#shit i forgot to shade the leather part of the belt on his head oh well

[thescarvedinsect]

Fang offers you a hug.

Version without jacket below (I couldn't resist.)

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

Swallow p2

this is plotless filth. plz don’t drag me lol. I’ve been writing so many canon universe fics and ancient greek smut i almost forgot condoms were a thing, but always rubber up unless you and your partner(s) have been tested and are not getting frisky with anyone outside the agreement. 

Warnings: its smut, anal sex, anal fingering, blowjobs, multiple orgasm, semi public sex, should they be fucking in the tattoo studio at like 2am? prolly not. is it happening anyway? yes. I’m telling myself Jask sanitizes before each new client, okay?

-if you want the plot the first part is here and we pick up right where we left off-

__________________

...And kiss him, Geralt did. Desperately and sweetly, savoring the taste of Jaskier’s tongue in his mouth and the way his fingers curled into Geralt’s shirt. It was like the steam valve had finally been eased back and Geralt couldn’t help but press their bodies together, sighing in the bit of relief the contact brought.

Jaskier pulled back and trailed his finger tips down Geralt’s torso to catch on his beltloops, “Let’s deal with that, shall we?”

“Fuck, please.” Geralt groaned as Jaskier flicked open the button on his jeans. He hadn’t been this uncomfortably hard since he was 18 and every little brush of Jaskier’s skin against his was like lightning. 

Jaskier kissed him once more before backing him into the chair and dropping to his knees. 

He flicked his fringe out of his eyes and winked up at Geralt as he tugged his jeans and briefs down just enough to free him, “Normally I’d tease you a little more,” he hummed, pausing to place a kiss to the tip of Geralt’s cock that made him shiver, “but I think you’ve waited long enough.”

Geralt whined, his fingers digging into the soft leather of the chair as his eyes rolled back in his head. 

Jaskier took him in hand and squeezed gently, brushing his thumb over the underside of his glans, “Oh that’s a lovely sound. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

“So much talking,” Geralt panted, closing his eyes and tipping his head back to take a deep breath only for his eyes to snap open in surprise when Jaskier’s lips closed around him. His legs started to shake when Jaskier swirled his tongue over the underside of his shaft as his head bobbed up and down his length. 

“Holy shit-,” Geralt gasped as Jaskier took more of him with each movement, making eye contact as he took Geralt down his throat and paused with his nose brushing Geralt’s pubic bone. 

Geralt growled through clenched teeth, fighting the sensation creeping up his spine that threatened to push him over the edge, “Sonofa- Jask I’m not gonna last if you keep this up.”

Jaskier pulled back and made a loud popping sound as he released Geralt’s cock, “Thought that was the point, love.”

“But you-”

“I’m having a great time.” Jaskier emphasized his statement by licking up Geralt’s shaft.

Geralt just nodded, too far gone to do much else as Jaskier started up again, picking up his pace. He worked what he couldn’t fit of Geralt with one hand and squeezed at his thigh with the other, drawing moan after moan out of him. Jaskier only had to hollow his cheeks once and Geralt was gone, shaking and growling as his orgasm ripped through him. Jaskier lapped up every last drop of his spend and stood to look in Geralt’s eyes before he swallowed. 

“You okay?” he asked, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind Geralt’s ear.

He nodded, still trying to catch his breath but leaning in for a soft kiss regardless, “Way better than okay.”

Jaskier grinned as he kissed down Geralt’s jaw and over his pulse point, his hands roaming over Geralt’s sides, “How would you feel about a round two? Not a deal breaker by the way. You’re probably exhausted.”

On the contrary, Geralt felt like he was conducting electricity, he was in no way completely spent for the night, “Hmm, what do you have in mind?”

Jaskier kissed back up his neck to nibble at his ear before he whispered, “I want to take you bent over the chair and make you cum again.”

“Fuck, yes.” Geralt laughed, half in excitement half in awe of how lucky he’d gotten, “Don’t tell me you’ve got lube and condoms here somewhere.”

Jaskier rested his still roaming hands on Geralt’s chest, “I’m not a perv, I promise. But yes.”

Geralt gripped Jaskier’s hips and pressed an urgent kiss to his lips, “Go get them.”

Jaskier gave him one more quick peck before he dashed to a cupboard and pulled out a backpack that he unceremoniously dumped on the counter, snatching the bottle of lube and a small foil packet, holding them up triumphantly. Geralt snatched the lube out of his hands as soon as he came close enough, hopping off the chair and setting the little bottle in his place. He kissed Jaskier as he worked the buttons of his shirt open lazily, pausing to let Jaskier pull his own t-shirt over his head before he shoved the button up off Jaskier's shoulders. His hands traced the vines and petals that stood out against the black on Jaskier's arms squinting at the lines and bits of shading running through the blank spaces here and there. 

His finger found an especially dark line cutting at an odd angle through a petal, "What's this?" 

Jaskier unbuckled his belt and placed a rushed kiss to Geralt's lips, "Later." 

Geralt kissed him back before he dropped to his knees and tugged at the pockets of Jaskier's jeans, leaving him in just his briefs, straining against the fabric. Geralt mouthed at him through the cotton, savoring the soft gasps he earned. He watched Jaskier's face go slack with pleasure as he sucked at his head through the fabric and felt his own erection start to return. 

Jaskier gently tugged at his hair as he hooked a finger under the waistband of his underwear, "As much as I love this view, I want to last long enough to make you growl again." 

Geralt hummed and left one more open mouthed kiss to his tip before he stood and walked backwards to the chair, pulling Jaskier after him with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Just tell me where you want me." 

Jaskier moaned just at his words, "Pants off, elbows down." 

His commanding tone sent thrills through Geralt's whole body and he did as he was asked as Jaskier rid himself of his briefs. Geralt almost gasped at just how big Jaskier was. He'd guessed he was larger than average but fuck almighty, his mouth started watering as he watched Jaskier roll a condom over his length.  

Jaskier rested a hand over his hip as he settled on his elbows, "Do you want me to prep you or do you like to do that yourself?" 

Geralt groaned, holding the lube back over his shoulder, "You." 

Jaskier hummed in satisfaction as he took the bottle and slicked up his fingers. His clean hand rubbed gentle circles on Geralt's ass before one slicked finger slid over his hole with just enough pressure to make Geralt shiver. 

"So pretty, you're absolutely beautiful." He hummed, his hand roaming the expanse of Geralt's back as he circled the tight ring of muscle with increasing pressure. Geralt whined and canted back against his hand, making him chuckle, "You ready?" 

Geralt nodded, moaning as Jaskier slowly pushed a finger in. It had been so long Geralt had expected a burn, but all he got was heavenly pressure. Jaskier caressed every muscle and dip of his back as he showered him with praises and worked him open. At three fingers Geralt was quivering and fully hard again. 

"Fuck me Jask. Please. I'm ready." 

Jaskier curled his fingers and stroked Geralt's prostate, making him groan, "You sure?" 

"Yes"

Jaskier pooped open the bottle of lube and coated his dick before resting the tip against Geralt's hole, "Tell me if anything's uncomfortable." 

Geralt just whined but that didn't seem to be answer enough for Jask, "I mean it, Geralt. Will you tell me?" 

Geralt reached back to squeeze Jaskier's hand, "I will." 

Jaskier gave his ass cheek a light squeeze and pushed himself in, tantalizingly slow, pausing when he was just tip deep, "Okay?" 

Geralt shifted back ever so slightly, "Amazing." It was an understatement really, he'd never felt so full or taken care of, he was on cloud nine. 

Jaskier pushed in further, rocking back a bit before plunging deeper as filthy praise littered with curses fell from his lips. When he was completely sheathed he let out a deep sigh and leaned forward to press kisses to Geralt's shoulders, making his hair stand on end in the best way. 

Geralt made a small circle with his hips, "Jask, please." He panted. 

Jaskier straightened up and slowly rocked back and forth, drawing a low groan from Geralt, "Fuck you're so good. So tight, so eager."

On 'eager' Jaskier snapped his hips forward a little faster and Geralt gasped, "Yes! So eager, fuck me harder, Jaskier!"

Whatever restraint he was using before disappeared as Geralt sighed his name. He thrust in hard and fast, the sound of skin slapping skin only being drowned out by their moans. Jaskier ran a palm up Geralt's spine and he nearly collapsed onto his chest at the shiver it sent through his body. 

Jaskier’s hands moved to Geralt's ribs, gently squeezing, "C- fuck. Can I hold you up?" 

Geralt pressed up to his hands and whined his consent, sinking into Jaskier's arms like they'd been lovers for years. He continued thrusting as his hands roamed Geralt's chest, pressing him back against his own as Geralt whimpered and laid his head back against his shoulder.

One of Jaskier's hands brushed over the tuft of curls between Geralt s hips, "Are you close?" He asked, placing sloppy kisses up and down Geralt's neck. 

All he could do was nod and hum in pleasure when Jaskier's hand found his cock and started pumping in time with his thrusts. He came suddenly, the orgasm longer and gentler than before, his body rocking through it rather than shaking. Turning his head as he writhed he placed wet kisses to Jaskier's neck and jaw. The gentle brush of his lips sent Jaskier over the edge and he came with a desperate moan as he buried himself deep in Geralt's ass. 

One of Geralt's hands rested over Jaskier's hand splayed over his abdomen and the other found its way to his hair, carding through it and gently scratching his scalp as they both trembled. Geralt pressed another few kisses beneath Jaskier's ear as their breathing slowed. 

"Holy shit," Jaskier breathed, slowly pulling out but not releasing his hold on Geralt.

"Mhm." 

They slowly parted and cleaned each other up with blue, medical grade paper towels before getting partially dressed and collapsing in the tattoo chair. Jaskier adjusted the back so they were reclining at a comfortable angle, Geralt sitting between Jaskier's legs with his back to his chest. 

Jaskier gently pulled the tie out of Geralt's hair and combed through it with his fingers, humming an old 70's soft rock song as they floated back down to earth.

"I have to ask," Geralt's voice was completely shot and he had to clear his throat before continuing.

He paused just long enough for Jaskier to leap ahead of him, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze as he spoke, "You're the first. Definitely the first person I've fucked in the studio." 

Geralt hummed in pride, "I'm only a couple blocks away if you want to come over? Have some cold pizza and a hot shower?" 

"Oohhhh, you had me at ‘couple of blocks’."

They walked to Geralt's place hand in hand and fell asleep snuggled under Geralt's duvet where they would stay until well into the afternoon. 

[teeswrites]

what about feeling homesickness and Calum comforting her?

thaxxx! i changed a bit, hope you like ❤

Home

He was standing in front of her house, it's was a fresh end of the afternoon in LA, with a cool wind and a pink-shaded sunset. He had a cigarette between his fingers in one hand and the other one was resting at his side after he knocked on the door. She opened and locked it with her key "night" he checked his iPhone '5:57 pm' "almost night. And you are gorgeous. As always" "thanks, you are too" she directed her gaze to the cigarette quickly, but not quickly as he dropped it onto the ground and stubbed his foot in it. She hated when he smoked. "thought you were going to quit" "I will" "yeah and I will fly away from this damn city" "what is wrong with LA?" "It isn't home" he knew she missed her hometown, Milwaukee, and he also knew she had duties in LA and she knew that too "babe..." "It's alright" she breathed deeply before look at her boyfriend and smile "thought we were going, huh?" "Yeah, sure, let's go" "let's go" he took her hand in his empty one and they walked to her car. She had a glowing conversible candy apple red 1966 Ford Mustang that Calum was never allowed to drive "why I cannot drive?" "You know why" "oh, come on. It's old shit, honey" "no! Almost kill me isn't 'old shit'" "was an accident and you just broke an ankle" "A leg" she sat on the driver's seat and he watched how good she looked in the sunset "hey!" She snapped her fingers "aren't you coming in?" "fuck! Sorry. it's your fault!" he jumped into the car and put on the seat belt "I will not apologize for you having a terrible sense of beauty" she had low self-esteem sometimes "my sense of beauty is perfect" he leaned closer and cupped her face "just as you" "you are perfect" she smiled and pulled his neck to a passionate kiss. A calm and warm, but passionate kiss "but, seriously babe, let me drive" "no!" she turned on the engine, adjusted the mirror and backed up the car from the driveway without taking her gaze from the mirrors "that's how you back up the car with safety" he groaned, throwing his head back "It happened once! And it was an accident" "I know, just recalling" she winked and made the way for the downtown.

Last year, before they started dating, she asked Calum to back the car out of the driveway, but he did it without looking in the mirrors, according to himself "who the fuck know the right side of pen drives?" and ran over her. Accidently, of course. For luck, she just broke a leg and he took care of her, and due it, they become closer. "You know, there're some bad things that happen for good reasons" "I thought we were done with this subject" he squeezed her right hand "if I haven't given all my attention to the damn pen drive and ran over you, maybe we'd not become closer as we did" "yeah... fine, I will let you drive" she parked the car left the driver's seat "move on, Cal!" he stood up and gave her a deep and quick kiss before sat down in the driver seat and squeeze the beige leather steering wheel "I love you" "love you too, but now I'm fucking dying to know where we're going" "you were driving and I have to know?!" "yes, Mr. driver" she teased, he giggled "fine. Know a place" "good".

*

They were on a road that she didn't recognize "Calum" "my name" he loved when she said his name "where are we going?" "It's a surprise" "oh no. Please, don't do this to me" "sorry, babe. I didn't make the rules" "which rules?" they laughed together "okay" she turned on the radio and tried to connect with some decent station "fuck" "you know you can use your pen drive, right?" she had taken the pen drive off the car "not with you in the wheel" you know, just for caution. he rolled his eyes and she finally connected with some Latin radio station

'Once de la noche y todavía no contesta'

'Un de la mañana y todavía no hay respuesta'

"Oh, no! No way!" "What?" "I am not bilingual like you" "and...?" "Not listening to something I do not understand" "so are you graduated in Korean now?" "No..."

'Cómo hacerte entender...'

he swallowed dryly a little "don't know what are you talking about" "no? What about that time you got drunk and sang out loud BTS's songs, huh?" "Only the English parts! Now just change it" "but it's Maluma!" he looked at her without blinking and pouted "fine" he smiled like a kid

'... eres muy bonita pa' llorar por el...'

She changed the radio station once more and found a random one

'Day to night to morning, keep with me in the moment

I’d let you had I known it, why don’t you say so?'

"You got to be kidding me" she giggled "I hate this song!" "I know" she kept laughing

'You got to keep me focused, you want it? Say so'

"Just turned it off" "oh, but I like it" Calum turned off the radio "no songs for you" "hey, that's my car! Spent lots of money on it" "But I am driving" "don't make me feel more regret than I already am" he laughed and leaned quickly to kiss her cheek "hey, Cal" "hum?" "I am bored" "you're acting like a fucking kid" "no. I am a fucking kid" "well, it's not a long ride. We'll be there soon" "where is 'there'?" "Nice try, nice try" she pouted and laid her head on the window so she could stargaze and think about how lucky she is to had been run over by the man driving at her side. She was so so in love with him.

*

Flashback:

Some friends had texted her. Bon Jovi was going to be in town and they have two tickets more. They gave it to her of course expecting she'd invite that guy she hanged out a few times, definitely her new crush. Calum. Such a beautiful name 'thanks Roy' he had introduced them. For some miracle, she got the guts to invite him.

[4:28pm]

'Be here at 6pm'

[5:17pm]

'Your place is so far from where I am now'

'You can drive my car'

'will be there in 40 minutes'

She grinned, shook her head lightly and blocked her phone to finish her makeup 'he will never desire me' she thought even knowing she will try to impress him anyways. Was 5:55pm when he arrived "I have exactly 2 minutes in advantage" "you made it, next time I will let you have a rest" "thanks" he pecked her cheek out of breath "are you ok?" "Yes, you are just breathtaking" he laughed "oh, I am not" "yes, you're. Always" she blushed "thanks" "you're welcome. Can I have a glass of water? The bus stop is far from here, you know?" "Yeah, sure come in". She gave him a glass of water and dropped on the sofa "thanks" "how can I refuse water for someone? Especially someone like you" he arched an eyebrown "someone like me?" "Yeah" "how is someone like me?" he dropped next to her "ridiculously healthy" "oh" he giggled "thanks. I really appreciate" "so, where were you?" "someone is interested in where I was" he teased, she rolled er eyes "you love annoy me, don't you?" "And you still have to ask? Anyhow, I was hanging with a friend" "'hanging with a friend' means banging with a girl?" "What?!" He started laughing "are you jealous or something?" "No..." She blushed "just trying to know you better" "so why are you blushing?" "I..." "Relax, I was with Luke. He is planning a trip to our home country with Ash and Mikey too. So we went out to lunch, but he lives far from here..." her body relaxed and she smiled "Australia is very nice" "is the best place in the world" "yeah, except the fact that is not Minnesota" he laughed "keep dreaming, kid" "I am two months older than you" "whatever, ms. jealousy" "'m not jealous!" "you looked so relieved when I said I was with Luke" "I didn't" "it's ok, I already admitted to myself that my love life is a joke anyways" "I bet it's not true" "trust me, it is" "thought you were the kind of guy that spent the night in 3 parties and in this 3 parties, hook up with at least 2 girls. At the same time" he laughed out loud "oh, honey, I used to be that guy, and now I am feeling very proud of myself" she giggled "why you are not that guy anymore?" He cleaned his throat "well, I met this lady, some months ago, and now all I do is think on her. I made out with someone a few days ago and couldn't finish the job, because was thinking on her" 'wow that hurted' "wow... You should be with this girl right now, not with me" he looked at her, 'unfreakingbelievable' "I literally made an hour and a half trajectory in 40 minutes to go in a concert just to be in your company cause' honestly I am not going to this concert because I want to see old Jon Bon Jovi sing 'bed of roses' and take ladies to Heaven..." she giggled "why do you think I did that?" "'Cause you're an idiot" he grinned "you are right, I should be with the my romantic interest" she frowned a little and they just stayed looking inside each other's eyes for a minute "I-I think we should go" it felt like he raped her with his gaze "are you ok?" "I dunno" "alright, tell me if you will need an ambulance" "okay" "so, where is that bad boy keys?" she chuckled "here" she gave to Calum the key "please, be careful" "my middle name is safety" "really? I thought was Tomas" "details, details". They were on the driveway ready to go when she saw Ginger, her cat, with the paw stuck in the water drainage grid "oh! wait a minute" she left the car "what's wrong?" "My cat. you can back the car while I help Ginger?" "no problem. Am I allowed to listen some music, too?" "Sure. The pen drive is in the glove compartment" "'kay". she ran to Ginger to help her little baby "my God, love, I am here" Calum grabbed the pen drive in the glove compartment and started back the car slowly without looking in the mirrors "well, it's done, Ginger. You are free now" she freed her cat that ran back to the roof. Calum was fighting with the pen drive's USB entrance "why I never put that shit on the right side?" and he forgot that he was backing the car. She turned to went back to the car or they would be late and all she could see was the car's trunk colliding with her hip. When he stopped the

car she was already on the floor. She definitely needed that ambulance now.

He took her to the hospital and then back to her place. He locked the front door and she dropped onto the sofa, now with a broken leg "that was the last time you drove my car" "you're sure?" he joined her on the sofa "you will need someone to help you during the next two weeks" "I have other friends..." "So we are still friends?" "Yes" "I am sorry for ran over you" "yeah, be mad with you will not change what happened" "it's because of this that I will be the one who will take care of you. Remember? My middle name is carefulness" "Wasn't safety?" "Is a long full name, see? Calum Safety-Careful Tomas Hood" "hum, I don't think so" they laughed "sorry, again" "stop apologizing and start looking for a driver costume" "I will not do that" "why not? Would be so sexy" she bit her bottom lip "you think?" "You are already sexy so..." "I'm" they laughed "okay, you don't need a costume, but I will need help in the shower, instead" "I will love to help you with the shower" "I was thinking in call Roy" "call Roy?!" he looked a little angry "you should see your face. And I am the jealous one here" "well, I just maybe, just very very maybe am into you" she smiled and blushed a little "I am into you too" "you are saying that only because do not get turned on by Jon Bon Jovi tonight" she laughed "And you are saying this only because you ran over my leg" he turned his grin to a line "No. I really mean it" "me too" she bit her bottom lip and he smiled again "but… unfortunately, you are not literally into me" "not for too long" soon the distance between them became minimum and in a blink of eye, they kissed. They kissed like already did that for years, like their lips met each other already before, even being the first time. Calum laid her back on the sofa and things started to get hotter, soon her Bon Jovi's tank top flew across the living room. She broke the kiss "what are you doing?" "I am trying to make up, because of the concert. Do you mind?" she smiled "you really know how to fix up the things" and they kissed again, now his black tee was off and...

*

"Honey, 're you alright?" Calum took her off the flashback "oh, yes. Was thinking in the first time we fucked" he laughed "so delicate" "sorry, the first time we 'made love'" "uh, that was bad" she laughed "thanks for ran over me, by the way" "only you for thanks the idiot that ran over you" "well, you are an idiot, but you are my idiot" "possessive" but he was hers and he loved that "oh, shut up" he laughed "so, was thinking in the week after your leg was better, huh?" "That wasn't the first time we fucked" "It was" "no, we fucked after you took me home in the night it happened" "no, no. I fucked you that night and I thought we had fucked, but three weeks later I discovered that I was wrong" "I am not..." "The way you move, babe, when you were with the broken leg wasn't sex with you, was sex for you" she laughed "It should be a compliment?" "Yes. And a good one" "well, in that case, thank you very much" she directed her gaze back to the sky and he looked at her, he was so in love

*

About 30 minutes later, Calum was taking the exit on the road to Santa Monica, she had read that in a sign. "Santa Monica!" "yup" "the pier?" "Yes" "oh, you know I love a pier, is…" "…so romantic" she laughed at him pretending to be her "but, we are not here specifically because of the pier" "so why?" "You will see" "please, stop. It's killing me" "oh, you're such a drama queen" he parked the car and turned off the engine "let's go". He tugged her to the amusement park "that's so exciting! what are we gonna do?" "fucking kid" she giggled "we'll play hockey" "what?!" he guided her to the Playland Arcade "that's..." she was confused that couldn't even talk "there's a lot..." "air hockey tables? yes" "but..." "Look, I know that do not have ice and is not real hockey, but I thought you'd enjoy" he rubbed the side of his neck "hockey remembers you home, right?" she had some water on her eyes and a true smile "I would like everything since it came from you" he smiled and flipped the disk "so, let's see if the Milwaukee girl still in flames" "you definitely know nothing about Winsconsin"

*

She won, of course "Badgers rocked your ass Aussie boy!" as she said, and they decided to rest on the pier, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her body "that was lovely" "me losing or your very kind comment about it?" she giggled "no. You remembered the air hockey here and tried to diminish my homesickness" "I understand how bad it is" "thank you" "no, thank you" "for what?" "To be with me, to love me, I was taking the wrong way before met you, you know?" "Well, shout out to Roy" "shout out to Roy" he repeated and they laughed "I was thinking in buy a ticket for you. To go home for a few days..." she looked into his eyes "what do you think?" "don't" she said smoothly "you sure? I have been saving money to paying the first tax to a car mortgage, but it can wait..." "No, Cal. Buy your car" "but you miss home" "yes, I miss it, but..." she cupped his face "I have you here and I realized... my home is you" he smiled and dipped to kiss her. She rested her head back on his shoulder and watched the moonlight reflecting in the ocean "and you are mine" he whispered against her hair. she smiled and enjoyed his company, she was so in love with him and he was so in love with her.

suggested playlist:

[chobit92]

Home: Jacob Seed/OC Chapter 2

Here's part 2 of my Jacob fic. Sorry it's so long. Some of the chapters are even longer than this...

If you would like to be tagged in future chapters just let me know...

Warnings: Drug use (mentioned)

(Faith Seed sits at the dinner table in John’s chalet. John’s brothers Joseph and Jacob are there too. They have just finished eating and Will Boyd starts clearing away their plates. John gets up to help him.). Will: It’s okay I got it. (John ignores him and continues helping Will clear up the plates and cutlery.). John: It’s nice to have you here. We rarely see you down here. You’re up at that cabin all the time. Will: I’m a hunter John. That’s my job. John: I know. We appreciate the work you do for us but it would be nice to see you more often. (Once the plates are cleared away Will brings out a jug of lemonade and pours everyone a glass before sitting back down along with John. They hear raised voices outside. Then one of Johns men, Lonny, walks in.). Lonny: Sorry to interrupt but there’s a young lady outside looking for you John. (John looks up frowning.). John: Looking for me? Lonny: Yeah. I’ve never seen her before. Mid twenties, long blonde hair. Wearing all black. She looks like a biker or something. Mouthy as all hell. Gave Akers a right fright. (Lonny chuckles. John looks confused.). John: I don’t think I know her. Lonny: You are the only John Seed around here aren’t you? John: You know I am. Lonny: Well then she’s looking for you. (John gets up and follows Lonny outside. He is out there for several minutes.). Will: I wonder who the girl is. (Joseph is sitting there frowning then he looks at the front door as John walks back in with Lonny. He looks a little shocked.). Will: Everything alright John? John: The girl outside is claiming to be your sister Faith. (Faith looks stunned.). Faith: What? I haven’t seen my sister since I was thirteen. Will: Why not? Faith: Um...She was...Arrested. Lonny: Arrested? Faith: Yes. The police came to the house and took her away. I was placed in care shortly after. I never saw her again. I assumed she was still in prison. Lonny: I didn’t even know you had a sister. Joseph: Invite her inside John. John: Yes Father. (John leaves the chalet again and returns moments later with Mara in tow. They all stare at Mara as she walks in. The black boots with the silver buckles with skulls on. The black ripped jeans. The skull belt buckle. The black leather jacket covered in patches. Her long blonde hair tied up in a French plait. Her black eye makeup. The revolver strapped to her thigh. Faith slowly stands up staring at Mara.). Faith: I don’t believe it. (Mara smiles.). Mara: You were hard to find sis. I never dreamed you’d come back here. I’ve missed you so much. (Faith suddenly throws her arms around Mara. Both girls are suddenly crying.). Faith: I’m sorry I didn’t try to find you. Mara: It’s okay. I found you. (The girls pull apart and Faith stares at Mara her eyes brimming with tears.). Mara: I swore I wouldn’t cry. Ruining my makeup now. It was shit to start with. (Faith laughs. John chuckles.). Mara: But I can see I’m interrupting your dinner. Sorry about that. Joseph: That’s quite alright child. We’ve had dinner already. Would you like something? Mara: No. Thanks. I’m fine. (Faith sits back down. Mara stands there a little awkwardly.). Joseph: Please sit. (Mara sits down at the end of the table facing Joseph. She smiles at him. He offers her a small smile back.). Faith: Everyone this is my big sister Mara. Joseph: It is nice to finally meet you. Mara: Am I right to assume that you are Joseph? (Joseph smiles.). Joseph: I am. Mara: Hm. I’ve seen your statue. It’s quite a good likeness. (Will and Lonny chuckle. Mara turns to Faith as she pours her a lemonade.). Mara: So...What have you been doing with yourself? What happened after we were separated? Did you go to college? Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Husband? Kids? (Will nearly spits out his lemonade. Faith looks stunned for a moment. Then she giggles.). Faith: No. No boyfriends. Or girlfriends. (Mara raises her eyebrows.). Mara: Okay. Faith: No husband and no children. Mara: No boyfriends? At all? (Faith looks uncomfortable.). Faith: No. Mara: So what happened after we were separated? Faith: Not much. I was put with a young couple. Mara: They looked after you? You were okay? Faith: Yes. They looked after me. Mara: Good. Faith: I left them when I was eighteen. I just packed my things and left. They didn’t want me to go. I do think that Layla genuinely cared about me. Adam not so much. Mara: Oh really? What did he do to you? Faith: Nothing. I just get the impression that he didn’t care for me so much. (Mara’s eyes narrow dangerously. Faith recognises the look.). Faith: Don’t look like that. It’s all in the past now. Mara: Right. Faith: So what have you been doing with your life? Mara: Not much. Been on the streets since I was eighteen. Met a cool chick called Franky. Faith: Did she come here with you? Mara: No. I haven’t seen her in two years now. (Lonny is looking at the back of Maras leather jacket. The word Wrath is written across the top of it and underneath is a skull, a revolver and a knife.). Lonny: I like your jacket. Mara: Thanks. Um...Would you mind if I used your loo? John: Not at all. Through the kitchen, up the stairs, third door on the right. Mara: I’ll just be a minute. (Mara gets up and leaves the room.). Lonny: She’s different. Faith: Yes. I can’t believe she’s here. I was starting to think I’d never see her again. Maybe I should have tried to find her. I feel bad now. She’s my sister. I should have tried to find her. She must have felt like I forgot about her. Will: Well she’s here now. That’s what matters. She doesn’t seem to think you forgot her. She looks happy to see you. Faith: Yes. Lonny: Hm. John: Do you think she’d be interested in joining us? Faith: I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to ask her. I hope she will. If that’s alright Father. (Joseph smiles.). Joseph: Of course. John: Hm. Lonny: Well we already know what her sin is. John: Oh really Lonny? You’ve got her all figured out after ten minutes? Lonny: No. It’s written on the back of her leather jacket in foot high letters. John: Is it? Lonny: Yeah. Have a look when she comes back down. You can’t miss it. (Mara re-enters the room. John stares at Mara as she sits back down. He leans back craning his neck to see the back of Mara’s jacket. He sees the word Wrath written there. He sits forward again.). John: So...You are Wrath are you? Mara: Excuse me? (Mara frowns.). John: It’s written on the back of your jacket. Mara: Oh. Right. Okay. (Mara laughs.). Mara: It was Franky’s jacket. She gave it to me. (Mara takes a sip of lemonade.). Faith: I’m going to get started on the washing up. Mara: Do you want a hand? Faith: Sure. (Mara gets up and follows Faith to the kitchen.). Lonny: Faith’s sister showing up here. Who would have thought? Though I don’t see her fitting in. What’s with the eye makeup? She almost looks like she’s been punched in the face. The jacket and black clothing. She must be one of those Goths or something. Joseph: You should not judge her based on what she is wearing. Lonny: Hm. I just don’t see how she could be useful to the Project. I don’t see how she will fit in. Joseph: She is Faiths sister. Which means we will welcome her. Lonny: She’s been in prison. Joseph: So have you. (They all look at Joseph in silence.). Joseph: Jacob why don’t you collect these glasses and take them to the kitchen. (Jacob stands up and picks up the glasses holding several in each hand. He goes to the kitchen where Mara and Faith are chatting away. Mara giggles. Jacob places the glasses on the side.). Jacob: Joseph wants these washed up. Faith: Yes Jacob. (Mara looks up at Jacob. He is an older man, Mara guesses he has to be in his forties. His head is shaved except for a crop of red hair on top of his head. He has a red beard and his face and arms look scarred. He is wearing very dirty jeans, a filthy t-shirt and a camo jacket that has blood stains on it. Around his neck are a set of dog tags, a whistle, a silver key and a silver wolfs head holding a rabbits foot. But it’s his eyes that really capture Mara’s attention. They are an entrancing shade of blue. Jacob looks at her then leaves the kitchen. Mara looks down at the side. She’s never seen a man with such beautiful eyes. And no man has ever taken her breath away like that. Jacob returns with more glasses which he places on the side. He holds out Mara’s lemonade.). Jacob: Did you want the rest of this? Mara: Thanks. (She takes the glass from him and their hands touch. She freezes for a moment. His hand is warm and rough. She can smell him, a mixture of dirt, sweat and pine needles. She smiles at him and takes a sip of lemonade. She places the glass on the side and picks up the tea towel continuing to dry up while Faith washes up.). Faith: So where are you staying sis? Mara: Well I was going to go home. But the place was crawling with men carrying rifles. Faith: Oh. Yes. Mara: I thought the house was left in our name after they carked it. (Faith is silent for a moment.). Faith: It is ours. But it was the ideal place for some of the work we’ve been doing. Mara: Hm. You mean dealing drugs? Faith: Who told you that? Mara: I met a woman called Mary in Falls End. She told me many things. I was worried about you. You’re not still on the coke are you? Faith: No. Joseph helped me get off all of that. Mara: Hm. Good. Remind me to thank him. Faith: So where are you staying? Mara: Nowhere fancy. Certainly nowhere as nice as this. Faith: That doesn’t matter. As long as you have somewhere to sleep. (Jacob is making Joseph and the others tea and coffee.). Faith: So where are you staying? I can stop by tomorrow and we can catch up properly. Just the two of us. Mara: That sounds good. Yeah. I bet we’ve got loads to tell each other. Faith: Yes. Like how you’re out of prison. So whereabouts are you staying? Mara: We’d probably be more comfy at your place. All I have is a trailer. Faith: Trailer? Like a caravan? Mara: Yep. You know where the Grand View Hotel is right? Faith: Yes. In the Whitetail Mountains. Mara: Yeah. You got Cedar Lake right outside yeah? Faith: Yes. I know where you mean. I did grow up here too you know? (Mara giggles.). Mara: Like I’ve forgotten. Well across from the hotel there is like an old abandoned cabin and behind that there’s a load of woods. I’m like right up the top. Faith: So you’re just randomly in the woods? Mara: Yeah. It was a bugger getting the trailer up there. The guy that let me have it drove it up there for me. (Faith laughs.). Faith: So I just cross the lake from the Grand View Hotel and walk straight through the woods? Mara: Yeah. Just keep walking up past the cabin. Look for the thingy with the red light on top. Faith: Thingy with the red light? (Faith is frowning. Jacob has made the hot drinks. He glances at Mara who has now finished drying up. She leans against the side. Lonny and Will enter the kitchen.). Mara: Yeah there’s this thingy with a red light on top and it makes a noise like a cow dying. (Faith stares at Mara. Lonny starts laughing.). Lonny: Like a cow dying! It’s a fucking Caribou call girl! (Lonny laughs harder. Mara folds her arms and stares at him.). Lonny: It’s Jacobs. Uses it to lure wolves. (Mara raises her eyebrows.). Mara: Ah. Well that explains why they keep coming round. Lonny: Shouldn’t go near it then. (Maras eyes narrow.). Mara: Ah. You gonna tell me to be careful now? Lonny: You should. If you know what’s good for yah. Will: Lonny. (Wills tone is one of warning.). Mara: Are you threatening me? Because if you are...You might want to work on it. (Mara laughs. Will chuckles.). Lonny: You can act little miss tough all you want. You ain’t gonna last five minutes here. Mara: Okay. I don’t know what your problem is prick but I just came here to find my sister. I haven’t seen her in eleven years. Tomorrow she wants us to meet up and catch up properly. But hey...If you think you can keep me from that...Go right ahead and give it your best shot. See how well you do. Lonny: Oh you are gonna be so dead. Joseph thinks your important. I can’t imagine why. Will: Lonny! What is wrong with you tonight? Are you drinking again? Are you? Coz if John finds out- Lonny: What? (Will turns to Mara.). Will: I apologise for my friend. Mara: Whatever. Can I get a coffee? Faith: Of course you can silly. (Mara goes to the kettle and boils it. Jacob is staring at her. She looks up at him and smiles.). Mara: Um...Where are the mugs? (Jacob reaches over her head and opens a cupboard. He takes a mug out and places it in front of her on the side. She smiles at him.). Mara: Thanks. (Mara starts to make herself coffee. Damn those eyes. Mara realises that she can’t seem to keep her eyes off his. They are so beautiful. She finishes making her coffee and picks up the mug leaning against the side again. She looks at Jacob again. He is standing there with his arms folded staring at her. She smiles at him.). Mara: What? Jacob: Nothing. (Damn. Mara likes his voice. It’s just as entrancing as his eyes. She swallows hard. She smiles at him again.). Mara: Okay. Lonny: He’s probably just wondering how much of a weak shit you are. Will: Lonny! Lonny: What? (Lonny laughs. Will sighs and shakes his head.). Mara: Okay. So what’s the verdict? (Lonny stops laughing and stares at Mara.). Lonny: You what? Mara: Well what’s the verdict? Lonny: Verdict on what? Mara: Well how much of a weak shit I am? (Mara stares at Lonny matter of factly. Will chuckles. Lonny looks like he doesn’t know what to say.). Mara: You know what it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go and sit down and drink my coffee. You coming sis? Faith: Yes. Let’s go back and sit with the others. (Mara leaves the kitchen glaring at Lonny as she walks past him which makes Will chuckle again.). Will: I think you pissed her off Lon. Lonny: Tch. What’s she gonna do? (They all return to the dining table. Mara sits sipping her coffee. She watches Jacob as he brings a tray in with the teas and coffees on it and sets it on the table. He then sits down. Joseph is staring at Mara. She smiles awkwardly at him.). Joseph: What do you do for a living Mara? Mara: Um...It’s difficult to get a job when your homeless as employers like you to have an address. Most employers pay their staff through the bank but I don’t have a bank account and to get a bank account you have to have an address. Which I don’t. So...It’s finding employers that are willing to pay you in cash. Lonny: Homeless? Mara: Yeah. As in nowhere to live. I got the trailer from Sharky. Lonny: Boshaw? Mara: Yeah. It has some fire damage but it’ll do. (Mara shrugs.). Faith: So...How have you been living if your homeless and have no job? Mara: Same as everyone else I guess. I squatted in a warehouse once. And an abandoned apartment block. Some of the people there. Boozers, druggies. There was this one girl oh boy she really didn’t like me. Thought I was gonna wake up one morning with a blade in me. (Faith looks horrified.). Faith: But what about our inheritance? You could have used that to buy yourself a place. (Mara frowns.). Mara: What inheritance? Faith: Our inheritance from mom and dad. Mara: I didn’t get anything from mom and dad. Faith: You didn’t? But that doesn’t make sense. They left me money and the house. You must have gotten a share. Mara: Well I didn’t. Who cares anyway? I don’t want nothing from them. Faith: Sis. Mara: What? You know all their money came from them selling death to kids don’t you? Don’t want money anyway. Makes your fingers dirty. (Will raises his eyebrows.). Faith: It’s all in the past now. Mara: Yep. (Mara sips her coffee.). Mara: So when did you come back here? Faith: A few years ago. I met Joseph shortly after. He helped me. Mara: Hm. (Mara looks up at Joseph.). Mara: That was nice of him. Faith: He saved me. Mara: From what exactly? Faith: Myself. Mara: Got you off the drugs. Faith: Yes. Like I said. Mara: But your still using them. Faith: I’m not I swear. Mara: So what you’re cooking up in dads old conservatory...It’s not drugs no? (Faith is silent. Mara sighs.). Mara: So what you been taking this time sis? Coke? Meth? Faith: It isn’t like that. Mara: What is it like then? Faith: I am not a junkie anymore. I’m different now. You don’t need to worry about me. Mara: I do worry about you. That’s kinda my job. (Mara smiles slightly. Faith smiles back.). Faith: I know. I know you’ve always looked out for me. But you don’t need to anymore. You don’t need to worry because everything is fine. Mara: Are you sure? Faith: Yes. (Faith smiles. Mara stares at her for a moment.). Mara: Okay. (Mara finishes her coffee.). Mara: It’s late I should be getting back. Faith: You’re leaving already? Mara: I’m not leaving. I’m just going to get some sleep. We’re getting coffee tomorrow aren’t we? Faith: Yes. Mara: Good. (Mara stands up.). John: You can always stay here. Mara: Excuse me? John: Well saves you going all the way back to the mountains. You could stay here and Faith can meet you here in the morning. Faith: That’s nice of you John. (Mara pretends to act dumb. She frowns.). Mara: Who’s Faith? (They all stare at her. Faith giggles.). Faith: I am silly. Mara: Your names Rachel. Faith: Well I changed it. Mara: Uh huh. What was wrong with Rachel? Faith: I didn’t like Rachel. Mara: Okay. I should get going. Faith: Where is it your staying again? Mara: In a busted trailer in the woods opposite the Grand View Hotel. Near the thingy with the red light on top of it. That makes the sound of a ‘caribou call’. (Mara turns to Lonny raising her eyebrows. Will laughs.). Mara: Just look for the fairy lights. Faith: Fairy lights. Got it. Mara: I’ll see you tomorrow sis. (Faith gets up and Mara wraps her arms around her.). Mara: It’s so good to see you again. I look forward to tomorrow. Faith: Me too. Mara: Love you sis. Faith: Love you more. I’ll come see you out. (Faith and Mara walk to the door. Jacob stands up.). Jacob: I should get going too. (Joseph stands up.). Joseph: I will see you tomorrow. Jacob: Yes brother. (Joseph presses his forehead to Jacobs. Jacob then leaves the chalet. Faith is standing on the porch.). Faith: Are you going Jacob? Jacob: Yes. Faith: Could you give my sister a lift? I didn’t realise she didn’t have a car. She’s going to walk back to the mountains. (Faith points to where Mara can be seen walking off of the property and into darkness. Lonny and Will come out followed by Joseph and John.). Will: Thank you for dinner John. John: You’re welcome. (Will notices Mara walking off. Then she disappears from view. Faith sighs.). Will: Where did your sister park her car? She could have pulled it in here. Faith: She doesn’t have one. Will: She’s walking back to the mountains? Faith: Unless Jacob agrees to pick her up and give her a lift. Joseph: Yes. (Jacob looks at his brother. Joseph smiles at him.). Joseph: Give the young lady a ride home brother. Jacob: Hm. Faith: Please. Just make sure she gets home safe. Will: We are going that way anyway. (Jacob lets out a grunt.). Jacob: Fine. Faith: Thank you Jacob. Jacob: I’ll see you later. Joseph: See you tomorrow. John: Goodnight Jacob. Jacob: Night. (Jacob and Will walk over to his truck and Jacob gets behind the wheel. Will gets in the passenger seat. Jacob starts the truck and pulls off of the property. Will looks out the window looking for Mara.). Will: There she is. (Jacob pulls the truck over and Will winds the window down.). Will: Do you want a ride? Mara: No that’s okay. I’ll be fine. Will: Come now lass don’t be daft. It’s gonna take you ages to walk back to the mountains from here. (Mara sighs.). Mara: Okay. As long as it’s no trouble. Will: Not at all. Hop in. (Mara looks at the truck warily.). Will: It’s okay we won’t bite. (Will smiles trying to be reassuring. Mara opens the door and climbs in the back. She puts her seatbelt on and looks out the window. Will winds his window up and Jacob carries on driving. A few minutes later it starts to rain.). Will: Bet your glad for the ride now. You would have gotten soaked lass. (Mara shrugs.). Mara: It’s only rain. (Mara looks up at the rear view mirror. She can see Jacob in the mirror. He suddenly looks up at the mirror and stares at her. She stares back at those gorgeous eyes of his. She suddenly feels stupid. She’s just met this guy and he’s way too old for her. Yet...She can’t stop looking at him. She turns away and looks out the window.). Will: So how long have you been in town? Mara: Four days. Will: Hm. (The drive is awkward and mostly quiet. Mara finds herself glancing at Jacob every now and then. His hair, his eyes, the way his hands rest loosely on the steering wheel. The scarring on his arms. She wonders what happened. Jacob suddenly looks in the rear view mirror again and Mara turns away quickly.). Will: I can’t believe you walked all this way. Mara: I didn’t walk all the way. Some girls gave me a lift. Will: Nice of em. Mara: I guess. When I told them I was going to the ranch in Holland Valley they got real funny with me then pulled over pointed their guns at me and told me to get out of their car. Will: Ah. Who were they? Mara: I don’t know. They saw me walking on the side of the road and stopped to ask if I was okay. I said I was going to Holland Valley but didn’t have a car and they offered me a ride. When they asked where in Holland Valley did I want them to drop me off and I said John Seed’s ranch well...They pulled their guns and told me to get the fuck out of their car. Will: Bet that was scary. (Mara shrugs. She finds herself looking at Jacob again. He has a red pistol strapped to his thigh along with a large knife with a red handle. She notices the sniper rifle on the backseat. It’s also red. He likes the colour red. She runs her fingers over the rifle.). Will: You like it? Mara: What? Will: The rifle. Mara: I like the colour. (Will chuckles.). Will: Maybe if you ask nicely Jacob will let you fire it. (Will chuckles. Jacob huffs a laugh. Mara sighs and looks out the window again. It’s raining hard now.). Will: You ever fired a gun? (Mara is silent. She is thinking about the last time she fired a gun. The revolver strapped to her thigh.). Mara: Once. Will: Hm. (Mara really doesn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully Will doesn’t press the issue.). Will: Weathers probably going to be like this for the rest of the weekend. (Jacob lets out a grunt. The rest of the drive is silent. Jacob pulls into the car park of the Grand View Hotel. Several men approach the truck and greet Jacob. They all have rifles. Mara just wants to get going.). Will: So whereabouts are you lass? Mara: Just across the way. Will: Did you want me to walk you? Mara: No. That’s okay. You’ve already done enough for me. Thanks for the lift guys. (Mara gets out of the truck.). Will: It’s no bother. Your sister wanted us to make sure you got back safely. Mara: I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you. Will: Hey Terry. Terry: Alright Will. Those damn Whitetails have been around causing trouble again. They’re on the bank across the way hiding in the woods like cowards. Will: Are they? Terry: Who’s this? Will: This is Mara. She’s Faiths sister. Terry: Faith has a sister? Will: Yes. Terry: Names Terry. Nice to meet yah. Mara: Hi. (Mara smiles slightly. She then walks off heading for the walkway around the side of the hotel that leads to some steps which go up to a small path leading towards the woods. Will sighs and gets out of the truck.). Will: I’m gonna make sure she gets back alright. You don’t have to wait for me. I can make my own way to my cabin from here. (Jacob nods at Will.). Jacob: Will we see you tomorrow? Will: You will. Goodnight Jacob. Terry: See yah Will. Will: Bye Terry. (Will walks off in the direction Mara went. He catches up to her and she turns and looks at him.). Mara: What are you doing? Will: Making sure you get back okay. Mara: I told you I’m fine. Will: Even so. There’s members of the militia out here. Mara: They haven’t bothered me so far. They probably will if they see me with you though. (Will chuckles.). Will: Don’t worry. (Will holds up his rifle.). Will: One of the reasons I have this. (It doesn’t take them too long to reach Mara’s trailer.). Mara: Well here we are. Thanks for walking me back. Will: You’re welcome. (Will looks at the trailer. It is really dirty and beat up. There is a rusty metal lawn chair outside. The windows of the trailer are all boarded up.). Will: I take it you don’t have running water. Mara: Nope. Will: No electricity either I’d wager. Mara: Nope. Will: Hm. (Mara opens the door.). Mara: Night. (She goes inside. Will follows her. It’s dark. Mara turns on a battery powered lamp which is sitting on a small table. Mara then goes around switching on fairy lights. She has quite a few strewn around the place. She then turns to Will.). Mara: I didn’t say you could come in. Will: Sorry. (He can see the small bathroom. There is a small kitchen counter and dirty sink. Two more rusty metal chairs next to the table. On the table is a pile of drawings.). Will: Are you an artist? Mara: I guess. I like to draw and colour. Will: Hm. (He sees a black holdall on the floor. He looks at the black curtain on the left. He pulls it back and can just about make out a dirty mattress on the floor. He turns back around. Mara has taken her leather jacket off and draped it over one of the metal chairs. It is still raining and she is soaked. She goes to the bathroom and comes back with a towel.). Mara: I’d like you to leave now. I need to sleep. Will: Sure. You sure you’re going to be alright? Mara: Always am. Will: Okay. Goodnight. Mara: Bye. (She opens the door. He leaves the trailer. It’s still raining. He turns back to look at Mara. She shuts the door. He sighs and walks off into the woods. Mara dries her hair as best as she can. She then takes off her wet clothes and chucks them in the tiny shower in the bathroom. She rummages through the holdall and takes out black leggings and a baggy grey long sleeved jumper. She shoves the clothes on and gets into bed. She lies there staring at the dirty ceiling thinking about everything. Seeing her sister after all this time was emotional. She still can’t believe she has got caught up in a damn religious cult. Will seems like a nice man though. There’s something not right about those Seed brothers though. John is creepy. She saw the way he looked at her. Pervert. His eyes were filled with sadness. Jacob's eyes were too. She wonders what happened to make them look so sad. Damnit! Now she is thinking about Jacob again. She laughs to herself. Then she sighs again. She is seeing her sister again tomorrow. Just the two of them. They can talk properly. She closes her eyes, listening to the rain pattering on the roof of the trailer and hopes she can get some sleep.).

[moonshotsandstarsocks]

I Can Make You a Man

When you’re thirsty for revenge, but also thirsty for that D

A story inspired by @mozg-art and their wonderful Rocky Horror Picture Show Roadrat comic! You can see it here 

Small warning, there are some descriptions of blood and gore in this, so just be mindful if that’s not your thing. And as always, let me know what you think!

The good doctor wasn’t used to entertaining guests. Engrossed day in and day out in his work there was hardly such a time for the luxury of company, so most usually he simply chattered to his robots whenever the urge for conversation struck him.

Fixing loose wiring, adding on new weaponry, Junkenstein would talk at his precious machines as if they had a will of their own and could understand him. A one sided banter that would last for hours and only ended when the doctor got pulled away to work on something else.

Rarely the imagined conversations took a turn for the worst. Days where Junkenstein would return from the village and the voices he often imagined would turn cruel and mocking, echoing the disgusted sentiment the king shared. Ceaseless, they would rattle around in his brain and mix together into a deafening static until Junkenstein felt like his brilliant brain would melt away into nothing.

Maddened by it all he knew that there was only one way to get them to stop: by throwing them carelessly into a pile out in his courtyard and letting his rip-tire loose on the whole lot of them. The Zomnics were in need of upgrades anyway, scrapping them was helping him skip the annoying intricacies of adding on new patches. And whatever parts of his mood that wasn’t improved by the raining robotic body parts was cheered up by the bottles of chemicals he would toss into the fires to create different colors. The green flames brought on by the boric acid were his favorite.

So maybe Dr. Junkenstein wasn’t used to guests. Maybe. But it was hardly a bad thing because it brought him to his greatest project yet: the creation of life. It was all very under lock and key, the last thing the doctor needed was another angry hoard of villagers at his castle doors once again. Their screams of fear grew stale after the first two or three times he sicked his Zomnics at them.

That’s why, on a cloudy night with only the full moon to illuminate the land below, Doctor Junkenstein was surprised to see two uninvited guests in his lab. Two guests not from anywhere on Earth. They were ethereal, but not in any way that angels were.

The witch had a commanding presence both in the way she held herself and the sheer aura emanating off of her. A beautiful face couldn’t hide the evil in her eyes no matter how blue they could be. The staff gripped tight in her hand was radiating a pulsing yellow light at the top, and with the tome strapped to her hip it made Junkrat’s fingers itch to take them both and learn her secrets. Surely he could put them to better use than her.

But perhaps he wasn’t the first to think so, because the thing next to her could only be described as some type of underworld bodyguard. Leather on top of leather with a popped collar, his orange and black scheme matched the witch’s and covered him head to toe. The only exception was his head

The witch had a subtle malice to her, but her bodyguard was the exact opposite. Residing above his shoulders (with no connection by a neck) was a round pumpkin with a cruel face jaggedly cut out to replace its head. The markings stretched and shrunk with the same elasticity of skin, and when his head moved it revealed nothing but the same ominous yellow light glowing from within his body.

Oh, they were just practically begging the doctor to cut them open and see what they’re made of. However, when they explained themselves and their desire to see his creation, Junkenstein was ecstatic and quickly forgot his plans of dissection.

“Well he’s not a creation per say.” Junkenstein said, making a noncommittal, back and forth gesture with his hand. “Creation implies makin’ somethin’ from nothin’. It’s a creation in the sense that I had to draw up the schematics, write the equations for the right amount of transfusions, shit like that. But everythin’ else is organic and recycled from fresh graves, so it’s less of an artistic creation and more a scientific invention. Though I would like to say my design is nothin’ short of artistic gen-”

“You’re getting off topic, doctor.” The witch’s voice dripped with annoyance, betraying the impassive expression she had on her face. The pumpkin, however, was more expressive than she was, openly scowling at Junkenstein.

The two supernatural entities watched Dr. Junkenstein pace about his lab, his back now turned to them as he walked over to a large slab with a mass on top obscured by a large blanket. In his hurry to get there the doctor’s uneven gait became over exaggerated and made him look like he was bobbing up and down while walking on a flat surface.

Undeterred, the doctor laughed before replying to the witch. “Of course, of course. Trust me, I’m jus’ as excited to get to the main event. So,” He rounded the table, facing the witch and her servant. “Shall I show you my latest obsession?”

Before either could answer the doctor took hold of the blanket and with a flourish it flew off the table to reveal the body underneath.

Had the witch been mortal, it might have taken her breath away.

Laying on the table was not any man, but a monstrosity. Death had stained the skin a sickly green, different areas being different shades because the creature was so large in mass that it needed the skin of multiple bodies simply to cover it all. Gaps between the stitches To add to the inhuman nature of the thing, it appeared that the doctor had taken the liberty of adding a mask made of pigskin complete with a snout to obscure the monster’s face.

Slowly, the witch approached it to get a closer look. Her eyes were drawn first to the conducting rods sticking out in various places on the creature’s body. The shoulders, feet, even the large screws that had been drilled into its jawbone were a testament to the doctor’s initial dabbling in electric shocks to try and reanimate the bastardized corpse. The Witch of the Wilds had laughed at his primitive efforts from afar, but now up close she could fully appreciate how far the doctor had come.

Being so close also allowed her to view some of the... aesthetic choices the doctor made with his design. The clothes were custom made, they had to be, and while the stitching was good it was more on the gothic side with the leather jacket and spikes. That wasn’t even mentioning the ‘D3AD’ belt buckle or the ‘TERROR’ tattooed poorly across the monster’s large gut. It seemed that her servant took notice of it as well, his clawed finger gently scraping along the word.

Though his eyes were only empty sockets of a carved pumpkin, the way the light shifted within it indicated that he was looking at Junkenstein.  “A little tacky, don’t you think?” He asked.

With a loud gasp, Junkenstein threw himself on top of his creation defensively, swatting her servant’s hand away. “”Fuck off! I didn’t make him for you!”

“Then what did you make it for, doctor?” The Witch of the Wilds asked, stifling a giggle over the petty squabble between the two.

“Well,” Junkenstein stood up, letting his hands drag slowly along the creature’s stomach as he did so. “He’ll have a great many purposes I assure you. Now of course there’s the more obvious.”

Eyes gleaming behind his goggles, Junkenstein was looking down yet a thousand miles away as his vision came to him. He could picture it all as clearly as he could the very first time he put his plans into motion for making his monster. “What he might lack in brains, he will more than make up for in brawn. An’ he’s gonna use all that brawn to go straight down to the village an’ slaughter everythin’ in his wake ‘til he’s right at the doors of the castle. Oh they’ll all scream, probably beg like the fuckin’ cowards they’ve always been. But he won’t listen, an’ the last moments of their insignificant lives will be used to finally appreciate my genius!”

The lab fell away, the dark stone and lights melting and morphing into the streets of the town. Dr. Junkenstein could see through the eyes of his monster as it tore its way through the crowds. Strong hands extending outward from a behemoth body, strong enough to lift the townsfolk by their heads with just one hand and able to crack their skulls open like eggs just as easy. Blood and entrails painting the cobblestone streets red. The people could try and fight back, but without the help of the Zomnics they took for granted they stood no chance.

Of course there would be weaklings within them, the lambs among the sheep, who would try to run or hide. A twisted mind ever moving, the doctor tweaked his imagination to accommodate the problem. Where rippling muscles could not reach, a gun could. It would need to be large for his monster, something to slow down its prey for the eventual slaughter. Not enough to outright kill, but something to make them suffer. To bleed and cripple, prolonging the inevitable. Or perhaps he could fashion something simpler for his dimwitted creation; something to draw them in close. Maybe he could make both.

God, he was practically salivating at the imagined carnage. For a moment his words trailed off at his tongue, savoring their taste rather than expunging them from his mind. They tasted like copper, the bitterness of ale, and the decadent sweetness of revenge. Junkenstein licked his lips as he finally continued. “An’ then when the lord comes out from hidin’ he’ll get to admire my monster’s good work jus’ long enough before his head gets ripped off an’ I get to drop a big one right down his throat.”

Junkenstein’s entire body shook with his manic laughter, throwing his head back in unrestrained glee. In his lab, the laughter bounced off the cold stone walls until his cackle reverberated enough to ring in his ears.

The two beings shared looks with one another. Doctor Junkenstein’s bloodlust was something to admire, certainly outside the normal threshold of most mortals. It was what had drawn them to him in the first place; extreme intellect mixed with a chaotic and unstable personality. Unpredictable on his own, but with the right tools easily manipulated.

The Witch of the Wilds had been watching mankind for centuries, reveling in their tiny squabbles and even adding to the chaos when she saw fit, but her frivolous tendencies were backed with restraint that came from a woman destined to watch the world slowly pass by until time itself disintegrated to ash at her feet. She was smart, careful, and when it was time to give away her gifts she didn’t like to leave any uncertainty or loose ends.

Arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow the witch asked, “What are you planning to do once it’s all over? Once you’ve had your destruction.”

Idle hands now found themselves on the monster’s chest, gloved fingers brushing through the course hair that laid on top of it. Upon hearing the witch’s question Junkenstein’s face nearly split in half with a large grin.

“Well, strength in itself is all find an’ dandy. Keeps ya from gettin’ the sand kicked in your face. But there’s something about a deltoid, and a bicep.” Junkenstein fell prone against his creation again, eyes and hands following along to the according muscle as he spoke. They paused on its body as his eyes tilted down.

“A uh,” He paused himself to giggle, unable to bite back the grin even as his crooked teeth sunk into his bottom lip. “And a tricep. It just makes me wanna shake!” He wiggled his body to the point of indecency, but the creature under him barely shifted. “Makes me wanna laugh right at the lord’s ass-hair covered face!”

“That’s… fine.” The witch replied slowly, unable to think of the right words as she caught on to the doctor’s intentions. Her servant had as well, his posture rigid next to her and his arms crossed tight over his chest. He was wise to stay silent.

Raising her hand aloft to the sky, the witch rose from the ground. Her wings ignited and expanded out, holding her effortlessly in place as she called upon her magic in her native tongue, a language lost to time and incomprehensible to those who didn’t already know it. Light enveloped her until it focused itself into a beacon on her hand, manifesting a crystal.

Jaw going slack, Junkenstein slipped off of his monster to witness the magic before him. It had an otherwordly pull on him, beckoning him closer. The light didn’t even seem natural, resplendent and powerful. Smaller circles of light twirled aimlessly within the beam for a few moments until, like a swarm of fireflies, the all floated up together and conglomerated into a singular bright mass. In a flash, light became a glowing green crystal hovering above the witch’s palm. Junkenstein’s fingers itched to touch it. It looked like it would burn.

Lowering herself to the ground with grace, her feet barely made a sound as they reconnected to the floor. Not a hair out of place or a breath too strained, she held out the crystal to Dr. Junkenstein.

“Behold, good doctor.” She said, the crystal’s green light reflecting against her devilish eyes “I offer that which you seek. The Spark of Life. I will give this to you, and you may use it to finish your work. I want only one thing in return. A day will come when I will call on you for a favor.”

“And no matter what it is,” Her servant was well versed in her deals, and his intimidation often helped seal the pact. “You will honor it.”

The crystal held no discernable weight. If not for the tangible feeling of it in his hands, the doctor would not have known it was there at all. Set deep within the center was a light trapped inside, beating rhythmically. A heartbeat. The choice was simple.

Tearing his eyes away, he cast them upon his monster. No more sleepless nights would he have, futile in his attempts to see his creation breathe and walk. Now, it was all literally within his grasp.

“Jus’ ya wait, baby.” He murmured. The pulse in his hands quickened, matching the beat in his own chest. “I’m gonna make ya a man.”

[thereluctantinquisitor]

May I request a Redbull (legit the best ship name ever) fic prompt: It's a five hour plane ride and you're deathly afraid of flying" from the au post? I love your fics so much!

One Redbull for nonny, hot off the press! Modern AU… because planes.

In which Bull really hates flying. (Approx 1000 words, some under the cut

“Ah… shit…”

Delton glanced across at the huge man beside him, a smilequirking up the corner of his mouth. “Not much of a flyer, huh?” he asked,trying to lighten the mood. The man just gave a low, uncomfortable grunt.

“Up ten thousand feet in an oversized tin can?” he grumbled,already sweating despite the fact that they were still on the ground. “Sure. Soundsgreat. Oh, I’m going to kill Krem…” Hemuttered the last part under his breath, so Delton let it slide with little morethan a snort of amusement.

“Ah, it’s not so bad once you’re up,” he offered, then noddedtowards the window. “View’s pretty good too, if you want to swap places. Some folk say it helps.”

The man eyed him skeptically. “Yeah, I don’t think seeing just how far I’ve got to fall isgoing to take the edge off, Red.” He turned away again and let out the deep, full-chested sigh of someone slowlycoming to terms with his fate. “Thanks, though. Appreciate the offer.”

Delton flashed the man a smile then leaned back in his seat.Well, as far as he could lean back –there really wasn’t a lot of room. Glancing across as his new companion, Delton decided he really had no right to complain. It would be nothingshort of a miracle if he could even get the food tray down with his knees pressed right against it like that…

“You fly a lot, huh?” the man asked suddenly, turning his head again andcocking his brow. “You seem pretty comfortable. Well, to me.”

“Aye, a fair bit. Part of the job.” Delton shrugged. “Statistically, it’s prettyunlikely that I’ll die on a plane. Probably the safest place I’ve ever been,come to think of it. It’s nice, y’know? Relaxing.”

The man snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, all right. So you’rea special sort of crazy, huh?”

Delton grinned, teeth flashing. “So I’ve been told.” He sighed, still smilingas he turned his gaze out the window. The plane had just finished taxiing andwas waiting for the signal to take-off down the runway. “What’s your name, anyway? Consideringwe’re stuck with each other for the next five hours, I might as well call you something a little more flattering than big guy.”

“Ha. Just call me Bull,” the man replied. However, Delton detected a thread of tension in his voice so he turned back, angling himself to block thewindow. Well, the least I can do is tryto distract him a bit. Poor bastard looks terrified…

“Bull, huh?” He cast a discerning eye up and down the man’sform, taking in his massive chest and heavily muscled arms. “Yeah… I can see how you ended up with a name like that. You couldprobably pick me up with one arm and hang me off a coat rack no problem.”

“Probably,” Bull agreed tightly, but his mouth did twitch upslightly at the corner. “Shouldn’t come to that, though. Don’t think you’d fitin one of these overheads.” He gestured up to where they had spent a good fiveminutes trying to cram their carry-on luggage into the small compartments, cursing and sweating through the entire ordeal.

“Yeah…” Delton chuckled and ran a hand through his mess of red hair. “Gettingour stuff in there was like trying to shove a mattress through a doggy door.”

Bull laughed at that, seeming to relax a little with themotion. “Dunno - pretty sure that would have been a hell of a lot easier.”

They shared a smile at that. It was a brief moment of calm,easy companionship as flight attendants moved like the curling wind through theaisles of the plane, bringing pillows and blankets and refreshing towelettes. Bull took two of everything, handing oneacross to Delton with an amicable half-smile.

“Thanks,” Delton said, tucking them into the mesh pouch onthe back of the seat in front of him. As he did, he noticed the flightattendants cease their rounds and find their seats, their seat-belts clicking into place. Despite himself, Deltonglanced across at Bull, concerned. Well… heregoes…

The plane started to move, wheels whirring to life beneaththem with a high, metallic hum. The floor began to vibrate and something was mumbled over the PA in a deep, grainy voice. Delton couldonly assume it was someone informing them of the take-off that was rather obviously occurring. Besidehim, Bull let out a low, incredibly uncomfortablegroan, his back rigid, hands clenching the arm-rests in the death-grip of a man dangling from a building. Strangely, Delton felt rather guilty. Take-off was his favouritepart of flying, after all. It meant getting away from it all, even if only for a few short hours. In the sky he was a free man, out of everyone’s reach. His worldlyresponsibilities? The phone calls, the meetings, the friends who never visit anymore? Well, they would all just have to wait for him to touch back down.

“You all right there, Bull?” Delton asked, mostly out ofpoliteness as the answer was pretty damn obvious. Bull was sweating enough foran entire sports team in the final quarter, and that was being generous to thesports team.

“Great,” he replied through gritted teeth, barely daring to move his mouth as though the slightest gesturewould throw the plane off-balance and send them all careening to their fiery deaths.“Damn… don’t suppose you’d hit me or something?Take my mind off all this shit?”

Delton stared in mute shock for a few beats, then blinked back tofull consciousness. “I, ah… no. Besides, don’t think you’d even feel it if Idid. My self-esteem couldn’t take that kind of blow. It’s very fragile.”

Another grunt followed, almost amused, but far too tense toreally sell Delton on the fact. As the plane increased speed and Delton felthimself being pushed back in his seat, he reached across to the window, hisfingertips catching the edge of the shade. He was about to pull it down for thebenefit of his new friend when he felt a sudden weight on his arm; a grip. Nottoo tight, but enough to get his attention. Delton turned to see Bull lookingright at him with that pale eye, the other hidden behind a dark leather patch.

“Leave it up,” he instructed, still sweating,every muscle in his body tight with painful, dread-fueled anticipation. Delton frowned.

“But I just thought—”

“You wanted that seat,” Bull continued, cutting him off witha series of tightly delivered words, “to see out the window, right? To watch. Saw you doing it before.Waiting.” To Delton’s surprise, the man actually managed a smile. A tense one, tobe sure, but its presence alone spoke more than any words ever could. “Don’twant to be the reason you miss it, Red.”

For a moment, Delton was speechless. He opened his mouth toreply, but found he had nothing to offer. Mercifully, Bull just gave him a nodthe turned away, closing his eyes, releasing yet another long, wretched moan asthe plane started to angle upwards. His lips moved, almost like he was praying. Delton scrapped that idea when he caught some far more colourful language rolling off the man’stongue, consisting mostly of creative epithets for a man named Krem. Slowly, watching the sweaty, rigidfigure beside him, Delton felt his lips curve into a smile. Well, if nothing else, it was going to be an interesting trip.

Outside the plane, the ground peeled away, fading behind a veil of misty-white. 

Inside the plane, Delton forgot to look out the window.

[2x2verse]

I AM STILL NOT ON TIME FOR NSFW STRIDERCEST WEEK [takes another bite of toast and transforms into a Real AnimeTM]

Reflex [dirkhal]

“One, two--come on, forward, forward, it’s like I’m fighting a fucking thirteen-year-old.”

Your face pinches. This would be a lot easier if you could regulate your body temperature by sweating--well, maybe, it’s so humid out it might not make much of a difference. “Maybe because the last time I touched a sword, I was thirteen.”

It’s a subtle dig, one only Dirk would notice. That’s why you said it. “Uh, excuse you, bro, it’s a daitō and you will respect that.”

“You know what daitō means?” You relax your posture. Just enough that Dirk thinks he has an opening, and he snaps forward to get his blade in the space you just left. Like you didn’t expect that (like you aren’t him), like you don’t bring your own sword down to trap the tip of his against the concrete of the rooftop. You hope it chips. Dirk’s close enough that you can lean forward to whisper straight into his ear. “It means long sword. Precision, precision.” You click your tongue at him. “It’s a two-and-a-half-shaku tachi, you pleb.”

Dirk flicks his wrist up, dislodges the length of your blade, and feints, trying to catch you in the back. You’re too fast for him, not allowing him the cheap shot, and as you pivot on your heel, he retreats back into his own personal space. You can’t see his eyes, but light is just barely traveling across his shades as he tries to take in the situation, see what you’re playing at. “It’s a katana,” he insists. “A katana--”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.” With some effort, you slow yourself down, try to drop your center of gravity without Dirk noticing. You want to spring on him here, propel off the rooftop with the superhuman strength of your legs until you trap him against one of the edges here with the force of your forward attack momentum. “You were so proud when you bought these from the mall kiosk that you got a free fedora, you respect them so much that you wear them with the cutting edge down, and you’re so competent with them that you disregard centuries of war arts to draw one-handed and attack in the same movement.”

“One of these days,” Dirk mutters, “I’m going to break your instant uplink to the Internet so you can’t access Wikipedia when I’m trying to teach you something.” His skin is fucking glistening with effort and grime and it’s hard not to just throw aside your weapon and jump his bones where he stands.

But it’ll be so much better if you soundly defeat him first. You may not have the muscle memory he does, but you have a processor core orders of magnitude more powerful than his, and the entirety of YouTube to watch for tutorials. Your weight is solidly resting on the balls of your feet. Because you don’t sweat, your grip on the hilt is solid, your identical fingers slotting perfectly into the grooves Dirk’s worn into the leather. Without adrenalin to interrupt your decision-making, you can plot this attack exactly how you’d like.

You take flight, the tension in your thighs snapping as you propel yourself forward, and your speed in this new body takes Dirk by surprise. He’s on the defensive as you slash into his space, close enough to threaten but (you hope) not enough to maim. The hollow sound of steel on steel gets swallowed in the sounds of the city, and between the two of you, your footprints are scuffing up dirt that clogs your internal filters.

Dirk’s not keeping track of his space--he thinks he’s on solid ground. His heel hits up against the brick of the side of the rooftop and you watch his eyebrows flick up in surprise. One more step and you have him totally pinned, your blade at his adam’s apple; fine blond stubble catches on the sharp of it.

“Checkmate,” you tell him, reaching out with your other hand to grab his hair and tip his head back.

This close, you can peer through the dark of his shades; Dirk’s eyes are down and to the side. “Well, this has gone completely fucking pear-shaped. There’s no other way out of it.” A twisted, toothy smile. “You’re going to have to decapitate m--”

“Not even close,” you interrupt him. Dirk drops his sword and you captchalogue it yourself, right alongside yours. He doesn’t move his throat or try to wrench his head away from your fist in his hair. Your fans are on overdrive and your circuits are thrumming. Crowding into Dirk’s personal space gets your hips up close with the respectable start of a hard-on. You will never get over the thrill of being his exact height, how your faces match perfectly. At this angle, though, when you press against him, your teeth are at his throat. His breath gets a little huffy when your canines glance over his carotid. “If I weren’t so convinced you gave this your best, I’d think you lost on purpose.”

“That was giving my best, I could have wiped the floor with you.” With your other hand, you push Dirk’s shades into his hair. His eyes are sparkling with dry humor when you let his head down. “Do you know how much restraint it takes to let a thirteen-year-old beat me?”

“Oh, so it was just to cushion my ego. I see.” Not that there was ever an implied sexual wager between the two of you, no sir. To regain the upper hand, you twist your fingers in Dirk’s hair, lean forward to bite his lower lip. The electricity of his skin always feels so good against your porcelain-silicone.

Dirk sucks in a breath just past your teeth, nips you back to align your lips a little better. His mouth is hot and drenched with hormones that make your taste sensors go haywire. “I’m impressed,” he tells you, breathless, between devouring kisses. “I didn’t think you’d make it that easy.”

What he’s carefully avoiding saying: you did better than he thought you would. “I accept your defeat.” And his arousal, as you roll your hips against his and press his ass into the waist-high ridge girding the roof and keeping either of you from a twenty-some-story fall to the streets below. “Turn around.”

“I won’t do it unless you call me--”

“Bright Eyes.” You can finish each other’s thoughts. It’s so intimate to be so inextricable from him, from his mind, even after all this time. And you want to be back in him again. In every way. In any way you can. You twist your wrist, which cranes Dirk’s neck to the side, and you give him just enough space to pivot and press his ass back into you before you pin him again. It’s irresistible, really, and your robo-dong nestles perfectly against it as you press him against the retaining wall.

Dirk’s hands reach out, scrabble for purchase, grip the ledge. “Holy shit.”

“What?”

“I can see the street.”

“You think I’m going to let you fall?” You thread your fingers back into his hair again, tug gently. A little sigh burbles out of Dirk’s throat, and his knuckles stop going quite so white. “Never. Spread your legs a little and your center of gravity stays right back here.”

“Get my pants down first and I’ll think about it.”

Ah. Right. Logistics. It’s a little easier for you, your bodycon suit has invisible seams that can split it any which way for convenience’s sake, but Dirk has these things called pants and they need to go vaguely downwards for you to get access to his princely parts. It’s easy enough to find his glaringly huge Batman belt buckle, snap it open, but wriggling the denim down his hips is an exercise in frustration. Why does he have to wear the tightest clothing for the most rigorous exercise? The real interesting phenomenon here is the small bottle of choji oil nestled in a front pocket, almost camouflaged by the other bulge in his pants; you fish it out, set it down by one of Dirk’s thumbs. It’s his responsibility now to make sure it doesn’t accidentally fall off the edge of the building. Why, it’s almost like he planned for this outcome. Dirk’s jeans are clinging to his skin with sweat-damp and your fingertips skate along between cloth and body, never quite finding the purchase they want. You kick at one of his ankles. “Out.” The hips are too narrow for him to really spread his knees.

Dirk follows your lead, kicks off shoe, sock, and pant leg; his bare foot curls up awkwardly when he sets it back down in a wider stance, protecting his soft insole from the grit of the concrete rooftop. And his toes are already curling in. Perfect. When you reach around his front with your other hand, you find him full hard. Rutting against him from behind pushes Dirk’s hips into the architecture and his hard-on into your hand. “Ah, fuck,” he chokes out, tilting back so it presses his bare ass against your dick.

Right. Because when you divested him of his clothes, that gave him zero protection against the unforgiving roughness of the brick and mortar. “It’s like you think I won’t take care of you,” you murmur condescendingly into his ear. Dirk’s this close to reaching behind and swatting you, only holding back once he realizes moving his hand would mean losing his balance, and probably the oil as well. You pluck it out of his sight so there’s no risk of that happening. “Shh,” from your mouth covers the pop of the cap as you empty the contents all over your hand, and you follow up with a gentle massage of your fingertips into his scalp. That’ll always make you melt, so you know it does the same for him.

Your soaked hand reaches between his legs from behind; you find his balls with your fingertips and slick the whole oiled press of your palm backwards, leaving Dirk a wet mess between his legs. With a finger on his perineum, you can feel his dick twitch, down to the root. Your forearm isn’t in front to brace him anymore, so his stomach rests awkwardly on the barrier as his hips subconsciously tilt towards you--the best angle for this. Before he can think about, and correct, his little tells, you let the rest of the oil in your palm drip down your fingers, hone in on his hole, and start teasing him open.

He’s not as resilient as you. Sometimes it’s hard to remember. In moments like this, though, when you’re touching up against every tender inside part of him you can reach, you can feel just how human he is. You almost want to protect him from himself. Your own body can be rebuilt, you have the technology, but Dirk only gets one shot with the one he was given. His back is already smattered with scars and you long to destroy anything that could have given him such a memento of hurt. While you open him around one finger, you drop your lips to his neck, feel out his pulse with your delicate, crowded touch sensors, and follow it up, down, catch the uptick in rhythm when you press just the right spot just the right way.

Two fingers, and you can feel the harshness of every breath he chokes down. He’s hitching his hips back against you insistently, afraid to push forward in case he chafes his shaft against brick. “Remind me,” Dirk says, half-breath and half-moan, “I need to install mini bullets in your fingertips the next chance I get.”

“What, and be even more susceptible to this?” Ease out, and then plunge back in with three. You can hear Dirk’s fingernails scratching up loose grit from the concrete as you spread him open. “That doesn’t seem fair, really. I can’t just install cybernetic sex enhancements in you whenever I decide you’re too boring for me.”

“I’ll nev--ah! Be too boring for you,” he insists. And he’s right. He’s a curiosity, a treasure, something unique and unpredictable even in his rigid routines and instinctive reflexes. You need him, need to learn him inside and out, need him to be yours, need to be in him again, need--

Fingers out--there’s a pornographic centerfold for you, Dirk spreading his legs and so ready to get fucked, clove-smelling oil dribbling down his taint. It only takes a brief sweep of your thumb to separate your bodysuit at the waist, a tuck of the joint under the fabric to sweep it down and let your cock out from where it’s been choking to death in the spandex. You don’t tell him when, but it’s like he knows anyway, and he lets out a slow, tight breath as you hold yourself steady and finally, finally, get as close to him as you can.

His hips are still tense even as you nudge further and further in. You can fix that. With your one hand still idly petting along his scalp, you reach around with the other and cup your still-slick hand around his dick. A thrust forward from you, and he lets the momentum press him up against the wall, your forearm cushioning his hips and your fingers giving him something amazing to rut against.

Out, in again. An ever-increasing tempo, only ratcheting up once Dirk starts to remember to choke down his moans. And then your hand in his hair forces his head down so he has no choice but to stare at his potential death, and you drive forward at just the right angle, and Dirk yells “oh, god, fuck!” to every single one of his neighbors. So much for his Strider poker face.

And he feels--so good, so warm, with such a human pulse running through him, greedily gulping down his breaths in such a human way, skin shining with oil and swordfight and sex. The thrust of him against your hand, the clench of him around you, feels so organic, so natural, and “shit,” you let out, the tiniest curse, you want to be in him, really inside him, nestled in his human frame and living in his human brain and never to be separated from him again--god, you want it, you want him, you need this--you need--behind your teeth, electrical charge building with nowhere to go, so close you can taste your circuits sparking--

Dirk hollers some nonsense vowel sound into the void and orgasms against your hand, the clench of him drawing you in--the furthest you can go--you crush his hips to yours, lay your chest over his back, and overload with a hum so urgent and loud it vibrates through both your bodies.

It takes a hot minute for your wiring to get back under control. Dirk’s breathing hard under you, head hung low between his shoulders with exhaustion and satisfaction. You try to draw his head up so you can pull him away from the edge, and that’s when you notice your hand shaking. Your arm. Miniature recalibrations happening on a second-by-second basis. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just your upper extremities, but your knees feel almost weak and the tremor in your ankles means you’re at a real risk of losing your balance.

You pull out of Dirk--gently, he does one of those soft vowel noises that you know isn’t pain, but a warning that that’s where you’re going--and sit your fucking ass down before you hurt someone. Not entirely voluntarily, either. Your backwards momentum, plus your ankles giving out, means you basically slip on nothing and end up hitting the rooftop ass first.

“Fuck,” Dirk huffs out. A few huffs of breath that’s the closest he can get to a laugh while still being this winded. Your suit’s sealing itself back up, even though your crotch is still slick, and you wonder if that’s going to hurt you later. “Oh, god,” Dirk moans again, this time trying to find the waistband of his pants with his bare toes so he can get himself dressed again. He manages to pull up his pants without looking too fucked, and while he’s doing his fly and his belt, he turns around to check on you. The way you can see the white in his eyes as he looks you over makes your coolant freeze. “God, what the hell happened?”

“I don’t know--”

“You’re shaking,” Dirk says. You’re glad he can state the obvious, you just wish it wasn’t so obvious to him how much of a mess you are right now. “Your suit is fucking soaked through--your arm, Hal, look at your arm!”

Which arm? The hand you had at his head is fine, if still spasming out of your control. Your other hand--when you turn it over to take a look at the back of it, it’s completely chewed up, gouges and dents and scratches in your synthetic skin, some bad enough to leave exposed wiring. You follow the extent of the damage up your forearm, where keeping Dirk from rubbing himself raw against the brick retaining wall just meant you took the brunt of it yourself. “Well, shit,” you say idly, moving to touch one of the frayed wires.

“Don’t!” Dirk snaps before you spark yourself. “Hal, god, you can’t just keep doing this to yourself, I know you think you’re indestructible but I just--when you’re--you can’t do this to me. Come on, we gotta take care of you, I can’t stand worrying about you this much.”

He reaches for your hand, skips it and hauls you up by the wrist. He’s a hot mess, and so are you, but between the two of you, with his thoroughly-fucked ass and your unsteady legs, you make it down the stairs and back to the apartment. His protectiveness of you perfectly mirrors your anxiety over his fragile human body. You just wish he’d let you take care of him, too.

[chobit92]

Home-Part 1

So This is the next part of my fic...I am having so much trouble copying this from Microsoft Word onto here. It keeps jumbling it all up then it won't let me edit it. I really am not that good with computers. I also don't know how to link posts either. I am just about to give up... It's literally taken me nearly half an hour to post this. Gotta be an easier way of doing it...Anyway Faith is reunited with her long lost sister.

(Faith Seed sits at the dinner table in John’s chalet. John’s brothers Joseph and Jacob are there too. They have just finished eating and Will Boyd starts clearing away their plates. John gets up to help him.). Will: It’s okay I got it. (John ignores him and continues helping Will clear up the plates and cutlery.). John: It’s nice to have you here. We rarely see you down here. You’re up at that cabin all the time. Will: I’m a hunter John. That’s my job. John: I know. We appreciate the work you do for us but it would be nice to see you more often. (Once the plates are cleared away Will brings out a jug of lemonade and pours everyone a glass before sitting back down along with John. They hear raised voices outside. Then one of Johns men, Lonny, walks in.). Lonny: Sorry to interrupt but there’s a young lady outside looking for you John. (John looks up frowning.). John: Looking for me? Lonny: Yeah. I’ve never seen her before. Mid twenties, long blonde hair. Wearing all black. She looks like a biker or something. Mouthy as all hell. Gave Akers a right fright. (Lonny chuckles. John looks confused.). John: I don’t think I know her. Lonny: You are the only John Seed around here aren’t you? John: You know I am. Lonny: Well then she’s looking for you. (John gets up and follows Lonny outside. He is out there for several minutes.). Will: I wonder who the girl is. (Joseph is sitting there frowning then he looks at the front door as John walks back in with Lonny. He looks a little shocked.). Will: Everything alright John? John: The girl outside is claiming to be your sister Faith. (Faith looks stunned.). Faith: What? I haven’t seen my sister since I was thirteen. Will: Why not? Faith: Um...She was...Arrested. Lonny: Arrested? Faith: Yes. The police came to the house and took her away. I was placed in care shortly after. I never saw her again. I assumed she was still in prison. Lonny: I didn’t even know you had a sister. Joseph: Invite her inside John. John: Yes Father. (John leaves the chalet again and returns moments later with Mara in tow. They all stare at Mara as she walks in. The black boots with the silver buckles with skulls on. The black ripped jeans. The skull belt buckle. The black leather jacket covered in patches. Her long blonde hair tied up in a French plait. Her black eye makeup. The revolver strapped to her thigh. Faith slowly stands up staring at Mara.). Faith: I don’t believe it. (Mara smiles.). Mara: You were hard to find sis. I never dreamed you’d come back here. I’ve missed you so much. (Faith suddenly throws her arms around Mara. Both girls are suddenly crying.). Faith: I’m sorry I didn’t try to find you. Mara: It’s okay. I found you. (The girls pull apart and Faith stares at Mara her eyes brimming with tears.). Mara: I swore I wouldn’t cry. Ruining my makeup now. It was shit to start with. (Faith laughs. John chuckles.). Mara: But I can see I’m interrupting your dinner. Sorry about that. Joseph: That’s quite alright child. We’ve had dinner already. Would you like something? Mara: No. Thanks. I’m fine. (Faith sits back down. Mara stands there a little awkwardly.). Joseph: Please sit. (Mara sits down at the end of the table facing Joseph. She smiles at him. He offers her a small smile back.). Faith: Everyone this is my big sister Mara. Joseph: It is nice to finally meet you. Mara: Am I right to assume that you are Joseph? (Joseph smiles.). Joseph: I am. Mara: Hm. I’ve seen your statue. It’s quite a good likeness. (Will and Lonny chuckle. Mara turns to Faith as she pours her a lemonade.). Mara: So...What have you been doing with yourself? What happened after we were separated? Did you go to college? Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Husband? Kids? (Will nearly spits out his lemonade. Faith looks stunned for a moment. Then she giggles.). Faith: No. No boyfriends. Or girlfriends. I am not like Franky. (Mara raises her eyebrows.). Mara: Okay. Faith: No husband and no children. Mara: No boyfriends? At all? (Faith looks uncomfortable.). Faith: No. Mara: So what happened after we were separated? Faith: Not much. I was put with a young couple. Mara: They looked after you? You were okay? Faith: Yes. They looked after me. Mara: Good. Faith: I left them when I was eighteen. I just packed my things and left. They didn’t want me to go. I do think that Layla genuinely cared about me. Adam not so much. Mara: Oh really? What did he do to you? Faith: Nothing. I just get the impression that he didn’t care for me so much. (Maras eyes narrow dangerously. Faith recognises the look.). Faith: Don’t look like that. It’s all in the past now. Mara: Right. Faith: So what have you been doing with your life? Mara: Not much. Been on the streets since I was eighteen. Met back up with Franky. Faith: You met back up with Franky? Mara: Yeah. Faith: Did she come here with you? Mara: No. I haven’t seen her in two years now. (Lonny is looking at the back of Maras leather jacket. The word Wrath is written across the top of it and underneath is a skull, a revolver and a knife.). Lonny: I like your jacket. Mara: Thanks. Um...Would you mind if I used your loo? John: Not at all. Through the kitchen, up the stairs, third door on the right. Mara: I’ll just be a minute. (Mara gets up and leaves the room.). Lonny: She’s different. Faith: Yes. I can’t believe she’s here. I was starting to think I’d never see her again. Maybe I should have tried to find her. I feel bad now. She’s my sister. I should have tried to find her. She must have felt like I forgot about her. Will: Well she’s here now. That’s what matters. She doesn’t seem to think you forgot her. She looks happy to see you. Faith: Yes. Lonny: Hm. John: Do you think she’d be interested in joining us? Faith: I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to ask her. I hope she will. If that’s alright Father. (Joseph smiles.). Joseph: Of course. John: Hm. Lonny: Well we already know what her sin is. John: Oh really Lonny? You’ve got her all figured out after ten minutes? Lonny: No. It’s written on the back of her leather jacket in foot high letters. John: Is it? Lonny: Yeah. Have a look when she comes back down. You can’t miss it. (Mara re-enters the room. John stares at Mara as she sits back down. He leans back craning his neck to see the back of Maras jacket. He sees the word Wrath written there. He sits forward again.). John: So...You are Wrath are you? Mara: Excuse me? (Mara frowns.). John: It’s written on the back of your jacket. Mara: Oh. Right. Okay. (Mara laughs.). Mara: It was Franky’s jacket. She gave it to me. (Mara takes a sip of lemonade.). Faith: I’m going to get started on the washing up. Mara: Do you want a hand? Faith: Sure. (Mara gets up and follows Faith to the kitchen.). Lonny: Faith’s sister showing up here. Who would have thought? Though I don’t see her fitting in. What’s with the eye makeup? She almost looks like she’s been punched in the face. The jacket and black clothing. She must be one of those Goths or something. Joseph: You should not judge her based on what she is wearing. Lonny: Hm. I just don’t see how she could be useful to Project. I don’t see how she will fit in. Joseph: She is Faiths sister. Which means we will welcome her. Lonny: She’s been in prison. Joseph: So have you. (They all look at Joseph in silence.). Joseph: Jacob why don’t you collect these glasses and take them to the kitchen. (Jacob stands up and picks up the glasses holding several in each hand. He goes to the kitchen where Mara and Faith are chatting away. Mara giggles. Jacob places the glasses on the side.). Jacob: Joseph wants these washed up. Faith: Yes Jacob. (Mara looks up at Jacob. He is an older man, Mara guesses he has to be in his forties. His head is shaved except for a crop of red hair on top of his head. He has a red beard and his face and arms look scarred. He is wearing very dirty jeans, a filthy t-shirt and a camo jacket that has blood stains on it. Around his neck are a set of dog tags, a whistle, a silver key and a silver wolfs head holding a rabbits foot. But it’s his eyes that really capture Maras attention. They are an entrancing shade of blue. Jacob looks at her then leaves the kitchen. Mara looks down at the side. She’s never seen a man with such beautiful eyes. And no man has ever taken her breath away like that. Jacob returns with more glasses which he places on the side. He holds out Maras lemonade.). Jacob: Did you want the rest of this? Mara: Thanks. (She takes the glass from him and their hands touch. She freezes for a moment. His hand is warm and rough. She can smell him, a mixture of dirt, sweat and pine needles. She smiles at him and takes a sip of lemoMarae. She places the glass on the side and picks up the tea towel continuing to dry up while Faith washes up.). Faith: So where are you staying sis? Mara: Well I was going to go home. But the place was crawling with men carrying rifles. Faith: Oh. Yes. Mara: I thought the house was left in our name after they carked it. (Faith is silent for a moment.). Faith: It is ours. But it was the ideal place for some of the work we’ve been doing. Mara: Hm. You mean dealing drugs? Faith: Who told you that? Mara: I met a woman called Mary in Falls End. She told me many things. I was worried about you. You’re not still on the coke are you? Faith: No. Joseph helped me get off all of that. Mara: Hm. Good. Remind me to thank him. Faith: So where are you staying? Mara: Nowhere fancy. Certainly nowhere as nice as this. Faith: That doesn’t matter. As long as you have somewhere to sleep. (Jacob is making Joseph and the others tea and coffee.). Faith: So where are you staying? I can stop by tomorrow and we can catch up properly. Just the two of us. Mara: That sounds good. Yeah. I bet we’ve got loads to tell each other. Faith: Yes. Like how you’re out of prison. So whereabouts are you staying? Mara: We’d probably be more comfy at your place. All I have is a trailer. Faith: Trailer? Like a caravan? Mara: Yep. You know where the Grand View Hotel is right? Faith: Yes. In the Whitetail Mountains. Mara: Yeah. You got Cedar Lake right outside yeah? Faith: Yes. I know where you mean. I did grow up here too you know? (Mara giggles.). Mara: Like I’ve forgotten. Well across from the hotel there is like an old abandoned cabin and behind that there’s a load of woods. I’m like right up the top. Faith: So you’re just randomly in the woods? Mara: Yeah. It was a bugger getting the trailer up there. The guy that let me have it drove it up there for me. (Faith laughs.). Faith: So I just cross the lake from the Grand View Hotel and walk straight through the woods? Mara: Yeah. Just keep walking up past the cabin. Look for the thingy with the red light on top. Faith: Thingy with the red light? (Faith is frowning. Jacob has made the hot drinks. He glances at Mara who has now finished drying up. She leans against the side. Lonny and Will enter the kitchen.). Mara: Yeah there’s this thingy with a red light on top and it makes a noise like a cow dying. (Faith stares at Mara. Lonny starts laughing.). Lonny: Like a cow dying! It’s a fucking Caribou call girl! (Lonny laughs harder. Mara folds her arms and stares at him.). Lonny: It’s Jacobs. Uses it to lure wolves. (Mara raises her eyebrows.). Mara: Ah. Well that explains why they keep coming round. Lonny: Shouldn’t go near it then. (Maras eyes narrow.). Mara: Ah. You gonna tell me to be careful now? Lonny: You should. If you know what’s good for yah. Will: Lonny. (Wills tone is one of warning.). Mara: Are you threatening me? Because if you are...You might want to work on it. (Mara laughs. Will chuckles.). Lonny: You can act little miss tough all you want. You ain’t gonna last five minutes here. Mara: Okay. I don’t know what your problem is prick but I just came here to find my sister. I haven’t seen her in eleven years. Tomorrow she wants us to meet up and catch up properly. But hey...If you think you can keep me from that...Go right ahead and give it your best shot. See how well you do. Lonny: Oh you are gonna be so dead. Joseph thinks your important. I can’t imagine why. Will: Lonny! What is wrong with you tonight? Are you drinking again? Are you? Coz if John finds out- Lonny: What? (Will turns to Mara.). Will: I apologise for my friend. Mara: Whatever. Can I get a coffee? Faith: Of course you can silly. (Mara goes to the kettle and boils it. Jacob is staring at her. She looks up at him and smiles.). Mara: Um...Where are the mugs? (Jacob reaches over her head and opens a cupboard. He takes a mug out and places it in front of her on the side. She smiles at him.). Mara: Thanks. (Mara starts to make herself coffee. Damn those eyes. Mara realises that she can’t seem to keep her eyes off his. They are so beautiful. She finishes making her coffee and picks up the mug leaning against the side again. She looks at Jacob again. He is standing there with his arms folded staring at her. She smiles at him.). Mara: What? Jacob: Nothing. (Damn. Mara likes his voice. It’s just as entrancing as his eyes. She swallows hard. She smiles at him again.). Mara: Okay. Lonny: He’s probably just wondering how much of a weak shit you are. Will: Lonny! Lonny: What? (Lonny laughs. Will sighs and shakes his head.). Mara: Okay. So what’s the verdict? (Lonny stops laughing and stares at Mara.). Lonny: You what? Mara: Well what’s the verdict? Lonny: Verdict on what? Mara: Well how much of a weak shit I am? (Mara stares at Lonny matter of factly. Will chuckles. Lonny looks like he doesn’t know what to say.). Mara: You know what it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go and sit down and drink my coffee. You coming sis? Faith: Yes. Let’s go back and sit with the others. (Mara leaves the kitchen glaring at Lonny as she walks past him which makes Will chuckle again.). Will: I think you pissed her off Lon. Lonny: Tch. What’s she gonna do? (They all return to the dining table. Mara sits sipping her coffee. She watches Jacob as he brings a tray in with the teas and coffees on it and sets it on the table. He then sits down. Joseph is staring at Mara. She smiles awkwardly at him.). Joseph: What do you do for a living Mara? Mara: Um...It’s difficult to get a job when your homeless as employers like you to have an address. Most employers pay their staff through the bank but I don’t have a bank account and to get a bank account you have to have an address. Which I don’t. So...It’s finding employers that are willing to pay you in cash. Lonny: Homeless? Mara: Yeah. As in nowhere to live. I got the trailer from Sharky. Lonny: Boshaw? Mara: Yeah. It has some fire damage but it’ll do. (Mara shrugs.). Faith: So...How have you been living if your homeless and have no job? Mara: Same as everyone else I guess. I squatted in a warehouse once. And an abandoned apartment block. Some of the people there. Boozers, druggies. There was this one girl oh boy she really didn’t like me. Thought I was gonna wake up one morning with a blade in me. (Faith looks horrified.). Faith: But what about our inheritance? You could have used that to buy yourself a place. (Mara frowns.). Mara: What inheritance? Faith: Our inheritance from mom and dad. Mara: I didn’t get anything from mom and dad. Faith: You didn’t? But that doesn’t make sense. They left me money and the house. You must have gotten a share. Mara: Well I didn’t. Who cares anyway? I don’t want nothing from them. Faith: Sis. Mara: What? You know all their money came from them selling death to kids don’t you? Don’t want money anyway. Makes your fingers dirty. (Will raises his eyebrows.). Faith: It’s all in the past now. Mara: Yep. (Mara sips her coffee.). Mara: So when did you come back here? Faith: A few years ago. I met Joseph shortly after. He helped me. Mara: Hm. (Mara looks up at Joseph.). Mara: That was nice of him. Faith: He saved me. Mara: From what exactly? Faith: Myself. Mara: Got you off the drugs. Faith: Yes. Like I said. Mara: But your still using them. Faith: I’m not I swear. Mara: So what you’re cooking up in dads old conservatory...It’s not drugs no? (Faith is silent. Mara sighs.). Mara: So what you been taking this time sis? Coke? Meth? Faith: It isn’t like that. Mara: What is it like then? Faith: I am not a junkie anymore. I’m different now. You don’t need to worry about me. Mara: I do worry about you. That’s kinda my job. (Mara smiles slightly. Faith smiles back.). Faith: I know. I know you’ve always looked out for me. But you don’t need to anymore. You don’t need to worry because everything is fine. Mara: Are you sure? Faith: Yes. (Faith smiles. Mara stares at her for a moment.). Mara: Okay. (Mara finishes her coffee.). Mara: It’s late I should be getting back. Faith: You’re leaving already? Mara: I’m not leaving. I’m just going to get some sleep. We’re getting coffee tomorrow aren’t we? Faith: Yes. Mara: Good. (Mara stands up.). John: You can always stay here. Mara: Excuse me? John: Well saves you going all the way back to the mountains. You could stay here and Faith can meet you here in the morning. Faith: That’s nice of you John. (Mara pretends to act dumb. She frowns.). Mara: Who’s Faith? (They all stare at her. Faith giggles.). Faith: I am silly. Mara: Your names Rachel. Faith: Well I changed it. Mara: Uh huh. What was wrong with Rachel? Faith: I didn’t like Rachel. Mara: Okay. I should get going. Faith: Where is it your staying again? Mara: In a busted trailer in the woods opposite the Grand View Hotel. Near the thingy with the red light on top of it. That makes the sound of a ‘caribou call’. (Mara turns to Lonny raising her eyebrows. Will laughs.). Mara: Just look for the fairy lights. Faith: Fairy lights. Got it. Mara: I’ll see you tomorrow sis. (Faith gets up and Mara wraps her arms around her.). Mara: It’s so good to see you again. I look forward to tomorrow. Faith: Me too. Mara: Love you sis. Faith: Love you more. I’ll come see you out. (Faith and Mara walk to the door. Jacob stands up.). Jacob: I should get going too. (Joseph stands up.). Joseph: I will see you tomorrow. Jacob: Yes brother. (Joseph presses his forehead to Jacobs. Jacob then leaves the chalet. Faith is standing on the porch.). Faith: Are you going Jacob? Jacob: Yes. Faith: Could you give my sister a lift? I didn’t realise she didn’t have a car. She’s going to walk back to the mountains. (Faith points to where Mara can be seen walking off of the property and into darkness. Lonny and Will come out followed by Joseph and John.). Will: Thank you for dinner John. John: You’re welcome. (Will notices Mara walking off. Then she disappears from view. Faith sighs.). Will: Where did your sister park her car? She could have pulled it in here. Faith: She doesn’t have one. Will: She’s walking back to the mountains? Faith: Unless Jacob agrees to pick her up and give her a lift. Joseph: Yes. (Jacob looks at his brother. Joseph smiles at him.). Joseph: Give the young lady a ride home brother. Jacob: Hm. Faith: Please. Just make sure she gets home safe. Will: We are going that way anyway. (Jacob lets out a grunt.). Jacob: Fine. Faith: Thank you Jacob. Jacob: I’ll see you later. Joseph: See you tomorrow. John: Goodnight Jacob. Jacob: Night. (Jacob and Will walk over to his truck and Jacob gets behind the wheel. Will gets in the passenger seat. Jacob starts the truck and pulls off of the property. Will looks out the window looking for Mara.). Will: There she is. (Jacob pulls the truck over and Will winds the window down.). Will: Do you want a ride? Mara: No that’s okay. I’ll be fine. Will: Come now lass don’t be daft. It’s gonna take you ages to walk back to the mountains from here. (Mara sighs.). Mara: Okay. As long as it’s no trouble. Will: Not at all. Hop in. (Mara looks at the truck warily.). Will: It’s okay we won’t bite. (Will smiles trying to be reassuring. Mara opens the door and climbs in the back. She puts her seatbelt on and looks out the window. Will winds his window up and Jacob carries on driving. A few minutes later it starts to rain.). Will: Bet your glad for the ride now. You would have gotten soaked lass. (Mara shrugs.). Mara: It’s only rain. (Mara looks up at the rear view mirror. She can see Jacob in the mirror. He suddenly looks up at the mirror and stares at her. She stares back at those gorgeous eyes of his. She suddenly feels stupid. She’s just met this guy and he’s way too old for her. Yet...She can’t stop looking at him. She turns away and looks out the window.). Will: So how long have you been in town? Mara: Four days. Will: Hm. (The drive is awkward and mostly quiet. Mara finds herself glancing at Jacob every now and then. His hair, his eyes, the way his hands rest loosely on the steering wheel. The scarring on his arms. She wonders what happened. Jacob suddenly looks in the rear view mirror again and Mara turns away quickly.). Will: I can’t believe you walked all this way. Mara: I didn’t walk all the way. Some girls gave me a lift. Will: Nice of em. Mara: I guess. When I told them I was going to the ranch in Holland Valley they got real funny with me then pulled over pointed their guns at me and told me to get out of their car. Will: Ah. Who were they? Mara: I don’t know. They saw me walking on the side of the road and stopped to ask if I was okay. I said I was going to Holland Valley but didn’t have a car and they offered me a ride. When they asked where in Holland Valley did I want them to drop me off and I said John Seeds ranch well...They pulled their guns and told me to get the fuck out of their car. Will: Bet that was scary. (Mara shrugs. She finds herself looking at Jacob again. He has a red pistol strapped to his thigh along with a large knife with a red handle. She notices the sniper rifle on the backseat. It’s also red. He likes the colour red. She runs her fingers over the rifle.). Will: You like it? Mara: What? Will: The rifle. Mara: I like the colour. (Will chuckles.). Will: Maybe if you ask nicely Jacob will let you fire it. (Will chuckles. Jacob huffs a laugh. Mara sighs and looks out the window again. It’s raining hard now.). Will: You ever fired a gun? (Mara is silent. She is thinking about the last time she fired a gun. The revolver strapped to her thigh.). Mara: Once. Will: Hm. (Mara really doesn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully Will doesn’t press the issue.). Will: Weathers probably going to be like this for the rest of the weekend. (Jacob lets out a grunt. The rest of the drive is silent. Jacob pulls into the car park of the Grand View Hotel. Several men approach the truck and greet Jacob. They all have rifles. Mara just wants to get going.). Will: So whereabouts are you lass? Mara: Just across the way. Will: Did you want me to walk you? Mara: No. That’s okay. You’ve already done enough for me. Thanks for the lift guys. (Mara gets out of the truck.). Will: It’s no bother. Your sister wanted us to make sure you got back safely. Mara: I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you. Will: Hey Terry. Terry: Alright Will. Those damn Whitetails have been around causing trouble again. They’re on the bank across the way hiding in the woods like cowards. Will: Are they? Terry: Who’s this? Will: This is Mara. She’s Faiths sister. Terry: Faith has a sister? Will: Yes. Terry: Names Terry. Nice to meet yah. Mara: Hi. (Mara smiles slightly. She then walks off heading for the walkway around the side of the hotel that leads to some steps which go up to a small path leading towards the woods. Will sighs and gets out of the truck.). Will: I’m gonna make sure she gets back alright. You don’t have to wait for me. I can make my own way to my cabin from here. (Jacob nods at Will.). Jacob: Will we see you tomorrow? Will: You will. Goodnight Jacob. Terry: See yah Will. Will: Bye Terry. (Will walks off in the direction Mara went. He catches up to her and she turns and looks at him.). Mara: What are you doing? Will: Making sure you get back okay. Mara: I told you I’m fine. Will: Even so. There’s members of the militia out here. Mara: They haven’t bothered me so far. They probably will if they see me with you though. (Will chuckles.). Will: Don’t worry. (Will holds up his rifle.). Will: One of the reasons I have this. (It doesn’t take them too long to reach Maras trailer.). Mara: Well here we are. Thanks for walking me back. Will: You’re welcome. (Will looks at the trailer. It is really dirty and beat up. There is a rusty metal lawn chair outside. The windows of the trailer are all boarded up.). Will: I take it you don’t have running water. Mara: Nope. Will: No electricity either I’d wager. Mara: Nope. Will: Hm. (Mara opens the door.). Mara: Night. (She goes inside. Will follows her. It’s dark. Mara turns on a battery powered lamp which is sitting on a small table. Mara then goes around switching on fairy lights. She has quite a few strewn around the place. She then turns to Will.). Mara: I didn’t say you could come in. Will: Sorry. (He can see the small bathroom. There is a small kitchen counter and dirty sink. Two more rusty metal chairs next to the table. On the table is a pile of drawings.). Will: Are you an artist? Mara: I guess. I like to draw and colour. Will: Hm. (He sees a black holdall on the floor. He looks at the black curtain on the left. He pulls it back and can just about make out a dirty mattress on the floor. He turns back around. Mara has taken her leather jacket off and draped it over one of the metal chairs. It is still raining and she is soaked. She goes to the bathroom and comes back with a towel.). Mara: I’d like you to leave now. I need to sleep. Will: Sure. You sure you’re going to be alright? Mara: Always am. Will: Okay. Goodnight. Mara: Bye. (She opens the door. He leaves the trailer. It’s still raining. He turns back to look at Mara. She shuts the door. He sighs and walks off into the woods. Mara dries her hair as best as she can. She then takes off her wet clothes and chucks them in the tiny shower in the bathroom. She rummages through the holdall and takes out black leggings and a baggy grey long sleeved jumper. She shoves the clothes on and gets into bed. She lies there staring at the dirty ceiling thinking about everything. Seeing her sister after all this time was emotional. She still can’t believe she has got caught up in a damn religious cult. Will seems like a nice man though. There’s something not right about those Seed brothers though. John is creepy. She saw the way he looked at her. Pervert. His eyes were filled with sadness. Jacobs eyes were too. She wonders what happened to make them look so sad. Damnit! Now she is thinking about Jacob again. She laughs to herself. Then she sighs again. She is seeing her sister again tomorrow. Just the two of them. They can talk properly. She closes her eyes, listening to the rain pattering on the roof of the trailer and hopes she can get some sleep.).