, Patton’s lingering upset masked by a watery smile only they can share. Deceit silently mourns the loss of his safety blanket, but accepts that a few minutes of feeling vulnerable while comforting Patton is a good trade to escape having his distress found out. He couldn’t have the other sides cornering him into explaining why Patton had suddenly begun crying without reason. It certainly wasn’t the fact that he felt guilty for Patton having experienced second hand an echo of his painfully raw emotions, no, not at all.

Thankfully their little scene goes unnoticed by the rest of the preoccupied sides, who are far too busy bickering over the movies they want to watch. Well, unnoticed by all but the one who sits to the side. Said side keeps an unconcerned but intrigued eye on the two in the kitchen, glancing over every time he adjusts his glasses to avoid suspicion. Logan says nothing, but knows he has questions for his dearest Virgil when movie night is over. He can only hope that the answers Virgil gives will not raise more questions.

(..Unfortunately, they do raise more questions than answers.. However, they now know exactly who has the answers they seek. It’s only a matter of getting those answers that is a task far harder than they’d ever expected it to be.)

To be continued..

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cassiopeiassky · 4 years

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When Everything’s Made to be Broken (I Just Want You to Know Who I Am) Part 54

Hey look at me go, it hasn’t even been a month since my last update (yes, my bar is that low)! Hey I hope you are all doing alright. These are scary times, remember to do your best to take care of you, I know it isn’t easy. Be as kind as you can to yourself - you deserve it.

So this part is dedicated to @iwillbeinmynest - happy late birthday, my darling Kate! I hope it’s worth the wait <3

This part is also dedicated to the great Stan Lee. The world he created gave me a safe place to escape to when my own world was too dark to survive. I owe him so much, and this chapter is so unworthy but it’s all I’ve got. I can only hope that he’d get a kick out of his cameo.

Plot: When you inadvertently become a witness to a murder and are suddenly a target for death, it takes a specially skilled soldier and his team to keep you and your family safe.

This will eventually be a is a reader x Bucky fic. The reader, by the way, is a civilian. No super powers, no fighting skills, and by no means perfect.

Word count: 4891

Warnings:

For the entire work: Language (I have a potty mouth), violence, and angst. This will probably get pretty dark later on, and there will be smut. If that’s not your thing, you may want to avoid this story.

Additional warnings specific to this part: Feels and emotions. Therapy, mentions of trauma. They’re dealing with the aftermath now, so there are parts that are kinda heavy.

***I do not own any of the lyrics/music in this story, so please don’t sue me for using them***

Tags moved to the end.

WEMtbB Masterlist

Previously on WEMtbB:

“Look, I think it’s safe to say that we all know you can take care of yourself. You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to.” The covers slide down, showing his torso as he sits up to face you. “That said, I’d like to remind you about a certain conversation we had at home about us taking care of each other. I know I didn’t specifically include my team at the time, but they’re your team now, too. They’re your family. You know this. It’s okay to let us take care of you – shit, Sweetheart, you take care of us all the time.”

“Okay, but cooking dinner for everyone isn’t the same thing as a credit card.”

“Doll, you don’t want to eat Stark’s cooking. Please, I beg you, let him reciprocate with American Express. You can’t get food poisoning that way.” The look in his blue eyes would be comical if he didn’t seem quite so serious.

You’re still uneasy about having access to someone else’s money, but you reluctantly concede. They are family – Thanksgiving and Christmas should have already proven that to you, even before they did what they did to save you. Still…pride, independence, and your improved but still deeply embedded insecurities are trying to make their insidious whispers into roars. “It’s weird,” you finally mutter as you fiddle with one of your stuffie’s satin lined ears.

He snorts and nods. “I got a metal arm and Stevie and I both have three digits to our age, Banner goes from mild mannered doctor to a big green rage monster when necessary, Stark flies around the world in glorified soda can, and I haven’t even introduced you to the witch, the god, the floating red guy, and the…I don’t know, whatever the hell Loki is. Trust me, Stark giving you a credit card so you have a little bit of freedom while you’re here is the least weird thing about this situation.”

Well, when he puts it that way…

“Why is it so loud?” Bucky watches as you pace in front of the expansive bedroom window, phone at your ear. The ringing is practically echoing, it’s distracting and –

“Breathe for me, Sweetheart.” Steady hands grip your shoulders, interrupt your restless movement, and kinda sorta help to ground you.

Shit. Your heart is hammering almost as loud as –

“Hello?” Familiar. Hopeful. Safe. You should reply, tell her that it’s you, but you’re too busy hanging on to the sound of her voice. “Hello? Hello?!” Annoyed. Indignant. Already ready to hang up.

Your lips finally allow a smile at the sound. Seriously, your mom has the patience of a 2-year-old on a sugar high. It’s good to know at least this hasn’t changed.

Right then and there, you promise yourself to never again take her phone calls for granted. “Hi, Mom.”

Silence. Then tears, followed by questions, answers, questions, answers. You weren’t sure you’d ever hear her voice again, so she has to occasionally repeat things because you were so focused on the sound of her talking – you had to repeat several times too, and you’re sure for the same reason. Yes, you’re safe. Yes, you’re sure. Yes, the boys are doing well, and they miss you like crazy. Yes, your mom followed the instructions of the team and kept things quiet. No, she wasn’t happy about it. Yes, Wanda and Vision are still there – they are going to help your mom with the transition of your return and letting the rest of the family know what happened. Yes, the boys finally settled into a routine and their sleep schedule is back to somewhat normal. Yes, you were shot in the leg but you’re healing well. Yes, you should be home soon. Yes, you’ll give her the details later. Yes, you really are safe. Really.

Loud giggles and doors slamming break through the stream of conversation and your heart moves back up to your throat. It feels life forever since their voices graced your ears and you can’t wait to see what they have to say. But you’re not ready. What if -

Tears and a smile are in your mom’s voice. “Grandpa and the boys just got back from the coffee shop – he was showing them off to the other old hens again. Do you want to talk to them?”

Mouth suddenly dry, you nod, but that doesn’t do any good. She can’t see you because you’d decided to call rather than use video chat; although much better than it was, your skin is still healing and you don’t have any make up yet to hide the fading bruises.

“Honey?”

“Yeah, Mom. Put them on, please.” Bucky leads you to sit at the edge of the bed before climbing up behind you to rub your shoulders.

“Breathe, Sweetheart.” Bucky’s steady presence is a lifeline. The gentle admonition brings you back – breathe in, breathe out. Almost giggle when you hear your mom swear and fumble with putting the phone on speakerphone; there’s a good possibility the boys have learned some new language.

“MommaMommaMomma!!”

As quietly as you can, you choke down the sob that is steadily working its way out. God you’d missed Jimmy’s voice.

��Hi, baby. I love you so much.” It’s all you can manage just now.

“I love you, Momma! I miss you. Come home now!” in your mind’s eye you can see his dimples, how he’s trying to cradle the phone to his ear because he doesn’t quite get the idea of speakerphone, how he’s probably jumping up and down. His words are clearer than they were when you left…how much has he grown? How much did you miss?

“Have you been having fun with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Yep! We went with Grandpa. We got donuts! And uncle Jerry was there! He gave us a toy. Come home now, Momma. I want to show you something!”

Every bit of your focus goes to listening to your son, to his words and trying to decipher just how much he’s changed in the weeks you’ve been apart. He clearly had an explosion in his language development and it kills you that you missed it. “I’m working on it, baby. I’ll be home soon.”

“Bucky? Bucky, too?”

That brings a smile to your face – you should have known. “Yes, Bucky, too.”

Your mom breaks in, sounding more than a little concerned. “Are you sure you’re really safe?”

“Yeah, I am. I promise.” You’ll tell her a million times if you need to.

“So then why is he coming home with you? Why do you still need the protection?”

Oh, shit. Right. She doesn’t know. This conversation should probably happen in person. “Um…I’ll explain later. But I promise, everything is fine. Hey, can you put Artie on the phone?”

“Honey, he, um,” in the background you can just barely make out the sound of your dad trying to convince Artie to come out of the bathroom, “he’s –“ an ungodly screech pierces the air, “he’s just –“

“He’s mad. He doesn’t want to talk to me.” Damn. It hurts just as much as you thought it would. “It’s okay, Mom.” It’s not. Not at all. “I’ll try again later.” That’s the truth, at least.

“He just needs a little time. He took it really hard when you had to go. Well, they both did, but Artie especially. I couldn’t convince him that you were trying to come back.” She knows what happened, at least the broad outline of it; there’s no judgement in her voice. “He, uh, he thought –“

Might as well just say it and spare your mom the discomfort. “That I left just like his daddy.”

There’s a long pause before she finally answers. “Yeah.”

What can you even say to that? You certainly don’t blame him – you’d had that very thought yourself.

Jimmy’s earnest little voice breaks in, “Momma, Artie loves you. He’s bein’ a butt right now. But he loves you.” He’s a perceptive little man; it’s good to know that’s still the same. A sob and a chuckle mix ungracefully, but that’s okay. And since when did Jimmy start calling people ‘butts?’

“Thank you, baby. Um, Mom?”

Her sheepish voice comes across just a second later. “Sorry, honey. He probably got that from me.”

A laugh, small but genuine, comes out. “That’s okay. I learned all my best phrases from you, so I guess we’ll just call it the family legacy.” Deep breath in. Out. “Hey, I should get going. I need to get my leg checked out before I meet with the person coordinating my mental health recovery care.”

“I – okay, honey. I love you so much, and I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“I love you, too, Mom. Jimmy?”

“I love you, Momma! I don’t want you to go. Come back. Please?” His cheerful excitement is replaced with an almost palpable desperation, and just like that, your heart breaks all over again.

“Yes, baby, I’m coming home soon. I’ll call you later today, okay?”

“Promise?” He sounds suspicious but hopeful.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Okay.” Jimmy sounds resigned, and you can hear your mom prompting him in the background. “Love you, Momma.”

“I love you, too, Jimmy. So much.”

“Later today? Before bed? You will call?”

“Yes, Jimmy. I promise.”

“Okay bye!”

There’s just a bit of silence before your mom’s voice comes back. “He’s going to be okay, honey. They both will.”

You can only hope. Swallowing hard, you continue, “Hey, can you please put the phone by wherever Artie can hear me?”

“Yes…here you go.”

“Artie? Baby?” There’s no response, but you knew there wouldn’t be. “Artie, I love you so much. I’m so sorry that I had to leave, but I promise I’m coming back. Okay? I love you so, so much. It’s okay that you’re mad. I understand. I will call later today, and if you feel like talking, I’ll be here to listen, okay?” Still no answer. You will never know how you managed to keep the devastation out of your voice. “Okay. It’s okay. I love you, baby.”

Footsteps, and then, “He loves you, too. He does.”

You nod, even though she can’t see you. “I know, Mom.”

“It’s just going to take some time.”

“I know.” You hope, anyway.

“You’ll call later?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Alright honey, you take care of yourself and get better, okay? We all miss you.”

“I know. I miss you, too. I miss you so much.” You stop to clear the thickness out of your throat, “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

It’s too hard to say goodbye, so instead you just end the call and put the phone down. Time to get ready for the rest of the day.

* * *

“Do not hold your breath, dear one. Breathe through the movement,” Galina coaches gently as she guides you through some strength exercises.

You’ve already been at this for 45 minutes, and you still can’t get over the fact that your leg doesn’t hurt like you think it should. There’s a deep, almost bone shaking ache to it now that you’ve been pushing yourself a bit, but it certainly isn’t what you would have expected from a recovering bullet wound.

“Good,” she watches with an eagle eye as you correct your breathing, “very good.”

“This is weird. I’m not complaining, but my brain just seems to not want to accept that my leg is better than it thinks it should be.”

She laughs a little as she taps some notes into her tablet. “I suppose it makes sense that there is a bit of dissonance between your brain and body; most patients with this type of injury would still be recovering in the surgical ward. You are very lucky to have received Dr. Cho’s patch. I have seen injuries like yours that have resulted in a lifelong limp, and that was with good care and a qualified physical therapist.”

It hurts your heart to think of the things she’s seen – legs with a permanent limp seem like the least of the potential horrors. You finish your reps, then rise to stand next to her. “Thank you for taking care of me, Galina. I really do appreciate it.”

Her hand reaches to cup your cheek, “Dear one, it is my pleasure. Thank you for allowing me. It cannot be easy given everything you have been through.”

It baffles you how she can be so concerned about you – she’s lost everyone she loved most, and it makes you wonder how she can keep going, how she can even smile. Throwing any sense of formality to the wayside, you pull Galina into an impromptu hug. It’s easy to see she doesn’t mind. You’re far from the only person in this building that is in the process of healing.

When she pulls away, you’d swear there are tears in her eyes but you don’t get the opportunity to ask before she starts speaking. “Would you like to join me for some coffee? Or do you need some rest before you meet with Dr. Lee?”

“I’d actually love some company – and the caffeine is a bonus. Bucky said he’d probably be at least 2 hours with his therapist, and I’m trying not to sleep during the day so I can get back to a normal sleep schedule.”

“Mmm,” Galina nods drily, “Jetlag is a heartless bitch, yes?”

You burst out laughing at her comment. It feels good. “It is. It really is.”

* * *

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous, Buck. It isn’t like I’ve never seen a therapist before.” The two of you are standing outside the room serving as an office for Dr. Lee, and there’s a heavy dread hanging over you at the prospect of walking through that door. “I mean, for fuck’s sake, I want to be one. What is my problem?”

Bucky rubs your back as he holds you close. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

The deep breath you take fills your lungs with his comforting smell, grounding you. “Mmm,” your voice is muffled from having your face smushed into his shirt, “that’s actually really tempting.” The breath is released in a somewhat defeated sigh, “But I need to do this on my own. I, um, I also don’t want you to have to relive my experience.” You can feel that he’s about to protest, so you quickly continue, “I know you’d go – and I thank you for it – but I don’t know that I can be completely open and honest with my therapist if you were there because I’d want to protect you from hearing it.” Shrugging as you take a step back, you meet his troubled eyes, “I know you know what happened. But that doesn’t mean I want you to hear me say it. And yes,” you cut him off before he can interrupt, “we will talk about it. In time. It’s not that I’m trying to keep anything from you because I’m not. I just –“

“It’s different when you’re talking to a therapist.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, relieved that he understands. “It’s different.”

A hug and a kiss and five minutes later find you sitting across from an older gentleman with thick 70s style glasses. His kindly smile flashes beneath a thick, grey mustache as he rolls up the sleeves of his sweater.

You feel like you need to say something to fill the silence. “Um, thank you for meeting with me, Dr. Lee.”

“Oh,” his smile is meant to put you at ease, and it does, somewhat. “No need to be formal. Please, call me Stan.”

Nodding, you swallow hard.

He begins with explaining how this will work – he’s having this meeting with you in order to pair you with a suitable therapist from his team, who then will fly in later today to begin working with you tomorrow. Stan and his partner will remain onsite with you and Bucky as long as you are in New York, and will then do remote sessions for as long as needed. He’s happy to work with you if for whatever reason your therapist doesn’t work out, although he prefers under normal circumstances not to work with both halves of a couple. This doesn’t faze you – it’s pretty standard practice.

Next are the inventories – of course you score astronomically high on the anxiety inventory and moderately high on the PTSD inventory, but surprisingly low on the depression inventory. By the time you’re finished discussing them and your one month, three month, and six month goals, you’re fairly comfortable with Stan. He’s nice and gives off a sort of wise, grandfatherly type vibe. You can see why Bucky thinks so highly of him.

Then it gets ugly, but you knew it would. In broad strokes you begin telling him of your experience. Every now and then he asks for more details or clarification, but for the most part he just listens and makes occasional notes.

Starting at the beginning brings some happy memories, once you get past the whole watching someone die and then having someone shoot at you part. Yeah, saying goodbye to your mom was hard, but you still had hope that you’d see her again someday. Then there was getting to know Bucky and the team. Did you expect to find a best friend and fall in love with him? Did you expect that this group of extraordinary individuals – people that you found intimidating and at first wrongly assumed you’d have absolutely nothing in common with – would become family? God, no. But you did, and they did. There was fear and uncertainty, but there was also joy, acceptance, and love. At the safehouse, in the most unexpected way, you found healing and a deep peace you’d never known before.

But then you recount falling sick from Metzger’s poison and the indescribable pain of leaving your kids…and Bucky. As you describe Anatoliy and Nikolai Krakken – their threats, their causal cruelty, their laughter – you break into a cold sweat. Nausea comes in waves with mentioning Grigory and Alric Metzger, and you’re almost drowning again in helpless desperation when you remember how they read Bucky’s second set of trigger words and the things they made him do. You mostly stay away from the complicated confusion regarding Bucky’s part in your rescue; at this point you know you love him and that you harbor no resentment – you meant it when you said there was nothing to forgive – so the rest of the feelings that you can’t quite figure out can wait.

You tell Stan of being locked in that godawful room for days on end under endless threats of harm, and the waiting. God, the waiting – waiting to see what they would make Bucky do next, waiting to see if he did it, waiting to see when they would finally follow through with their terrible implications. Then of course there were the little ways they would humiliate you, the dehumanizing way they refused to let anyone use your name, the misery of the formal dinners they forced you to attend…and…and the…the uh…

Mikhail.

Stan keeps telling you that you’re okay, that you’re safe. You know this is true on some level, but you sure as hell can’t feel it without –

“Bucky,” you finally gasp, and Stan acquiesces immediately.

Bucky must have been just down the hall, because his arms are around you within a minute of Stan’s call. It’s strange, you think, that the tighter he squeezes the easier it is for you to breathe.

When the room finally feels like it has enough air for the three of you, you continue, “I’m sorry, Stan. I didn’t expect to be quite this fragile.”

Even though you’re looking down into your lap, you can feel two sets of eyes boring into your skull.

Stan clears his throat. “You said you were going to school? You want to be a therapist?”

You nod first, then answer almost absentmindedly, “Uh huh.”

“Mmm. Would you expect one of your clients to apologize for their emotional reaction while describing their trauma?” As pointed as his question is, Stan’s voice is gentle.

He’s not going to let you not reply, so you give him the obvious answer. “No. Of course not.”

“So do you think it’s reasonable for you to expect yourself to not be, as you put it, fragile?”

“Um…” You can practically feel Bucky daring you to deflect. “No.”

When you finally look up, Stan is nodding. “Right. Cut yourself some slack. Don’t hold yourself to expectations that you wouldn’t expect others to meet.”

He’s right. You know he’s right. “Easier said than done.”

“But not impossible,” he winks. “You and Bucky are remarkably similar in this aspect. With you, you’ve got extremely high expectations for yourself. With him, it’s –“ Stan looks to Bucky, “May I discuss your progress a bit?”

“I already said you could,” Bucky smiles, then takes out his phone when it buzzes. His features twist into something unfamiliar, but only for a second. Turning to you, he apologetically shows you the screen. “Nat’s here.” His voice is tight; he tries to hide it but you know him too well. “She got impatient and wants to take you shopping this afternoon. What would you like me to tell her?”

“If I may,” Stan looks to you both, “I would recommend that you go shopping. Today.” His face is stern as he looks to Bucky. “With Nat. And only Nat.”

Bucky manages to look both nauseous and sheepish as you glance between the two.

His phone buzzes again as you bite your lip. “Um, I’ll go.” You can’t say that you feel great about it; in fact, the idea of being separated from Bucky is mildly terrifying, but that’s kind of Stan’s point.

“Good. Bucky, go ahead and meet Nat while I finish up here. Have lunch together, and when they go shopping, you come here for your next session.”

Bucky nods but looks to you before moving.

“I’ll be okay, Buck.” Surprisingly, this feels like the truth. “Go ahead, I’ll join you when I’m done.”

“Alright.” Bucky hesitantly gets up, but stoops to press a kiss against your forehead. “I’ll see you soon.” He clearly doesn’t want to go, but his respect for you eventually wins.

It’s quiet while he exits, but then Stan allows himself an almost satisfied smile. “You know, Bucky doesn’t give himself enough credit. I’m not sure if it’s the serum – if it also helps strengthen the mind as well as the body – but when he allows himself to be, he’s one of the most mentally and emotionally healthy people I’ve ever met, and I don’t just mean in spite of his trauma. He knows what to do, he knows how to communicate, which is especially important. The problem is, he sometimes gets in his own way. Kind of like you and your unrealistically high expectations for yourself. I think for a long time it was a way to punish himself, almost a self-sabotage. He’d learned to deal with the trauma but not so much the guilt. He felt guilty not only about what he’d done while under HYDRA control, but also for falling victim to the torture in the first place – something he recognized no one else could have survived much less ignored, but he still wouldn’t even consider forgiveness for himself. He felt guilty because he thought he should have been strong enough to withstand it. Normally the guilt and trauma would go hand in hand, and dealing with one would deal with the other, but not in Bucky’s case. He’d managed to separate them and not allowing himself to deal with the guilt was holding him back.” Stan picks up a pen and starts tapping it against his chin, “He always wanted to get better, to be better. He just couldn’t always convince himself that he deserved it. You, though, you were – and are – his motivation to stop punishing himself and let go of the guilt. Seeing and working with him today,” Stan shakes his head, “in spite of his new trauma, the improvement I see in him is incredible. He wants to get better, but more importantly, he’s allowing himself to get better. He’s stepping out of his way.” Stan narrows his eyes at you, “Just like you need to do. And that’s only going to happen if you cut yourself some slack. Perfection is an illusion and it has no place in healing.”

“I know,” you exhale heavily.

“Do you?”

“Yeah,” you admit, “I do.” Your being hard on yourself isn’t exactly a secret, even to you.

“So what would you tell me if our positions were switched?”

You sort of hate the way he’s going about this, but at the same time you have to admit it’s effective. “I’d tell you that all of your reactions are perfectly normal and that your emotions are valid. I’d tell you to remember that progress isn’t linear, and that having a bad day, week, or even month doesn’t mean progress isn’t being made. I’d let you know that being with a therapist is a very specific type of vulnerability, and that it’s okay to feel and express those emotions.”

“And?”

“It’s okay to need help. And other people.”

Stan leans back in his chair, seemingly satisfied. Smug bastard. “Good. Well, I think I’ve got a good grasp on your particular needs, so I’ll have one of my colleagues, Dr. Patrice Cortez, fly in tonight. I think she’ll be a great match for you – we graduated in the same class and have been working together ever since, but she specializes in women’s trauma. I will still be available to you, of course, but as long as you are comfortable with her when you meet her tomorrow, she’ll be your primary therapist.”

“Okay.” Genuinely grateful, you smile. “Thank you very much.” Suddenly exhausted, it takes a monumental effort to begin to rise.

“One more thing.” He waits until you sit back into the couch. “And this is something I’ve addressed with Bucky, but since you’re here I’d like to mention it to you, too.”

“Okay.”

Stan looks up at the ceiling like he’s physically searching for the right words, “Your relationship is nothing short of extraordinary.”

Oh boy, here it comes. You know it’s coming from your mom, but you didn’t quite expect it here. Well, maybe you did. A little. “Are you going to tell me that it’s superficial and based on stressful circumstances, and that it won’t last in the real world?” You’d bristle if you had the energy, but as it is it just comes out flat.

“What? No, God no,” he speaks quickly, “Although that does happen. And I’d say that a majority of bonds that are formed under such stress don’t survive because they’re based on necessity, and once the necessity is gone, so is the bond. I don’t think that’s the case with you and Bucky, though. It’s fairly obvious that you were friends first, and that your relationship is built on that. Unusual circumstances threw you together, but the friendship grew organically, if quickly.”

You relax, just a bit. It’s been on your mind; not that you doubt your feelings – or Bucky’s – but you do know how it looks. And just like the first night the team found out, your relationship with Bucky is something you’re prepared to defend.

“The thing I wanted to mention is the danger of co-dependency.”

Ah. That makes sense.

“You two have been through a lot. A lot. And it’s good and important that you can lean on one another, inspire and encourage each other, and grow together. But it’s also important that you grow on your own. You are two individuals sharing a life. If you can’t thrive separately, then in trying to thrive together you will choke each other out.”

You nod – he’s not wrong.

“Did Bucky mention that he is having a difficult time with the idea of you going shopping with Nat?”

You think for a moment. “No, but I guess I assumed it wouldn’t even happen until tomorrow, so we really haven’t talked about it at all.”

“He is. He’s struggling with the idea of you being without his protection, even though you are certainly more than safe with Nat. Bucky is almost paralyzed with fear that he will lose you. And I can see that the idea bothers you as well.”

“Yeah,” you admit. “Even though everyone seems to agree that the threat is over, it’s still scary.”

“It is. It absolutely is. But is it healthy for either of you to live in that fear?”

Exhaling deeply, you answer honestly. “No. It isn’t.”

“Right. Although it is certainly understandable, it isn’t healthy. Now, I’m not suggesting that you two separate. Quite the contrary, actually. It’s just something to be cognizant of, something to keep in mind as you start the healing process. Push your boundaries early and often, and I think you’ll surprise yourself. You are both incredibly resilient people.”

“I, um, I do worry that I’ll get too needy, if I’m not already. And then sometimes I worry that I’ll push him away.”

“And he worries that he’ll suffocate you with his desire to see you safe. It’s why he asked me today to make sure I have a session planned with him when you go out, although I think he also expected it would be tomorrow.”

Another deep exhale.

“The therapy program we’re putting together for you two is pretty intense. But for what it’s worth, I think you’re both on the right track. Just make sure you allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling – but be careful of focusing too much on the bad because your anxiety can and will manipulate your perceptions. Remember that it’s okay to feel contradicting emotions, and trust yourself. Rest in each other and support each other, but don’t depend on each other for healing. That’s something you need to do on your own. Perhaps together in parallel fashion, but still individually.”

“Hearing this is oddly comforting,” you admit.

“Based on what I’ve seen, I think it’s because it’s stuff you already know. I also suspect that it was perhaps how you two operated before you were taken, but after what you went through you just need to feel like you have permission to put it back into practice.”

Why does everything make so much sense when Stan says it? “You know, I think you’re right. I – I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a therapist like you, either through school or personally. You’re very effective.”

He smiles broadly, “Well, being on the team serving the Avengers is fairly unconventional, and sometimes we have to modify programs in unusual ways to fit our clients’ unique needs. Which is what any good practitioner should do, really.” He shrugs, “But rest assured that our methods are grounded in evidence-based practice, and that my entire team is held to the strictest standards regarding ethics and client outcomes.” Stan leans forward, eyes sparkling, “And we have very good outcomes. It’s going to take some work, but you, my dear, are going to be just fine. And so is Bucky.”

You find yourself nodding. You believe him.

@hellomissmabel @howdoesoneadult @nykitass @danimuhle @iwillbeinmynest @shifutheshihtzu @passiononfire @learisa @widowvinter @kaaatniss @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @denialanderror @k-nighttt @givemethatgold @manders2487 @afangirlrambles @polkadottedpillowcase @bluebrrn @saysay125 @aikibriarrose @saharzek @mmauricee @imhereforbvcky @whenallsaidanddone @supernatural508 @scarlettsoldier @natalie-nightcourt @im-beautifully-sewn @lovemarvelousfics @feistytravel @tbetz0341 @nearly-whitches @jamie-leah @shliic @dessinemoiunehistoire @lucywinchester2000 @solarbarnes @a-proper-chicken @movingonto-betterthings @seekingkairos @part-time-patronus @natashasnight @fairislesheets @beccaanne814 @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @scottish-pepper

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky imagine #my work #when everything's made to be broken (i just want you to know who i am)#part 54 #wemtbb

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apenapaperandadoofus · 4 years

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PLEASE SHARE IT. PLEASE, I NEED IT.

ASK AND YA SHALL RECIEVE

Keep in mind I was about 12-13-ish when I wrote it and I was in my angsty stage so this gets a bit dark pft

here are the first 2 chapters -there are like 9 in total I think- if ya want the fnaf one then tell me bc I actually have to translate it and everything bc I wrote it in Spanish lol

TW mentions of abuse sorta and alcoholism

"Come back here you lil' shit!!!"

"I'll kill ya, I swear to God I'll kill ya!!!"

I could hear him behind me, stumbling and crashing into things, with that stupid glass bottle in his hand.

I have to keep going or he will really kill me. I kept running zig-zagging through the trees trying to lose him.

"You little fuck!!! How dare you run away from me after all I've done for you?! I was the one that gave you a roof under your head, the one that fed you and took care of you and THIS is how you repay me?!"

Yea right. I'd rather be in the streets than have to live with you in that damned house again. C'mon (Y/N) you're almost there!!

"I'll do the same thing I did with them to you!! You'll end up like all those kids, like all those dirty bastards!"

CRASH!

A flash of lightning crashed behind me.

Keep going, keep going.

Suddenly, as I keep climbing up I see something.

A cave.

Yes!! Now I can finally get rid of him! I quickly started climbing, finally getting into the cave. It was really chilly, but it would at least protect me from the rain, and since it was nighttime and he was drunk he'd have no chance of finding me.

Or that's what I thought.

"Ahh, there you are my dear (Y/N)~ You are quite slippery you know? You remind me so much of her, my little Frisk. But you both had to escape from me didn't ya. Do you know what happened to Frisk dear?"

He chuckled and came closer, while I was walking backward trying not to stumble.

"I killed her." He smiled. " It was an accident, I didn't want to, but she was being a naughty little girl~ [EW WTF WHY DID I WRITE IT LIKE THAT LMFAO GREAT WAY TO MAKE HIM CREEPY AF AMANDA]" he came closer, and the smell of booze reached my nose.

"G-get away from me you creep!"

He laughed and pushed me, making me stumble and fall down. I tried to crawl away but then he started kicking me.

IM ALSO NOT PUTTING THIS PART BC IT WAS CROSSING THE LINE A BIT AND I WANTED TO MAKE IT DARK ANYWAY THE THING IS THIS SHIT ESCALATED REALLY QUICKLY AND I GASPED BC HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS WITH ME

Basically, he said more creepy shit bc I wanted to make him a huge asshole, but I still don't feel comfortable putting it and I'm sure for other ppl its uncomfortable too so uh, lets just say the guy was just really really bad and wanted to do really bad things to uhh, the reader

This, this guy had the nerve to- ugh!!

"S-stop it"

He quickly grabbed me by my hair and brought my face closer so we were locking eyes.

"Y'know no one cares about you! You're nothing! But if you stay with me you'll see I can be a good guy! I promise I will treat you better! I will do anything for you. You just have to be a good girl and stay in your room."

"No!!"

I quickly spit on him and kicked him in the stomach. I was not going back there, not going to suffer through all that again. I got to my feet and ran deeper and deeper into the cave

"You can't escape (Y/N)~" I heard from behind me.

I ran faster. I'm not going to let him win. I'm not.

" You'll just end up like Frisk!"

Crash!!!

I yelped and tripped on a vine, falling into a hole, hearing his echoed taunts getting farther and farther away.

Is this it?

Is this how I die?

Will I really end up like Frisk?

No.

I won't die. I can't die. Not today.

Those were my last thoughts before I was surrounded by darkness.

Chapter 2 [this one is more fun I lol]

"You little bitch!"

"Come back here!"

"You'll end up just like Frisk"

"I promise we'll get out of here....

Frisk"

I woke up with a start. My head dizzy from the fall.

Where...am I? Who's Frisk? Why can't I remember anything...? Hold on, did I loose my memory? What the-

"Heck!!" I heard someone say behind me. I quickly turned around, and saw a kid who looked to be around my age, floating a few feet away from me. Their hair was up to their shoulders and they were wearing shorts with a cute green stripped sweater.

"Seriously?! And just when I get used to being dead?! Do you hate me that much world!?" The kid yelled while waving their fist at the top of the cave.

Huh.....

Wait.....

Dead?

Am I dead?

If so where the heck am I?

Is this what the afterlife is like? Being stuck with a 10 year old ghost kid? Is it because of that one time I stole a ring pop from John? Because if it is he totally deserved it, he wasn't even gonna eat it!

"Am I really dead..?" I whispered.

Suddenly the ghost kid turned around and looked at me.

"Wat?" They asked.

"Am...am I dead?" I looked at my palms trying to figure out what was going on.

The kid sighed.

"No. You're not dead you dummy, you just fell down into the Underground, and somehow that awoke me...huh... that's weird."

Oh. So I'm not dead. That's nice I guess.

"Um, wait, the Underground?" I stood up, and stretched a bit, trying to check if everything was alright.

"Yea. With monsters and stuff. You just fell down from Mt.Ebott. You'd be the second human here to fall down."

Wait. The second one? I thought six more had disappeared in here a while ago.

"You mean the seventh human." I corrected them.

"Noooo, I mean the SECOND human, jeez are you deaf or something?"

They glared at me as if I was the dumbest person they had ever met.

"Nuh-uh. If there's one thing I remember is that 6 humans had fallen before me"

"Well then you remembered wrong because last time I checked I was the only one. That fall must've really damaged your brain" they chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. They really were stubborn and they were pretty rude too! If it were up to me I would've walked away by now but since I am down here somewhere I don't know with MONSTERS, I should really have an ally and they seem to be my only hope. Maybe they're nice once you get to know them, so I should really try to befriend them.

"So uh, ghost kid...what's your name?" I looked at them with a sweet smile, trying to be friendly.

"My name is Chara. And I was the first human to fall down here. What's yours?"

"My what"

"Your name, you idiot. Don't tell me you forgot that too." They smirked.

"Pshh I didn't forget my name!" I puffed my cheeks and looked the other way. I honestly had no idea what my name was but I wasn't going to let that ghost kid treat me like a dumbass again.

"Fine then, what is it?"

Shoot.

"U-um i-its uh..."

Let's seeeeee... what's a good name? Oh jeez what are some good names I could use right now?

As I was panicking suddenly something came to my mind.

"Frisk." I said.

I have no idea who Frisk is, but it felt just right. And it was the first thing that popped into my mind so.

"Oh. That's a peculiar name. But we'll then, Frisk. What are you going to do? Do you want to go back to the surface?" They eyed me with curiosity. I honestly had no idea what I would do. But I just had this urge to go back to the surface. But there was nothing up in there for me was there? I mean maybe I had a family or something's that's looking for me right now. Or maybe I could just be a homeless nobody.

"Do you promise me we'll get out of here?" "Yes. And we'll go and look at the stars in a field of golden flowers, like the ones in your book. It's a promise."

"I want to go back up."

That seemed to get Chara's attention.

"R-really? You want to go back up there? With those assholes?" They scoffed.

"Yep. I just feel as if I have something important to do over there. Like a promise."

"Ah...well, if you want I can show you the way! We can go meet these monsters, they took care of me while I was in here! They could help you!" They smiled and started going ahead of me.

"Uhm, sure, I guess! That'd be cool!" I said as I started walking behind them. If I manage to get those monsters' help, I'll be out of here and try to get my memory back and fulfill my promise.

CRINGY I KNOW BUT WERE GETTING TO THE PICKUP LINES AND THOSE ARE HILARIOUS IN A BAD WAY LMAO MAYBE I CAN LATER POST THE OTHER CHAPTERS PFT

Chapter 3

"So uh..Chara..will these people have food?" I asked while walking behind them.

"Food?" "Yup" "You're stuck in a place full of monsters and all you can think of is food?"

Before I could answer though, my stomach let out a loud growl. I giggled.

"I guess that answers your question."

We became quiet again until Chara turned around and looked at me.

"So how old are you?" "I'm about to be twelve" "You're pretty mature for a twelve year old" they scoffed. "Well you're pretty immature to be whatever age you are." Chara laughed.

"I'm thirteen. So that basically means you have to do everything I say since I'm the older one" they stuck their tounge out.

"That's not fair!" I proclaimed. "The world isn't fair." The smirked. "Your face isn't fair"

"Damn, Frisk, you got me" they said with mockery.

"Shut up"

They laughed and then looked at me with a serious expression. "No but really, if you want to survive here you'll have to listen to me or else you'll die. And if you abuse the SAVE point it'll stop working. If you loose determination too."

"Woah. Wait what? A save point? Determination? I am really confused right now"

"Ugh, I'll explain later. Right now we have to get to the RUINS."

"Is that were you lived when you were stuck down here?"

"Tch, why do you care? And I wasn't stuck. I lived here because it's the only place were murder isn't the first option and monsters aren't assholes."

"Hey, stop being so rude, I just want to find out more about you! I really want us to have a good relationship if you're stuck with me for a while!"

"Just mind your own business."

"Ughh you're so-"

I suddenly stopped walking when I saw a single gold flower in the middle of the path.

"Why'd you sto- ohh that's creepy."

"It's just a flower. It won't do anything."

I kneeled down to look at the flower better, for some reason this flower looked different than all the other ones.. I was about to reach out for it when all of a sudden the flower turned around and smiled at me.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

What. The.

This flower could talk?! What?!

"Oooook Frisk this is definitely creepy, don't touch it and walk away."

I ignored Chara and smiled at the flower. They seemed friendly, so why not?

"Hey there! I'm, um, Frisk. I'm new around here."

Flowey noded and smiled at me.

"Oh! So since you're new you probably don't know how the Underground works! I guess lil' old me will have to teach you! Ready?"

"Frisk I'm not really getting good vibes from this guy." Chara said again, this time a little bit more serious.

"Shhh" I stood up and looked at Flowey, nodding.

"Thank you Flowey!! You're really nice! So how does this all wo-?" Suddenly I was being surrounded by darkness, with Flowey standing in front of me.

"Where is-" I suddenly stopped talking when I saw a red...heart? In front of me.

"See that red heart over there?" Flowey asked me.

I nodded.

"That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!"

"Woahh, that's so cool!"

"Your soul starts off weak, but it can get stronger if you gain a lot of LV."

Suddenly Chara appeared beside me and shook their head.

"Frisk I don't think he-"

"Frisk! You may be asking: Flowey, what does LV stand for? Well, for LOVE of course!!"

Oh. I guess in here is not that bad if their policy is like the place where the Carebears live.

"Fris-"

"You want some LOVE don't ya? Well don't worry! I'll share some with you."

After he said that a few white pettals appeared in front of Flowey. I guess that's how you get some LV right?

"Frisk, I'm serious right now, do not touch the bullets."

I looked at Chara.

"Thanks but what bu-"

"DOWN HERE" Flowey yelled to get my attention. I turned to look at him with a nervous smile, he just rolled his eyes and kept talking.

"LOVE, is shared through some....little...white... friendliness pellets!"

Ok. Now that was definitely suspicious. And where those the bullets Chara was talking about before? Jeez this guy really got me, but I mean. He's a flower why in the world would he kill me?

"Are you ready Frisk?! Catch as many as you can!" Then, the...white friendliness pellets, started moving towards me. How in the world was he doing that?! This place is so weird, filled with talking flowers and dead kids suddenly becoming alive again. I just want to go home!

"Frisk!! Watch out!!" Chara yelled beside me.

"What?"

I looked at Flowey and saw the pellets getting closer to me. Before I had the time to dodge they got me and I felt a huge amount of pain. I fell to the ground on my knees, gasping for air, trying to make it go away.

What was happening?! I quickly looked behind me when I noticed that the yellow bar that was once full, was suddenly empty. It said 1/20.

Chara rolled her eyes.

"You dummy! Those were bullets! And to even top it off you have literally one hp left!"

"One hp...? Wait Chara what is goin-"

"You idiot." I heard a creepy voice say behind me.

I slowly turned my head around, looking at Flowey, with my eyes widening.

"F-Flowey?"

"In this world, it's killed or be killed!"

"Wha-what?"

"Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?"

"Chara!" I yelled trying to get up, but a couple of bullets appeared beside me and surrounded me, trapping me where I was.

"DIE. " I heard Flowey yell, while the bullets started closing in on me.

Maybe I could dodge them? Or find a way to escape? Where was Chara and why weren't they helping me?

I heard Floweys's laughter get louder and louder while the bullets got closer and I shut my eyes.

I guess this is the end now. I will really die. Did I seriously think I would survive in this Underground world? Really? They're monsters for God's sake! Of course I would die here. And I wouldn't be able to fill my promise. My eyes started tearing up. I could feel the bullets really close now, about to touch me when-

All of a sudden, a fireball hit Flowey in the face, making him disappear with the bullets. Chara appeared beside me.

"Phew! That was close! At least she got here in time! I told you he wasn't a good person Frisk! If you want to survive here you'll have to do exactly what I tell you to do, or else you'll die." They nagged me.

I tried standing up once again, trying to see who saved me.

"What a horrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." Came a sweet voice from above me. I felt their hands go in my back and a weird warm feeling surrounded me.

When the warm feeling was gone, I didn't feel pain anymore. That was weird. I finally managed to stand up, and looked at the lady who saved me.

She's a.....goat? Lady? Monster?

She had a really pretty purple tunic, with a weird white symbol in the chest area.

She smiled at me and waved her hand.

"Ah do not be afraid my child. I am TORIEL, caretaker or the RUINS. I pass down here everyday to see if any humans have fallen down."

I looked at Chara, who looked to be about to cry. Maybe this was the monster they were talking about before? The ones that took care of them probably?

I shook my head and smiled at Toriel. She did look like she had good intentions, and yes, they did save me from that wretched flower. But I wasn't going to be dumb enough to fall into the same trap again, so this time I had to be cautious.

Toriel smiled back, and turned around, grabbing my hand.

"Come, my child, I will guide you through the catacombs!"

And with that, she grabbed my hand and walked with me, leading the way.

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himiko-yumehellno · 5 years

Text

Saiouma Week Day Three: AU

Title: A Battle Between Lovers, a Panic Over Partners

Summary: Kokichi and Shuichi have a Pokemon battle, because why not. Surely everything will go fine! ... Right?

Words: 1689

Note: Even though I know the days can be done late, I wanted to finish this one today because otherwise I would have just never finished it. Because of that, and my lack of inspiration when it came to this prompt, it's not really edited, especially near the end, so I think I kinda butchered Shuichi's sorta anxiety attack. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy anyway.

+++

Shuichi wasn't sure what led to this battle. He wasn't very strong, and his Pokemon weren't the most experienced. But somehow, he'd ended up in a Pokemon battle with Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Shiny Hunter, with the threat of having to do any dare Kokichi came up with if he lost.

Of course, Shuichi knew that the same could be said for the other boy; if, by some miracle, Kokichi lost, he could dare Kokichi to do whatever he wanted – give up lying for a day, help Shuichi with his missing Pokemon cases, etcetera. But that probably wasn't going to happen, so as he stepped into place on the school's outside battlefield, Shuichi sighed, prepared himself, and pulled out a PokeBall.

"You ready?! You ready?!" Kokichi called from the other side of the field, already bouncing in excitement. Evanescence, Shuichi's emotional support Pokemon and one of his Mightyena, glanced up at him, and after bending down to Evanescence a quick pet, Shuichi straightened up and gave a nod that could be seen clearly by the other boy.

"Woohoo! Now, remember, Shuichi, only two Pokemon!" Kokichi shook his head as if he was prepared for Shuichi to cheat, but Shuichi just rolled his eyes and gripped his PokeBall tighter. They agreed upon that rule because of Shuichi's limitations in Pokemon, so it was pretty much impossible for him to cheat. Regardless...

"Prepare to lose, Shuichi! Three... two... one... Let's duel!"

The final part of that yell threw Shuichi off a bit, but after a minor stumble, Shuichi threw out his PokeBall to reveal Zen, his Kirlia. Zen hit the ground poised, dancing on the tips of its feet, while Kokichi's Lumineon swam through the air, following Zen as Zen leaped around.

That's the Lumineon Kokichi got from Kaito, Shuichi thought, eyes locked onto the water type Pokemon. I wonder what kind of moves it has...?

Well, no time left to think, because a second later Kokichi was pointing and shouting, "Water Pulse!"

Lumineon shot out a circle of water, and as Shuichi cried out, Zen moved to dodge. Zen didn't quite get out of the way, but they didn't get hit with the full force of the water, either, and stumbled back a bit, soaking wet. Shuichi took in a shaky breathe as he lowered his hands from where they had instinctively gone to clutch his shirt.

Right, okay, it was his turn. He could do this. "Zen, uh, use... Magical Leaf!"

Even through the barrage of leaves Zen shot at Lumineon, Shuichi could see Kokichi curse. Magical Leaf might be the only attack move Zen knew, but it was super-effective and never missed.

The move hit Lumineon dead on, and it cried out in pain. Kokichi's face twisted, and after a moment of hesitation where Lumineon was shaking its head and Shuichi and Zen were watching carefully, Kokichi brought out his PokeBall to recall Lumineon. "Lumineon, return!"

Lumineon disappeared in a red beam of light, and Zen shot an anxious glance at Shuichi. Shuichi did his best to smile and reassure his Pokemon, but evidently his own nervousness was showing, as Evanescence headbutted him to ground him in the present.

Okay. Okay, I can do this. Bringing back Lumineon was a smart move, but what's Kokichi going to do now...?

Kokichi, smirking by this time, threw out a fresh PokeBall, and evidently, the answer to that question was "send out a shiny Froslass."

"Laaass!" Froslass shook itself off, bursting out of its PokeBall in a glimmer of light and mist, and Shuichi had the random, illogical thought, Ah, so this is how I die.

A moment later, though, he was shaking that thought off, and ordering Zen to use Double Team with a hesitant shout.

"Lia!" Zen started bouncing around, leaping like a ballerina and making copies of itself whenever it landed. Kokichi's eyes followed Zen, but Shuichi doubted he knew which one was the real Zen by now – he sure as heck didn't.

And it seemed like Froslass didn't either, based on its frantic spinning in circles to try and keep an eye on all the Kirlia. Shuichi relaxed his breath.

Maybe I can actually –

"Use Blizzard! And follow it up with Hail!"

... You've got to be kidding me...

Froslass cheered as it raised its hands to the sky, summoning clouds and mist that covered the entire battlefield. "Fros, lass lass!"

The hail began to fall, and Shuichi sneezed as the temperature changed. His sneeze was nothing compared to the barrage Zen's clones were taking, though, as they disappeared one by one as hailstones struck them. Soon enough, Zen was the only Kirlia left in the arena, sheltering its head from the storm above. "Kirlia!"

"Ah! Zen!" Shuichi squinted to see through the mist; he could make out Zen, and Froslass, but from here, Kokichi was just a shape in the fog. Shuichi gritted his teeth. "Use Magical Leaf!"

"Kirl!" Kirlia sent out the attack, but Shuichi knew it wasn't very effective. There was a shout that Shuichi couldn't quite make out, and with a gust of wind and another round of hail, Zen fell to the ground.

Heart sinking, Shuichi dug in his bag for Zen's PokeBall. Holding it out with an arm as shaky as his voice, he called, "Zen, return!"

Zen disappeared in a flash of light just like how Lumineon had, and Shuichi took a moment to smile at the Pokemon currently inside the PokeBall before putting it away.

Kokichi shouted something else, probably a taunt that didn't make its way past the storm, but Shuichi just ignored it. Okay, so I know I don't have any Pokemon that are as high a level as his Froslass... But I guess Crossbones would be the way to go? Certainly not Meatball, at the very least... Shuichi reached for Crossbones's PokeBall... And hesitated.

Wait, Froslass is a ghost type... And Lumineon is a water type... So based on the moves of my Pokemon, who I should really go for is –

"HEY SHUICHI, YOU'RE NOT BAILING ON ME, ARE YOU, YOU MEANIE?!"

"Let's go, Boomer!"

"Emol, emolga!"

Emolga shot out into the storm, easily coasting on the winds of Froslass's Blizzard. Shuichi grinned across the field, and as he took a deep breath of the icy cold air, he knew by the way his heart soared he made a good choice.

Maybe this wouldn't be a guaranteed loss on his part after all.

"BOOMER, USE U-TURN!" Shuichi yelled out into the arena, loud enough so Kokichi could hear him – just like how Kokichi yelled out at Shuichi just a moment ago. Evanescence stood up next to Shuichi, and Shuichi knew if he hadn't been on-duty, he probably would have howled.

"Mol!" Boomer cut through the clouds, striking Froslass before the other Pokemon could react. Normally, this would be the part where Boomer returned to its PokeBall, but Shuichi didn't have anyone to switch out to.

The hail fell again, and although Shuichi winced as he heard Boomer's cry meaning it got hit, he didn't back down.

Beside him, Evanescence pressed its side to Shuichi's leg. Shuichi balled his hands into fists as he waited for Kokichi's next move.

"...ard!"

"Froslass!"

Froslass raised its arms again, and in a blast of wind, Boomer was sent flying. "Emol!"

"Boomer!" Just like that, Shuichi's determined mood vanished in the wind. He peered through the storm, trying to see what was happening, but wherever Boomer ended up, Shuichi couldn't see him.

Kokichi, though, apparently could, and after nodding away from Shuichi, Froslass dispelled the blizzard with a final arm wave, and Shuichi got to see the sight of Kokichi making his way over to him with a blank expression, fainted Boomer in his arms.

"Ah! Boomer!" Shuichi dashed out to Kokichi, Evanescence bounding beside him. Shuichi didn't know what to say, or think, but his mind was already yelling at him what ifs about Boomer being seriously hurt, and as Shuichi reached Kokichi he couldn't even do anything more than stare at Boomer.

What if Boomer's injured what if Boomer doesn't get better what if Boomer hates you now what if –

...

Evanescence tugged on his pant leg, and Shuichi realized he was hyperventilating.

Forcing himself to calm down and breathe, Shuichi blinked as he continued to stare at Boomer... Who Kokichi was currently administering a Potion to. Looking at him now, Shuichi could see he was fine, but Shuichi didn't dare ask to hold him, instead slowly sitting down so he could hug Evanescence.

A moment later, Kokichi joined him. Between the warmth of Evanescence and the tears starting to slip from his eyes, Shuichi realized this was the longest he'd ever heard Kokichi be quiet.

"Emol?"

Shuichi choked up, and as he turned to his side, Boomer jumped over to his shoulder and patted his cheek sympathetically. Behind Boomer, Kokichi was smiling softly, looking away like he wasn't sure how to help.

Shuichi reached out a hand to Kokichi, but froze before making contact. Kokichi blinked, but Shuichi didn't know whether he'd noticed or not.

Boomer climbed up his head and rested on his hat. Shuichi wasn't complaining.

"You knoow," Kokichi began, as he waved at Froslass, which Shuichi only just now realized he hadn't actually returned to its PokeBall, "maybe I'll save the dare for another time, so you can help me prank Kiibo. If he was here, then we could do it today, but alas," Kokichi sighed.

Shuichi knew that was as direct to an "are you okay?" as he was going to get from Kokichi, but he was okay with that. In fact... It was kinda nice.

So Shuichi smiled, turned, and buried his face into Mightyena fur.

Because maybe this battle didn't go that well, but at the end of the day, Shuichi knew he had both people and Pokemon who loved him.

"Eeemolga!"

#also posted on ao3 #my fics #saiouma #saiouweek #oumasai #end meee #this took a lot out of me tbh #not even really happy with it #but if i leave it to tomorrow i'll just procrastinate and never edit or upload it #so y'all are getting the unedited version #no editing we die like the tired shippers we are #himiko cast original post #pokemon #au #fic #drv3 #shuichi saihara #kokichi ouma #long post

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pywackett-barchetta · 4 years

Text

No Signal

[An anonymous commission for a Touhou size story. It’s been forever and a day since I’ve done one of these, but I figured I’d take up the opportunity! tldr; Reimu flattens a cell tower because sure.]

_____________

"I mean… I guess it is kind of an eyesore." The ordinary magician shrugged, leaning back and snapping the edge off of another rice cracker between her teeth as she stared off from the shrine.

"Well, yeah… but more importantly, it's suspicious!" The Hakurei shrine maiden leapt to her feet, sweeping an arm out and pointing her gohei defiantly toward the massive metallic structure in the distance. It stood taller than even Gensokyo's most gargantuan oni (at least on most days), its tallest dolls (admittedly, a much higher bar than one would think, thanks to the concerted efforts of one particular dollmaker), and whatever that contraption the Moriya Shrine cooked up that one time was. The floorboards creaked as she frustratedly strode past the miniature bug cage 'house' set out on the floor, its diminutive denizen flinging the door open and startling back at the comparatively colossal FWUMP of a titanic tabi sock thundering down in front of her home.

"Hey, watch it! I thought we agreed my house was going back up on the table!" The purple-haired kobito shouted up, a surprisingly loud little force, but ignored with a shrug nonetheless as the 'massive' miko poured some more tea.

"So, what's got you all keyed up about it?" Marisa casually chimed in. "Yeah, it's a big weird tower, and around here, those tend to summon ancient evils or lightning or be some sort of other incident thing, so I get it. But this is a, uh… 'cell tower', right? Not gonna lie, I kinda checked out a few minutes into Sanae's explanation, but it's sorta like the yin-yang orb for you, right?"

Reimu let a moment pass in contemplation as she sat back at the shrine's edge in the sunlight, taking a sip of her tea. "Yeah, she was saying something about macrocells and picocells and Gees, but… It's a big obvious tower! That's pretty much always bad, especially when they're involved!"

"Lemme guess, even if they're serious, because it's the Moriya Shrine getting all the credit, it's bad for business~?" The magician snickered.

"I didn't say that! It's just… you see it's an incident waiting to happen, too, right? They're always making everything that much more of a pain!"

"Why don't you just go stomp on it, then? Isn't that a big clumsy giant's answer to everything?" The voice of the little princess pipes up from the floor again, and her face pales as the two 'titans' go silent and turn to look down to her from high above her tiny two-inch-tall frame. "...what? You heard me! You almost flattened me again this morning!"

Marisa chuckled to herself as she watched the gears turning in Reimu's mind. Of course.

'Of course!', thought Reimu. "...hey, that mallet's all charged, right?"

"Yep! Just finished up today, so finally I can grow big again for a while!"

"...can you grow me big instead?"

She startled back at this. "W-what!? Why would I do that!?" THWOOM, THWOOM, the miko's palms slam down on either side of her, enormous eyes staring down, like a wild animal cornering their prey… but with a glimmer of excitement. No, not just a glimmer; she seemed absolutely thrilled, with childlike glee.

"You've done it before, right? Just make me big again! I'll put your house wherever you want or whatever, just… make me a giant!"

Already thoroughly towered over, the massive magician didn't help matters for Shinmyoumaru by leaning in with a chuckle. "I don't think you've got much choice here."

_____________

"Growwwwwwwww big!"

"..."

"Pff."

"Make me bigger!"

"Um, tha-"

"Don't tell her yet."

"Make me giant!"

"Are we really just gonna watch her-"

"Oh, absolutely."

_______________

Some time later, when the Hakurei shrine maiden remembered the mallet was only usable by the kobito themselves and had begrudgingly, blushingly handed it back to its usual owner, she stood outside the shrine.

"Alright… this time for sure."

"Are you seriously ready…?"

"Yeah, I'm ready! Let's go, already!"

"Okay! I'd rather it be me, but… groowwwwwww big!"

The Miracle Mallet began to glow a glorious vibrant gold, its wielder locking her gaze on the woman she focused its power upon. Soon, the shrine maiden began to radiate those dazzling colors as well, and lifting herself off the ground in flight, stretched her arms out to embrace this. (Purely for dramatic effect, of course, but it's not like anyone could judge.) And sure enough, her body began to slowly expand…

A symphony ensued, for those near enough to hear it. Tough, resilient tabi socks slowly stretching to fit gradually growing feet, her toes and soon her heels back to touching the ground despite her high vantage point. The creaking and trembling of the earth beneath her feet to take on someone of supernaturally supreme size… The stretching of skin and fabric keeping up with her as the view below dwindled down and down and down…

THOOM. THOOM.

The shrine shook and rattled as the newfound giant stamped her colossal soles down on each side of it, her shadow blotting out the grounds below as the others stared up in awe from below. Shinmyoumaru gulped. Marisa simply let out a whistle of surprise, a dramatic undersell for, as she now noted from the soft white horizon before her, a best friend growing so huge that one toe eclipsed her entire body.

"This is even cooler than last time!" Her enormous voice roared throughout Gensokyo, those just below her hastily covering their ears as she looked around this world in awe. Sure, she usually saw it from this height, but not with her feet on the ground. "Back to business, though. I'll go stomp on that thing and go from there, I guess." She waved her hand in a casual goodbye as she thundered off towards the horizon, leaving her houseguests to simply watch as she did so.

"Have fun!"

"...what have I done."

__________

THOOM, THOOM. THOOM, THOOM.

Gensokyo shook and rumbled at every leviathan footfall of the massive miko; vast expanses of trees and flowers and wide open paths were unceremoniously pounded into deep, tabi-shaped craters. Villages trembled and shook, tengu flitting between the trees to try to cover what this strange seismic event may be before the Hakurei shrine maiden was inevitably called in to put a stop to it… Well, not this time. Fairies and youkai hurtled out of her path in astonishment and awe; as if she wasn't enough of a force of nature normally, being 200 meters tall made things a whole lot more obvious!

She'd saved these lands countless times, so for a bit, she didn't mind the sensation of it all going crunch under her heels, or the sounds of the ground cracking with each THWOOM of her soles down against Gensokyo's surface. Even the Underworld was shaking a little…

As she peers down, she notices a little green speck floating in her path; even from that high up, it's barely at her waist. "Out of my way."

"I already explained it to you! It's just transmitting RF signals!" The goddess-slash-shrine-maiden piped up, from the path of the lumbering behemoth. It didn't even slow her.

"Should've said that before you put it up. Still an unauthorized building, still knocking it down." In all honesty, she just really wanted to stomp on it at this point, but this'd be a suitable, if flimsy, excuse.

"But I did-!" Her protests are cut short as the giant bears down on her, continuing to walk straight in an unstoppable march, Sanae's view slowly filling with nothing but the mega miko's midriff. She turns to flee, flying as fast as she can, but those immense strides catch up almost instantly, being bowled into by the behemoth's belly, stuck up against it like a bug to a windshield (if far more unharmed). She watched on begrudgingly as the rampaging Reimu thundered towards the tower… it looked positively tiny in comparison.

Even as the humongous Hakurei stopped to stand before it, chuckling as it didn't even come up to her waist, Sanae found herself still stuck to the soft stomach of the giant woman, a strange sensation of comfort from the warm body heat of her…business rival? Fellow incident-solver? Something like that.

Reimu lifted her massive, giant foot, leaning it and much of her colossal weight against the cell tower.

Ggrrnnnnnnn….

Under that unfathomable mass, it begins to buckle and shear apart, the metal letting out a deafening shriek as the mighty mountain's socks softly smother it. Supports snap and spark, the massive monument collapsing in portions, a giddy chuckle escaping her as she wiggled her toes.

She raises her foot up high once more, over that crumpled heap…

THOOMMMMmmmmm….

...and smashes it down, flattening all that hard work in under a minute. With a twist of her foot, she grinds the last of it down to nothing, smirking despite herself as she plucks Sanae up off of her.

"There. Anything else I should know about?"

"...no?"

"That's awfully unconvincing for someone in the palm of my hand, y'know."

"No, that was it… I thought we'd finally get, like, texting in Gensokyo, even if our own version… maybe someday."

"Well, next time, just have your gods ask nicely first, okay?"

"Okay…" She was too winded to put up much of a fight right now, as it was. This’d blow over eventually; surely her gods would understand that divine wrath is a bit stranger around here...

#touhou #reimu hakurei #why did I write this #this time because I was bribed and more importantly I liked the prompt #text #marisa kirisame #touhou fanfiction #shinmyoumaru sukuna #sanae kochiya

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goldenchildkatsuki · 7 years

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Interstellar

Day 4 of @kacchako-week : Stars

Summary: Uraraka takes her telescope to the roof of the dorm and plans on stargazing but she gets interrupted by a restless Bakugou.

Writers Note: I recommend listening to the album “I.” from the band Cigarettes After Sex, especially the song: Starry Eyes. Now, here's my fic for the fourth day of Kacchako Week 2018. Enjoy.

Word count: 3.260

Beta Reader: @wishgnee

AO3 link: (x)

Uraraka pulled at the sleeves of her sweater, tightly holding on to the fabric, keeping it from crawling away from her knuckles. Her fingers were starting to cramp up from the cold after having to set up the telescope for so long. She was reaching the last steps of her preparation as she put an eye to the eyepiece and started turning to tiny knob to focus on the top of light pole.

“That looks perfect.”

She lifted her head and pulled away her flushed fingers, backing away like it could fall apart any second.

Letting go of the breath she was holding in, Uraraka just wanted this to go right so badly. She had been saving for a telescope ever since middle school. Living on her own and having the bare minimum, it was hard to put money aside.

On her sixteenth birthday her parents surprised her with a telescope, a rather expensive one as well. They had added books on stars and constellations and happily flipped through them for her, showing off how much information they contained.

Now, Uraraka wished she had been more excited when receiving her gift. Only being able to think about how much of burden it must have been to pay it off and for her parents to travel so far, she was unable to say much. Seeing her parents so overjoyed about it all, made her think about how it was probably more impolite for her to deny it after all their efforts they made than actually accepting the gift.

She hadn’t seen her parents smile so wide then when she tried turning the knobs on the telescope. Who was she to make their smiles drop by denying the gift? After realizing this she had thanked them more times than needed and let the joy take her over.

Uraraka could finally be closer to the stars.

Only a few adjustments and she could be one on one with them. She would genuinely know what she was talking about when she said the stars were beautiful. She could know in depth talk people’s ears off about constellations.

If only her hands weren’t frozen. A few twist and turns on a couple of knobs and she would be ready to go. Uraraka pulled the ropes of her hoodie to tighten the hood, chills going over her spine because of what a difference that made. She breathed warm air in her hands and rubbed them together.

With wobbly knees she approached the telescope and put her eye on the finder scope. She tried to contain her shaking so she could see properly. Biting down, helped considerably and allowed her to move onto centering the light pole. With an eye closed she started moving the scope further to the right. Her eyes started straining easily and the image became blurry.

Uraraka groaned, lifted her head and starting rubbing her eyes. A loud bang broke the complete silence of the night. Uraraka’s heart jumped directly in her throat, heartrate going from zero to a million miles a second. She turned around and her elbow hit the telescope, making it face the complete opposite direction. With a fist still in one eye and a blurry other eye she stumbled forwards.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry. I’ll pack up right away. I wasn’t sure if this counted as going out after curfew, either way I shouldn’t have been here so late, that’s absolutely no excu-“

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Uraraka blinked and took a couple of steps forward.

“Bakugou?”

He stood opening the door of the fire escape the door handle bouncing against the wall it was being pushed against. The echo of the clanging making Uraraka feel more uneasy.

“You scared the crap out of me, I thought you were a teacher!”

Bakugou walked out the doorpost and zipped up his hoodie. “Do I look like a damn teacher?”

“Well no, but the way you swung the door open just made me feel like I was busted! Why would you even open a door like that? Everyone is sleeping you know?!”

Bakugou propped his hood up and buried his fists in his sweatpants. He gave the roof an once-over.

“Fucking hell, keep yelling and soon everyone won’t be.” He scoffed as he started walking over to her. “And it doesn’t seem like everyone’s asleep. You’re up.”

Uraraka slapped her hands in front of her mouth and made herself small. “So? So are you!” She hissed from behind her hands.

Bakugou walked right past her and picked a book off the ground and quickly flipped through it. “No need to get all defensive about it round face, I never thought I’d say this but I’m too tired to pick a fight right now.”

Uraraka batted her lashes. The adrenaline had left her body and now she had time to properly think about the situation. It was one of fewer times that Bakugou didn’t raise his voice, he really must be drained. Without the cursing Uraraka would have a hard time recognizing the low and grainy voice. She wondered what could be eating away at him at this time. She knew he wasn’t here to look at stars, that was for sure. Though looking so exhausted, why couldn’t he sleep?

Bakugou picked up another book and started flipping through that too, this time slower, actually reading a few bits. He nodded at the pages, raising his eyebrows occasionally.

“I didn’t know you were such a massive geek.” He mumbled.

In an instant Uraraka lost all sympathy she had built up for him. He couldn’t just waltz onto her spot, go through her things and insult her like that. The nerve the guy had was unbelievable.

“Why are you here Bakugou?”.

“None of your business. So what, you’re into planets and shit?” On to another book he went, now starting to read full pages.

Uraraka crossed her arms, getting annoyed. “Sorta. I’m more into stars. But why would I tell you that when you won’t even tell me what you’re doing here.”

Bakugou held the book closer to his face and started squinting against the pages. “First of all, you just answered me you nerd, and second of all; when I say it’s none of your business, then it’s none of your fucking business.”

Usually Uraraka would have been more patient with him, taking her time to figure him out but he was seriously rubbing her the way. There was no need for him to behave like that, regardless of what might he have on his mind now.

Uraraka picked her book out of his hands and clamped onto it. “Well, you don’t have any business being here, so if you would leave then that would be great, I’m trying to set up my telescope.”

She pushed past him and it slowly started sinking it that something wasn’t right. She put her eye on the finder scope and her heart sank. All she could see was complete darkness. She dropped her book and facepalmed with both hands.

Her elbow. Her fricking elbow made her telescope do a complete 180. Now she had to almost start from the beginning.

She turned to Bakugou, who was picking at his nails and yawning as he sat down on the cold ground.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Uraraka clenched her jaw.

No response.

“I’ve been here for more than an hour, trying to set up without my fingers freezing off. It took so much effort, and you ruined it!”

Bakugou sighed and flicked away dirt from under his nails.

“Sorry you got scared and ruined your stupid little science project.”

Uraraka dug her nails in the palms of her hands through the fabric of her hoodie. She swallowed, trying her hardest to fight back her tears, but they already started to fall down her cold cheeks.

��You just don’t care do you? You think you can say and do whatever you want without affecting people around you. Bakugou, you don’t always have to be such a jerk you know?”

Her eyes were burning and her neck was getting wet. Teeth clattering and sweaty palms. She didn’t think it was possible to get so angry at someone.

“Okay, fuck, I’m sorry. Genuinely.” Bakugou lifted himself off the ground and took her sleeve, he pulled at it, causing her to look him in the eye. “Stop crying will ya’, I said I’m sorry.”

Uraraka couldn’t hold herself from sobbing. Bakugou lifted her arm and made her wipe her tears with her own sleeve. It wasn’t the smoothest of actions. He made her poke herself in the eye, which made her laugh. He grinned and settled for drying her tears himself, wiping away tears under her eyes with his thumbs.

“There. Better, kinda.”

Uraraka was surprised at how easily she accepted his touch. The thick and ragged skin were kind to her soft and plum skin and felt inviting. Bakugou wasn’t actually the kind of person that seemed to be fond of physical contact. He never leaned on anyone, he never put a hand on a shoulder, he even refuses to shake hands after a match.

She felt his thumbs linger at the corners of her eyes. She pulled her face out his hand before he could retract his hands.

“I accept your apology.”

Uraraka pushed the telescope back to its original position. She didn’t want to pack up and go to bed. The next clear night was later in the month, and she would finish what she started.

Every fiber in her being made it impossible for her to move away from the telescope, but if her mood was ruined, if her entire heart wasn’t poured into it, why not wait? A few weeks would mean nothing when the perfect night was there.

“You could let me help you.”

“Sorry?”

Bakugou adjusted the tripod and the scope. Handling it with more care than she’d seen him handle anything. He put an eye to the eyepiece, his fingers wavered above the turning knobs.

“What inanimate object were you using to set up?”

Uraraka gawked at him.

“My dad had a telescope that I used when I was a kid alright? Don’t even think about fucking telling anyone or you won’t be alive to tell the tale.”

“Noted.” Uraraka went to stand next to him and pointed at the light pole she used for setting up. He took a quick glance and started focusing the scope. Without any additional turns, he switched over to the finding scope and started focusing the image.

Uraraka had practiced the steps before starazing many times, but never had she ever been able to do it as fast as Bakugou did. She was jealous of how confident he was looking when doing it as well. He was a perfectionist but he never seemed to think twice about he had already done. And he didn’t have to. It was amazing seeing the child prodigy at work.

Bakugou went back and forth between the eyepiece and the finder scope. Eventually he backed away from it.

“It’s pretty much done now.”

She didn’t intend to let Bakugou do all the work, the set up was part of the experience after all, but he was essentially doing her a huge favor and in the end it wouldn’t be something to get angry about.

Like a big weight had been lifted of his shoulder he sat down on the concrete again and went through Uraraka’s bag. He handed her the right eye piece and then picked up the book Uraraka had dropped and continued where he left of reading.

“This piece is for looking at planets, if you wanted to do that.”

Uraraka put the piece in the pocket of her hoodie and asked: “Don’t you want to come and see?”

Bakugou brought the book closer to his face again, trying not to strain his eyes in the dark.

“God no, almost got a damn headache from all that focusing.”

She couldn’t blame him, he came here to calm down and to be able to fall asleep.

Before Uraraka started gazing she kicked against her bag. “There’s a flashlight in there, probably handy if you don’t want a headache.” Her eye went to the eyepiece.

In the corner of her eye she could see a white light appearing. She herself had been able to read the books with not that much difficulty, but unlike Bakugou, she didn’t have bad eyesight. He had been trying to hide the fact that he couldn’t see properly. One time she had caught him wearing his glasses, he was sitting alone reading in the yard, thinking everyone had gone out. As she went back because she forgot her wallet she had seen him. His face had never looked so relaxed.

As she smiled to herself thinking about his relaxed face she started her long awaited one on one.

The first proper look she had, took her breath away. With one look they were as close as she could possibly get to them. She questioned how it was possible how much brighter and more fascinating they looked compared to staring at them with the naked eye.

She had never fallen in love before but when she did she wanted it to feel like this. That’s when she would know she wanted to give her heart to someone special. Someone equal to a star. Someone to could take her breath away, make her feel content and at ease, make her feel one of the purest forms of happiness she had ever felt.

Every feeling that was buried deep under, feelings she didn’t know she was able to feel, had been pulled out of her. The gentlest pull, like how Bakugou pulled her sleeve.

Bakugou hadn’t said a single word since he had started reading. Normally he would have by now. He would have definitely said something about the gasping she did every other minute. Either making fun of her for geeking out so much or telling her to keep it down because he was reading.

But not a word. He respectfully let Uraraka in her moment, audibly admiring the sky as much as she pleased. He didn’t seem to mind her company and neither did she.

“What’s your star sign again?” Uraraka whispered as if she didn’t want to shoo away the stars.

“Aries.”

Uraraka hummed and fiddled at the knobs. “I’ve been able to find a couple so far. My own, my parent’s, but I can’t seem to find yours.”

Bakugou flipped through the pages of the second book he started reading. “Don’t tell me you barely studied these books?”

“What?! Of course I have! But it’s different seeing them in the sky than in a book.”

She heard Bakugou mumble things under his breath before turning off the flashlight and standing up. Uraraka backed away from the telescope, only then noticing how tired her eyes were getting. She buried the palms of her hands in her eyes and yawned.

“If I find my star sign in less than a minute you’re buying me lunch tomorrow.”

“You’re on.”

Bakugou started looking around the sky. It took him considerably longer than she expected. Gradually his tongue started slipping out of his mouth, giving away that it wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be.

“Found it.”

Under a minute, damn it.

Curiosity made Uraraka forget that the eyepiece wasn’t suitable for two people to look through and made her butt her head against Bakugou. He immediately stepped away from the telescope, instinctively not wanting to move the tripod. Uraraka stumbled forwards, not expecting him to move so quick. Before she could trip over her bag, Bakugou grabbed her by the shoulders and caught her.

After securing stability, Uraraka started to feel the pain. She felt the side of her head, which was pounding and feeling sore. Bakugou let go of her shoulders and firmly rubbed his forehead, wincing a little.

“You’re so lame.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Uraraka moaned. “How’s your head?”

Uraraka took Bakugou’s hand that was furiously trying to rub away the soreness and inspected the red spot it had left behind his spiky hair. She went to stand on her tiptoes, brushed the hair aside, and softly stroked the spot with her thumb.

Bakugou’s warm breath entered her hood, warming up her neck. His breath turned shaky and irregular. Uraraka landed back on her soles, having moved a couple of inches closer to his face.

His face had turned crimson as if he hadn’t hanging upside down on a monkeybar. Blank, wide eyes stared back at her. When meeting his eyes, they came to life, darting around, checking out her whole face.

Confused, Uraraka looked around, trying to understand what he was thinking. She noticed how she was still holding his hand, her small fingers wrapped around his red knuckles.

She got a better hold of his hand and squeezed. “You’re okay right?”

“I’m fine.” He stuttered, fingers twitching underneath her grasp.

Uraraka knew his head was okay. She asked if he was okay with this, touching him, holding onto him. It seemed like he answered to his double layered questioning, not having retract his hand yet.

She let her hands out of her sleeve and let their palms touch. It was exciting, to see how far he would let her go. She looked up at him, figuring out how he felt about the act. He had gotten used to the touch, now having stopped trembling and peering into her eyes.

To her surprise he pulled his hand back, only for him to take hers again and let their fingers intertwine, his pupils growing as big as the moon.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine.” She smiled.

What was it about the guy that intrigued her so much? Why did she feel the need to figure him out, to explore him? Perhaps she wanted to get to know Bakugou better. The 2 am Bakugou that knew how to work a telescope, liked reading astronomy books and didn’t mind holding her hand. A version of Bakugou that undeniably made her heart race and made it hard to breathe.

Especially when he’s pulling her even closer.

Especially when he’s closing his eyes.

Especially when he’s leaning in.

She couldn’t breathe.

Uraraka closed her eyes, leaning back, trying to create a little more distance between them. Just a little more time to steady her breathing. He squeezed her hand to check up on her, she squeezed back.

She was ready to kiss a star.

The grandest of them all.

She felt her back push against the scope. She opened her eyes and loudly gasped. The telescope had moved and the tripod was unbalanced, losing all the preparations Bakugou had done.

Bakugou opened his eyes and looked at the telescope, then back to Uraraka. All she could do was laugh, it was really something that could only happen to her, twice on one night. Bakugou started chuckling after realizing that she wasn’t all that upset.

“That was your own fucking fault this time.”

“I know!”

Uraraka turned their hands and pecked the back of his hand.

“Thank you, for everything.”

“Shut up, will ya and thank me properly.”

Uraraka rolled her eyes and, stood on her toes again and let their lips touch. A supernova occurred inside of her. Exactly what she expected it to feel like.

“Thank you.” She smiled against his lips.

“Thank me more.”

#kacchako week #kacchako week 2018 #kacchako week day 4 #kacchako week day 4: stars #kacchako fic #kacchako fanfic #kacchako fanfiction #bakuraka #katsuocha #bakugou #bakugou katsuki #uraraka #uraraka ochako #bnha #boku no hero #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #jj writes

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tibblss · 7 years

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Part two

Based off of @frostyuris post

“I dare you to look me in the face and tell me richie tozier hasn’t kissed every member of the losers club at least once.”

Read part one here

Also I’m just so happy that people liked it? I was kinda nervous about posting it because I wasn’t sure if anyone would wanna read it, much less want the second part. Thanks for all the love.

(Talk Too Much by COIN, Kiss by Prince, and I Want To Kiss You by Spook School are all like, moods for this fic.) (also I didn’t mean for it to be this long whoops.)

For the next couple of months everything went as normal. School started to get more serious, junior year hitting the losers club hard. Classes weren’t as easy (save for maybe for Stan and Richie), jobs were basically a necessity, there was a lot of studying for the SAT, and it seemed like everyone was busy all the time.

Richie didn’t want to think about how they all needed to move away for college soon, and didn’t want to talk about it. Every time one of the losers brought the subject up he was quick to make a joke and change the topic.

“Richie why don’t you ever wanna talk about college?”

“I don’t know Eds, I’d rather just talk about your mom.”

He wasn’t bitter.

It was around the end of September when Richie kissed Bill. They didn’t talk about it but Richie noticed the look in Bill’s eyes every time Bill looked at Stan. Stan wasn’t oblivious to the heart eyes, just a little scared he was receiving mixed signals.

It was now the end of December and the start of Christmas break. The Losers decided to have a sleepover at Bill’s, since Georgie and their parents decided that they wanted to visit the Grandparents this year. Bill decided to stay home, someone needed to feed the hamster.

A few hours after school ended the losers met up at Bill’s house, one by one, equipped with pillows and blankets and some liquor from Richie and Bev. By the time all of their stuff was in the living room and Can’t Buy Me Love was playing on the TV, Bill and Bev were sipping on some beers that Bev stole from her dad and whispering in hushed voices, casting glances at Stanley. Its a bit ironic that Bill was talking about his crush to his other crush.

By 9:00 everyone was tipsy, splayed over each other in a cuddle pile while they watched Back To The Future, per Mike’s request. It isn’t long before Richie gets antsy and lets out a loud sigh.

“What now?” Comes Eddie’s annoyed voice, accompanied by a chuckle from Stan.

“I’m boooooored.”

“W-well what-t do you w-wan-na do?” Bill asked as he sat up, causing Bev to whine since she no longer could rest her head on his stomach.

Bev sat up too, “Let’s play spin the bottle!” she grinned.

A chorus of grumbles sounded as all of the losers got up and arranged themselves in a circle on the floor. Bev grabbed an empty beer bottle and placed it in the middle and yelled “NOSE GOES.” In an instant everyone had their fingers on the tip of their nose except for Bill, who sighed.

“You guys k-know I’m the s-s-slowest at th-that.” He mumbled as he leaned into the center and spun the bottle.

“Wait guys are we playing the seven minutes in heaven version or just like the kissing version?” Eddie asked as the bottle continued to spin.

“I don’t care, we’ll play the seven minutes version.” Bev replied with a shrug.

The bottle made four full circles before settling between Stan and Richie. Everyone laughed except for Bill, who’s cheeks were beginning to redden. Richie stands up first and pulls Stan to his feet, then crosses the circle and extends a hand to Bill. Bill gulps and gives Richie his hand.

They go to the closet under the stairs, since it has enough room for the three of them, and Stan closes the door.

“We don’t have to do anything Bill.” Bill jumped at the sound of Stan’s voice, and met Stan’s soft smile with a grimace. “You don’t have to kiss either of us.”

Stan turned to Richie, and it may have been the alcohol, or the mood, or the fact that Bill was there, but Stan just needed to kiss somebody, even if that somebody wasn’t Bill. Richie wasn’t bad to look at, he had wild curls and flushed cheeks and a dopey smile on his lips and brightly colored bandages covering the scrapes on his elbows from falling off of his skateboard. So Stan cupped his cheek and brought their lips together, glancing at Bill while they were kissing.

Richie lets his eyes fall shut as Stan kissed him gently, and lets his hands fall to Stan’s slender hips. As he moves his mouth against Stan’s he opens one eye to peek at Bill, who is a lot more flustered than he was when they entered the closet. Then he notices that Stan is also watching Bill, and closes his eyes and kisses Stan harder, bringing one hand up into Stan’s hair. After a couple of minutes they pull apart.

Bill just keeps looking at Stan’s lips, and Stan turns to him and grabs his hand. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” Stan whispers, and for a second they forget Richie is there. Bill nods his head and exhales shakily when Stan crowds up into his personal space more than he already was. Bill shivered in anticipation.

Richie could swear he saw literal sparks fly.

As Stan was kissing Bill, Richie came up behind Stan and started to kiss his neck.

Then they were being interrupted by a knock on the door and Bev’s voice yelling, “Please put your pants back on and come back to the living room.” and the ensuing cackles.

By the time February rolled around everybody sorta forgot about the kisses, except for Richie of course. Within the span of half a year he kissed four out of six of his best friends. He still gave Bev little domestic kisses as a greeting and they laugh every time somebody asks if they’re dating.

“Hey, Haystack!” Richie drawls in a southern accent, while slinging his arm around Ben’s shoulders and leaning on him as they walk down the hall, off to physics together.

“Yes, Richie?” Ben sighed. He loved Richie, but he also loved peace and quiet.

“Do you wanna study for the ACT later? It’s less than a month away, y’know.”

“Ugh don’t remind me, my math skills aren’t the best. Yeah, do you wanna meet up at the library after school?” Ben huffed as he sat in his chair at the front of the class, then turning around to stare at Richie as he sat in the seat behind him.

“Only if I get to drive.” Richie grinned toothily. Ben just chuckled and turned around in his seat.

Richie was the only loser who hadn’t had his own car yet, besides Eddie who still only had his permit. Richie was the first to get his license but last to get a car, how ironic. He seized every opportunity to drive that he could.

So after school Richie met Ben at his locker and then they walked, well Richie bounced, out to Ben’s shitty old car. “A shitty car is better than no car.” Richie had once said when Ben was complaining about the quality. Ben had supposed Rich was right.

Richie drove fast and wild on the short drive to the library, Ben swearing and yelling at him the whole time.

“Rich, you’re driving is too wild.”

“Yeah but did you die?”

“Shut up.”

Once they walk into the library Ben greets the librarian, and they go to Ben’s favorite spot in the library: a quiet little corner that has a couch and a table with a couple of chairs, nothing too noteworthy but it’s tucked away and no one would disturb them there. Ben took his study time very seriously.

Richie laid his backpack down on the shag rug and then sat down next to it with his legs crossed, beginning to pull out his ACT prep book and his walkman, so that they could at least faintly hear some music. Richie had a mixtape playing and She Came In Through the Bathroom Window by The Beatles played quietly through Richie’s beat up headphones.

“So you wanted to study for math first right? We can go over strategy and then do a couple of practice quizzes.” Richie asked as he shifted, sprawling out over the rug. Ben nodded his head and sat down in front of Richie, laying his notebook and pen in his lap.

Richie started talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking-

“Ben are you even paying attention?” Richie snapped as he sat up. “Dude, I’ve been talking about the math section of the ACT for the past five minutes. This isn’t even one I need to study for, I got like a 31 on it.”

“I’m sorry Rich, I can’t really focus right now.” Ben sighed, biting his lip. “Bev kinda... asked me out. We’re going to the Aladdin and out to eat this Friday.”

“Christ, Haystack! That’s great.” Richie yelled, receiving a loud shush from somewhere in the library.

“I’m just like, worried that she’ll kiss me and I won’t be good at it.” Ben whispered, blushing. He’s had his first kiss already, when he was little. He was nine and this girl Jessica, who had wild hair like Richie’s, kissed him while he was sitting on a swing, then ran away and giggled with her friends. He later found out that it was on a dare, which hurt a little bit.

“You could practice on me.” Richie suggests casually, which causes Ben to choke on his breath. Ben hasn’t really thought about kissing a boy, but it can’t be much different than kissing a girl right? So he catches his breath and nods, and moves his notebook and pen to the side with shaky hands.

Richie moves a little closer and looks around to make sure no one could see them, because even if all of the losers were accepting and didn’t care about this kind of stuff, they still lived in Derry. He tilted Ben’s face up with a finger under his chin, and leaned in to close the gap between them. Richie starts off with short, chaste kisses, mumbling “relax” between a couple. The kisses start to linger and elongate, Ben starting to get more into them and kissing back enthusiastically. Ben gasps when Richie darts his tongue out and licks Ben’s lips, letting Richie lick into his mouth.

Richie then pulls away, smiling at Ben. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, Haystack.”

Two months later the losers got their ACT scores back, Richie was very pleased to see that his score was better than his first ACT, getting a composite of 30. Ben got a 26 on the math portion, a 28 overall, and Bev attacked him with kisses. Bev got a 27, Bill got a 26, Eddie got a 28, and Stan got a 32. Everyone was so proud of each other, and now that it was April and rainy and they were all so happy, they blasted music from Bill’s car and danced together in the rain in the Derry High School parking lot. They all looked like idiots, losers if you will. Ben and Bev were holding hands and spinning around and Richie and Stan and Bill were all limbs, having no coordination, and Mike and Eddie actually knew how to dance.

By the end of the school year, Richie almost had enough money saved from working at the Aladdin to buy a car. And by the middle of June he had enough to buy a run-down old pickup truck.

He called Mike and asked if they could hang out at his house for the day, and then called the other losers after Mike said he had the farm to himself anyway. He arrived at Mikes house five minutes later than everyone else, and sat in the driveway in his truck and honked the horn until they came out, smiling and laughing as he made a show of getting out of his truck. “Like what ya see?” He shouted, laughing along as they clapped. He bowed and then jogged up to the porch, giving Bev a chaste kiss, and then getting a hug from Mike.

“I’m so happy you finally got a car, maybe you could stop bumming rides from me now.” Ben laughed, the other losers nodding in agreement. They all went inside and settled into the couches in the living room, watching Star Wars: A New Hope for the 100th time.

Conversation flowed freely, topics about the newest movies at the Aladdin and the new cassettes Richie bought to listen to in his truck were discussed, and then the topic Richie had been avoiding for the past year of school came up: College. College meant moving away, going different directions, different paths and places and people. College meant forgetting. He didn’t want to think about the other losers leaving him behind, forgetting him and all the things they’ve gone through together, from bullies to the ACT to kisses. All of it had been with them.

“I dunno, Stanny, Ivy league schools are expensive aren’t they?” Eddie asked with a crease in his brow.

“Well yeah but Stan the Man, Jew with a Plan is gonna be rich one day, eh?” Richie said, patting Stan on the thigh. “He’ll be able to pay it off.”

“Yeah, Eddie, I’ll be able to pay it off.” Stan laughed. “In 20 years. I don’t know where I wanna go, I still have time to decide though. With my ACT score I could get into basically anywhere.” He said with a smile.

“F-fuck y-yeah you can, babe.” Bill said as he placed a kiss on Stan’s cheek, pulling Stan closer into his side.

The college talk went on for a little bit, eventually Richie got sick of it and pushed himself off of the couch, mumbling a half-assed “I need a smoke.” He sat himself on the front porch and pulled a cigarette and lighter from the pocket of his flannel.

“You know I don’t like when you smoke.” Eddie said in a sarcastic tone as he sat next to Richie on the old wooden stairs and laid his head on Richie’s shoulder. “All the college talk makes me sad too.” He sighed in a small voice. “I understand if you don’t wanna talk about it.”

A long pause ensued, Richie taking a few drags of his cigarette.

“Eds, do you wanna get out of here? I know you like stargazing, and it’s really clear out and I feel like going for a drive now that I can because I got my tr-”

“Yeah sure.” Eddie laughed, cutting Richie off. “Lemme go fill up a thermos with tea and grab a couple blankets. I’ll tell the others we’ll be back soon.”

Richie flashed him a smile and started walking to his truck. He started his truck and found his favorite cassette, Abbey Road by The Beatles. Once Eddie was buckled in the passenger seat, blanket and thermos snug in his lap, Richie tore out of the driveway. At this point Eddie had been in a car with Richie driving too many times to be phased, he just made himself comfy and asked, “Where are we going, Rich?”

“Oh, I know a spot. It’s really quiet and it pretty clear from lights and stuff, so we’ll be able to see the sky pretty clearly.” Richie said as he glanced at him, shooting him a crooked smile. Richie stuck his hand out as an invitation, and Eddie took it and laced their fingers together, letting their hands rest near his thigh. Richie rubbed his thumb lazily against the back of Eddie’s hand, giving Eddie butterflies.

They drove on some back roads for a while, some unpaved, and came to a stop once they were in the middle of a clearing, giving them a fantastic view of the stars. They clambered out, leaving the doors open so that they could hear the music, on Richie’s insistence.

“Chee, there’s gonna be a bunch of bugs inside later.” Eddie whined.

“It’ll be fine.” Richie chuckled.

They put both of the blankets down in the bed of the truck, hoping that it’d add some cushioning, and then climbed in, Eddie lying next to Richie with their hands intertwined in the space between them.

“That one is Cassiopeia.” Eddie mumbled, pointing out the constellation with his free hand.

“What’s it named after?” Richie asked, looking at Eddie instead of the sky.

“It’s um, a queen in Greek Mythology. She was supposed to be incredibly vain.” He said as he turned his head to look at Richie, turning back to the sky when they met eyes.

“And that one is The Seven sisters, also named after Greek Mythology. They’re supposed to represent the daughters of a titan who held up the sky.”

“How do you know all of this stuff, Eds?” Richie asked, letting go of Eddie’s hand and rolling onto his stomach, supporting himself on his elbows.

“I dunno, I’m just in love with the sky I guess. You can kind of see the outline of our galaxy, where it shifts from the Milky Way into the rest of space. You see where the stars are more concentrated?” He asks, not waiting for Richie’s reply. “Well I guess that’s where we are. All the stars in the Milky Way are in that strip of concentration.”

“Your freckles remind me of a galaxy, a bunch of your own personal constellations.” Eddie whispers as he lets his fingers drift across the bridge of Richie’s nose. Richie thinks about when Mike traced his freckles.

Richie let’s his eyes fall shut, let’s himself feel and hear. He can hear Eddie’s breath, and the sound of crickets chirping, and the music flowing from the cab of his truck. The melody of The Beatles’ Something, gliding into the night air.

“Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover. Something in the way she woos me.”

Richie opens his eyes when he feels Eddie shift, feels his breath closer. Eddie reaches a hand up and gently takes Richie’s glasses off, then caresses the side of Richie’s face.

“Can I kiss you, Chee?” Eddie asks in a whisper, lips barely an inch away from Richie’s.

“Somewhere in her smile she knows that I don’t need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me.”

Richie shakily laughs, and nods his head. Then there’s a pair of soft, warm lips on his and a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in. He leans over Eddie further, until Eddie is lying flat on his back and Richie is hovering over him. They kiss slowly, lips moving languidly. Eddie has a hand in Richie’s hair and he’s playing with the wild ringlets of curls, and Richie is rubbing circles into Eddie’s hip with his thumb.

The song ends and transitions into Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, and Richie pulls away and laughs. “Sorry Eds. It’s just a funny song.”

“You find the anything funny, Richie.” Eddie laughs.

Wowwwwwwww that was really long. like 3.1k words long.

I didn’t intend for it to be that long whoops. But anyways I just wanted to say thanks for like, actually reading this. I’ve gotten so much love from this and I appreciate it so much.

I might do a hanzier au so if you wanna be tagged in that lmk.

Taglist:

@thotty-wise @inevitablytrue @stanilyuris @losers-ruined-my-life @thatcrazyfangirlmaze @notallowedtohandleaknife @80seddie @dreamdaddy101 @losvers-clubb @kotoamor @finnwolfwolf @bakadeno @reddletrash @fckingtozier @umlingo @gazebo-reddie @starstrucknerdgirl

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auburnfamilynews · 4 years

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Hikeba from the Satellite of Love, I’m Drew, your host, as we walk through the worst wins in Auburn history that I have video of in my collection. So far on the countdown, we’ve been to Columbia, South Carolina where Auburn took down a solid Steven Garcia led Gamecock team and we watched last week as Auburn gave The Hat his final blow at LSU and saved Gus Malzahan’s coaching tenure at Auburn. This week though? This week the Mads have given us a win that really meant nothing…Thus we begin the…

part of the count down. From here on, there is not much redeeming about these wins. On top of that, they are tough games to watch, where there’s no offense…no defense…or a sick combination of both, SOMETIMES EVEN IN THE SAME PLAY, as we will get to in this stink burger…the 2008 Tennessee @ Auburn game!

THE PREGAME

Both teams came in to this one with rustled fanbases to say the least. Tennessee had started the season ranked 18th in the country, coming off an SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2007, but had found the going rough so far as they entered with a 1-2 record. A win over UAB had done little to quite the fans after a loss in the Rose Bowl against UCLA in overtime to start the season and a very poor effort in a home loss to #4 Florida the week prior. The star of the Vols show was safety Eric Berry. Yup, that Eric Berry.

On offense though…well…

Yeah, definitely not a player like Eric Berry. I feel like Jonathan Crompton’s music video would be done by that Wal Mart yodeling kid from a few years ago.

Auburn knew what the Vols were going through offensively at least. Auburn was 3-1 on the season and entered the contest at #15 in the country. The week prior, Auburn had lost a late lead and given up a game against #6 LSU 26-21 at home and were trying to find themselves offensively under new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. Franklin would switch between quarterbacks Chris Todd and Kodi Burns, though he had stuck with Todd the previous 2 weeks (against Mississippi State and LSU). The defense, on the other hand, was one of Tuberville’s best products. Paul Rhodes headed up a group that led the nation in most categories and looked to keep that trend going until the offense found itself. Mix all of this together, along with CBS betting that Tennessee would beat Florida and Auburn would beat LSU as both teams were at home the prior week, AND WE HAVE OURSELVES A SLOBBER KNOCKER OF A PILLOW FIGHT!

THE GAME

Leading us on our tour of this one are some familiar faces

Uncle Vern and Cousin Garry

While they aren’t the best , at least they aren’t Rod Gilmore.

And there’s the kick as Tennessee would start off from their own 25 yard line and 3 plays later they were punting to Auburn, who would start off in great field position at their own 45. Chris Todd would get the nod and the Tigers would get a first down and then would think about some trickery.

On the first look, you would say, ‘Wow, that’s some stellar defense by Tennessee to get pressure like that and snuff out the trick play.’ And you would be right, the defensive line did their job. But later, Gary had time to break down what happened on the back end and we see how close to the sun the Vols flew on that play.

MAN! If Dunn had been able to pull the trigger, that would have been the Tennessee we’ve known and loved since…well since 2008. So Auburn would punt and give it back to Mr. Crompton and Tennessee.

MAN! And Crompton could have had his first completion of the game if he would have caught his own pass there! JC wanted nooo part of that as he would have had to have taken a shot from that Auburn defensive line. No shame here, I would have ran from that one like a nest of bees were that football. Tennessee would punt it back to Auburn after that play and the Tigers would go on their best (only) offensive drive of the day, as they covered 69 (nice) yards in 11 plays, capped off by this beauty to Robert Dunn.

Tennessee would take the ball and look to begin a march to answer the Tiger TD.

Ok, so don’t do that.

Actually, JC would complete his first pass of the game on this drive. It didn’t look like this play later in the drive.

DAMN GARY! CHANNELING HIS INNER HATIN’ ASS SPURRIER AND BRINGING THE HEAT!! With that being 3rd down, Tennessee would bring out the FG unit to cut in to Auburn’s lead.

So it’s 7-3 Auburn.

Auburn would take the kick out to the 36 and look to build upon their success in the last drive.

SO that meant a punt in 3 plays. Tennessee would take it from their own 21 and with the help of some big runs, the Vols would be set up for another big 3rd down deep in Auburn territory.

No, that is not the same clip from earlier. That’s a completely different play. I don’t know who Crompton knows on that sideline but he really wants to give them a ball to take home as a souvenir. So again, the Vols would send out the Field Goal unit. I will spare you from another FG clip, it was good, and its now 7-6 Auburn. Auburn would then take the kickoff to the 27 and would get it to just short of the 5 before they were forced to punt and were able to pin the Vols back to their own 5 yard line. That’s were JC and a name that Fantasy Football owners would come to love in later years, combined to make magic.

Lost in this clip is that yes…

Peyton is in the building to take this one in. And no, thank God, he didn’t have any eligibility left. I mean, don’t get me wrong, as Gary called it ‘as easy a play as you can get’, but how do you not look the ball in to the basket of the Running Back’s stomach when you are at the 5 yard line, in the student section end of the field (meaning it’s really really loud), when you’ve already had fumble troubles with that running back and yourself. So, Auburn takes a 14-6 lead.

Tennessee would take the ball from the 25 and look to just get back on track.

So that was 2nd and 2. The Vols would punt after 3rd down. Auburn would take it from the 36 and KODI IS ALIVE! The crowd loses its collective minds and, this is the stuff they wanted to see.

AUBURN’S GONNA WIN THIS ONE PAWL!! In all seriousness, that’s a Cam Newton sorta play in that everything just worked out. Auburn would get down to the Tennessee 18 where ol’ Wes Byrum would extend Auburn’s lead.

Should have said ‘try to’. SO…its 14-6 Auburn. Tennessee would take it from the 20 and try to get some points before the half.

And that’s how the half would end at 14-6.

Auburn would get the second half kick and go from the 20. Before we get to the clip, Uncle Vern and Cousin Gary will take a look at the 1st half. I warn you about this because the Red Cross is making me…avoid the stats and just know its bad. It’s real bad.

So after that Auburn would punt in 3 plays. Tennessee would answer that punt with a punt of their own and would pin Auburn at the 4 as Todd comes back in. The Tigers would look to break out of the bad position on a 3rd down play.

SO A 3 AND OUT PUNT IT IS! Tennessee, not to be out down, would get the ball from the 44.

SO A 3 AND OUT PUNT IT IS! This time Auburn would get it at the 2…

*big gulp of bourbon*

I know how this game ends and Chris Todd still has me nervous…HOW WAS THAT NOT PICKED OFF?! Good Lord, he might as well could have handed it off to the Tennessee secondary and that would have been that! Todd would lead the Tigers out of the bad position and would get to the Vol 44 before he flew too close to the sun.

JC and the Vols would begin their best drive of the day from the Auburn 37, though it would take them 9 plays to finally find paydirt.

So with the failed 2 point try, its Auburn’s lead 14-12 as we are early in the 4th quarter. The Tigers would get the kick from the 20 and would grab a 1st down before the drive stalled out and were forced to punt.

At this point, I’m not sure if Auburn really wins this game. The Vols have it at the Auburn 38 and are down just 2 points.

OH YEAH! Jonathan Crompton is the quarterback for Tennessee and they call a QB Draw on 3rd and 10! That’s right! For some reason, Tennessee punts, praying Auburn will make another mistake deep in their own territory. Auburn takes it from the 11 and punts 3 plays later. Tennessee would get it from the 42 and would be forced into a 3rd and 4 to keep the drive going.

I mean, Gary is doing my work for me. Not sure what’s happening there, but JC just wants to get to the bus ASAP.

The Tigers would get it from the 20 this time…lose 8 yards and punt. Tennessee would not take such generosity and give it back to Auburn after 3 plays. Auburn, from the 20 again, would put back in Kodi and would only lose 2 yards on this drive before punting and would give it back to Tennessee with time winding down. Once again, it would be put on the shoulders of Jonathan Crompton for a big 3rd down play.

I mean, at least JC made a smart decision and had a 30-70 chance of his guy catching it or getting a PI bailout call. However, Tennessee would punt down to the Auburn 5 where Kodi Burns would look to ice this one away.

Tennessee would use the rest of their Time Outs but it was for naught as Auburn, who gained only 77 yards in the second half, who went 3 & out 5 of the 8 times they touched the ball in the second half, who went 3 & out 7 of the 13 times they touched the ball in the game(!), held on for a 14-12 win.

THE AFTERGLOW

So, after this one, Tennessee would continue to struggle to find themselves, the lowest point of the season, a Homecoming loss to the Cowboys of Wyoming. Even finishing the season with back to back wins over Vandy and Kentucky weren’t enough to save head coach Phillip Fulmer and would pave the way for the Lane Train to pull in to Knoxville.

Auburn followed a similar path to the Vols. The following week was the debacle in Nashville where Gameday came for a Top 20 clash between Auburn and Vandy that would see the Dores beat Auburn 14-13 and the spiral began. Auburn would close out the year dropping every contest save for a homecoming win against UT-Martin. Auburn and Tommy Tuberville would part ways and would make way for Gene Chizik to make his way back to Auburn.

Well that does it for another installment of Auburn Football Theater 2020. Tune in again next week as we hit the 7th toughest victory to watch in my library…till then… hit the button Frank

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/4/6/21208123/auburn-football-theater-2020-8-2008-vs-tennessee

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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evenstevensranked · 7 years

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#28: Season 2, Episode 16 - “Wombat Wuv”

Louis is infatuated with the new cheerleading coach, so he decides to become the school mascot in an extremely farfetched attempt to win her over. Meanwhile, Ren becomes a cheerleader and goes into pep overdrive.

We start this episode at cheerleading practice where we see that Ren is a cheerleader now...? Okay. The girls are getting ready to welcome Ms. Morgan, the new cheer coach. Louis and Twitty are nearby and play the most immature but hilarious prank on Ren. She goes to do a split and Louis sets off a fart noise. Okay.. As I typed that sentence, I was overcome with juvenile cringe. But the noise is so perfectly timed and Louis gets such a kick out of it that I can't even be mad.

Eventually, Ms. Morgan appears and Louis has an out of body experience. Literally. His soul leaves his body and does an interpretive dance for this woman. It's a very memorable moment. He's seriously in awe of her beauty. I love how Twitty wasn't even phased by her, though? Louis was all "DUDE WHO IS THAT?!??" And Twitty said "Eh, idk... some lady" omg.

Louis’ transparent soul leaving his body to express his feelings in the most random way possible. Only on this show, man.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in addition to seeing that Ren is suddenly a cheerleader now.. we also see that she’s kinda terrible at it. So, how in the world did she make it onto the squad in the first place??? This is a question that always pops into my head every single time I watch this episode. Then, without fail, I always breathe a strange sigh of relief when the writers actually bother to explain the situation through dialogue between Louis and Twitty! Louis casually says that Ren needs the credit for her resumé to show she has school spirit or something... which actually makes sense. A lesser show would’ve made Ren be a cheerleader for this one episode with no explanation whatsoever. But, still. I find it hard to believe they'd just let her on the team for a reason like that. You have to at least be physically capable! Which Ren clearly is not:

If ya couldn’t tell, she’s the one in the middle causing the entire group to collapse.

They fall on Kenny the mascot guy -- who you can see was totally out of the line of fire, but purposely threw himself on the ground because the plot demanded it. He quits on the spot and now our story truly begins. Louis gets the bright idea to swoop in and save the day by taking over the mascot gig. He immediately sees this as an opportunity to basically start dating Ms. Morgan. Lawd help me honeychild. YOU'RE 13, LOUIS. It’ll be difficult to have a relationship with Ms. Morgan when she’s busy spending time in prison.

Louis goes to Ms. Morgan's office and she talks to him in such a sweet and sultry voice which is probably the worst thing she could do in this situation. Louis' heart is beating so loud, he's able to pass it off as some ruckus going on outside. Wow.

Later that day, Tawny sees him with the mascot suit and assumes he stole it for fun. I love how she says "You should’ve told me! I would've done it with you!" Look at these lil rebels over here! They're so cute. Tawny looks extra goth here too which is awesome, lol. Louis tells her that he's the new mascot. She’s so shocked she shoves him against the lockers, and Shia does the greatest scream here!!! You can see him laughing a bit. I love it. Unfortunately, part of Louis' ugly side comes out right around here. He starts totally blowing Tawny off now because there's a ~new woman~ in his life. He cancels plans with her because he has mascot practice and cryptically won't explain why he took the gig in the first place. "It's just something I had to do" - Wow, Louis. The Dramatics™.

I just had to include a screenshot of Tawny’s outfit. Black Doc Martens and some peasant flowy gothy dress. Yes. (This was a fast-motion bit, so this is the best cap I could get)

Louis calls Twitty over for an emergency meeting after school. Idk why but I think it's hilarious how Twitty comes jogging into his room out of breath lol. "I ran all the way over here, what's the emergency?" Friendship goals honestly. Needless to say, Twitty is less than impressed when Louis confesses "I'm in love with Ms. Morgan." Twitty can see right through the infatuation and knows that Louis is living in lalaland. But according to Romance For Boneheads, (a total "For Dummies” knockoff) he has the classic symptoms of a man in love.

It's pretty adorable to see Louis all worked up like this, but kinda sad at the same time because this is obviously not going to end well. Twitty suggests "Maybe you just ate some bad bean dip" which is so funny to me, like.... what.

Louis continues ranting about how perfect Ms. Morgan is and says "I think we'd be a fun couple" as he gazes out his window and we get the most ridiculous daydream ever I can't even deal with this. He and Ms. Morgan are returning from a vacation to the Bahamas. Louis randomly starts playing mini bongos (the same ones that are on his windowsill actually! I never noticed that before!) and Ms. Morgan dances around him. Eileen concurs “You two are a fun couple.” Gotta love how his parents approve even though Louis IS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD and Ms. Morgan is definitely at least 30 lol. EDIT: I just checked. The actress was 36 here! omg.

I love how they made sure Eileen and Steve look somewhere between happy and highly disturbed. Fun fact: This episode was actually directed by Donna Pescow! So... perhaps these facial expressions were her own idea lol.

Louis starts drooling at the thought and we see THE RETURN OF THE ANNOYING CGI TONGUE FROM GET A JOB.

Seriously. Who thought that was a good idea? It just looks awful and so out of place. Y'all know by now how I feel about this surreal stuff they randomly throw in. It just feels weird to me. Anyway, Louis reveals that his master plan is to go to mascot bootcamp and make Ms. Morgan fall in love with him. Easy peasy! Louis is one confident guy, sheesh! Twitty immediately asks "Wait. What about Tawny, dude?" Awwwww. Then we get one of the greatest moments ever. Louis tries to say he thoroughly explained everything to her and that she fully understands, but a flashback to that moment paints a very different picture:

“Thoroughly explained”? Yeah, not so much. Tawny is so confused, haha. (gif credit)

Cut to Wacky Walter’s Mascot Bootcamp! Where a bunch of mascots come together and learn techniques such as “the basic booty shake” and sizzling on the ground like a strip of bacon.

What school would have a cow for a mascot?

Louis has basically found his calling at mascot bootcamp. Wacky Walter was seriously impressed so he decides to give Louis his old jetpack. Yeah, let's just give this 13 year old kid a dangerous, fire powered means of transportation. Good idea. Someone shut this guy down! Have I mentioned that Louis is 13 years old?

After a successful day at bootcamp, Louis excitedly rushes into Ms. Morgan's office to tell her about the jetpack thing and how he plans to fly around at the pep rally later on... And one of the greatest moments of the entire series happens. THE MORGAN UNIBROW IS REVEALED!!! This is absolutely iconic. Nothing beats this series of Louis Stevens faces. My favorite quote has gotta be “OH YA SHAVE IT, DO YA?!” Here it is in all its glory:

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Since Louis was under the impression Ms. Morgan was a flawless goddess, he cannot handle this flaw of hers... like, at all. So he quits being the mascot and gives her some lame excuse. Eventually, the two of them have a little heart to heart and he confesses the real reason. It's a touching moment. It’s sorta cringy, but I can’t help but laugh when Louis admits: "I wanted to hang out with you. Well..... actually more than that" oh my god. Ms. Morgan tells him that he'll find someone who's just right for him. Louis says “I found her. But I think I messed that up too” in reference to Tawny. I’m dead. So sweet. Yay for Louis/Tawny development!!!

Louis then makes a poor attempt at making up with Tawny and she flat out calls him a jackass. Yes. A JACKASS. On Disney Channel. Holy crap, guys. Tawny is the freaking best honestly. She won’t put up with Louis’ bs for a second and it drives him insane. Dats love. It’s great.

Oh, god! I forgot about Ren's subplot! I’m the worst. Okay. Basically, the other cheerleaders think that Ren isn't perky enough. They encourage her to find her "perky place" and let's just say, Ren goes overboard. She starts cheering for everything. Algebra, the mail, and even her laundry. It's so bad that Steve has to do a mini-intervention. Dang. Once she’s aware of how stupid cheering seems, she starts to think that cheerleading is pointless. Ren shares her negative feelings with the squad before the pep rally and all of the cheerleaders get super depressed. Ren was literally telling the girls that their cheering does no good at all in the grand scheme of life and that they shouldn’t do it anymore. I never understood this, because when they go out to do their routine Ren is still putting in the effort to be extra peppy! It’s almost like she set them up so she’d be the only one who looks good. I never got that. Am I missing something? EXPLAIN!

The lack of spirit from the cheerleaders spreads a wave of depression across the entire gym. Oops. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Ms. Morgan tries her best to rally up the crowd but is failing miserably. She gets one kid to do the wave with her... that’s about it.

Twitty tells Louis “Dude, your ex-girlfriend throws one lousy pep rally” which is pretty funny. Louis decides to save the day once again and puts Wacky Walter’s jetpack to use. He comes running out in costume ready to fly around. Ren screams “HEY, EVERYBODY! LOOK! IT’S THE WOMBAT!!” which sounds so ridiculous like the kind of melodramatic dialogue from movies in the 1930s and 40s -- where the actresses are ~so passionate~ they always sound one breath away from passing out. It makes me laugh.

Louis flies around to some royalty-free “Rocky” theme rip-off before he comes violently crashing down (and lands in a convenient pile of pompoms) because he’s 13 and shouldn’t be trusted with a jetpack -- especially indoors.

Tawny takes care of him right away and she’s about to get the nurse when Louis stops her “Tawny, don’t leave. I have to tell you something. You have..... the two most beautiful eyebrows I’ve ever seen” - How precious is that?! Tawny’s brows would unfortunately not be on fleek by today’s standards though. You need to have freaking caterpillars on your face these days. Funny how styles change. BUT THAT’S BESIDE THE POINT. That eyebrow line was such a cute and clever thing to say!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The cheerleaders kick Ren off the squad, which is good news for Ren because she wanted to quit. As she walks away from them, the girls do this catchy cheer: “She’s going! Bye bye, farewell, adios, hey hey!” This always gets stuck in my head.

That’s it! I like this episode a lot. Louis learns the age old lesson of “nobody’s perfect” -- a message Hannah Montana would later drill into our memories for all eternity. It’s really nice. There’s Louis/Tawny content here, so this episode is already winning. It’s just pretty iconic overall imo. Ren’s plot is pretty cute, too! I don’t even know what to say in this little summary paragraph because all of the episodes at this point in the list (#29 - #20) are all solid episodes leaning towards positive for me instead of neutral like most of the episodes in the #50s - #30s.

Thanks for reading!

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#rank #even stevens #louis stevens #shia labeouf #ren stevens #christy carlson romano #review #tv #tv shows #disney channel #old disney #nostalgia #early 2000s #louis x tawny #louis and tawny #season 2

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kpoprambles00-blog · 5 years

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Dreamcatcher (드림캐쳐) - The End of Nightmare (4th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

Do you ever have a comeback that you're looking forward to so much that... you're actually sort of dreading it? Because you want the song to be good? That's exactly what ended up happening with Dreamcatcher and "The End of Nightmare" for me. After how mind-blowingly good "What" was last year, when they announced they were coming back, I was terrified. Even more so when the album is called "The End of Nightmare" - what does that mean for the girls going forward? Are they going to change their concept? Will I not like them because of it? Those are the kind of questions that start to fly around in my head.

But instead of looking to the future, let's focus on what we actually got. At the end of the day, Dreamcatcher are Dreamcatcher - I'm going to have some idea of what to expect from this mini album as a whole. I'll be curious to see how much I actually like it, but I may as well dive in head first and see how it goes. I have my hopes high, and I have a very funny feeling Dreamcatcher won't let me down. They haven't yet - I don't expect them to start now. So let's see!

1 - INTRO

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One thing that is a 110% guarantee with every Dreamcatcher album is that you'll have a huge, explosive intro that sounds nothing like the rest of the album. It'll set the tone well for their concept, but in terms of establishing the overall sound? Yeah, that's not what they're there for. They're little vessels of experimentation, from what I can tell.

...but I didn't quite expect to get an intro THIS crazy.

Like. What. This starts off with a really nice bit of foreshadowing, since they add in the main flute riff from "PIRI" on an electric guitar. That's nice!

BUT THEN IT ALL TURNS INTO ONE BIG DRUG TRIP.

This intro manages to go from a standard, somewhat creepy intro to full-on drum and bass in the space of a minute and 7 seconds. ONLY A DREAMCATCHER INTRO COULD DO THAT. And I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of drum and bass (unless we're talking about the Beat Saber soundtrack, good LORD it's amazing) but... this is so crazy and it made me laugh so hard that I'm willing to let it slide! I do feel like this could've led into "PIRI" much better, since it's in the same key and all that. But at the same time, this honestly had me in stitches by the end because of how confused I was. That's... probably not what they were trying to do with this intro, but I'll take it nonetheless!

2 - PIRI [TITLE]

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With that crazy introduction out of the way, The End of Nightmare wastes no time in getting to the title track, "PIRI". Now this is the song I was scared about. I was worried that I wouldn't like it, that the girls wouldn't be able to match that same level of quality they achieved with "What", and that I'd start to fall out of being an Insomnia.

Welp, I'm fucking DELIGHTED to say... that hasn't happened.

Someone please tell me how the hell Dreamcatcher remain so consistently good, because I'd like to apply that same method to my college grades, thanks. "PIRI" is another absolutely stellar title track from them - it's seriously up there with their best stuff! "What" had me crying out of pure delight, but "PIRI" had me crying out of sheer and utter relief.

This is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and considering how much I had it on loop the day it came out, I think it's safe to say I didn't want to get off. The trap snares and flute elements work so well in the instrumental, and provide such a nice contrast to all the strong bass beats and electric guitars. I do feel like mixing in the first half of the choruses feels a bit tinny, but by the time Siyeon's back to singing her heart out, it mellows itself out and becomes a hell of a lot more satisfying.

And I don't think I need to explain what I mean when I say this:

GAHYEON. HOLY SHIT.

Honestly, that goes for the rest of the girls too - every single one of them embodies this concept, and their vocals are perfection. And I know I may be biased towards her, but... goddamn, this really seems like it's Siyeon's era. She seems SO confident this time around, and I'm so happy for her. She knows how good she looks and I'm living for it.

Like I said, I really hope this isn't their final go at a horror-inspired concept, but fuck, if it is? I'd be happy to go out on a note like this. "PIRI"'s got this mood that's both eerie and creepy, but sort of desperate and pleading as well - which makes sense when you take a look at the lyrics. Similarly to "What" (yes I know I'm calling back to that song a lot, leave me alone), the lyrics take a more victimised approach. The girls are no longer the nightmares; they're stuck in one. And I like it! It saves the concept from getting stale, and puts everything in a new perspective.

I'm left all alone I open my eyes again, I wake up from my dreams But my reality isn't different

So thankfully, the song is great. That's a major relief. But what about the dance? Dreamcatcher are normally at the top of their game here, so admittedly I went in with very high expectations, aaaaand yep the choreo is amazing too.

[Unfortunately I couldn’t include the dance video here due to the video limit! Here’s the link, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRm-ChUBnLQ]

No joke, this is one of my favourite Dreamcatcher choreographies yet. I'm seriously convinced these girls are dancing robots at this point - how else could they be so in sync??? It's... actually kinda scary yet amazing in the best way. The formation changes are a particular standout here - they're so smooth and effortless, yet sweeping and grand at the same time. I also really liked how the choreography retained (and even picked up) a lot of momentum and pace in the pre-choruses - instead of slowing things down to get ready for the chorus, this routine just goes full steam ahead and saves the slower moves for later. It's a brilliant choice, if you ask me, and works perfectly.

I honestly could not be happier with "PIRI" as a title track. It's everything a Dreamcatcher song should be in my eyes - it's loud, it's proud, and it's got a horror/rock aesthetic. These girls have stayed so damn true to their concept since debut, and considering that a lot of groups don't manage to do that, it's insanely impressive. Long may it last!

3 - DIAMOND

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🎵 섬세하지만 난 단단해 쉽게 상쳐 않아 🎵- oh, wait, wrong "Diamond". Oops.

Eternal bops from f(x) aside, I was interested to see how the rest of The End of Nightmare would fare compared to "PIRI" - especially after how experimental "Alone In The City" ended up being. And based on the album preview, "Diamond" sounded like a more powerful take on Dreamcatcher's usual rock style. That was always going to be welcome - but what REALLY surprised me is how unique "Diamond" actually ended up being!

"Diamond" is a moombahton track with elements of rock and (obviously) metal here and there, more specifically some really high-tempo sections that sorta remind me of thrash metal. It's an interesting combination for sure, but the instrumental ebbs and flows in a way that doesn't make it feel unnatural at all - in fact, it sounds fucking brilliant. Yes, the beginning of the song sounds like a more mature KARD song - and hey, that's certainly not a bad thing in my eyes. But the entirety of the buildup from the pre-chorus into the chorus had my jaw on the floor; it wasn't what I was expecting in the slightest, and it was such a welcome surprise.

Basically, this song is sort of sexy and summery, then it's chill, and then THERE'S GUITARS EVERYWHERE. And it works.

This song's lyrics actually give off a really unique vibe too - I was expecting them to be confident, yes, but they give me HUGE goddess vibes. And I don't mean that in the way that Dreamcatcher are goddesses - which, I mean, they are, but that's not the point. They're confident in a way that exudes grace and power, but in a sort of demeaning way? They seem to have a lot of control, and describe how the girls have gone from doubting themselves to having a sense of utmost confidence. They're very teasing and tantalising in places too, and I honestly love their general tone. They're playful, yet confident and powerful at the same time!

The falling stars wrap around me

[They] protect me forever

[...]

I'm an unbreakable diamond

Overall, "Diamond" is one of my favourite Dreamcatcher side tracks so far. It's so unique and powerful in its own way that it just completely blew me away. I sure as hell hope the rest of the album is this good, cause jeez, Dreamcatcher are on a roll.

4. AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT (그리고 아무도 없었다)

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Now we're getting into the more 'experimental' part of this album - it's very normal for Dreamcatcher to experiment with their side tracks, and while "Diamond" was quite close to their normal style, "And there was no one left" is a big diversion. It slows down the tempo a lot, and ends up being the most chill thing we've heard so far on this mini album. But I... actually really like this. For quite a few reasons!

The bass line in this song, for starters, is really damn effective. It's there for the vast majority of this song, and gives this song a great sense of groove (ESPECIALLY in the choruses). There's also hints of strings in the pre-choruses that reminded me a lot of "You And I", but they end up giving way to a chorus that's got this weird, slightly distorted synth as a melody. It's very unique, and it's so distinctive that it clicks for me! It also helps that a lot of the girls are in their upper range here, which is where I feel like Dreamcatcher are often at their best. It lets the vocalists show off their skills whilst letting the rest of the members sound effortlessly breathless and stunning.

Not gonna lie, there are a lot of aspects to "And there was no one left" that remind me of an f(x) song - it's very clean, and very well put together, but with a great sense of melody and groove behind it. It's an earworm, for sure - between the falsettos and the catchy melody in the choruses, this is guaranteed to get stuck in your head eventually! The lyrics are quite interesting as well, if you ask me. They seem to continue the nightmare/dream concept, but from the perspective of the victim, like we've seen since "What". On the surface, this is just a shallow song about wanting to see someone you really care about, but Dreamcatcher manage to work it into their nightmare concept without feeling cringey or forced. It's... actually very clever!

My eyes are closing

My strength is being drained

Stay with me here, and don't leave me, please

So while it isn't the most bombastic song out there, and while I do think this concept is something the girls did much better with "Trap", "And there was no one left" is still a nice little break from the rest of the album itself. It's just got the right mix of chill and creepy to be memorable, in my eyes!

5. DAYDREAM (백일몽)

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To close out the album, we're back in anime opening territory! Or, rather, anime closing territory this time around. And hey, when Dreamcatcher are making songs that sound like they're from an anime, that's when they're being fucking awesome. We all know that. And yeah, "Daydream" fits that anime closing style quite well - it's airy, light and very easy to listen to. It's certainly invocative of its name!

I really do think "Daydream" is a great way to end the album, since it lets things wind down naturally without feeling like the album has ground to a halt - everything is wrapped up nicely. The acoustic guitars and lilted piano really make this a breeze to get through, as well as the girls' vocals. Just because this is a slow song doesn't mean they don't show off vocally, cause they sure as hell do! Yoohyeon actually got more of the powerful adlibs this time around, with Siyeon mainly relegated to falsetto - which I quite like! Yoohyeon's got a powerful voice too, and she deserves to show it off. But the rest of the girls sound gorgeous here as well, with singing Dami being a HUGE highlight. (She really needs to sing more, she sounds great!)

But the best part of this song for me is the lyrics; I can tell you right here, right now that these lyrics are aimed at Insomnias. That's immediately obvious when you read them. They're very sweet and heartfelt, and I'd be shocked if they had anything else in mind here. Every group needs a good thank-you song every now and again, and this just so happens to be one of Dreamcatcher's - it's honestly adorable. And hey, the fact that they chose this as their side track says a lot about them. 😌

If we can spend the night

Walking together hand-in-hand

I will make you smile forever

Admittedly I don't know if "Daydream" is a song I'd return to, since ballads aren't usually my style, but it's a great little diversion regardless. It's certainly a song to listen to if you want to just relax and take a load off for a while; it's emotional, it's heartfelt and it's really damn sweet. It just goes to show how versatile Dreamcatcher can really be.

And on that note, that's the entire album, actually! While it wasn't as experimental as "Alone In The City" overall, it was still a solid comeback for Dreamcatcher. As I said, I really hope this doesn't mark the end of their nightmare concept, but... hey, it's Dreamcatcher. They'll find some way to impress me in the future, even if it is. I'm excited to see where they go and what they do!

ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: PIRI Diamond And there was no one left (그리고 아무도 없었다) Daydream (백일몽)

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Dreamcatcher PNGs by melonguaguaga on deviantArt

#sfw #dreamcatcher #드림캐쳐 #PIRI #피리 #the end of nightmare #comeback review

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thefatedmeeting · 8 years

Text

i tweeted a lot abt the concert yesterday and i translated it to eng so i coudl send it to meg so im gonna just paste it here for the record. warning: im very excited

okay. the tweets start after i got in the hotel from the show so ill translate them all hsdfgj

everyone i cant stay here for a long time cuz the wifi sucks and im really nuts but im so dead i have no words guys idk i cant believe i saw my sons live sdkfjsdf

the choreos and dances and them speaking portuguese and jin and suga and hoseok crying im emo

i was kinda far away, i couldnt see their faces neatly but i could identify their body shape and im so emo

them saying they were happy to come and they wwanted to come more frequently and they were sad to go and jin (THE GUY FROM AWAKE) saying he feels better bec of the fans im :(((((

when suga and namjoon sang their solos i was almost crying tbh kfdjd

and taehyung was wearing that bandana, this man is truly trying to kill me sdfsdf

im gonna be that guy but tae's choreos were super beautiufl and i am very fuckenigh in love

i wanted to talk abt my day and the queue and abt my sons more, but im super tired soo GOOD NITE

there were sooooooooo many people, so many fuckin people, the biggest queue of my life skdjfsdf and a lot of young ppl too damn. but it was so beautiful, the fans and the boys singing together :((( im emo

i woke up super early, i was like so fuckin sleepy sdkfjsdf we boarded the plane etc, the trip was nice, i was super nervous but we arrived well, already in the plane i spotted a lot of fans sdkfjsdf

when the plane landed it kinda shook a little and a girl SHRIEKED a nervous laugh i had to fuckfign laugh out loud it was so funny dfjkgdfhgfdh

okay so we got to the hotel, tehre were armys there too, wow guys there were so many armys in sao paulo you kick a lamppost and 10 would pop out

our hotel room was super simple but it was good, and comfortable. the bed was a+++++++++

me and my sis went out for lunch then we went to the concert venue, i was super nervous but thanks to the medicine i got better sdkfjskjdf man. when we got there the queue was HUGE. the biggest queue of my life

there WERE SO MANY PEOPLE SERIOUSLY and a lot of young ppl, like even babies. there was a baby who was jiimin's fan i was like sdlffj

there were ppl selling merchandise too it was the biggest amt of bts stuff ive evers een in my life in one place holy shit. i loved it tho i wish i couldve bought a t shirt or something as a token but i only bought myself a bandana rip sdkfjsdkfjskfsd anyway, we stood there for like HOURS we arrived at like 3pm until fuckin 7pm my legs are all dead, i woke up w a cramp last night sfgdfg

while the queue moved i talked to armys, everyone was so fuckin excited they started yelling JHOOOOOOOPE AND SCREAMING OUTTA NOWHERE I WAS LIKE WHATS HAPPENIGNG

THERE WERE PPL IN THE QUEUE FOR THE \NEXT DAY\ DUDE. IT WAS RAINING SLIGHTLY LIKE PLEASE REST FRIENDS DONT DO THIS DSFGDG

i found it funny that the merchandise sellers (?) researched bts so hard, they were using fan lingo ksdjflsdkjfs ive never seen this holy shit. it felt like idk those anime cons i used to go on high school, except times 10000000 and with like more excitable ppl

after we entered the venue, ppl started singing, sometimes there was a drone recording stuff, and at some point their staff came over to take pictures

i was trying to find my friends but i was so fuckening lost and they were out of the venue still sdfsdfsdfsdf

at some point it turned into a single person queue (?) and then my friend found me thanks to me jumping and some fan's mom lending me her umbrella so i could spin it sdkfjsdf

anyway <3 me and gabs started talking abt the show, the boys, the fans, life universe and everything else. shes so sweet. i adopted her as my second sister xoxo

the queue was so big it went around the fuckin block, smh. when we got to the venue we started getting hyped sdlfkjsdlkfjsdf we managed to enter nicely, then we got up super nuts and IT WAS SO NICE INSIDE THERE

we got to a nice place in the front except it wasnt our assigned seats so we had to split up later sdkfjsdf but damn, it filled up super quick, i was shocked. i could see the stage quite nicely, i kinda regret not seeing their faces properly but i SAW them and i died and i emotionally hugged all of them so tiengo nada a perder sdfsdf

OKAY SO i filmed so many things. i was like trying to watch the concert, looking at the stage, looking at the screens, yelling, singing and filming skdfjsdf

when they started showing the mvs i was HYPED everyone was already singing and it was hard to not get into that excited vibe

AND THEN AN OPENING VIDEO STARTED AND I WAS LIKE HOLY SHIT ITS STARTING

IT OPENED W NOT TODAY AND IM SDLFHALFHALFHALKHALFKAHD AND EVEYRONES STARTED GETTING UP ON THEIR FEET AND IWAS LIKE WHAT THE FUCK GUYS I WANNA STAY SEATED BUT I HAD NO CHOICE, EVERYONE WAS STANDING ALL THE TIME SO I HAD TO DO IT TO SEE THINGS SDKFJSDF

THEY STARTED TALKING AND I COULDNT HEAR ANYTHING THERE WERE SO MANY PPL SINGING AND YELLING IT WAS HARD. I SORTA GOT THE "BRAZIL" AND "TAO CURTINDO (ARE YOU LIKING IT)" AND TAE SAYING "AMAMOS VOCES/ WE LOVE YOU"

LATER I FOUND OUT JHOPE SIAD BRAZIL WAS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE TOUR THAT SOLD OUT AND I WAS EMMO THEY LOOKED SO HAPPY

AT FIRST they looked tired but later they got excited bec the fans were... like so hyped sdflksdf

THEN CAME AM I WRONG, BAPSAE AND DOPE AND I DIED SDLFKSJDF THE CHOREOS BRO I WAS LIKE HOW CAN THEY DANCE LIKE THAT FOR REAL I CANT BELIEVE IT

it was so nice to hear everyone singing and yelling ogether it felt like we were performing with them too! dude idk i was emo

THEN CAME BEGIN AND JUNGKOOKS CHOREO AND IML IEK WHAT THE FUCK DUDE HOW CAN U DANCE LIKE THIS TEACH ME? BITHC

THEN JIMIN'S DANCE AND I DIED TOO GODDAMN! his dancing style is super smooth and sensual and like, the sense of weight is so light i die

it was so cool to hear ppl yelling their names, holy shit man sdkfjsdf

THJEN I THOUGHT STIGMA WAS COMING UP BUT SUGA CAME UP W FIRST LOVE AND I DEIED WITH THE PIANO HOYL SHIT DUDE THE COMBINATION OF THE VIDEO BEHIND HIM AND HIM RAPPING AND THE TONE OF THE SONG I WAS ALMOST CRYINFG DUDE IDK GABS LATER TOLD ME SUGA HAD CRIED AND I WAS LIKE BITCH ME TOO

THEN CAME UP LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST REPRESENTING ME BEC I WAS SO LOST IN SAO PAULO HOYL SHTI SDKFJSDF

THEN SAVE ME CAME UP!!! AND HOLY SHIT I WENT HNUTS BECAUSE SAVE ME INTRODUCED ME TO THEM!!!! AND I DIED BEC TRHE TRANSITION FROM SAVE ME TO I NEED U WAS SOO GOOD IN THE END OF SAVE ME'S CHOREO THEY GO DOWN AND I NEED U STARTS W THEM RISING UP I DIED

THEN REFLECTIONNNNNNNNNN CAME UPPPPPP AND I WAS EMO AGAIN THE VIDEO AND NAMJOON OH YM GOD GUYS AND THEN HE SAND "I WISH I COULD LOVE MYSELF" AND EVERYONE ELSE SANG "WE LOVE YOU" BACK TO HIM AND HE GOT ALL CHOKED UP HOLY SHIT DUDE IM EMO TOO I IWHS I COULD EMOTIONALLY SUPPORT THESE KIDS THAT SUFFER WITH THE RUSH OF THE IDOL LIFE BUT IF THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD IM HAPPY AS FUCK

SO BITCH. STIGMA COMES UP AND I ALREADY AM DEAD AND DYING AND SINGING ALONG AND TAE'S HIGH NOTE CAME UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP IM STILL SCHJOPKEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

AND THEN COMES MAMA!!!!!!!! HOSEOKS KID PHOTOSSSD FSDFSDF AND THE FANS SINGING ALONG HOLY SHIT GUYS AT THE TIME OF THE BREAK HE STARTED MAKING A CRYING FACE AND A CHOKED UP VOICE AND IALMOST CRIED WITH HIM

AND THEN JIN CAME BUPPPPP IM ALWAYS EMO WITH AWAKE BEC HE THINKS HES TALENTLESS AND HAS NO HABILITY BUT TDUDE EVERYONE SCREAMED HIS NAEM AND THE HIGH NOTESS I WAS KIKEAAAAAAAAAA BITHCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

AFTER THAT I THINK THERE WAS CYPHER 4 AND THATS WHEN I TRULY LOST IT FUCK! THERES NO WAY TO SCREAM AND SING ALONG W CYPHER IDK DUDE IT WAS SO FUN TO GO OFF IT WAS ONE OF THE PERFORMANCES I LIKED THE MOST W THE FANS, AFTER SPRING DAY

THEN CAME UP FIRE AND IDIED W THE CHOREO, NOTHING NEW, AS ALWAYS I DIED THANKS. THEN THEY STOPPED AND I HEARD RAPMON ASKING IF WE WERE ENJOYING IT AND I DIED ALREADY LISTNEING TO IT COULDNT EVEN HEAR THEM, I HAD HEARD THEM TALK A BIT MORE TOO BUT I COULDNT MAKE ANYTHING OUT OF IT CUZ THEY WERE LIKE "SDJFSDF ??" AND EVERYONE SCREAMED AT IT

THEN THE MASHUP CAME UPGPPPPPPP I WAS SCREMAING SO MUCH ESP AFTER NO MORE DREAM. I FORGOT TO MENTION BUT BAPSAES DANCE BREAK KILLED ME TOO. AND THE CONFETTI IN RUNNNNNNNNNNNN I WAS EMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

THEN 21 CENTURY GIRLS CAME UP AND I COULDNT STOP LOOKING AT TAE IDK HE SEESM TO DANCE THAT SONG RLLY NICELY AND IM WEAK

THEN THEY TALKED W US AGAIN AND I HEARD ONE OF THEM SAY THAT CONCERT WOULD ENTER THEIR STORY AND IT WAS THERE JIN SAID HE FELT BETTER BEC OF THE FANS, REFERRING TO AWAKE. FBITCH

THEN THEY COME UP W BOY MEETS EVIL AND IM SDLÇFKJSDFLKJSDF AND THEN BLOOD SWEEAT AND TEARS I COULDNT STOP LOOKING AT THE CHOREO HOLY SHIT WHAT A SONG!!! I HAD HEARD NAMJOON SAY BEFORE BOY MEETS EVIL THAT IT WAS THEIR LAST SONG BUT I WAS LIKE NAHHH U LYIN

BUT AFTER A LARGE PAUSE THERE WAS WINGS AND 2!3! I DONT REMEMBE RHTE ORDER BUT HOL FUCKING SHIT I ALMOST CRIED IN WINGS, CLAPPING DYIGNH IDK

THEN THEY CAME UP W SPRING DAYYY AND HOLY SHIT THE FANS SINGING AFTER IT ENEDDED I ALMOST CRIED AGAIN THE BOYS WERE ALL EMO AND IM LIKE BITCH ME TOO HUG ME. JIN WAS ACTUALLY CRYING

THEN THEY TALKED ABT BRAZIL I DONT REMEMBER MUCH BUT THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO COME HERE AGAIN, MORE FREQUENTLY, THEY WERE SAD TO GO AND THEY CALLED THE FANS THEIR WINGS. AND I FORGOT THAT BITCHING VIDEO THEY SHOWED UP BEFORE WINGS

SPEAKOING OF THE "BOY WHO GROWS UP" AND OF THE BOYS UNITED AND THE SEVEN HEARTS INSIDE ONE, AND ONE HEART UNITED WITH SEVEN AND IM LIKE "EGFAYUHFAUFHE LET ME SIT DOWN I CANT RISE UP AFTER THAT ONE" JESUS CHRIST DUDE WHAT ATHE FUCK I CANT RECOVER FROM THAT

AFTER THE CONCERT I FOUND GABS OUTSIDE, SHE HELPED ME FIND MY SIS SDKFJSDF THEN WE FOUND BIA AFTER SOME STRUGGLING SHE WAS SOOO OUT OF IT CUZ SHE SAW THEM FROM UP CLOSE . THEN WE WENT BACK TO THE HOTEL MY SWEET SISTER BOUGHT ME A BURGER KING SO I WOULDNT BE HINGRY AND I WAS LIKE EATING RLLY OUT OF IT

I SLEPT NICELY. LIKE, NOT 100% BUT NICELY. WOKE UP W NO VOICE AT ALL AND A BITCHING CRAMP IN MY LEGS SDSFS WE WENT TO A FAMOUS PARK LATER AND ITTWA S SUPER NICE WE BIKED ALONG IT AND MY LEGS DIED BUT I WAS A HAPPY MAN SDLFJSDF

ANYWAY WE WENT ABC KTO THE AIRPORT AND IT WAS COOL. I DIDNT THINK I WOULD LOVE THEM MORE THAN I CURRENTLY DO BUT AFTER THIS CONCERT I CAME UP AT A NEW LEVEL IM SUPER OUT OF IT DUDE. WOKE UP TODAY AND IT STILL FEELS LIKE IM THERE I LEFT PART OF MY SOUL THERE

#long post -#LIKE FOR REAL. A LONG POSTSD FSDFSFD #mine #bts #bts concert

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threeorphanpilgrimage · 8 years

Text

Chapter 61 - Wagons North

Clementine peered through the Brave’s windshield. All across the dingy gravel lot were cars and trucks glinting in the morning sun. Clem could see Anthony’s truck parked across from them, but it was the big white RV with the red and silver stripes at the end of the lot she couldn’t take her eyes off of. She couldn’t see anyone moving from here, but she knew there were people inside of it.

“Omid, stop.” Clem turned around to see Sarah struggling to feed Omid a spoonful of lima beans. “Come on, just a bit—”

“Nuh-duh!” demanded Omid as swatted the spoon out of Sarah’s hand, spilling the beans onto the floor.

“Omid, no!” lectured Sarah as she knelt down to pick up the spoon. “You’re wasting them.”

Clem felt torn as she watched Sarah try to coax the irate toddler into eating more. They hadn’t had much time lately to look for more food, and had also given a small amount to their new acquaintances, meaning they had to be less picky about what they ate for now. On the other hand, Clem really hated the taste of lima beans.

“Come on,” said Patty as she handed Clem her pistol. “She’s got her hands full; we should go over and say good morning to our new friends.”

“Okay.” Clem placed her gun in its holster and followed Patty out of the Brave. It was another cold morning, and Clem found herself tugging on her jacket as she felt the cool air nipping at her skin. Shortly after stepping outside, Anthony emerged from his camper. He had an impatient look on his face and made a slight gesture with his head towards the pair.

“What’s up?” asked Patty as she drew closer.

“So, you gonna go fix that thing for them?” asked Anthony in an oddly quiet voice.

“That was the plan,” said Patty.

“Yeah, the one we made yesterday,” mumbled Anthony. “When that old guy was hitting us with a lot of big stuff.”

“What are you getting at?” asked Patty.

“You don’t want to help them,” realized Clem out loud.

“God damn it Anthony…”

“What do we really know about this guy?” he asked. “Our heads were spinning so much from all this new information, we didn’t even stop to think if this is someone we want to keep around or not.”

“It’s always the same argument with you,” accused Patty.

“I’m sorry, was there some other time we discussed taking on some new people?”

“No, but anytime there’s an issue, you always recommend whatever choice makes us the bigger assholes,” retorted Patty.

“I want to make the choice that keeps us safe. This guy is talking about spies and bombs and war and all kinds of shit. How do we know he ain’t a part of all this craziness he’s so keen to get away from?”

“Anthony…”

“Seriously, we’ve got his word to go on for all of this,” said Anthony. “For all we know, maybe Houston ain’t so bad but he can’t go back there because he fucked over the wrong people.”

“So now you want to go to Houston?” asked a dubious Patty.

“Hell no. I’m just saying, we shouldn’t accept everything this guy says at face value. For all we know, he’s playing us.”

“To do what?”

“He could want something from us.” Anthony and Patty both turned to Clem, surprised to hear her say that. “We’re gonna help him fix an RV and show him how to stay alive, and that’s after we saved him and Jet. If Sin did anything bad, he might not tell us about it because he’d be afraid we wouldn’t help him then.”

“Yeah exactly,” said Anthony. “And that’s probably a best-case scenario. For we all know, he’s some scumbag who might slit our throats if he gets the chance.”

“So what, we’re just gonna ditch them after we said we’d help them?” asked an aggravated Patty.

“Keep your voice down,” cautioned Anthony. “And we did help them. Clem and Sarah saved their lives, we brought them here, told them they can use the smell to avoid the dead. Personally, I think that’s plenty, and it sounds like Clem agrees.”

“No I don’t,” corrected the girl. “Just because we don’t know if we can trust them doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep helping them.”

“Yeah, and did you forget this guy has a kid with him?” asked Patty. “You think he’s dangerous?”

“He could be,” said Clem. “I’m probably younger than him. But—”

“But you can be dangerous,” finished Anthony.

“I was going to say; but I don’t think Jet’s dangerous,” informed Clem, irritated at Anthony's assumption.

“And don’t forget, Sin said he might know somewhere we can stay, for good,” said Patty. “Clem and I don’t want to blow our chances at that.”

“Actually, I’m really not worried about that,” said Clem with a shrug. “Sin even said he’s not sure if it’s really safe or not.”

“Clem, whose side are you on here?” asked Patty.

“I’m not on anyone’s side. I want to help Sin and Jet, but we should be careful because we don’t know them that well, that’s it.”

Patty and Anthony looked at Clem, then back at each other.

“Let’s hurry up and get started already,” said Patty as she marched across the gravel and towards the RV. “You know Anthony, we could get an RV for you while we’re at it. It’d be an upgrade over your beat-up ass truck and that crappy camper attached to the back of it.”

“Hey, I like my beat-up ass truck and its crappy camper,” said Anthony. “It has a rustic charm that tells people ‘There’s nothing worth stealing in here, so don’t waste your time.”

“You don’t even have a bathroom in there,” noted Patty.

“I’ve gotten used to pissing outside,” shrugged Anthony. “I like the feel of the wind on my back while I take a piss, even in winter. You two should try it sometime.”

“Yeah, that’s easier for you than for us,” noted Patty.

“What about when you poop?” asked Clem.

“That’s what my bucket is for,” shrugged Anthony.

“Gross,” said Patty. “This is why I’m glad I live in an RV with a bathroom now.”

“If that fancy plumbing ever breaks down, you’re gonna be back to using a bucket,” reminded Anthony.

“If that happens, I’ll just fix up a new RV,” retorted Patty.

“And leave the Brave behind?” asked a surprised Clem.

“Hey, we could still get lucky with these people and wind up somewhere where we wouldn’t need to pile into tiny houses on wheels,” suggested Patty as she approached the RV’s door. “Although, it’s a long shot, like everything we try.” Patty knocked and the trio waited patiently for someone to answer. Clem listened closely, but didn’t even hear so much as a rustling inside.

“You know,” Anthony said in a hushed voice to Clem. “You could invite the grandkid over to your RV, spend some time with him, see if you can learn anything about his granddad or where he’s wanting to go.”

“Are you asking Clem to spy on them?” whispered Patty. “While standing right in front of their door?”

“Spy nothing, she’d just be getting to know him,” whispered Anthony. “You could even teach him a thing too; we did say we would teach them how to survive.”

“But that ain’t what you’re asking Clem to do,” accused Patty in a harsh but still hushed voice. “You just said you wanted her to find out more about Sin through Jet.”

“Well maybe she wants to learn more about these people too?” suggested Anthony. “Clementine?”

“I—” The sound of approaching footsteps abruptly silenced Clem. There was a click at the door and the group found themselves staring at Sin, who met them while wearing a combination of discomfort and impatience on his face.

“So… you two sleep okay?” asked Patty.

“No,” answered Sin immediately.

“Why, is there something wrong with the RV?” asked Patty. “Because if you need anything, we—”

“It’s just… the situation,” said Sin in a tired voice. “Having to leave home so suddenly, and being… wherever we are right now.”

“I think this place is called Lake Charles,” said Patty. “Weird to name a whole town after a lake.”

The man rubbed his head briefly before stepping outside to get a better look at the RV he was staying in. “I’ve never driven something this size before.”

“Well, one upside of the end of the world is traffic is usually pretty light.” Sin had no reaction to Patty’s words. “So… I was going to get to work on this RV. Hopefully, I’ll get it up and running this morning. It looked like it was in decent shape when I checked it yesterday evening. Should just need a jump and a few other things.”

Sin just looked at the group in response, his face oddly expressionless. “Okay,” he finally said. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just wait inside for now,” said Patty. “I’ll work on it for a while and when the time comes, I’ll tell you start it. You still got those keys we dug out of the office, right?”

“Yes, I have them.”

��Great, I imagine if they opened the door they must work in the ignition too.” Again, Sin didn’t respond. “Well, you just get some rest I guess. I’ll work on the RV while Anthony keeps watch.”

“Okay.” Sin turned back towards the RV.

“Where’s Jet?”

Sin stopped and looked over his shoulder at Clementine. “He’s inside, why?”

“I was just thinking, maybe he could come over for a while.” Clem noticed Patty looking at her after saying that.

“Why do you want Jet to come over?” asked Sin as he turned around.

“I just thought… maybe Sarah and I could tell him some things, about how to stay safe,” reasoned Clem. “It’s really dangerous out there, and I wouldn’t be alive if the people who used to take care of me didn’t tell me some very important things.”

“And those people, they taught you how to kill all those infected ones who were trying to kill us?” asked Sin.

“Um… sorta, I mean they taught me a lot of things, but—”

“We could always do it later,” interrupted Patty. “Today we can just—”

Sin walked back into the RV and out of sight. Listening closely, Clem could hear Sin and what must have been Jet talking to each other. She couldn’t make out the words clearly, but the tone and speed at which they were speaking suggested it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. Clem eventually heard Sin say ‘That’s final’ and the conversation stopped. Sin returned, Jet following behind him with a black bag clutched in his hands.

“We both owe you and your friend our lives,” Sin said to Clementine. “Anything you could teach him on how to stay safe would be likewise appreciated by the both of us.”

Sin gave Jet a slight nudge and the boy shuffled slowly towards Clem. He turned away as she looked at him, as if he was afraid of her. Clem could see that Jet’s face was racked with anxiety and his hands tensed from how tightly he was gripping his bag.

“All right then, I guess we’ll get to work,” shrugged Patty. “Anthony, go take the telescope and keep an eye on the road. We’ll need to use the generator at some point, so we might draw some walkers over here.”

“Or Houston refugees heading this way,” mumbled the young man.

“The military wouldn’t abandon Houston that quickly,” stated Sin.

“Really? That’s what you think? Even after we told you about how the military has ditched everywhere else they were staying at?”

“After they used up everything useful in the area,” retorted Sin. “There was still a fair amount of resources they had yet to devour before I left.”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t leave until what they had left would fit on their damn trucks,” added Patty. “That’s when they left in Miami.”

“There wasn’t some other army in Miami pushing the first one out,” added Anthony. “They might be on their way here right now.”

“Then you should stop talking and get to work.” Anthony glared at Sin in response to his suggestion, which Sin just ignored.

“Sounds good to me,” said Patty as she headed for the hood of the RV. “Clem, tell Sarah to pull our RV up to this one until the generator is close to the engine.”

“Right.” Clem turned to Jet. “Come on.” Jet slowly followed after Clem and they made the short walk back to the Brave together. Heading inside, Clem grabbed the telescope and moved back to the door, where she found Jet still standing outside.

“I’d go on kid,” said Anthony as he moved past Jet to collect the telescope. “They never invite me in.” Anthony headed off in another direction while Jet continued to stand there.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s safe in here.” Clem’s words seemed to compel Jet forward as he climbed the steps. The boy stood there awkwardly in front of Clementine for a moment, flinching slightly as Sarah locked the door behind him.

“Patty said to move the Brave so that the generator is close enough to use on the other RV,” said Clem.

“Right.” Sarah stopped to look at Jet. “Hi.”

“Hi…” he said in a quiet voice. The older girl sat down in the driver’s seat while Clem just kept looking at Jet. The boy just stood there; stiff as a branch and frail enough to be broken by a hard breeze. As Clem felt the RV moving, she removed her gun from its holster and unloaded it, first by removing and pocketing the magazine, then cycling the pistol to eject the round in the chamber. As she moved to put the gun away, Clem noticed Jet was staring at her with a look of concern.

“Um, have you ever used a gun before?” Jet only shook his head slightly in response. “Well, I could show you how it works. I know they’re scary, but once you know how they work, it’s not as…”

Clem noticed tears were welling up in Jet’s eyes now. He dropped his bag and covered his face, like he had done yesterday. The horrible sounds of the boy trying to swallow his sadness one pained choke at a time felt like tiny stabs into Clementine’s heart. Unable to stand it anymore, Clem put her gun away, moved in close, and wrapped her arms around the crying boy.

“Just let it out,” Clem whispered as she hugged Jet. “Just—”

In an instant, Jet’s quiet sobs broke into an almost hysterical crying. It was so loud it briefly frightened Clem, then it just saddened her to listen to it. Feeling Jet’s chest move as he gasped for breath, and listening to the agony in his shrill cries, just made the girl feel like crying herself. Looking up, Clem saw Sarah standing behind Jet. The older girl didn’t say anything, but her face made it clear she found this as upsetting as Clem did. She stepped forward and gently placed her hands on the boy’s shoulders as he continued to sob loudly. The three of them stood there together in each other’s grasps until they heard a new voice cut through Jet’s cries of pain.

“Muh-boo,” everyone looked down to see a despondent Omid clutching Jet’s leg as tightly as he could. “Muh-boo,” he repeated sadly.

“Huh?” mumbled a confused Jet.

“He’s saying he loves you,” informed Clem as she continued to hug Jet.

“He… he is?”

“Sorta,” said Clem with a slight smile.

“How did you get out of your crib?” asked Sarah as she approached the toddler. “I thought I took your rattle away.”

Clem released Jet as Sarah collected Omid. Watching the older girl lift the toddler off the ground, Clem noticed he kept his sad eyes glued on Jet.

“Why is he looking at me?” asked the boy.

“I guess he doesn’t like you being sad,” noted Sarah.

“Why not?” asked Jet.

“Probably because we don’t like you being sad,” suggested Clem.

“But why do you care then?” asked a still choked up Jet. “You don’t even know me.”

“No but… we know what it’s like,” said Clem. “How terrible this all is, and how scary it can be.”

“How you have to leave home,” added Sarah. “Knowing you can never go back there.”

“Or that your parents are gone, and you’re probably never going to see them again.” Clem felt saddened by her own words, and found herself looking to Sarah for some kind of answer to Jet’s trouble. The older girl appeared puzzled at first, but then moved in close to the boy.

“Do you want to hold Omid?” she offered to Jet. “That makes us feel better sometimes.”

“Hah-dah,” said the toddler as he came face to face with the boy.

“Um… that’s okay,” assured Jet as he took a step back.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Sarah backed away from Jet. “I should put him back in his crib anyway,” said the older girl as she carried Omid towards the bedroom. “And find out how he got out of it again.”

“Do you not like OJ?” Clem asked Jet.

“OJ?”

“His name is Omid Junior, so I call him OJ,” explained Clem.

“It’s really cool to see a baby again, but I’ve always felt kind of weird around them,” admitted Jet. “They’re just kind of… gross. I mean, not that your baby is gross, but—”

“It’s okay,” assured Clem. “OJ can be gross sometimes. I still remember the first time I changed his diaper and how much I hated it.”

“I can’t believe you and her are taking care of a baby,” said Jet. “I mean, how old are you?”

“I’m ten, Sarah’s fourteen,” said Clem. “How old are you?”

“Twelve and a half,” said Jet. “You… you must think I’m a wuss.”

“I don’t think that.” Clem watched as Jet tried to clean the tears from his cheek with his sleeve. “Here, use this.” Clem grabbed a paper towel from the counter and handed it to the boy, who immediately blew his nose with it.

“My granddad would be so mad if he saw me like this,” said Jet as he wiped his face.

“He’d get mad at you for being sad?” asked Sarah as she walked back into the room, her voice teeming with concern.

“Well, more like disappointed,” said Jet as he sat down on the couch. “In Houston, he kept telling me these are hard times, so I have to be strong.”

“Nobody is strong all the time,” assured Clem as she sat down to the left of Jet. “We’re not; we’ve cried lots of times.”

“I cried when I left home too,” added Sarah as she sat down to the right of Jet. “My dad took us to this shipping place once our car broke down, and told me we’d have to stay here for a while, and I just kept crying the whole time.”

“I didn’t cry when I left home, but that was because my parents weren’t there anymore. After I found out they were… dead, I cried a lot,” admitted Clem as she turned to Jet. “You said something about your mom and dad to your grandpa, are they—”

“I don’t know,” said Jet. “They weren’t in the country when… everything went wrong.”

“Where were they?” asked Clem.

“Afghanistan,” said Jet. “They work for this organization that brings doctors to people who really need them, which means they have to go to these really dangerous places.”

“Your parents are doctors?” asked Sarah. “My dad and Clem’s mom were doctors.”

“Oh, well mine aren’t. I mean my dad is a pharmacist, but that’s not the same thing as a doctor,” said Jet.

“What about your mom?” asked Clem.

“She does something that helps with purifying water I think, something to do with engineering,” said Jet. “She used to work with Granddad before she and Dad got this new job about a couple of years ago.”

“My dad was an engineer,” said Clem. “Although I was never sure what he did, he just said something about fixing roads and bridges.”

“He was probably a civil engineer, like my mom is,” said Jet. “It just means you build and maintain anything important that isn’t part of the military.” Jet sighed after saying that.

“What was it like living in Houston?” asked Sarah.

“It sucked, mostly,” shrugged Jet.

“I’d still like to hear more about it,” said Sarah.

“Well, at first, it wasn’t too bad,” admitted Jet. “The police went around, telling everyone to be careful and avoid anyone you don’t know. Back then I guess people thought it was just a regular sickness, and not this weird kind that makes dead bodies move around and kill people.

“But then the military showed up, and we couldn’t leave our houses most of the time. Only in the mornings when people went to work and school, then for a while in the evening when they came home.”

“They still had school even after the walkers came?” asked Clem.

“And people were still doing their jobs?” asked Sarah.

“For maybe a month or so. I remember I was happy when school was canceled, then the power went out.”

“You still had electricity a month after walkers showed up?” asked a surprised Clem.

“I guess we were lucky?” shrugged Jet. “Granddad got his new job with the military around the time they started turning the power on only during the weekends, and that’s when things got worse. They started bringing us less food and stopped bringing us certain things we’d ask for all together. I’d have to go back and forth between our home in Houston and this place the military worked at in Port Arthur because of Granddad’s job. One time we came back and found someone had broken into our house and taken almost everything we had while we were gone.”

“Who did that?”

“I don’t know, the military never found them, or if they did, they never told us,” said Jet. “They started building walls after that, big walls, and all over the place. Even though they didn’t give us much food, they gave the people in the other neighborhoods even less.”

“Why’d they do that?”

“I think because Granddad was important, because of everything he did at the refinery, so they gave us a little more. We weren’t the only ones. Some of the people who worked at the refinery moved into the houses near ours.”

“What about the people already living there?” asked Clem.

“A lot of them were gone by then, but I know one of our neighbors, the Greens, had to move out so someone else could take their house,” said Jet.

“The military took away their house?” asked Sarah.

“Yeah.”

“Well, where did they go?” asked Clem.

“I don’t know… actually I think I do.” Jet suddenly looked very tense. “One time, when we were driving to Port Arthur, we had to take a different road then we normally did, and we went through this neighborhood I hadn’t been to in a really long time…

“There were so many people, and they all looked horrible. They were dirty, and their clothes were torn up, and almost all of them were really, really thin. I actually thought they were the infected people I kept hearing about until Granddad told me they weren’t. And there were so many of them, and they were all looking at us as we drove past them, and I just kept thinking ‘This must be where they sent the Greens.”

“Did you see them?” asked Clem.

“No, but I couldn’t think where else they could have sent them. There were way more people there than there ever was in my neighborhood, even before things changed,” said Jet with a sigh. “I hated living in Houston, and I had it better than almost everyone. I don’t know what that makes me… an ingrate I guess.”

“I used to live somewhere where I had things better than a lot of people,” said Sarah as she placed a hand on Jet’s shoulder. “I hated it too, and felt bad that I had more. But do you want to know what I realized after I left that place?”

“What?”

“I can help people who have less than me now, because I don’t live somewhere that doesn’t let you do that,” said Sarah with a smile. “And that makes me feel better.”

“Is that why you and her are helping me and Granddad?” asked Jet.

“Yeah,” said Clem with a smile. “We like helping people.”

“That’s good to know,” said Jet with a nervous grin. “Still, what was wrong with the place you were staying at?”

“A lot of things,” said Sarah, sounding bitter.

“Like Houston?” asked Jet.

“Yeah,” said Clem. “But with way less people.”

Jet sighed. “And, you’ve just been moving around ever since you left this place?”

“Pretty much,” said Clem. “Sometimes we’ll stay in the same place for a while, when we need to rest, but we always have to go when we start running out of food.”

“Granddad always said it wouldn’t last.”

“Food?”

“Everything.”

“In Houston?”

“Everywhere.” Jet took a deep breath. “Even before things changed, he always talked about how the world wouldn’t last, and we’d run out of things we’d needed. Even before everything changed, he used to talk about moving out of Houston all the time. He said big cities couldn’t go on much longer with things the way they were.”

“Why didn’t he move then?” asked Clem.

“I think he was saving his money so he could buy a house somewhere else, but then everything went wrong and money became useless,” said Jet. “I still remember how mad he was when the military shut down all the stores and took everything in them. But he didn’t stay mad. It was like he knew this was going to happen.”

“He knew that lurkers were coming?” asked Sarah.

“I just mean he knew the world was going to end eventually,” said Jet. “He always said society ran on hydrocarbons, and there weren’t enough of them to keep it running forever.”

“Hydro what?” asked Clem.

“Hydrocarbons; oil, basically,” said Jet.

“Like gas and diesel?” asked Sarah.

“That’s two things you can make with them,” said Jet. “Oil is full of stuff called hydrocarbons. Places like where my granddad worked took oil and other stuff with hydrocarbons, then split it up or combined it with other stuff to make things people used.”

“You know a lot about this stuff,” noted Clem.

“Both Mom and Granddad worked at a refinery, so I ended up learning a lot about this from them,” said Jet.

“Do you know why gas doesn’t last more than a couple of years?” asked Sarah. “Someone we knew said it oxidizes or something.”

“I think that means the air is combining with it, or something,” said Jet. “Gasoline has a lot of ingredients, and things like water, or air, or bacteria can get to it and change things and make it useless.”

“Bacteria?” asked Clem. “In gas?”

“Yeah, certain bacteria can grow in gasoline and diesel and ruin it if you don’t take care of it.”

“Diesel too?” said Sarah.

“Yeah.”

“We thought diesel lasted longer than gasoline,” said Clem.

“I think it does, but it can still go bad too.” Clem exchanged a concerned glance with Sarah as they were reminded of that particular fact.

“What about propane?” asked Sarah. “When does it go bad?”

“I don’t think it does,” said Jet. “I remember Granddad saying something about only the tanks ever going bad, not the propane itself.”

“Really?” asked a surprised Clementine.

“Yeah, he said your only problem with propane would be if it leaks.”

“Too bad you can’t run a car on propane,” said Sarah. “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about the Brave’s fuel going bad anytime soon.”

“Actually, I think you can run a truck on propane,” said Jet.

“Really?” asked Clem. “We can put propane into the Brave’s gas tank?”

“Um… no, you’d need a special engine for that,” said Jet. “Granddad said there are a few out there that ran on something that was pretty much the same as propane, but they were rare.”

“But why?” asked Clem. “How come more cars didn’t run on propane instead of gas?”

“Is it because it’s not made out of oil like other things?” asked Sarah.

“Actually, I think propane is hydrocarbons too, just a different type,” said Jet. “They also make plastics and lots of other stuff out of hydrocarbons, not just gasoline. Like Granddad said, the world ran on them.”

“If it came from the same stuff, then how come cars didn’t run on propane?” said Clem. “If it lasted longer, wouldn’t that have been better?”

“Granddad said they weren’t worried about this stuff lasting a long time,” shrugged Jet. “He said that was one of the biggest problems in the world, that there weren’t any plans for if things stopped working right. I used to think he was kinda crazy, but I guess he was right. Almost all the food the military brought us was stuff they were taking from grocery stores and people’s houses, they didn’t know how to make more of it.”

“We tried growing our own food in a garden,” said Sarah. “We got some good stuff from it, but not nearly enough. Anthony showed us how to fish, so sometimes we catch them, but—”

“We mostly just go looking for food people left behind,” finished Clem. “Which is going to run out someday.”

“Yeah, most of what we eat is leftover from people who died,” said Sarah. “If so many people hadn’t of died, we’d probably have starved by now.”

“Granddad used to say the only reason the world used to work is because a bunch a plankton and plants and other stuff died millions of years ago and turned into oil,” said Jet. “He said oil ran the world we lived in, and it would also destroy it; either with it running out, or people killing each other over it, or the planet got messed up from burning too much of it, or all three.”

“Your grandpa would tell you stuff like this?” asked a surprised Clem.

“Yeah,” shrugged Jet. “I think he’s actually mad people coming back from the dead wrecked everything instead of what he said would happen.”

“I think I’m just mad that everything is wrecked,” realized Clem.

“I know I’m mad,” admitted Jet. “This will sound stupid and selfish, but I think the worst part of all this is I will never get to go into space.”

“Space?” asked Clem.

“Did you want to be an astronaut?” asked Sarah.

“Ever since I was six, and my mom took me to Space Center,” said Jet. “And I didn’t just think about it like other kids, I looked up all the stuff you had to do. I started exercising more because astronauts have to be in the best shape. I even saved up a hundred dollars to pay for a vision test because you can’t be a pilot if you have problems with your eyes.”

“You wanted a vision test, when you were six?” asked a surprised Sarah.

“Yeah, I was already planning everything out. I’d go to college and get a degree in engineering, then join the Air Force so I could become a pilot one day. Did you know you need a thousand hours piloting jets just to even try to be an astronaut?”

“Is that why you’re called Jet?” asked Clem. “Because you wanted to fly jets one day?”

“I wanted to fly a space shuttle. But no, Jet is just short for Jettapon. It’s a Thai name.”

“Tie?”

“As in Thailand; it’s where my grandparents and my dad are from. I’ve never been there though, and I don’t think Mom has either.” A familiar rumbling sounded from behind the RV. “Is that your generator?”

“Yeah, Patty’s probably using it to fix your RV.” Clem watched as Jet sat up and moved to pick up the black bag he dropped earlier.

“Do you think I could plug something into it?” asked the boy.

“What?” Clem watched as Jet opened his bag.

“Is that a laptop?” asked Sarah.

“Yeah,” admitted Jet in a timid voice.

“What do you want to do with it?”

“I don’t know, maybe look at some pictures on it?” shrugged the boy. “We lost all our photo albums when the house burned down.”

“I wish I had a photo of my parents,” said Clem.

“Or my dad,” added Sarah as she stood up. “I’ll go plug it in for you.”

“Thanks,” said Jet with a smile, the first Clem had seen on the boy since meeting him. As Sarah stepped outside, Clem watched as Omid walked out of the bedroom, his hands over his ears.

“Oh, is the generator bothering you?” asked Clem as she picked up the toddler. “Don’t worry, you can stay out here with me and Jet.” Clem turned to see the boy staring at her with a look of astonishment. “What?”

“I just still can’t believe you’re taking care of a baby,” said Jet. “You said you’re only ten.”

“I’ve been taking care of him since I was nine and a half actually.” Saying it out loud, Clem suddenly realized how strange that actually sounded.

“I don’t think I could ever do something like that,” confessed Jet.

“I didn’t think we could either,” admitted Clem. “I’m still not sure we can; he’s still not even a year old yet.”

“Yeah, but you’re doing it right now,” noted Jet as he turned away from Clem. “I never would have been an astronaut anyway. Astronauts are brave; I’m not.”

“You don’t know that,” said Clem. “I never thought I could do a lot of things until I had to. Sarah too. You’re probably brave too and just don’t know it yet.” Jet just stood there, slumped over by the weight of his own perceived lack of worth. Trying to think of something to say to him, Clem found a small hand reaching for her hat.

“Mah-bah,” said Omid as Clem intercepted his hand.

“No, you got your own hat that you never…” Clem set Omid down, then darted into the bedroom. She rummaged through their drawers, pushing their clothes aside until she finally found it.

“Here,” said Clem as she returned to Jet. “Why don’t you have this?”

Jet turned around to find a small gray hat in her hand. “Where did you get this?” he asked as examined the Apollo logo on the cap.

“At the Space Center in Florida,” said Clem.

“You went to the Kennedy Space Center?” asked a surprised Jet as he read the words running across the side of the hat. “And you’re just gonna let me have this?”

“Yeah, we got that for OJ when he wanted my hat, but he doesn’t actually like wearing it,” said Clem. “It might be kind of small but—”

Clem watched as Jet unbuckled the back of the baseball cap and stretched it as much as he could before slipping it on top of his head. It was clearly a snug fit, but it did seem to fit on him. “Thanks, a lot.” Clementine collected Omid off the carpet just as Sarah stepped back into the Brave.

“Sorry, I stopped to give Patty a hand with the…” Sarah paused when she saw Omid. “He got out again, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” said Clem. “The noise from the generator was bothering him.”

“I think the latch on his crib is broken,” said Sarah. “I tried forcing it shut, but I guess it didn’t work.”

“Did you plug in my laptop?” asked Jet.

“Yeah,” said Sarah. “But why did you bring it here if it wasn’t already charged?”

“Ever since we got robbed, I just always kind of keep it close. I’m glad I did, it’s all got left from home now. Well, it and this.” Jet reached into his bag again.

“A calculator?” asked Clem as she studied the beige device. “What’s so special about it?”

“Well, it still works,” said Jet. “You never need to change the batteries because of the little solar panel on the top.”

“Doesn’t every calculator have that?” asked Sarah.

“Yeah, but Granddad always made a big deal about how this one is over twenty years old and it has worked the entire time,” said Jet as he handed Clem the calculator. Looking closer, she could see the plastic had faded from its original color and there were nicks around the corners and edges. Fiddling with the buttons, Clem confirmed it did indeed still worked.

“Why would he give you this?” asked Clem.

“I think he wanted to teach me something. He gave it to me on my tenth birthday, the same year my mom got me the laptop. He said it would last me a lot longer than my computer would because it was built to last. It also says made in Thailand on the back, although I don’t know if that’s one of the reasons he likes it or not.”

“I guess it is kind of cool when you think about it,” said Sarah as she watched Clem hand the calculator back to Jet. “Even though it’s really old, it’s more useful than a lot of new stuff that need batteries or gas to work, which we can’t always get. Sorta like that victrola Walter had, where you just had to wind it and it would play music.”

“Too bad you can’t just wind our RV,” said Clem. “Or put solar panels on it.”

“Well, an RV takes a lot more power and is way more complicated than a calculator,” said Jet as he put the device away. “Still, Granddad was always talking about how people should be more self-sufficient and there were all these things they should be doing.”

“Like what?”

“Well, we had solar panels on our house in Houston,” said Jet. “Granddad said they weren’t enough for everything, but they could power most of the important stuff by themselves.”

“So does that mean you had electricity even when the military shut off the power?” asked Clem.

“No, the military took the solar panels off our roof like a week after they showed up…”

Following an odd grunting noise, Clem looked over to see Omid tugging on the closet door. It was only partially cracked, but the toddler’s attempts to open it were gradually sliding it further ajar.

“Come on, you already had breakfast,” said Clem as she picked Omid up.

“Ah-bree,” he pleaded.

“No, you’ve had enough ice cream for today,” said Sarah. “We’ve got to make it last.”

“You have ice cream?” asked a confused Jet.

“Freeze-dried, we got it from the Space Center,” said Clem.

“Man, I wish I had gotten to go there. I heard the Kennedy Space Center is better than the one in Houston.” Jet sighed to himself. “Oh well, I guess all that stuff is pointless now. I should probably learn how that gun works.”

Clem handed Omid over to Sarah and then reached for the pistol in her holster. The second she felt its cold metal at her fingertips, Clem found herself hesitant to draw the weapon. Looking at the resigned disappointment hanging on Jet’s face, she found her hand moving away from her gun. “You can learn about it later,” reasoned Clem. “Why don’t we do something else today? Something fun.”

“I thought you were supposed to teach me how to stay alive?” asked Jet.

“This is part of staying alive,” said Clem with a smile.

“Having fun?” asked a skeptical Jet. “Really?”

“Yeah really. What’s the point in staying alive if you don’t have fun at least some of the time?”

“Do you guys ever have fun?” asked Jet.

“Of course we do,” assured Sarah.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” confirmed a confused Clem. “Why is that hard to believe?”

“I don’t know, I guess it’s just… after seeing you kill all those infected people, and save us, and see that you’re taking care of a baby, I figured you two would never have time for fun anymore.”

“Well, we don’t have a lot,” said Sarah as she looked at Omid.

“That’s why it’s so important to have fun when we can,” said Clem. “Because we might not get a chance to later.” Clem found herself regretting telling Jet that as soon as she finished saying it. Reminding the boy of the uncertainty in all their futures just seemed to kill the slight smile the boy had on his face. Clem racked her mind for anything to change the subject, and then suddenly it came to her.

“Do you play chess?” asked Clem.

“Chess? Well, I played it on my computer sometimes.”

“Would you like to play against us?” suggested an eager Sarah.

“Um… sure,” said Jet with a smile.

“Here, Clem, take Omid,” said Sarah as she hurried to collect their chessboard, clearly excited to have a new opponent. “If I win, you can play against Clem next.”

“What if I win?” asked Jet as he sat down at the dining table.

“Then you’re the best chess player here,” informed Clem. “Because I can’t beat Sarah, at least not yet.”

“I used to set the computer on hard when I played chess,” warned Jet with a smile as he watched Sarah set the board in front of him.

“I played chess against my dad for years,” boasted Sarah as she set up her pieces. “And he had to stop because he couldn’t beat me anymore.”

As she saw the pair ready to square off on a checkered battlefield, Clem suddenly noticed Omid fidgeting in her arms. Before she could even ask, she smelt what was wrong. The girl headed back into the bedroom and got to work. They were just about out of diapers again, and were running low on wipes as well. Omid didn’t help either by being uncooperative the entire time Clem worked to clean up after him, and even nibbling on his feet didn’t seem to help on this occasion. She suspected the generator was making him fussy; Clem knew she was starting to find it irritating herself.

Thankfully, the generator stopped and Clem breathed a sign of relief as she put Omid in his crib. She tied a sock around the busted latch, then went to toss out the dirty diaper, only to discover the trash was full. Knowing Sarah and Jet were surely busy with their game now, Clem tied off the bag and carried the garbage out herself. She shuttered slightly as she headed back outside into the cold. Clem moved away from the RV and down a row of cheap looking cars before stopping and just dropping the bag on the gravel, figuring this was as good a place as any to leave it.

Turning back to the Brave, Clem spotted Patty and Sin standing in front of the other RV, both peering into the motor as if they didn’t know what was wrong with it. Looking away from them, she saw Anthony on top of his truck, where he was dividing his time between occasionally looking through the telescope and eyeing a magazine he was holding.

Heading back into the RV, Clem found her mind was more preoccupied with what was outside now. She tried watching Jet and Sarah play chess to distract herself, but it didn’t work. She found her eyes kept drifting back to the windows, and her thoughts towards everything that was still out there they had yet to see. Without knowing it, Clem opened her mouth to speak.

“Jet.” The girl briefly bit her lip before speaking again. “Where does your grandpa want to go?” Clem regretted that question the second she finished asking it. It hadn’t even been distrust that had prompted her but curiosity; curiosity born out of a desperation to finally find a haven they had been seeking for so long now. She could see from the way Jet’s face twitched slightly that she had made the boy uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, just forget—”

“It’s not anywhere famous,” said Jet suddenly. “And maybe that’s a good thing, seeing as it sounds like all the biggest cities are messed up, including Houston now.”

“Do you think it’ll be safe there?” asked Sarah.

“I hope so.” An uncomfortable silence followed Jet’s comment, one Clem felt compelled to break.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have even asked you—”

“If Granddad doesn’t tell you where it is I will,” assured Jet, an odd mix of anxiety and determination in his voice. “You saved our lives, and I’ll never forget that.”

“It’s okay,” assured Clem. “Like I said, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

Jet turned his attention back to the chessboard after that, and the incident seemed to quickly fade from memory for everyone but Clementine. Feeling guilty now, the girl stood up and returned to the bedroom, thinking it would be best just to let their guest play a game in peace.

The first thing Clem noticed was Omid tugging on the sock she had left, which he had nearly unraveled by now. Picking up the boy, Clem split her time between keeping Omid entertained and cleaning up around the RV. She’d occasionally stop and watch Jet and Sarah play chess. Both of them took a very long time to decide on moves, and each had an intense look in their eyes. Watching them was almost hypnotic, and Clem wasn’t sure how long she was staring at them until she heard a knock from outside.

“I got it,” said Clem as she hurried to door.

“It’s alive!” announced Patty as she stepped inside. “It was a lot more work than I was thinking, and I’m gonna want to replace some things at the first auto shop we see, and the plumbing doesn’t work yet because there’s no water in the tank, but your new previously-owned RV is ready to roll.”

“Really?” asked an excited Jet. “That’s great.”

“And here, I think this belongs to you.” Patty handed Jet his laptop back, along with the cable to charge it. “It was hooked up to the generator pretty much the whole time it was on, so it should be good to go for a little while.”

Jet wasted no time opening the computer and turning it on. Clem found it oddly compelling watching its screen flicker to life; nowadays it was almost like watching magic. Looking at Patty and Sarah, she noticed they seemed as fascinated by this small technological miracle as Clem was. Immediately after the machine finished booting up, Jet clicked on one of the icons and a picture appeared on the screen.

Clem recognized Sin standing in what looked like the backyard of a two-story suburban home. Beside him was an old gray haired lady with a sweet smile and a colorful dress. To the left of them was a younger couple with big smiles on their faces, and between them was a much younger Jet sporting a goofy grin.

“You all looked so happy,” said Sarah.

“Except Sin,” noted Patty. “I guess he never smiles.”

“He really doesn’t,” confirmed Jet.

“So is this your grandma?” asked Clementine as she pointed to the older woman.

“Yeah, she died a few months before everything got bad,” said Jet with just a hint of sadness. “I really miss her, but in a weird way, I’m kind of glad she doesn’t have to go through all this terrible stuff.”

“And those must be your parents,” said Patty. “They were a cute couple.”

“They’re both really smart, and they’re used to going to places where things are bad, so I’m sure they’re okay,” said Jet, his voice free of doubt. “I just don’t know how I’m ever going to find them again.”

“Well, one thing at a time,” suggested Patty. “Let’s see if we can find somewhere we can stay long term, and then we can think about how to track down your parents.”

“Do you really mean that?” asked Jet. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better are you?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” shrugged Patty. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do if I found somewhere to settle down at this point. If we figured something out, I’d probably be game to do it.”

“Granddad would help you,” assured Jet with a smile. “He doesn’t like to admit it, but he really misses Mom. If we could actually figure something out that would work, he would—”

“Jet,” called Sin from outside. “Are you in there?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out.” The boy closed the laptop and stuffed it into his bag. “Thanks for everything.”

“Don’t thank us just yet,” said Patty. “We’re still stuck up shit creek, we just all have paddles now.”

“Yeah, well, I feel a lot better with that paddle,” said Jet with a smile.

“Jet!”

“Coming.”

“Tell Sin we’ll be leaving soon, and that he should follow us out,” said Patty as Jet darted out of the RV. “It’s still kinda early, so maybe we could scrounge up some food north of here before it gets dark.”

Poking her head out the door, Clem felt content seeing Jet return to his grandfather. There was something in the way he was moving that she found uplifting. Whereas he was barely shuffling forward earlier, he seemed to be skipping now, and it made Clementine feel a little like skipping herself.

“So, you find out anything about them?” Clem turned her head slightly to see Anthony was standing right outside the door.

“Real smooth man,” sniped a sarcastic Patty.

“I’m just asking,” he said innocently. “I mean, he was in there with y’all for a while, you must’ve overheard something.”

“Just that wherever Sin wants to go, it’s nowhere famous,” said Clem.

“That’s it?” asked Anthony.

“What the hell were you expecting?” asked Patty. “That Jet would tell the girls all about his grandfather’s manifesto?”

“I was just wondering if she heard anything we should be worried about,” said Anthony.

“Not really,” said Clem. “Jet even said he’d tell us where we’re going if Sin doesn’t.”

“So, the kid thinks the old man might not clue us in to his secret getaway spot,” noted Anthony. “That’s telling.”

“Anthony…”

“It is,” he insisted. “It means the old guy must think this place is for real if he wants to keep it to himself.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” realized Clem.

“And it means even the guy’s own grandkid thinks he’s capable of pulling a double-cross.”

Clem didn’t say anything this time, but once again, she found herself agreeing with Anthony’s observation.

“Just get in your truck,” said Patty. “If we hurry, we might get some scavenging done today.”

Anthony shrugged, then turned back towards his vehicle while Clem closed and locked the Brave’s door. As they moved out of the car lot and back onto the street, Clem couldn’t help eyeing the new vehicle following them in the rearview mirror, wondering how it would change things. Then she looked ahead at the road, and all she could think about was where they were going next.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - First Chapter

#three orphan pilgrimage #TOP #Chapter 61

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antverita · 8 years

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Absalomn’s Mirror - Chapters I, II & III

I - Oh, Dystopia

It was just another Monday morning, same as any other. Up and awake by half past seven, ready and out the door by eight and back at the not quite sanctum called school. The same old routine for the past 12 years, only this was a new school. Everything was new; new school, new city, new people, new opportunities, at least for someone able to reach out and grasp them. The warm summer breeze flowed through Mitch's ready styled hair, whipping his fringe back into his hazel coloured eyes. He muttered to himself,

“I seriously need to get this cut”, as he readjusted his now messy hair back off his face. Clad in a pair of dark jeans with missing knees, rings on his fore and middle fingers, scruffy school shirt and blazer, with a dark hoodie underneath, he continued back on his dreaded walk to school.

The morning sun cast a gentle and delicate glow upon the landscape, alighting the park in such a hue that seemed to make mankind's interferences nothing more than a passing memory. Ducks swimming peacefully in the lake, bird song providing a perfect accompaniment to the setting. Nature being the way that it should be, free and untainted. Walking through an almost Eden like setting was enough to lift even the lowest of spirits, or so you would think. Lost in absent thought, Mitch continued to trudge on to his destination. Readily reminding himself in his head;

“Its not worth taking it all in, I'll only miss it more when I'm gone”, as a sad glint lit up his eyes. “Its been three years, almost four, six different schools, and two different countries” he continued, “How hard is it to just stay in one place for more than five minutes? How bloody hard?!” he spat angrily, kicking a stone across the lake. The ducks scattered from the incoming threat of the stone skimming towards them, cloud obscured the sun and the birds fell silent. “Nothing good ever lasts does it?” he whispered, as he continued his walk out and away from the park, back into the bustling city just as heavy rush hour began.

Cars, buses and bikes soon filled the roads, taking what was only moments prior a peaceful tranquillity, and throwing it back into the modern day dystopia everyone loved to hate. Engines revving in impatience, horns blaring loud and proud; as if people thought that making such a fuss would get them any further on their way to their day jobs. En mass, people were moving along the walkways like a flock of sheep, shoving and pushing one another, all in a desperate attempt to save themselves that one singular second on their commute. Amongst the hoards of business men and women, school children were barged out of their ways and knocked to the ground, homeless men begging desperately for even the smallest of change to be able to feed themselves, being completely ignored. What even was this world coming to? Mitch gazed blankly through the crowd he was caught in, almost zombie like in his mannerisms now, slow, lethargic, not in the slightest bit phased by the majority of his surroundings, as he carried on his commute.

Some time later, he eventually found himself at the school gates. Just a stones throw from the hustle and bustle of the main city attractions, yet just far enough away and on its outskirts to still embrace the untouched forests behind the grounds, that mother nature still kept firm in her grasp. Staring at the gates in a solemn state of thought, as if all time had stopped around him and he was in his own little bubble of space. The outside world was a blank to him, as if it no longer existed, as he pondered his decisions and options, of whether to even bother going in today or to just bunk of, like he had many a day before. Lost and idle in thought, the whole outside world was gone to him. The giggles and chat of his fellow peers muffled and blurred out, but all of a sudden, a singular voice pierced through the grey.

“Mitch, hey Mitch!” it yelled. “Mitch!”, it repeated, growing steadily closer and louder in volume. Mitch was suddenly met with a soft slap to the back of his head, knocking him back into the real world.

“Hey, the hell was that for?” Mitch retorted, swinging himself around to be greeted by a figure. A figure ever so large in stature, towering above Mitch himself and the rest of his peers. Dressed in messily in school attire; tie around his neck undone, school shirt creased like a leather bag, wearing shoes that looked as if they were just about to fall apart and carrying a bag that was big enough to hide a body in.

“Oh hey Pete,” Mitch continued, “Still struggling with that tie then?” “Hey well its not my fault, they're not exactly easy to do y'know?” the gentle giant smiled. “I showed you how to tie it for like, the fifth time yesterday man. Seriously.” Mitch sighed, “Come on, bend down and I'll do it up for you again” Pete lowered himself down to Mitch's level, a staggering height difference, as Mitch lifted up the giants shirt collar, flicked the tie around and proceeded to tie it properly.

“Y'know, you're really good at all this sorta stuff Mitch”, Pete chuckled. “You can tie a tie just great, you're great at maths and science. You can cook, you can do so much so easily; and you're always so good at whatever you do without even trying!”

“Well its not really rocket science Pete, most things are really simple and easy when you take a step back and just think about it” Mitch replied.

“Yeah but not for me, you're just really good at everything!” Pete ensued “You help me with my homework all the time, you get me out of trouble, you even helped get me onto the football team! You do it all like its just no sweat at all, and never ask for anything back. But when people talk to you and try to get to know you, like that Anna girl, you just seem to not let them in. Why don't you want to talk to people or help anyone else?” Pete questioned.

Mitch tensed up, having finished doing Pete's tie, he withdrew himself and placed his hands by his sides, fists clenched and teeth gritted to the point it was starting to hurt. His eyes started to well up and slightly blood shoot. Trying to keep himself composed, he took in a deep breath, and tried to relaxed. With an exhale he replied

“I just don't like being too close to anyone, I don't really need friends, that's all”, with his head facing off to the side, looking off into the sky.

“Yeah but you've got me, I'm your friend!” Pete retorted, with a rather worried looking expression appearing on his usually happy face.

“Yeah, I guess so..” Mitch replied, now facing back at Pete with a glum forced smile. “Take it we should probably go in then?” he continued.

“Yup! Another day in the life!” Pete exclaimed, half joyously, as the two walked through the school gates and joined in hoards of sheep like students also on their way in.

II - It’s All Smoke & Mirrors

The corridors seemed to span forever, just like a hall of mirrors, there was no way out in sight, only the option to follow the crowd until you found your stop. Pete was readily chatting away with other members of the slow stampede, as Mitch continued on solemnly. Blank as a shadow he was oblivious to the outside world, just pondering about the million thoughts all rushing through his head. With a sudden jerk, he was once again brought back into reality and hauled out from the corridor by Pete.

“Jeez, y'know you should really warn me when you're gonna do that dude”, Mitch scowled.

“I'm sorry, but uh, well you were walking further on and I didn't think you could hear me. I didn't want you to get lost and go to the wrong classroom”, Pete whimpered lowly, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“It's fine dude, sorry that I snapped”

“ - And uh, thanks I guess” Mitch returned.

Pete's face lit back up, as the pair walked into the classroom and took their seats.

“Late again I see Mitchell?” a shrewd voice echoed through the room.

With a sullen look upon his face, Mitch retaliated:

“Its Mitch, mate. And like they say, better late than never” he snarled back sarcastically.

“I am NOT your 'mate', boy!” the voice barked back.

Mitch stopped in his stride at his desk, placed his bag down and spun around.

“Well I do apologise, Donald!” he retorted, “Y'see, I had better things to do this morning: like sleep. Plus anyway, I'm in what, five minutes late? At the most? Don't go busting a nut over that already mate, who else is gonna teach us the importance of Pythagoras, and drill into us about 'how much we'll need it in later life' “, Mitch continued, further mocking his teacher with air quote gestures. Enraged at a glance, the teacher took a sip from his coffee in an attempt to cool his temper for the moment.

“That's Mr. Grace or Sir to you, boy”, he calmly stated. “Besides that, why are you not in uniform? What's with that jewellery too? None of what you're wearing is dress code! Give me that and go and get changed!”

“Well, sir,” Mitch entailed; “I am in uniform. I'm wearing this crappy blazer and hideous shirt, as well as the very 'admired', so to quote yourself, school tie. I'm wearing dark jeans, you cant tell the difference between these and those crappy trousers you all seem to insist on wearing! Let alone that, I always have and always will wear these rings for reasons I'd rather not discuss. So you can do one if you think I'm handing them over to you!”

Mr. Grace's expressions became even more enraged, as his face started to redden with rage. With a firm grip on his own desk, his hands began to shake, like the surrounding landscape when a volcano is due to erupt. Sure enough, much like natures wrath, Mr. Grace exploded into a flying fit of rage; kicking his desk and bin with all his force and throwing his chair to the side. He slammed his fists down upon the desk with such force, that the rest of the hallway could hear.

“HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME, BOY!” he screeched like a banshee. “IN FRONT OF MY OWN CLASS, FIRST THING ON A MONDAY MORNING. DO YOU HAVE NO RESPECT?!” Like a red rag to a bull, Mitch popped a cheeky grin, adding fuel to the fire further. “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU LAUGHING AT? WHAT IS SO EVIDNETLY FUNNY TO YOU?!” Mr. Grace further bellowed. The whole class turned to look at Mitch, in anticipation of just what he would do next. He took a deep breath and tried to hold back his laugh. With a smirk, Mitch casually replied;

“Oh nothing much Donald, nothing much at all. Don't you worry your little head about it, we don't want that blood pressure getting too high now do we?”

“Out. Now” Mr. Grace calmly replied. “I said get out, now. I will deal with you momentarily.”

With his smirk still prominent, Mitch picked up his bag from his desk, slung it back over his shoulder and replied

“One step ahead of ya there, no need to tell me twice Donny”, he left the class with a wink at his teacher as a parting gift. Pulling his headphones out from his bag as he left, Mitch plugged them into his phone, adjusted them just right to fit, put on his music and strolled out of the building, with not a care in the world.

Once out of the school building, Mitch muttered to himself,

“Well that's today's plan off the cards, where too now?” He looked about in thought and pondered to himself. Returning home just wasn't an option, going into the city probably wasn't a wise idea either. Still thinking about where was best to go, Mitch made his way across the school grounds to try get an idea of what may be best, or at least an interesting place to go. After a little walk, an idea popped into his head.

“Why not in there?” he said to himself, looking towards the forest bordering the school grounds. “No ones gonna really come looking through here for me now are they?” With the conscious decision behind him and his back to the wind, he started off on his way towards the forest, still blaring his music loud and proud to himself. As he ventured further and further into the forest, the outside world seemed to fade away more and more, until he was lost with nowhere to go.

“Okay, maybe that wasn't my greatest idea” he muttered to himself, removing his headphones and turning off his music. “Best to try find a way out of here I guess? Weather looks like its about to turn”. He packed his headphones back into his bag and tried to retrace his steps, yet with every further step, he found himself getting more and more lost. Traipsing through the forest, the sky started to darken over and rain started to spit down from the heavens.

“Oh great, just what I need” he huffed, pulling up his hood and trekking onwards.

There was a sudden crack, Mitch fell down like a rag doll. The commotion was met with a sudden snap and thud.

“Shit!” Mitch squealed in pain. He looked down to see where he had been walking had fallen and broken away to reveal a deep yet narrow hole, in which his left foot was stuck in. On closer inspection, his ankle was twisted round from the rest of his leg, at almost a perfect ninety degree angle.

“Well, that doesn't look good needless to say” he growled, evidentially in a lot of pain. The heavens started to open, and the rain was coming down thick and fast. “Ugh, I don't really wanna get soaked” he continued, looking around eagerly for some form of shelter. Just ahead of where Mitch lay was a clearing, and what appeared from a distance to be some form of cave or at least a kind of shelter.

“Well its not exactly ideal, but I guess it'll have to do” he replied back to himself, as he tried picking himself back up to his feet and limped over to the shelter, dragging his broken ankle behind agonisingly.

After the short yet pain staking move to the clearing, Mitch found shelter in the cave that lay before him. Thankful of the dry cavern, he sat himself down, took off his shoe and sock and examined his ankle.

“Yeah I'm pretty sure that's broken,” he gasped whilst gently prodding at it and trying to gently move it.”Gonna be no good just sitting here feeling sorry for myself, gotta do something about this” he further muttered, as he rifled through his bag. “Eh, these should do it I guess” he sighed, pulling out a maths text book and a steel ruler from his bag. “Who ever thought Pythagoras would actually come in handy?” he chuckled to himself, as he slowly turned his ankle around, trying not to succumb to the pain. Supporting the inside of his ankle with the ruler, and wrapping the text book around the whole ankle and his leg to mimic a splint, he finished it off with his sport socks over the make shift splint, to try to hold it all together.

“I guess that's gonna have to do then”, Mitch moaned, as he carefully put his shoe back on. He raised his foot up on a near by rock and sat back to watch the rain from his shelter, bringing in a therapeutic wave of calm to try clear his head a little. Shortly after, he dozed off into a light sleep.

Mitch suddenly awoke to the sound of what could only be described as an evil little cackle, echoing about the cave he was in. Startled, he shot straight up and grabbed his phone, switched on the torch feature and shone it further down into the mouth of the cave, yet there was nothing there, only emptiness and further darkness as the cave progressed.

“I must be imagining it”, he said, playing it off as nothing, returning his phone to his pocket. But there it was again, the cackling laugh, but this time, it sounded like more than just the one voice. He could hear the laughs echo from the depths of the cave, alongside the patter of tiny foot steps, much like that of a small dog, also resonating from within the cave.

“Every instinct, every muscle, every reflex in my body is telling me not to go further, to get out and run, run as far away as I can. But I just cant help but feel compelled, like a magnet to go in deeper and find out what on earth that noise is.” Mitch further whispered to himself, caught in an internal conflict. “I'm really gonna regret this, but to hell with it” he continued, as he stumbled back to his feet, turned the torch setting back on and ventured deeper, still limping all the way. All whilst he continued through the cave, the cackles seemed to vary, one minute sounding close, then the next even further away than before. Carelessly stumbling through the cave, Mitch once again took a tumble, tripping over an old iron rod, hitting the ground with an almighty thud, causing the cackles to burst into hysteria at his misfortune.

“So you think that's funny then do ya?” he exclaimed into the darkness, taunting whatever lay deeper before him. The creatures fell silent, spooked evidentially. “That's what I thought,” Mitch continued, as he picked himself back up and dusted himself back off. “Actually, this may come in handy” he further muttered, as he picked up the rod that had previously tripped him up. Armed with a phone torch and the iron rod, Mitch continued deeper and deeper into the cave.

As he delved deeper and deeper into the crevasse, the trail seemed to grow cold. The cackling creatures were no longer making noise, let alone to even be found, but something was odd. The ground had started to level out, becoming even and flat. Wooden joists stood up against the walls of the cave, much like a mineshaft, and there were weird inscriptions and carvings in the joist beams, they looked like old, odd runes, like something from a fairy tale. Old coins from what could only be described as being from a lost civilisation were strewn about the place, although only small in quantity. Old, burnt out candles lay about too. Some still upright in their original places, others thrown about left right and centre, laying in puddles or smashed upon the ground. A cool breeze swept in from ahead, deeper in the cave, and what appeared to be a very faint light too.

“This is just getting weird now” Mitch said to himself with worry, but still he ventured on towards the light. Continuing further on, the light got ever so slightly brighter and brighter, and the gentle breeze persisted evermore, more runes and carvings in the joists as he further progressed until he reached the end of the tunnel. The mouth itself was adorned with what looked like hanging necklaces with metal pendants and charms dangling slightly over the exit, and what appeared to be a giant iron semi circle in the ground across where the opening lay. A lone altar sat at the mouth of the pathway, alight were three lone candles, one atop the altar, and two at the foot of it. The altar itself sat at the very edge of the platform that jutted out over what could only be described as a bottomless pit. At the altar sat a creature small in stature, maybe no taller than a toddler, and almost skeletal in its physique. Mitch approached it slowly and carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible and not startle it. As he approached closer and closer, the creature began to turn its head and made direct eye contact with Mitch. Big, dark eyes; somewhat smothering, stared into his own in what looked like a state of fear and mercy. Thin arms wrapped around the creatures stick like legs, as if to imitate the foetal position for comfort in fear of what may come.

“What are you?” Mitch questioned the feeble little creature that stood before him. It just stared back at him in fear, now shaking and slowly edging away.

“I'm not hear to hurt you, I'm just lost and want to know where I am and how to get out of here. It'd just be nice to know what you are, and if you can even communicate” he continued. The creature looked back at Mitch, still shaking and proceeded to stumble to its feet.

“M-m-m-me? M-m-me imp. What you?” the creature stuttered.

“Oh so you can talk? Sweet. Well I'm Mitch. Tell me, where are we?” Mitch replied with a kind smile. The creature stopped shaking, but still looked as if it was keeping its guard up.

“We at end, Mitch”, it responded.

“Well yeah I can see that,” Mitch joked back. “But seriously, where is this place? Cause I just wanna get out and go home”

“This is end,” the creature retorted, seeming more confident in itself. “No go home now, this end.”

“Um, okay? Well I'm gonna go this way and try make my way back alone then”, Mitch replied, pointing behind himself.

“No. No go home now, this end” the creature barked back.

“No, I'm going ho-”, Mitch felt a sudden thud. A hard, blunt impact to the back of his head, knocking him down and interrupting him. As he fell, his fall was slowed, shortly followed by an immense pain in his abdomen as he hit the ground. With the little strength he had left, Mitch looked down to see the cause of the pain. In his fall, he had fallen upon the rod he had brought along from earlier. It had impaled him, right through him on his right side, straight through his abdomen. The creature cackled,

“We eat good tonight!” So this was the creature which was taunting him earlier? One more came forward into view, followed by another two of them. The creatures cackled and laughed at what they had done, and seemed to be full of celebratory cheer.

“So, this is how I die eh? Kinda sucks if you ask me” Mitch gasped weakly to himself whilst the creatures celebrated. With one last breath and a final bout of strength, Mitch rolled his near lifeless body off the ledge into the nothingness that lay below, in his way of a final defiance.

The creatures screamed in shock and horror at the loss of their catch, as they stared into the darkness. A splash echoed throughout the cavern, although heavily muffled and drowned out by the shrieks of the creatures above.

III - The Green Ghost

Mitch was falling, fast and down into the depths of the darkness. His mind was drawn completely a blank, he felt no fear, no worry, nothing. Nothing but peace. “Well, its been a good ride I guess, at least for the first few years,” he thought to himself. “I just wish I had done more, I wish I could 'a made something of my time, but hey ho that's the way it goes I suppose”. A smirk cropped up on his face, as he closed his eyes and fell further into the darkness, for once, at peace with himself.

“You don't really want to give up just yet, now do you?” a deep, husky voice called out, as a small green orb of light appeared before him. Startled, Mitch tried to let out a shout;

“Who's there?” he muffled weakly, unable to project his voice well enough.

“Inside voice boy. Use your inside voice. It makes things easier, plus we don't want anyone else listening in on our conversation now do we?” the voice commanded. Mitch began to feel cold and numb.

“Who are you?” Mitch questioned further.

“You really don't listen do you boy? Fine, I'll make this short. Who I am, that doesn't matter right now; but all I will say is that I am someone who can tell you don't want to die right here, right now” the voice murmured. “So I'll make you a deal. I'll save you from this fall, I will keep you alive, but in return you must do something for me.”

“Like what?” Mitch groaned in reply.

“All I ask is that you allow me to harbour inside of you until I myself can heal back to my full strength, and I will heal you in return. Just bear in mind, your death is near imminent boy. So what will you choose? Will you fly, or will you fight?”

“Deal.. I guess..” Mitch muttered, as he faded out of consciousness.

“You have chosen well boy. Now, rest.” the voice echoed, as the green light lowered itself into Mitch's chest and phased into his body. Mitch's body hit the water below with an almighty splash, and he sunk deep into its dark depths.

Millor, a young lumberjack was out in the forest, chopping down tree's for logs in preparation for the upcoming winter months. Well built and muscular in physique, yet still kind and compassionate in his nature, he was a well respected member of his community. Having scouted out the area previously and having marked trees designated to be cut down, he got to work. With just a couple of swings from his axe, he could fell a fully grown pine tree with ease, and so he did.

“That's two thirty odd meter ones down, that should do just fine for a while,” he cheered to himself. “Now, its just a case of cutting them down to a more manageable size” he continued, as he proceeded to cut them into smaller log sizes and load them onto his cart to transport them back. With about a third of the logs loaded, he prepared to make his way back to the village for his first trip. Thirsty from the felling, he removed his water-skin from the tie on his belt.

“Ah damn, empty” he grunted, “Oh well, just have to go find a spring and fill her up again”, he continued as he made his way off. Millor didn't have to search for long until he found a perfect ground spring. Nice clean, clear crisp water. “Perfect”, he thought to himself, as he leaned down to fill up his water-skin. Upon filling up his water-skin and helping himself to a drink, he looked up in shock and horror. Before him, floating face down in the water, from the cave mouth of the spring was a person! A boy, who couldn't have been much younger than him. Millor rushed into the water towards the boy,

“Hey, kid!” he yelled, “Are you alright?!”

The boy floated there, motionless and inanimate, as he drifted out from the cave mouth.

Millor dived in and swam as fast as he could towards the boy; through the clear and usually tranquil waters, which were slowly clouding red with the boys blood, seeping slowly from him. Millor finally reached the boy and turned him over onto his back. He was pale faced from the blood loss, cuts and scrapes all over his face. A great, gaping wound in the back of his head, raw and red, as if struck but a fairly blunt but rough object. But most notably of all his injuries, a metal rod thrust straight through his abdomen.

“Crap, this doesn't look good,” Millor panted, “Help!” he screamed. “HELP! Is anyone else here? HELP!” Millor cried further, alas to no reply. Millor checked the body for signs of life, there was a pulse and a heartbeat. Although both very faint, they were present. Millor rushed ashore, using every ounce of strength he could muster to swim and drag the boy in tow. Finally ashore, Millor checked again for vitals. His heartbeat and pulse were improving, becoming more noticeable and consistent in healthy rhythm. The bleeding had all but stopped, even from the impaled rod in his stomach area. Millor was spooked well and truly, with a fear akin to that of seeing a ghost, yet this boy seemed to radiate some odd kind of aura, an aura much like he'd never felt before. So mysterious and powerful, yet warm and welcoming. This aura was drawing him in, like the feel of an old friend that you'd been separated from in a long time. He couldn't just leave this boy here and give up, despite the ever mounting and increasing odds that this kid had no hope or chance of survival whatsoever.

“I can't just let this kid die,” Millor repeated on to himself, looking over the boys body and his surroundings, trying to determine just what he could do. Lost in thought, Millor just stared blankly at the boy: 'What can I do? What can I do to save this kid?' he pondered on in his head, 'If Pa was still here, he'd know what to do..'

“Wait..” he murmured. “Why am I getting so worked up over a kid I don't even know?” he repeated on. “This kid is a lost cause, he'll die if I even attempt to take him back to the village!” Millor continued.

The boy's body suddenly flung its eyes open, as if the very essence of life had just been shot through into him. Piercing green eyes stared back at Millor, much akin to the reflection of an emerald in royal jewellery. Terrified, Millor froze. Unable to move, like a deer in the headlights. “W-w-what are you?” he trembled, frozen in expression.

The emerald eyes stared into his, as if peering into his very soul. The boy opened his mouth, and with a slow gasp of air, replied:

“My name is of no importance to you. What matters at present is this boy you see before you.”

A deep, husky voice resonated and reverberated from the boy, as if it was not his own voice, but was that of a puppeteer.

“I have sustained this boy from his death as well as I can, but my power is almost depleted.” The boy then continued. “You need not fear or worry, for I am no threat. I ask one thing of you, and one thing alone.”

“How can someone like me, a lowly lumberjack, be of any assistance to someone who should be dead?” Millor trembled, inquisitively, yet still fearful.

“Take this boy with you”, he commanded. “Take him to a safe place, somewhere that he can rest freely and away from danger. Where he can recover and recuperate. That is all I ask of you.”

The light faded from the boys eyes, as his eyelids slowly closed over, and a green aura enveloped him. Millor jumped back in shock at the site.

“Please, do as I ask..” the voice tailed off, as his eyes closed shut.

Millor, compelled by curiosity, slowly crept towards the boy and checked his vitals for the last time. “H-he's breathing?!” Millor gasped in surprise.

The bleeding had stopped too, and the minor scrapes and cuts upon his face slowly faded before his eyes.

“I guess we've gotta try move you then?” Millor whispered to the boy. “May need to try remove this first!-” he continued, cutting off the tail of his sentence as he grabbed the protruding rod, and screaming shortly after in pain at the sheer touch of it. Millor looked down at his hand at the burn it had inflicted upon him, as it slowly started to heal over. “Ah, Iron!” he proclaimed, still cradling his injured hand. Staring over at the boy in front of him, he lifted his shirt to see the exit would of the rod. “Your flesh isn't burning?” Millor stumbled in disbelief.

“Just what are you..?” he murmured to the boy, as he picked him up and carried him onwards, away from the spring.

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