#the park speeding to my mates and coming back for it its a stupid and risky idea but its getting dark the sun is almost completely set and

[nerdie-faerie]

This has got to be the worst move out yet

[thewitchandtheassassin]

The Dumbass Award Goes To... (Yelena Belova x Reader)

Summary: Reader makes a mistake... and pays the price :)

Words: 1485

Warnings: Language? Pranks.

Taglist: @natasharomanoffswife​ @natasha-danvers​ @aaron-despair​​ @username23345 @xjiasx​ @nowthisisliving27 @higherfurther-romanova​ @summergeezburr @marvels-writings @imnotasuperhero @miscmarvelwritings @captain-josslett @onlyafewfindtheway @hayleyokami @b-5by5 @lostandsearching @evilcr0ne    @everything201197​

-X-

You should’ve known starting a prank war with your girlfriend – a former assassin turned spy with a sister who was considered one of the greatest spies of all time – was a terrible plan but your love for walking the line between dangerously stupid and harmless negligence overruled the little voice in your head.

The same voice reminding you why was going to end badly, fabricating a mental PowerPoint of every single way this could blow up in your face. But you were notoriously famous for ignoring the concerns presented to you…

Why would this be any different?

-X-

Prank One:

Tucked into the passenger seat of Yelena’s car, you hummed absently as the bright New York lights blurred around you. Fond of the new Charger her sister had procured for her, she’d been driving everywhere recently (which, to be fair, you didn’t mind because being a passenger was far more enjoyable than being tasked with keeping you both alive) so you were simply studying the city that never seemed to truly sleep.

Your hums fell quiet as an odd noise reached your ears, watching Yelena perk up at the unexpected sound from the corner of your eye. It was subtle but grew louder as the car picked up speed, the strange whistling echoing up from beneath the engine block.

“What the hell?” Yelena mumbled, easing her foot from the gas. It became softer, but it was still evidently there. “This cannot be happening.”

The noise remained for a mile or two more before the frustrated blonde was pulling into an empty parking lot and throwing the car into park. Hopping out of the car, she was swift in examining the front of her gift. Nothing seemed out of place and all she could hear now was the soft grumble of her engine, but she still crouched down and carefully inspected the space below the hood. She knew to be careful, having disarmed – and planted – plenty of car bombs throughout her time with the Red Room.

You watched with amusement as Yelena popped back into view suddenly, eyes narrowed as she stared at you through the windshield. Clutched tight in her grasp was a metal harmonica, the same one you’d shown her a few days ago after your impromptu shopping trip with Kate, presenting it like a proud penguin offering its mate a stone.

“That was not funny,” she grunted, words muffled by the glass separating you. “Do not mess with my car, malishka.”

Smirking, you shrugged.

I thought it was hilarious.

-X-

Prank Two:

Teeth digging into her lip, Yelena’s brows were furrowed with concentration as deft fingers scribbled notes into the never-ending mound of paperwork settled on her desk. She was pretty certain some of Natasha’s work had “magically” worked its way into hers but as the words began to blend together on the sheet before her, she didn’t really care.

Buzz.

Sighing, Yelena blindly reached for her phone and glanced at the screen. Blinking slowly at the text, she briefly wondered if the paperwork had driven her insane.

Aardvark: an African mammal with a large…

Head tilting in bewilderment, Yelena didn’t know how to react. The message had come from an unknown number, simply a string of six random numbers, as if she’d subscribed to a random service but she couldn’t think of a single reason she’d receive a dictionary definition…?

Setting her phone back down, her attention fell back upon her work but her mind continuously wandered back to the strange message. She doubted it was a trap or a cry for help, but in her line of work, she could never be too sure.

An hour later (a wasted hour, honestly), she finally managed to return her full attention to the report at hand but as she was finishing the longest paragraph of her life…

Buzz.

Her head snapped back in the direction of her phone and she carefully lifted it, both concerned and annoyed by the interruption.

Fortnight: a period of two weeks.

And as another hour past, it happened again…

Shaggy: having or covered with long, rough, and messy hair.

And again…

Carrot: a long, pointed orange root eaten as a vegetable.

Concentration utterly destroyed, Yelena couldn’t stop staring at her phone, completely baffled by the current string of messages arriving hourly. But only minutes later, a different message appeared in the thread and her head slammed onto the desk.

Thank you, Yelena, for subscribing to HourlyDefinitions. Please note that you are subscribed for the next six months to receive hourly definitions from dictionaries around the world. You may change the frequency on our website using your username and password at any time. We hope you enjoy!

“I am going to kill her.”

-X-

Prank Three:

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Yelena stumbled exhaustedly into the kitchen. Training with Natasha always left her aching, her limbs limp and noodle-y (she blamed you for that description). She was planning to half-heartedly conjure up a snack and a drink before venturing into your shared bedroom in hopes of feeding her growling stomach before passing out for an hour or two.

Opening the refrigerator door, she froze. Every single item stationed within the fridge was staring back at her, though a few were lazy and lingering on her feet. There had to be at least a hundred pairs of eyes, each one placed primly on the packaging of food and drink alike.

“How did she get so many googly eyes?!”

-X-

Prank Four:

“…(Y/N), Chewbacca is calling me again. If you do not tell him to stop, I will hunt him down and remove his vocal chords… no, I am not joking.”

Prank Five:

Accepting the letter Natasha had delivered to her from the weekly mail pile sitting mostly untouched in the common area, Yelena rolled her eyes playfully at the structured yet sloppy handwriting scrawled across the envelope. Tony was notorious for sending invitations to his parties despite everyone living within the same confines so it was no surprise to receive yet another one from the billionaire.

Carefully slicing the envelope, Yelena snorted at the ridiculously fancy – albeit boring – front of the invitation. It was simply her name in his awkward scribble and she tugged it from its temporary home. Flipping it open, her smile fell away as her eyes widened in horror.

Glitter rained from the card.

All over the floor.

Of her office.

Blue and pink sparkles glittered about in a waterfall of misery and mess, standing bright against the dark carpet beneath her desk as they fell upon it because of course she’d trusted him and hadn’t thought to stand any other place in the office.

On the invitation, there was a simple: sorry, kid.

That was it. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. If you were hellbent on playing this game with her, so be it. You were her girlfriend but now you were also her enemy.

-X-

Strolling into the kitchen, your mouth began to water at the sweet smell of cooked caramel that wafted throughout the space. Yelena and Wanda were huddled around the prettiest colored apples you’d ever seen, each one shiny with newly dipped caramel. Wanda didn’t often make them but as the weather became colder, she’d occasionally surprise you all with the divine treat.

Yelena often enjoyed cooking with the Sokovian, bonding over trauma and delicious food. She wasn’t a five-star chef by any means but Wanda had taught her plenty over the last few months and you were just happy she was happy.

Catching sight of you, Yelena beamed up at you.

“(Y/N)! You are just in time. Kate Bishop keeps trying to steal the apple I made for you but I have protected it with my life,” she announced proudly, accent thick with glee at the thought of her perfectly crafted gift. “Take it before she does because she has very grabby hands and her sad puppy look is draining.”

Greedily accepting the sweet treat, you carefully lifted the delight to your lips, keeping the wooden skewer holding it upright somewhat secure so it wouldn’t break under the sudden shift. Sinking your teeth through the coating and into the treat, you contentedly chewed the decent chunk you’d managed to secure before your mouth fell open in disgust and betrayal.

Dropping the offending candied ball of lies, you hurried over to the sink, spitting out the remains and desperately attempting to wash the taste from your tongue. You briefly considered pouring soap into your mouth but decided that was too dramatic, even for you.

“What?” Yelena questioned innocently, snagging off a piece of her own apple and munching on it cheerfully. “Do you not like caramel onions?”

Gagging into the sink, you shot your smug girlfriend a weak glare before continuing your quest to rid your mouth of the flavor.

Maybe you should’ve watched that PowerPoint after all.

[teamhook]

I want to thank the @cssns , my lovely beta @ultraluckycatnd and my very talented artist @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713

AO3

FFN

Emma had been stalking Killian’s place. She never thought she would have to stake out his home. She sighs as she tries to do a web search on her phone for the Norn. That old hag lied to them. Sure, Ruby didn’t pick up his scent, but there was something about that lady that was shifty as hell. Which leads her to another mystery—the woman looking for Killian. There was something off about her, too. 

A knock on the window of her dad’s truck startles her. “Hey, Emma, I got a call about a suspicious vehicle. What are you doing here?”

“Really? You’re saying someone called in about my dad’s truck?” She rolls her eyes. “Everyone knows my dad’s truck.”

He smiled. “They do, but I think they’re worried about you. You haven’t moved from here in days. Emma, he will be home soon, and then you will get all the answers you need.”

Emma looks down, her eyes drifting to the passenger seat. The poptart wrappers and empty food containers everywhere make her wince. Since that day at the station, with the off feeling she felt in her gut when meeting that woman Autumn, she had gone to Killian’s place. In her mind, she was keeping Killian safe somehow.  

Graham laughed. “Go home, you smell! I don’t need to be a wolf to notice that.”

Emma scoffs. “Whatever! I don’t smell that bad.” 

Graham’s brows knit as he looks at his phone. “That was the station. The motion sensors we set up to alert us if someone needs us went on and we need to go back.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “I can go check. You haven’t had lunch. You were on patrol and Killian is on vacation.”

“You are my favorite honorary deputy. I can get you something too.” Graham smiles.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Get me my usual. Tell Ruby I said hi.” Emma smirks and turns on the truck to head to the station. 

As Emma arrives at the station, her heart speeds up. She was sure it was Leroy or one of the dwarves complaining about some nonsense, but the car parked in the deputy’s spot is unmistakable. The beloved grey and black 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle is back. This could only mean one thing. Killian Jones is back. Her steps get quicker as she races to the door. She opens the door and her heart stops as her gaze lands on the man she loves.  His hair is a bit longer. The scruff is thicker and those eyes are storm-dark blue. She runs the rest of the way and throws her arms around his neck. Her lips land on his and for a brief minute she forgets how angry she is and all the questions she has. He stands still with his hands on her hips. Normally his hands instinctively land on the back of her head. Emma slowly steps away and smiles. “I missed you.” She raises her index finger. “You have some explaining to do buddy, but it’s really nice to see you.” She steps away as she looks for some change to manifest. 

He feels frustrated, Belle had mentioned he needed to be honest about the situation and that Emma needed to know about what was affecting their relationship.

“Emma, we need to talk,” Killian says as he guides her to the break room for some privacy.

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Look, Killian, I know you went to see the Norn. I want to say, you didn’t have to do that. At least not for me,”  Emma says as she stops moving.

Killian lets out a laugh. “I’m sorry, did you just say I shouldn’t have gone to the Norn to save you?” He pauses. “You are the woman I love. I cannot picture a life without you and you think it was a mistake?” He enters the break room and she follows slowly.

“I just don’t want you to hate me. I know that you felt guilty about Liam and—” Emma rushes. 

“Aye, I felt guilty but that doesn’t mean you are not worth it.” Somehow he was now standing right in front of her.

“I just hate you had to make a deal with that wretched hag. She just made my skin crawl.” Emma shudders.

“Emma, what did you do? Did you go see her?” Killian tries to stay calm. 

“Well, I wanted to know what had happened to you. I was so worried. Killian, where have you been?” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “You just left. No note, not even a text.” 

His instinct took over and he pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry, darling, but now I’m back and we will find a way.”

She sniffles. “Find a way?” 

“Ah yes. Emma, I think you need to sit down. We really need to talk,” Killian says.

“I find it when a man says that, I’m rarely in for a pleasant conversation,” she grimaces as she sits down. 

He paced the room a few times before he met her gaze.  “I’m sorry love, I don’t know where to start.”

Emma’s forehead puckered as his words registered. Since when did Killian not know what to say. “Killian, you’re scaring me-” she laughs nervously. “You always know what to say.”

The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I suppose I should try from the start.” He pauses. “I was afraid I would lose you to this battle. I didn’t think twice and I went to go see the Norn. I made my offer and what I wanted.” He sighs. “I should have known better, she is known for her trickery. I just wanted you to be safe and I didn’t care about the price.”

“Your wolf, Killian I’m—” 

Killian interrupted her as he sat in front of her. 

“Emma, it was my choice to do this. Unfortunately, she decided to alter our agreement. She took something else.”

Emma feels her stomach drop and her eyes widen. “What did she take?” her voice barely audible. 

His hand subconsciously covers hers. “Something far more precious, my love passion.”

Her heart is beating so fast. “Love passion, how can someone take that?”

“Ah, that would be with ancient dark magic, I’m afraid,” Killian says. 

“Wait... what does that mean? I don’t understand,” Emma asks, baffled.

Killian bites back his anger at the situation and himself. He did this. “Emma, by taking my love passion, the Norn took my love for you. Although I care deeply for you, I’m afraid my heart isn’t yours. I should clarify, I can no longer feel passion for any woman.” Killian winces at the look on Emma’s face.

Her face went blank. “I don’t understand, we’re True Love. Why would you let her?” she screamed as she stood up. The room shook as her body started to glow brightly. 

Killian stands, dumbfounded. As she gets brighter, he has to cover his eyes to approach her. “Emma, love, I didn’t let her take it! She tricked me and I promise you I will find a way to fix this. All you have to do is trust me. Please, calm down.”  

Her body starts to dim as his words register. He was always her anchor. Her breathing evens out. “Haven’t you learned anything? We make a hell of a team. We do this together. No more doing stupid stuff on our own.” She laughs. They’re both guilty of that. To be honest, she was the one that was reckless and he normally would like to strategize; that must be because of his military background.

He smiles. “I went to ask for help. Belle will be arriving soon.”  

“That’s where you went. You couldn’t call me to let me know you needed time away but you called Belle?” Emma scoffs. 

“Emma, she’s the closest thing I have to family left.” He is astonished by her reaction. 

“Is she? Because I thought I was your family. My parents love you like a son!” she fumes.

“Don’t you understand? I couldn’t face you after I ruined everything,” he says defeatedly.

At the sight of his defeated demeanor, Emma feels the anger dissolve. “Killian, we will fix this, together. We will take care of that sneaky hag.” 

He simply smiles and feels like a fool for ever thinking she wouldn’t understand. 

Emma returns his smile. “What’s the plan, Captain? How do we take this bitch down?”

“For now we wait; Belle and Scarlett will arrive soon. Then the fun begins.”

“Can’t we just go to my parents and have them make her give it back or something?” Emma asks.

“The Norn is one of the oldest Faes alive.  No Stygia or Rioga would dare to reprimand her. It is said that she was once good and because of the threat of the Darkness she wanted to gain enough power to survive. She started making deals with Dark Fae and she became corrupt. Now she makes deals and sometimes alters them for her enjoyment. Our only choice is to play her game,” Killian states.

The Norn didn’t like waiting around. She’s annoyed that her quarry has proven to be elusive. It didn’t matter, though; in the end, he will be hers. The glamour potion was ready for her next attempt. She is so distracted by the plans she is making for the wolf she covets that she misses the glow between the hair and the wolf’s love passion, indicating they are currently together. The wolf’s heart essence recognized its one true mate. 

Emma and Killian had gone to her parents to inform them of Belle’s arrival. 

Mary Margaret and David want some sort of explanation, but one look from Emma told them to stand down. They listen as Killian tells them of Belle’s upcoming grand entrance. They agree in an instant to host the Rioga. 

In a moment of privacy, Mary Margaret asks Emma if things between her and the wolf are alright. 

“Mom, we are okay, I know you and Dad want to know what happened and I just want you two to give us space to solve our issues alone. We are grownups and need to take care of our own problems,” Emma says.

“Alright, Emma. I, that is we, are worried. You were so worried about him and now it seems that’s in the past.”

“Mom, what he did for me, no one would ever even consider to do before. I can’t hate him. I understand why he left. I wish he didn’t, but he’s back and that’s all that matters,” Emma assures her mother. 

“Can you tell me why Rioga Belle is visiting?”

“She is coming because Killian needs her.” Emma shrugs. 

Mary Margaret nods. “Alright, I know you two have your reasons.”

In a different room, David stares at Killian as he says, “I know you two are working things out, but I have to warn you that if you ever leave town again without a word to my daughter, I will hunt you down and kill you.” David warns. “Killian, she was so worried and we didn’t know how to help her. You have always been the one to tame her anxieties but this time, you were the one causing her pain. Whatever the problem is, True Love is worth fighting for.” 

The following day, the Norn twirls the vials with her fingers. She was running out of the Savior’s hair. She had to use more because the last attempt failed. She eyes the potion gleefully; it looks perfect. She uncorks it and drinks it. Her body becomes enveloped by ash gray smoke and is transformed; her hair is platinum-blonde and the eyes are green. It’s closer to her goal, but not exact, but it would do for now. She just needed a kiss to bind him to her. She dresses in a modest green dress and heads to town. 

She rarely goes to town, so she looks around. Humans are so vile. They destroy all nature around them. The beautiful trees are gone so they can have luxuries. She scoffs in disgust. 

The station is just in sight. She smiles wickedly, it’s time to catch a wolf. 

The station is busy with calls. Graham is out on patrol, while Emma is responding to a call at the docks. Killian was alone in the station answering the phones today. He’s running his hand through his hair because he is frustrated and annoyed. They really need to hire someone to answer the phones and deal with these idiots.

The Norn enters and the bell rings to announce her presence. She stands in front of the desk, tapping her fingers on the wooden desk.

Killian sat at his desk twirling a pen with his fingers. He looked down at his notepad. They had to come up with a way to defeat the Norn. Yes, they would still get back his love passion, but he had a feeling that witch would not let it end there. The bell at the front desk caught his attention. Well, he was alone so he better go check out what the problem was. He really hoped it wasn't Leroy.

He approaches the front desk only to find a woman with her back to him. It's an odd feeling. He feels as if he knows her but then his stomach flips and not in a good way. There's something about her. He makes his presence known hesitantly.

"Excuse me, lass. How may I help you?" Killian says with a hesitant smile on his face.

The woman with platinum blonde hair and green eyes turns to him with a smile of her own. "Hello, I was hoping it was you."

Killian shakes his head in confusion because he knows he has never laid eyes on this woman and yet there's a nagging feeling. His wolf reacts as if he is under attack. "How may I help you today?" Killian says through gritted teeth.

"Oh, hello. My name is Hazel Forest. I'm here to make a report. I live on the outskirts of town and there have been some unlawful activities."

Killian quirks a brow as he writes down the information. "I can have Sheriff Graham go take a look. He is in that area."

"Oh no, I'd prefer it if it was you that checked it out. It's not a human problem."

She was saying it was a supernatural problem. He normally would offer his help right away, but there was something putting his wolf on high alert and he had long learned to trust his instincts. There was something wrong and it wasn't what the woman claimed.

"Alright. I will have Emma meet me out there. If there's a problem as you described, it will be better if she assists." He pulls his phone out of his pocket. "You said this was on the outskirts of town. Is this by the toll bridge?"

Her smile fades. "I think you can handle it on your own. I've never heard of a powerful wolf like yourself needing the help of some human."

Killian shakes his head in disbelief. Everyone loved Emma. She was the Savior and daughter of their Rioga, not to mention their bloody princess, but this woman seemed to think she was a simple human.

"Lass, the Savior is not some simple human. She has powerful white magic and I've yet to see her fail. She is the best option for any magical problem," Killian says with a smirk.

The woman tilts her head and scoffs as she walks out of the station.

Killian runs out after her but she is gone. She disappeared into thin air. There's a familiar scent in the air that makes him gag.

  The scent lingers in the air for a while. He looks around the empty street because he feels as if he is being watched.

Emma arrives sometime later. He tells her about the encounter. She asks about the woman's description and once he provides it, she scrunches her face.

"How is it possible that there's this sudden influx of unknown women wanting your attention on their case? I know you are great at your job, but it feels off," Emma says.

"Are you saying these women are only out to gain my attention?" he says with a small smile. He has always loved her jealous streak.

"You know what I mean. Yes, I know you're hot and I'm used to women checking you out, but this feels like it’s much more than that."

"Alright, love. How about we go on patrol to see if there was something to it. We don't need a new villain making a play right now. We have yet to take the Norn down and get my passion back."

Emma smiles; she loved going on patrol with him. She knows things are different right now but in her heart she still has hope. The more time they spend together the better. She remembers how it was when they fell in love. It was a somewhat similar situation but with the roles reversed.

They spend the day out on the outskirts by the toll bridge. She glances at him when he is looking around; she knows he is smelling around to see if anything catches his wolf's attention.

Killian glances in Emma's direction when she is too busy looking around for clues. He is still in awe of her. She is bloody amazing.

"Hey, did you find anything?"

"Sorry, no I didn't love. Everything looks fine. I have no idea what the woman was talking about."

"I still think it's fishy. She wanted you to come out here with no back up. I feel something is off in my gut."

"I've learned to trust your instincts. My wolf senses something as well and normally I can pinpoint the problem, but this time it eludes me."

"So, Belle arrives tomorrow. We should be thinking of a plan."

"And we will."

"I guess we should get back to the station. We can continue this talk at your place." She gives him a flirty smile.

Killian scratches his ear. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Emma tries to hide her disappointment with her reply. "Oh, are you afraid you will find me even more irresistible? Come on lighten up, we are friends above all."

"Aye, that we are." He smiled fondly. "After you."

Tag List:

@rumdrum91 @itsfabianadocarmo @xsajx @hookedonapirate @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @profdanglaisstuff @let-it-raines @revanmeetra87 @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @kymbersmith-90 @branlovestowrite @thejollyroger-writer @shireness-says @ilovemesomekillianjones @thisonesatellite @thesschesthair @winterbythesea @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke @superchocovian @lfh1226-linda @artistic-writer @thislassishooked @shardminds @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @ultraluckycatnd @gingerchangeling @laschatzi @wellhellotragic @xemmaloveskillianx @courtorderedcake @pirateherokillian @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @sherlockianwhovian @andiirivera @djlbg @jennjenn615 @scientificapricot @officerrogers @imlaxdris71 @therealstartraveller776 @kday426 @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713   @donteattheappleshook @spacekrulesbians @lassluna @carpedzem @captainodonoghue @killian-will-do @jarienn972 @tehgreeneyes  @demisexualemmaswan @queen-serena88 @swanslieutenant @tiganasummertree @whimsicallyenchantedrose @bethacaciakay @ohmakemeahercules @jrob64 @klynn-stormz @mariakov81 @sals86 @elizabeethan @brooke-to-broch @hookedonhiddles @onceratheart18

[perhapsitmaybedragons]

A Congress of Newts and Serpents

Shoutout to cassieoh for the title, which I quite like and never would have thought of on my own.

I really wanted to write Newt getting romance advice from Crowley. It didn’t turn out the way I was expecting it, but I like how it went. It’s quite fluffy and has a very happy ending - one shot only.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26944687

Or continue reading below:

“The point is,” Anathema continued, “That you had no right to say that!”

“I'm just saying, maybe we should go back home to discuss this?” Newt glanced at Aziraphale and Crowley. Aziraphale looked concerned. Crowley was smirking in that way that meant he thought he was about to get a lot of free entertainment.

“Home?” She was seething. She grabbed his keys off of the table in the entry way. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I will absolutely see you at home. You can find your own way there.”

She slammed the door behind her and Newt stood there, watching her go. He had some inkling he was meant to chase after her, but another part of his brain was arguing that it was something that one only did in romantic comedies. She would calm down. Eventually. Right?

“What exactly did you do?” Crowley couldn't hide his delight. Sure, he was very kind for a demon, but he was still, at heart, a demon. “I don't think I've ever seen her so mad.”

“It's not like we've known them that long, Crowley,” Aziraphale poked him.

“I just said that I thought it was silly to go around lighting sage in the cottage. She said it would cleanse the air or something, and maybe get rid of demons?” he ran his hand through his already messy hair, somehow making it worse in the process. “I pointed out that might mean Crowley couldn't come around and she said something about well of course it makes exceptions for him he's one of the good guys. And it's just...I believe in science and I don't understand all of this new age stuff. I'm trying, I swear!” He spared a quick glare at the leftovers from tonight's dinner – sage encrusted  chicken. It had brought the fight from this morning right back, after he'd thought they'd already worked it out.

“Well, dear boy,” Aziraphale chuckled. “It may be 'new age' to you, but I can assure you it's existed for centuries. Nothing new under the sun, as they say.”

“Who says that? I don't say that,” Crowley shook his head and went to get himself a drink. They were all in his flat. Aziraphale had thought it would be a good idea to get the humans to come around every so often while they all waited to see if Heaven or Hell would make another move. So far, all that had happened was that they'd learned Newt was a lightweight and that Anathema got angry after just one drink (though she never seemed actually drunk ...just ...angry).

“You do have to meet in the middle,” Aziraphale continued as though Crowley hadn't interrupted him. “It's alright if you don't quite believe the same things, but it isn't kind to patronize.”

“I didn't think I was being patronizing...”

“But you may have come across that way, even without intending it. How long have you known Ms. Device?”

“I mean...we met the day we all had to stop Adam from blowing up the world.”

“So just a few weeks, then. It can be hard to build a relationship that quickly.”

Neither one of them could see Crowley rolling his eyes behind his shades. “It was quick,” Newt admitted. “Do you think it means we're wrong for each other?”

“I think, Newton, that you should go home, get some sleep and talk to Anathema in the morning. Perhaps you should sleep on the couch tonight, let her have the bed,” Aziraphale clapped him gently on the back. “Crowley will take you, since she took your car.”

“I'll take him? News to me. Why don't you take him, angel?”

“I couldn't – what would be the point? I don't have a car. He'd have to take the bus and at this hour those can be impossible to come by!”

“You could miracle one up for him-”

“I will not perform a frivolous miracle when you could just take him in your car,” Aziraphale insisted. “It would be much faster than the bus, anyway. The way you drive, so long as you don't get yourselves into an accident, you'll probably be there and back in half an hour.”

“I'm sorry, so long as we don't get into an accident?” Newt repeated.

He was ignored. “Fine!” Crowley threw his hands up. “I'll take him. Are you going home now, then or did you want a ride, too?”

“No, no, I thought I'd stay here until you get back. I have some thoughts I wanted to run by you.”

“Fine,” Crowley said again. “You, awkward human,” Newt frowned but didn't correct him. They both knew that Crowley knew his name. “Let's get going. The sooner we leave the sooner I can get back and take a nap.”

“Haven't you been drinking?”

“He's right, Crowley. Sober up, first.”

Crowley groaned and shook the alcohol from his system. “There? Happy? All back in the bottle for later. Can we please just go?” He flung the apartment door open and gestured for Newt to go out. Newt scurried along, out the door, through the hallway, down the stairs and finally to where the Bentley was parked in all its glory. He'd seen the car before, but he'd never been in it. He didn't know very much about cars, but he knew just enough to know this was expensive and old.

He climbed into the front seat and buckled in. Crowley got in on the driver's side and started the engine.

“Wait, don't you need to turn the headlights on?”

“Ugh...if it will make you feel better,” Crowley nodded and the lights came on. Then he reversed the car and headed off in the direction of Tadfield.

“It's just...” The words poured out of Newt before he could think better of it, “I don't see what the big deal is. I really wasn't trying to upset her or anything. I thought relationships were about sharing your opinions. But ...maybe it's not a great idea to form a relationship based on a book...”

“A book?”

“Yeah. Agnes Nutter. She predicted us together. Apparently marriage as well.”

“Ah.”

“So. Stupid reason, huh?”

“Well, yeah.”

Newt hadn't expected that. “But she got everything right! Agnes predicted every little thing we needed to survive. How can you say that it's stupid?”

“Because you said that it's stupid. I was just agreeing with you. Did you want me to say 'oh, no, you're wrong. Perfectly logical to let an ancient witch decide who you should be with and who you should marry. Most obvious thing in the world, that'?”

“Maybe not,” Newt shrunk into the passenger seat, vaguely aware that he was sulking. “I guess it's not as good as overcoming everything you and Aziraphale have, but you can't really compare us – we're just human. I mean, she's a witch but -”

“I'm sorry, what was that?” Crowley had brought the car to an abrupt stop. Newt's whole body jerked as they went from impossibly fast to standing still. He felt a little fuzzy, but fully aware that had Crowley not cushioned the blow that could have done some serious damage to him.

“She's a witch, literally. I'm not calling her names-”

“Not that, I know about her being a witch,” Crowley was acting funny. His tone of voice was bored, like he didn't want to have the conversation. But Newt knew enough about body language to gather that Crowley was very interested in what Newt had to say right now. “What's that about me and Aziraphale?”

“Well, you're together, aren't you? So I figure you had to fight all of Hell and maybe all of Heaven, too, just to be together.”

“We're not,” Crowley didn't finish his argument. “He and I are friends. I mean...really good friends.”

“Aren't you in love with each other?” And now Newt was absolutely baffled. He'd had best friends before. None of them looked at him the way Crowley looked at Aziraphale. Not that he'd ever seen, anyway. “I thought you were together. Anathema-” now he trailed off, suddenly reminded of the fight. “Look, no matter what you two are to each other, I know you've fought before. How did you deal with it?”

“Probably the same way you dealt with fights with your mates in the past,” Crowley started his car back up again but didn't start driving. They were sitting still, parked on the side of the road. He looked deep in thought.

Newt was many things. Awkward, bad with electronics, maybe a little on the odd side. But he wasn't dumb. “Look, if I fight with friends it's never about anything important. And they get loads of time away from me, so if they're mad at me I don't have to worry about going to bed alone.”

“Those aren't things I have to worry about. I mean, I don't worry about going to bed alone. I do go to bed alone... I just don't worry about it, I mean.” The car started moving, but it wasn't lost on Newt that Crowley was driving the speed limit. He wondered for a moment if it was the first time Crowley had ever obeyed traffic laws.

“Fine. Indulge me. Hypothetical. If you and Aziraphale were in love and you had a fight-”

“Why do you need to bring him into this hypothetical? Why not just say 'if you were in love with someone and had a fight with them'?”

“Fine! If you were in love with someone, anyone, doesn't matter who, and they were very angry at you, what do you do about it? Especially when you never put in the ground work to be together in the first place?”

To his credit, Crowley did seem to be pondering the question sincerely. “Complained to the wrong people, mostly.”

“Complained? Not ...would complain? You're talking like you have been in this situation.”

“Not the part about being fated to be together by someone, obviously. Um...you've heard of the,” Crowley snapped his fingers as he tried to remember the correct phrasing. “The friend zone!” he looked triumphant when the word came to him.

“Yes,” Newt said slowly. He'd used the phrase himself as a teen once, and had been quickly reprimanded by his mother. He had learned to be wary of the kind of people who used it.

“That was mine, but it was an accident, swear it. I was just in a bar complaining to someone, and obviously I'd had a bit too much ...I said to this guy, 'you know, an out and out rejection would be fine, but it's not like I haven't been obvious about the whole thing. I may not have said the words but all my actions were you know...implying, and this person is smart, they can do book analysis and tell you why the curtains were blue or some such so why can't they read between the lines for me?' And this ...this asshole comes up with a  story about some girl he was friends with and was being nice to all the time and how she only wanted to be friends and it was obviously the same as my thing, she'd lead him on by being nice to him. And, Newt?”

“Er-yeah?”

“I was just drunk enough and feeling just evil enough to goad him on with that. That was...I want to tell you the seventies – the nineteen seventies, but I can't remember for sure now. It was stupid.”

“So who was it then?”

“I already told you. Some asshole in a bar.”

“Not the friend zone guy! Who were you complaining about not realizing you're in love with them?”

“You know damn well,” Crowley grumbled. “Everyone knows except that idiot. Especially all the other people in bars I've complained to for the last several thousand years. He's so clever but he's so stupid-”

“Are you sure you sobered yourself up all the way?” Newt checked that his seat belt was fully secure.

Crowley ignored him. “The point is, Agnes got everything else right so she's probably right about you two. Do you like Anathema?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then take an interest in her interests. You ever seen something that makes her just,” Crowley clenched one fist for emphasis, the other remaining lazily on the wheel, “Just light up? Something that makes her so excited it's like the rest of the world drops away and maybe it does for you, too, because you're so focused on how happy she looks?”

“Once or twice...”

“And you don't want to do everything you can to make her look like that any chance possible?”

“Yes. ...Yes, I do. But I'm a little surprised you're willing to give advice on this. Or talk about it at all. You don't usually say much to me.”

“I talk when there's something worth saying. ...what do you know about glaciers?”

Newt stared at Crowley like he thought the demon had gone completely mad. “Uh- just that they're melting awfully fast, what with the greenhouse gases and-”

“Remarkably slow things. Used to be, at least. Then global warming and the polar bears dying and – not my point. My point is, the glaciers were here when we got here. Him and me, I mean. Him and I? Me and him? ...right, anyway, there's this big one that's been there the whole time and it's moving really slowly. Like ...snails are out pacing this bastard, right? That thing is going to somehow circumnavigate the globe multiple times before he's going to want to talk about us.”

“Us?”

“Not you and I us, me and him us!”

“Oh, right. Right. So are you admitting-”

“Yes, yes, we're past all that. I'm in love with Aziraphale, big whoop, you figured it out. Again, you're not the first one to say something to me about it.”

“And you've ...told him since then?”

“Not technically. We got kind of close to talking about it once... He says I go too fast for him. So if I go too fast and there's a glacier out pacing him, where do we meet in the middle?”

“Is that where the 'glacial pace' phrase comes from? I never thought about it before,” Newt admitted.

“Sorry. We're supposed to be talking about you and your witch, right? Look...I don't know what to tell you. Other than that she's an angry drinker so I would keep the stronger stuff out of the house. You can't be with a person just because a prophetess says you're meant to be. If you want to be with her, it should be because you want to be with her. But make that clear to her.”

“I was trying. That was part of the argument, really. I was trying to point out that my not believing in everything was a good sign for us, because it meant I wanted to be with her for her and not because of Agnes.”

Crowley frowned, “Well, I do actually see your point on that one. But sometimes it matters how it's said.”

Newt tried to look less astonished than he felt. Somewhere along the line, Crowley had decided to take the conversation seriously and actually offer help. Some part of the back of his brain tried to remind him that this was a demon, one who wasn't above still messing with people (though usually in mostly harmless ways). But he couldn't see if this was a trap or not. It seemed like friendly advice.

Judging by how Crowley sped the car back up to his normal speeds (the speedometer was not at an angle Newt could see, and even if it were, they were now going a lot faster than it could measure), Newt figured the conversation was over. Crowley turned the radio on, which went from classical to “Bohemian Rhapsody” without either of them changing the station.

They both pretended to be focused on the music until the car rolled up to Jasmine Cottage. “You'll be all right. I think you're kind of good for each other. Just make sure you're listening, but also make sure she listens to you. When you got together the world was ending so you had to do it quickly, but it's not ending anymore, all right?”

“Yeah, all right,” Newt got out but left the door to the car open. “Crowley? Um. Thank you. For the advice and for being honest with me about you and - ...about your stuff. I hope all that works out for you. For what it's worth,” He wasn't sure he should continue. Newt was very good at putting his foot in his mouth, and he hoped this wasn't another one of those situations. “I think if you spoke to Aziraphale... he might be ready now. You wouldn't be rushing him or anything, not if you just told him what you want to talk about and then let him decide if he wants to have that conversation. I'm pretty sure...look, you don't see the way he's looking at you some of the times, but everyone else has noticed.”

“Whatever you say,” Crowley had adopted that bored tone again. He flicked his wrist and the car door shut itself, making Newt jump back in surprise. But the window was still open. “You and Bicycle Girl have a good night. Hope things work out.”

“Thanks, I-” But Crowley was already driving away. “Thanks, anyway. Right.” Newt squared up his shoulders and headed into the cottage, ready to talk. But he heard a honking noise and realized Anathema was pulling up in Dick Turpin now.

“How did you beat me home?” she demanded as she got out. “I was just about to turn around and go back for you, but I got this feeling that I shouldn't and-” she shook her head.

“Crowley gave me a ride. Literal speed demon, that guy. Look, I wanted to talk to you..”

“I wanted to talk to you! I've done some reflecting and-”

“Anathema?” He interrupted. “I promise I'm going to listen this time, but can we please go inside first? We're literally in the middle of the road here.”

“Right...right.” She moved the car to its appropriate parking spot before they both went inside. And talked. And listened. And talked some more. They took turns talking and listening for the next several hours before they went outside to watch the sunrise the next day, neither of them having gotten any sleep.

“Think we'll be all right?” He asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and squeezing.

“Yeah, I think we will.”

Crowley had headed back immediately after dropping Newt off. Aziraphale, as he'd promised, was still in the flat where he'd been left. He'd brought a whole collection of books to keep himself occupied. He was curled up in a chair Crowley hadn't had before today (“Heaven's sake, more tartan?! Crowley thought to himself as he saw the plush chair Aziraphale had conjured up). He was reading an ancient looking book, a steaming cup of tea next to him.

“Crowley! How did it go?”

“S'Alright. I got him home in one piece, anyway.”

“Do you think they'll be alright? Human relationships can be so ...fickle.”

“Angel?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I still moving too fast for you?”

The question hung between them momentarily. Aziraphale sat up and put his book down on the floor. He seemed to be carefully considering his options. “I -what brought this on?”

“Does it matter? We've never talked about it. I am asking if you are ready to talk now – and telling you that if you aren't, it's ok.”

“No, I want to talk about it,” Aziraphale wiggled so that he was sitting up straight. “I'm sorry. You've done so much for me all these centuries and at first I thought – ah, well, this must be a trap. Then we had the Arrangement and I thought, well, fine, he just wants some time off from doing this work. But it was never about that, was it?”

“See, I thought I had been astoundingly obvious about it. Too obvious. Like one of those American John Grisham novels-”

“I don't like John Grishams-”

“I know, I know, cause they lack subtlety and all have the same plot. You've told me. But that's my point, isn't it? You were the Enemy, but you were the enemy who gives away a flaming sword God gave him because the humans might need it. I thought you were intriguing.”

“I'm not sure I'm ready yet. Not fully,” Aziraphale admitted. “I think my feelings are obvious enough at this point?” His eyes met Crowley's. “I hope so, at least. And if not...you can consider this a formal declaration.”

“A formal declaration?” Crowley repeated. He tried very hard not to smirk. The smirk won. “So this is your ...declaration of Intent to Begin Woo, then?”

“Ah, yes, exactly!” Aziraphale looked delighted by the idea. All these centuries and he still didn't always get sarcasm. Or he purposely chose to disregard it, in Crowley's case. Crowley could never be certain which one it was.

“And how would that look?”

“It would be slow, but I could start coming around and bringing you flowers and talking to you about your day-”

“Other than the flowers, how is that different from what we're currently doing?”

“Because my intent is stated, of course!” Aziraphale looked affronted. “And now you know I'm not doing it just to be your friend, though I do still quite value your friendship. I rather like this idea...”

“It does let you set the pace,” Crowley admitted. “I want you to be comfortable with this.”

“I am quite comfortable, thank you. Comfortable enough to suggest that I ...sleep over?” A blush crept to his cheeks, but before Crowley could start teasing, he corrected. “I just mean sleep in this chair. It's quite comfortable. Not the bed. You'd take the bed. But it would make it easier for me to begin my wooing of you.”

“All right, then, Angel. You're on. But I expect to be uh...thoroughly woo-ed starting tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow morning, then! It's a date.”

[seokiloquy]

Sniff - Kuroo & Kozume

AU: Werewolf (with hardly any werewolf content, I’m sorry)

Requested (I may have changed it a bit, oops)

Word Count: 2.1k+

Miyagi prefecture was home to many subsidiary pack groups that often were at odd ends with each other. Other prefectures had more balance, forming alliances and annual gatherings to share resources and information. Tokyo was a good example of such, though there were smaller groups that covered less ground, they had a balance. Miyagi did not. Though you were never at the forefront of the various battles that happened between the packs, typically spending your time working on the gardening side of things (which had its own conflicts), you often watched from the sidelines as the various hunters and athletes competed against each other. Training, practicing, getting stronger.

Shiratorizawa was at the top of the food chain in Miyagi, they had the strongest hunters and the largest pack. Aoba Johsai was a rising opponent but never quite made it to the top. Other groups often watched the competitors duke it out when they crossed paths, practice or otherwise. Karasuno, your home base, was small. Most of the buildings in the surrounding area were short and the ground was great for harvesting. Other packs came to your home in need of rice or other vegetables. It had been years since Karasuno was seen as a pack with a fighting chance in the annual trials. The generation that had been known to be award-winning athletes had now grown out of their peak metabolic state, moving on to join the workforce. Very few continued in their sport.

Your family was the head of harvesting. Your father worked with roots and your mother took charge of the pickings, and in your free moments outside of school, you worked in the rice fields. Breaking your back (and others) to gather all the grain when you weren’t learning through the day. 

It was crunch time this year. By some odd chance, three of your town’s teams had made it to the national tournament, beating out the arguably stronger teams of Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa. Because of this, you (and everyone else in the community that weren’t part of the training teams) had to gather as many resources as possible to award the winning communities in their respective fields at the end of the tournament. 

Everything hurts your brain nowadays. This time of the year was a drag. Despite being happy about your pack’s success, you desperately wished that only one team had succeeded. Now, you had to gather three times more rice than you normally did. 

Sadly, Karasuno never qualified for any of the traditional competitions. Hunting, tracking, and speed wasn’t in high demand for a mostly harvest based group. It was the new age games that Karasuno managed to succeed in. Soccer -just like every year-, Tennis, and Volleyball. The latter two were the surprising wins.

“(L/N), do you want a hand with that?” Yoshida was in his final year of participating in these games but as a member of the pack’s soccer team, the two of you had gotten to know each other over years of competition.

You gladly handed over the large wicker basket that held the harvested paddies, “Thanks.”

“You’ve got your work cut out for you this year, don’t you?” the dark-haired player asked rhetorically.

You sighed, “I still have to mill every grain,” you sniffed, “You know what, give that back.”

“Huh? Why?” he asked, handing the large basket back.

“Oujiyama.”

Without warning, besides the brief name you had given, the tennis captain railed into the side of the soccer player, tackling him down. The large wolf easily shifted into his normal form, laughing at the startled man below him. Yoshida growled, easily retaliating and turned the quaffed hair of Oujiyama into a bird’s nest. Bouncing the wicker basket in your arms, you sighed and left the two competing wolves to wrestle in the dirt.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you two were alpha’s fighting for a mate’s attention.”

Oujiyama was the first to recover from the tussle on the ground, brushing off the dirt from his shoulders, “I am an alpha!”

Yoshida, a beta, took the comment as a compliment. He started skipping to catch up to you.

“Maybe, but I know better. Your guys’ egos are just massive.”

Yoshida stopped skipping and swiped the basket from you with a pout.

The three of you travelled to the outer edge of Karasuno’s community, where a small truck was parked. Yoshida dropped the basket in the back along with all of the other containers of food and draped the tarp over it all. 

“Are you guys heading in early?”

Nodding, you tied the blue tarp down to the edges of the truck. “Ya, we have to finish preparing the rice and help set everything up before all the packs show up.” You let out a whining breath, “It’s too much work. Luckily others from other packs will be there to help and the teams that are already in Tokyo will be helping too.”

With the help of some of the other paddy workers across Tokyo, you managed to mill all of the rice that had been brought in three days. Those days were spent waking up before the hunters came back from their treks at dawn, and working on your knees until long after the sun had set. Now your muscles hurt, your nose was stuffed and you desperately wanted some tea.

Stupid sniffer.

“(Y/N), you’re off work right? Can you go to the sport competition sites and bring some of these towels?”

“Huh? Oh sure,” you held out your arms to carry the stack of soft materials. “Which ones should I go to?”

The suit-clad woman checked the list in her hand before pointing behind you. 

“If you walk south you can take a circular route from the wolf and human sprint courses, through the tennis courts and basketball gyms to end up at the volleyball gym. The Tokyo teams are practicing and all of the other packs are expected to arrive later this evening, make sure that there are enough. Oh, those too,” she pointed to a towel filled cart.

Your brain felt numb again. You laughed pitifully as the woman walked away, watching as she yelled at a few brawling wolves on the path. Dropping the towels onto the rolling cart to your side, you began pushing the large weight in the direction of the tracks. You desperately wanted to smell the clean cotton but your nose was clogged. A whine escaped you.

Most of the competing players were taking breaks, a lot of the boys had shifted into their wolf forms to lounge in the sun and pant while a majority of the girls decided to stick to the shade and drink water. They both thankfully took the towels you delivered, though a few came close to biting your hand as they did.

While at the tennis court Oujiyama ran up to you, racket held tightly in his mouth whining for you to pour water over his head. You complied but weren’t too happy about it.

It was only when you made it to the volleyball courts where the players had been playing rigorously. You delivered the towels to the girl’s teams before making your way to the boys, who were yelling much louder than you would expect them to.

“Excuse me, sir, I brought some towels.”

The old man looked your way. His arms were tightly crossed over his chest and his eyes seemed to be set in a permanent glare meant for scrutinizing every movement before him.

“Oh, thank you,” he said, flicking his wrist to look at the watch that was hidden under his red sleeve. “I guess it is a good time for a break. Boys!”

All the heads on the court turned your way, including those that were clearly from different packs. The old man looked sent a questioning look in the direction of the other coaches, who gave a positive nod.

“Break!”

Immediately all the players ran in the direction of their water bottles. Some shifted in hopes to get there faster than the others, nearly breaking their bottles in the grip of the wolf jaws, and startling their managers in the process. Some began to line up before you, politely asking for towels to which you responded by gently holding them out or dropping it around furry necks.

“You seem tired,” the last one said in a hushed tone.

You let out a sigh, “I’ve been preparing rice for the winning prizes for the past few days, and now that that’s done I need to help with other preparations before all the packs arrive.”

The boy hummed, taking a sip from his bottle, “do you at least get to have a break to watch the games?”

“Thankfully,” you said as you leaned against the now empty cart, sniffing. “It’s like this every year to an extent but this time we have three groups competing which means three times the work.”

The boy took the space beside you, letting his weight shift the cart slightly. “What pack do you come from?” He asked.

“Karasuno.”

“Ah, do you know Shoyo?”

You shrugged a shoulder, “I’ve never actually spoken to the volleyball team, but I’ve seen them around. I tend to spend most of my time working, so any of the people I talk to are mostly out of convenience.” You thought about Yoshida and Oujiyama for a moment, “Or they just pester me for food.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, sorry.” You dug your shoe into the wooden floor, “So what’s your name any-”

“Hey Kenma.”

“It’s Kozume. That’s Kuroo.”

“Tetsurou.”

The tall black-haired player that had interrupted the boy you were speaking to -Kozume- walked over with his hands placed on his hips. He breathed deeply before letting out an amused huff. Kozume huffed.

“You’re willing to talk to a stranger you just met over your own team? That’s new.”

“The stranger’s name is-”

“(Y/N).”

“That. And unlike the team (Y/N) actually relaxed and not loud.”

“Are you saying that that’s not relaxed?” Kuroo asked, throwing an arm out to gesture back to his teammates.

The boys he was referring to were all sprawled across the floor breathing heavily. One, in particular, was in his wolf form rolled onto his back while holding the squeezable water bottle between his teeth, squishing it, and chugging down the contents that poured out. Kenma pushed off the cart to stand next to Kuroo.

“That’s exhaustion, not relaxation.”

As the two bickered back and forth, you spun around to grab the handle of your cart.

“I’ll just go. I’ll see you two around.”

They paid you no mind, continuing to argue over Kenma’s relationships with his teammates. Despite the topic being focused on the dyed blonde, Kuroo seemed to be the more passionate of the two regarding the topic.

Nodding, you shuffled backwards while chewing your lip. The coaches, having caught your exit, sent you grateful smiles and waves that you returned before scooting yourself out of there.

Meeting your own packs volleyball team was an interesting experience. As soon as the bus doors opened a few of them, in the canine forms, jumped out and began running around the open parking lot. They howled continuously until their captain had to yell them down. You started speaking to Ukai and Takeda, showing them a map of the area.

When the Nekoma volleyball team came to greet them it seemed as though all hell broke loose. Nekomata came to your side, gently taking the map from your hands and began leading the coaches in the right direction.

You began walking behind the older men, silently listening in to their conversation and chiming in wherever there was a turn to be made.

Kozume began to walk alongside you, taking who turned out to be Shoyo with him. How you managed to participate in their conversation was beyond you, but you mentally thanked Kozume’s ability to keep the energetic orange talking for the lack of silence.

When the Karasuno volleyball team managed to get all their bags inside their rooms you sighed happily, now free of work. 

“You should go rest, a lot of the games start tomorrow and you don’t want to miss them.” Kuroo had popped up, startling you slightly.

You turned to face his hunched figure head-on. “I’m mostly planning on watching tennis and soccer games. My friends are playing.”

“Well, using that criteria you should be planning to watch our games too.” Kenma had somehow managed to get away from Shoyo and sneak up behind you. He looked a bit drained but not much more than he normally would.

“Huh?” you sniffed again.

Kuroo smiled cheekily and leaned a bit further down, making it easier to see both of his eyes through the hanging black strands.

“Well, you should come to see us play. Don’t you think, mate?”

Despite being the person that controls posting these, I don’t tpically have things to say.... oops - Bacon 

Posted: 03/07/2020

[returnn-of-the-mac]

Could you do the companions saving sole as they are pinned by a Yao guai ?

I am so sorry I used the word “yeeted.” I just. I had to. I’m sorry. Please enjoy!😊 (ill add a read more later)

FO4 Companions React: Sole Being Pinned By a Yao Guai

Sole and their companion were exploring the Fairline Hill Estates when two Yao Guai’s attacked from a nearby park.

The pair fought viciously, and managed to take out one of the two bears. Before they could recuperate, the second Yao Guai leapt out from behind a house and pinned Sole to the ground.

Cait

“Hey!” Cait hollered, marching straight up to the angered bear, “Pick on someone yer own damn size!”

She wound her arm back and delivered a powerful uppercut. While the animal was dazed, she pulled out her shotgun and fired close-range. The force was enough to blow the Yao Guai’s head to smithereens.

A Sole crawled out from under the animal, and surveyed the damage.

“Sorry I covered ye in bear brains,” the redhead apologized, “But I’m sure you’ve been covered in worse.”

MacCready:

“Oh no, you don’t,” MacCready growled, crouching behind a rock and whipping out his sniper rifle. He aimed, held his breath, and fired. The bullet pierced the Yao Guai’s eyeball, and the bear collapsed.

“You good?” MacCready called, rushing up to his dazed friend. He offered them a hand, and Sole accepted it. When Sole had brushed themselves off, the two glanced at the carcass.

“Niiice,” MacCready smirked, pleased with his marksmanship, “That was clean.”

Longfellow:

“Fuck,” the Harborman cursed as he tossed his bottle of whiskey aside and pulled out his trusty harpoon gun, “Hang on, kid.”

Longfellow pulled the trigger and sent a harpoon clean through Yao Guai’s midsection. The animal toppled over and Sole was able to free themselves.

“How’re you feeling? Any wounds? Bleeding?”

Sole shook their head, and Longfellow smirked.

“Well, good!” He exlaimed, scrutinizing his kill, “Good sized game, too. We’ll be eating well tonight. This calls for a damn toast!”

Piper:

“Oh no! Blue!” Piper wailed, “Stay calm!”

Piper fished through her inventory for a her pistol.

“Nuka Cola? No...Gumdrops...no...crumpled up piece of paper...pen...camera...candy wrapper...sugar bombs...”

The Yao Gui growled and swung at Sole.

“...another pen...hair brush...teddy bear—aha!” Piper exclaimed, drawing her weapon, “Hasta la vista, Guai!”

The reporter fired her weapon several times and eventually in the head. The Yao Guai fell over, and Sole stood up and brushed themself off.

A worried Piper rushed up to their companion, “Are you okay!? Any limbs missing?”

Sole shook their head and the reporter sighed in relief.

Gage

“Aw shit!” Gage cursed, “Don’t worry, boss. I won’t let him mess with ya. Imma pop a cap in his ass.”

The raider pulled out his handmade rifile and, without hesitation, made it rain 7.62mm’s on the bear.

The Yao Guai diverted it’s attention from Sole, roared, and charged at Gage.

“Fuck,” he cursed, continuing to chip away at the bear with his gun.

Suddenly, the bear collapsed. It appeared to have a small hole burned through the back of its head.

Sole stood inches from the carcass, wielding a laser rifle.

“Damn,“ Gage muttered, “Thanks boss. Those shit-bears are tougher than I thought.”

Nick

“Damn,” Nick cursed, trying to think of the best way to free his companion. He suddenly had an idea. He sifted through his inventory and pulled out some mutt chops.

“Hey, Guai,” he called. The bear looked up to see the detective waving around the slabs of meat, “Come and get some!”

The bear charged at Nick, who tossed the mutt chops to the side. The bear made a beeline for the meat.

“Let’s go!” Nick shouted. The pair managed to slip away from the bear as it snacked on the meat.

Curie

“Oh non!” Curie panicked. She knew just how deadly a Yao Guai attack could be.

The synth thought for a moment before pulling out her Syringer and loading it with a Yellow Belly syringe. She aimed and fired, managing to plant the needle in the bear’s side.

The Yao Guai immediately ceased it’s attack and began whimpering. It turned around and clumsily darted back into the wilderness.

Curie bolted over to her companion, helping them up to their feet.

“We ‘ave to go now!” Curie announced, practically dragging Sole along, “Zose chemically-induced effects only last about 30 zeconds!”

Hancock

“Aw shit,” Hancock muttered as he fished through his pockets. He pulled out syringe of psychobuff, “Pullin out the big guns for this one.”

The ghoul injected himself with the chem, and his pupils contracted to the size of pins. Suddenly yelled in intelligible battle cry that seemed like a mix of the words “yeehaw” and “bathtub.”

In his drug induce haze, he looked around for an item to attack the bear with. Then he saw it. A spatula. Perfect.

He picked up the cooking utensil and charged at the bear.

“Hey, fuck you,” Hancock bellowed, “Get outta here you pest.”

Then he swung the spatula around with drug-enhanced force behind it, and at lightning speed. The bear was beaten to a near pulp before it finally surrendered and ran back onto the woods.

Just seconds later, the chems wore off and Hancock collapsed to the ground beside Sole.

“That...that was a wild ride.”

X6-88

“I am coming to assist you, [sir/ma’am]. Don’t panic.”

The Courser calmly pulled a laser rifle from his jacket and fired at the beast. With striking accuracy, the cell pierced the Yao Guai’s skull and hit the tree behind it.

The bear fell to the ground, and Sole was able to free themself from under the beast.

“Are you alright?” X6 asked, approaching his companion.

Sole nodded.

“Excellent.”

Codsworth

“Oh bother, oh bother,” The robot panicked, “I’m coming, [sir/mum]!”

Codsworth floated over to the angry bear and began sawing it with his metal arm. The bear recoiled and then lunged at the Mr. Handy.

The Yao Guai took a powerful swing, creating a large scuff on Codsworth’s body.

“Excuse you, good sir! But I do take great pride in my paint job!” Codsworth shouted, “You’ll pay for that!”

The Mr. Handy suddenly whipped out his flamethrower and burned the bear to a crisp. When he was sure the bear was dead, he extinguished the flames.

“Yao Guai, anyone?” Codsworth asked, “It’s extra crispy!”

Ada

“I am coming to assist you, [sir/ma’am],” Ada reassured as she waddled over to the bear. She charged her tasers and struck the bear repeatedly from behind.

The dazed Yao Guai fell over, temporarily paralyzed.

“Now!” Ada called, and Sole quickly fished through their inventory to find an appropriate weapon. Sole quickly located a laser rifle and shot the stunned animal repeatedly.

“A job well done, [sir/ma’am]. I hope that bear liked that 30 wattz of electricity and shower of fusion cells.”

Deacon

“These Guais just love to be a pain in the butt, don’t they?” Deacon huffed. He rummaged through his bag o tricks and pulled out the Bear mascot head. “And [name] said this was useless and tacky. I knew it would come in handy eventually.”

After equipping the mascot head, Deacon approached the animal.

“Hey!” Deacon antagonized, doing a goofy dance, “Come and get me, you dumb bear!”

The irritated Yao Guai immediately diverted their attention from Sole, and stared at Deacon. But instead of attacking, it initiated a mating call.

“What the—“ Before Deacon had time to react, the lustful bear charged at him, “I DON’T THINK HE’S TRYING TO KILL ME—HELP!!”

Sole quickly sprung up from the ground and equipped a laser rifle. They tried to aim, but Deacon and the Yao Guia were running around in circles. They fired haphazardly a few times, and was eventually able to vaporize the bear with a direct hit.

Deacon collapsed, drenched in sweat, and Sole rushed over to check on him.

“Thanks pal,” he laughed, “At least I got my cardio for the day.”

Danse

“I don’t think so!” Danse bellowed, charging at the Yao Guai and ramming it with his Power Armor.

The bear went flying several feet before growling and charging at the Paladin. Danse turned to Sole, “Go!”

Sole swiftly stood up, brushed themself off, and ran behind their companion. While Danse was holding off the animal, Sole fished through their inventory and pulled out a laser rifle. Danse and Sole both shot the bear several times, before it was completely vaporized.

“Great work, soldier,” Danse complimented, “One less nuisance roaming the Commonwealth.”

Preston

“I’ve gotchu, General! Stay calm!” Preston called as he loaded his laser musket and fired at the bear.

The shot brushed the Yao Guai’s side, but missed. The angered animal lost interest in Sole and charged at Preston.

“Damn!” The Colonel cursed, quickly reloading. He shot again, this time hitting the beast in the leg. The Yao Guai roared in pain as it fell to the ground.

“Come on!”

Sole and Preston ran out of sight as the bear struggled to stand up.

Strong:

“Don’t worry human!” Strong bellowed, “Strong take care of stupid bear!”

Strong effortlessly picked the Yao Guai off of Sole and yeeted it about 15 feet. The bear hit a rock and died instantly.

Sole got up and dusted themselves off while their companion made his way to the dead animal to survey the damage. He was pleased.

“Silly teddy bear,” Strong announced. “Strong is STRONG.”

[minjoonalist]

Predilection | Chapter One

Pairing : Jikook x Reader [Feat. Taehyung]

Words: 4k

Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff

Warnings : explicit wording, masturbation, brief hand Job

Description: you want him, he wants you, but he also wants him, and him wants you- but him hurt you. So You hate him.

———

“Y/n, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook. You three will be housing number 6”

“Are you kidding me…” you whisper, not even bothering to listen to whatever your professor had to say next. You were too busy being stuck on the two names that were just called along with yours, wondering what kind of sick joke the universe had to be playing on you to stick you with the men who ruined you years ago.

This can't be happening...

“Damn, tough luck kid” your best friend Taehyung chimes in next to you, just as the professor in the front of your classroom, moves on to the next housing mates of your Off-campus project. “ Rooming with the man you would kill and the man you would kill for? Ouch.” he cringes just before giving an assuring pat to your back.

You instantly slump down into your seat and dread begins to wash over you.

Silently, you were hoping that some miracle would happen, that this all just a terrible dream and you would wake up five mins late on your alarm like usual. But that's not going to happen and you were slowly realizing that. Still, you dont stop yourself from peeking down a few rows- eyes finding your two targets in front of you who are conveniently facing away from you. When you do however, you see that the two men- whose names are going to be linked to yours for the next few weeks- pay you no mind as you do them.

Wouldn’t they want to know whose despicable soul is going to be stuck with them for an entire week? You ask yourself, with a frown- your heart starting to ache when you notice the both of them cuddled up together. One of them tilting his head into a more comfortable angle on the other's shoulder, a bitter taste coming into your mouth from the sight.

“Tae…” You try to whisper to the male next to you.

“One second.” The boy with vibrant blue hair, shushes you- his dark eyes full of stars as he focuses on the front of the class. “ He has yet to say my name and Im praying to the gay cupid himself, that the love of my life is in my housing…” Taehyung bites his plump lip anxiously.

You scoff at him in return, feeling sorry for your wishful friend “Please, I may have gotten unlucky to be trapped with those two...but the chances of you and him becoming housemates are a good slim to none-” your laugh was suddenly cut off by Tae’s small squeak. You notice the way his eyes sparkle with a flash of excitement, the moment he realizes whose names were about to be called.

“Oh my- in all the holy fucks be with me…” he suddenly gasps- Very dramatically might you add and he practically crushes your tiny hand in excitement.

When did he even grab it?

“Please, let me go.” You wince.

“...Last but not least, I was left with only a pair of two and that would leave both Mr. Kim Taehyung and Mr. Min yoongi.” your professor finishes up his list and Unfortunately, Your best friend squeals in delight causing multiple classmates-including your crush to glance in both of your directions.

The sound echoes throughout the hall Immediately, the both of you blushing- especially once you notice your professor rolls his eyes at the interruption.

Taehyung is the main culprit however, once a certain Min Yoongi himself looks up towards him. His curious cat-like eyes landing instantly on him, assessing him, and then sending a small smile. Taehyung’s eyes widen, mouth parting in shock “s-sorry,” he mumbles with a tiny voice, making eye contact with everyone and finally Yoongi. “ I -uh…I just...was shocked a-and...” he trails off, but never finishes, only to drown in embarrassment from the curious gazes.

“Well I’m glad that you are so expressive of it Mr. Kim, perhaps you could try it when I’m actually done speaking?” Your professor announces with no enthusiasm whatsoever, drawing some of the students back towards him. “ Now as I was saying about your Projects…” While he continues on; Slowly, but surely everyone turns their heads away- deciding there wasn't much else to see.

Tae lets out an audible breath he was holding, letting his chest deflate, but only to pull it back when he notices Yoongi still staring up at him. The man looks as if he was going to burst the second the mint haired male sends him a wink before turning back like the others.

“ I... think I just pissed myself...hopefully…” he finally breathes as if he’d ran out of oxygen.

Now would be your cue to tease Taehyung and tell him how much of a dweeb he was for causing all that attention. Or so he thought, his face turning down when nothing comes from your direction

“Uh babe? You alright? ” He questions while lifting a dark brow.

Absolutely fucking not.

Frozen in your seat, you might as well have been a statue, your own breath sticking to the inside of your lungs when a certain silver haired boy with puffy cheeks and a strong jawline- turns in his boyfriend’s arms and looks up in your direction. With scanning eyes, he looks over everyone curiously, seeming as if he was trying to find one person in particular.

You swallow, heart speeding up when they linger over Tae for a moment and then they were snapping to someone next to him.

You.

He was now staring up unapologetically at you. Jimin smiles brightly with his perfect white teeth- he then gives a silent wave of his ringed hand, a confident lip bite coming soon afterwards. This made your heart and the lower parts of your stomach heat up uncontrollably. A strong sense of adoration and lust falling over you, but then anger, guilt and shame immediately afterwards. You put on a shy fake smile back towards him and he falls for it, turning back to the comfort of a certain raven haired asshole.

In an instant Your shy smile turns into a hard glare for your old friend Jungkook, who stares forward unknowingly. not bothering to look up at whoever caused all that noise.

Typical.

“Is there an off button for those lasers?” Tae questions you, before poking your cheek with an adorable pout.

By this time, your class was near its end and you’ve yet to stop glaring at the couple. “Tell me, between burning him alive or strangling him until you see life leave his eyes… How much do you want to kill Jeon?” Taehyung cackles unattractively while waving a hand over your face.

You then release your vicious energy with a blink and turn towards him, a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on your face. “ how about stabbing him 33 times in the back until all the blood drained from him in various openings?” You retort in an innocent tone, feeling nothing of the sort.

Everyone around you had already begun to clear out as you packed up your things and you followed immediately grabbing your stuff and passing over Tae. The both of you were making your way down your classroom’s stairs when you notice Taehyung sending you a terrified look.

“What?” You ask in a defensive tone.

“ Nothing just-...that was gruesomely specific.” he replies as the both of you were just getting ready to walk out. Him stopping so that you could pass out the front door and he could follow. “It's things like that, that remind me why you can be extremely terrifying.”

You scoff once again and pause to look at him “oh please, It’s what he did to me...metaphorically at least.”

“That's not the same as wanting it physically, you psycho.” He shakes his head with a bemused smile, silently urging you on and he would soon follow. That was until a hand touched Tae’s shoulder, making him turn with you in tow.

You wouldn’t be shocked if Taehyung’s soul left his body. He widens his eyes, facing a half-smiling mint haired boy-a friendly aura contrasting with his brooding stature. Right there, Tae lets out a pained whimper that only both you and him could hear and You giggle in surprise, stepping back from him.

“Um...Tae- ..hyung, right?” Yoongi’s shockingly deep and monotone voice, brings Tae out of his little world.

He pushes up his square rimmed glasses and puts a rough looking hand out to shake. “I’m Min Yoongi- I think you screamed out in surprise earlier, but I wasn't sure if that was from excitement or disgust.” He chuckles dryly, making you wonder if he was genuinely happy or just doing as the professor suggested.

In front of you, Tae only nods at him, giving a quick and soft smile before taking it. You knew without a doubt he was currently flush red and exploding inside from the comment. When Tae doesn't say anything more, Yoongi quickly looks down towards their shaking hands, Taehyung just then realizing how long he kept it going.

“Oh um-” he quickly snatches it away, embarrassment making his cheeks even pinker. “Yeah n-no, that was for something else…” he quickly lies, although yoongi looks as if he doesn't buy it. Instead, He Chooses to nod appeasingly, thinking better to let it pass.

“Oh? ok- well I was hoping we could discuss our living arrangements for—a...bit?” Yoongi attempts, but hesitates when Tae starts to send him a horrified look. “-or not? my bad, that must be such a dumb Idea.” he shakes his head and that’s when your best friend snaps out of his stupidity.

“No!- I mean ...no, that’s a great idea” He then agrees, finally sending back a genuine smile and the two share a stare for a moment too long. You on the other hand had unnoticeably excused yourself the second you realized this conversation no longer had anything to do with you.

Me: heading to the café , I’ll get us a table.

TaeTae: thanks. Be there soon!

After about 10 minutes across the campus, you manage to text Tae when making your way across the quad.. Eventually, you were just a few feet away from the campus’s coffee shop when a familiar laugh enters your ears, making you glance behind you. Right there, you wanted to swallow yourself whole or to scream out into the universe for the injustice.

Jimin.

Oh for fucks sake….you cursed yourself when you saw the striking couple making their way towards you. Jimin, being the perfect model he is, struts confidently under his much taller boyfriend’s arm and Jungkook squeezes him closer, mumbling something that only the both of them could hear. Jimin had once again burst out with laughter.

You want to pout, it feels as if you were intruding on them, a private moment that was meant solely for the two and you happen to be there witnessing it.

Huffing, you quickly turn away before they could notice and continue walking towards the shop- needing a triple shot latte pronto if you were going to get any studying done for the day. Although you felt you were being as invisible as possible- what you didn’t feel was the pair of eyes that were following you the second you left.

“Please can’t we go talk to her?” Jimin whines into Kook’s side.

He pouts wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist and snuggles even more into him to add for a better effect. Jungkook’s conflicted look, stares ahead to your walking figure and he could feel his little ball of happiness breathing up his neck “ Not now, Jimin.” he just replies calmly and looks down to him before pecking his plump lips.

Jimin frowns accusingly at him “But she’s so cute when she's flushed, she’s the most adorable thing ever. ” he says thoughtfully and Jungkook looks down at him in awe when a dark look enters Jimin’s eyes- his cute aura switching off immediately.“I wonder how much cuter she would be in bed” He chuckles and Jungkook will never understand the duality that came with his older boyfriend.

However, it was his turn to frown. He stops dead in his tracks to tower over a perplexed Jimin. “You- No.” he simply states “Hell no, not her. Anyone but her” he looks at him almost desperate, pleading to him and he could understand why his boyfriend’s eyes seem to pop out of their skull at the sudden change. Jimin had never seen him act out this way, He was usually so cool and put together. A bit bossy might he add but still...

“Jeon, you asked me for a threesome and I told you that I would be the one to pick the person. Besides, what's wrong with y/n? Shes super sweet from what I’ve seen of her-shes fucking hot.” he bites his bottom lip already imagining how amazing you would look between the both of them. Jungkook would almost blush at his boyfriend’s behavior .

Fuck, what was he suppose to do?

It seemed like Jimin's eyes were so set on you from the second you both waved at each in class . Yeah, Jungkook saw that and it took so much in him not to look up at you and see your beautiful smile. Not when he knew the second he did- you would make it go away. Jimin has never voiced his opinion on wanting someone other than him and the two had been together since senior year of highschool-

that's when it hit him..that painful suppressed memory of your history. There was nothing that could be done and hell if he didn’t regret it every single day. Still, he had no choice, he would have to tell jimin what happened for it to make sense. Jungkook never wanted to, but with the way Jimin frowned up at him with a suspicious glare, he knew the man would never let this go. After all, he only wanted to make him happy right?

Jungkook swallows painfully before he confesses.. “Jimin…y/n she…well the girl fucking hates my guts.”

and she has every right to…

———

“ Okay so let me get this straight” Taehyung looks at you with a cringing face and you sip slowly on your bitter three shot americano. The both of you enter your classroom, walking further up the stairs away from the front of the class. There's about two days left before your trip and it was your final class to attend.

“ You finally get the chance to talk to Min yoongi-”you start and you pause to take in your best friend’s complete stupidity “-a guy you’ve been wanting since the day you first stepped foot on the campus ... and you blew him off…” you ask then finally taking your normal seat at the top of the class.

Tae almost melts into the ground, dramatically falling into the chair next to you. His cheeks flush and he tries his best to hide his face behind his hand. It was impossible to believe that someone with his confidence and sexual history could possibly be acting the way that he was at the moment.

“I panicked- I never panic.” He exclaims sitting up straight. “The worst part is - I think he might actually like me. Y/n I guess we’re soulmates because we really are some dumb bitches.” he sighs and you shake your head pulling out your laptop when you notice some of your classmates beginning to fill in.

Two girls happened to be walking by when he said that and They looked over to you two. you immediately blush “Excuse me? Im not a dumb bitch, you’re on your own there Tae.” You laugh saying it loud enough for them to hear. He pulls a face at you, then looks up for a moment pretending to think “You know, I was just being nice, but forget what I said cause you’re a sad dumb bitch.” he comes to his conclusion and chuckles at you.

your jaw drops and you lift a brow.

He takes it as green light to continue “You see, Im a dumb bitch, because im crushing on a single man who just might be mine by the end of this trip. I’ve talked to him and although I might have blew him off…” he trails off slowly to cringe “ -theres still a good chance I could have him. now YOU on the other hand - have never even spoken to your crush. Might I add, who’s whipped...in a relationship…with the man you told most about it…declaring you sweet heart-” he bops you on your nose with his finger “a sad dumb bitch” tae smiles sweetly and you pout in hurt.

“hm being a dumb bitch doesn’t look too bad now does it?” He mocks you and you elbow him playfully into his chest. You and taehyung were each other’s worst bullies and probably your worst critics. It was most likely the reason you two stuck together for so long, but even though you knew the man was only joking; his words still stung about Jimin.

It's been three days since your professor announced all the housing mates and you quickly realized you were the only one who hasn’t spoken to yours. As everyone walked in to take their seats, you could see the multiple groups of future housings sitting beside each other.

That's when it really dawned on you…

What exactly would happen when all three of you had to meet? Would Jimin even like you? or Did jungkook already convince him you were the garbage he treated you as back then.

You frowned in deep thought. No way… He seemed nice when he waved at you the other day. In fact Jimin always looked nice, hell It was probably one of his charms that captured you the most. Every moment you saw him he was always smiling and helping others when he didn’t even have to.

Taehyung must have noticed the uneasiness on your face when he suddenly asked you about the two. “You’re either really constipated or you’re thinking about thing one and thing two.”

You looked at him in surprise. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

“Y/n, Babe I know you like the back of my hand, so no it's not. But,” he trails off before continuing “ In all seriousness-...I think you should consider asking for new housemates…” he hesitates to say and the look you give him, tells him that he was right to. He grabs your hand “ I- I just don’t want you to get hurt…you’ve liked jimin for so long and the man has been with Jungkook for four years now. I don’t want you be heartbroken the second you realize just who you’re living with for an entire week. You think I don’t notice how you visibly sink into sadness whenever you see the two? It's not healthy for you, nor for them. So it’s time to move on don’t you think?” Taehyung pours his heart into his speech for you and your stomach begins to turn just a bit.

You’ve felt this way for jimin since your junior year. The famous high school sweetheart Park Jimin and his ex- girlfriend had just broken up and you remembered running to your best friend of the time Jeon Jungkook. You were so excited, but also pitied the poor girl that was probably still in love with him.

“I should talk to him right? I mean it's been 3 months already. It seems like he isn’t talking to anyone” you chirped, walking hand in hand with Jeon down your school’s hallway.

He smiles slightly at you humming in return, before he pulls you into his side and wraps his arm around your shoulder. “I don’t know, maybe Jimin's not the kind of guy you want to go for y/n. I don’t he would fit you...” he says a bit low and you scoff.

“Why not? He’s adorable, he’s smart, and sweet… I haven’t been around him enough- but I bet he's funny too.” you grin and it only falters when you see him still looking ahead with a straight face.

“Guk?” You try, making him blink as if he pulled himself from a trance.

“Yeah, he probably is.”

You suddenly become nauseous from the memory. Your eyes moving towards your class’s entrance just in time to catch the devil himself walking in.

Dressed in all black, he holds his hoodie up on his head and his black boots thumps against the ground as he walks to his seat up front. Your brow furrows and you noticed it was only him by himself- looking more miserable than ever... aww.

“ That asshole.” You whisper only for you to hear.

For most of your class, you could only think about how long Jungkook must have held the truth from you. How every now and then you would find yourself glaring at the back of the man’s head and every other time you were busy wondering where Jimin must’ve gone off to.

By now it was almost over and after realizing that for nearly an hour, your thoughts were being consumed with the two ...Taehyung really was right…

Your obsession for jimin wasn’t healthy and the hate you continued to let consume you for jungkook also wasn’t healthy. They were happily In love and that will never have anything to do with you. Whether you wanted it to or not.

——

Jimin laid wide awake on his bed, in the darkness of his room and it had to be somewhere between 2 to -he-should- really- fucking- sleep- before-his-math- test- in- the- morning AM.

I did something wrong…He thought about the words his boyfriend spoke to him the other day. It was a shocking revelation and one that he just couldn’t seem to get his head wrapped around. He then turned on his side, looking down at the cute bunny faced man he’s loved since highschool.

His features, innocent and soft which was the complete opposite from Jungkook. “What did you do ?” Jimin asks him softly, but of course he couldn’t hear.

A sweet image of you, pops up in his mind. How you smiled down at him nervously, returning a slight wave in class the other day and even then, he could remember the pain in your eyes. Jimin felt like a dumbass, how was it that he never noticed you until now? You were literally too cute.So cute, that when jimin tried to close his eyes for the tenth time that night, all he could imagine was you. It didn’t matter the scenario- but a popular one was definitely you underneath him.

He could see you, a sweaty and trembling mess. Your hair falling messily over your flushed face and pillow. He’d dip his head, kissing you passionately once you fell apart, because of him. although he’d wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of his boyfriend’s name coming out your mouth instead.

Ugh why was he thinking about you so much?

There was just something to you, that had Jimin's skin burning-a desire he hadn’t felt in years. It reminded him of when he first met Jungkook. So much, he opted in not attending your class, already knowing that it certainly wouldn’t be the professor he’d imagine taking against that desk.

The image vanishes and now for the 11th time tonight Jimin found himself awake. “Oh no” he groans suddenly once he lifts the covers from his lower half. He’s hard, the kind where rubbing one out or taking a cold shower simply won't do.

A soft sigh leaves his mouth in frustration. He was angry at Jungkook for his actions, but it wasn’t exactly like he could go to your house and ask “Hey! I'm sorry I completely ignore your existence- but do you think you could suck me off really quick?”. Jimin bites his bottom lip with a quiet chuckle.

If only..

“Kook…” He whines, poking the sleeping boy in his face to wake him. “Kookie please wake up.” he begs, leaning over and kissing him softly until he feels him stir. Jungkook awakes smiling wearily, when he realizes Jimin was no longer ignoring him.

“What's wrong babe?” His hoarse voice sends a shiver down Jimin’s spine when it plays on one of his weaknesses.

Stupid, sexy asshole…

Jimin grabs himself, stroking up and down softly. When he lets out soft sighs, Jungkook picks up on them fairly quickly. Sleep leaves him and he rises, watching Jimin's face contort with pleasure.

“Fuck…” he breathes at the hot sight in front of him.

“I thought about it ...her with us. God I couldn’t help it…” Jimin confesses and Jungkook only swallows because he knows exactly who ‘her’ is. “It was fucking hot kook- I want her. I want to fuck her and you baby.” he moans stroking himself just right.

“I want the both of you...”

Jungkook’s persona suddenly darkens and he takes both of Jimin's hands away. The already naked male climbing over his boyfriend and pinning them above his head possessively. “You don’t speak to me all day and now..?- I thought we already talked about this jiminie?” he speaks the words tightly through his teeth. Jimin pouts writhing under him to get some sort of stimulation. Jungkook notices and he takes one of his hands away to stroke Jimin's shaft himself.

“Y/n isn’t right for us. Not for you and especially not for me.” he lies. You were perfect, you always were. But you hated him and he hated you. That's how it should stay.

It has to…

“Ugh..” the silver moans under him. His hips bucking into his boyfriend’s hand. “ Let me top you.” Jimin requests desperately.

Jungkook’s eyes widen “you want to top me?”

Jimin nods “y-yes” .

Jungkook frowns for a second and he sees the predatory look in Jimin's gaze. He hadn’t seen that look in years, so why the hell was he acting this way now?

Y/n what are you doing to him?

+++

Chapter One | Masterlist

[the-demelza-robins]

on the rarity of sunshowers (jily)

notes: no matter how hard I try, I always come back to hogwarts!jily...

words: 3.7k

James is jumpier then usual. Lily notices at breakfast; notices how he almost stabs his toast when he tries to butter it, how he catches his snitch twenty-six times in nine minutes, how he says, “Alright, Evans?” on no less than three separate occasions (not that she minds). He fidgets enough that Sirius threatens to expel him to the first years’ seats on the far side of the table, something that causes him to attempt to hold his breath in a bid for stillness until he’s turning blue, and Lily has to resuscitate him with her wand (not that she minds). He runs his fingers through his hair so that it looks even more messy than usual. He asks Lily to Hogsmeade, and when she declines, he says, “Just joking”, and her heart aches. She wants to accept his offer, but she can’t be sure it’s a genuine one. And she must be sure.

The fact is that she has fancied James Potter far too long — a year now, starting in year six all the way up to this rainy day in December — for anything to happen. It’s a cruel twist of fate, the way that their doomed love story worked out. Lily despises it for a number of reasons, the first and foremost being that perhaps the best comeback of her life, when she’d swore she preferred the giant squid to James Potter, was no longer true - in fact, it was a blatant lie, the most opposite of the truth she could get. She would take James Potter over most things, now, including her sister.

Though perhaps that wasn’t saying much, seeing as her sister hadn’t invited her to her wedding. Apparently it had been a simple affair, a quiet wedding on the countryside. Lily could imagine it: Vernon’s new car parked close enough that the guests could still admire it but far enough away that it could melt into the hills, a cake, short vows, a proper bride. Music, but not too much, and a big, white tent with turrets that would blend in with the overcast clouds above.

Yes, Lily could picture it. But that was all she could do, because she hadn’t been invited and, as were the natural progressions of such things, had not attended. What made the situation worse was that, because of Lily’s absence, none of Petunia’s family had been there on her wedding day. Still, Lily reasoned, it was Petunia’s choice.

Petunia blamed Lily for a lot of things, the most important of which being the death of their parents. When the news of their deaths had first broke, Lily had told her sister they’d died in a car accident, and in a way they had, since their car had been blown up by Death Eaters. It had turned into a rather large scandal when Petunia was informed of the truth by way of Snape, who set about destroying Lily’s life once he realized she’d never talk to him again. Petunia had been hurt, but instead of channeling the hurt into anger and the anger into action, like Lily would’ve done, Petunia had spat and stomped and called names that Snape must’ve also taught her, names like mud-

Well. No use thinking about any of that now. Lily turns her attention back to Marlene’s nervous assessment of the weather, the way that her best friend twists with the promise ring she’d received from her Durmstrang boyfriend as she looks up at the enchanted ceiling. “No clouds, just rain, a sunshower…”

Lily wonders why this matters; seeing as they don’t have Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures (it’s a Saturday), there’s no reason for them to go outside. Lily, for one, has been planning on curling up by the fire in the Gryffindor common room and reading The Shining, a muggle book that had been her father’s last gift to her. She finds it quite intense, but on a day like today, with the rain pattering against the window, she thinks it’d be nice to escape to another world, a world where the supernatural only existed in the Overlook Hotel… She let her thoughts drift again, back to her father, who would tell her and Tuney stories before bed until she insisted she’d outgrown them. There had been one, she remembered, that involved dragons, and a little boy who was fighting them, cheered on by people in the clouds. What she’d give to hear one of his stories again…

“Lily! Are you even listening to a word I’m saying?”

The world comes back into focus again as Dorcas snaps her fingers in front of Lily’s face repeatedly.

“Of course,” she responds hotly, flinching away from her friend’s fingers. It’s a lie, of course, but she’s been lying a lot lately and now do so without thinking and without giving anything away.

“Then will you please answer my question?”

Across the table, James and Sirius are now debating heatedly. Lupin and Peter are looking on with expressions of mild amusement. Lily wonders what they’re talking about.

“Hello?” Dorcas says. “My question: will you bring the sign for the game, or will I?”

“What game?” Lily asks, and she knows she’s made a mistake as soon as the words have left her mouth. James and Sirius stop their conversation and stare, open-mouthed, at her, something that she hasn’t seen them do in quite a while.

“What game?” James echoes disbelievingly, his snitch buzzing around his head like those birds in the cartoons Lily used to watch when she was younger.

In fact, the snitch is going so fast that watching it is making Lily dizzy, so she closes her eyes for a few seconds and says, “Will you please control your snitch? I’m getting nauseous.”

“Give it to me, mate,” she hears Sirius say, and the sounds of James’s muffled protests bring a smile to her face. They’ve forgotten her slip-up, or at least she thinks they have. For now she’s remembered what she missed, and she can’t believe she’d been that stupid. She opens her eyes and turns to Dorcas. “I’ll bring the sign.”

Her friend nodded, something like relief crossing her face. “Thanks, Lily.”

Marlene, however, doesn’t look as pleased. All nerves from before - Lily realizes why her friend had been nervous, it was because she was Gryffindor’s keeper -  have vanished as she questions her friend. “Why were you zoning out?”

Because James is sitting across from her, and sometimes his knee accidentally touches hers. Because Petunia is still not talking to her, and though Lily is strong enough to handle it, her sister had gotten married for Merlin’s sake and she hadn’t been invited. Because her parents are dead and The Shining is scary and sometimes she just wants to hear her father tell her a story before bed like he used to…

“Just tired,” Lily responds, flashing her friend a quick smile before standing up. “I think I forgot something upstairs. I’ll be back.”

“Quidditch starts in twenty minutes!” Dorcas hollers after her receding form.

“Oh, Merlin, we’d better get going…” James says, and then Lily’s out of earshot and alone with her thoughts. She takes her familiar path up to Gryffindor tower, thankful that everyone else is either at breakfast or on the pitch. She needs time to reset, time to stop the ever-growing lump in her throat before her eyes get watery. It’s happening more and more lately, that terrible feeling that surfaces when Lily thinks about everything, really thinks about it - Petunia, the wedding, Voldemort, her feelings for James - that terrible feeling that summons tears to her eyes almost immediately. At this point, she’s running on fumes, trying to keep up with everything in her personal life, plus schoolwork, plus being Head Girl.

By the time she convinces herself that everything is fine, she’s reached the Fat Lady. With the muttered mention of treacle tarts, the portrait swings open to admit her, and Lily climbs into the common room. Like the rest of the castle, it’s empty save for a few cats curled up on the comfier armchairs, but Lily pays them no mind as she crosses the space and walks up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. She finds the sign that Dorcas had in mind quickly — it was furled on her friend’s bed, its letters flashing red and gold at a speed that was guaranteed to give Lily a migraine — and lets herself stop in front of the mirror on her way out. Her eyes aren’t damp, which is good, and her face isn’t flushed. She shows no outward sign of distress, which she supposes is a point in her favor. It’s taken her a long time to control her feelings (which is a mushy word for those urges she gets to cry all night or yell mindless insults)  — fifth year and below were a time when no one was safe from Lily Evans’ temper — but the war has hardened her, made her less accessible than she ever was.

She hears the cheer of the Quidditch crowd and knows she’s late. Grabbing the sign, she sprints from the dormitories to the common room, from the common room to the portrait hole, from the portrait hole to the entrance hall, and from the entrance hall to the pitch. It’s almost impossible to spot her friends in the sea of red-and-gold clad Gryffindors in the stands, so she resigns herself to sitting alone in the first seat she can find. The sign pulses underneath her cold fingers, and as the paper gets populated with tiny raindrops, she remembers that it’s raining.

“Lily!” She looks over at the sound of her voice to find Dorcas waving at her three rows up. “Come sit with us!”

Lily obliges, and once she’s sat down, she hands the sign to Dorcas, who thrusts it in the air immediately. “You’re seriously out of it today — YES, MARLENE! GO LIONS! —, did you know that?”

“Maybe,” Lily mumbles, her eyes searching the pitch for a certain Chaser. When she can’t find him, she turns back to her friend, conscious of Remus and Peter listening in.

“Can I ask why?” “No.”

Dorcas looks like she’s about to respond, but before she can, the sky rumbles and truly opens up in a way that suggests that the morning’s sunshower was just a prelude to the storm that is about to occur. The Quidditch players seem like nothing more than streaks through the sheets of rain that tumble down, and Lily finds herself soaked to the bone.

“Did you pack an umbrella?” Dorcas asks, looking similarly wet.

Lily shakes her head.

“I did,” a new voice says, and Lily’s surprised to see that Mary Macdonald has been sitting on the other side of Dorcas the whole time. Though Mary is a Gryffindor in their year, Lily has never had a meaningful conversation with her — in fact, Lily thinks she’s talked more with Hufflepuffs —  for she’s a very quiet girl whose nose can most often be found in a book. Besides, Lily had never felt the need to amass more friends; Dorcas and Marlene had always been more than enough, compensating not only for Lily’s lack of friends earlier in life but also for Petunia’s absence, once the sisters’ relationship had reached that point. Lily sometimes felt a little guilty that she didn’t know Mary or Alice Fortescue, the fifth occupant of their dormitory, as well, but comforted herself in the fact that the latter had never been very eager to make friends with her, seeing as her best friend had always been Frank Longbottom.

Now, though, Lily is extremely grateful for Mary Macdonald, especially as she produces a very large umbrella and opens it, shielding the three of them from the rain.

“Thank you,” Dorcas says, and Lily echoes her. She can barely hear Amos Diggory’s commentary over the sound of rain hitting the ground, and she has no idea what the score is. Still, she tries to focus on the game, but as soon as she does so, the players all drift downward and touch the ground.

“What’s going on?”

“Gryffindor’s called a time out, I think,” Mary says so quietly that the sound of the rain almost carries her voice away.

It’s a split-second decision, but one that Lily makes with very little difficulty. She’s tired, tired of everything in her life, but one thing she’s especially tired of is hiding. Hiding her watery eyes and flushed face; hiding her anger with Snape, left over from when he first called her that word; tired of hiding how she much she hurts and aches; tired of hiding how she feels when James Potter’s knee touches hers underneath the crowded breakfast table. She’s tired of it all, and she knows how to alleviate some of the exhaustion.

She stands up, and the rain batters her. The time-out has not yet ended, and now that she’s higher up, she can see the scoreboard: it’s 0-60, Slytherin.

“Where are you going?” Dorcas asks, a look of concern on her face. “You’ll freeze.”

“Down,” Lily replies, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, she races to the pitch, the rain pelting her back as she reaches the muddy field. She can see him now, the way he’s talking to his team, the look on his face suggesting the relentless optimism he’s trying to instill in his teammates.

When she’s ten feet away, he sees her. His mouth stops forming words, and he stares. “Lily?”

“James,” she says, and the whole team is watching her now, maybe even the whole pitch, but it doesn’t feel that way. She notices his misty glasses (it’s a wonder he even saw her coming) and keeps walking towards him. The team breaks their huddle to let her through, their eyes on her wearily, no doubt wondering why she’s so, so close to their captain…

James breathes in deeply — she’s close enough to hear it — and says, “Lily, what are you —”

She lifts her hand and takes off his glasses, and he blinks.

“Impervius”, she whispers (she’s always had a knack for wandless magic, something she’s very proud of), and his lenses clear up immediately.

“It repels water,” she says by way of explanation. She hands the glasses back to him, and he puts them on.

“Right. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Oi! Are we gonna play Quidditch or not?” yells the Seeker for the team (Lily doesn’t remember his name, only that he’s a fourth year and apparently doesn’t care that he’s stopped her from saying something impulsive, like I love you or I’m sorry).

“Please win,” she says instead, and walks off the pitch, feeling James’s eyes on her.

***

The final score is 200-70, Gryffindor, and Lily finds that she’s not quite as annoyed at the Seeker as she was during the time-out. Dorcas peppers her with questions almost as soon as the match is over — “Lily, what did you do to James?” being the most notable one — but Lily ignores her, because that moment felt private, even with countless eyes on them.

Marlene rushes right at them, only pausing at the last second to laugh at how terrified they both look at the sight of her. She’s muddy and grinning, and sweeps them into a hug immediately, covering them in mud and letting the heavy rain immediately clear it from their skin. Dorcas starts to complain about the clothing stains she’ll get from the mud, but Lily can tell that she doesn’t really care.

“Party in the common room!” Marlene almost screams, and Dorcas mutters something about how she’ll be deaf by the time she’s thirty, but Marlene doesn’t care and Lily doesn’t either, for she feels happy for the first time in quite awhile. When the hug finally ends, Lily looks at Marlene again, abandoning all subtlety.

“Has James left the changing rooms yet?”

Marlene smirks. “He was packing up his things when I left.”

“I’ll be back,” Lily replies, leaving Dorcas looking positively scandalized.

***

The walk to the changing rooms takes about a minute and a quarter, but to Lily it feels much longer. She shoulders through the crowd of happy Gryffindors and defeated Slytherins, trying to control her loudly beating heart. She knows that James is still in the changing rooms, knows because she can feel it and also because no overzealous Gryffindors are lifting him triumphantly on their shoulders.

She reaches the door to the structure and knocks twice. It’s opened, almost immediately, by James, his bag swung over his shoulder, broomstick in hand.

As soon as he processes who it is, his smile turns into a frown. “Lils? What are you doing here?”

Lily looks around the room, making sure that they’re alone. When she sees that they are, she closes the door, takes a shuddering breath, and turns to him. “Good job today.”

“Thanks,” he says, dropping his bag and broomstick and sitting on the bench in the middle of the room. “Is something wrong?”

She twists her fingers together. “James, I’ve been wanting to say this for awhile now, and —”

He cuts her off, standing up again bench and moving towards her. He puts his hands on her shoulders and looks right at her, and Oh Merlin, those eyes — “Lily, are you okay?”

“I’m not, but that’s not the point. Ever since sixth year, I’ve —”

“You’re not okay? What’s going on? You have been seeming off lately, I was going to ask —”

“James, would you please just listen to me!”

“Right, er, sorry.” He takes his hands off her shoulders and leans back a little, and Lily misses his closeness.

“Ever since the sixth year — and I know this’ll be hard for you to believe, but, well, here it is — ever since the sixth year I’ve had feelings for you, and at first I thought that they would pass, but it’s been a year, James, and I —”

He closes his eyes. “Lily —”

“James, would you please let me finish, I promise I’ll bugger off after —”

He opens his eyes, adjusts his glasses. “Lily, you don’t understand.” His hands find her waist, and Lily realizes that she’s misinterpreted his response. “Since fifth year,” he whispers, and she feels something opening inside of her, like the sun peaking through the clouds, “since fifth year, Lily, I’ve liked you a lot more than I should admit.”

She looks up at him. They’re so close, in more ways than one; Lily can feel them standing on the edge of something amazing, can feel James’s hands on her back, can feel the way he’s leaning in ever so slightly. “I’m glad we’ve got that settled, then,” she whispers.

He smiles, and then he kisses her. It’s nothing like Lily would have expected, no awkward moment when they’re trying to figure out how to hold each other, where to put their hands — in fact, to Lily’s overloaded and dazzled mind, it’s like they just fit, like they’re picking up from where they left off in a past life. She doesn’t think about this too much, though, because James is pulling her closer and she’s wrapping her arms around his neck and messing with his hair and feeling his smile against her lips, and she’s thinking that maybe they should get more comfortable, because she doesn’t intend on going to that party for a while, not when she and James have just stumbled upon something new and wonderful, not when James is backing her slowly against the wall —

“Oops!”

She jumps away from him and looks towards the door, which has been thrust open by Dorcas and Marlene. By the sound of it, Marlene spoke, now, her eyes find Lily’s, flashing invisible thumbs-up signs.

“Hullo, ladies,” James says evenly, and Lily can’t even imagine what they must look like right now. She finds she doesn’t care, though, because James is here and he’s hers, at least for now.

“Lily, we just wanted to tell you that, erm, we found your necklace in the stands,” Marlene says, holding up a star necklace that Lily’s always been particularly fond of.

“I guess it fell off,” Lily replies lamely, walking further out of James’s vicinity to take it from her friends.

“Well, that’s it…” Dorcas says, clearing her throat.

“Carry on!” Marlene adds loudly, and Lily scowls as they tumble out of the room, slamming the door shut on their way out.

“They’re ridiculous,” she says, pretty sure she’s blushing.

James walks over to her, the corner of his mouth — a mouth that had just been on her mouth, sweet Merlin — quirked up slightly. “We all are, to be honest.”

“Should we go to the party?” As soon as the words leave her mouth, Lily realizes what a stupid thing to say it is.

“Sure,” James says, and his half-smile turns into a grin. “Only if you’ll come as my date, though.”

“You don’t bring dates to common room parties, Potter,” Lily scoffs, trying to contain her own smile.

“Well, Evans, considering I’m captain of the team that just thrashed Slytherin, I think I can do what I want.”

“If you say so.” The smile breaks through, but it’s not like she feels bad about it. He shoulders his broomstick and bag, looks around the room one more time, and takes Lily’s hand.

“Shall we?”

***

Lily is happier than usual. James notices it on the walk back to the castle; notices how she smiles up at the sky, how she squeezes his hand while he talks about the match, how she invites him to go to Hogsmeade with her (“A real date, James, where we go someplace that’s not in the common room”), how she blushes when they walk through the portrait hole, hand in hand, to the sound of wolf-whistling and shouted congratulations — James notices all these things, and hopes that she stays happy. He promises himself that he’ll keep her happy for as long as she’ll have him — this month, maybe, or this year, or (if he’s lucky), the rest of her life.

[gaysparklepires]

17. So This Is What It Feels Like to Have Nothing Left

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I sort of had a plan as I ran to the Cullens’ garage. The second part of it was totaling the bloodsucker’s car on my way back.

So I was at a loss when I mashed the button on the keyless remote, and it was not his Volvo that beeped and flashed its lights for me. It was another car—a standout even in the long line of vehicles that were mostly all drool-worthy in their own ways.

Did he actually mean to give me the keys to an Aston Martin Vanquish, or was that an accident?

I didn’t pause to think about it, or if this would change that second part of my plan. I just threw myself into the silky leather seat and cranked the engine while my knees were still crunched up under the steering wheel. The sound of the motor’s purr might have made me moan another day, but right now it was all I could do to concentrate enough to put it in drive.

I found the seat release and shoved myself back as my foot rammed the pedal down. The car felt almost airborne as it leaped forward.

It only took seconds to race through the tight, winding drive. The car responded to me like my thoughts were steering rather than my hands. As I blew out of the green tunnel and onto the highway, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Liam’s gray face peering uneasily through the ferns.

For half a second, I wondered what he’d think, and then I tried not to care.

I turned south, because I had no patience today for ferries or traffic or anything else that meant I might have to lift my foot off the pedal.

In a sick way, it was my lucky day. If by lucky you meant taking a well-traveled highway at two hundred without so much as seeing one cop, even in the thirty-mile-an- hour speed-trap towns. What a letdown. A little chase action might have been nice, not to mention that the license plate info would bring the heat down on the leech. Sure, he’d buy his way out of it, but it might have been just a little inconvenient for him.

The only sign of surveillance I came across was just a hint of dark brown fur flitting through the woods, running parallel to me for a few miles on the south side of Forks. Quil, it looked like. He must have seen me, too, because he disappeared after a minute without raising an alarm. Again, I almost wondered what his story would be before I remembered that I didn’t care.

I raced around the long U-shaped highway, heading for the biggest city I could find. That was the first part of my plan.

It seemed to take forever, probably because I was still on the razor blades, but it actually didn’t even take two hours before I was driving north into the undefined sprawl that was part Tacoma and part Seattle. I slowed down then, because I really wasn’t trying to kill any innocent bystanders.

I didn’t really have a plan. But my conversation with Liam was replaying in my head over and over, with sprinkles of Beau and Edward’s conversation just to add some more pain to the mix. Liam had the right idea, after all. So did Beau. I had to move on.

But how do you do that? How do you just move on? Would it be like in movies where you catch someone’s eye in a crowd and the whole world slows down and stops, till it’s just the two of you? That’s probably what it was like for Beau and his vampire. Didn’t I deserve that, too?

So how do you look for a random soul mate in a crowd? Well, first I needed a crowd. So I tooled around, looking for a likely spot. I passed a couple of malls, which probably wouldn’t been pretty good places to find someone my age, but I couldn’t make myself stop. Like part of me knew this was stupid.

I kept going north, and it got more and more crowded. Eventually, I found a big park full of kids and families and skateboards and bikes and kites and picnics and the whole bit. I hadn’t noticed till now—it was a nice day. Sun and all that. People were out celebrating the blue sky.

I parked across two handicapped spots—just begging for a ticket—and joined the crowd.

I walked around for what felt like hours. Long enough that the sun changed sides in the sky. I stared into the face of every guy who passed anywhere near me, making myself really look, noticing who was good looking and who had brown eyes and who looked good in braces and who had way too much gel in their hair. I tried to find something interesting about each face, so that I would know for sure that I’d really tried. Things like: This one had a really straight nose; that one should pull his hair out of his eyes; this one could model if the rest of his face was as perfect as his smile…

Sometimes they stared back. Sometimes they looked nervous—like they were thinking, Who is this big freak glaring at me? Sometimes I thought they looked kind of interested, but maybe that was just my ego running wild.

Either way, nothing. Even when I met the eyes of the guy who was—no contest—the hottest guy in the park and probably in the city, and he stared right back with a speculation that looked like interest, I felt nothing. Just the same desperate drive to find a way out of the pain.

As time went on, I started noticing all the wrong things. Beau things. This one’s hair was the same color. That one’s eyes were sort of shaped the same. This one’s cheekbones cut across his face in just the same way. That one had the same little crease between his eyes—which made me wonder what he was worrying about.

That was when I gave up. Because it was beyond stupid to think that I had picked exactly the right place and time and I was going to simply walk into my soul mate just because I was so desperate to. That’s not how real life worked. Not how my life worked.

I wandered back to the car and then slumped against the hood and played with the keys.

Maybe I was just meant to be what I was. I sad, bitter, lone wolf. In the most pathetically literal sense. Maybe my life was just a big, cruel joke, and there was no escape from the punch line.

“Hey, you okay? Hello? You there, with the stolen car.”

It took me a second to realize that the voice was talking to me, and then another second to decide to raise my head.

A familiar-looking guy was staring at me, his expression kind of anxious. I knew why I recognized his face—I’d already catalogued this one. Light red-gold hair, fair skin, a few gold-colored freckles sprinkled across his cheeks and nose, and eyes the color of cinnamon.

“If you’re feeling that remorseful over boosting the car,” he said, smiling so that a dimple popped out in his chin, “you could always turn yourself in.”

“It’s borrowed, not stolen,” I snapped. My voice sounded horrible—like I’d been crying or something. Embarrassing.

“Sure, that’ll hold up in court.”

I glowered. “You need something?”

“Not really. I was kidding about the car, you know. It’s just that... you look really upset about something. Oh, hey, I’m Lucas.” He held out his hand.

I looked at it until he let it fall.

“Anyway...,” he said awkwardly, “I was just wondering if I could help. Seemed like you were looking for someone before.” He gestured toward the park and shrugged.

“Yeah.”

He waited.

I sighed. “I don’t need any help. He’s not here.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Me, too,” I muttered.

I looked at the guy again. Lucas. He was good looking. Nice enough to try to help a grouchy stranger who must seem nuts. Why couldn’t he be the one? Why did everything have to be so freaking complicated? Nice guy, good looking, and sort of funny. Why not?

“This is a beautiful car,” he said. “It’s really a shame they’re not making them anymore. I mean, the Vantage’s body styling is gorgeous, too, but there’s just something about the Vanquish. . . .”

Nice guy who knew cars. Wow. I stared at his face harder, wishing I knew how to make it work. C’mon, Jake—make the world stop already

“How’s it drive?” he asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I told him.

He grinned his one-dimple smile, clearly pleased to have dragged a halfway civil response out of me, and I gave him a reluctant smile back.

But his smile did nothing about the sharp, cutting blades that raked up and down my body. No matter how much I wanted it to, my life was not going to come together like that.

I wasn’t in that healthier place where Liam was headed. I wasn’t going to be able to fall in love like a normal person. Not when I was bleeding over someone else. Maybe—if it was ten years from now and Beau’s heart was long dead and I’d hauled myself through the whole grieving process and come out in one piece again—maybe then I could offer Lucas a ride in a fast car and talk makes and models and get to know something about him and see if I liked him as a person. But that wasn’t going to happen now.

Magic wasn’t going to save me. I was just going to have to take the torture like a man. Suck it up.

Lucas waited, maybe hoping I was going to offer him that ride. Or maybe not.

“I’d better get this car back to the guy I borrowed it from,” I muttered.

He smiled again. “Glad to hear you’re going straight.”

“Yeah, you convinced me.”

He watched me get in the car, still sort of concerned. I probably looked like someone who was about to drive off a cliff. Which maybe I would’ve, if that kind of move’d work for a werewolf. He waved once, his eyes trailing after the car.

At first, I drove more sanely on the way back. I wasn’t in a rush. I didn’t want to go where I was going. Back to that house, back to that forest. Back to the pain I’d run from. Back to being absolutely alone with it.

Okay, that was melodramatic. I wouldn’t be all alone, but that was a bad thing. Liam and Seth would have to suffer with me. I was glad Seth wouldn’t have to suffer long. Kid didn’t deserve to have his peace of mind ruined. Liam didn’t, either, but at least it was something he understood. Nothing new about pain for Liam.

I sighed big as I thought about what Liam wanted from me, because I knew now that he was going to get it. I was still wary about the whole thing, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that I could make his life easier. And—now that I knew him better—I thought he would probably do this for me, if our positions were reversed.

It would be interesting, at the very least, and strange, too, to have Liam as a companion —as a friend. We were going to get under each other’s skin a lot, that was for sure. He wouldn’t be one to let me wallow, but I thought that was a good thing. I’d probably need someone to kick my butt now and then. But when it came right down to it, he was really the only friend who had any chance of understanding what I was going through now.

I thought of the hunt this morning, and how close our minds had been for that one moment in time. It hadn’t been a bad thing. Different. A little scary, a little awkward. But also nice in a weird way.

I didn’t have to be all alone.

And I knew Liam was strong enough to face with me the months that were coming. Months and years. It made me tired to think about it. I felt like I was staring out across an ocean that I was going to have to swim from shore to shore before I could rest again.

So much time coming, and then so little time before it started. Before I was flung into that ocean. Three and a half more days, and here I was, wasting that little bit of time I had.

I started driving too fast again.

I saw Sam and Jared, one on either side of the road like sentinels, as I raced up the road toward Forks. They were well hidden in the thick branches, but I was expecting them, and I knew what to look for. I nodded as I blew past them, not bothering to wonder what they made of my day trip.

I nodded to Liam and Seth, too, as I cruised up the Cullens’ driveway. It was starting to get dark, and the clouds were thick on this side of the sound, but I saw their eyes glitter in the glow of the headlights. I would explain to them later. There’d be plenty of time for that.

It was a surprise to find Edward waiting for me in the garage. I hadn’t seen him away from Beau in days. I could tell from his face that nothing bad had happened to him. In fact, he looked more peaceful than before. My stomach tightened as I remembered the conversation that had given him that peace.

It was too bad that—with all my brooding—I’d forgotten to wreck the car. Oh well. I probably wouldn’t have been able to stand hurting this car, anyway. Maybe he’d guessed as much, and that’s why he’d lent it to me in the first place.

“A few things, Jacob,” he said as soon as I cut the engine.

I took a deep breath and held it for a minute. Then, slowly, I got out of the car and threw the keys to him.

“Thanks for the loan,” I said sourly. Apparently, it would have to be repaid. “What do you want now?”

“Firstly... I know how averse you are to using your authority with your pack, but . . .”

I blinked, astonished that he would even dream of starting in on this one. “What?”

“If you can’t or won’t control Liam, then I—”

“Liam?” I interrupted, speaking through my teeth. “What happened?”

Edward’s face was hard. “He came up to see why you’d left so abruptly. I tried to explain. I suppose it might not have come out right.”

“What did he do?”

“He phased to his human form and—”

“Really?” I interrupted again, shocked this time. I couldn’t process that. Liam letting his guard down right in the mouth of the enemy’s lair?

“He wanted to... speak to Beau.”

“To Beau?”

Edward got all hissy then. “I won’t let Beau be upset like that again. I don’t care how justified Liam thinks he is! I didn’t hurt him—of course I wouldn’t—but I’ll throw him out of the house if it happens again. I’ll launch him right across the river—”

“Hold on. What did he say?” None of this was making any sense.

Edward took a deep breath, composing himself. “Liam was unnecessarily harsh. I’m not going to pretend that you didn’t hear what Beau said. You know Beau only cares about you and your happiness, and he suffers a great deal over your pain. What Liam said was uncalled for. At least what I heard—after a a few minutes of Liam’s tirade, Beau demanded that everyone else leave the room—out of hearing range. They talked for a long while alone, even though it was completely against my better judgement. Anyway, Beau’s been crying—”

“Wait—Liam was yelling at Beau about me?”

He nodded one sharp nod. “You were quite vehemently championed.”

Whoa. “I didn’t ask Liam to do that.”

“I know.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he knew. He knew everything.

But that was really something about Liam. Who would have believed it? Liam walking into the bloodsuckers’ place human to complain about how I was being treated.

“I can’t promise to control Liam,” I told him. “I won’t do that. But I’ll talk to him, okay? And I don’t think there’ll be a repeat. Liam’s not one to hold back, so he probably got it all off his chest today.”

“I would say so.”

“Anyway, I’ll talk to Beau about it, too. He doesn’t need to feel bad. This one’s on me.”

“I already told him that.”

“Of course you did. Is he okay?”

“He’s sleeping now. Roy is with him.”

“And what about…” I trailed off.

“He’s… better in some ways. Aside from Liam’s tirade and the resulting guilt.”

Better. Because Edward finally understood why Beau had put off changing and everything was all lovey-dovey now because Edward knew that Beau only loved him. Fantastic.

“It’s a bit more than that,” he murmured. “He seems more… resolved. He feels—we feel—there’s no point in delaying any further.”

I stared at Edward, feeling the pain hit me all over again.

Edward went on, acting like he couldn’t hear the screaming inside my brain. “As soon as Carlisle returns—”

“They’re not back?” I cut in sharply. I thought of Sam and Jared, watching the road. Would they get curious as to what was going on?

“Alice and Jasper are. Carlisle sent all the blood he was able to acquire, so as to relieve you from donation duties, but it wasn’t as much as he was hoping for. Carlisle stayed to try another source. I don’t think that’s necessary now, but he wants to be covered for any eventuality.”

“When you say it isn’t necessary?”

I could tell he was watching and listening to my reaction carefully as he explained. “Beau decided, once Carlisle returns, if his heart is strong enough… He’s going to change.”

“What?”

“I… I’m sorry, Jacob. I know this is…” He paused, and I could see my pain in his face. “I don’t know how you are handling it, to be honest with you. Please, understand, Beau is too fragile to delay. The damage this disease has done to his body is… Even if he survived and stayed human a little longer, as he had originally wanted, he would never truly recover. He wouldn’t be able to do any of the things he wanted. No, if his heart is strong enough then it’s time.”

I kept getting my legs knocked out from under me. First, hearing Beau put everything out black and white on the table. Now, I’d realized that I thought of those four days as a sure thing. I’d banked on them.

The endless ocean of grief that waited stretched out before me.

I tried to catch my breath.

Edward waited. I stared at his face while I recovered, recognizing another change there.

“You think he’s going to make it,” I whispered.

“Yes. He’s still in stable condition from the last transfusion of your blood. Which means we should act. But that also means there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

I couldn’t say anything. After a minute, he went on.

“Yes,” he said again. “Beau is as stable as he’s probably going to get. We discussed everything thoroughly, even brought Royal in for his… opinion. Even Royal agrees, Beau has done everything he can do. It’s time. We just need Carlisle’s help to make it as smooth and easy as we can.”

“When will Carlisle be back?” I asked, still whispering. I hadn’t got my breath back yet.

“By noon tomorrow.”

My knees buckled. I had to grab the car to hold myself up. Edward reached out like he was offering support, but then he thought better of it and dropped his hands.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I truly am sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don’t feel the same way about you. I think of you as, a… a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize. But Beau isgoing to survive”—when he said that his voice was fierce, even violent—“and I know that’s what really matters to you.”

He was probably right. It was hard to tell. My head was spinning.

“So I hate to do this now, while you’re already dealing with too much, but, clearly, there is little time. I have one last thing to ask of you, Jacob Black—beg you, if I must.”

“I don’t have anything left,” I choked out.

He lifted his hand again, as if to put it on my shoulder, but then let it drop like before and sighed.

“I know how much you have given,” he said quietly. “But this is something you do have, and only you. I’m asking this of the true Alpha, Jacob. I’m asking this of Ephraim’s heir.”

I was way past being able to respond.

“I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save Beau’s life. You know I’ll do it anyway, but I don’t want to break faith with you if there is any way to avoid it. We never intended to go back on our word, and we don’t do it lightly now. I want your understanding, Jacob, because you know exactly why we do this. I want the alliance between our families to survive when this is over. This is what Beau needed, why he waited.”

I tried to swallow. Sam, I thought. It’s Sam you want.

“No. Sam’s authority is assumed. It belongs to you. You’ll never take it from him, but

no one can rightfully agree to what I’m asking except for you.”

It’s not my decision.

“It is, Jacob, and you know it. Your word on this will condemn us or absolve us. Only you can give this to me.”

I can’t think. I don’t know.

“We don’t have much time.” He glanced back toward the house.

No, there was no time. My few days had become a few hours.

I don’t know. Let me think. Just give me a minute here, okay?

“Yes.”

I started walking to the house, and he followed. Crazy how easy it was, walking through the dark with a vampire right beside me. It didn’t feel unsafe, or even uncomfortable, really. It felt like walking next to anybody. Well, anybody who smelled bad.

There was a movement in the brush at the edge of the big lawn, and then a low whimper. Seth shrugged through the ferns and loped over to us.

“Hey, kid,” I muttered.

He dipped his head, and I patted his shoulder.

“S’all cool,” I lied. “I’ll tell you about it later. Sorry to take off on you like that.”

He grinned at me.

“Hey, tell your brother to back off now, okay? Enough.”

Seth nodded once.

I shoved against his shoulder this time. “Get back to work. I’ll spell you in a bit.”

Seth leaned against me, shoving back, and then he galloped into the trees.

“He has one of the purest, sincerest, kindest minds I’ve ever heard,” Edward murmured when he was out of sight. “You’re lucky to have his thoughts to share.”

“I know that,” I grunted.

We started toward the house, and both of our heads snapped up when we heard the sound of some coughing. Edward was in a hurry then. He darted up the porch stairs and was gone.

“Beau, love, I thought you were sleeping,” I heard him say. “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have left.”

“Don’t worry, Edward. I rolled over on my wrist—it’s still sore and it woke me up. But I’m fine.”

I walked through the door.

Alice said, “Finally,” and Beau’s eyes flashed to me. That sad smile appeared on the corner of his lips for only a second. Then it faltered, and his face fell. He snapped his eyes close and clenched his jaw, like he was trying not to cry.

I wanted to punch Liam right in his stupid mouth.

“Hey, babe,” I said quickly. “How ya doing?”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Big day today, huh? Lots of big decisions.”

“You don’t have to do that, Jacob.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, going to sit on the arm of the sofa by his head. Edward had the floor there already.

He gave me a reproachful look, that quickly moved to deep regret. “I’m so s—” he started to say.

I pinched his lips together between my thumb and finger.

“Jake,” he mumbled, trying to pull my hand away. His attempt was so weak it was hard to believe that he was really trying.

I shook my head. “You can talk when you’re not being stupid.”

“Fine, I won’t say it,” it sounded like he mumbled.

I pulled my hand away.

“Sorry!” he finished quickly, as a grin teased at the corners of his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and then smiled back at him.

When I stared into his eyes, I saw everything that I’d been looking for in the park.

Tomorrow, he’d be someone else. But still alive, and that was what counted, right? He’d look at me with the same eyes, sort of. Smile with the same lips, almost. He’d still know me better than anyone who didn’t have full access to the inside of my head.

Liam might be an interesting companion, maybe even a true friend—someone who would stand up for me. But he wasn’t my bestfriend the way Beau was. Aside from the impossible, unrequited love I felt for Beau, there was also that other bond, and it ran bone deep.

And that connection was more important to me than anything else.

Tomorrow he’d be my enemy. Or he’d be my ally. And, apparently, that distinction was up to me.

I sighed.

Fine! I thought, giving up the very last I had to give. It made me feel hollow. Go ahead. Save him. As Ephraim’s heir, you have my permission, my word, that this will not violate the treaty. The others will just have to blame me. You were right—they can’t deny that it’s my right to agree to this.

“Thank you.” Edward’s whisper was low enough that Beau didn’t hear anything. But the words were so fervent that, from the corner of my eye, I saw the other vampires turning to stare.

“So,” Beau asked, working to be casual. “How was your day?”

“Great. Went for a drive. Hung out in the park.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Sure, sure.”

After a long moment, he huffed a sigh. “Roy?” he asked.

I heard Blondie chuckle. “Again?”

“I think I’ve drunk like two gallons of water in the last hour,” Beau explained.

Edward and I both got out of the way while Royal came to lift Beau from the couch and take him to the bathroom.

“Can I walk?” Beau asked. “My legs are so stiff.”

“Are you sure?” Edward asked.

“Royal will catch me if I collapse from sudden exhaustion.” He deadpanned.

Royal set Beau carefully on his feet, keeping his hands right at Beau’s shoulders. Beau stretched his arms out in front of him, wincing a little.

“That feels good,” he sighed. “Other than the sore ribs.” He took a deep breath and let out another long sigh. “One more day…”

I couldn’t help the pain that shot through me in a sudden, stabbing burst, but I tried to keep it off my face. I could hide it for one more day, right?

“All right,” He started, then he twisted out from Royal’s arms to face me, “Oh, Jake, can we talk when I get back? Please? Just some stuff I want… to… to…”

His face contorted in a strange, pained way. His right hand jumped to his left arm, and he was suddenly covered in a sheen of sweat. He gasped and stumbled backwards.

“His heart—Edward his heart!” Alice screamed.

I could hear it too, his heart was beating erratically, wildly

All of us rushed forward, but we were a second too late. Beau’s back hit the arm of the sofa at an odd angle and there was sickening cracking sound. He bounced off the sofa arm, and fell, his knees making a similar cracking sound as they hit the floor.

Edward caught his head before it also hit the floor.

Beau’s gasping cut off into a sickening, wet, gurgling noise.

“Beau? Beau?” Edward asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features.

A half second later, Beau screamed.

It was not just a scream, it was a blood-curdling shriek of agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and his eyes rolled back into his head. His body twitched, arched in Edward’s arms, and then Beau vomited a fountain of blood.

[marshaeb]

P.S: I'm Mated With The Cursed Alpha!

Chapter Four

Hey guy! Don’t forget to Like, Comment, Review, and Follow for more updates! My apologies in advance for all the grammatical errors. Book will be professionally edited when completed.

The screams of horror rose to the roof as a flock of rogues suddenly emerged onto the scene.

As the enormous black wolf came charging my way, everything around me ceased to exist. The only thing in my view was the vicious beast, rapidly heading towards me with his large, dangerously sharp teeth bearing at me.

My mind was screaming at me, telling me to run, but my legs remained fastened to the ground. Like a deer caught in headlights, I was too traumatized to move.

“Joel!” Someone screamed at me from the raging chaos.

Just when I had thought something terrible had happened to her, I quickly snapped to my senses.

That gowling scream I had bottled up inside me was unleashed within an instant. I screamed with fear and terror to the top of my lungs.

Sarah collides against me hard, pushing me out of the way from the oncoming monster just in time. The beast lost control, gliding and crashing its huge body against the bar.

“S-Sarah!” I called her name, choking up with fear as a streak of blood drained down her forehead. “SARAH!”

She blinked open her eyes, trying to regain her strength from the hard fall.

“Jo’! She pitched up suddenly, grasping her aching head. In and out she breathed harshly as I crunch down to help her up.

“S-Sarah! What’s happening?” I panicked.

“T-they’re... Rogues!” She grunted in pain. “I knew we shouldn’t have to come! We have to get out of here, Joel! NOW!”

I wrapped her arm around my shoulders, giving her support as we made our way through the crowd.

" T-the car keys...” Sarah grunted, holding her head as we made it safely to the car. “Do you have the car keys?

“Y-yes, I—

I paused mid-sentence, staring at my hand holding Sarah’s pouch, but her car keys were nowhere present.

“Oh my goodness!” I whimpered sharply, looking everywhere around my feet. “Where is it? Where the hell is it?”

“Oh no! Did you lose it?” She asked, resting faintly against the car door.

A loud, deep growl rippled from the tavern throughout the parking lot. Its sound was filled with terror.

I could feel my heart speeding up. My mouth starting to dry up as I breathe in the drafty air, re-tracing my steps to find the car keys... I could find it anywhere.

My mind was racing with fearful thoughts of the huge monster coming after me again. Those long, sharp, fangs tearing me apart, limb by limb. Those eyes...those terrorizing sinister gold eyes. I’ve never in my life seen a werewolf-like him ever. But why on earth did he charge after me?

I’ve spotted it. Shimmering in the grass just a foot away from me. I clenched my fist and took a deep breath and dashed as fast as my feet can take me, snatching up the car keys in my hand. When I turned around, my shoe slipped off my feet and fell hard on my injured arm.

I groaned and whimpered in agony, feeling the sore pain jotting through my body. “Oww!” I said through clenched teeth.

Slowly I turned over and lift my aching body off the ground, looking ahead of me.

There he was...standing at the entrance of the tavern, back in his human form with his eyes fixed on me. His nostrils flared open as his breath vaporized in the chilly air with every harsh huff he took.

My heart stopped as I watched his sharp jaw, clenched intensely. His stare alone could keep anyone in his hold. Though they were dark and terrorizing, there was something mysterious and surprisingly soft about them.

He took another stance and gradually lowered himself back on all fours.

I snapped out of his hold and ran for dear life, not caring if I was in agonizing pain. Getting far away from him was the only thing on my mind.

When I finally made it back to the car, Sarah was already sitting in the driver’s seat with all the car glasses broken through.

Claw marks were over her shoulder blade and arms. Her blouse was torn through, stained with blood.

“S-Sarah!” I gasped, opening her door. “What...what happened to you?”

“A rogue...attacked me—

I watched as she coughed weakly, groaning in pain.

“Rogues...their marks are infectious...” I said recalling the notes I’ve written in my nursing course about them. “We’ve got to get home fast before the infection spreads!”

Though being in pain as well, I couldn’t imagine what she was going through.

“Look Sarah, we have to get out of here!” I said looking around me.

I didn’t understand it...out of everyone here, why was he after me? Why?

Just thinking about it was driving me insane. Taunting me every second that goes by.

“Go over... I’ll drive!” I breathed sharply.

After she struggled to move her weak body over to the passenger side, I heard a tig snapped behind me.

A rush a fear came over me as I slowly looked over my shoulder.

There his massive, black wolf stood tall with its eyes fixed on the only thing in his path... Me.

Quickly, I leaped inside the car, panicking as I fought to stick the key into the ignition.

“Hurry Jo’!” Sarah cried, shaking in her seat. “It’s going to kill us!”

When I finally managed to get the key in the ignition, I start up the car and shift the gear into drive.

With my feet heavy on the gas pedal, I drifted out of the parking lot onto the main road.

Not looking back, I stared out at the empty highway ahead of us, zooming past the tall pine trees.

Making at least 80 miles per hour, trying to get us away as fast as I can, mentally, I felt as if we weren’t moving anywhere.

The cool wind gushed in my face, making my mouth even more dryer than it already was. I glanced at Sarah, hearing her breathe in and out heavily.

“Joel?” She panted, holding her hand gently over her pulsing wounds. “Are we there yet?”

“Don’t worry, I’m getting us there as fast as I can.

“H-how far... are we?” She asked.

“I’m going as fast as I can... I know it hurts. Just a few more minutes.” I choked trying to keep my composure when suddenly my mind went to mom.

I sighed aloud, biting my bottom lip anxiously. This would definitely make her look down at me. All I ever do is cause trouble. I couldn’t bear to see the scornful, disappointing look on her face. It’s one thing getting in harm’s way, but to see a friend suffer from what I’ve caused is devasting.

It’s always me bringing shame on the family’s name. What makes it even worse, I’m not even their biological daughter! The least I could do is be unproblematic, and grateful that I have a family who goes out of their way to care for my well being.

I couldn’t help the tears from falling, thinking about all the trouble I had caused.

“Sarah... I’m so sorry.” I cried, squeezing my hand tightly around the steering wheel. “I should listen to you and let us leave when we had the chance.”

She sighed deeply, closing and opening her eyes for a moment.

“It’s ok Joel... really!” She said.

“No, it’s not!” I shouted a bit too harshly than I suppose to. “I confess!”

“Confess?” She said confusedly.

“Yes!” I replied, trying to hold back more tears.

“The only reason I said we should still go to the stupid party was that I wanted to see Jackson...” I whimpered, feeling more guiltier as I confessed. “This whole week he’s been so busy. I-I was looking forward to at least seeing him out there.”

Still, in so much pain, I could tell she was upset and slightly irritated at my confession.

“Really Jo’?” She said. “A-all you had to do...was ask me if—

“I know, I know,” I shook my head, not wanting her to make a fuss out of all this.

“No, you don’t!” She insisted that I finish listening to what she’s trying to say. “When since have we started keeping things from each other, Jo’?”

“Sarah I—

“Let me finish!” She said in a more serious tone. “If you want to know something?... Fine! Yes, I was kinda hurt that you didn’t tell me about your first time... I thought that’s what best friends do. Tell each other everything!”

My cheeks were hurting by how hard I was trying to hold back my emotions. Sarah was right. From little kids, we promise that we would tell each other everything. Now here I am not only being a disappointment of a daughter, but I’m also a friend who went back on my promise.

“Sarah... I’m sorry!” I huffed, wiping away my salty tears with the back of my hand. “I-I promise I’ll make it up to you!”

She sighed softly, and like always with a forgiving heart, she accepted my apology.

“It’s ok, really...” She cleared her throat. “All that matters right now is getting away from those rogues and that gigantic wolf.“Why is it after us?” She asked, but I was just as clueless as she was...

Suddenly, it came to me. I finally started to put it all together.

“It’s after me,” I said.

“It’s after you?” She gasped. “Why?—How?”

“I should have seen this coming. Everything Mom was doing was to protect us from things like this.” I said.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “Do you think it’s because you’re the daughter of a well-known Alpha?”

“Yes!” I swallowed, looking through the forest trees as we sped by. “Ever since he laid eyes on me, he looked as he knew who I was. His stare was so intense.”

Sarah paused for a moment, puzzled and weary her countenance had become after hearing what I said. Then, her eyes suddenly widened.

“Joel...you don’t think, there’s a possibility—

“What?” I asked.

“Maybe he’s your m—

The car engine suddenly shut off. I floored and floored the gas pedal over and over, but the car refused to speed up.

Sarah began taking deep breaths.

“W-what...what happened?” She panicked.

Trembling with fear, I looked at the empty gas range and instantly my heart started ramming against my chest.

“No! No! Come on!” I cried, turning the key in the ignition repeatedly, but it only gave us a few hopeless cranked, refusing to turn on. “Damn! We’re on empty!” I said, taking shaky breaths.

We both began to panic, realizing we’re stuck on an empty road surrounded by a dark forest with a pack of rogues and a monstrous wolf on our trail.

“Jo’!” She blurted out with fear in her voice, “What are we going to do!!!

A loud howl came traveling through the spooky woods in the distance. They sounded even closer than we thought.

“Sarah, we have to run!” I cried.

“What!” She said in an unsure tone.

“Yes! It’s either we run now and make it on the pack’s territorial grounds in time or stay here trying to start up the car and get ambush.”

Without having second thoughts, we ran out of the car and shift into our wolf. I always envied Sarah’s wolf’s dark chocolate fur. Mines is just a plain, light, chalky brown color. I hated everything about it.

“Sarah!” I said through mind link when the sounds of growls and ruffled bushes caught us off guard behind us.

“Our border’s right ahead. Once we cross, they can’t harm us!”

We took off into the woods. We sprinted as fast as we can across the wet forest floor as the cool breeze swept our fur. The rogues were right on us.

Finally, we came in view of the pack’s borders only a few feet away. But though we were getting close, he was much bigger, faster, and even more determined to get what he wanted.

We shifted back into human form. Thin layers of sweat and splattered mud covered our bodies as we tried to catch our breath.

Tired and aching with pain, we stared at the wooden, six feet border.

“We have to climb over!” I said as Sarah faintly collapsed against it.

“I can’t, Jo’!” She groaned, holding her wounded shoulder.

“No! No! NO, Sarah!” I cried, helping her to her feet. “Climb up, hurry! They’re coming!” I squealed, watching as their shadowy figures came closer and closer!”

I clutched my arms around her legs and push her up with all the strength I had left. One of my stitches popped and I watched as blood started to drain down my arm. She finally reached the top and crossed over.

“Guards! Guards!” Sarah shouted aloud to the nearby guards. “Come on, Joel!” She panted, with on-hand reaching over for me and the other grasping her wound. “Hurry, grab my hand!”

As I hurry to climb, I slipped on an algae-covered log and fell back, landing hard on my bottom.

“JOEL!” She cried as the guards made their way over.

I crawled back over on territorial grounds just in time as the flock of rogues, all different colors and sizes, gathered me, growling viciously. Though they were so eager to attack, they couldn’t, because I was safe on my rightful territory.

I trembled in fear as they bear their sharp teeth at me. Sarah cried aloud, clutching her arms around me through the border.

“Don’t worry, Sarah!” I gasped, trying to calm her down. “They won’t harm me... I-I’m on our grounds.”

Slowly and carefully, I took my time and made my way up without slipping out of bounds. Suddenly his wolf leaped out of nowhere, raging in fury.

The rogues quickly moved out of his path as he shifted back into his human form and stalked my way.

His intense, blazing, green eyes were fastened on me as he strutted closer. They were like flaming darts, piercing through my soul. His muscles were swollen, covered with a thin coat of sweat, glazing in the moonlight with his long straight hair was plastered over his neck and shoulders.

Just like the others, I knew he won’t harm me now, knowing he would be trespassing onto territorial grounds, but boy was I wrong.

He made his way over, not giving a damn if he was on territorial grounds or not, and launch up after me. But I managed to land safely over in time before he could hold me captive.

“Joel!” Sarah cried, embracing my trembling body tightly.

I turned around and stared up at him as he took harsh, deep breaths. His clenched jaw was twitching uncontrollably. Frustration and defeat were smeared over his face as he stared silently down at me through hooded eyes. The tension was so thick between us, we could have cut it with a knife.

Still overly petrified, feeling my heart about to leave my chest, I was so lucky and relieved I got away on time.

I don’t know why I did it, but the smallest smirk gradually crept on my face as I took deep breaths to calm myself. That alone set him off. He widened his eyes and flared his nostril in rage. My little smirk faded away instantly as he growled deeply, bucking his taut chest against the border towards me.

As the guards came closer, that was when I made the wrongest mistake ever. One wrong move, I turned around and stumble back slightly. He reached his muscular arm through the log, locking his large hand firmly onto my puff of hair.

“Joel!” Sarah screeched.

My lips parted, but I couldn’t make a sound. I was too in shock that I had let my guard down so carelessly. His grip tightened and I whimpered, squeezing one eye close feeling the slight pain.

“LET HER GO!” Sarah shouted, clawing his hand, but he reached out his other arm and slapped her hand away.

“Step away, or I’ll snap your freaking neck!” He growled threateningly at her. “And you...” He said, pulling me closer to the border towards him.

I quivered hearing his deep, raspy Alpha voice for the first time. It was deeper and more boisterous than any male wolf I know.

He took a deep sniff of my scent and groan loudly, sending chills through my body. “I thought I saw a smirk a few seconds ago... Where is it now, little girly.” He said in a menacingly low voice.

When I didn’t answer, he tightened his grip on my hair and growled.

“That wasn’t a mistake you made letting your guard down...it was destined to happen!” He said slowly. “You can’t escape what was meant to be.”

“L-let me go!” I manage to muttered, grasping my much smaller hand over his grip. “P-plea-se...”

He let out an empty chuckle and coldly replied, “You can’t be talking to me.”

I whimpered, feeling the tears starting to build up in my eyes, streaming down my face.

“I’ve been waiting too long for this...” He said intensely. “Seven years... too long!”

Read Chapter Five (Click the link below)

[missgeek83]

A Guinness in Galway

TITLE:  A Guinness in Galway AUTHOR: @missgeek83 RATING: NC-17 SUBJECT: Ed Sheeran AUTHOR’S NOTE: Old friends go out for a drink, and maybe a little more. This is my first foray back into the fanfic world. *nervous laugh* Be kind? <3

The bartender handed me my glass and the last lights of day glittered off the sides. The sun was still warm on my back, but it couldn’t compete with the flush I felt when I looked over and caught his eyes. It took barely a second to get lost in them, and I wasn’t even concerned with how my face must’ve looked until I shifted my glass and a beam of light caused him to squint in pain.

“Aye, watch where you’re pointin’ that,” he said with a small laugh.

Oh, shit. I shifted the glass back. “Shit, sorry.”

He was laughing as the bartender handed him his beer, giving the guy a nod as he sat back down.

“They should be here soon, they said they were close...” I rushed my words, trying to pretend I was still casual. (I wasn’t.)

“They’ll be another hour then, yea? Knowing that lot.”

“Well, I mean you’re not wrong.”

A few beats pass and then my phone buzzes in my jacket pocket. I pull it out, raising my eyebrow knowingly at him. I read the message, and laugh.

“Christine says they’re trying to find a parking spot. Soooo, give or take about 15 minutes.”

“Enough time for another drink,” he says with a grin.

The group files in about 8 minutes later, filling the bar with the sound of their feet and laughter. As they all settle at the bar next to us, the whole place seems to come alive. The noise level rises just enough that I don’t feel like I have to fill in the spaces between sentences, which is good because to speak to other people down the bar Ed is having to lean over me and I am absolutely distracted. Christine, who sat to my right, is laughing into her drink when my brain comes back into focus. I shoot her a warning glare.

“What?!” She tries to act innocent. “I heard something funny.”

“You’re gonna see something funny in a second,” I mumble, tipping the last of my drink back.

She starts to speak, but Ed sits down at that moment and asks if I want another drink.

“Uh, well if I’m gonna drive later maybe not?”

He smiles at me for a brief second before waving down the bartender.

“Aye, mate, can we get two doubles?”

“Wait - oh, no, yea ok you’re already gone.” I give Ed an exasperated look. He grins and gives my shoulder a squeeze.

Hours later, we all start to disperse, heading to our cars to figure out who’s going home and who’s going for more drinks. Being one of the lightweights, I’m debating on just calling it a night. Christine is headed with her friend-but-not-quite-boyfriend to a bar down the street, and she wants me to go with. I look behind me, trying to see if Ed is leaving or staying. He’s next to a friends car, but soon gives them a salute and turns toward us.

“Coming to Smithe’s?” Christine asks him, looping her arm through mine and giving me a little tug.

“Might as well.”

“Great!” She smiles and lets me go to catch up with Jon, who is already walking out of the parking lot toward the next destination.

I sigh, then laugh. “She’s going to be the death of me.”

“Probably,” Ed says, putting his arm where hers had been and hauling me with him through the parking lot.

We’re both laughing when we catch up to Christine and Jon at the front door of the bar. We wait to be seated, Eds hand coming to rest lightly at the small of my back. Telling myself it’s just the alcohol, I try to ignore the chill that goes straight up to my brain as we’re ushered inside. The booth they sit us in is like its own little island, nestled away in the darkest corner of the bar. I’m suddenly very aware of how tipsy I am as we all slide in behind the round table; first Jon, then Christine, then me, then Ed last. We all chit chat idly and skim the drink menu until a waiter comes to get our orders. Everyone gets a water, and a drink, and we order the biggest appetizer sampler, hoping to soak up some of the alcohol for the drive home. Once the waiter is gone, Christine announces she has to pee, and after giving me a look, I remember that I, uh, have to pee, too.

We barely make it in the bathroom door before she starts.

“So, who drove?” she asks from her stall. "I did," I reply, staring at myself in the mirror to make sure I don't look as drunk as I feel. "Mmmhmmmmm..." She trails off.

"Once the food settles I'll be fine to drive us home, and he has a thing tomorrow anyway." "A thing for you," I hear her mutter as she fusses with the toilet paper. "Stop that, he doesn't think of me that way."

I'm messing with my hair and watch my own face drop in sadness. All the years we've been friends, never once had I thought Ed saw past the gangly blonde girl who ruffled his ginger hair everyday in middle school. We'd both been outcasts, brought together by our love of music and stuff that everybody else hated, but he'd never shown a romantic interest in me. Most days I was ok with that, because for the longest time I hadn't seen him like that myself. It wasn't until the summer he went away for a music thing and came back all...grown up, that I'd started looking at him differently. He grew his hair out, got a couple tattoos, and suddenly he was this irresistable, unattainable person that I had never really seen before. Maybe it was the months he was gone, maybe it was the change in appearance, or maybe it was just something in the air, but in the two years since I hadn't been able to convince myself he was the same kid. I notice Christine has been talking while my brain has been elsewhere. "...maybe if you did that he would open up." "What? Sorry, I wasn't listening." "What else is new?" She exits her stall and rolls her eyes at me. "I try to impart my wisdowm and knowledge on you and you don't even hear me. No wisdom for you!" We laugh as she tosses her paper towel in the trash and make our way back to our table. The guys are having what I can only assume is an awkward attempt at conversation when we get back because Ed has the most relieved face I've ever seen on a person as we sit down. "That was the most painful five minutes of my life," he mutters to me as I reach for my drink. His is already dangerously low. I snicker and take a sip. "Next time, I'll make her go by herself, I promise." He smiles at that and shakes his head. He reaches for a cheese stick and offers it to me, wiggling it in my face. I reach for it, only to have him pop it in his mouth. "Rude!" I squeal, laughing. The rest of the food goes quickly, and after our drinks are done, I notice Christine giving signs that her night needs to be finished elsewhere. Jon nods at her and they rise from the table. "Alrighty guys, well we had fun! Jon's got work in the morning so I think we're gonna head out." Ed and I get up and hug her goodbye, Jon gets a solid handshake and a big-brother-type threat from him, I get a wink from her, and they're gone. Now it's just Ed and I at the table, nursing the last of our drinks in silence. "So, you...want me to take you home after this?" I ask him, pushing my empty glass aside and reaching for my water. "Uh, yea, got that interview tomorrow so..." I nod. My head is still a bit more spin-y that I'd like, but I know he's had way more than me so I pray to the water gods that I'm sober in the next 10 minutes. Suddenly my right cheek burns hot, and I glance over to find him staring at me. When my eyes meet his he doesn't look away, only holds the gaze and the left side of his mouth tips up into a grin. I give him a puzzled half smile back, unable to look away. My heart pounds away beneath my ribs and I feel my head start to fall forward. His does too. In slow-mo, my eyes drop from his as I watch his lips inch closer to mine, and I feel for a second like I'm outside my own body. I think for sure he's going to pull away, because this couldn't possibly be his intention. My vodka-adled brain is making things up and I'm about to make myself look incredibly stupid...until it happens. His lips brush mine and I instantly melt into him. I'm warm all over and my heart is rattling around my chest at an impressive speed. He presses his lips firmly against mine a second time, and I feel his hand come up to rest against my chin. He tilts it upward, catching my mouth again and again and I can't breathe. Breathing feels secondary to making sure my face stays connected to his. Then I'm drowning; in his lips, in his warmth, in the taste of him...I'm a goner. Then it's over. He pulls his face back and I feel a whimper escape my lungs at the broken connection. When I snap back to reality and open my eyes, he's smiling at me with a soft look in his eyes. His hand is still on my face, his thumb rubbing over my jaw line lightly. I stare back in shock, slowly coming out of my haze and suddenly petrified with fear. He notices the change in my face and speaks first. "Hey, you ok?" "Y-yea...I..." Words don't make sense and I can't think of enough of them to describe a single thing I'm feeling. His fingers are still carressing my face. "Is it ok...that I did that?" He seems apprehensive now, like he's scared I didn't want him to kiss me. "No, no! I mean, yes it was ok. More than ok..." I trail off and bring my eyes back up to meet his. The worry fades and his smile returns. I have to be grinning like an idiot by now but I'm trying to savor every second so who cares? I'm still trying to form more than a few words at a time when the hand on my chin slides back behind my ear and brings our heads together again. The synapses in my brain are exploding like fireworks inside my skull as I fall into his chest and my nose catches his cologne on an intake of breath. He smells woodsy, like sandalwood, but also sweet, and a little bit like Guinness. The slow burn that started in my head after the first kiss is spreading like wildfire throughout my entire system. Even though most of the alcohol has left me it's still propelling my actions forward at what I realize is an alarming rate as I snake my hand up his chest and toward the zipper of his hoodie. I stop myself and pull away from him, as much as I hate the idea. We're both slightly out of breath, and his lips are a lovely shade of red, with just a touch of pink from my lipstick. He looks confused. “I...We should probably...” Eventually my vocabulary will return to me, I'm sure, but it's really causing issues currently. “Somewhere else?” “My place?” he asks, raising his eyebrow with a smirk. I nod and fumble behind me for my purse. He's already sliding out of the booth and tossing some cash on the table as I unlatch my car keys and stand up. I take a deep breath, because despite the lovely feeling rushing over me I'm also scared as hell by what may or may not be about to happen. As I'm gathering myself together I see his hand pop out in front of me. I look at him, then take it, and internally squeal when his fingers lace through mine. He leads me from the bar back to my car and waits as I unlock the doors. It's cold out, and I'm thankful for the heater as I crank it and drive off toward Ed's apartment. We don't speak, but the bluetooth plays songs from my phone quietly in the background, helping keep my mind from wandering too far in the wrong direction. When we pull up in front of his building a few minutes later, I get a chill of anticipation...and possibly a little apprehension. He takes my hand again when we meet in front of the car and walks me to the elevator. His complex is by far the nicest in the county, maybe the whole state, and makes my rental look like a total dump. Except that right inside the front door you can immediately tell it's lived in by a man because there are clothes thrown over the couch and cups in single file in front of the sink. He doesn't bother turning on the living room light, just kicks his shoes off and throws down his keys. Dorito (one of his two feline companions) looks up lazily from the moonlight streaming through the window she's laying in and gives a soft meow. I wiggle a finger at her and from behind me I hear Ed laugh. “What?” I say, a smile playing on my lips. “Don't be pointin' fingers at my pussy,” he jokes. I roll my eyes, but realize he probably can't see it. He slides a hand behind me and lightly pushes me toward the stairs. I step out of my shoes and follow him to the second floor. I've been to his place a million times, slept on his floor, his couch, a couple times even his bed – but never like this. Only in my wildest (to the letter) dreams had I ever walked toward that room with this same feeling. I watch my toes indent the carpet in the hallway as he stops ahead of me to open the bedroom door. There's a pause. “I won't bite,” he says, softer than I've ever heard. His soothing voice convinces me to go inside, and I walk in, resting on the side of the bed I know he doesn't sleep on. He flips on the two bedside lamps from the wall and closes the door behind him. He takes his jacket off and tosses it into the chair in the far corner of the room before crawling onto the bed himself. He scoots to the middle, leans against the headboard, and motions for me to join him. I do, and he wraps me up in his arms as I rest my head under his chin. “We don't have to go any farther, if you don't want,” he whispers to me, fingers slowly working through my hair. I don't say anything. Honestly I don't know if I want to go further. We've already thrown “friends” out the window, I don't really want to risk the rest of the night going badly trying to get to whatever is next. As I try to think of what to say, he starts to sing softly, something I've never heard before. “Dancing in the dark...with you between my arms...barefoot on the grass...” He trails off into a hum, obviously not having found the next line yet. His voice is smooth and sweet, and I never tire of listening to him sing. He sounds so much more British when he sings, his lilt making each word bend and sway like reeds in the wind. He sings me to sleep, which was not exactly my intention, but after all the liqour and the excitement of the night, my brain is exhausted. I wake up the next day, the late morning sun filtering in just above my head. I stretch, yawning as I rub my eyes and open them to find...myself alone in a room that is not my own. It takes a few seconds for the night to play back in my head and I laugh a little to myself, half embarrassed and half regretful that the night had ended with me passing out like a child. I hear some clanging from downstairs and am relieved to know he's still here. I'm still wearing everything except my jacket, and I opt to leave it as I shuffle sleepily downstairs. All the blinds in the kitchen are up, and Ed is at the stove, shirtless and in his sweats, making what looks to be eggs. He turns to grab a plate and the sun bounces off his hair, a small flame atop his porcelain skin. He's singing to himself, and I smile, reaching the last step without being seen.

“Careful,” I say in a groggy voice. He turns to look at me. “That's what got me in trouble last night.” He laughs, tossing the eggs and some toast onto the plate and laying it on the bar behind him. “Yea, you were proper tired, ay? After all that and I get snoring as a reward...” He shakes his head in a 'tsk-tsk' way as I sit in front of the plate and scoff. “Maybe your charms need a little more umph to them,” I tease. He rounds the bar and grabs me suddenly, placing his lips against the side of my neck. My eyes flutter closed as he butterfly kisses up toward my ear and then pulls away. “O-or, ya know...not.” “No?” His eyes are mischievous, and also a little arrogant. The bastard. “Water?” I request, clearing my throat to pretend like he hadn't gotten to me. “Say please.” More kisses to the neck, this time crossing my collarbone. “Please?” It comes out as a gasp, airy and hardly a solid word, but it's all I can manage. It's too early for my brain to process any of this and I have no hope of winning this battle. Despite my weakened plea, he continues to kiss across my neck, then up my face, everywhere but my lips. The flame licks at me, reignited from the night before, and my hands slide into his hair. I use it to pull his face up enough for my mouth to find his, and the sensation is enough to blow my scalp clean off. He takes like orange juice, and my hands grasp at his shoulders to pull him closer because the space bewteen us is too much. He steps between my knees, bumping the stool I'm sitting on, and I feel him pressing against my stomach as he tries to right us. The feeling breaks what little control I have over my brain and when our lips separate I can't help the moan that escapes me. I see his eyes roll up, he blinks, then he hefts me up onto the bar. The plate clatters to the floor, but it doesn't stop us. Using my toes, I push the sides of his sweat pants down and after a second they fall to the floor. He's not wearing anything underneath and his erection bounces freely in front of me. He doesn't seem detered by his sudden nudity and tugs at my jeans. I hurry to unbutton them and get them off without being too awkward. The granite bar is cold under me, but every inch of me is on fire. His right hand grips the back of my head and his lips are back on mine. He scoots me to the end of the counter and I wrap my legs around his waist. In time with our kisses, I rotate my hips and rub myself against him. He drops his head to my shoulder for a second and pushes back against me. I see his hand reach to my side, to a black bowl, and bring back a black square. He lifts his head and carefully tears the side off the condom wrapper. There's a small tremor that runs through me, because this is about to happen, this is real. He's rolling the condom on when I snap back, and he looks up at me expectantly. I nod, my chest heaving, and he runs a finger along the top of my underwear. He helps me shove them off and then he spins me around, so he can lay me back on the bar. I use a balled up shirt to put under my head and feel him press the tip against my opening. I take in a big breath, holding it as the pressure subsides and he's completely inside. I can't take the separation anymore and sit up, wrapping my legs around him again and he presses a kiss to my breast. He starts slowly at first, and my eyes meet his. He's entranced, his face full of awe, and I can't look away. I fight back the feeling in my throat, the tears coming to my eyes, knowing that I'd wanted exactly this for the longest time. It spurs me on, and I meet each of his thrusts in earnest. He's breaking a sweat, the sun reflecting off his freckled shoulders. I bite my lip and he closes his eyes.

“I'm close,” he whispers. He can tell I'm not quite there yet, so he reaches between us and uses his thumb to find my clit. I inhale sharply and I see him grin. After a couple seconds I can feel it coming. I moan loudly and I can tell he's done when his face pinches and his thrusts slow. Shortly after I feel the same explosion and everything is white for a second. As my vision clears I feel him holding me, panting heavily against my shoulder. I cradle the back of his head with both hands, mostly trying to steady myself from the last of the tremors coursing through me. It takes a minute or two for our breathing to return to normal, and when it does he slips out of me and discards the condom. I meekly look around for a towel, and snag a few napkins from the far end of the bar. He chuckles. “So...shower?” He extends a hand toward me, his whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. I nod and reach out to him, sliding off the bar onto the floor. My legs wobble beneath me and he quickly puts an arm around me to steady me.

“Damn, thanks...” I say, giggling. He stops and picks me up, carrying me back upstairs. He's careful not to hit my head as we re-enter the bedroom and then the bathroom. He sets me down and goes to turn on the shower. I watch him pull a couple fresh towels from the cupboard, turn around and test the water temperature, then nod for me to get in. He pulls the curatin closed behind us and hands me a bottle. It's my favorite body wash, most likely left here long ago, after a night similar to last night. Except without the kissing and, uh, everything else. I use a spare loofah and start to soap my arms. He does the same, and I catch him looking at me from the corner of my eye.  He doesn't look away, just raises his eyebrows sexually. I laugh and duck my head, stepping into the stream of water. “That's exactly how we got into this mess, you and those eyes.” “Sooo, are you saying you don't wanna be in my mess?” He pretends to be hurt. “Oh, quite the opposite...couldn't you tell from my extreme enthusiasm downstairs?” “I maybe got an idea.” He wraps his soapy arms around my waist and kisses me, so very slowly. But only for a second, then he rests his forehead against mine.  “Are you gonna be my lady?” My heart drops. Straight through the floor, down, down, down. Everything I've longed for is right here. “Is that what you want?” I ask, voice hitching. “Is that what YOU want?” I raise my eyes to meet his. “It's everything I want.” My voice is barely a whisper. “Then that's what you'll have,” he says, and it sounds like a promise. Like a contract we both signed with the kiss he places on my forehead afterward. I don't notice them at first because of the shower over head, but soon I realize I'm crying. Not long after I'm gasping for breath, and he holds me tighter. “Shh,” he whispers, slowly rocking us side to side. He hums a familiar song, the first song we bonded over as kids, and it brings my tears to a stop. “Come on, let's rinse off. Then we'll have a proper breakfast, yea?” I nod, and he kisses me before stepping into the spray to wash off. After breakfast, we snuggle in bed and watch whatever is on the last channel his TV landed on. He twirls my still-damp hair between his index and middle finger absentmindedly. My phone goes off, several texts in a row, on the bedside table behind me and I know immediately who it is. “That'll be Christine, looking for a story,” I say as I reach for it. Whithout looking away from the screen, Ed laughs. “Well, this should be a good one.” “WAKE UP!” “I know you're awake. And you're not at home.” “WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!” “At Ed's. Spent the night. EVERYTHING happened. Literally. Lunch later?” I see the elipses at the bottom of the screen immediately. “WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?! LUNCH?! I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG.” Laughing, I put the phone down and lay my head back down on Ed's chest.

“She wants to meet up and hear all about it.” “I'm sure she does.” He looks at his watch. “I've gotta be out in a couple hours, if you wanna pop off.” “She can wait. I'm not done here.” I snuggle as close to him as I can, and close my eyes when I feel him kiss the top of my head. Yea...she can wait. After this long, I deserve to stay here as long as I can. ---------- Masterlist here. 

[awkward-whiteboy]

1-200

200 Questions to Ask Me!

200: My crush’s name is:  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 199: I was born in: Michigan198: I am really: Depressed, bored, hungry, lonely197: My cellphone company is: Verizon196: My eye color is: Brown/ugly195: My shoe size is: 11194: My ring size is:8.5193: My height is: 6″3192: I am allergic to: Medicine, tree dust191: My 1st car was: The piece of shitmobile190: My 1st job was: Illegal  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 189: Last book you read: How to Think About Weird Things Critical Thinking for a New Age. (Yes it’s a college textbook, but if you love debating with people on the internet [ though this is pointless] this book is a must read).188: My bed is: a college loft that I fear is going to fall any second. 187: My pet: Pet no, mascot my HARAMBE FLAG! 186: My best friend: @rinkatai @aesthetichalestorm @bookerdewiit 185: My favorite shampoo is: Whatever I have in the shower when I’m showering184: Xbox or ps3: either, but Mario Kart trumps them all183: Piggy banks are: cool if they aren’t the break ones182: In my pockets: wallet, room keys, a “Thanks asshole” note someone graciously wrote me 181: On my calendar: Peoples birthdays, and predictions for stupids shit. (5 for 6 on them being right)180: Marriage is: dumb, combining debt together over a stupid ceremony. Why not just say fuck it and save the money for a sweet house and lots of animals179: Spongebob can: keep coming out. I love that show. If given the time, I could probably quote almost all the episodes178: My mom: is my mom177: The last three songs I bought were? People buy songs? I can name albums: Reaching into infinity, Begining of the End, One More Light176: Last YouTube video watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsx0d3p4SMQ

175: How many cousins do you have? That I talk to, 3,4. total like 22+

174: Do you have any siblings? Youngest of 5

173: Are your parents divorced? No

172: Are you taller than your mom? Yes

171: Do you play an instrument? Guitar and Trombone

170: What did you do yesterday? Stayed up til 5 am playing Garrys Mod

[ I Believe In ]

169: Love at first sight: Sort of, doesnt work out though

168: Luck: Luck is an undeclared claim.

167: Fate: Nope

166: Yourself: Never. I always fail

165: Aliens: Hard to say, 

164: Heaven: No

163: Hell: I am a living hell

162: God: not a god, but a something

161: Horoscopes: Nope

160: Soul mates: Yes

159: Ghosts: No

158: Gay Marriage: Marriage is Marriage, IMO calling it Gay marriage is trying to make it different than regular marriage.

157: War: Yes

156: Orbs: YEs

155: Magic: No

[ This or That ]

154: Hugs or Kisses: Hugs

153: Drunk or High: Both.  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

152: Phone or Online: Phone

151: Red heads or Black haired: Red Heads, but thats just from my experience

150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes

149: Hot or cold: Mild

148: Summer or winter: Winter

147: Autumn or Spring: Spring

146: Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla

145: Night or Day: Night

144: Oranges or Apples: Apple

143: Curly or Straight hair: Curly

142: McDonalds or Burger King: BK

141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: White Chocolate

140: Mac or PC: PC

139: Flip flops or high heals: Flippers

138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Sweet and Poor

137: Coke or Pepsi: Don’t care, just gots to be diet

136: Hillary or Obama: Norm is my OTP  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

135: Burried or cremated: Cremated, that way I’ll still be around people when im dead because no one would come willing if I was buried

134: Singing or Dancing: My singing is 1 of a kind

133: Coach or Chanel: Chanel because meme

132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Kat McPhee, only because I don’t know any of them and Hick is a bad name with my life.

131: Small town or Big city: Both

130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target

129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Ben Stiller

128: Manicure or Pedicure: Pedi

127: East Coast or West Coast: Weast Coast  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Birthday, people notice me :)

125: Chocolate or Flowers: Flowers

124: Disney or Six Flags: Datknee… Disney

123: Yankees or Red Sox: Neither

[ Here’s What I Think About ]

122: War: Pointless, but happens, Realistically, will never end.

121: George Bush: All politics have goods and bads, we’ve had better, but we also had far worse.

120: Gay Marriage: Always said

119: The presidential election: Popular vote and the current way are both fraud by the way America is. A completely new system is needed.

118: Abortion: Not a women so my opinion is not valid or needed. Honestly I hate kids. so Pro

117: MySpace: Last i checked (like a year ago,) its pretty much a Soundcloud.

116: Reality TV: Stupid

115: Parents: Do what they do. Different generation so their ways of parenting are theirs.

114: Back stabbers: Too many in my life… DAMN… MAYBE THIS IS WHY I AM FUCKED UP.

113: Ebay: I spend too much money on it

112: Facebook: Fuck the Zuck

111: Work: Never had a legal job

110: My Neighbors: Can go shove a knife up their asses 

109: Gas Prices: Better than the past

108: Designer Clothes: I’m making a separate post about this.. I might be in a bit of trouble with my college over this.

107: College: I don’t fit in anywhere. only friends I have I went to High school with. 

106: Sports: Really wish I played football in High school. I know I wouldn’t play at my school, but a smaller one I would.

105: My family: Family is family

104: The future: WIll not be brighter. 

[ Last time I ]

103: Hugged someone: Too long ago

102: Last time you ate: yesterday (2:00pm 12/13/2017)

101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: Emotional abuser has a drug dealer that lives in my colleges town. Saw her :/ cried for hours.

100: Cried in front of someone: Summer 2017

99: Went to a movie theater: whenever IT came out. Got in trouble with my colelge cause of roommates

98: Took a vacation: too long ago

97: Swam in a pool: summer 2017

96: Changed a diaper: never

95: Got my nails done: never

94: Went to a wedding: Spring 2017

93: Broke a bone: with a doctor knowing never, but like 6 years ago

92: Got a piercing: None

91: Broke the law:  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

90: Texted: I stubbed my nose on the elevator

[ MISC ]

89: Who makes you laugh the most: Doc

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: Nothing

87: The last movie I saw: Cure For Wellness

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Going home so I wont be alone with my depressing thoughts and questionable music

85: The thing im not looking forward to: going to the meeting

84: People call me: Davie Crocket Davy Divad Garbage, fucker loser, pretty much every name in the book

83: The most difficult thing to do is: pretend to be normal

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Talked the cop out of it with my mindfucking bullshittery

81: My zodiac sign is: Scorpio

80: The first person i talked to today was:

@rinkatai

79: First time you had a crush: 9th Grade

78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: Rink

77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Last week

76: Right now I am talking to: Myself 

75: What are you going to do when you grow up: Good question  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)  

74: I have/will get a job: No, I cant do interviews I alwasy fuck them up or never get called back

73: Tomorrow: hopefully do something better

72: Today: Watched 9 hours of netflixs

71: Next Summer: Too far to determain

70: Next Weekend: Too far to determain

69: I have these pets: None

68: The worst sound in the world: College kids screaming because finals when they are just being cliche

67: The person that makes me cry the most is: myself

66: People that make you happy: Happy? whats that

65: Last time I cried: Today

64: My friends are: Rin Doc 

63: My computer is: Fucked up because everything I own always gets fucked up

62: My School: College sucks, High School : IN A LOT OF HOT WATER

61: My Car: is a piece of shit

60: I lose all respect for people who: treat me bad… damn thats like 95% of the people I see

59: The movie I cried at was: The Producer

58: Your hair color is: Ugly Brown

57: TV shows you watch: The OFfice

56: Favorite web site: Higher or Lower Youtube

55: Your dream vacation: Somewhere with the right person

54: The worst pain I was ever in was: The emotion and things I live with everyday.

53: How do you like your steak cooked: However it is cooked

52: My room is: MY STUFF IS CLEAN roommate 1 is not

51: My favorite celebrity is: Too many to name

50: Where would you like to be: A better state of mind

49: Do you want children: NO

48: Ever been in love: Sadly

47: Who’s your best friend: Rin Doc

46: More guy friends or girl friends: Girl Friends

45: One thing that makes you feel great is: Dark humor

44: One person that you wish you could see right now: :’(

43: Do you have a 5 year plan: I only plan 5 minutes in advance

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: No, honestly asking 10th grade me, i only planned up till graduation

41: Have you pre-named your children: NO KIDS

40: Last person I got mad at:  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

39: I would like to move to: Sanity land

38: I wish I was a professional: Musician

[ My Favorites ]

37: Candy: Sour Skittles or Mega Sours

36: Vehicle: Piece of Shit Mobile

35: President: Suliman with the Onion hat

34: State visited: Iowa. 

33: Cellphone provider: Verizon

32: Athlete: Cardale Jones

31: Actor: Bill Mother Fucking Murry

30: Actress: Emma Watson

29: Singer: Davey Jones, Davey Havok, Chester, and many more

28: Band: Too many, but I will say I’ve personally met one of them

27: Clothing store: cheap ones

26: Grocery store: cheap ones

25: TV show: Office, Simpsons South Park TWD

24: Movie: Cure For Wellness Clockwork Orange, Cant remember the name, but the original hunger games… the japanese one

23: Website: youtube

22: Animal: panda pugs

21: Theme park: cedar point

20: Holiday: leif erikson day

19: Sport to watch: hockey

18: Sport to play: football

17: Magazine:  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

16: Book: Too many

15: Day of the week: Monday. Because I play a game of what sucks more… I win a lot

14: Beach: na

13: Concert attended: Alice Cooper 3x, Deep Purple, Stone Sour, Skillet, Motley Crue 2x, FFDP, Wayland, Valraven, Alterbridge, Iron Maiden, going to see Judas Priest with someone in April

12: Thing to cook: Pasta and muffins

11: Food: ^

10: Restaurant: places with spicy chicken nuggets rice pudding and chicken noodle soup

9: Radio station: 101 WRIF Q106

8: Yankee candle scent: N/A

7: Perfume: N/A

6: Flower: Idk Roses or Marigolds

5: Color: Black orange green

4: Talk show host:  ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

3: Comedian: A lot

2: Dog breed: PUG

1: did you answer all these truthfully? Like 4 are not :/

[thetravellingvagrant]

Day 6: Iasi- Grumble Warning

Ok, so, I've fallen a bit behind on posts and the one I was working on just deleted itself in a fit of selfishness, so I plan, over the course of today, to upload three mini-updates of significantly reduced length, in an effort to not send myself mental, trying to catch up. Don't worry. You won't be missing much.

So, let's speed through day 6; for the first time on the trip I had managed to let myself wake up naturally, without my alarm or (despite their best, snore-laden efforts) room-mates prematurely rousing me. Consequently, I slept until 12 and had managed to waste a good portion of my first full day in Iasi.

I shared my room with an odd Romanian man, who we will get to later and another, eerily quiet, fairly creepy man who had sat stock still, the previous night, not moving, even to check his phone when it went off, save for one incident, where he sauntered directly over to my bunk to thrust a piece of melon into my face, to ask if I wanted some. I did not. Melon is gross. By the time I had woken up, however, both men had vacated the room, with my melon based assailant seemingly having done so permanently. I was very glad of this fact.

After a genuinely infuriating experience of trying to drag my incredibly low-end laptop through the relatively demanding experience of trying to book accommodation for Cluj-Napoca; my next destination, through AirBnB, who had also arbitrarily decided that I, all of a sudden, needed to scan my passport into the website in order to make any further bookings, for some mad reason, I finally managed to get out into Iasi, to explore the city properly. Sort of.

The sky was badly overcast, meaning, that once again, despite it being pre-sunset, my jaunt into the surrounding area would be undertaken essentially in darkness. Regardless, I pressed on to my first objective of the day; to hoover up souvenirs, like a mad tat-vaccuum.

I stopped, for what I hoped would be a flying visit, though actually ended up taking up a good portion of what remained of my day, at a gift shop I had spied on my way in to the hostel, the previous day. A timid little man greeted me upon my entry and asked what I was looking for, for whom and what my budget was. I told him and he considered for a moment, before demonstrating at wearying length each piece of stock he felt fit the bill, which, as it turned out, was nearly every piece of stock he owned. After an awfully long time, he stopped talking and I picked the piece of tat I most felt would make an appropriate gift and attempted to pay. He insisted on gift-wrapping it, despite the fact that I told him I did not need it gift wrapped, nor did I expect the structural integrity of the wrap to hold up, during my flight home. But, no. He did it anyway.

I left and, after a quick stop at a nearby mall to pick up a fridge magnet, upon which my demanding (though still nice) girlfriend insists I bring back for her, I was finally ready to explore the city. Like, for real this time.

I sat in a nearby park and pulled out the comically huge map I had been given by the hostel

I mean LOOK at it...

before feeling a bit embarrassed and putting it away, after taking a quick photo of it to take note of the highlighted areas of interest. I decided, in lieu of a better plan, to saunter between them, despite the fact that most, if not all of them just seemed to be old churches.

The walk was nice enough, with my podcasts filling my ears to distract me from the low-key mundanity and creeping cold that was setting in, though probably not of any huge interest to the blog, as it can be summed up in the single sentence “I saw some churches”. I nearly went to a museum which featured exhibits on life in the area at around 4000BC, which sounded interesting, but by the time I had arrived, it was getting close to its closing time, and so I did not.

I ended up, instead, in a nearby park, which my giganto-map had told me, I my memory served, had inspired numerous romanian poets to create their best work. It was, however, by the time I arrived, a little after sunset, and so I was only really inspired to leave.

Finally, I made a quick stop at LIDL to buy far, far, far too many pastries to make my nine hour train ride the following day, less shit.

The LIDL, though quite nice, had the curious flaw of not having any baskets for me to use, hanging around. People had trolleys, but I had no idea from where they originated. Instead, I was forced to just sort of fill my pockets, tuck under my arm and otherwise clutch onto the not insubstantial amount of things I wanted to buy. It was awkward and uncomfortable and for some time afterwards, my hands more resembled talons, but I powered through, little soldier that I am, and made my pleasingly cheap purchases. I remembered to buy a bag for the walk home.

I returned to the hostel and set about my evening bibble before being interrupted by my strange Romanian room-mate, whom I had previously mentioned. He stumbled into the room.

“...Deed you see the city?”

“Sorry?”

“...Deed you go and look at thee ceety?”

“What, today?” I asked, feeling vaguely affronted, like he was judging me for being in the hostel so often, when I could be outside exploring this gloriously mundane town. “Yes, I just got back.” I challenged, adding “I was out walking around for like five hours”, just to make him feel like a real piece of shit.

He seemed to drop the subject and wandered over to the window.

“You know eet was snoweenk earlier?” he said, desperate to prove that I wasn't paying enough attention to the outside world, apparently.

“Oh” I replied. “No, I didn't.”

“Yeah, its stopped now, theenk you meesed it”

Oh, fuck off.

“Ah, well, there'll always be more snow...” I said, philosophically.

“Who knows, man” he answered back, also philosophically, but at the same time, stupidly. “Weenters are getting warmer, you know”

“Yeah, true...” I mumbled back, out of politeness

“When I was a keed, always such huge snow in weenter, but nowadays, not so much”

“Well, that's global warming for you...”. My stock reply to people talking about weather I'm not interested in.

“...I don't believe so much in global warmeenk”

...Oh, no.

“Oh?” I queried, knowing full well that I was getting dragged down this rabbit hole, whether I wanted or not.

“Yeah, I mean it maybe happens, but its effect is like a drop in the ocean, compared to the governments weather controlling”

“...Wat.” I thought, and also accidentally said out loud.

“You know, chemtrails etc, you know government controls weather right?”

I wanted to just nod and smile, but I couldn't bring myself to. I had never actually come face-to-face with someone who harboured such a stupid belief. You hear about climate change deniers, flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, but you don't honestly believe they exist. They're like Santa, or happiness.

“...I actually think that's a very dangerous opinion to hold, let alone spread. There's literally no evidence or science behind it, whatsoever.”

“Ah, you know science isn't always right? These scientists theenk something and then, a few years later, eets replaced by a new thing”

“Yes, but it's always replaced with more science...not just a wild, mental guess”

I don't remember exactly what he said after this, but  I recall it being stupid. Something to the effect of “oh yeah? Then why do we have less snow now?”

I decided, at that point, just to drop it and be angry.

We talked a short while longer, before he vanished back into the common room to study for the university course he was undertaking while living here, which was also weird. Psychology, if you're interested, because of course it was. I have know idea what kind inperceptible mentalist lure has lodged itself at the heart of that subject, but, my god, it is there.

I bibbled a while longer, before sauntering down to finally use the shit, hostel kitchen to make some sandwiches; both for tomorrow's trip and tonight's dinner.

The climate change denier was in the kitchen, talking to some girl wearing a rough, loose fitting jumper, with her hair pinned up in neat dreadlocks.

“Oh, wow.” I thought to myself. The conversation I'm walking into is going to be fucking ridiculous.

“...You know why you're not supposed to eat fruit after a meal?” the man, let's call him Mental Andrei, said.

“Yeah, of course...” the girl replied, seemingly trying to make herself seem knowledgeable about a subject which was categorically mental and had no underpinning in facts.

“Because” Andrei continued “the food is already in your intestines and so the fruit goes straight through the stomach and go to the other food and it ferments and makes you feel sick. Maybe even make you vomit!”

I wanted so badly to tell him that what he said was fundamentally ridiculous; that a) food does not move from the stomach to intestine immediately after you eat it, that b) adding more food afterwards doesn't immediately mean that that food bypasses the stomach, like there's a big open plug-hole going straight through to your colon, which slowly closes again several hours after a meal and most crucially c) that humans have been eating and drinking fermented fruits for probably thousands of years, however, I kept tight-lipped, reasoning that to correct them would at best be a waste of breath and at worst, be an inescapable portal into their conversation.

I set about making my sandwiches, which were awful. Normally, I'd do a long description about how they were like someone throwing up into my nose and me snorting it into the back of my throat then swishing it around my mouth and that's what they tasted like, but because I'm trying to be brief today, I will simply say eating these sandwiches was like being kicked in the mouth by a shoe made of rotten meat. It was a sad, dry, gristly affair and I did not like it. Good thing I had just made four of them for tomorrow.

I then turned in to bed, eager to sleep, which which I did, after tossing and turning for a while, for at least an hour or so, before some absolute thundering prick decided the following things constituted acceptable behaviour; checking in at 3am; having a tour of the room and its amenities by the receptionist at this time; switching the room's lights on while he put took his stuff in; loudly and clumsily putting all his clothes away on /hangers/, directly next to the bed of someone, whom, for all intents and purposes, he could have happily assumed was still asleep; leaving the room, lights still on to have a shower, in the bathroom located directly through the wobbly cardboard wall from my bed and finally, coming back to bed to sit up, lights still on for a good hour or so afterwards, loudly coughing, turning the pages of his book and chuckling to himself.

It was a good thing I didn't have anything strenuous to do the next day.

...Oh, wait.

[westallen4everlove-blog]

The fair

Team flash walked around, waiting for something to happen. 

Barry, who was already in his suit, waited for anything, just anything to come up because he was starting to sweat in all that leather. 

“Guys? think maybe it’s nothing bad happening today?” Iris asked. Barry nodded and gave it some thought. 

“Hell no, have you been in central city? everyday there is some sort of damn threat!” Cisco threw his hands up in the air and walked towards the computer.  “We just have to wait”

Wally and Iris both shared a familiar glance. “You know...maybe it’s no bad guys today! maybe the police can handle it” Wally smiled. 

“I agree with wally, Maybe we should just have a day off, we cant save the world“ Barry stated wrapping his hand around his now  wife’s waist. 

Iris smiled. “yeah”

Cisco stood up in utter shock. “Oh please, did Barry Allen just say we cant save the world? damn, wooow ,Okay, so if there is nothin to do, what do we do?”

“Yeah, what do we do?” Julian said. Suddenly the others looked. 

“I thought you were at work...” Barry told Julian. 

“Um...I was wondering the same thing about you but.. otherwise I am off today Allen”

Iris smiled. “Maybe we could go out! to a fair, or amusement park” She looked at Caitlin who also started to smile. 

“That would be really fun iris, I’d love to do that!”

The two girls looked at the others for approval. “Well..i suppose” Cisco said. 

-- 1 hour later ---

“WE HAVE TO GET ON IT!” Iris and Caitlin shouted. 

“HELL NAW I aint getting on that 300 foot drop!”

“Hey if anything goes wrong I could save you, or go back in time” Barry said. Iris and Caitlin gave barry a warningly look before they began to differ. 

“Although that is true I doubt the speed force has any more patience with you Barry” Caitlin walked to cisco and smiled. “Its gonna be fine”

Cisco took a deep breath and looked at iris. “Man, you gotta help bro”

“Fine, me and cisco will go to the haunted house while you guys  do the 300 foot-”

“Hell. No”

Barry moved to iris. “You are not going anywhere without me, you are my wife iris , we stick together !you never what type of crazies are out there iris” Barry suddenly placed a wrist band trapping his and iris hands together. 

“BARRY”

“I love you too” Cisco, who was trying to hold his laugh moved away slightly. 

“HAUNTED HOUSE YALL” The others sighed as Julian, Wells, and Joe went along. 

As they slowly entered the haunted house Iris grew prefunded of the fact she was stuck to Barry, getting slightly nervous herself. 

“Um, guys” Caitlin pointed towards the drop, and the ‘bridge’ that barely had anything to step on. 

“This is lit” wally stated. 

Iris swallowed hard. “Um, barry, Caitlin something we can do or?”

“We got this” Cisco moved his hand up to make a portal when wells slapped him in the wrist. 

“WE ARE IN PUBLIC”

“I..Barr are you sure we can get across safely?” Joe asked. Julain nodded in agreement. 

“Come on guys! we are team ...you know, we can figure this out” Iris said. Beofre the others could agree a hugs clown came behind them with an aux. 

“OHHH HOLY SHIT” Barry and Iris held on to each other and literally ran so fast they were already on the other side.  breaking the wrist band. 

“FUCK” Caitlin used her ice powers and made a bridge while the others ran across. 

“what the hell is that?” Julian asked. Luckily the clown was fake, that way no one could know who they were. 

Meanwhile Barry and iris were in some dark corner clinging to each other for dear life. 

“What the hell was that mate?” Julian asked. 

“Barr, what the hell you went so fast net thing I knew yall were gone” Joe rubbed his forehead with his napkin. 

“ I-I am sorry, I just don't like...we don't like clowns” 

Barry and Iris , who still looked terrified finally sat up. “were okay”

“The hell? you left us out there to die” Wells stated. 

“I am sorry, I just got freaked out” Caitlin bowed her head down and looked towards the ice bridge she made. 

“Lets keep moving”

--

Soon enough they reached this part of the ‘haunted’ house that looked very confusing. Mirrors, haunted house with a house of mirrors...

“Oh shit” Cisco said. the lights were decreasing, and the amount of visibility decreased along with it. 

“ barry?! Barry I cant see!!” Iris panicked worrying she would get lost. ‘Okay, stay calm, its team flash right’ she thought. 

“Barry? where are you?”

“Iris? IRIS?”

“DUDE KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN” Cisco added. 

Next thing iris knew she had bumped into something. “Oh barry I thought I-”

The thing she looked at was yet another clown with red glowing eyes. this time, IRIS FREAKED. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...”

“IRIS?” Barry quickly ran only to run into clear  walls. “Iris, are you okay?”

The others just said yellow lighting all over and started to get worried. 

“BARRY CALM DOWN” the others tried to move fast enough to find each other, then suddenly the lights came back on. 

“Iris?!” barry called. he looked around and did not see her. 

Iris sat down against one of the glass walls, and breathed. “Its not real” she told herself. She was not going to look back up, in the fear of seeing another damn clown. 

Iris?” barry sped over to iris and comforted her. “what happened”

“IT WAS A FUCKING CLOWN BARRY” she said. she laughed slightly at herself. 

“Gosh, I made myself look so stupid” she commented. 

“Iris, you are one of the strongest people I know, and trust me, being slightly scared of a freaky creepy ass clown is nothing” Barry pecked her on the lips while the other eventually caught up. 

“Ready?” Julian asked. 

---

The other finally made it of the last part, a  two deep dark slides.

“Um....” Joe said. Wells, and him shared a glance. 

“I love slides” Iris said Happily. 

Barry smiled and moved towards her with another kiss. 

“Alright, should not be bad right? who is going first?”

Everyone looked around. 

“I will” Iris and Caitlin both said. they two smiled and each went down the slides. 

The boys did not hear any screaming and figured it was fine. 

“Okay, lets go next”

Meanwhile iris and Caitlin were taking selfies and talking about how awesome and cool the-

“AHHHHHH” Barry and Wally screamed. 

They heard the others scream as well and laughed. Eventually them all coming out. 

“that was ...fun” Wells commented. 

a little later they saw two 10 year olds coming out saying ‘That was not scary at all’.

“So team, flash.. ready for another house to go in?” Caitlin asked. 

“lets go inside the house of mirrors.” Iris replied. 

The others liked this a bit better, if barry would just stop running into the damn thing. 

--

“So, that was really fun” Iris commented. Barry smiled as they all waved their goodbyes and went home from star labs. 

“Yea, that was fun, but I know something that is wayyy more fun” Barry moved slowly on top of iris.

“Really, like what?” she asked grinning. 

“Oh trust me, this will defiantly surprise you” He smirked and moved towards his wife, Concluding the best day ever, next to their honeymoon of course. 

---

Thanks for reading!! 

[easkyrah]

Elorcan Werewolf AU Part 3

Summary: Frankly, this is just a filler, but full of info. Elide’s gone and Lorcan’s a whipped bitch, so what can a male do?

“Everything I’ve ever let go

has claw marks on it”

Elorcan Werewolf 3

Elide hated that she loved how Lorcan fit against her chest. His entire body was a furnace, warming not just her body in this night cold, but her heart as her mate. His muscular arms and broad shoulders engulfed her small frame, wrapping around her. Never had she felt so safe and content.

She wondered how many other females he had comforted.

Lorcan noticed her abrupt stiffness. “Mate,” he growled. “Mine.”

Elide slowly inched away him as far as she could in the seat. “You damaged the car.”

He pulled her towards his chest, growling softly. “You ran away from me, little mate.”

Little, her ass. If anything, he had felt so little he had to fuck half of the she-wolf population so his cock wouldn’t feel so little.

Rather than risk capital punishment, she settled for slapping his hard arm, which did more damage to her knuckle. “Maybe because someone was going to whip me again?”

The male’s eyes turned pitch dark at again. “Who hurt you.” A command.

Her attempts to push him off her lap failed. His hulking size covered half her seat and the emergency brake. Clearly he had done more damaging in his life than healing.

He let out a low, guttural noise, a sound that resounded to her very core.

“Who touched you.”

When Elide remained silent, his claws slid out, slashing against the seats. She swallowed. Hopefully Aelin wouldn’t be too pissed. She wouldn’t mind if her Alpha set this male in front of her on fire. Her pyro tendencies earned her the pack name right from the start.

Elide started up at the male that shadowed her. She felt zero attraction other than the desire to reject him. This male had no more claim on her than any other dirty one. If he had truly treasured the mate bond, then he would have never laid a hand on any other female.

But here she was, looking straight into the dark eyes of the Lycan who had laid with half of the she-wolf population.

Disgust rippled through her.

Lorcan took it the wrong way, and let out a fearsome roar. “Who hurt you.” His actions caused the entire car to, goddess forbid, shake. Elide let out a whimper as he gripped the glove box with unnecessary force, leaving an indent.

He must have realized the Elide was shaking with fear because he immediately fell silent. Slowly, he reached out to touch her cheek. Her traitorous hands reached up and cupped his palm.

A purring noise erupted from Lorcan’s throat. Stars above, she was barely touching him. Had not one of his past lovers ever shown him affection?

Lorcan’s eyes dropped as she stroked his hand.

“Elide,” he murmured.

That was the last straw for Elide. How many other female’s names had he cooed and how many other females had he seduced that was not her, his mate?

She ripped Lorcan’s hand away from her, and yanked the gear violently on drive. She ignored Lorcan’s bark of protest as she slammed on the pedal as hard as her tiny body could manage, and jerked the wheel to the left, watching in satisfaction as Lorcan’s body flew out the hole where the door would have been.

Serves him right for tearing apart the door. From a rutting camaro.

Elide didn’t look back and she pushed the car to its limits. It was time for plan B. Flipping open the sunglasses container, she pressed her thumb against a button along the rim. After a beep, a second set of controls appeared on her right.

Without a blink, she slammed her palm on the red button. A vapor mask instantly dropped from the ceiling, and Elide quickly tied it around her face. Seconds later, smoke of wolfs-bane flooded from the car and erupted in the surrounding air.

A howl of pain and longing pierced the air as the car speed away, and a piece of Elide ripped away as she felt Lorcan losing distance on her.

She didn’t blame the horrified glances directed her way as she pulled up the to hotel. She chose the most the most run-down looking one as so much to not rouse suspicion, but humans were curious things.

The valet worker stuttered out his greetings as Elide parked the now three-door car into an empty slot. She ripped the mask off her face and dropped it into a trash bin. He quickly opened the door for her as she stalked in towards the front.

“No luggage, miss?” the clerk said, eyeing her almost suspiciously.

The only baggage I’m carrying is my mate, she thought bitterly to herself. 

Elide merely shook her head. “A room just for one night, is all.”

The clerk nervously entered the information into the computer. “I’m guessing you’re paying with cash.”

She pulled out the wad of bills she found stuffed from the glove container. The clerk’s eyes widened to saucers. 

Great, she felt like an assassin completing her assignment, rewarded with none other than hard cash. She almost felt compelled to add to the clerk that she had about two knives shoved down each boot and that Aelin’s ruined camara itself was a weapon with a nuke in the trunk. Aelin never did anything by halves, and Elide supposed it had its perks. 

The clerk eyed her grimy hands, and chipped nails. She wondered if he’d call the police for murder.

Well, you did just about reject our mate, running from him, her wolf scolded her. That’s as good as killing him.

Elide almost puked. Her wolf had long been absent ever since Vernon had chained her up.

He lost us as soon as he laid with the first female, Elide said firmly.

Her wolf had nothing to say after that.

The clerk took the bills quickly, and slid the key across the counter tops. He dismissed her with a quick glance, and before Elide headed up the stairs, she gave a quick glance back.

No one was on her tail. 

She made it out. 

A flood of relief poured through her. Lorcan couldn’t bother get her now in the human city. She belonged to no one without her permission, much less a higher force determining her chance of love.

The sound of the clerk loosing a dramatic sigh caught her attention. Elide turned around, watching with little amusement as he dabbed his head with a handkerchief.

I thought she was going to kill me!” he let out a tiny wail, fanning himself.

Good riddance, Elide thought to herself as she went up the stairs. Humans were so extra.

Elide couldn’t sleep. For once, no nightmares of her Uncle Vernon plagued her, nor the memory of pain and loneliness. No一she kept expecting the searing pain in her stomach that would occur whenever a mate cheated on his other significant other.

Surprisingly, none came.

Are you rutting alive? Manon blasted down the pack link. If Lorcan touched you in any way, I’ll chop off his tiny balls and feed it to the rats.

Aelin pitched in. Lorcan is sitting on his ass in your rutting room, waiting for you to return like a pathetic gods-damned dog.

Elide frowned. Why isn’t he going back to any of his female toys?

A pause. Then一

Maybe because you’re his mate? Aelin sighed.

Manon huffed. You don’t need a mate given by the moon goddess to determine love. If the boy loved you, he would have kept his cock in his pants and waited. I don’t care if he’s almost as old as I am by eons. If you love someone, you will wait an eternity.

Elide groaned into her pillow. What about Rowan?

Stop rutting setting the walls on fire! Manon roared, and Elide stifled laughter hearing Aelin’s protest. Rowan apparently hates Aelin as much as she does he. He thinks she’s too improper to be princess but Aelin keeps throwing into his face that he has consorts, another improper act. So they’re at a stalemate.

At least Aelin is loyal in every way, Elide said firmly. Please kick Lorcan out. I don’t want to see him when I get back.

This is what we have to talk to you about, Elide. Aelin let out a nervous sound Elide felt even through the bond. I think it’s best if you finish your medicinal studies in the human realm. If you come back, Lorcan will mark you. And then you can never escape him again.

Elide yanked the blankets off the bed. Are you kicking me out of the pack? Her heart beat faster. Stupid Lorcan for ruining her life. She wanted someone to love her without doubt, and make her feel like a queen not with materialistic things, but clear actions.

And Lorcan had already ruined that.

No, no. Aelin reassured her. Once you finish your studies, still see if you want Lorcan. Once you finish your studies, come back. Then decide if you want to reject Lorcan or accept him as your mate.

Elide looked out the window where glimpses of the sun’s rays were already rising. She had a future already planned out, one with hope and one without fear. She was no longer that naive girl that trusted and would give herself over wholeheartedly without a reason. Life in the dungeons of the Morath Pack taught her that. If that was even considered life.

Realizing that she wouldn’t be getting much sleep, she walked to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Staring at her rugged reflection in mirror, she opened the pack link.

Relay the following message to Lorcan for me.

Lorcan had reached an all-time low. His once chance at happiness did not want to love him. He hated the Alpha bitch for feeding his precious, little mate Elide with barbed words for her to hate him even more. Then his gods-damned friend Rowan had to have his mate as none-other than the entitled bitch.

He felt the sympathy the others from the cadre shot down the bond. Gavriel had empathized with Lorcan the most.

Fenrhys, however, had been absolutely delighted. You have lost your charm! She probably finds another more manly than you! You and Rowan can chew on your own wolf dicks because now no one will want to!

Rowan had tackled Fenrhys, and Lorcan had tossed him out the window. Vaughan was wisely chosen to remain silent, merely shaking his head in distaste, and then went to the kitchen to search for food. Gavriel had mended Fenrhys’ shattered elbow.

Elide’s door banged open, and his heart soared.

And then sank.

The hybrid beta stalked him, snarling at him. “I am going to rip off your balls. And it’s not going to hurt you, because you’ve had other females touch your junior.”

“Junior?” Lorcan snarled.

The half-witch paced around the bed. “You don’t deserve her. None of you rutting Lycans do. Sticking your nasty stick wherever you can find a hole.”

It took all of Lorcan’s will to not crack Elide’s headboard. The audacity of this filth—

“Lycan’s urges are different from werewolves’, mutt. We have casual fucks because our Lycan side needs to be soothed that way if we don’t have a mate. You think we have a rutting choice? You think I like touching another female other than my little mate? Seek the moon goddess if you don’t believe me. You wouldn’t know only being half-Lycan.”

Manon cocked her head. “You better hope what you’re saying is true. Even then, you’re too late.”

He breathed in Elide’s scent permeating the room, calming down the murderous rage seeping through him. His Lycan side jerked around inside of him, demanding to cut off the half-witch’s tongue and hunt down his mate. Even if it broke down every law. “Too late for what?” he snapped.

“Elide’s gone to the mortal cities.” Lorcan’s heart stalled. He could not protect his mate within human infested cities lest he break Council laws. “So if you really want her, then you’re going to have to win her love not through the bond, but through love. And I don’t know how long she’s going to be there. It’s your move now, junior.”

Elide inspected the cottage. It was on the outskirts of the city, but close enough that no Lycan could trespass. The landlord had agreed for Elide to rent it out without a set date as soon as she accidentally spilled a pouch of money across the table.

The place was dimly lit with comfy looking furniture. She lit the fireplace, soaking in the warmth. Manon and Aelin had promised to keep her updated with any pack new from small to urgent. Sorscha had instructed her to seek out the Terrance Dome Hospital, where other immortal or supernatural creatures worked. If she managed to acquire a degree there, then she’d be ranked as a Healer without a doubt.

Sighing, Elide slid the couch along the floor. She’d focus on re-decorating tomorrow and have to buy some more knick-knacks to liven up the place.

A thud against the door had Elide palming a knife. She slowly crept to the door, and peeked through the door. Seeing no one there, she uncertainly opened the door. If Manon was playing a prank on her—

A bark had the knife sliding out of her hand.

Elide looked down.

Sitting on her front porch was a massive, midnight pelted dog wagging his enormous tail. A coo went through Elide’s throat before she could help it and the dog’s tongue lolled out. A thick collar wrapped around his neck, and Elide hesitantly reached out for it.

When she bent down, the brutish dog licked her palm eagerly, settling onto its hind legs. Elide turned the collar over, scratching the soft skin between his ears, reading the letters engraved onto the leather.

Lory.

[marshaeb]

P.S: I'm Mated With The Cursed Alpha!

Chapter Three

Hey guy! Don’t forget to Like, Comment, Review, and Follow for more updates! My apologies in advance for all the grammatical errors. Book will be professionally edited when completed.

During the ride to St Pete’s, we were like fugitives taking several shortcuts to avoid being caught by Mom’s coast guards.

I checked my bandaged arm for any sight of blood, feeling the slight pain running through its fractured nerves. Exhaling anxiously, I tried my best to calm my troubling mind until Sarah took notice of my injury, panicking behind the wheel.

“Jo’, what the hell happened to your forearm?” She panicked, glancing between me and the road with her pink lipstick in her hand.

“Calm down, Sarah, please! Focus on the road before you kill us both!” I breathed out.

“So was it true?” she asked. “Did you really get injured that other night?”

“No, Sarah! This was recent!” I argued. “And that’s some stupid rumor Chelsea and Eugenia made up about me.”

“Dang! those two are still at it!” She sucked her teeth, shaking her head slowly. “So...what on earth happened to you then?”

“Gileon and Talloc happened!” I said, and from there I didn’t need to explain any further.

“Oh!” She mumbled beneath her breath. “Can those two ever get along! No one would believe those two owners are best friends by the way they carry on with one another. Sorry about that Jo’... I bet it’s Gideon’s who did it.”

“I don’t know which one had done it. I was too caught up on trying to separate the two savages.” I said. “I even got stitches because of them, and it hurts like hell.”

“Well, you know if you had told me this before we left, I could of cancel out on the party.”

It’s ok, really.” I said. “I could manage, and besides, I’ve already gone through the trouble, sneaking out to go with you...and we’re already halfway there.”

“True...but there’s something I want to tell you.” She said as the sound of howls reverberated through the shadowy forest. “there’s this guy named Bobby.”

“W-who?” I said looking carefully through the tall trees as we sped past.

Those howls, there was something awfully strange about them. They were definitely none of our kind. It also didn’t sound like those from the Tariaki tribe. Something didn’t feel right about it. What else could possibly be out here tonight in this region?

“I said Bobby, Jo’!” She repeated, but I was too focused on the sound drifting our way.

The tiny hairs on my arm began to rise as chills crept over my body. Whatever was out there was on the same trail as us. All of a sudden, all the commotion seemed to have strangely quieted down. My focus instantly drifted back to Sarah, who patting my legs, calling my name over and over asking if I was listening.

“Joel!” She called as she turned the corner. “What is up with you? Are you thinking about Jackson?”

My breath caught in the back of my throat. Jackson, I had no idea if he’ll be at the party. I love Sarah, but the main reason I kept my word about going to the party, despite my injury, was to meet Jackson out there.

“I heard he’s already making the second rank.” She said as a proud smile curl on my lips. “That’s saying a lot you know.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, confusedly.

“Something or...someone had really boosted his stamina.” She teased, knowing just what to say to make me flustered. “I wonder. Who. Could. It. Be...hmm?”

“Alright, alright you got me!” I confessed.

“Did you let him have it?” She asked.

“Have what?” I rolled my eyes.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She said provokingly. “Did you let him have the goodies?”

I choked on the air, widening my eyes by what she was the remark. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I lied, blushing ear to ear.

She gasped deeply, covering her mouth. “You did, didn’t you?” She exclaimed in disbelief. “And didn’t tell me! How was it? Was it good?... Did he make you cry, or even went all the way?”

“Gosh, Sarah!” I chuckled, turning up my nose. “What are you, a journalist?

“No, I’m not a journalist... I’m your best friend.” She said. “I told you the time I lose mines...”

“I was going to tell you eventually.” I sighed and paused for a few seconds, reminiscing on that magical night.

A tingling sensation came over me just thinking about the way he touched me. The way he kissed and caressed me. Why was I heating up like this? It’s so obvious that I’m new to all this.

“It was...very romantic and he was so passionate and gentle with me,” I explained, feeling my heart rate speeding up. “It really hurt at first, but after a while--

“It felt like paradise, I know. She added. “Every girl hurt during the first time. I did, but I managed to get over it quickly.”

“Do you miss him, Ricky?” I said.

She hesitated for a second and shook her head abruptly. “No! I’m totally over him, Jo’. Seriously.”

“And this Noah or Bobby guy?” I asked. “Who is he?”

“Bobby...He’s the physical education teacher at the school.” She blushed. “I caught him a few times looking at me like I was some sort of alien from out of space.”

“And...that’s a good thing?” I asked, furrowing my brows confusedly.

“Well... I guess because I ran into him in the hall and he was turning all red, fidgeting like a shy kid in front of a class.” She said.

“Do you think...you could possibly...you know...be his mate?” I asked.

“W-what?” She huffed. “Mom said the same thing! My mate? I doubt it.”

“Why?”

“Because...I... I don’t know,” she stressed, “I don’t know who my mate could be...not until I’m eighteen.”

“But he’s not eighteen,” I said. “More than anything, he would know, especially if he’s acting like that whenever you’re around him. You could always find out. Are you scared or something?”

“Scared? I-I’m not scared of something I can’t control, but I am nervous.” She mumbled. “I wish I was like you and Jackson. You two already know that you’re mates.”

I chuckled faintly as it grew quiet between us, thinking about me and him. Those same doubtful, insecure thoughts were resurfacing my mind again. I hated it so damn much. Why is it, no matter how much everyone says it, and how much Jackson preaches to me that we are, there’s still this slight doubt that keeps haunting me? The feeling always makes me depressed, because I don’t want anyone else to be my mate, but Jackson. And I would be devasted if he belongs to someone else. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I love him too much.

~~~~

As we arrived in the parking lot of St Pete’s Tavern, the place was overly crowded.

“Why are so many people here?” I asked as we drove slowly past the crowd of loitering people standing around parked cars. “This was only supposed to be a class graduation-party...”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean the place’s exclusively for us only,” Sarah explained. “They’re still open for regular customers.”

I sighed, completely over it before we even step foot into the building. I looked out my side of the window and glanced at the unfamiliar faces. Most were either from different schools or were out of school for quite some time.

Like any wild party filled with young people, the music was blasting up to its max with the sound of people screaming and shouting to the top of the lungs like the imbecile they are.

“I had a deep feeling we shouldn’t have come.” Sarah sighed, disappointedly. “We should just head back...call it night.”

Before she started up the car to leave, I stopped her and tried to reason with her, but deep down I wanted to see if Jackson was out here first.

“Come on, Sarah...” I said. “I’ve already gone through the trouble of sneaking out again, just to make it all the way out here to go back?”

“I know but...” She paused, throwing her hand in the direction of the party. “Look at this... I wasn’t expecting this!”

“I know, but how about this...” I said calmly, “why don’t we just take a look around and then...leave.”

After a few seconds of trying to weigh out whether to go or not, she finally gave up and agreed.

“Fine! Just a walk inside, then we’re out of here.” She said, turning off the engine.

As we exit the car a loud, perverted whistle was blown my way. Instantly, I felt the pit of my stomach churn. As Sarah locked the car door, she pushed me by the shoulders gently and said, “Let’s go. Probably one of those morons from Valley heights.”

As we near the entrance, the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol was ramping in its hot atmosphere.

Sarah was following right behind me, when I suddenly paused, causing her to collide with me just before I stepped through the doors.

“Ouch, Jo’, what’s wrong?” She asked balancing her posture. “Why’d you stopped all of a sudden?”

There it was again. That chilly, dark feeling. It was now even stronger than it was before. What on earth could it be?

“I-its nothing...sorry about that.” I shrugged it off.

We entered the tavern filled with people, partying, dancing about, engaging in boisterous chatter. We shuffled through the packed floor. My eyes wandered everywhere with hopes to see any sign of Jackson, but instead, my eyes met hers, Chelsea.

How did I forget that she would be here too with her sidekick Eugenia and their clique of groupies?

“Wow, looks who’s here!” She shouted as they marched towards us. “Don’t tell me...”

“Did you sneak out the window again?” Eugenia concluded as they burst into laughter.

Chelsea tapped on her wristwatch provokingly, and formed a fake frown on her face, puckering out her bottom lip.

“Better be home before midnight, Cinderella.” She taunted. “Or Mama Alpha’s gonna have your neck like last time.”

I could feel my blood gradually starting to boil as they ran on and on. And the sad thing about it, nothing they said we’re lies. It was all the truth. Mom doesn’t have the slightest clue that I’m out and if she does she would definitely throw a tantrum and embarrass me in front of everyone like she always does.

“Hey, I remember that!” Eugenia said scornfully, biting on her stubby thumb.

“Let’s go, Joel!” Sarah said, pulling me back, but my wolf was to rile up to step away. I was ready to snatch her little throat.

“Who doesn’t?” Chelsea chuckled. “Can’t even go shopping with friends without Mama Alpha’s consent. I really pity you. I could never live with myself having a mother like that.”

“That’s enough!” Sarah said stepping between. “Leave her alone, Chelsea. At least she has a mother who cares about her daughter’s well-being, unlike yours!”

Anger and shamed immediately washed over her face as she couldn’t find the words to reply.

“Oh yeah!” Eugenia stepped into her defense. “At least she knows her real mother...you Joel don’t even know if your’s is dead or alive!”

Just like that, my mind went blank. Without holding back anymore, my hands lengthen into claws and I strike her hard across her face.

“Oh my goodness!” Chelsea squealed, supporting her whimpering friend. The folks standing nearby turned towards us as she continued to draw attention. “What the hell’s wrong with you? You had no right to put your hands on her!”

Together, they rushed Eugenia and her overdramatic gasping and wailing, into the lady’s room. Sarah too took me by the hand and escorted me to the bar to calm me down.

“Sit! You need to cool it!” She said, helping me onto an empty seat near the countertop. “What was that about?”

“Don’t you blame me...we were minding our business. They were the ones who started it.” I mumbled.

“I know...and she somewhat deserved it, but you might have hurt her really badly, Jo’. Then you’ll hear word going around that the Alpha’s daughter had struck someone at a party she’s not supposed to be to in the first place!”

Though she was right, I was too satisfied to feel bad about it. I had put up with their shit for far too long. At some point, I would have lost it and it just so happened to be that night.

“What would you ladies like tonight?” The bartender asked.

Sarah turned to her and ordered two martinis. After making and serving us our drinks, Sarah placed mines in my hand and said, “drink up, we leave right after.”

But I was too deep in my thoughts to finish mines as quickly as she did. I sat there, sipping my drink slowly, and stared blankly at the hectic crowd.

“Look, I going to use the restroom.” She said placing her car keys and pouch in my lap. “Watch them carefully, I’ll be right back and we’re off to go back home.”

When she left me there alone, my eyes wandered once more, hoping to find any sign of Jackson. By the looks of it, it’s seemed like he didn’t come out after all. I let out a deep sigh, clutching Sarah’s things tightly in my hands.

“Damn it! I should have known he wouldn’t be out here...” I mumbled. “It’s not like Jackson to go out without me knowing, anyway.”

As my eyes lifted and glanced across the room... settling on him.

No, it wasn’t Jackson. It was a very tall, strapping man with a face that was as if it sculpted from the Moon Goddess herself. But there was a dark, scary hint to it, sending shivers down my spine. I had never in my life seen a God-like man like that before.

Slowly, he raised his nose into the air which looks like it seems he was taking the most intense, exaggerated sniff I’ve ever seen.

His head almost instantly snapped in my direction. His eyes...those wild, golden eyes were steadfast and locked onto mines like I was the last prey on the earth. His long straight hair ran below his taut chest as he stood across the room.

All the laughter, chatter, and music had suddenly zoned out as we continued to exchange eye contact that was intensifying by the second. It felt like he was seeing through my soul, to my she-wolf within.

His postered was becoming more and more unstable as he leaned back in forth on his feet. Before I know it, he let off a loud, powerful howl that petrified everyone in the building.

I hoop off my seat, panicking like a madwoman, looking for Sarah through the raging mob.

I shouted her name as everyone ran to and fro throughout the tavern.

My eyes immediately turned back towards the unknown man and watched as he shifted into this gigantic black wolf.

My heart thrashed violently against my chest as I saw my life flash before my eyes.

The monstrous beast lowered its head growling loudly as it suddenly took off, sprinting towards me.

Right there and then, I knew this was the beginning of the end for me.

Read Chapter Four (Click the link below)