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enviedear · 5 months

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jackie and wilson — billy bonney

⤷ modern!billy au

tw— somehow this is 4.6k words. mentions of food and eating, talk of religion and bible verses, (i'm southern and was forced to go to church every sunday it reflects in the writing) smutty themes so, minors dni, 18+ only, kissing, fondling, skinny dipping, (they're in their undies) so horrifically fluffy

i can already tell this is going to become an ongoing series, so be sure to comment and lmk if you want more. also, this is influenced by my daily mantra

request

the summer heat feels like it's baking you as you traverse through the long grass of your farmland. birds call and screech in the trees lining the woods beside you. if you weren't so scared of walking the shortcut in the woods alone, your risk of sun poisoning may seem less apparent.

you grip the wicker basket in your hands tighter, eyes squinting to look for the lean farmhand-for-hire. in years past, you've been keen to take his place whenever your grandparents needed someone for an oddball job. working long hours with the older couple up until you graduated from the county high school. as the seasons changed, and you got older and busier, so did your grandparents. their work on their farm proved in dire need of help.

a simple fix—you. this summer, free from university and your internship, your parents elected you to spend the free time of your summer working on your loving grandparents' farm.

in the early days of the warm season, you managed pretty well on your own. you tended the vegetables and the fruits, took care of the chickens and sheep, and sowed the large fields with grain until sunset.

everything changed after an unfortunate incident with your grandpa's gargantuan baler. luckily, you were fine, but your pa's expensive baler was wrecked all to hell.

so here you were, now relegated to some pseudo farmer's daughter role, hand-delivering water and a full lunch to none other than billy bonney.

your grandparents say billy's nice enough, mannerly yet hushed. but you know there's more to it. at least if small town gossip is anything to believe, and here, it usually is.

everyone knows the crowd billy runs around with. he's also got a vile gang of friends. angry men with sly smirks who spend most of their free time loitering the town's local bar or gambling away their lives at lawrence murphy's corral. the type of men to carry a weapon at all times without any license, and quick to threaten to shoot with even the most minor infraction.

the knowledge was enough to have you hiding away from him every time your grandparents hired him for a job.

everytime that is, until now.

you knew with the way your pa sternly stared into your eyes that a complaint wouldn't be warranted. as your grandma instructed you to bring the farmhand some, "hearty lunch for his hard work," you came to terms with the fact that you had no right to argue.

not when you owe the old man a baler.

you finally reach the young man, covered in grime and leaning against his parked pickup, out of breath and sweltering. you try not to stare at the baler attached to the tractor, about twenty feet from his parked vehicle, your embarrassment over wrecking the last one still ever present.

his truck has its' doors wide open, blaring music through blown speakers. you try to avoid making direct eye contact with him, voice raised slightly to be heard over the folk song playing, "here. figure you're hungry."

lifting the tea towel from the top of the basket, you set it on his open truck bed. despite not looking up, you can see him hurry to turn his music down before sauntering over to you from the side of your gaze.

"thank you," his voice surprises you. it's gruff but gentle. "you kin to the old couple?"

you're not sure why, but you take offense to his question. sure you've ignored him, but you know that he knows who you are. you meet his stare, your tone dry in response, "i am."

he inclines his head toward the basket, ignoring your reply with a hum, "what'd ya' bring me, hon?"

your eyes roll unabashed at his endearment, "my grandma threw a bit of everything in there. i know there's some jambalaya— the last bit of our mud cake too."

"you're spoiling me, you tell her i said thank you," he pauses, peering down at you, "are you going to be bringin' me my lunch everyday?"

his question is innocuous but something in the way he says it makes your stomach drop. you shrug, "sure, i guess."

"i'd like that." he slips the words out before his hands dive into the basket, fishing out one of the water bottles.

you nod, confused by him, "yeah well, be careful. i guess i'll see you tomorrow."

at that you turn from him, walking your trail again to get back to the house. you fight the urge to look over your shoulder and catch a glimpse of him. some proof he's really there, that the interaction actually happened.

because despite the second-hand opinion you've held on him, billy bonney was unexpected. annoyingly so.

as you finish up your day, you can't help but think about the encounter with the dark-haired farmhand. you've known of him for years, sure, but you never expected much of him.

just another one of jesse evans’ rowdy boys.

shocking, that billy would be so different. or maybe, just better at hiding his depravity. you think back to his voice, rough around the edges, yet littered with tenderness. it’s not until you think back to his gentle smile that you realize, there’s a kindness that exudes from him, and it’s got you hook, line, and sinker.

you wonder if he's always been this way? you like to think he has. even if it is only a platitude for your undeniable crush.

in the following days, you continue to bring the farmhand his lunch, stopping to talk to him longer each noon. he's easy to talk to, apt to ask you about your day, or if you need anything. you can't exactly explain why, but you're drawn to him.

it's extra muggy as you pack up his lunch and make your way to him, breaking from his time on the baler to lay in the bed of his truck.

he doesn't take notice of you until your basket finds home right beside him, blasted speakers blaring yet another folk tune.

"hey there," he greets you with a grin, his white work shirt wrought with soil, the short sleeves haphazardly rolled, "you know i'm starting t'get used to this."

you smile back, feeling a warm sensation spreading through your body, "i'm sure you are."

billy takes a look in the lunch basket, grabbing out some water first to clear the dirt on his hands, "you wanna hang around for a bit?"

you hesitate for a moment, not sure if you should. not only do you have a long list of chores, you also still find a bit of nervousness around the young man.

but billy's been nice enough, and if he's anything like his friends you assume he would have shown it by now, "i guess i have some time."

billy nods, handing you a water and patting the free space beside him. you hop up, close enough that his side brushes yours.

the sensation sends shivers down your spine as you try to focus on conversation, pulling for anything you can say. for a moment, neither of you speaks, the only sound is coming from the music blasting from his speakers. an old rock song today, different. your eyes try to look anywhere but at him, taking in the vast expanse of farmland around you.

"must be nice to have all this land to yourself," billy says, breaking the silence.

you nod, grateful for his compliment, "it is. my grandparents have worked hard to keep it running."

"i can tell," billy says, taking a swig from his water bottle, "they got a good thing goin' here."

you agree, taking a sip from your own bottle. the sun beats down on your skin, making you feel sweaty and sticky. billy, on the other hand, seems used to it. he looks up at the sky, squinting against the sunlight.

"you know, i was thinking," billy says, steady voice breaking the silence again, "what would you say if i took you out sometime?"

your heart skips a beat, your mind going into overdrive. you never expected billy to ask you out, even more so that you’d be so willing to entertain the idea.

you hesitate for a moment before answering, "i don't know. i mean, i barely know you."

this is a half truth, you know him. only this version though, the sweet billy bonney who works on your family farm and takes his lunch breaks with you. you don't have any idea who he is outside of these moments.

at least not first hand. just second hand gossip. you wouldn’t even know which stories are real or fake. you’re not sure if he’s a convincing actor or genuine soul. there are rumors he shot a man back in his hometown. that he launders money with jesse evans’ gang. that he’s a cheat from a rodeo front, taking ignorant peoples’ bet money.

billy hums, breaking your anxious thoughts, "what'd you wanna know, hon? i'm an open book."

you chew on your lip, thinking about it. it could be a smart move, you're curious about him and need to know more. you need to know what about him is fact or fiction. but at the same time, you're afraid of what the truth may be, "i don't know," you say finally. "i mean, work, for example. is this all you do?"

billy cracks a smile, "no, hon’. this s’more of a side job.” he sighs, “i was a pickup for jesse evans' rodeo for a while, but that new fella' that just came to town—mr. tunstill, he's got me a better gig."

you furrow your brows, already on edge by the mention of his previous employer, "and what exactly is that?"

he chuckles a bit, "he's got me as a producer, but i do show on the weekends."

"so what? you're a full-fledged rodeo man? with bulls and all?" you'd always know of jesse's grimy ‘rodeo’, really just used as a gambling den and club, but you're intrigued by the idea of billy actually doing it. especially working with tunstill, a sincerely kind wealthy man from overseas. it must be a stark contrast to jesse’s.

"i guess. it's a good time and you can make honest money dependin' on the event," he pauses, "it's not like jesse's, if that's what you're wondering."

you look away from him, "my pa never let me go. when i turned twenty-one i tried to go with a bunch of my girlfriends. he about had a stroke keeping me out the door."

"he's smart, you shouldn't go. those guys are bad news." he's talking quieter now, less sugary and more solemn.

you fight your previous embarrassment, opting to stare straight into his pale blues, "you hang around those guys."

your sentiment is clear and billy goes hush for a long few seconds before speaking, eyes closed, "do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags."

you know those words, heard primarily while crammed in a pew, "you're a religious man?" you don't mean to, but your question comes out a bit unconvinced.

he opens his eyes back up, a spark of something you can't place within them, "no, not really. jus' something mr. tunstill keeps repeating to me. i didn't really pay it any mind till i met you."

you try to ignore the way his hand inches closer to your own, "why's that?"

"not sure. just seems easier to abide by now. i'd hate to end up like them. i know you don't like 'em." his voice is soft, but the hand that takes hold of yours isn't.

you look down at your feebly interlocked hands, hesitating, and then taking his hand with the same conviction, "no, i don't," a breath, "but i like you."

billy's face lights up at your words, and he leans in closer to you. you can feel his breath on your face, and your heart races with excitement and anticipation. you’ve never felt to entrapped in a man before, so ready to dive in head first.

without thinking, you reach out to touch his sun kissed cheek, and he leans into your hand. your fingers trace a path down his cheek, and then down to his lips. you have an overwhelming urge to kiss him, and you're surprised when he pulls back.

"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have done that." you say, feeling embarrassed.

"no, it's not that. it's just… i want to take you out on a real date. something proper." his cheeks have grown far more pink, only this time it's not the sun's doing.

you consider his words for a moment, before nodding, "that sounds real nice, billy."

he grins, and you feel a flutter in your chest. how he managed to make you feel this way so soon, you're not sure.

"you free this friday?" he asks, amusement in his tone.

you release his hand, grabbing for your phone, "should be, my boss loves me," a stupid joke, but you hand the touchscreen to him, "put your number in, so we can plan a time."

you climb down from the bed of the truck, peering up at the farmhand as he adds his number to your phone. when he's done he hands you back the phone, the sun casting an auburn glow to his hair.

you look up at him, and he smiles down at you, "don't be a stranger." he jokes.

you give him a laugh, "wouldn’t dream of it," you add, "i'll see you friday— i'm going into town with my grandma tomorrow. i'm sure it'll last all day."

billy hums, "till' friday, honey."

you turn and head back to the house, smiling to yourself, feeling happy and alive in a way that you haven't felt in a long time.

the next day, thursday, you wake up early to accompany your grandma into town. the older woman drags you up and down shopping centre's, moaning on and on about how cheaply things are made now.

you make it through the first ten stores without your smile cracking, you think it must be a finely tuned talent.

it's not until well after lunch the woman decides to slow down, stopping at a local diner to eat. she does most of the talking, gossiping about everyone she's run into today.

you love your grandma and you enjoy your time with her, but you're too focused on tomorrow to really be good company.

if she notices your change in behavior though, she doesn't comment. highly unlike her.

by the time the sky is more dark than light, you two head home. she plays old country music the whole ride, teeny-bopper songs that remind you how young she used to be.

and when you finally lay your head down to rest, you don't try to fight off the supercut in your mind of your sweet farmhand.

the next day, fateful friday, arrives with a mix of nerves and excitement. you find yourself checking the clock more often than usual, the anticipation building as the day progresses. your mind drifts to the possible plans for the evening, wondering where billy might take you on this 'proper date.'

a bit after the sun hits noon, you finish up your chores on the farm, your thoughts consumed by your impending evening. you decide to freshen up and put on something nice, an easy way to get your mind together.

your closet here is less thorough than the one at home, but the innocent tops and bottoms of your late teens still fit. you look less severe than you'd normally for a date. forgone are the dark, tight, and sultry clothes of your college town, leaving you looking ever so sweet.

the early afternoon arrives, and you hear the distant rumble of his pickup as it approaches. you feel alight with a muddled mess of nerves as you make your way out of the house to meet him.

you look over your shoulder when you crack the door open. making sure you haven't awoken your sleeping grandparents, who rarely miss their three o'clock naps.

the summer sun is high in the sky, casting a bright glow over the landscape. billy's leaned up against his truck, staring expectantly at your front porch— staring at you, you realize.

as you walk to him, you can't help but notice the effort he put into dressing up. his filthy work shirt is replaced with a clean, green linen button-down, and there's a hint of ambery cologne in the air. he offers you a genuine smile, eyes lighting up as he takes in your appearance.

"hey there, beautiful." he greets you, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder blade, comforting.

"hi," you reply, returning his saccharine smile. "you clean up nice."

he chuckles, a bit bashful, "well, i figured it's a special occasion."

you let him lead you to the passenger side, where he opens the rusty pickup's door for you, you fight back your grin when he follows in after.

as you drive into town, the atmosphere is a blend of excitement and a tinge of nervousness. billy takes you to a quaint little restaurant a bit outside of town. it's casual but with dim lights and a cozy ambiance. certainly it's the most romantic restaurant around without heading an hour out into the city. the two of you share stories and laughs, finding little to no lull in conversation.

"you want any dessert?" you ask, fiddling a loose thread at the hem of your blouse.

billy shrugs, "i've never said no to some banana puddin'. what'd you say?"

you giggle, nodding in agreement. you feel high off of his company. you're giddy and doing a horrible job at hiding it, but he doesn't seem to mind. instead, he relegates to matching your optimism, only validating every enamored thought of him that rings in your mind.

the warm evening air swirls around you as the two of you exit the restaurant. billy offers his hand, and you gladly intertwine your fingers as you stroll down the sidewalk. the town square is alive with the soft glow of streetlights.

as you walk, the conversation continues, easy and simple. billy talks animatedly about his past few weekends at the rodeo and shares some amusing anecdotes about the other rider’s on the circuit. you, in turn, finally divulge your baler incident, much to his chagrin.

the final hours of afternoon are slowly rolling in, and soon you find yourselves back at his pickup truck. you assume he'll drive you home, but to your surprise, he takes a different route, heading towards the backroads right beside your land. you raise an eyebrow, curious about this unexpected detour.

"where are we going?" you inquire, a playful smile dancing on your lips.

billy smirks but doesn't say anything, keeping the destination a secret. the road is winding and narrow— made of dirt and full of large potholes. you know your little front-wheel drive could never make it. eventually, he slows the car off the path, onto the side of the road.

there's an apparent trail just to the right of you, and when billy opens the door for you, he immediately ushers you toward it, "don't worry, we won't go too far in."

you'd be lying if you said the setting sun wasn't adding a level of unease to the idea of entering the woods, but when you look at billy, eyes bright and smile true, you throw aside your worries.

the young man is true to his word. the trek into the woods only lasts a few minutes before you see it. an azure expanse of water— a secluded lake surrounded by towering oak trees and a backdrop of rolling hills.

you turn back to look at him, shocked, "how did you find this?"

"jus’ by chance a few years ago. i figured you'd been out here before, living so close," he remarks, "but i like that i got to show it to you." billy admits, a devoted glint in his eyes.

as you stand there, gazing at the serene lake, you feel a sense of wonder and gratitude for this unexpected and beautiful surprise. you can't remember the last time the familiar landscape of home felt so awing. billy seems to be taking in your reaction, a quiet satisfaction evident on his face.

"it's breathtaking." you finally say, your voice hushed in appreciation.

billy grins, seemingly pleased with your reaction, "so are you."

you turn back to the water to hide your flustered expression.

you watch him find a comfortable spot by the water's edge, sitting on a large flat rock. you follow suit, letting your head nestle into his chest. the sounds of nature surround you—the rustling leaves, the gentle lapping of the water, and the distant calls of birds. it's a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the town and the farm.

you look up at him as inconspicuously as possible, eager to commit his image to memory. his umber hair curls at the nape of his neck, slender nose burnt from the sun, his freckles apparent, and his ever-inspired blue eyes reflecting the water ahead.

you look away as your heartbeat quickens, afraid that if you peer up any longer he'll be able to hear the rhythm.

"can you swim?" you ask, toes dipping into the waters below.

billy's gaze softens, the radiant hues of his eyes flickering with warmth as he looks down at you. his calloused hand idly tracing circles on your back, comforting, "yeah, i can swim. why? you wanna go for a dip?" he replies, a playful glint dancing across his face.

enthusiastically, you nod, "i'd love to. it's been ages since i've been swimming in a place like this."

with a charismatic grin, billy stands up, extending a hand to help you rise. he doesn't hesitate to unbutton his shirt and free himself from his pants— clothed only in his black boxers.

you try to be as carefree as him, but you're slower to shed your attire. by the time you do, he's already shoulder deep in the water.

you make your way to the water's edge, stepping in. the cool embrace of the lake greets your skin as you wade in. the sun now casts a dim golden glow on the rippling surface.

as you move deeper into the water, you feel a sense of liberty wash over you. you let out a contented sigh, feeling weightless and unburdened. billy is a few feet away from you, beckoning you to come closer with a smile on his face. you oblige, splashing water playfully in your wake.

as you approach him, he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close. you can feel the heat emanating from his body, warming you up in the cool water. your bare skin presses against his, and you can feel a hint of longing course through your veins.

"you're s'beautiful," he whispers, his breath hot against your ear, sending shivers down your spine. "prettiest girl i've ever seen."

you chuckle slightly, looking beside him to the water, "you're just blowing smoke up my ass."

his hand finds your cheek, gently beckoning you to face him fully, "why would i ever do that?" he hums, "i only say things i mean, honey."

you blink at him, too far gone to stop your gaping, "you're a charmer, billy bonney. do you hear that a lot?"

he laughs, both hands now coming to rest at your hips, forcing you to wrap your legs around his, "i only need to hear it from you."

he says it so carelessly, without a thought. he's telling the truth, you surmise.

"why? you like me or something?" the words come out genuine, despite your teasing intent.

billy's eyes trail down to your lips, "i like you a whole lot, honey," you feel his grip grow steadier, holding you closer to him. he looks back up at you, gaze tempting, "i like you s'much i worked an extra four days on your farm jus’ to see you."

the revelation hangs in the air, and you find yourself caught in a suspended moment, the water lapping gently around you. billy's admission resonates, sinking deep into the newfound connection you've shared over these past days. his stare, earnest and reserved, locks with yours, and you can't help but feel a swirl of emotions.

a smile plays on your lips, a mixture of surprise and awe, "that's dedication." you reply, a playful sparkle in your eyes.

billy grins, his hands still securely holding you. "only for you, honey. i'm nothin' if not devoted."

you gleam at his words, intrinsically leaning closer to him. you're so close to letting your lips brush his before you stop, eager to see the weight of his affection once more, "you can kiss me now, if that's what you're waiting for."

with that, he presses his lips to yours, kissing you with a hunger that leaves you breathless. you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you, savoring the taste of him on your tongue.

billy breaks the kiss, his lips trailing down your neck and collarbone, leaving a trail of kisses and nips along the way. you tilt your head back, giving him better access to your skin, letting out a soft sigh as he finds the sensitive spot on your neck.

"you're gonna be the death o'me." he whispers against your skin, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine.

your fingers tangle in his hair as he continues his assault on your neck, alternating between gentle kisses and nibbles. you can feel the heat building between your bodies, the water around you providing a cooling effect to your heated embrace.

billy's hands slip down to cup your ass, pulling you closer to him so that there's barely any space between you. he grinds his hips against yours, earning a moan from deep in your throat. you can feel his hardness pressing against you through the thin fabric of his boxers.

your eyes flutter open and you lock gazes with him, the intensity of his gaze mesmerizing. you tilt your head back down, allowing him to steal another kiss. his tongue teases yours. his hands roam up and down your body, exploring every inch of you he can with a passionate fervor.

you can feel yourself being taken into the depths of him until you can barely think or breathe. it's only when he finally pulls away, that you realize the afternoon has fully evolved into the beginnings of nighttime. the sky above you is almost entirely dark, littered with stars.

somehow, you still don’t think the kiss was long enough.

billy smiles at you, brushing his hair away from his eyes. you can't help but smile back, feeling content and happy.

"i think i like you too much." he murmurs, his warm breath caressing your skin. you laugh softly, feeling the same way.

a hum of agreement, "me too." you whisper back, pulling him into a tight hug. you stay like that for a while, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other's embrace.

as the night deepens, you and billy finally decide to make your way back to the truck. billy helps you out of the water, his touch lingering as you both reluctantly part from the tranquil lake. the air is filled with the sounds of nocturnal creatures, their symphony accompanying your footsteps as you follow the narrow trail back to the pickup truck.

the woods, now cloaked in darkness, take longer to exit. the moonlight filters through the dense canopy of leaves, casting shadows on the forest floor.

once back at the truck, you find yourself wrapped in a cozy blanket billy had thoughtfully brought along. the drive home is filled with a comfortable silence, the events of the evening settling into a cherished memory. the road is dimly lit by the truck's headlights, and the night sky is a canvas of stars above.

as you approach the farmhouse, the thrill of the night lingers between you and billy. he parks the truck, and the engine falls silent. the two of you sit in the quiet for a moment, savoring the experience.

"thank you for tonight, you were real sweet." you say, breaking the silence.

billy turns to you, a peaceful smile playing on his lips. "i should be thanking you, for goin’ out with me. so thank you, darling. i think you're real sweet too."

"i'm real glad we met." you add.

he reaches over, his hand finding yours, fingers intertwining in a comfortable gesture. "me too," he replies, his gaze holding yours.

with a reluctant smile, you open the truck door, preparing to step out. billy, however, stops you with a gentle tug on your hand.

"before you go," he starts, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, "i was wonderin' if you'd like to do this again sometime. maybe i could take you down to the rodeo?"

the question catches you off guard, but the sincerity in his expression is undeniable. you feel a warmth spread through your chest, and you nod, "i'd like that, billy."

he grins, the moonlight casting a soft glow on his features. "good. it's a date then." you agree, leaning up and placing a peck on his pink lips before stepping out of the truck.

it's not until you're safely inside that he drives away into the night, the sound of the engine fading into the distance.

even as you slip into bed, the memories of the night play in your mind like a vivid dream. you drift into sleep with thoughts of the lake, the evening kisses, and the now waivered apprehension of the farmhand.

you've found yourself ensnared with billy bonney.

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#billy the kid #billy bonney #billy the kid x reader #billy bonney x reader #william h bonney #william h bonney x reader #tom blyth!billy the kid #tom blyth #billy bonney fluff #billy the kid fluff #i know everyone’s in their coriolanus era but…

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sungbeam · 6 months

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𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐒 — part one (i – vii)

nonidol!ji changmin x f!reader

your sister's dead, but apparently that's not the most shocking news. maybe she wasn't killed on accident, maybe ji changmin isn't really human, and maybe the monsters were never under the bed but all around you...

▷ genre, warnings. strangers 2 reluctant allies/friends 2 lovers, slow burn, demon/supernatural creatures au, angst, action, murder mystery-ish au, forced proximity trope, suspense, gore, depictions of violence and blood, themes of death and grief, use/description of weaponry, swearing, a slightly unreliable narrator bc she has no idea what's happening, reader's sister is dead, mentions of stalking, humor bc coping mechanisms, reader has hair long enough to braid sorry, blood drinking, the barest of proofreading and editing done...

▷ part word count. 22.3k words / 47.4k - read part two here

▷ associated songs. teeth (5sos), wet nightmare (bibi)

a/n: i tried to make it scary I SWEAR but changmin brings the clown out of me 🤥 anyways i ripped a chunk of my heart out and im serving it to you bloodied on a gold platter, i hope u love her :') read the warnings ofc and lmk your thoughts <3 also i completely gave up on wrestling w blr so im dropping it in two parts, but both of them at once 🤣 pray for me.

#1—NEXT OF KIN.

THEY TOLD YOU YOUR SISTER'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT, they being the authorities who had shown up at the front door of your apartment with their caps in hand, solemn faces pressed into lines that you could not read between. The world had fallen out from beneath your feet like someone had just yanked the carpet out, and you hadn't yet stopped falling.

The funeral was set on the rolling green hills of Elysium Memorial Park, the cemetery where your parents were buried, where your grandparents were buried, and now, where your sister joined them six feet under. Generations ago, your grandparents had purchased plots for themselves and their future family members while the land was cheap. When it came for your time to leave this mortal coil behind, you too would join them in the dirt of Elysium. It almost seemed right that the sky had opened up to reveal a blindingly hot sun, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. Perhaps the sky would not weep for your sister, but celebrate her life instead.

But while the heavens above would shed nary a tear, you could make up for that loss yourself. Having little to no living relatives left, you had been expected to take responsibility for all the arrangements, all while grieving, all while studying, all while trying to not fall apart some more. You were holding it together by the zipper of your dress pants and the caffeine from your coffee. You couldn't stop crying for the entire service, the forced silence of your cries balanced by the violent tremors in your shoulders.

Your sister Sena's patch in the land was now marked by a heaping pile of dirt. She had a lot of friends—most of whom gathered behind you and had thrown their flowers upon the dirt hill. You had a few distant relatives as well who you'd managed to remember (somehow) amongst all the madness. A couple of them were able to fly out for the event, but most had to decline.

When you heard your name being called, you drew your blazer sleeve over your eyes in a futile attempt to dry them.

Walking towards you now was a couple, middle-aged, dressed in black from head to toe, not far from how you looked right now. You knew them from about a week ago when they had sought you out after the news of your sister's death spread.

You hadn't the heart to sue them when they confessed who they were. It's our fault, they told you in the quiet of the hallway outside your apartment, we're so sorry. We understand if you'd like to press charges.

Sena was a victim of an automobile accident. You didn't know the entire story—was too tired for the whole story—just shocked she was even in the country. She was supposed to be across the world for a study abroad program, but why was she discovered on the side of the road, a few towns over, inebriated and dead? She became nothing more than roadkill and a statistic in death, and maybe that was why you were so bitter.

"Yn, it was a beautiful ceremony," said the woman—Julia, she had introduced herself as that week ago. Her nose was reddened from the friction of tissue paper, her eyes damp and glittering in the sunlight. "I'm sorry you—that you have to deal with all the pomp and circumstance."

"We know you deserve your time alone," joined her husband, Carter. He tucked his hands into his pockets, mustering up a smile for your sake, but you could still see the guilt flooding his eyes with water. "We just wanted to say thank you for letting us come and pay our respects."

And for not pressing charges. But you dashed that thought away. That was the bitterness talking, but these were good people. They had come forward and been honest, and it wasn't their fault Sena was drunk. (Why in the world was she drunk and here and why didn't she tell you the truth—?)

"Thank you for coming," you replied, "I wasn't sure if you would take me up on the offer, to be honest."

You wrapped up conversation with the couple and watched them depart across the grassy hills toward their car. Your eyes surveyed the last bits of the lingering crowd for familiar faces—anyone at all. But all you found were strangers.

These were all Sena's friends, after all. She had always been the more adventurous of the two of you.

You sighed and resigned yourself to start looking for the funeral coordinator to discuss payment and the like. Though the event was over the worst was just beginning. There was so much to do, and so little energy left to perform them.

But as you began trudging through the plush grass toward the far end of the plot, you noticed a man standing beneath the shade of a nearby oak tree. He wore typical funeral attire—the black dress shirt, pants, shoes, and even a pair of rectangular shades to cover his eyes. Like many of the others, you didn't recognize him—at first.

And then he shifted, lenses of his glasses reflecting sunlight and you could just barely put together the puzzle of his face and his identity. Ji Changmin.

What was he doing here?

They were friends, too, Yn, you reminded yourself. Yet, you weren't sure why you were so surprised he was here. Maybe it was because you never remembered extending the invitation to him (but someone could have spread the news by word of mouth). Maybe it was because several months had passed since you last saw him. Maybe it was because you always thought there was something… strange about him (but that could have been your bias; there was always this thing about him that irked you). Either way, you never had anything to say to him before, and that had yet to change even in light of your sister's death.

The two of you stared each other down, and for a moment, you believed he was going to walk over to you.

But instead, he pushed off the tree trunk and made his way toward the trickle of funeral goers up the hill, leaving you to wonder after him.

The next time you saw Ji Changmin was a week after the will reading.

Because you were Sena's next of kin, you were contacted by your shared attorney about Sena's will. Apparently, she had a will. After all these years, you couldn't even fathom the idea of needing one so early, but for some reason, she had. (Maybe that worried you a little more.)

The strangest thing was that your attorney had delivered to you a flat lockbox made of steel and secured with an old fashioned lock and key. Along with the stash of money in her savings account (where the Hell had all of that come from anyway?), Sena also gave you that. Whatever it was.

You had yet to open it when you bumped into Changmin on your way out of your college's academic counseling center. With recent events, your departmental advisor called you in to discuss your academic plans for the foreseeable future.

You can take as long as you like, Yn, she'd said to you. You're already ahead of schedule to graduate anyways. But that wasn't the point was it?—

"Oh." You stopped short as you rounded the corner and nearly crashed into something. "Sorry," you said before you even recognized him.

A pair of dark, feline eyes looked you up and down. "Yn, right?" Changmin drawled. A pair of white wired earbuds hung from his ears and his shoulders were fitted with a dark colored bomber jacket that was familiar to you. You'd seen it draped over the back of one of your kitchen chairs once when Sena had him over for a project.

Your eyes shuttered. "Yeah. Changmin?"

His nod was barely there. He cocked his head to the side in a way that felt like he was trying to gaze into your soul. "I'm—I'm sorry for your loss," he said, grappling for the right words. "Sena was a good friend."

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close," you told him. This was probably the most he'd ever said to your face, and you to him.

Changmin gave a small shrug. "We worked closely together, so it was kind of inevitable. How are you doing?"

You didn't think the conversation would last this long. "Oh, uhm, I'm fine." You inwardly knocked yourself over the head. He's probably just trying to be nice, Yn. "I mean—" you amended, "—I'm doing as well as you can imagine, I guess. Just lots of legal stuff and…" Her room. Cleaning out her room. Opening the lockbox. Reading her last will and testament for the fiftieth time.

When you didn't finish your sentence right away, he nodded again, shuffling on the balls of his feet. Was he feeling as awkward as you were? "I get that. Hey, if you—y'know, like, need anything—"

"You don't have to do that."

"What about coffee? Just… to talk."

Coffee? You considered him for a second. Before, you nor he had ever given any indication to the other that you acknowledged the other's presence. In fact, you confessed to Sena once that he intimidated you, even if he was just sitting there in your shared living room while pouring over JSTOR academic essays.

He was patient, you realized. Then you relented. "Okay. When's good for you?"

You thought you saw a glimmer of relief in his eyes, but that could have just been the afternoon sunlight. "Now?"

Your eyes widened a smidge, and you coughed. "Uhm now? I—I have class…?" You didn't, but the curve ball that was an impromptu coffee session with Ji Changmin wasn't something you needed right now.

His eyebrow lifted as if he didn't believe you. "Okay," he dragged out. "Tomorrow morning?" He offered as a counter.

Your brain did cartwheels in an attempt to figure out if you would have the willpower to do that. "Okay," you said. Better to get this out of the way, right?

"Do you know that one place on Magnolia?"

"The one across from the Eight Ball?" You perked up in recognition. You and Sena used to go all the time. The two of you liked to say that Magnolia was her street because it housed all her favorite places; just the thought of taking a stroll down it made your eyes water. "Yeah, Sena and I used to go all the time."

Changmin paused, his mouth opening, then closing.

You guessed what he was thinking. "It's fine if we go. I'm not gonna like, burst into tears or anything," you chuckled awkwardly, clearing your throat when excess tear fluid made you congested.

His lips pursed, impressing a dimple into his cheek. "Okay, only if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." It seemed that everything you said to people was something like a lie nowadays.

It was late when you finally faced the lockbox.

The box was an unassuming hunk of metal, flat and slim and no bigger than a standard piece of paper. You warmed the key in your palm until it was hot to the touch and made your skin redden. The sky outside your apartment window had darkened to a blot of ink, the white shutters drawn shut to create a white paneled shield. You just finished up a very lazy dinner, washed up, and decided to confront the last thing on Sena's will.

The lockbox in the bank under my name goes to my sister, Yn Ln. She is the only one allowed access to it until she opens it; what she decides to do with the contents is her choice.

There must have been something important inside it, you reasoned, otherwise it wouldn't have been a part of the will and it wouldn't be under lock and a single key.

"What is this, Sena?" You asked aloud, venturing to twist the lock open with the key. The locking mechanism gave way, and you set the lock and key aside. The shorter end could slide open like a hidden door, and you peered into the dark depths, almost afraid of what you might find between its jaws.

You could make out the silhouettes of shapes at the bottom, the soft-cornered texture of a wad of bills. You reached in.

One of the things she had left for you in her will was all of the money in her savings account. It had shocked you to see the number—you always thought her only job was at the library, but clearly, she was not just on a librarian's salary.

Pulling out a stack of cash from the box was yet another thing that helped solidify in your mind that something was off. The confusion settled first, and then the betrayal. Had she not trusted you with this knowledge while she was alive? You were the one going into accounting and finance, and yet, she hid all of this money from you? Was she afraid of something? Afraid of judgment, of the law?

You tossed the twenties onto the table. The note slipped between the rubber band and the first piece read something along the lines of 'in case of emergency.'

You made a plunge into the box again. This time, you pulled out the last two things at the bottom, a standard white index card and a small, fabric pouch. The card displayed Sena's familiar scrawl:

You're probably wondering what any of this is, but if you're reading this, it means that something's gone wrong—like really wrong. The necklace in the pouch is super important. DON'T TAKE IT OFF. Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't trust anyone. This is really important to me, Yn. Please be safe; I love you.

x, sena.

Please be safe? Safe from who or what?

You held the note in your hand for a moment and couldn't believe this would be the last thing you received from her. It would be a tangible legacy, in a way, and you weren't sure how to feel about that. You moved the note to the table and turned your attention to the pouch.

You carefully tugged it open. She said it was a necklace, right?

"Oh," you voiced aloud while fishing out a thin, silver chain.

There was a pendant attached to the end with some heft to it. It was a deep, bloody red in the loose shape of a teardrop. There wasn't a sharp peak, but a slightly flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other. You would guess it was some kind of precious stone, but when you stared at it long enough, it looked like the color pulsed… like a heartbeat.

Your breath hitched.

Eyes narrowed, you held it up to the light by the chain. The vibrant red remained stagnant—perhaps you were just tired.

Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't take it off. Don't trust anyone.

Strange request about a necklace. For a moment, you wondered if your sister had indulged in some unsavory acts to achieve the numbers in her bank account and the previous stone in your hands. If you put this on, would you be counted as an accomplice to robbery?

"God, you just need to go to sleep, Yn," you muttered, swiftly clicking the chain into place around your neck. There was no way your sister would have anything to do with—

You froze.

From the other side of your shutters, you swore you heard the sound of shuffling. It wasn't unheard-of that the leaves and tree branches knocked against your second-floor window once in a while, but there hadn't been much wind as of late.

A chill spider-crawled up your spine as you strained your ears to hear more.

When you came up with nothing, you shoved the pendant under your shirt and cleaned up the lockbox. You had an early day tomorrow, after all; sleep was dire to face Changmin.

But as you crept into bed, you couldn't help but feel as if the stone on your sternum did have a heartbeat, and that something in the dark was watching you.

#2—GHOSTS ONLY HAUNT.

YOU STEPPED FOOT ON MAGNOLIA STREET looking for signs of your sister.

The morning air was a little cooler as spring filtered into town, and it also meant that this street in particular would begin to swirl with baby pink petals from the trees of the street's namesake flowers. There weren't many people around on a Thursday morning, but the sun peered between the buildings to say hello, at least.

You were in good company.

"Hey."

"Holy shit—" you whipped around to find Changmin almost right behind you. Your heart stuttered against your ribcage, your hand flying to your sternum where the necklace was. You were still getting used to its presence.

He gave nothing away with his facial expression. Damn him.

"I didn't realize you'd be early," you breathed as you tried to get a grip on yourself. Did this guy just materialize out of thin air everywhere?

Tongue in cheek, he said, "Well, I couldn't really sleep, so I figured the morning air might freshen me up a bit. Shall we?" He gestured with his elbow and chin to the establishment to your right.

There sat the quaint, little coffee shop you'd both agreed on yesterday. This one was one of Sena's favorites. She always claimed that their blueberry scones were the best in the world.

When you didn't say anything for a little, he cleared his throat. "We don't have to, if you can't or don't want to."

You hadn't even realized you were being quiet. Thoughts had been muddled as of late. You cleared your throat and stumbled for the door. "No, we can go in."

Two cups of coffee arrived at your table seven minutes later in compostable cups and a pile of artificial sweetener packets and creamer. You straightened in your seat across from Changmin and began ripping open sweetener packets and wondering if you should have gotten something of substance to eat. (You had stared at the blueberry scones for a long minute before deciding that today was not the day you wanted to cry in front of someone, especially this someone in particular.)

Changmin moved his cup toward his side of the table but made no move to add sugar or cream, or to even drink it.

This place was so familiar to you that you knew exactly how many packets of cream and sweetener to mix in, and you gently blew a breath over the steam floating off the surface. When the liquid hit your tongue and your throat, its warmth enveloped your nerves in a warm embrace, assuring you everything was going to be okay. The emotion hit you like a freight train.

You pressed your thumb against the rear gland in your right eye and willed it away. "So uhm," you said, fanning your eyes gently as you attempted to pull yourself together in front of him, "what… what did you wanna talk about? If there was anything?"

He folded his arms over his chest while leaning back in his chair, and you thought you saw his gaze soften. "Why don't you take another sip?" His eyes went to the coffee. "It'll help."

You couldn't deny that suggestion, and you reached for your cup to take another small gulp. The breath you let out rattled.

This was a bad idea.

"Are you gonna be okay if I talk about Sena?"

You nursed the coffee cup in your hands and nodded slowly.

He eyed you for a moment, then relented. "Did she happen to leave anything that was marked for me? Before the—the accident, she said there was something she needed to tell me."

Something she needed to tell him? You racked your brain, eyes drilling into the wood grain of the coffee table between you two. The will hadn't mentioned anyone else but you. And all of the letters or notes from Sena that were given to you were all for you; the attorney would have handled the rest and mailed them off to anyone else she'd written something for.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "No, I can't think of anything. You say you were expecting something?"

The resolve in his eyes steeled over, and that little bit of softness you'd seen before disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. You couldn't read him anymore. "Yes, I have her texts."

He fished out his phone from his pocket and you pursed your lips as he maneuvered to a screen of his and your sister's last messages to each other:

sena: i think i'm going back home soon, so i'll c u then changmin: okay that's fine changmin: wait ur still over there?? i thought u left already? sena: had to talk to someone abt the thing, but it was a dead end sena: just remind me that i have something to tell u changmin: what? sena: it'll be better if i said this in person

That was all Changmin let you see.

You leaned away from his phone, head reeling more from the fact that he knew she had been out of town and knew where she was and why she was there. Never mind the fact that apparently, Sena was holding onto important information for Changmin. You couldn't care less about that.

You supposed the texts were for him to prove to you he was telling you the truth. It wasn't like you weren't telling the truth either.

"Why was Sena out of town?" You asked him. "Did she ever go on any of those study abroad trips?"

Changmin paused, then something flickered in his eyes. "I think I showed you too much."

"I think you showed me too little."

"Yn, did she tell you anything about what she needed to tell me?"

You were going to push against him for your own agenda again, but the slight pressure in his tone made you think twice. There was something urgent in his words, his expression, his body language. You couldn't tell what it was, but something about this had to have been important.

Absentmindedly, your hand rubbed the area where the pendant sat on your chest beneath the collar of your shirt, and his eyes followed for a moment before flickering back up to your eyes. "No," you told him quietly. "She didn't tell me anything."

He must have believed you, because defeat shuddered across his face, and he said goodbye to leave. He didn't even take his coffee with him. Asshole.

You told yourself it would be months before you could bring yourself to go through Sena's things, but after this morning's run-in with Changmin (because it wasn't even a session; you could hardly call it anything but a run-in because it lasted maybe ten minutes), you were determined to unlock her door and do some digging. Clearly, she was hiding more than her money and jewelry(?) from you.

Changmin… he completely ignored your questions confronting him about Sena's whereabouts and her purpose for traveling. You were getting more and more suspicious as to what your sister had been up to lately. Changmin had to be in on it, too, then. He had to be.

Sena's door took up your entire vision as you stood before it with the key in your hand.

You weren't entirely sure what you were expecting when you opened it, but it was as if she had never left. Everything was where she left it—plum-purple covers tucked beneath the mattress, vintage national park postcards hanging from fairy lights by wooden clothespins, jackets layered over the back of her desk chair. There was an empty mug on her desk with the remnants of a red lip tint on the edge, and you knew you weren't going to remember to take it out to the sink later.

The small shelf-nightstand hybrid next to her bed was filled to the brim with books and notebooks and magazines. You settled gingerly upon the edge of her bed, palms pressing against the comforter.

The room still smelled like your sister.

You took the small bottle of perfume on the nightstand and spritzed a little onto your wrist. You pressed it to your nose, letting the scent make your senses woozy. It wouldn't bring her back; it didn't smell exactly the same when it was on your skin.

You set the bottle back onto the nightstand, then lowered yourself to your knees to pull all of the books off the top shelf. You stuck your head into the empty cupboard—you weren't really sure what you were looking for.

All of the titles here were the normal things you remembered seeing her read: assorted mythologies, books on the occult and supernatural, her textbooks for anthropology and archeology. There were about a dozen and a half National Geographic magazines that you flipped through within the next two hours, as well, all of which turned up nothing of curiosity.

None of the bound books were notebooks of any kind.

You crawled over to her desk—rifled through those. Nothing. They were all school related and completely, utterly ordinary.

Disappointment weighed you down into her desk chair as you hit another dead end.

Was there nothing she could give you?

No, she's dead, you thought to yourself. You'd never known Sena to be a secretive person, especially with you—in fact, you were the quieter of the pair, and she always managed to coax the right things out of you.

Sometimes you had felt like the older sister because you handled so many of the logistics and practical things, but when the world became too scary, you could always count on running to her to feel safe again…

Safe.

Sena, were you ever safe? You were beginning to think not so much.

"Do I need to file for a restraining order?"

It was getting ridiculous how many times you ran into Changmin in the past two weeks. It was outside the advising office, on your way to the store, in the hallway outside your finance lecture. And now, he loitered in the lobby of your apartment complex with a wired earbud in one ear and the other dangling freely.

He seemed to be unfazed by your remark as he peered over at you from beneath the brim of his cap. "What if I just live here?"

"But you don't," you huffed, coming to stop right in front of him. You had a feeling you would have definitely known if he moved into this building. "What do you want from me, Changmin? I'm not going to magically lead you to my sister's secret stash of whatever. I just want to get to class."

"Then go to class," he said simply. He gestured with the phone in his hand toward the door. "I'm not here for you."

You narrowed your eyes at him. Perhaps you were being a little silly, and this was just some weird trick your brain was playing on you to make you notice him more. "Answer me something."

"Only if you answer something for me."

"This isn't a negotiation."

"Worth a shot," he said with a sigh. "What shall I answer for you?"

"You and my sister weren't dating, were you?"

He must have choked on his own spit because he coughed, furiously thumping his chest. You would have laughed if this was any other circumstance, and if you and Changmin were friends (but you weren't). He shook his head at you. "No. Your sister wasn't interested in me like that and neither was I. We were strictly colleagues."

You cocked your head to the side. Colleagues… you let that marinate. "Okay, so did she have anyone she was seeing then? Just out of curiosity." A former lover you didn't know about would make sense, something like a Bonnie and Clyde situation maybe. Or perhaps you were chasing after ghosts to get a glimpse into the past.

"Someone I suspect, but I don't have their contact," he replied, mimicking your head tilt and narrowed eyes. "If you had her phone—"

"I don't."

"Ah, a shame then."

"Do you?"

"And why would I withhold such an important item from the next of kin?" He drawled.

Changmin suddenly jolted upright from the relaxed position he stood in. It was so abrupt, it gave your heart a start. "That's my cue."

You followed after him out the front doors. "What cue? Did you hear your microwave go off or something?"

You swore to God you saw his mouth curl up in amusement. But it might have been just your imagination. He yanked his other earbud out and lifted a hand in goodbye. "Something like that! See you around."

He disappeared around the corner before you could follow after him. Plus, you really did have a lecture to get to. (Wait, did he say that she was seeing someone—?)

You sighed, wondering if you should follow him… something in the back of your mind told you it would be safer not to.

#3—MONSTERS AMONG MEN.

YOU SWORE JI CHANGMIN HAD TO BE a psychic with the amount of times he predicted your whereabouts. Every time you saw him in your vicinity, you and he shared either a verbal sparring match or stared one another down. He seemed amused by it; you were growing increasingly concerned, even if it was all just coincidence.

(There was this one time, on a Wednesday this past week, where you were the one who appeared at the anthropology department to see one of Sena's old professors. Changmin was there, as it was his major's headquarters, and shot you a curious glance. The meeting was innocent and an accident. No, you definitely weren't stalking him. Absolutely not.)

(It was interesting to consider whether both of you thought the other would lead you to something of Sena's. You were certain he knew more than he let on, and perhaps he thought the same of you… Shit, maybe you should invest in a taser.)

Additionally, the weird sounds around your apartment had increased. Sometimes when you walked around in the evenings, the hair on the back of your neck and your arms stood at attention, as if you could feel the gaze of someone or… something watching you. However, every time you turned to look, the crazier you were convinced you'd become.

It didn't help that the necklace Sena left for you kept mimicking your heart beat when you weren't paying attention. If you willed it to repeat the steady beat in the light so you could observe it up close, it would cease.

It was as if distance from your skin or touch left it without a heart to echo.

You were half certain you were losing your mind. It had to be all this stress and emotion overwhelming you.

Saturday morning, you decided to pick yourself up and go see your sister. The funeral home had called you earlier this week to say that her headstone was complete, so this would also serve as a trip to ensure everything was engraved correctly before it was placed over her grave. You dressed yourself up in a dark top and comfortable jeans, something you might be able to sit in on the grass as you lingered in her presence, even if she was dead.

Ever since you went through her things, you hadn't ventured into her room again. You thought it might preserve the way it looked, smelled, felt… preserve something of her.

Once you'd gone to the funeral parlor and management center at Elysium Memorial Park to confirm the engraving, you took a brisk walk up the hill to where you remembered Sena's plot to be. The sun peered out between clouds this morning, giving the sky a dual-toned appearance, one half a dark gray, and the other a gossamer yellow.

You started down the hill, head ducked to watch for any graves or hills so you didn't trample over other people's bodies. A bundle of flowers from the grocery store sat cradled in the crook of your arm—a bundle of pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and dark crimson roses (mourning). You didn't often pay attention to the meaning of flowers, but you thought if you weren't able to choke anything out today, then at least they could speak for you.

Just as you neared the grave between oaks, you lifted your head, your footsteps slowing at the person who stood over your sister's grave. "You have got to be shitting me."

"Isn't it a sin to curse over someone's grave?" Changmin asked as you stopped short of where he was. There was a single stem of sunflower (adoration) seated at his feet on the bundle of earth that was Sena's resting place. "Well, I wouldn't know. That's not my expertise."

"What are you doing here?"

He gave a loose gesture with a flourished hand. "Visiting a friend. Don't leave on my account. She's your sister."

It was as if he could read your mind. You didn't count on anyone being here when you saw her, but he had a right to visit her, too. The bitterness seeping into your bones would have to be squandered for today; the universe just needed to stop making the two of you bump into each other.

You ignored the quickening pitter-patter of your heart and the necklace, and trudged over the grass to where he was.

You gently placed your bundle of flowers next to his, then straightened to stand beside him. The two of you stared at the patch in the ground in silence.

A frown etched itself onto his face, along with a crease between his brows. He seemed almost angry—at what, you couldn't tell. Not you, you hoped.

Quietly, you lowered yourself to the grass to sit down and be closer to her.

I miss you, you voiced into your head, as if you could transmit these thoughts to the dead body in the ground. I'm so… it's too much, Sena. I can't do this. I don't know what you want from me, I don't know what Changmin wants from me. The apartment is cold. Why didn't you tell me you were home all this time?

For the moment, you let your vision blur with tears.

You covered your mouth with your palm to dam the emotion inside, especially with someone else right next to you, but dignity be so fucking damned. Your body trembled with the weight of everything and beyond—you were Atlas carrying the world upon his shoulders. Pressure mounted in your cranium from how hard and freely you sobbed, your fingers pressed to your face to support your head as your tears wet the earth beneath you.

A presence lowered itself to the ground beside you, and Changmin remained politely quiet. He breathed in deeply, but you heard the slight tremble of his breath when he exhaled.

Maybe you were crying for the both of you.

After what seemed like eons, you sniffled, pawing at your puffy and reddened eyes with the sleeves of your shirt. You hadn't brought along any tissues or anything, an oversight.

You gathered your wits about you and clambered to your feet, your knees knocking together like a baby deer. Changmin still had his eyes pinned to the ground.

"Whatever the Hell you want from me," you told him hoarsely, "I don't care. Just leave me alone."

You watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Without another word, you walked away to head back to the bus stop.

Your skin prickled when you returned home. The air was oddly… off, and a strange smell lingered in the air. It was subtle, only becoming apparent to you with deep, focused inhales. The identity of the smell eluded you and it wasn't something you were familiar with.

You kicked the front door shut behind you, and noticed that the window was ajar. Had you accidentally left that open before you left?

Strange.

You padded across the room to peer out at the street below. There sat the usual tree that occupied the space in front of your window, the one that you assumed (hoped) was the thing making all of the noises outside the past few weeks. (Because if it wasn't that, you didn't want to know what it really was.)

The thought occurred to you that you might have opened the window before you left to air out whatever smell had crept through the air vents. Yes, that made a whole lot of sense.

Settling with that explanation, you cranked the window closed slightly, only leaving a sliver so you could muffle as much of the sounds outside as possible. This part of town wasn't the noisiest, luckily, but when there were vehicles that drove by, they tended to be loud for no reason.

You sighed, settling down onto your couch with your bag. The whole rest of your day was open, and the only thing you had thought of was to go see Sena.

The feeling of eyes on you loitered on your skin like an invisible ant crawling over your body somewhere. You swiped at your neck, rubbed your arm… you couldn't identify it when you swung around to observe your own home.

This was your home, wasn't it? Why did it feel like you weren't alone in it?

You were going to go close the window—

A shadow appeared on the ledge of your window sill and you let out a scream.

The mass gnarled its teeth at the sound, pouncing at you with claws and fangs that glinted in the daylight.

You scrambled backward on the couch, toward the opposite end, your heart throwing itself up against your ribcage. "What the fuck?" You breathed, trying to figure out what in the world it was.

Bad idea. Oh, baaaad. Bad. Bad. Bad idea.

You shouldn't have stared so long; then you wouldn't have realized it had multiple rows of teeth, a face pale as a full moon, and two beady eyes narrowed into slits. Saliva dripped from its maw and down its chin as it crawled on its haunches and arms to you.

It made a guttural noise, then lunged.

You swore and fell over the arm of the couch, dragging along the lamp on the side table. You tried to move your right leg off the arm—it didn't budge. Oh god, it had its claws in your pant leg—

"Mine," it snarled, surprisingly sentient. "Master wills it so."

You kicked it in its face and managed to scramble away, clutching the lamp in front of your body as a weapon.

It ran after you, and your body leapt into instinct.

You nearly slipped as you fumbled to your feet and tipped the coffee table over the creature. "What the fuck are you—SHIT."

Wood splinters exploded as the creature smashed clear through one of the legs and went careening for you.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE," you begged, running for the kitchen and the block of knives in your sight.

Your knees hit the wood floor with a vengeance, and you had no time to mourn over bruised knees. You twisted around and just barely shoved the lamp between its jaws before it could enclose them around your neck—

Somebody pounded on your front door. "YN? YN!"

Familiar—that was all that went through your head. "HELP ME," you screeched, your hands growing slippery from the slobber. Desperation filled your veins and you gave a violent shove.

Your front door bursted open, the handle banging against the opposite wall and leaving a dent.

Changmin charged into the room with a dark look in his eyes, a swear on his tongue. "You're the little weasel who's been fucking with me."

The creature shifted his attention to Changmin. "Your Disgrace," it gave a mocking bow.

That seemed to be his ticker.

You couldn't comprehend what happened—only an exchange of blows, a blur of body mass—Changmin brawled with the creature on your floor and you dragged yourself behind the kitchen counter to hide. You reached for a knife from the knife block up above and pulled your knees to your chest, the sounds of snarling and wood breaking and bones cracking—then—complete silence.

You slapped a palm over your mouth, eyes going toward the ceiling to pray to anyone who could hear you.

This was when you died. The creature had killed Changmin and now it was coming back to finish what it started.

You held your breath with your eyes wide open. You strained your ears. The sound of a sigh met your ears, one that was oh-so familiar to you.

"Shit," came Changmin's voice. "Yn. Yn? Yn, where…?"

He rounded the counter, his hair sticking up in different directions and a large tear at the top of his shirt, but other than that, he seemed no worse for wear. He eyed the knife pointed outward at him, and he showed you his palms as if placating a rattlesnake. "Woah, hey, it's okay. It's gone now."

Your body trembled from head to toe with all of the pent up fear and adrenaline. You shook your head, your hand still clapped over your mouth to keep your screams or cries in.

Changmin lowered himself to your level slowly. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise, it's gone and you're okay now. Let's put the knife down."

You slowly, slowly brought your extended hand down, letting the blade point toward the ground and away from the man in front of you. "What—" you choked, "—what was—who are—"

His facial features arranged into something short of stress. "It's a long story…" He roughed a hand through his bangs. "That thing back there? Yn, that was a demon."

You blinked.

He exhaled sharply. "I'm a demon."

"Don't fuck with me."

"You think I'm fucking with you?"

Your free hand clutched at the pendant around your neck. "You—you don't look like that thing though."

He gave a nod. "Right, I don't. I'm… a different kind of demon." When you remained quiet, he prodded, "You're not going to fight back? You're not gonna tell me you're going crazy?"

"Oh, I know I'm going crazy," you nodded vigorously, wiping away the snot that dribbled down your nose inelegantly. He reached over the counter to grab the roll of paper towels and slide it over to you in an act of (rare) kindness. Your head made contact with the cabinet behind you. "Is the carcass lying on my living room floor, Changmin? Tell me it is not lying on my living room floor."

"It's not."

"Then where the fuck is it?"

He licked his lips, closing his eyes. "It escaped."

"Out the window?"

"No, through a portal—"

You wheezed, and you were sure you looked half mad to him. "Oh my god, I really am off my rocker." A portal. A portal! Of course it was a portal.

He pinned you with a look. "Yn. Yn, listen to me. You're not safe here."

"No shit. I almost died two minutes ago." You saw his unimpressed expression and forced an apology out of your mouth. "Sorry. Humor is a coping mechanism. You can't just tell me demons exist without me thinking we've both gone absolutely insane."

Changmin settled into a more comfortable position on the floor, gripping onto the edge of the counter behind his head. "Yeah, your sister reacted similarly when she found out."

Everything came to a screeching halt.

"What?"

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Supernatural creatures exist. The ones that you read about in books and in myths and legends, and watch in silly movies and TV shows?" He gestured wide with both his arms. "They exist—we exist."

You could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears. You swallowed. "And she… she knew this?"

A nod. "Yes. We've all been walking among you this whole time."

"What does this have to do with Sena?" What did any of this have to do with your sister? Was this even worse than you imagined it was?

He pursed his lips, exposing the little mole beneath his bottom lip for a moment. "Sena and I were… business partners. We were in the bounty hunting business, essentially."

There were words coming out of his mouth, but it was too much. All of it hit your head and fell straight to the floor, and none of it truly sank into your sense of reality.

Sena was a supernatural bounty hunter? And she died while on a case. A personal one, he said—?

"—I was coming over to show you something when I felt my trap get triggered."

"Wait, wait, wait," you cut in. "Trap?"

"I've been hunting that demon for weeks now," he explained to you, but the words were coming out slowly like he was reluctant to let them go. "It's been… avoiding me, and I tracked it to your apartment and realized what, or who, it was after." His teeth ran over his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed on you. "You're wearing it, aren't you? The pendant?"

On instinct, your hand shot up to your sternum. "How the Hell—"

"That's what Sena and I were looking for." His sharp, feline gaze remained pinned on you as you slowly lifted the chain to take the pendant out. It glistened like a fat, red ruby in the daylight. "What did she tell you about it?"

"Absolutely nothing," you said plainly. You set the knife on the ground beside you and adjusted your sitting position with a shaky exhale. "Except that I shouldn't let anyone touch it before me, that I shouldn't take it off, and to not—trust anyone."

You stiffened when Changmin reached for something in his back pocket.

"Relax, this is what I wanted to show you." He held his hands up after retrieving a cream-colored envelope from his back pocket, majorly bent and crumpled in some portions, but intact for the most part. He slid the envelope across the kitchen floor to you, and you immediately recognized your sister's handwriting.

You gingerly picked it up off the ground and inspected it. It couldn't have been forged—the way she wrote her R's were too distinct. She was so weird about always writing capital R's even if it was supposed to be lowercase.

You opened the flap and tugged out the letter inside. As you made your way down the note, it came to you that this was his evidence. This was his evidence that Sena knew him personally and that, according to past-Sena, you could trust him.

Your fingers shook as you pushed the letter back into the fold, and you shoved the envelope back over to him. "Okay," you muttered. "What now?"

Something akin to relief washed over his face. "She didn't tell you anything about the pendant? Nothing?"

You shook your head, fondling the stone between your fingers. "No. I found it in the lockbox she left for me with cash and a small note."

"Lockbox?" He perked up. "Are you certain there wasn't anything else in there? Not a second stone or a second necklace? Nothing?"

Your eyebrows furrowed in thought, and you pressed your thumb and forefinger to your closed eyes when they began to sting from dehydration. "No. It was just those three things I mentioned earlier. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," you said. "I am absolutely sure. You don't think I turned that thing upside down?"

Changmin stood up and began to pace around his side of the kitchen, his head buried in his two palms. "Oh fuck," you heard his muttered swear.

"What is it?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, and it reset him to that careful blankness from before. "Do you trust me?"

"No," came your automatic answer.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Your sister was after something important before she died. She—she was supposed to update me about it when she got back, but she never did." He carded a hand through his hair again. "It could reveal to us more about what happened. Didn't she mention anything about how important this was?"

He wasn't wrong, unfortunately. Sena wrote it plainly in her final note to you about how important this necklace was, and keeping it with you. You supposed you could dash out any thought that she stole this from a bank or jewelry store… a mortal one, at least.

What the fuck was this thing made of?

You enclosed your fist around the stone. "So what are you saying?"

"We need to finish what she started." He considered something for a moment, then added, "And you're not safe here."

Something panged in your chest. "I'm not teaming up with you."

Changmin took a couple steps toward you and from this distance, there was an unmistakable ferocity in his gaze. "I would agree with you, but unfortunately, if I want answers and the pendant, then I'm stuck with you."

Your blood pressure spiked. "You're such an ass."

"Ass or not," he drawled, "you can stay here and risk that cretin coming back for you, or you can come with me, and we can figure out what the Hell happened to your sister."

Your bones, your joints—everything ached as you clambered to your feet. God, you were tired. A grave sort of determination trickled into your mind, though, at the thought of getting away from this. It didn't seem like there was much other choice anyway.

#4—SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

IT WAS LATE WHEN THE CAR pulled into the motel parking lot. Your ass was on fire from the long drive, and your mind hazy from sleep deprivation. Fear kept you awake for the entirety of the eight hour trek between home and nowhere. You would have worried about Changmin in the driver's seat, but considering you found out he was a supernatural being literally eight hours ago, your worries consoled themselves.

"This was the best out of the selection," he murmured, barely audibly, as he put the car in park. The glow from the motel lights was the only light for miles, and the red-violet from the neon sign washed over Changmin's sharp side profile like a grungy teen thriller show.

A yawn stretched out of you and you reached for your seatbelt. "Wasn't complaining."

He sent you a pointed look. It was a silent "Really?" You pointedly ignored it.

The two of you clambered out of the car and you massaged your back and butt with reprieve. Your hand reached for the red ruby settled beneath the fabric of your T-shirt, the warm stone solid and present between your fingers. Changmin slammed his side of the car closed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and you were swift to follow his lead.

Your fingers drummed against the side of your pants just as the main office came into view. There was someone seated behind the front desk with her head buried in her phone and Candy Crush on the screen. You and Changmin walked up to the counter and her head flicked upward.

Her eyes darted between you two and something or other clicked in her head. "Room for two?" She droned, already clacking away on her computer screen.

"Yes please," you sighed. You knew there was no way you were getting around her assumptions.

She smacked the gum in the side of her cheek, twirling around in her chair to reach for a key on the wall behind her. "It'll be thirty bucks," she said, sliding the key across the counter, "and we don't have condoms."

You and Changmin both coughed, heat rushing to your face. "None needed," he muttered as he slid a twenty and ten dollar bill over to her.

You collected the key and checked for the room number. Sleep crept into the corners of your eyes again and they were starting to sting from dehydration.

Changmin eyed you from his peripheral vision and nodded his silent thanks to the girl. He swept an arm loosely around your shoulders to guide you back out to the night beyond the main office. The room you were assigned was on the second floor of a building just a little ways down the complex. It was outfitted with a single queen-sized bed and bathroom, and the lights fortunately worked well enough. You couldn't decide if it was a good thing that you were too tired to assess the cleanliness of this room, but you made a beeline for the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower," you announced, already closing the door.

The last thing you heard was his grunt from the other side.

You dumped your backpack on the lid of the toilet then braced your forearms on the sink counter. The lights in here were a dull gray and made you look sickly in the mirror. Dark bags hung beneath your pinkened eyes—the receptionist probably thought you were drunk or high. Exhaustion hit you like a bus, your limbs sluggish and heavy.

So much had happened in the past 48 hours.

You ripped the shower curtain back and fiddled around with the shower until cold water spouted from the top.

Changmin was a demon. He was Hellspawn. You'd messed around with the idea of him being a pain in the ass before, but you never expected his demon-ness to be true.

When the water warmed as much as it could, you stepped beneath its drizzle. The ruby pendant from your sister sat on your sternum, safe and warm, and you watched it pulse with a glowing scarlet beneath the stream of water.

Your sister.

A few weeks ago, you watched her body lowered into a ditch in the ground. A little before that, you were told her death had been an accident. Now, you were on the run.

From who or what? You weren't completely sure. That was what Changmin was here for. Well, technically he was here for the necklace your sister left with you, but after what happened at your apartment that caused the two of you to go on the run, here you and the necklace were. Plus, the note your sister left explicitly instructed that the necklace be kept with you—on you. (You still weren't too certain of anything.)

When your fingers began to prune, you reluctantly stepped out of the shower to slip on a new set of clothes from your backpack. You went through the motions of getting ready to sleep, too, mind fuzzy and unable to make sense of anything.

You wrestled down a sigh and desire to cry. You were tired, for fuck's sake, you were so tired.

But when you opened the bathroom door, flicking the light off, you paused. The room was dark.

Your breath hitched in your throat and the hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. Heart pounding, you took a step into the main room.

"Chang—" A palm closed around your mouth, another cupping the back of your head.

Panicpanicpanic—

A warm breath by your ear. "Calm down. It's just me." Changmin.

Fucking Hell.

You found his eyes as yours grew more accustomed to the dark. His head twisted over his shoulder to the window by the door where you could see silhouettes walking past, silent and stalking.

"Someone's here," he exhaled as he slowly removed his hand from over your mouth. His dark bangs hung in his eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. "They can sense the pendant, I think."

Your heart thundered against your ribcage—ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom—

Changmin's head whipped back toward you and he fished something out of his pocket. He reached for your hand, closing your fingers around something cold and metal. "Slowly put your backpack down and barricade yourself in the closet over there," he instructed quietly, finger pointing in the direction of the sliding doors just to your left. "If it comes to it, use the knife, Yn."

You bit your tongue to keep your breathing as steady as possible. Your hands shook around the switchblade he'd passed to you, and under his sharp eyes, you carefully lowered your bag to the ground without making as much noise as you could. Then, with his go-ahead, you crept as quietly as possible toward the closet.

Just as you reached for the slot in the door, all Hell broke loose.

The window shattered open, the door kicked off its hinges. Your entire body tensed as you dropped to the floor behind the bed, clutching the knife in front of you.

Changmin swore, nice and loud.

Shadows pummeled him to the ground until he was tangled in darkness, like nightmares brought to life. You saw a flash of claws in your view, your scream caught in your throat.

"You."

A blur of shadow whisked across your vision and your eyes went wide.

The creature crawled over the bed and pounced toward you—you rolled away from him, blade held out in front of your body. Oh, there was an awful wave of déjà vu coming over you.

"You are a difficult being to find, pet," the creature hissed. You were beginning to make out its features now—dagger-like eyes, claws that could easily rip flesh apart like cloth, and a maw of knives for teeth. Shit straight out of nightmares.

It cocked its head at you, crouching on the floor a few feet away. Why hadn't it attacked you yet?

"Curious," its scratchy voice croaked. "The master will be pleased when the asset is brought home to her."

The asset? It must have meant the necklace.

You heard a snarl from your right, and in horror, noted the thick, dark liquid splattered all over Changmin's clothes and body. When he snarled at the demons holding him down, you spotted the gleam of fangs.

"What do you want from me?" Your voice trembled, returning back to your main problem. The necklace sat warm and present, the pulses matching your racing heartbeat.

The creature released a sound like grating metal, something akin to a laugh. "Your guardian is more dangerous than he appears," he said instead while tilting its head to the side. "Clever being, that one. Master will be pleased when we bring his rotted corpse home."

You didn't anticipate how quickly it would move. You screamed as the creature dove for you and you swung out of the way. Its claws dug into the meat of your thigh, clinging to the flesh there with all of its might.

Fear struck painfully through your chest and you desperately twisted around to stab the blade into the side of the creature's neck.

It screeched. You drew the knife out to impale it in the back area, messily splattering an arc of its black blood everywhere.

You sucked in a sob as you scrambled backward. Its body dragged along the ground from its claws still sunken into your leg. The body was limp, but your nose wrinkled from the acrid, hot smell reeking from the corpse. It smelled burnt.

You peered at the blade in your fist with new eyes. The silver glowed gold in the darkened room; you shouldn't have expected anything less. Why did you think a mortal weapon could defend you from demonic creatures?

"YN!"

Too late.

Claws sunk into the sides of your throat and trapped your voice there. You thrashed around; panic stabbed your chest. Pathetically, desperately, you reached your arm back to try and drill the blade of your knife into the creature behind you.

Hot blood squelched down your throat—you were losing feeling there. Numb numb numb—it hurt, oh fuck, you were going to die—

All at once, the pressure subsided.

Breath could only flood into your lungs as quickly as blood spilled from your throat. You were choking, eyes wide up at the ceiling.

This was it, this was it. Maybe you'd see your sister in Hell.

A face appeared above you, sweaty but familiar. Your blurry vision couldn't make out the emotions on his face, but you could hear him… boy, could you hear him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed, rustling around and adjusting his position above your body.

His rough palms cupped your face. You could hear your heartbeat slowing in your ears. Ba-boom… ba-boom… ba… boom.

"Stay with me," he panted. His left hand pressed against that side of your neck to staunch the blood flow. He sucked in a breath and he ducked out of your view.

You felt a different wet sensation over your open wound. His tongue was rough, yet soothing as he lapped and sucked on the gouge in your throat. Feeling sparked in that area; you could feel your skin physically stitching itself together. If you could squirm, you would have.

He was swift to switch to your other side and copy those actions there. He groaned low against your skin, one hand cupping the side of your head to hold you in place.

Oxygen rushed through your lungs and you gasped. You tore your neck away from his mouth to dry retch. Blood dripped from the side of your lips to the dusty carpet. You had been asphyxiating on your own life force.

You flopped back onto your back, tears rolling down your cheeks as you gestured wildly at the steaming demon carcass still attached to your thigh. "Ple-please," you whimpered. "Please, get it off."

Changmin crawled onto his arms, sliding down toward your leg. "Yeah, sweetheart. I got it."

He looked up at you as he dug his fingers into the creature's skull, ready to pry the thing's claws from you. Something dark was smudged over his face—his nose, cheeks, across his eye. "It's gonna hurt," he warned, voice hoarse.

You moved your head in a microscopic nod.

Tears pricked at your vision, and your leg screamed. Blood filled your mouth even more from the force you used to clamp down on your tongue. Changmin was swift, but gentle as he removed each claw from your thigh, then tossed the body somewhere behind him. He lowered his face to your leg to carefully lap at your wounds like he'd done before.

When he was done, he flopped onto the floor with you, his sigh filling the awful silence.

You could feel everything. It was pulsing all over your body. Your skin, threading together, tingled and ached and throbbed. Your cheeks were damp with tear tracks and your fingers finally loosened their grip on the switchblade. Your mouth was coated in the metallic iron taste of blood.

The only familiar feeling was the pendant on your sternum. The bane of your existence.

"So you have magic spit?" You croaked, your voice scratchy from your sore and bruised throat.

You heard his huff, the closest thing you'd ever heard to a laugh from him. "It's regenerative," he exhaled deeply.

You snorted, then winced when it hurt.

If you could look up, you would've seen the corner of his lips twitch.

"Are you sure you're not a vampire?"

You heard a soft shuffling sound as he clambered upright to lean against the wall. His head thumped against it, eyes fluttered closed. "I don't drink blood, sweetheart."

"I didn't say you drank it."

You grimaced as you struggled to swallow. Reality was swooping in on you like a vulture above a carcass. Doom swirled in your stomach—you almost died just now. You choked on a sob, and you reached up to your face to brush away your tears.

Oh god, everything hurt.

"I want to go home," you whispered. It wasn't even to Changmin, just to whoever could hear you. Homehomehome, but where was home? They could find you anywhere.

A beat passed.

"I'm sorry." Changmin's head hung, either out of exhaustion or genuine regret. "I promised your sister I wouldn't get you involved."

You still couldn't move your head much, so you kept your gaze on the speckled ceiling. "What?"

"I have… had sisters."

You didn't hide your surprise. You didn't think you would ever get anything personal out of this guy, let alone the fact he had family. But his confession planted a seed of sympathy in you… maybe he was human before, or maybe he wasn't at all, but he had family. That had to count for something.

He released another haggard sigh. "So that was one of the few things we could agree on—keeping you out of this unless necessary."

Necessary. You should have never put on the necklace, should have never touched the cursed thing. Now, you were literally chained to it and its fate.

He went quiet again and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. You thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he rose to his feet. Taking slow, careful steps, he made his way over to your body.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he murmured as he tucked his hands under your armpits to haul you upright.

You cursed under your breath at the ache and the blood rushing to your head. Your left leg was pretty much useless, and he had to cup the nape of your neck to his shoulder so you could lean on him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, his breath by your ear again.

You shook your head, pressing your mouth against the muscle of his shoulder. He smelled like demon blood, and you shifted to lean your cheek on him instead, holding in a gag at the wretched stench.

"Okay. Hold on a second."

He helped you sit down on the ledge of the bed, before going around the room to collect things. He plucked up your backpack from the floor, then his own bag, hoisting them both over his shoulders before returning to you. From your vantage, you could see all the limp demon corpses lying on the ground, unmoving. You wrestled down the bile creeping up your throat and looked away.

Changmin scooped you up in his arms with a grunt, and you looped yours around his upper body, tucking yourself into him. "We have to get out of here before someone comes to check this shit out," he said to you as he exited the room.

You gave a nod. "Aren't you tired? Hurt?" You asked, guilt and fear twisting something horrid in your chest.

"Don't worry about me."

"How could I not?"

His lips twitched. "Oh, so you care about me now?"

You closed your eyes against his shoulder. "Don't be an asshole."

"Sure, sweetheart." He made it to the car and instructed you to reach around his back to get the car key hanging from his bag strap. Changmin managed to get the car door open and deposited you in your seat. Your body molded into the material, exhaustion settling once more into your bones and joints.

In a blink, the two of you were back on the road.

Changmin carded a hand through his damp hair as he pulled out onto the barren street. You rolled your head to the side, eyes drinking him in. There were scratches over his exposed skin, barely there, but still present as if they had healed over already. His clothes were splotched and stained, as well as ripped in other places. And of course, there was the blood smeared all over his face, his neck. The bastard didn't even look fazed.

Right, demon. What did that even entail?

Your eyelids were beginning to droop, yanked down by the force of gravity and the human necessity to sleep. You didn't want to sleep though; you didn't want to be attacked a third time. Though most of the adrenaline had dissipated, your shoulders were still tense, your senses alert and unable to relax just yet.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "You should sleep."

You moved your head. "Can't," you rasped.

He reached over then, his palm warm against your head, as he gently brushed his thumb over your eyelids to coax them closed. "You're safe with me, Yn," he promised. You were reluctant to believe him, but after what just happened, at least you knew he could take care of himself and you.

Sleep was already coaxing you into its jaws to devour you, and the pendant under your shirt pulsed to a steady beat to encourage your descent. "Morning will come soon."

All you could do now was trust him.

#5—THE ANGEL BLADE.

THE DINER OFF THE INTERSTATE was like the ones from the movies: red, vinyl seats that squelched when you scooted over them; blind fluorescent lights that flickered every time a fly died against them; people minding their own business as they hunched over grainy coffee and burgers that looked a little too good to be true. You sat across from Changmin, hands laced over the white table surface while he had his arms braided over his chest.

Another eight hours had passed since the motel. You'd found a rest stop to clean up and change clothes on the way, but when you could no longer deny your need for food, Changmin made the executive decision to feed the monster that was your stomach. Executive decision meant he was driving you somewhere to eat something so you wouldn't pass out from stubborn, self-induced hunger.

You're not gonna die if you want fries and chicken tenders, Yn, he'd said with a roll of his eyes.

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the target of every other supernatural being within a fifty mile radius. Perhaps by association, but still.

It was fascinating what a few hours of rest and magical demon saliva could do to help the human body. All of your wounds had pretty much closed up—albeit a tad sore, but nothing as awful as the pain you were in when being clawed in the moment. It was even more fascinating how alive Changmin looked despite literally not being alive. And the fact he hadn't slept a wink within the past day at least.

You, on the other hand, looked like a dumpster fire. Your hair was a bird's nest, eye bags more expensive than Louis Vuitton. Your stomach gave another whining growl; you'd ordered not five minutes ago with a middle-aged woman in too-bright red lipstick and a blue collared dress uniform.

"Are you sure you're not like, a vampire?"

His face dropped into a deadpan you'd seen before. "Oh my God."

"You can say His name?"

Your lips curled into a self-indulgent smile at the way he rolled his eyes so hard, he could probably see his brain back there. (If he had one.) "Sorry."

"You're not sorry," he said, eyebrow arching. "Do you have any real questions?"

Your hands shifted to your lap as your gaze moved to the window next to you. The sky was an ugly, sickly shade of gray-green. It reminded you of the lighting from the first Twilight movie, and you gagged at the thought. The bright red and neon of the diner clashed horridly with the sky, too. All of it was a little disconcerting.

Back in the car, when Changmin was first introducing you to the real world, he'd given you the short version of the supernatural who lived amongst oblivious humans. He hadn't gotten down to the nitty-gritty, just the shit he needed you to know so he could justify hauling you across the state, and to understand all the supernatural creatures after the little pendant resting beneath your shirt collar.

Two mugs of coffee were set onto your table, the dark liquid sloshing over the sides to stain the white below it.

You reached for your mug first, gently cooling it down with a breath. When you took a sip, gingerly, you grimaced. You somehow managed to wrestle the liquid down, but the searing bitterness was enough to make you push the cup away and reach for the sugar packets at the end of the table.

Changmin watched you in amusement, tongue poking the inside of his mouth.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you ripped a Stevia packet open. "What're you laughing at?"

"M'not laughing," he shrugged. He picked up his cup of coffee, clinked it against yours for good measure, then chugged the cup of shit in one sitting.

You watched in ill-concealed disgust, horror, and… maybe you were a little impressed.

When he set the drained cup on the table, he wiped his smug mouth with a napkin from the aluminum dispenser.

It was your turn to deadpan. "Show off," you muttered, stirring your artificial sweetener into the dark brown brew.

He shrugged again. "What? Like it's hard?"

"Oh my god, you can be funny."

Your chicken tenders arrived. Steam wafted from them and you closed your eyes to inhale the beautiful smell. Happiness on a plate, you liked to think.

Changmin thanked the waitress who had also delivered him a plate of blueberry pancakes. He eyed you quietly as you inhaled the food on your plate, despite the dull throbbing in your throat.

You caught his gaze, stopping mid-tender. "Want some?" You asked after swallowing the bite, gesturing to your fries.

He shook his head and began buttering up his hotcakes. "Nah. Have at it."

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence as you ate your separate meals. Changmin had told you before that demons didn't need all the typical things humans needed to "survive" or "live." Technically, since he was undead, there were only a handful of ways he could die. Eating and sleeping were necessary for human life, but they were more so preferences for him. If he wanted to eat, he could eat. If he wanted to close his eyes and dream, he could try.

The thought had you waving a fry at him. "The switchblade," you began, drawing his attention and pancake-stuffed cheeks, "what was it? It definitely wasn't something human-made."

Changmin swallowed his bite. "It was an angel blade."

"You're kidding," you drawled in disbelief.

He challenged your stare. "Believe it or not, it was. Forged up there." He lifted the prongs of his fork up toward the ceiling, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

Your jaw dropped. "So the Big Man Upstairs does exist?"

"I mean, I don't really know. I've never met him if he does. I just know the angels are ruled by the Seraphim," he told you. "Lots of hierarchical bullshit I didn't care to pay attention to."

He impaled another piece of pancake. "Angel blades are one of the few things that can kill a creature like that."

"A demon?" You asked.

"Yes. Lower level demons are easier to kill, especially with a blade like the one I gave you." He shoved the bite into his cheek to continue, "That's why I was able to take on multiple at once."

You made a noise of indignation. "So you're telling me you're a higher level demon?"

His shoulders fell in a half-hearted shrug.

"Helpful," you muttered as you washed your meal down with bittersweet coffee. You paused for a moment, cleaning your fingers off with a napkin. "The… the licking thing."

Changmin's eyes could not meet yours. "Mhm."

"Do you… do you do that often?"

"No," he said curtly. "That party trick only works on humans and I don't really enjoy the taste of blood."

You pursed your lips at his rather clipped response. "Oh." You recalled the sound he'd made as he cleaned your blood up with his tongue at the motel… maybe it was something out of disgust. You suddenly felt out of place, like you had made his shoulders tense up and the air crackle. You racked your brain. "I—thanks, by the way."

With a cough, he murmured, "Welcome. Couldn't have you dying on me."

You nursed your coffee cup, reaching up to absentmindedly fondle the pendant under your shirt. "Yeah."

"Have you ever met an angel?"

The car was quiet as Changmin peered over his shoulder to switch lanes, the blinker tick-tocking away until it was turned off. "Yeah."

You stared out the front windshield to count the white colored cars on the highway amongst you. "What're they like?"

"They're like every other species," he said, unenthused. "Some are more asshole-ish than others. You'll find good ones and bad ones." A sigh. "The ones I've met have largely been the latter though."

"Oh." You weren't sure if you were disappointed by that answer.

The diner had been less than half an hour ago and you were back on the road again. Yours and Changmin's ETA to your sister's safehouse was supposedly another five or so hours. You couldn't believe she owned safehouses. For fuck's sake, she lived with you for majority of the time before she went to study abroad… she probably wasn't even abroad all those times, you realized anxiously.

It was like he could sense your change in mood from bored curiosity to tense overthinking. He dug around in the pocket of his pants and handed you the pommel of the switchblade from the motel. Angel blade, he'd called it.

You glanced at him in question, but he only pushed it into your palms.

"Get comfortable with it," he said. "It's a decent size as far as angel blades goes, since those fuckers don't really like to give them up. It's good for self defense."

The blade looked like something one could buy at a gift shop, slim with some heft, painted a shiny white color. There was no logo on it, but if you looked at it from the right angle, it shimmered. You unlocked it and let the blade whip out of the slot. The blade was shaped like any other box cutter you've seen before, but the underside had a serrated edge for extra ease in slicing through tougher materials. Your finger ghosted over the glowing metal, silver warming to a yellow-orange, but only if you didn't blink in the daylight.

You killed a demon with this. The blade burned the creature.

"How'd you get this if they don't like giving these up?" You asked as you figured out how to put the blade back into its sheath.

His fingers drummed against the wheel. "Won it in a poker game," he said.

Your eyebrows lifted. "Seriously?"

You swore there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Seriously."

With nothing better to do, you flicked the blade in and out, in and out. You'd only ever really held blades in the kitchen and when opening packages. "Do you have a name for it?"

"A name?"

"Yeah," you said, shifting slightly in your seat as an ache crept into your spinal cord, "y'know like the fantasy books where they name their blades." You inspected the switchblade again, rotating it in your hands. "Looks like a Clyde."

Changmin let out a huff from his nose. "Clyde?"

"What? Got any better ideas?"

"How about we don't name dangerous utilities for murder," he drawled.

"I can't believe you didn't just say 'weapons.'" When he didn't answer you, you made an indignant little noise you hoped annoyed him and admired the angel blade in your hand in a new light. Clyde. Hi, Clyde. You're pretty.

"Don't tell me you're communicating with it," he said to you.

You ran your finger over the flat side again with a fond smile—just to annoy him. "It doesn't give me lip."

A sigh. He tended to do that a lot. "How's your neck?"

Your hand lifted to your throat and massaged it lightly. "It's doing alright. Does it still look bruised?"

You tilted your neck so he could take a good look at it. He eyed the span of flesh there, his dark irises taking on a strange tint. The corner of his mouth curled downward as he turned his focus back to the road. "Yeah."

"It doesn't hurt as bad anymore, if that's any better."

"I guess," he grumbled. "Humans are so fragile."

"Hey man," you huffed, "is it my fault that I don't have magic spit or my skin doesn't heal fast—"

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not magic spit. That's just how human biology reacts to demon saliva." Changmin tapped the back of his hand on the steering wheel as a vague gesture.

You shifted in your seat to look at him and so that you could take pressure off one side of your back. "I have a question. Why does demon saliva have healing properties when usually lore says that you guys are opposite in nature? Actually, that kind of sounds prejudicial," you thought aloud.

"It is prejudicial," he replied. "Well, mostly. It depends on the demon, but we're just like any other species. It's just that most pop culture depicts us as evil. Demons and vampires are derivations of each other in that—"

"So you are a vampire!"

He didn't even try to counter you this time. "Both species have saliva that can heal wounds, not large wounds, but you can probably imagine that vampires use it to seal puncture marks post-meal."

That made sense to you. "But why do demons need it?"

"Human blood…" he trailed off for a moment as he narrowly missed a car zooming past, his glaring eyes trailing after them, "...is like our saliva. It regenerates us. It's kind of like an energy drink, so it's not a necessity, but more so like a luxury or privilege."

You swallowed and you could've sworn you heard a soft huff from his mouth like a laugh. The thought of your blood being like an energy drink for him—and he'd literally licked your wounds clean at the motel that night. Was that how he was able to heal so quickly? It was a marvel he hadn't drunk you dry. But then again, he'd also said blood wasn't his taste…?

"Are you sure you don't like human blood?" You asked, sounding like a broken record, but more apprehensively this time.

"Sweetheart, you really think you'd still be here if I did?"

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Changmin stiffen. His hands tightened the slightest amount around the steering wheel, his eyes darting from the front windshield to the rearview mirror.

"What?" You asked, taking a look through the side mirror on your side. "What's wrong?"

Changmin's face washed over in a careful blankness. "We're being followed."

Your whole body tensed and you had to physically restrain yourself from twisting around in your seat. "What?"

"Hey, stay calm." He flicked his turn signal on casually as he exited off the freeway.

"Why are you telling them where we're going?!" He was literally signaling to whoever was following you exactly your next move.

"Just because we're on the run, doesn't mean we shouldn't follow basic driving safety."

You sent him a very emboldened stink eye. "Out of all the times, you choose now to have a sense of humor and to be an upstanding citizen?" Where was this during the entire road trip thus far?

Changmin made no other comments as he turned right onto the street leading further away from the freeway. You sat quietly for a moment, monitoring the cars behind you from your side mirror. Your knee started bouncing as you took note of the white sedan following behind, not tailgating, but its intentions were clear enough where even you could pick it out.

"What're we gonna do?" You murmured.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "We're gonna be fine. We just have to lose them."

"No shit."

"And you say I give you lip?"

Without any forewarning, Changmin jerked the car to the left, practically zooming across the intersection to catch the yellow light. Your whole body sailed across the center console, and before you could give him a piece of your mind, he was sending you crashing into your doorway from another sharp turn. You glared daggers at him, but turned to peer out your window.

The white car was still following after you. They must have run the red light then.

Changmin's sharp eyes sliced across the rearview mirror, and his foot lowered on the gas pedal like a challenge. His eyes whipped back and forth for somewhere he could go next, brain working double the speed. "Hold onto something, sweetheart."

"I don't think that would—HELPPP!" You sputtered and yanked on the handle above the door, hugging yourself to that side of the car.

You could hear the tires of Changmin's car burn rubber and squeal as he zigzagged through streets. You were pretty sure half of this was residential, you thought as the landscape blurred past.

"Do you even know where—" You swore as your body flailed around from another one of his god awful swerves, "—we are?"

He shook his head and floored the gas. "Nope."

Great.

It was about fifteen minutes of this supposed drag racing before his driving finally began to even out. You were seconds from hurling up diner food when you realized…

"Where the fuck did the trees come from?" You asked, lowering your tense form from the door handle.

You pressed your nose against the window to gawk up at the towering trees on your side of the vehicle, all dark green and beautiful. A light fog clung to some of the leaves, making the sunlight streaming through them look like golden strands of gossamer. The road you drove on held to the side of the mountain, but from what you could tell, Changmin had officially lost the white sedan.

Changmin visibly relaxed. "You might wanna pull up a GPS."

You reached over to your phone in the cupholder. But you pretty much tossed it right back. "No bars. Where did you take us?" You didn't even realize there was so much forest in this area. How come you hadn't seen it from the highway?

He gave a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Shit."

The car sunk into silence. Changmin could do nothing else but follow the road until you hit civilization or some kind of sign as to where you two were. You hadn't been in this part of the state before, so it wasn't like you could point out any landmarks. But as you both continued along, you settled into a sort of calm—the trees here were beautiful, untouched by man. Even from inside the car, you could feel the serenity.

Your finger pressed down on the button on your door to lower the window. You stuck your head out, hair flowing behind you. With a great inhale, your mouth broke into a smile. It smelled just as gorgeous as it looked. Fresh and clean and—

"You've got to be shitting me."

You pulled yourself back into the car and raised the window back up. "What?"

Changmin's mouth was set in a firm line, a dimple pressing deep into his cheek. "Wolves."

Your brows knitted together. "Huh?"

"We're in wolf shifter territory."

Just as he said this to you, the car rounded the side of the bend and revealed a large green sign that read: WELCOME TO MOONSTONE CREAK! Population 276.

The sign following it did not make you feel any better: CAMPERS! BEWARE OF WOLVES.

#6—BEWARE OF WOLVES.

AT THE FIRST SIGN OF WOLVES, you sunk low in your seat. You'd made eye contact with one of the furry creatures hidden in the brush, their sharp predator eyes narrowing at the sight of a foreign entity in their woods.

"By wolf shifters," you said quietly, holding onto Clyde in your lap, "you mean like… werewolves?"

Changmin's eyes stayed on the road ahead, but every once in a while, you would catch him scanning the forest, too. "Those aren't the same things. Werewolves are the things you read about in lore, half-man and half-wolf. Wolf shifters can change completely from man to wolf and vice versa."

"Oh." Well, that cleared some things up. "I'm guessing they don't take kindly to trespassers?"

He bit his lip. "I mean, it depends on the pack. If my hunch is right about where we are though, we shouldn't have to worry."

You gulped. "And if you aren't?"

"Well, I told you to get used to that angel blade, right?"

The trek further into the forest and mountains continued. The scenery around you was still as stunning as it was before, and you thought to yourself how dangerous a beautiful thing could be. Every time you peeked out of the car window, you saw a flash of something in the woods beyond the road. There had to be a reason why they hadn't attacked the car yet, right? If this was a pack of wolves who didn't like trespassers, then why were you and Changmin still alive?

Maybe they wanted you in a place where there was no chance of outsiders hearing you scream…

Your intrusive thoughts were getting to you.

There was a dead end, a near broken road sign and fence directing all passers-by that this was the end. Changmin was forced to take the off-road path, beaten into the dirt as it wound through the forest. If you didn't have signal up on the main road, you definitely would not have any here.

It was a few more minutes of traveling down the path that two wolves appeared before the car. Changmin brought the vehicle to a slow halt. The wolves were relatively large, spanning about six feet and about as tall as the bottom rim of the car door window. One of the wolves had black hair like a raven, and the other had hair like a field of grain.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as the wolves stared right at you. "Changmin…?"

He met their staring contest with little intimidation. "It's… it's fine. I think they recognize me."

After a moment, the two wolves broke their strange staring contest and trotted off to the side of the road. They were back so quickly, you almost didn't realize what had happened. Like magic, they had transformed into two toned young men, both nicely built with their lean upper body on display. They must have had a strategic stash of shorts hidden behind a tree for after they shifted to their human forms. One had cropped black hair, the other blond. Well, at least that made sense.

Changmin slumped in his chair, relieved. The corners of his mouth curled upward in an almost-smile, as the two wolf shifters came over to greet him at his window.

The brunette bent his head down to the window with a broad smile, the kind that made your stomach fill with butterflies. (Not to mention the eyeful of abs you and Changmin were getting…) He leaned his arms over the top of the car window, eyes flickering from the demon to you. "Long time no see, Changmin. Who's your friend?"

"That's Yn," your demon guardian said, clasping one of the man's hands in greeting. He reached for the second wolf shifter. "Haknyeon, nice to see you, too."

"Good to see you, Changmin" said the blond.

Oh, so he knew them.

Changmin gestured to the two men. "Yn, this is Kevin and Haknyeon. They're with the pack."

"Not that we're unhappy to see you," Kevin drawled, "but how did you find us?"

Okay, wait. If Changmin knew them, then why wouldn't he know the location of their pack? You sat quiet, waiting for someone to explain it to you… or just explain everything to you.

"Someone was following us and I lost them," Changmin told them, "but I managed to get us lost, too. Coincidence that we ended up here. I'm glad it's you guys and not another pack."

Kevin's eyebrows flew up. "Yeah, for sure. Well—" he turned his head up toward the treetops and scanned the skies. They were beginning to bruise like your skin as the sun sank somewhere amongst the trees and into the horizon. You hadn't even realized how dark it was starting to get. "—sun's already pretty low right now. Why don't you guys shack up with us tonight and then we'll help you out in the morning?"

"That would be great actually." Wow, really? You kept your surprise at bay. "Lead the way."

With no further discussion needed, Kevin and Haknyeon disappeared behind the same large tree trunk from before, then re-emerged as the wolves from before. Kevin, the one with black colored fur, pointed with his snout in the direction the path would take you. The two wolves began to trot down the path, and Changmin waited for them to get somewhat ahead before he flicked his headlights on and followed.

It was a curious act of consideration, you thought.

You watched as the wolves began to pick up speed, your eyes flickering to the speedometer. "So…" you drawled, "what the fuck just happened?"

A sharp huff, his version of a laugh. "They're old friends," he said.

"How'd you not know this was where their pack was if they're old friends?"

"I met them out of the pack," he explained. "It was somewhere in the New England area, and we just happened to be hunting the same thing."

Hunting? Oh, bounty hunter. Right. "And the—the shifting thing."

"What about it?"

You made a face of frustration. He always made you pull teeth when you wanted background information. "Everything."

He glanced at you. "I think it'd be better if one of them explained it to you. Better to have one of their own say it right than risk me getting something wrong."

That was, unfortunately, a very fair answer.

Instead of pushing on the wolf topic, you had more questions that he could answer. "So what now? Are we just gonna stay the night? Is it safe?" What if that white car found a way in here? Neither of you could see who the driver was, and so how could either of you be sure they weren't trying to perhaps get you both here? And if they also had the means to come in here without being marked as trespassers?

"It's safe," he said with such confidence that you arched your brows. He saw your expression, making a soft turn along the road as the wolves had, the pads of his fingers lifting off the steering wheel for a second in gesture. "I know what you're probably thinking, but it's safer than sleeping out in a motel off the highway, alright? Packs usually don't drive cars, and they have maybe one or two for convenience sake. They can smell trespassers from miles away, and they usually have people on watch all the time, which is how they found us so quickly."

You supposed that made sense. The forest here seemed denser, and with the quickly fading light, it made it all the more unnavigable. If you were to try to run… good fucking luck.

You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. As the car rounded the bend, yours and Changmin's faces illuminated with the glow of light.

The town was laid out flat before you, not over a ridge, not over a mountain, but a path that led into a central meeting place with wooden buildings all around it. The lights were all from candle-lit lanterns rather than the LEDs and fluorescents of the human world. There were a mixture of both wolves and people milling about, an air of warm cheeriness that you could feel even from the car. You felt a fuzziness manifest in your chest at the sight.

Kevin and Haknyeon directed Changmin toward a back road to the right behind a row of buildings. It was most likely to avoid getting in the way of the pack members, you guessed. You kept silent as you averted your eyes from the void-like darkness of the forest beyond to your right.

Up ahead, you saw the two wolves trot into a small paved area with one other car parked along the walkway. It seemed to be like a makeshift alleyway of sorts between two blocks of buildings. With some maneuvering, Changmin managed to parallel park into the space that was just big enough for his vehicle.

When he parked, he gestures for you to follow his lead and get out of the car. "You should be safe to come out with me. We'll probably meet the pack alpha and get everything settled—" His head tilted to the side, "—hopefully."

Your eyes shuttered. "Hopefully?" You echoed. Pack alpha? What the fuck did that entail? From what you remember in the books and shows, you thought to yourself as you clambered out of the car and stretched your sore limbs, wolf packs had an alpha that would lead everyone. You weren't sure if you would have to go through some kind of cult initiation or something to be granted permission to stay the night.

The angel blade sat tucked into the pocket of your pants along with your phone, and you slammed your car door shut. From here, you could peer down the alley and see out into the glowing atmosphere of the town center. It sounded like fun, actually—all of the chatter and laughter. You hadn't been anywhere so lively-sounding in awhile.

"Yn right?"

You startled a little, whirling around to find the brunette—Kevin was his name—smiling at you sheepishly. He was back in human form with a pair of shorts and a plain white T-shirt on. "Sorry I snuck up on you," he said.

"Oh, it's totally fine!" You laughed bashfully, smoothing a hand down your hair. "And yes, I'm Yn. You're Kevin, right?"

Man, he was so much prettier up close…

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Changmin says this is all pretty new to you." He gestured loosely to the world around him, an all encompassing notion to the entire world you had just unearthed beneath your nose.

Your eyes darted behind Kevin where Changmin and Haknyeon were gathered on the other side of the car, pulling yours and Changmin's bags out the backseat. Changmin caught your eyes, lifted his eyebrows, then returned to his conversation.

So he was just gonna leave you in the hands of the very handsome wolf shifter? Cool.

"Yeah, it's kind of a crazy story," you mused. Understatement of the century. "Thanks for taking us in, by the way.

"It's no worries," he chirped. "Changmin and us? We go back pretty far, I'd like to think."

"Oh, cool! He mentioned something about that… and something about meeting the pack alpha?"

Kevin's eyes flickered to something behind you, and you turned around to see what or who it was on instinct. "It's nothing to stress about—he's coming this way, actually."

You felt his hand, warm and large, gently settle between your shoulder blades to guide you toward the two men making their way down the alley toward you both.

One of them… well you could feel the subtle shift in the air. It was as if molecules in the air moved for him. He boasted a powerful sort of stature, with dark hair parted neatly to frame a carved face. For a moment, you didn't know if you were supposed to bow or something, but then he smiled, and you nearly fell over from that alone. He wasn't so scary once he smiled.

The man next to him was a lighter brunette with a cheery expression engraved onto his face as if that were his default setting. There was something about him, however—you thought he glowed a little in the dim light. The angel blade in your pocket seemed to warm slightly at the sight of him.

(So was everyone just super attractive in the supernatural world?)

"Changmin-ah," greeted the man with darker colored hair. He clasped his hand with Changmin's in greeting. "It's been awhile."

"It has," your demon counterpart agreed. "Thanks for taking us in on such short notice. I wouldn't have intruded had I known."

The man brushed the thought away. "It's okay, really. Nice to have a couple new faces around."

"Speaking of new faces," drawled the second man. He beamed a pretty smile your way, waving. "Hi, little one."

Something warm blossomed in your chest. "Hi," you said softly. You weren't certain of etiquette—if you were expected to speak for yourself, to bow…

But it seemed Kevin had your back. He clasped his warm hand on your shoulder. "This is Yn. She came in with Changmin."

"Nice to meet you, Yn. I'm Sangyeon." This was the man with black hair, who felt like the tangible version of power. He must have been the pack alpha. He had to be.

The other man placed a hand on his chest. "And I'm Jacob!"

"We're just looking for a place to stay for the night," Changmin piped up. He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyes shifting over to yours.

"Well, why don't we head over to the pack house and we can talk about all the details of a plan," said Sangyeon. He inclined his chin in the direction of where you assumed the pack house was. Then his eyes, you watched their keen movements, latched onto Kevin's as if they were communicating silently. "Yn," you nearly jolted when you realized he was addressing you. "Kevin's gonna take you to the small inn we have here. It'll give you a little more privacy, and I'm sure you've felt pretty overwhelmed."

It didn't sound like he was asking you, but there was a warmth to his smile. You couldn't help but feel inclined to agree.

Changmin's head went on a swivel. "Wait, she's not coming with us?"

Haknyeon and Jacob were already rounding on either side of him to guide him in the opposite direction Kevin was leading you. Something in the back of your head made you turn over your shoulder to look at him. Was being separated such a bad thing?

Haknyeon suddenly tossed Kevin your backpack, the latter shouldering it.

"Come on, Yn," Kevin chirped, angling his body as he nudged you along so you could no longer see Changmin. "There's a lovely hearth in the main lobby, and the auntie who runs the place makes the best cookies ever."

You nodded slowly as your brain struggled to think of any reason why they would separate you from Changmin. And why did he sound so surprised? Your hand drifted toward the pocket that hid your angel blade. "Oh, really? That sounds nice."

They didn't drug them, did they? Your shoulders tensed at the idea.

Why did they separate you and Changmin—

The inn was the building right outside the alley with a porch that spanned the front facade. The architecture reminded you of an upscale cabin with large oak logs piled atop each other to make up the structure. A warm light emitted from the front windows and glass doors, and you swore you could smell the cookies from here.

When you and Kevin entered the building, he called out a greeting to an older woman stationed behind a reception desk in the back corner. She greeted the both of you with a cordial smile, wiggling her fingers in a wave. Her head tilted curiously at you, however, her eyes zeroing in on…

Your attention was drawn away and you were directed toward the seating area on the other side of the lobby.

"Can I get you any water or anything?" Kevin asked you as he motioned for you to take a seat in the armchair adjacent to him. He set your backpack at your feet for you.

You lowered yourself onto the edge of the seat, hand reaching for the pendant beneath your shirt—you stopped short. Could he sense the power of the pendant? Was that why they separated you from your demon bodyguard? Oh fuck—

"Hey, hey," Kevin suddenly said softly, face morphing into an expression of concern. "No need to get panicked, okay? You're safe now."

Wait. What? You wrung your hands in your lap, heart still throwing itself up against your ribcage. "Safe? What do you mean safe? Safe from what?"

Kevin considered you for a moment, but the gentleness from his voice and body language never left. "You're safe from Changmin."

"Safe from Changmin?"

"Yes," he affirmed patiently. "The bruises on your neck—"

Your hand went to cover the side of your throat where it had been pierced by the maw of a demon, but not Changmin.

"—does he feed from you? They look fresh—"

You immediately put your hands up to gesticulate in wild opposition. "Oh, no, no, no. He—he didn't feed from me; he saved my life, actually. We were attacked by other demons and I was bleeding out, and he just closed the wounds. He… he isn't, uhm… yeah."

Kevin's posture changed, and his smile became relieved—sheepish even. "Well, shit. I'm sorry for assuming, Yn; it's just that a lot of people end up here because they're in unhealthy relationships, and I saw the marks on your neck and just assumed the worst." He cupped the back of his neck. "This must have been really confusing for you. Sorry about that."

Okay, now that made a lot more sense. Your adrenaline was slowly teetering out and the tension left your shoulders. "No, please, that's honestly really nice that you would help victims like this. It did give me a little scare, but… yeah no, this wasn't Changmin's doing."

"That eases my mind a lot," he chuckled. Then he turned and nodded to the auntie behind the reception desk. You watched as she disappeared out the doors of the inn. "She's just gonna let Sangyeon know that everything's good."

"I thought you said you and Changmin go way back…?" Did they not trust him?

Kevin leaned back in his armchair. "We do. It's just protocol, you know? Whether or not we know them, it doesn't matter."

That was good for victims, you thought. Though, you couldn't imagine what they were really discussing with Changmin then… "So Changmin…"

"Sangyeon, Jacob, and Haknyeon would have taken care of him if I told them he was harming you," he replied, lips pressed together. "They really are talking about how you both ended up here though—that, and plans for the morning."

It was like he could read your mind.

A lot had happened just now, and you were still reeling from the fact that you didn't need to prepare to run. Though, you were still hyperaware of Clyde's warmth in your pocket.

Kevin noticed your far-off expression. He leaned forward onto his knees, that kind smile of his curling onto his face and making you feel some sort of woozy. "I know it's probably been a lot for you. Do you have any questions for me?"

He was so different from Changmin. While with the demon getting information was like pulling teeth, here was Kevin offering you information. They were polar opposites, really. You wondered what it might have been like if Kevin had been the one to take you on this quest instead—your mind shuttered. What a strange thought. Changmin might have been a pain in your ass in the beginning (and still now), but… it wasn't like he hadn't protected you. You didn't know.

"I guess," you started, "what's gonna happen now?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, uhm, I think we're both gonna find out once Changmin gets back. See what they've all decided on. But for sure, you and he will be able to shack up here for the night."

You gave a slow nod. "Is Sangyeon the pack alpha? Kind of a stupid question—"

"It's not a stupid question at all," Kevin said. "But yes, he's the pack alpha. You can just consider him as a community leader, essentially."

"And you're all wolf shifters?"

A nod, then he paused, tilting his head. "Yes, but Jacob's not a wolf shifter; he's an angel."

Your eyebrows flew up. Everything was suddenly making a lot more sense. "An angel? So he and Changmin aren't, like, mortal enemies or anything?" You hadn't noticed any wings on him…

Kevin laughed. "Oh, you're cute. No, thankfully they are not mortal enemies. Jacob's too nice to have enemies."

"Even someone like Changmin?" You jested.

"Even someone like Changmin," he said, humoring you. "Speaking of the demon, you two aren't…?"

You sucked in a breath. "Definitely not. We're not together or anything. It's a long story, but our meeting and traveling together is just because of a common goal." You couldn't tell why the thought of you and Changmin being an item made your heart cartwheel. Perhaps it was simply the anxiety of being thought of as Changmin's significant other that made you want to jump to correct that assumption. Yes, that was it.

Kevin bit his bottom lip like he was trying to hide a smile. "Ah, I see. That's good to know."

"And why's that?" You asked.

You could have sworn if he was in wolf form, his ears would have been tucked against his head. "Nothing!" He insisted. "It would just be a shame to not take a chance when it's presented, you know?"

You weren't quite sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, you were eager to find out.

It was late still when Changmin knocked on your open door, lingering on the threshold. You had just stepped out of the shower in the private en suite your accommodations had, a towel settled upon your shoulders to act as a barrier between your wet hair and dry clothes. He didn't look any worse for wear—then again, he never did.

"Everything okay with Kevin?" He asked, clearing his throat. You felt his eyes on you, scanning your body as if searching for any signs out of the ordinary.

You were searching for your phone charger in your bag. "Yeah, it was good. What—what happened with you?" You asked and lifted your eyes to meet his as you fondled the cord between your fingers.

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Well," he drawled, "Sangyeon offered to send a small group out to scout for any signs of our pursuers from today. In the meantime, we're invited to stay here to recuperate for a couple days. If not, then they'll restock our supplies and help us out of here."

"I'm guessing you already made a decision." You paused when you realized there weren't any outlets in this room. Anywhere. A curse fell from your lips and you dumped your cord and dead cell phone into your bag.

"I figured you could use the rest," he said.

Your head whipped upward.

He arched a brow at you. "If that's alright with you."

Was he really asking you? No buts, no ifs, no snark? "Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Maybe a couple days here will be good for your frail, human body anyway."

There it is. You rolled your eyes so far back, you swore you saw your brain waving at you. "And maybe some fake demon sleep will make you less grouchy."

You thought he smiled. It could have been a trick of the light or sleep deprivation. "Whatever."

Just when it seemed like he was about to turn and leave, he stopped. "Kevin's taken a liking to you."

You stilled, attention piqued. "Really? How could you tell?"

Changmin gauged your reaction, and again, you couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. "You need to sleep."

"Wait, you're just gonna ignore my—and he's gone." You huffed and collapsed onto the bed. It was awfully comfortable.

Leave it up to Changmin to leave you high and dry like that.

You rolled over the surface of the bed to close your door. Quietly, you went around the room to close the knobs of the lanterns to put out the lights like Kevin had showed you earlier. The only light now came from outside the window, the campfire and lanterns in the pack center streaming through the shutters to create an elongated stripe pattern along the walls and floors.

You climbed into bed—it was a strange, but welcomed feeling.

Only a couple days without a bed, yet it felt like years had passed. You could only hope you didn't wake up to a demon at your throat this time.

#7—THE ONLY ONE.

WOLVES BEAT EVEN THE SUN from her slumber, you came to find out. The next morning, you rolled out of bed to hear the sound of muffled voices outside your window. Your body ached in places you didn't even think they could ache, and you stretched your arms up over your head as you opened the shutters.

Just a little off from your window stood a small gathering of creatures, both in human and wolf forms. You recognized Kevin as one of the human ones among them. It was the noise of your open shutter that had him turning his head up toward your window. He saw you there, and a smile blossomed on his face, bright and easy. He wasn't wearing a shirt again, as was the other man standing beside him. The other two in their group were wolves.

Kevin waved at you, catching the attention of the others with him. The man beside him beamed and waved, too.

You chuckled to yourself and returned the gesture.

Kevin beckoned you down with his hand.

You searched the window sill for the latch, muttering in triumph when you managed to notch it open.

He had walked over to stand directly below your window by the time you stuck your head out. "Good morning!" He chirped. "Good sleep?"

"Good morning, and so far I think so," you mused, unconsciously smoothing down your hair. You hadn't even checked the state of your bed head. Yikes.

"There's breakfast in the pack house if you'd like," he offered. "I can walk you over?"

You leaned your cheek against your fist. "Sounds great. Give me some time to get ready."

"Take your time!"

You locked the window back up, dropped the shutters, and hurried to get changed. It occurred to you, as you were getting yourself prepped and primed to face another day in a new world, that you hadn't felt so giddy in awhile. And about a boy nonetheless. The skip in your step was crazy to you, and—did you even have anything nice to wear?

You just managed to yank one of the nicer of your graphic tees over your head when you heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second!" You called, carding your fingers through your hair and separating into three so you could braid it out of your face.

You ripped the door open. "Hi."

Changmin stood on the other side looking slightly refreshed with his dark hair damp and plastered over his forehead. His eyes narrowed slightly at your lightened countenance, the way you actually cared about how you were doing your hair, the… everything. He sent you a look. "Breakfast is in the pack house, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

"Yeah, I was just headed down, actually." You stepped out into the hallway with him, closing your bedroom door behind you. Clyde sat in your pocket, replacing where your phone would have been stashed had it any use.

He cocked his head to the side. "You seem a lot more…" He made a gesture with one of his hands. "Alive."

"Well, considering I don't have magic regeneration—"

"Forget I said anything," he said, shaking his bangs from his eyes and beginning to walk down the corridor toward his room. "Go get sustenance, Yn."

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You watched him disappear into his room before you made your way to the stairs.

Kevin was waiting for you in the lobby, perking up when you appeared on the stairway landing and made your descent. He took a couple steps to meet you in the middle, and you noticed that he had found a shirt to put on. Damn. "Hope you like waffles," he said as the two of you fell into step beside each other to head out of the inn.

"Love 'em."

It seemed that the entirety of Moonstone Creak was awake, even at such an early hour. The sun had yet to even clamber up above the treetops, leaving the sky a soft mesh of purple and orange. The air was as fresh as it had been yesterday, cool and pure, washing your lungs and waking you up some more.

"Is everyone awake so early?" You asked him, inhaling as much of the peace as you could.

Kevin nodded. "Pretty much, unless you're just coming back from a night watch. We usually encourage the pups to come out and exercise with us."

"Us?"

"The pack's primary watch," he clarified. "You probably saw me talking to a few of them earlier."

"Ah," you hummed. "That's nice though. You're all such a lovely community… It's refreshing."

His eyes twinkled as he smiled at you. "Thank you. I like to think we're a really big family."

You could see as much. By the way Kevin greeted all of his fellow pack members, a part of you wondered what it might have been like to grow up somewhere like this instead of always chasing after safety and security.

You and your sister had always got by somehow, but it had never been like this. With your parents gone so early in both of your lives, you only really had each other to rely on, besides the occasional aunt and uncle who took turns caring for the both of you until your sister turned 18. And now with your sister gone?

For some reason, it felt like you were still taking care of her in death. But perhaps that was the cost of seeking closure.

You weren't sure what you were expecting when they said pack house, but what you saw was about what it sounded like it was going to be. It was similar to the inn and many of the buildings around the area with its log cabin likeness, but this one was much, much larger. You could hear the squeals of children from out here, and there were smaller wolves chasing each other's tails around the wraparound porch. A few stopped to sit and cock their heads at you as you passed, their tails tick-tocking behind them.

It was strange seeing wolves carry around infants and toddlers in their hulking jaws, too, and Kevin chuckled when you almost stopped in your tracks. "It's no harm to them, don't worry."

"Yeah," you laughed nervously, fingering the pendant at your sternum. "It'll take some getting used to. Are you born as a wolf or as a human?" You asked him as the two of you stepped up the front steps of the porch and walked through the entryway.

"Depends—woah, hey guys. Careful!" Kevin clicked his tongue as he caught and lifted one of the younger boys off his legs just before he accidentally knocked over a table holding a vase of flowers.

The kid and his friend giggled as Kevin put him down away from the table. "Sorry Kevin!" And they were gone, out the front door.

He shared a smile with you, cupping the back of his neck. "Where was I?" He gestured to your right down a hallway; you could smell the sweetness and buttery goodness of breakfast. "Oh, right. It depends: since wolves and humans are mammals, giving birth is a little easier than other non-mammal shifters."

"Non-mammal shifters?" Your eyebrows shot up. "What other shifters exist?"

"Any you can think of, to be honest," he said. "All pups learn about their own growth and development though, especially since learning to shift and stay in touch with both their animal and human sides is so integral. It would probably be better if I connected you with someone who identifies as female to talk about birth specifically though," he admitted.

The kitchen was painted a pale shade of yellow that reflected the golden rays of sun and made the whole room much warmer and brighter. There was a mishmash of wolves and humans milling about the central island where a buffet-style breakfast was being served. The variety of food before you was enough to make even—as you liked to think—Changmin's mouth water. (He didn't need to eat, your ass. You saw the blueberry pancakes on the far end and wondered if he had some yet.)

Kevin passed you one of the plates stacked at the end before grabbing one for himself. "Lily, thank you for breakfast!"

Lily, you identified, was the woman leaning against the sink with a pale blue apron tied around her waist and baby bump. "You're welcome! Haknyeonie helped out, too."

Haknyeon's blond head poked in from where he was partly hiding in the butler's pantry, his cheeks stuffed with food. "Hm?"

You laughed to yourself as you started off by transferring a waffle to your plate. "Yes, thank you so much for breakfast. It looks delicious."

"Oh, no need for that," Lily beamed as she came over to the island across from you and put more food onto your plate. "Take more, please. We have so much to go around."

"Oh," you blinked, watching Kevin start to pile things onto his own plate. "It's so much; I don't want to take more than I can finish—"

"I'll help you finish," Kevin offered, shoving a strawberry into his mouth. "I'm sorry if it seems like we're pressuring you, though. I guess we're all just used to making sure the other is fed around here."

You could melt like a slab of butter between two warm hotcakes. "Thank you—I appreciate the thought."

Kevin ruffled your hair as the two of you continued around your tour of the island. "Of course."

From the entryway you had just come in, Sangyeon arrived whistling an offhanded tune under his breath. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!" Chorused around the kitchen at differing intervals as everyone greeted their pack alpha.

Sangyeon beelined around the island and over to Lily, the two of them exchanging fond touches and a warm kiss in greeting. "Morning, love."

"Good morning," Lily said. "Eaten yet?"

The dots connected in your head and you nudged Kevin as the two of you finished up at the island. "Lily and Sangyeon—?"

"Yeah, she's our alpha female," Kevin confirmed. "Six months pregnant. They celebrated nuptials about a year ago."

"Ah." You didn't mean to stare, but they were such a beautiful couple. Though you thought Sangyeon's smile was warm, it was nothing compared to the one he saved just for his partner.

He must have felt your eyes on him, and he lifted his gaze to yours while he held one of Lily's hands. "Yn, sleep well?"

Your eyes widened. "Oh, uh, yes. Yes, thank you."

"All of your accommodations are to your satisfaction, I hope?"

"More than satisfied," you stammered with a sheepish smile; he was talking to you, right? Everything was way beyond what you had been living with for the past couple of days. A demon-infested motel or this? Well, no competition there. You could still feel the impression of Changmin's passenger seat in your back.

Sangyeon nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping to speak with you and Changmin after breakfast about your situation. It'll be with myself and my closest advisors, plus the two of you."

"Yes, of course," you said. "Does Changmin already know?"

"I'll have someone run and let him know."

You and Kevin were dismissed to go forth with breakfast. The two of you settled in a room next door to the kitchen fitted with a long dining table that reminded you of a cartoon rich people banquet table. You sat adjacent to each other, Kevin at the head, and you with the seat to his left.

You smeared butter over the slots of your waffle. "Do I have to worry about what Sangyeon's gonna talk about at the meeting?"

Kevin shoved his bite into his cheek. "To my knowledge, no, but if you're worried, Sangyeon's advisors are a pretty cool crowd."

"Oh yeah?" You asked.

His lips turned up as he chewed. "Mhm," he hummed before swallowing, "I should know since I'm one of them."

Sangyeon had an office deep within the first floor of the pack house. It was tucked away somewhere between the living room in the back and the door down to the wine cellar. (Kevin joked that the first pack alpha had planned the layout of the first floor deliberately.)

Following your hearty breakfast, you found yourself seated in one of the armchairs in the leader's office chambers, amongst Changmin (in the chair next to you) and the other members of the so-called inner circle. Kevin lingered nearby, leaning against the office's hearth with his arms and ankles crossed idly. It seemed that the advising board included not just Kevin, but also Jacob, Lily, and someone named Juyeon. You learned that he was out on night guard when you came in last night, so you weren't able to properly meet him until now.

Sangyeon stood next to the office chair seated behind the grand, mahogany desk; Lily was automatically given the chair because of her pregnancy, and because she'd been working all morning. "Concerning the white sedan you said was trailing after you two yesterday—" he said, "—none of our scouts could follow a solid scent past the freeway entrance. It was interesting, actually."

Changmin leaned forward onto his forearms. "How so?" He asked, eyebrows creasing.

Sangyeon nodded to Juyeon, who filled in, "Well, we couldn't figure out what their scent is."

"How is that even possible?"

You blinked, brain whirring into overdrive. There was something you were missing yet again. What was the context here?

Kevin stepped over to your side and murmured to you, "We can usually pick apart scents to identify the layers, so this is why it's… concerning."

"Ah," you nodded. "Thanks."

"It was distinct for sure," Juyeon supplied with a vague gesture of his hands, "but it was nearly impossible to tell what species they were. It was easy enough picking apart the entity from the car smells—" Exhaust fumes, metal, seats, you assumed, "—and we could follow the smell as far as the entrance to the highway you guys came from, but…" He shook his head. "No-go. In all my years, I've never come across anything like it."

The helplessness that settled into the grooves of the room made you squirm, and your fingers fondled the red pendant at your collar again. Here was a space of the all-powerful, and yet, something as simple as a scent was throwing them all for a loop. You couldn't begin to wrap your head around the implications, because, well—you didn't know the implications.

(Dark. You were always sitting in the dark.)

Changmin passed you a glance, and you couldn't tell what he was thinking, as usual. "There has to be a way to somehow analyze it. Could we consult a witch?"

"I've already called an old friend," said Lily. "They're on their way over presently."

"Could I see the pendant?" Jacob's voice carried out into the room. Though he himself was soft-spoken, one could not mistake his volume. Everyone's attention cut over to you, and you wanted to be swallowed up by the earth beneath your feet. "If that's okay," he added. "It feels familiar."

"Feels?" You echoed, gripping the stone in your hand. The chain dug into the flesh of your neck as you anxiously yanked on it.

Changmin's eyes darted from the stone to you. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" You were overwhelmed; that was what you thought. You fisted it in your hand, suddenly reluctant to part with the thing that had caused you so much trouble as of late. You felt… an uncanny urge to keep it in your possession. "Uhm… you can see it, but I won't take it off."

Your devilish counterpart narrowed his eyes slightly, cocked his head to the side, at your behavior. He didn't say anything though, as if this truly was just all your decision. Perhaps this was because he knew that you weren't exactly buddies with these people yet. In retrospect, they were still strangers, and thus, potential threats to you.

Jacob took easy strides over to you from where he was standing by the desk. He passed you a reassuring smile as he knelt in front of you, close enough that you could see the eyelashes brush his cheeks. There was something warm radiating from him, and you swore you saw a flash of gold in his eyes.

Angel, right.

He rose up on his knees, holding out his hand, but not touching you. "May I?"

You pinched the part of the pendant attached to the chain and stuck it out toward him.

Jacob's eyebrows knitted together as he touched the pendant with only the tips of his fingers. You held your breath throughout the entirety of his assessment. When he finally leaned back onto his haunches, you blinked away whatever angelic warmth still lingered. "Juyeon, come smell the pendant."

Your eyes widened. "Uhm—"

"Hold on, what?"

"Wait, Jacob."

The latter two responses came from Changmin and Kevin, respectively, the two startling at Jacob's request.

There was a swift exchange of glances between everyone else and the alpha wolves in the room.

Lily said, "Yn?"

"Why are we sniffing the pendant now?" You asked, finding your voice.

Jacob looked up innocently. "Sorry, I probably should have explained myself. I think it might smell like the scent Juyeon was trying to track."

Something in the room shifted. You glanced down at the pendant in your grip and the questions in your head accumulated and accumulated and accumulated. What in Hell did you get me into, Sena?

"Okay," you said, "you can… smell the pendant."

You weren't sure why he couldn't smell it from where he was, but he took a couple steps over to you and replaced Jacob's position. Changmin's hand appeared on the arm of your chair as he leaned forward slightly.

Juyeon took a cautionary sniff, and his eyes widened. "That's it. It's—it was slightly different, but similar enough where it has to be the same entity." He looked up at you. "Is this the only one of its kind?"

You met Changmin's eyes.

He looked away first. "No."

Your gaze became earnest in his direction, and if you could, you would burn twin holes in the side of his head like a snakebite. More shit he hadn't told you. Were you surprised?

No? What did he mean no?

"We need to talk," you forced out of gritted teeth, gripping onto the arm of his chair now.

He passed you a glance. Later.

"Well, we can only really assume that the person following you was most likely after the pendant," Jacob said plainly as he stood from the ground and dusted off his pants. "But now that we know the origin of the scent, per se, it'll make the hunt a little easier."

Sangyeon gave a bob of his head. "Kevin, you're leading the search party for the day."

Kevin's head perked up, hand on the back of your chair. "But—"

A single look from his leader made his mouth snap closed.

"Yes, sir," Kevin murmured with a shallow nod of acknowledgement. He gave the back of your chair a small pat, then departed without another word from the office. You thought you could feel his presence leave your side, from the room. All of this feeling… was this how the supernatural operated? Was this what a sixth sense entailed all along?

"Juyeon—" the man in question raised his head, "—go find where Haknyeon and Eric are." Sangyeon scratched his temple with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like exasperation. "Grab them and round up the pups."

Juyeon brightened. "Are we taking them down to the creak?"

Lily nodded her approval. "Ooh, nice idea. Yn and Changmin, you're both free to join us. It's lovely down there."

You forced your hand to fall away from the pendant, but not before tucking it back beneath the collar of your shirt. It felt too exposed out here, sitting on your sternum for all to see. You nodded though, trying for a small smile. "Sure, sounds nice."

Sangyeon patted the desktop. "Excellent! The two of you can continue to make yourselves at home."

Though this was a physical conclusion to the meeting, your stomach continued to sit uncomfortably. This conversation should not have been over so quickly… right? Was there not more to discuss? Perhaps not now then. Maybe it was better to take your time letting this all sink in.

"Ah, before the two of you go join the little ones," Jacob cut in. He shot Changmin a pointed look. "You owe me something."

Changmin roughed a hand through his bangs, but you could have sworn his lips curled up with a smile. "Aish… your memory."

"It never fails me when I need it."

You glanced between the two; Changmin did owe you yet another explanation, but if there was something these two planned to settle… "What? What is it this time?"

Jacob grinned, and you definitely hadn't been hallucinating when you saw flickers of gold in his irises. "He owes me a sparring match."

a/n: i am clasping my hands in prayer for a reblog, comment, or ask. take a moment to grab a snack, drink some water, and head over to the second part! thanks for reading

read part two here (if it's not linked yet, refresh and it'll be at the top)

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @kflixnet

#kflixnet #deoboyznet #bjnet #the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #q x reader #changmin x reader #the boyz oneshot #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #the boyz drabbles #the boyz fanfic #ji changmin imagines #ji changmin oneshots #ji changmin drabbles #ji changmin scenarios

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dorayakichan · 7 months

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you’re one of the first wb writers that write for the girls & im so glad 😭 they deserve sm 🫶 may I req dating hcs w kaneshiro, shelly & noah? thank you!

Windbreaker characters: Dating headcanon

Pairing: Kaneshiro, Shelly and Noah x gn!reader

Fluff

Kaneshiro

First of you should go and start thanking the Heavens up above for giving you the possibility to date such a goddess. Like have you seen that girl? She is a hell of a fine woman, too fine like I want to be the ground she steps on, kind of fine. (excuse my inability to control my inner simp from showing. I can’t bear keeping my love for her to myself. Let us continue then….)

Kaneshiro might appear as cold and unapproachable to most, but that is not the case for you, her lover. She is always soft, maybe even way too soft with you. No matter what you do, say, or act she is always going to give in to you. Maybe because she finds you cute. But I mean that was the whole reason this woman even decided to give you the time of day in the first place because you are cute. So that is to be expected.

She is gentle and mature but extremely harsh, having been through so many hardships all of those years it is obvious it has made her that way. Although she is extremely kind only to you when needed, there are moments when she will bluntly tell you if what you are doing, thinking, or saying is in her opinion wrong. But that is also what you like about her. Her bluntness. Her way of speaking the truth when it needs to be said.

Despite her calm exterior, you can notice how her pupils expand a little when her eyes fall on your smiling face or how her fingers linger a little longer on your face after sharing a kiss.

You can see a shift in her energy everytime you both go on dates, the excitement that only you can notice. How she adores it the most when you take her to a theme park, although there are no words spoken you notice everything, the rides she likes, the ones she doesn’t, when she wants to eat, and when she doesn’t.

These gestures of yours are never left unnoticed by her. She appreciates and loves it so much and that is also why she never mentions it, hoping you don’t understand that she has already caught you and that you won’t stop acting that way.

When it comes to your intimate moments well this woman is the leader inside and outside the bedroom and well you are fine with that. The way she kisses and holds you is so sweet and warm that you can notice how much she cares and wants you by her side.

There are times when her hugs are stronger and more profound than usual, that’s because she feels afraid, afraid to lose another important person in her life. If only you could reassure her that you will never leave her side and nothing bad will happen to you. So instead you kiss her and tell her that it will be fine. Hoping that fate is on the same page as you.

Shelly

Well if you are dating Shelly good luck surviving through Owen's constant interruptions of every date or time alone you have together, her father’s constant death threats, and her grandfather’s glaring stares every time you cross paths.

Yes, you will be having a hard time dating this woman. But let’s accept it she had a hard time chasing you too. It was her persistence and care that made you fall so hard for her. Now it’s time for you to work hard and get her family to accept your relationship.

Shelly can comfort and help you like no other. She listens, understands, and knows just the right words to say so she can help you go through even the darkest of times. She is always there, reaching her hand out to you while smiling brightly, making you able to see that there is more to this world than just hardships and sadness. Her love and care for you is unconditional.

That doesn’t mean that she is strong and doesn’t need someone to be there for her too. So as much as she cares and gives to you, you should try your best to give back to her.

Shelly is the jealous type. And she will admit it, maybe not in an overbearing kind of way but in more of a calm one in the beginning. She will act in ways to make you see that she is jealous and if you don’t notice she will ask you about the other person and what you think of them.

She knows you love her and care for her but she will have her moments of insecurity where she will feel like you don’t care anymore about her and in those moments you will need to reassure her that you only love her and that she is the only one for you.

Shelly will be the one suggesting to go on dates and even deciding where and when. As she knows your food preferences, sometimes she will try to adjust to that so you can also enjoy your favorite kind of food. Because she loves you so much, if you ask her to try it even if she hates it she will try it for you.

One thing you need to know is that she is extremely affectionate and her love language is touch, so don’t be surprised when she holds your hand out of nowhere or when she grabs onto your arm putting her head on your shoulder while telling you how much she wants to go somewhere only with you where you both can enjoy some time together in each-others presence away from everything.

Shelly although she doesn’t seem like it, she is shy about kissing you, but that changes only if you are shyer than her. Then she knows she has to take the lead so she leans to kiss you first whenever the chance arises.

If you are the one to kiss her first, that will make this girl's whole day. You initiating any kind of intimate contact will make her brain and heart explode from happiness, surprise, and excitement. Yep, she is starved for your love as she is always the one to show it first so you better do justice to our girl Shelly and shower her with your love and affection.

Noah

Dating Noah feels like dating a kid with tantrums and an extremely colorful vocabulary. Let’s accept it though you find it funny and are always trying to keep your laugh when she is in that kind of mood. You know that it’s all an act to keep her true kind hearted self from showing.

She doesn’t want to seem weak even in a relationship with you so although less than with other people she still acts tough. Yet you wish she wouldn’t try so hard to hide her true self from you. You came to terms with the fact that that’s how she feels the most comfortable so you just accept it now. There are times when you also purposely tease her, just to see her throwing those cute tantrums of hers.

By the way, you are the only one who thinks her angry temper is cute no one else does, and once when you mentioned this to Harry and Owen they looked at you as if you had gone mad. Yep, no one gets it. Because you are the one dating her, and that means that even if very slightly she won’t be as mean and angry at you as she is to other people.

You are also the only person who can stop her from throwing tantrums and that is whenever you kiss her, hug her, say something sweet and unexpected to her, or cook food for her. Then when you do one of these things she will not only quiet down but she will be more affectionate towards you. That’s right you are the only one who knows how to handle Noah and the only one allowed to act with her like that.

Deep down Noah has a fragile heart and you know that more than anyone else as you have seen her break down once after you both fought and you suggested breaking up. After that day you have been more careful with your words, and you’re kinder and even calmer because now you know.

Noah loves it when you take her on dates, especially dates that involve food. Despite the fact that she doesn’t say it, she loves how sometimes you share your food with her, how you go and buy a bunch of all the things she likes, and how you even feed her when she is too immersed in her phone.

She, like Shelly, is also extremely shy about kissing and intimate moments. A great opportunity for you to tease her to your heart's content, which you never miss. Seeing her blushy state and then getting a cute glare from her makes you want to kiss her even more and well we know how it all ends up after that…..

#windbreaker webtoon #windbreaker x reader #windbreaker characters #windbreaker headcanon #windbreaker shelly #windbreaker noah #windbreaker kaneshiro #dakeda kaneshiro #light cavalry #windbreaker girls #windbreaker fluff

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arthenaa · 5 months

Text

house of arthena — masterlist, introductory, and rules

INTRODUCTORY —

writer: athen/ayen | 20 | he/him | sapphic | INFP-T

occupation: freelance artist, college student, writer

birthday: 10/04/2003

nationality: 🇵🇭

kins (can be best compared to irl): mizu, caelus, ominis, ren amamiya, sun jing (physical wise), geto suguru

interests:

media — blue-eyed samurai, jujutsu kaisen, shingeki no kyojin, chainsaw man, detroit become human, red dead redemption, hogwarts legacy, persona 5 royal, valorant, honkai star rail, genshin impact

artists — nct (all units but prefers dream), riize, lesserafim, newjeans, bada lee, lee youngji, laufey, kiss of life, exo

will write for the following — mizu, gojo satoru, geto suguru, ieri shoko, nanami kento, fushiguro megumi, kugisaki nobara, zenin maki, okkotsu yuuta, eren jaeger, pieck finger, mikasa ackerman, armin arlert, annie leonhart, makima, quanxi, power, aki hayakawa, denji, connor (all rk series), john marston, arthur morgan, sebastian sallow, ominis gaunt, imelda reyes, ren amamiya, akechi goro, jett, cypher, sage, reyna, neon, fade, iso, gekko, chamber, yoru, sova, jingyuan, danheng, blade, kafka, seele, albedo, xiao, kaeya, raiden ei, yae miko, alhaitham, childe, knave, nct dream, bada lee, hong seunghan, park wonbin, lee sohee, huh yunjin, kim chaewon, byun baekhyun, do kyungsoo

read more to check rules and list of works!

rules (for requesting)

— writer has the right to refuse request

— writer is a full-time college student and a part-time freelance artist doing commissions, there is no set time that he will upload and post said requests

— only refer to the list above when requesting (if your character despite in the same media listed above is not included, you may dm the writer if he is willing to write the request or simply state it in the request ask linked on his bio)

— writer prefers writing in gender-neutral terms or she/her pronouns, he will use this unless stated otherwise so make sure to include it in your requests

— nsfw is okay but always keep in mind rule 1

— writer appreciates reactions such as comments or reposts with messages a lot! <3 it just makes writing fun and enjoyable to know that his readers are enjoying his works :)

— writer will only do oneshots or 2-3 chapter works, (oneshots with multiple parts under the same theme eg. modern!au mizu or nocturne(interlude)!mizu are counted as oneshots under the same theme. they can be read as solo or just under the same category) longer chapter series will be done through commissions.

— if reader wishes to commission, refer to pinned.

LIST OF WORKS —

Blue-Eyed Samurai

nocturne (interlude) (p1)

my love mine all mine (p2)

blurred lines (roommate!mizu)

mizu as your roommate (pre-blurred lines)

creative team lead!mizu x concept artist!reader

Jujutsu Kaisen

GOJO SATORU

can't think right, too tongue tied, it must be love

Hogwarts Legacy

Masterlist here

Honkai Star Rail

KAFKA

Feelings with Kafka 18+

DAN HENG

Perception

ART

mizu x oc! blurred lines

nier x sebastian hogwarts legacy

seb x mc commission

nier and nora (ocs hl)

stelle x asta

ominis x mc x seb

tbotb concept art hl series

If you have any concerns or questions you'd like to ask, click the question mark emoji on my blog bio! or if you want to support me as an artist hehe listed below is my kofi. tysm!

#arthenaa #arthenaamasterlist

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citizenoftmrrwlnd · 30 days

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stimboard : of main street usa, magic kingdom! ohhh the smell of sugar and popcorn comes straight to mind at the memory of this place! consider this a gift for my main street citizen followers!

x | x | x x | x | x x | x | x

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contentment-of-cats · 7 months

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I'll say it again. Andor is the best Star Wars show.

And that's because they didn't let Dave Filoni anywhere near it.

The show is called 'Ahsoka' but is actually an unaired season of Rebels. It ought to have been called 'attempted massive retcon at unwise forward speed' or 'Sabine has abandonment issues and makes poor decisions.' There are good scenes (possibly from another show, which one is anyone's guess) strung together with tired plot devices. Thrawn was chucked into this mess because there was no other way to move the plot. I did dig on some of the details like the signs of age and hard living and the obvious condition of the Chimaera. Other than that - pfft.

Turning to Thrawn - I am an unabashed fan of the Zahn-authored 2017 Trilogy and the HTTE trilogy (except the ending). He is complex neither all good or all evil. He is an antagonist and protagonist at once. Someone to root for and also against. Did he contrive his exile to join the Empire and possibly take it over in order to protect his people? It's possible. I don't think we'll ever find out, though. That being said, I don't think we're going to get much more from two more episodes.

One of my friends said that Filoni writes for children's shows, and it's true. The characters are almost cartoonish, not understandable as adults, but as kids understand adults to be. Perhaps I am expecting too much from an eight-episode MCU-kin show, but there was time to develop Sabine, or FFS Ahsoka (you know, the protagonist?), to fill in whatever has gone on in the past nine years since the Battle of Yavin, five years after Endor. For Sabine and Ezra, there should have been more feeling in that scene than the swell of the music.

A lot of the blame rests with Disney, and the paranoia-controlled process to stamp out leaks at all costs. There is a continuity to writing a script, working out the story boards, reading the script, and then shooting that is entirely lacking in franchise-oriented product. Franchise oriented product is formulated to sell merch and streaming subscriptions, and to drive bodies into theme parks. It's marketable.

The writers' and actors' guild strikes are ongoing. I'm content to wait - writers and actors have been getting screwed, fucked, and buttered without mercy for years. There is a new intensity to the talks as the studios start to sweat.

Final note: I love Thrawn, but the ageism of a vocal part of the fandom makes me want to still be around when these people hit 50. Age and illness and injury HAPPEN. Our bodies do not work as well when joints break down, we get hurt, or sick. Even when he regain functionality, it doesn't all come back. Even when our lives are saved, there are still sequelae. It's made me think less of some folks.

#thrawn #ahsoka

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desultory-novice · 4 months

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I just found your stuff and gotta say, its amazing! I was reading the Magoland AU and Apologies and they've given me so many ideas!! With the Magoland one especially, it gave me a lot to think about since we haven't seen much of an "afterlife" in Kirby.

I do wonder, if they tried going deeper into this "afterlife" state, do you think they'd find the other antagonist, like Drawcia or Nightmare?

Hope you have a happy New Year!

Ahhhh! Thank you so much for saying that! I'm glad people are still enjoying Magoland Branch AU despite it being more rushed than the more formal storytelling of Apologies AU!

Death and the afterlife is such an interesting concept in Kirby you'd almost have to assume there'd have to be something unusual or unexpected going on there! I mean, we have the very necromancer/death god-like Necrodeus and the Skull Gang just hanging out, traveling about like any old group of baddies.

And Morpho Knight. Where do they send people to? Oblivion...? But is that really the case when Chaos Elfilis was able to overturn Morpho's "benediction" and come back? That WOULD suggest Morpho's touch is not just :lights go out, everything is silence:

(That Knight of Hades spinoff novel would suggest this as well, but I'm not ready to call that one canon quite yet, just because HAL has sometimes decided to do something different from Takase-sensei's novels after the fact. Mostly with RtDL versus the remake.)

At the same time, some people in Kirby go to places they just don't come back from. But when Kirby eats a critter, they pop back up elsewhere soon as he spits them out! So, well, why not have the afterlife be...conditional? Back to the Knight of Hades novel, Papi was trapped in hell like some combination of Persephone and Eurydice but only because they'd tasted the nectar of the underworld...?

What about the place Magolor goes to after his defeat? It's very Underworld-coded but there are lots of other enemies there. Other hell-bound souls or dimensional wanderers? There's a lot of Doomer-kin there so it's probably not a regular place. But it has distinct regions. And bosses yet not the same bosses as the ones you defeated in the main campaign. You're not fighting the vengeful ghost of Mr. Dooter but a similar creature from Another Dimension.

Anyway, if it's that "casual" a place, why not build a theme park in hell? And if Noir Dark Matter Swordsman can visit, I see no reason Zero couldn't! Nightmare too, probably! (He probably saw Magolor's business and decided to open up his own haunted house/hotel. That seems like the kind of thing he'd do, right?)

#Kirby #Magoland Branch AU #Dess Quick Ask

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forrest-kin · 1 year

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Tomorrowland Citizen Positivity <3

Omg you're honestly really cool <3 I know it's difficult to feel lonely but you always have a friend here and you are free to just chat in my inbox if you'd like. remember that tons of people care about you <3 I truly hope you get to go on some adventures soon even if it's just something small. I know you said you miss your sense of courage but I think it was very courageous of you to reach out when you were feeling down :)

remember to take care of yourself <3

#theme park kin #kin #kin positivity #tomorrowland kin

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sirdindjarin · 1 year

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Family and Kin - Joel Miller x Reader (Part Five / END)

Bitten, you wait out the night. Joel refuses to give up, and he may have good reason.

Masterlist ->

AO3 Link♥

RATING: Explicit, 18+

TAGS: *Holds up fingers*: TWO Smut Scenes, Words I Feel Funny Using, Age Gap, Jealousy, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Smut, P in V, Fingering, Oral (m!receiving), Happy Ending.

WC: 12.7k

___________________________________________

September 26th, 2003

“Pick one,” your seventeen-year-old voice excitedly tells six-year-old Ellie.

Her eyes bug from her head. The space-themed backpack bounces as she hops on the balls of her feet. The glass pastry counter allows the little girl to visually consume each one of the freshly-made donuts, scones, and strudels before ever choosing one.

“Mmm, that one!” She pokes her small finger at a Boston Creme.

You get the attention of the cashier and politely ask for a chocolate-filled scone along with Ellie’s choice. Catching your eye, you also ask for a can of the new Pepsi Vanilla soda.

“Let’s eat 'em at the park, okay?”

Ellie jumps up and down, beaming, “Okay!”

Seated on a metal bench, you hold both pastries, grinning, as Ellie clambers over and up and inside and around the playground equipment. She shrieks happily as she slides down a firepole.

The depression had been bad this morning. Guilt tugs at your stomach. You had no reason to be depressed. You were young, smart, you had a family who loved you, and all the hopes of entering a STEM field. But today, the empty despair had started to win, so you drove to Ellie’s elementary school and withdrew her from school for the day.

Your parents were unaware of your problem, and admitting that you had ditched your own classes was out of the question. But you needed someone. Ellie was your purest source of joy - it was a no-brainer.

“Mom and dad asked me to come get you,” you had told Ellie in front of the school administrator. It was typical of you to pick her up when the school day was over, and it was only an hour before the normal time; no one questions you. You're not sure why you lied to her.

But now, as you watch her scream with childish joy, you can’t find it in yourself to regret it.

A woman stands on the edge of your peripheral vision. While your subconsciousness notices her, it takes a while longer to register the menacing quality she brings to the scene. The long, brown hair is loose and waves in the wind as the woman in the yellow dress stands perfectly still.

It’s the matter of a moment before the woman is sprinting toward you, snarling. Too shocked to drop the pastries, you stand and face the woman, confusion twisting your features. As she quickly advances, you scream.

“Ellie! Car!”

Thank God, thank the Universe, thank everything that the parking lot was so close. She hears the fearful tone of your voice and retreats, crying herself, to the maroon car you’d bought yourself on your seventeenth birthday.

You aren’t far behind her. Ellie, having climbed in the passenger seat, opens the driver’s side door for you. Hurling yourself into the seat, the pastries fall in Ellie’s lap. You slam your door shut and lock it.

The brunette woman heaves against the car, rocking it in her crazed attempts to get at the humans inside. Ellie screams and so do you. You turn the key and rocket backward, thinking of nothing except escape.

Driving down the street, people launch at other people on the sidewalk, tearing away at their flesh. You force Ellie into the floorboard, refusing to let her see. She cries and angrily yells at you for your parents.

You turn onto your street, and the world forever alters. Two houses are on fire. One is yours. It’s five-thirty. Your parents are always home by five-fifteen. You pray that today is different.

Drawing closer, the flames grow in size; and you see two figures, one male, one female, prostrate on the ground, and a third figure hunches over both of them, seemingly eating from the bodies.

The female figure on the ground raises a hand, begging for help. Through your violent sobs, you recognize your mother's face as she dies from blood loss.

The single figure crouching above the bodies snaps its head to the moving car, and you look directly into the eyes of your father.

______________________________________

Blearily, you blink into wakefulness the next morning to Ellie nibbling on her donut. She’s only eaten a single bite when you take it from her gently.

“W-we need to ration these. Get more food. And then we’ll go somewhere fun. How does that sound? Somewhere like…” you don’t know what to tell the terrified, confused child, being one yourself. She loves parks, maybe you’ll go see the National ones. Whatever you do, you won't be staying in this city.

“One bite a day. No more.”

Inside both of your brains, a weak strain of the virus begins to grow, but dies upon reaching a genetic, hereditary discrepancy passed down from your mother. As you microdose the next few bites over the course of several days, the fungus cycles through recognizing itself and ending its campaign, believing it has already won.

_____________________________________

Everything is brighter, more vivid. Each rock, tree, hill, and wavy grassland sticks out in your memory. Is this the last pine tree? The last rolling hill?

Every conflicted look Joel throws your way, every hard stare Ellie makes at the back of your head - you feel them as though they’re physical blows to your composure.

Driving into the west, the sunset is incredible; hues of every color mix in an ever-darkening, ombre rainbow. Cast in the golden light, a rocky ridge to the south stands above a thick treeline. It’s magnificent.

“Pull over,” Joel’s voice is low.

It’s a beautiful place to make your last moments, and he wants to make sure that whatever happens will be while you’re surrounded by the beauty and love you’d valued above all else.

Silent tears wash down your cheeks as you stop the car and get out. It’s a bright day. Spring is finally here.

Two car doors shut simultaneously behind you, and Ellie runs and snags her arms around your waist, squeezing you painfully.

“I don’t know how long -” you choke, desperately willing yourself to stop crying in front of your sister.

Joel walks, limping, toward the trees, allowing you a goodbye with your sister. Whatever way this plays out, you won’t be doing it in front of her.

“You’re immune,” Ellie asserts over and over. Her words trip over themselves in her haste. “You have to be. Why would I be and not you? That makes no fucking sense; you have to be.”

“Guess we’ll find out,” you lamely try to make light of a situation in which darkness supersedes all.

After several bittersweet minutes, Ellie begs, “Don’t go with him.”

You shake your head, “I have to. It’s already been two hours.”

Ellie squeezes harder, “Stay here.”

It’s then that the tears burst from you. Eight long years have you been this girl’s entire world. Dying this way - after failing to protect her, then failing to protect yourself - feels like a slap in the face to the years of hard choices, ruthlessness, and self-sacrifice.

“I can’t, Ellie. You know I want to.” You hug her tight, pouring every ounce of love you have for her into her small frame. “I love you so much.”

Then you forcibly remove her arms from your waist and stride with determination toward the trees. For what remains of your sanity, you block out Ellie’s angry outburst as she kicks the car, sobbing.

Joel’s solemn form, leaning against a pine, comes into focus as you cross the treeline. He reaches for you, and hesitantly kisses the crown of your head.

It could take anywhere between two and eight hours for the cordyceps to work its way into your brain. It had already been two, and you feel no different. It looks as though you’ll be in for another long night. A night with no dawn.

Joel's steady fingers clasp your wrist. He takes you toward a fire flickering to life and two bedrolls.

“I don't like leaving her alone.”

“I’m gonna check on her every hour,” Joel assures you.

“I don’t know if I can sit here all night... Waiting…” you whisper, sitting down on your sleeping bag.

“’m not letting you end it early,” he states with finality.

You look sharply at him, “You - you’re saying I can’t kill myself? It’s my fucking life, I get to decide.”

“Not if that's your decision. Told you a long time ago I ain't a good man,” he replies to your outraged face. “And if there’s a chance you're like your sister, I won’t be lettin’ you do it. That little girl needs you too much, an’ I know you’re brave enough.”

Too full of raw emotion to reply coherently, you look away, face quivering in anger and terror and sadness.

“You can’t even touch me without flinching in disgust. Why do you get to decide how the last moments of my life go?”

Joel takes a moment, looking away. “I’m tryin’. I’m not losin’ you if I don’t have to.”

Sobs you had choked down come again to the top. Uncontrollably now, you bury your face in your hands. Grief for Ellie, for Joel, and for the life you could’ve had with them weighs on your devastated soul.

Joel feels his heart reach for you. His need to soothe you outweighs his learned response to the virus, and he tugs you onto his bedroll and down with him. Your back fits into the plane of his chest, and his arm keeps you firm against him.

“’s not disgust. Never disgust. Don’t want you thinkin’ that. It’s -” he swallows. “I’m afraid. I think about what I’d do if you turned then, what you’d become, what it’d do to what’s left of me," he admits. “Told you before, I wouldn’t survive again. You hafta make it through the night."

Like a switch, Joel realizes his mind has made a decision. It feels as though a final puzzle piece clicks firmly into place.

She’s going to.

"You're gonna be fine," his words, so confidently spoken, make you shut your eyes in a tumble of emotion. “Makes no sense for Ellie to be immune and you not. D’you remember the day you were shot?”

Sputtering a laugh at the random question, you answer, “Yeah, Joel. I remember being fucking shot.”

“Not that exactly. You ‘member the man? He was bit.”

Twisting your face to look up at Joel, you ask, “You saw it? I didn’t see anything. I looked.”

“After you passed out, I looked him over. Had one on his chest.”

“But he was human, and she hadn’t been a biter for years.”

“Right,” he pulls you closer; at your hip, his hand slides into the waistband of your jeans, tracing the skin just underneath. A shiver runs through you. “There’s others like you.”

‘Like you.’ He really believes it.

“Let me…” he sits up without finishing his sentence. He snatches your bag from beside the bedroll and removes the saline and a bandage.

Rolling flat on your back, you pull your shirt over your head. It was nearly warm enough to be comfortable, but the evening air teases your exposed skin. You don’t want to get your shirt wet with the cleaning solution.

Bless him for the fire, you think as the flame finds a particularly dry log.While the weather was temperate, your bone-deep dread has you shivering.

Joel goes about the task with quiet focus. The wound was neither large nor deep; no bigger than your little finger. He had shot the creature right as it touched you, and Ellie had fired right after.

“It’ll heal well,” he approves, his hands smoothing the sticky bandage.

Tears pool in your eyes at the rampant optimism this cynical man is bombarding you with.

“And if you’re wrong?”

The corners of his eyes crinkle as he gives you a knowing grin, “When’ve I been wrong?”

You can’t help but snort, “Not a single goddamn time to my very great frustration.”

Joel leans over you, careful to put most of his weight on his left leg. Traces of his soft smile disappear as he lowers his head to kiss you. Automatically, you relax into him, sighing at his touch, until dawning horror has you pushing him away.

“Don’t!” You wail.

Joel lets you push him, but his face clouds with hurt and concern. He says nothing.

Your fingers swipe along your mouth, making sure no saliva has crossed your lips. “You can’t kiss me.”

Joel looks relieved, “’s not how that works.”

“Yeah? How’d you know that?” You demand, shaking.

If I got him sick, too…

“People I used to,” he pauses, searching for the right word, “to work with knew some things. There aren’t a lotta facts, but that was one of ‘em. It carries through blood. Y’didn’t know that?” He asks, confirming something in his mind.

“No, hence my shoving you away.”

“As long as it’s not ‘cause you're comin’ to your senses,” he says as he crawls over top of you, caging you underneath him.

“My senses?” Your eyes close involuntarily when his soft lips press against your jaw. "What're you doing?”

Joel’s perfect face hovers over yours, “You’re sleepin’ with a man old enough to be your father. I figure at some point you’ll see your mistake. An’ for your second question -” Joel captures your lips in a searing kiss reminiscent of the moment before you were bitten.

It’s hard to deny him, but when his hand cups your breast, you try.

“Joel,” you whimper into his mouth, wanting this terribly but petrified to risk it. “You can’t.”

He doesn’t even answer you. Joel persuades you with the constant rhythm of his velvet mouth, hellbent on erasing your worries for as long as he is able. He’s no longer concerned about you turning, only about how long he can last. His deft fingers unbutton your jeans and lazily travel across your abdomen - in no hurry whatsoever. You twitch and gasp at his touch, embarrassed at the sounds he could draw from you so easily.

Your hands push weakly at his chest. At least try to resist him. But he pins them above you, pressing his forehead to yours.

“D’you want to?” His voice is husky, thick as the woods around you. Joel's eyes - perfect recreations of the twinkling, night sky - dance in earnest between yours. The fire flickers gold light across half of his face, highlighting his angular features.

Sighing, you surrender, “Since I fucking met you.”

That earns you an affectionate, quiet laugh; his breath warms your cheeks. “Oh, I knew that.”

Sighing, you grumble, “Ellie made it so obvious.”

Joel shakes his head, “No. You were obvious. Fuckin' starin' holes in me. Always tryna take care of me.” He smirks, and his hand travels around to your ass; he almost laughs at how quickly he hardens.

“Ah. So, you only love me,” you blush at your bold use of the one word he’s never said, “because of what I do for you?”

“No,” Joel murmurs after a long, aching moment, “’s not why.”

His hands slip underneath your bra and tug it over your head, careful to avoid the bandage on your shoulder.

Exhaling sharply at his words, your fingers fumble with his flannel shirt, unbuttoning it but not removing it. Your hands splay across his wide chest as his calloused hands massage your breasts. His lips pull moans from you as if he’s drawing water from a well.

“Remember on the beach whe–”

“Course. Woulda had you right there on the sand.”

You whine, pushing your thighs together, and he chuckles. One hand leaves your chest to push your jeans down to your thighs, and your stomach swoops as though you tipped a chair backward.

“That was when -” you gasp, arching as he roughly palms your heated mound, “- knew I was screwed,” you finish your scattered confession.

“Hmm. Was it now?” He drawls. “Pretty sure it was the moment you saw me. ‘s why you gave me that rabbit. My looks,” his cheek quirks.

“Mm - yeah, your look of hunger,” you reply, laughing.

The firelight allows you to see him frown playfully. You cup his jaw affectionately; slowly, he glides his fingers along the spot you want him most. Your eyebrows shoot up, then pull together; shamelessly, you rock against the hand he’s given you. He raises his chin a fraction, his hooded eyes looking down at you with aroused adoration.

“Think it was when that stupid fuckin’ kid wanted you t’go with him.”

From under the pleasurable haze Joel is creating, you confusedly ask, “What?”

“Never felt so goddamn jealous in my life,” Joel continues. “But then you back me up with Ellie. Follow me into the fuckin’ woods. Hit on me. Fuckin' christ, you looked at me that night like you wanted t-” Joel stops to curl two fingers inside you, eliciting his favorite gasped cry of yours.

Joel’s fingers had been a frequent source of your daydreams, and you were right. Thick and ridged, they make you feel dirty and full. Unwilling to hurt you in any way, Joel waits until you tilt your pelvis in search of more friction before he slowly pumps his ring and middle finger. His thumb rubs just the way you need it.

Joel’s lips brush yours, but he’s far too focused on reading your cues. His mouth hangs just above, parted to catch your whimpering moans. He stiffens into solid rock at the obscenities coming from you. He eagerly soaks in your expressions, your little moans, cataloging each one.

“C’mon, baby,” his raw baritone begs.

He wants this to be about you, but between the adoration in your eyes, the sounds you graciously give him, and the wet clenching around his fingers, Joel struggles to remain altruistic.

After an embarrassingly short time, you fracture underneath him just as he wanted. Tightening your stomach and bearing down on his thick, hardworking fingers, your body goes taut as a wire. Pulsing electric fire races through you.

Joel surges forward, kissing you sloppily. A bulge in his jeans presses against your hip, trying to find some relief, which has your eyes shooting open. He has much more to offer you.

“Joel,” you plead. “All of you.”

Wanting to give you just that, he unbuckles his jeans and begins to shimmy them down. Before his quickly-healing bullet wound, he slows. When he does, you come back to your senses and chide yourself for how selfish it is to make him hang above you on one good leg.

“Lay down,” you order.

His head jerks up, eyebrows pinched in confusion.

“Or, better yet,” you get to your knees and lay one of the sleeping bags against the base of a tree. Pine needles have collected underneath, providing a decent enough angle, you think. “Lay there,” you turn back to him.

“This was s’posed to be about you,” Joel objects, his voice unintentionally seductive.

“Yeah, well, this what I want to do,” you grab his uninjured shoulder and push him down gently onto the sloping, soft ground.

If your stomach flipped earlier, it does a full-on carnival-ride drop at the holy image of Joel, flannel shirt open, hair mussed, and jeans around his lower hips, reclined and illuminated in the orange glow.

“Damn,” you congratulate yourself.

He scoffs again, rolling his eyes. “Jus’ fuckin’ get -” he mumbles as he reaches for you.

Pulling his jeans down the rest of the way, you press a kiss to the firm muscle of his wounded thigh. Your mouth, so innocently close to his heavy erection, forces him to fight a shiver.

About her, about her, about her, he reminds himself.

Climbing on top of him, you smile a little shyly and position yourself. Eager to fit him inside you, but unable to resist the sensation, you tease him along your wetness, aching at the way he hungrily watches you use him.

Joel had never thought that would turn him on so much, but you were excavating him from his cold, early grave so rapidly that he isn't surprised by anything anymore.

He likes you needing him, wanting him, using him. He loves it.

Steadily, you ease down, whimpering at each intruding ridge and vein you feel, until your thighs kiss his hips. Joel groans as his eyes flutter closed. His large hands come to rest on your hips, desperately trying to keep himself grounded.

It’s different; somehow more intimate. Joel seems so vulnerable this way: laid out underneath you, his eyes shining and chest heaving. You move up and down carefully, afraid to hurt or spook him.

Leaning forward, you sweetly press your lips to his, savoring the way his plush lips make room for yours; but his sudden response is far stronger than you anticipate. His hands dig into your skin, thrusting you down on him faster; but his hips roll with yours, rubbing something deep. His pleased, strained groans mingle with your gasps.

Then your hair is a tangled mess in his hands. He holds your face to his, gifting you with panted, needy sounds that collect between your lips.

He gives you back the reins, and you keep the rolling pace he clearly wants.

You twist your fingers into his flannel for leverage and tuck your head into his pulsing neck, wanting to kiss every inch of his golden skin.

But he wants to see your face as you ride him. One hand stays gripped in your hair and he pulls more roughly than he means to, and you whine. He presses his forehead to yours, watching you lose control on him.

“Jus’ like that,” he praises. “Doin’ real good.”

"Oh, shit," you moan; Joel's approval sends a shiver from head to toe, making you squeeze him. He groans in surprise.

“You like that?” He asks, slightly taken aback.

“Guess I do,” you sob a short laugh, too overwhelmed by everything he makes you feel to identify specifics.

Joel takes advantage of the position to feel you. His hands grasp at your ass, your flexing thighs, they skate up your waist until he lands on your breasts. Joel throbs inside you, and his eyes darken as he watches your body bounce on top of him.

“Fuckin’ perfect,” he grunts quietly, sounding almost pissed off about it.

His expressive eyes flick up to your face, wanting to see your reaction when he slips his fingers to your swollen center again.

“Mhm,” you encourage, wanting any and all touch he could give you.

Your thighs begin to burn with the unfamiliar movement and oncoming orgasm, and you feel your rhythm stutter for a moment.

Joel is there. His inescapable arms brace around your middle, shifting for a better angle, and he thrusts upward harshly, removing your responsibility. His hot mouth pays blessed attention to your breasts.

One finger replaces his as you work yourself; your entire body feels like static shock as he drives up inside you. Joel feels your arm brush his, and he swallows dryly when sees what you’re doing.

He feels you begin to tremble, and your eyes slam shut.

“No, don’t,” he orders roughly. “Look at me. Yeah, fuck, that’s it. That's so good,” he praises once more. "Look so goddamn pretty.”

And as you cry out, as you writhe, as you come hard around his cock, his loose mouth continues.

With each thrust, he confesses all three words you wanted most to hear. Over and over, Joel frees himself in you, gasping and reverent.

Your euphoric orgasm is curtailed by his confession, by the shock of those words. Your hands cradle his face as his body relaxes underneath you. Joel’s relieved eyes meet your surprised stare. His brow wrinkles as he tries to read your mind.

Unable to, Joel tugs you down onto his chest, both of you still breathing heavily.

“You do?” You have to ask.

His hand traces slow, soothing lines up and down your spine.

Joel’s deep, scratchy lilt answers simply, “Yeah. I do.”

Crickets and frogs sing in the warm night air, heralding spring. Joel's heart thumps below your ear. He hums some long-forgotten, old country song you'd heard a lifetime ago.

If it all ends here tonight, you’ll go to the reaper smiling.

__________________________________

A brightness glows inside your eyelids, bringing you to consciousness. The anticipation of knowing what you are now forces you to bolt upright.

You touch your face, your arms, you squint at the trees. Nothing suspicious, but you’d never been a clicker before. Maybe those poor souls kept their consciousness as their bodies turned into monsters.

Your heart thunders in your chest with fear. You tended to be a lucky person, but a clicker bite was the end for everyone.

Well.

Almost everyone.

"Mornin'," a Texan, familiar voice greets you. A voice that never failed to bring light to your soul.

The crackle of a fire and the smell of cooking meat wafts into your senses. When you stand, your back twinges. You take a deep breath, incrementally coming to the realization that you might’ve just escaped death.

"This ground is not fucking comfortable."

Joel scoffs, "Come eat."

"Ellie?" You ask, knowing already that he would've kept his promise to you.

"Yeah. Just got back. She's happy as a pig in shit."

You snort at the expression, "Why?"

He hands you a tender strip of rabbit, which you obediently pop into your mouth.

"Well," he pauses to chew his own breakfast. "Call me a fuckin' optimist, but you don't look like a clicker."

You raise your eyebrows in agreement. You feel… fine. Much better than fine, considering last night.

"Complainin' about the poor ground doesn't seem much like clicker behavior, either," Joel speaks through chewing and you cringe with amusement.

"Anyone tell you not to talk with your mouth full, Miller?"

"You liked it before," one eyebrow quirks up at you, a smirk tugging at his lips.

His words trigger a physical memory of his mouth on your skin.

"God, stop," you beg.

You had things to do today now that you were going to live, and those things don't include Joel.

He laughs, so buoyant he feels like he might float away with a breeze.

"It's been -"

"Fourteen hours," Joel finishes your sentence.

Blinking, your eyeline rises to the tree-framed sky in thought.

Immune.

"One less thing to worry about," you awkwardly chuckle.

How many people were immune and didn't know it? Fucking shitty that the only way to find out would get them killed.

Joel's knees pop as he stands and brushes off his jeans. He saunters to you, placing his hands on either side of your face.

"Told ya."

"Y'know, this is the first time I'm glad you were right."

Joel's arms tug you into his chest. Happily, you inhale the smoky smell of him, and you feel his chin rest on the crown of your head, hair catching in his beard.

"Told you, baby."

___________________________________

Lack of oxygen has your temples throbbing. You wiggle your hands underneath the arms squeezing your ribs, loosening their grip.

"Ellie, I can't breathe." You bend to hug her back, anyway.

"Careful, kid. She's alive, don't change that," Joel comments.

"That was fucking bullshit. Don't ever leave me again. I don't care -" she cuts off your protest, "I really don't. You always tell me it's for my own safety and shit but I don't fucking care. I had to spend the whole night wondering if you were okay."

"Ellie," Joel warns, protecting you from the guilt that threatens to swallow you. "I told you what was goin' on every fuckin' hour." His hands rest on his hips, and you could smile at how fatherly he looks.

Ellie's anger abates a bit. She would never tell you, but the first time Joel had come to check on her, she had run to him. He had collected her in his arms like she was running home. He had combed his fingers through her hair, promising her it was all going to be okay. The steadfast reassurance of a man so hardened had stirred hope inside her, just like it had you.

"There are some things you don't need to see. I know you hate it," you brush her cheek with your thumb, "But try to be a kid. Let us take the heavy shit."

"Right, like I haven't had my share of heavy shit?"

"I didn't say that. I said to let us take it when we can."

"You ain't ever been left out, kid." Joel intuits some of her concerns. "No one doubts you, either. I saw you break that guy's nose in Lincoln."

You flinch at the memory of your sister being dragged off, kicking and screaming.

"Alright. Enough, let's just get going."

"I've been thinking," Ellie starts.

"Great," Joel huffs dramatically, a smirk hiding behind his expression.

"Don’t be jealous my brain works, Joel," she retorts, scrunching her nose at him. "There's two of us. What do we do? I mean, someone’s gonna wanna know that,” Ellie questions, looking between you and Joel.

Joel's gut sours. He doesn't want to tell a single fucking soul. You and Ellie are all that matter, and you’re both safe.

"I really don't know, El. If there's no one capable of doing anything about it, it's kind of a moot point."

Happy at that idea, Joel plucks the car keys from your hand.

"Think I feel like drivin' today."

"It's not gonna bother you? Your leg?"

"Can barely feel it," he blusters. His newfound lightheartedness wouldn't be defeated by something as lame as a bullet wound.

Counting backward, you roll your eyes at Joel's back. He'd been shot only a week ago, but far be it from you to rain on Joel's sunshine.

________________________________

"But it's gotta be genetic, right?" You rhetorically ask.

"Dunno. We also eat the same things and live in the same environment. Maybe we inhaled a lot of radiation and we mutated," Ellie's voice rises.

"Radiation don't work like that, darlin'."

"How’s it work then?"

Eyes darting to you for help, Joel clears his throat and makes up his best bullshit, "Jus’ bein’ around it will kill ya. It rots your… cells. Makes 'em decay."

You purse your bottom lip and give him two thumbs up in sarcastic approval. Joel shrugs, conceding it.

"My guess is that we ate something that gave us immunity. We both had donuts that day."

Joel slams on the brakes, his right arm shooting out to brace you. Your neck whips forward, and Ellie, having slipped her seat belt off earlier, hugs the back of your seat.

The car crunches, and the three of you lurch forward. Tense silence replaces the cheerful conversation.

An elk lies broken and unmoving in the road. It had tried to jump across the rural, two-lane highway, and while Joel had spotted it, he hadn't been quite fast enough.

Joel shoves open his door and goes to the aid of the great beast, but it no longer needs help. His attention goes to the vehicle’s damage, and he sucks his teeth.

The car is totaled. The front end is completely smashed; a malfunctioning squeaking sound mocks Joel.

"A'right, come on." Joel motions at the two of you.

"We'll have to decide what to leave behind. Can't take everything," you frown, stepping out of the car.

Joel nods, walking to the trunk.

"Joel," you ask gently, "are you able to walk the rest of the way?"

"Gonna have to, aren't I?" He side-eyes you, then goads, "Unless you're wantin' to take the advice I been givin' you for a while."

Arranging your face into an unamused mask, you don't give him the satisfaction of a reply.

"Be fun. A nice, long, dangerous hike in the woods," he rubs your lower back with one hand. He pretends not to notice when his hand drifts lower.

"Stop getting your rocks off in front of me. It's so gross," Ellie fakes a gag, rounding the trunk to grab her stuff.

"Gonna have to get used to it, kid," Joel shrugs.

You hide your smile. Used to it. Used to him and me. Used to us.

Ellie throws her head back and bemoans, "Auugh. Go back to wanting to kill each other. I've changed my mind."

She leaves, ducking into the backseat to continue gathering her things.

You chew on your lip, fighting a laugh. Wrinkles next to Joel's eyes prominently feature as he grins close-mouthed.

Ellie whirls around the trunk again, “You know she told me you were just a ‘new toy’?”

“Ellie!” You stare at her, open-mouthed.

“He would find out eventually!”

“How would he have found that out?” You yell.

“A new toy?” Looking between the two girls in front of him, Joel’s hands find their home on his hips.

Ellie laughs, “I mean, when you’re not being a huge asshole, yeah, you’re fun, I guess.”

“It wasn't meant as an insult, I was trying to explain -” you waiver, not wanting to flay open your heart right there over a months-old, throwaway comment. You turn to Joel, “I was trying to explain to her why I was… so interested in you so quickly. It was a -”

Ellie laughs loudly at the look on Joel’s face.

“God, Ellie, I’m gonna kill you.”

“Yeah, okay. Did I ruin the mood? Great.” She returns to the backseat, dragging items out.

"Don’t go thinkin’ I won’t get you back, Ellie,” Joel calls.

A middle finger shoots out of the open car door.

“Maybe we should hide her pun book,” he begins plotting under his breath.

So different from who he was in the winter. Is this who he was before it all? The thought warms your chest and tightens your throat.

"It sounds so bad when she says it -" you start to apologize when he shakes his head.

“’s probably the funniest thing I’ve ever been called.” He bends into the trunk.

“I was trying to get her to believe my crush was superficial and short-lived. I didn’t want her to think I was so… easy.”

“Easy?” Joel almost whacks his head on the trunk lid when he jerks upright. “Ain’t never once thought you were easy. More like a pain in my ass.”

“Not that kind of easy. You said yourself that I was throwing myself at you!”

“An' didja hear me complaining?”

“Yes, actually, I do believe you complained.”

Joel gives you a dirty look, “Think it’s pretty obvious why I might’ve resisted.”

You lean closer to him, slipping your fingers into the unbuttoned collar of his shirt. His skin is soft; little curls of chest hair brush your fingertips.

“Because you were scared of me,” you murmur. “I’m very intimidating.”

The affection coloring your face, shimmering in your eyes, has yet to stop surprising Joel.

Still got no idea why it’s there.

It still makes his nerves quake. Still makes him feel like he's being taken apart and put on display. But it's no longer something he’ll run from.

Joel's eyebrows pinch together, he closes the distance, and fits your lips between his.

Sighing as Joel leaves, a soft smile curves your mouth. Hopelessly smitten with him, you don't look away as he cranes his neck around the trunk, then chuckles.

"She ain’t waiting for us. Already started walkin'," he laughs.

_________________________________

The electric blue lake is a near-perfect oval. Craggy mountains frame it on two sides, and the forest covers all but the water. From the raised path the three of you stand on, the view is incredible. The air is so clean up here. Thinner than you’d ever experienced, though, and that made the hike even more strenuous.

It had been slow going with Joel’s injuries. He hadn’t made a single comment, but both you and Ellie had kept slower paces to stay by his side.

“God, it’s so fucking gorgeous,” you exhale. “Look at it, El.”

“Yeah,” she says noncommittally. When you turn sharply to look at her, she makes a greater effort, “It is nice.”

Your eyes narrow as though you’re trying to read her mind. She steps to the edge of the trail, quiet. Turning to see Joel’s assessment, he shrugs and presses his lips in concern.

“Ellie, you’ll be comin’ hunting with me later,” he says casually, slipping his rifle off his shoulder.

That gets her attention, “Really?”

Damn, he is so good at that.

“Yeah, y'need to learn.”

“Cool,” she bobs her head, then returns to staring over the vista.

“Let’s go up ahead, see if there’s a better overlook. Come on,” you tap Ellie’s arm, striding quickly.

Obediently, she follows you. The forest to your right is so dense that you can only see a few feet at a time, and the vertigo-inducing natural wonder to your left makes you feel slightly uneasy. It was truly beautiful, but inherently dangerous.

Around a curve in the landscape, Joel disappears from view. Awkward silence stretches as you try to think of what to say. She stops to pluck a dandelion, then continues beside you, picking the petals off.

“Isn’t there something special about these?” She asks absentmindedly.

Raising your eyebrows in sudden memory, you laugh once. “Wow. Yeah, I had forgotten. Yeah, when I was a kid, they said that if you held it up to your chin - like this - and it reflected yellow onto your skin, then you like butter.”

“You… like butter? What the fuck.” She snorts, her eyebrows drawn in amusement.

“Children are weird,” you laugh. “I never even questioned it.”

Ellie doesn’t say anything further, so you begin bluntly.

“Are you okay?” You don’t look at her as you two walk, knowing she felt easier about speaking her feelings when prying eyes were averted.

“Mhm,” she responds.

Okay, guess I’ll take a slightly more subtle route.

“I picked you up from school because I missed you,” you find yourself admitting.

Ellie stops in her tracks, “What?”

“I think I told you that day that mom and dad had asked me to get you early, but that wasn’t true. I was sad and you always made me feel better. I came and got you because you’re the brightest, happiest person I know and the most important thing in my life.”

Ellie’s eyes turn glassy, and she looks at you, nodding.

“You’ve been through hell. Talk to me when you want to. Shit, talk to Joel.”

Ellie makes a pfft sound, faintly smiling, “I can’t tell him anything; he’ll tell you the very next breath he breathes.” But she remembers that that’s not quite true. He’d only ever broken his promise about her bite - nothing else.

“He cares about you, Ellie. So much,” you insist. “And I don’t even need to say it, but obviously, I do, too.”

She nods again, looking away. It was clear that she wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was bothering her, but as long as she knew that you and Joel were ready to listen, you could be satisfied for now.

“Shh!” Ellie freezes, grabbing your wrist. “You hear that?”

Rhythmic thumping echoes in the trees, and before long, the ground seems to vibrate. You pull Ellie behind a tree, but it’s far too small.

Thundering around a bend, three horses and their riders come galloping. Terror runs like cold water down your spine, and you straighten, hoping to make yourself and Ellie as small as possible.

It doesn’t work.

“There's two right there. Hey! Come out,” a man’s voice orders.

“Go!” You shove Ellie, sprinting in the direction you came.

Ever the smart one, Ellie cuts further into the tree line, weaving amongst the trees, hoping to lose the large horses in the undergrowth.

You can’t remember how far you walked, but Joel can’t be more than a hundred yards when the first horse gains enough distance to allow its rider to hit you with the butt of their rifle.

Sprawling, you scream for Ellie to keep going, and you roll onto your back, wanting to face your death. The horseman jumps down, pointing the barrel at you, but advancing no further.

From far too close, you hear Ellie yell. Snapping your head up, you see your sister bearhugged from behind by a woman. As your sister is dragged back, you make eye contact with her, reassuring her as best you can.

The third horseman, still on his mount, trots alongside you. His shiny black curls bounce with the movement of the animal.

He says, “We’re going to place bags over your heads. Don’t fight, we won't hurt you.”

Twigs and leaves crunch as Joel Miller appears through the trees. His rifle is pointed at the woman holding Ellie.

“Let go of ‘em,” he demands angrily. The canyon between his eyes is deep.

“Joel?” The black-haired man slides off his horse and walks slowly, yet confidently toward Joel.

Fully expecting Joel to shoot the man, you’re blindsided when Joel’s face relaxes, “Tommy? Holy shit.”

As the two men embrace, you start to feel resentful. “Can I fucking stand up?”

Joel lets go of his brother, his face returning to seriousness. Closer to you than Ellie, he moves to you first, hauling you to your feet.

“You know them, Joel?” Tommy questions.

“They’re with me,” he starts toward the woman holding Ellie.

“Back up,” the woman yells, but Tommy speaks first.

“Loretta, let go of the girl. They’re no danger to us.”

Ellie wrenches herself from the woman’s loosening grip, and stumbles to Joel, glaring.

“Fucking assholes,” she spits.

Tommy holds up his hands apologetically, “We have to be strict when we patrol this area.”

“Doin’ a great job runnin’ down women and little girls.”

“Joel,” Tommy starts, then decides it isn’t worth it. Something registers about Joel’s demeanor that Tommy can’t quite believe yet. He changes track, “I’m sorry we got off on the worst foot imaginable; let’s go back to town and talk.”

Tommy gets back on his horse, offering a hand to you or Ellie. Neither of you take it.

"There's three of you and three horses. It'll go a lot faster if you ride with us."

"Thanks. I'll walk." You give the man a tight smile, wanting to be polite for Joel's sake but still seriously pissed off.

"We'll follow you," Joel suggests. "Or you can walk with us," he adds to Tommy.

"We don't leave people on patrol," the other man in the group pipes up for the first time. "Not even for wayward family members."

Joel faces the man, broadening his shoulders. He doesn't get a chance to escalate before Tommy speaks.

"Hey, it's fine. You two go on ahead a ways; I'll follow with them."

"Maria won't like that."

"Maria will understand."

__________________________________

“So, how the hell’d you find me all the way out here?” Tommy begins, smiling and clasping the reins as he walks beside his horse.

“Found your note,” Joel claps his brother’s shoulder. “Wildest thing.”

Tommy walks beside his older sibling, shaking his head, “Didn’t think you’d actually see that shit. And I wrote it so fucking long ago. Probably two years ago,” his voice ticks upward like a question at the end.

“I wouldn’t have found it without them,” Joel tilts his head as you and Ellie silently walk behind the two men. He tells Tommy how he met you - the second time. He makes no mention of the first.

“Shit, wow. I remember that. There was this massive group of farmers that had come togethe-”

“Yeah, we met most of them. Great group of people,” you sarcastically cut in.

“Ah,” Tommy frowns, “Well, I gave someone that map hoping to trade with ‘em at some point.”

“Yeah, tha’s what I reckoned,” Joel replies.

Tommy half-turns back toward you and your sister, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I asked your names yet.”

You answer him with both of your names. Ellie gives him the same forced smile you did.

“An’ what made you wanna hitch your wagon to my brother’s?” He laughs. “Joel ain't the type to pick up strays.” Tommy says this with familiarity, meaning no harm.

But you don’t see it that way.

“Joel is a good man. He literally took a bullet for my sister,” you wave at his leg.

“Been meanin’ to ask, how’d that happen? Must be painful if you’re limping,” Tommy’s attention instantly shifts to his brother.

“‘s gettin’ better. We,” Joel’s hand indicates you, “rushed a building gettin’ Ellie back from some bastards in Lincoln.”

Tommy has nothing to say to that, and he tries to keep the shock off his face. No, not shock, concern. These two girls don’t know what Joel has lost; why he’s so attached to them. But is that bad? He looks like himself again…

“Joel could use a real doctor,” you put aside your anger, “I patched him up as best as I could, but I’d feel better if he saw someone who knows what they’re doing.”

“‘m fine. The other ones I don’t even feel.”

“Oh, that’s great! Definitely normal,” you huff, exasperated at his stubbornness.

He snorts with amusement, “Really. Promise you, ‘m okay.”

Oh shit. Somethin’ else is goin’ on. Tommy starts to wonder if it’s entirely platonic between the two of you. The look in Joel’s eyes is not the same one he looks at Ellie with, though with no less strength.

“There is a doctor. We’re about an hour’s walk from the front gate, and the doc is right inside. We keep him close for just that reason.”

“Tell us about this place,” you encourage. “Spent a lot of time and blood getting here.”

Without hesitation, Tommy launches into a spiel about Jackson. Everyone works together; everyone shares resources; everyone is generally happy, safe. You get your black sheeps who can’t live without a little chaos, but they sober up in the lock-up and chaos is paused for another week.

“Infected?”

“They were cleared out long ago, and none ever venture up here. Far too remote.”

“Shit, you guys got it made out here,” Ellie mutters.

“Y’all are gonna love it,” Tommy sneaks a glance at his brother.

If any of them don’t, it’ll be Joel.

“Where does everyone sleep?” Ellie inquires.

“There’s plenty of houses. Real nice ones, too. Old and sturdy for the harsh winters. Everyone gets their own place.”

“Shit, you guys really do have it made,” you echo Ellie’s sentiment.

“It’s hard work to keep it. Everyone pitches in,” Tommy warns. “If you stay, we expect you to pull your weight.”

__________________________________

As the massive gates swing wide, the dusty street unfolds before you. Then, on either side, wooden buildings reminiscent of a wild-west town. People go about their business - and that’s the most bizarre part.

People with cloth bags full of groceries, carrying lumber, or just walking down the street leisurely. There’s no oppressive, ominous government, no natural monster waiting to assimilate you. It’s a town out of time.

Ellie doesn’t even know she’s smiling until she sees yours. You bend your head over her, saying, “This is crazy.”

A woman in khaki, canvas pants and a denim shirt rubs her hands on a stained rag before walking up to your group of four. She smiles, and you notice that it’s only slightly warmer than the one you first gave Tommy.

“Loretta told me you’d found him,” she tells Tommy, then turns to Joel. “Welcome. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She offers her outstretched hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Joel shakes it once.

“This is Maria,” Tommy introduces with warmth. He tells Maria your names, adding, “They got him here in one piece.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Maria smiles much more kindly at you and Ellie.

Tommy turns to Joel, “The doctor’s over there. Maria, you want to…?” He tilts his chin at you and Ellie.

“Sure,” she nods her head down the street. “I’m sure you’re probably starvi-”

“God, yes,” Ellie cries. “I don’t want to eat another fucking rabbit ever again.”

Maria laughs, a little shocked. “I hate to break it to you, but rabbit is a frequent flyer here. We probably have something else for now, though. There’s a whole kitchen for everyone and you’re welcome to it. This way.”

The “kitchen” is an old pub, and you’re grateful it looks nothing like the chrome soup kitchen in Lincoln. Your stomach roils thinking about the teenager’s blood and brain matter. Suddenly not hungry, you choke down the stew you’re given out of politeness.

Ellie, however, eats it as though it’ll be taken away from her. Slurping loudly, she attracts the attention of a few other patrons who stare at her.

“What’s up?” She calls. The patrons turn back to their own bowls.

“Ellie,” you whisper. “Just try to fit in for now. We can go wild later when they trust us,” you exhale a laugh.

“Yuh goddit, boss,” she nearly spits soup as she talks.

“Joel did that shit to me a few days ago,” you scowl. “You’re starting to take after him and I’m getting concerned.”

Maria, waiting for your two to finish so she could assign you a house, perks up at your last sentence.

“I’ve heard a lot about Joel,” she begins carefully. “Tommy and him did a lot. To survive, I mean.”

Disliking her tone, you say, “Haven’t we all?”

A grimace crosses Maria’s face. “Not like Joel did.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t you just say that Tommy and Joel did a lot?” Ellie tilts her head like a curious animal.

Maria takes a deep breath and sighs. “I just want to make sure you two girls know what Joel’s like.”

Ellie laughs, and you snort derisively.

“And you do? That’s quite a statement considering we just spent the past several months with him.”

“Tommy has told me everything,” Maria says, and you realize her relationship to Joel’s brother is likely far more than friends.

“Look, I guess you mean well? But Joel saved my ass more than I care to count and he almost died getting -” you stop, not wanting to re-traumatize Ellie. You regroup, “He’s… he’s different than he was.”

That piques Maria’s interest, but Ellie hits your arm. She doesn’t think it’s necessary for this busybody of a woman to know anything about Joel.

But you want to make it clear he’s not a threat. You don’t want him followed or put on a damn watchlist. You’d rather they underestimate him.

“When we met him, he was the Joel Tommy must’ve told you about. But the past few months have really… taken a toll on him.” You leave it to her imagination what you mean, but try to heavily imply that he’s no danger.

He’s not less dangerous. He’s probably more dangerous. Because he has a good reason again. Something to fight for, like I told him all those months ago on the beach.

Maria sits back in her chair, trying to read your face. It’s convincingly innocent, and the dark-haired woman accepts your statement with a nod.

“I guess that Joel probably wouldn’t have let two kids tag along.”

You swallow down the unintended insult. That Joel did, actually; and I’m not a kid; and we weren’t fucking tag-alongs.

“You know he had a daughter?” Maria asks boldly, challenging you.

“What?” Ellie nearly chokes on her soup. “He did?”

Your jaw ticks to the side, clenching your fist. You’re tempted to hit this woman.

Ellie looks to see your reaction, and she gasps, “You fucking knew? You knew about Joel’s daughter and didn’t tell me?”

“Thanks, Maria. I’m glad you feel so comfortable sharing extremely sensitive information.”

“This is for your own good. You need to be aware.”

“Clearly, he had told me,” you give her a cruel, insincere smile.

“Why didn’t I know?” Ellie badgers.

“I’ll tell you later. Promise.” You have to now.

“Alright. Well, if you’re done…?” Maria looks at Ellie, then you. “I’ll show you around, and we’ll end with where you’ll be staying.”

An hour later, Maria stops in front of an old, forest green, Victorian-style house with white trim around the decorative eaves and a front porch that wraps around the right side.

“You’re fucking with us,” Ellie turns to Maria, her hands on her hips.

God, she really is turning into Joel.

Maria smiles and swivels her head once, “Nope. This is on the edge of town, so it’s less desirable to most of the people here. But I figure you and your sister will want a place to retreat to when we all become too overbearing.” She shrugs and her face is open, honest.

You can’t decide if you like this woman or not. Your biggest hang-up is her opinion and dislike of Joel, but, considering her source of information, you let it pass for the meantime. You smile at her with more sincerity than before.

“Thank you. That’s thoughtful. We appreciate it.”

Looking down at your sister, you feel a burn behind your eyes. Ellie has a home.

“Is Joel inside already?” Ellie wonders.

“No. Why would he be?” Maria reacts in confusion. She looks at you like she missed some kind of information.

When you keep your face carefully blank, she fills the awkward silence. “Joel is assigned right over there.” Maria points at a red house across the street and several houses down, similar in style but smaller in size. She squints and blocks the sun with her hand. “I see boots on the front porch. Tommy must’ve moved him in already.”

She turns back to the two of you, “There’s a movie tonight right after sundown. It’s in the center of town. You won’t be able to miss it everyone millin’ about. You’re welcome to come.”

Maria smiles again, and waves goodbye as she heads back to town.

“Dude, we have our own fucking house?” Ellie looks up at you, pure elation spreading over her face. Her face falls slightly, "But why didn't they put Joel with us?"

“Let’s go see it. Last one in loses,” you shout, laughing and racing up the front yard. Ellie yells about unfair advantages as she trails you.

____________________________________

Though the house was huge, and mostly untouched, much of the furniture had been reallocated to other houses. As it was, two bedrooms have beds and dressers and lamps, and the dining room has a massive oak table. It was clear why no one had tried to remove the heavy chunk of wood.

Ellie had chosen a room filled with posters and detritus of a past childhood. It made you sad, but she beamed at it all - interested in an era of humanity of which she had very little memory.

A very short conversation was held about Joel’s daughter. He hadn’t told you much himself, only that she existed and her name was Sarah. You told Ellie that it hadn’t been your place to share the information, which she understood better than anyone. She wondered why Joel hadn’t told her but accepted it when you’d relayed how painful the memory still was for him.

Leaving her to her new room, you wander the rest of the house. In the living room, a moth-eaten couch is the focal point of the circular space. You lie on the comfortable cushions, feeling heavier by the moment. You gaze, unseeing, at the smooth ceiling, fully awed by what you could now call yours.

It feels hollow, though.

Joel has been out of your sight for four hours, and it’s interminable. More than once have you thought about knocking on his door, but the old insecurities keep you back. He had been so open, so different out there, but maybe now that he had real family in here, he would drift away again.

His not coming over seemed to confirm that.

Shadows grow longer through the tall, paned glass windows in the front room. You startle when a light flickers on in the red house Maria had designated as Joel’s. You hadn’t noticed you could see his place from here, but now that the knowledge is present, you can’t tear your eyes away.

That’s it. Joel told you he loved you, nearly died twice for you or Ellie, for god’s sake. Why wouldn’t you be able to visit him?

You fling open the front door and stride down the street. You’re nervous and pissed off about it. Stepping into his yard, you hear a murmur of voices.

As you ascend the front steps, the windows of his living room are perfectly clear. They allow you to see Joel, naked as far as you can tell, with a long-haired woman. The woman faces away from you, but her head and hands move around Joel's midsection.

Shock has you ducking away, and in the extremely short time you were looking, you didn’t see Joel’s face.

You sprint away, feeling nauseous, and head back into the safety of your new home.

Having not experienced jealousy in a decade, you audibly sob when it rears its painful, green head. No wonder he hadn’t come to see you and Ellie. He had been busy.

Did Tommy suggest this? I knew he didn't like me.

No. No fucking way. Even if Tommy didn’t like it, Joel wouldn’t do this to you. You know him better than that - you know him better than anyone.

But the visual evidence is gut wrenching. What the fuck else was that? That asshole was already getting handjobs from other people? What the fuck is happening?

Trying not to panic, you find yourself back at the window. The white front door of Joel’s house opens, and a woman appears. She runs her fingers through her hair and steps off of the porch without a backward glance.

A breath later, Joel opens his door, buttoning his shirt.

“Oh, shit,” you hiss through your tears as Joel makes a bee-line for your front door.

Some part of you, a very strong part of you, doesn’t want to see him. His heavy boots clunk up the wooden stairs, across the porch, and go silent. Three gentle knocks.

You close your eyes and violently rub the tears away, numbing yourself to whatever he’s about to say. You float to the door, unlocking it, and open it slowly.

“Yeah?” You ask in a monotone.

Joel’s face pinches into worry lines, “’s wrong? Y’okay?” His accented words shorten even further with quick concern.

Though you had barely opened the door, Joel doesn’t wait to be invited in. He grabs your shoulders, then your cheeks, visually inspecting you. It’s obvious you’ve been crying.

“Hey, talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say?” You fake a smile and walk away from him, moving toward the dining room. “There’s a manual coffee grinder in here. Might be able to make some.”

“What the fuck are y’doin’?” He doesn’t beat around the bush.

“Trying to be normal.”

“About what?” Joel follows you, growing impatient.

Stopping at the edge of the table, you take a fortifying breath, “I guess things might change since you’ve got Tommy now.”

“Change?” Joel looks bewildered. “The hell would that change anything?”

“I don’t think he likes… this,” you motion your first finger between the two of you.

Joel’s laugh is acerbic, “An’ you think I’d give ya up because my baby brother don’t approve?” His cheek pulls up in a disbelieving scoff.

“Okay. Well, how about the woman in your house?” You try to say it calmly, but your voice quivers and tears glaze your eyes.

Joel freezes for a moment, and in that moment, your worst fears are confirmed.

“What’d you see, baby?”

“Don’t fucking call me ‘baby’. Are you fucking serious?” You try to leave, but Joel is standing in the doorway. You drop your head in your hands and fall back against the table.

“Did you see her touchin’ me? ‘s that whatcha saw?” Joel moves forward, his face grim. His hands reach for yours.

“What the fuck are you doing - don’t touch me.” You remember at the last moment that Ellie is upstairs, but you nearly shriek your warning anyway.

Joel starts to get angry again. He stops, swallowing hard.

“Listen to me. Look at me.” He waits until you do, so you can see the honesty when he says, “She was the nurse.”

He jerks his shirt up. His wounds are clean and covered in sterile bandages.

“She had to restitch my leg. I opened it runnin’ this mornin’.”

Your heart is racing. “Tommy said the doctor was a man so I didn't think- I couldn’t believe you’d do that to me, but I didn’t know what else to think.” And in a small voice, you say, “I’m sorry. Should’ve trusted you.”

Joel takes a single stride and he’s there.

He holds you to him, “I’d never, ever do that. All I think of is you and the kid upstairs.” His voice gets so low that it breaks at one point.

You curl into him, letting him hold you.

“I get it though,” he chuckles darkly. “Reckon I’d lose my mind at the same sight. ‘m sorry that looked so bad.”

“Felt terrible,” you mumble into his shirt. “Wanted to scream.”

Joel leans, his nose touching yours, and he kisses you gently.

"It's never gonna happen. I've been waitin' all day, thinkin' about you. First chance I got, I came over here."

Looking down at you so earnestly, you give him a small nod. It was so reassuring to know he felt as detached as you did when he was gone. Like something was missing.

You wriggle out of his hold and grab his hand.

“You wanna see my new bed? Help me break it in?” You pull him toward the stairs.

His brown eyes widen and he follows you up the staircase. At the top, he spins you and catches your lips. He backs you up against the wall with a thump, and you break the kiss to laugh, “Ellie doesn’t want to hear this.”

He pauses and says seriously, “My house? Wanna hear you.”

“I can’t wait that long. My room’s at the other end, she won’t hear from there.”

“You can’t wait the ten-second walk down the road?” It’s rhetorical. He can’t, either.

You pull him again along the hallway, but once outside your door, he repeats the move: backing you up against the solid wood and kissing you with abandon.

Joel’s lips are heady, impatient. His hands sculpt your body, and you groan as he ruts against you.

“Jus’ wanna fuck you senseless,” he murmurs.

“Please,” you ask of him, unbuttoning his flannel.

You start to fall backward with the sudden opening of the door, but Joel catches you with the hand he hadn’t used to turn the knob. He drags you forcefully back to him.

He surges into your mouth, and you moan in delight. Joel’s rough hands strip you of your shirt and your jeans, and you shed his shirt. Joel is startled when you drop to your knees on the hardwood floor.

“What’re you doin’?” He pants for breath.

Frantically, your hands scramble to unbuckle his belt, “Wanted to do this since I met you.”

His hand snatches yours, stopping you. You look up at him, and a memory of the first time he fantasized about you looking exactly like this sends his blood pumping.

“You don’t gotta do th-”

You cut him off with a soft, “Please, Joel,” widening your eyes to show your eagerness.

The graying, wavy-haired man grows visibly hard underneath his jeans. “Fuckin’ christ.”

His grip on your hand loosens, and you tug his pants down at this implicit permission. You hum with excitement as his cock bounces free.

“Never told you, but it’s so pretty,” you stroke his length, looking up at him again; Joel digs his fingernails into his palms to prevent ejaculating here and now. A vein in his neck pulses.

It’s so frustratingly poetic. You’re an equal balance of pleasure and torture for him. Something he both does and does not deserve.

His right hand automatically plunges into your hair when you lick a stripe from base to tip.

“Fucking god damn,” he enunciates every word as though he’s in pain, and you want to laugh at the lack of an accent.

You lick him again, and when you reach the tip, you lean forward, taking him in your mouth. Joel tosses his head back, his right hand fisting in your hair, but he’s careful not to pull it. The control you have over him is as exciting and erotic as the location of his cock.

Making up for your lack of experience is your enthusiasm. How frequently you dreamed of him this way: moaning, rigid, and overcome by your touch. This brutal, protective killer who had tortured a man in front of you - for you. Hollowing your cheeks, you gag as he hits the back of your throat. You press harder, swirling your tongue around his base.

Joel groans louder than he has yet, and tilts his head to watch you make a mess of him. He grimaces as your mouth fucks him in a particularly sensational way, and Joel knows he’s not going to last much longer this way.

His eyes roll back as he briefly loses himself in your ministrations, then he musters all the earthly will he has left and pulls your hair backward.

Whining quietly at his removal from your lips, you ask self-consciously, “No good?”

Joel helps you stand, and mutters with black lust, “On the bed.”

You listen. Joel crawls over you, and you plant a kiss to his nearest bicep. His strong, fuzzy legs send shivers up your spine when they brush your calves.

“No good?” His lips part yours, and his tongue dips inside, feeling like a rabid dog at the taste of himself on your tongue. “Had to stop you, or you would’ve been gettin’ just my fingers tonight.”

“Oh, no, whatever would I have done?” You smirk a little at the memory of those fingers.

Joel flips you over, angling your hips upward slightly. Your body is pressed into the mattress, and you wait breathlessly, grabbing the sheets underneath, as he slides himself between your soaking folds.

“Y’ready?” His chest welds against your back.

His cock pushes a moan from your trembling lips as he enters you. Joel curses loudly, dropping his head on your shoulder blade when his hip bones touch your ass.

Joel wraps an arm underneath your waist, and pulls himself out slowly, letting you feel each ridge you'd just had in your mouth. Your moans turn to a sharp gasp when he shoves himself back inside.

"'m sorry," his deep voice mocks, not sorry at all.

You shake your head as if he had meant it, “I want you closer.”

Joel gently kicks your leg out and thrusts into you with long strokes; he skims a spongy part of you, and you cry out. The pulsing of his cock drives you wild. He rubs the pads of his fingers over your clit.

“Fuck, Joel. Fuck.”

His arm holds you still as he picks up the pace, careful to alternate between deep and hard thrusts. But his concentration begins to fail.

Missing how you look when he fucks you, Joel pulls out and rolls you over with urgency.

He ruts against you again, catching your clit, and you whimper as you drag him down for a filthy kiss. His right hand suddenly grips the left side of your face, his thumb forcing your chin up.

“Look,” he pants.

As Joel fits himself inside you, his cheek twitches, his pupils blow out in his already-dark eyes, and his teeth clench. You keen slightly when he sits flush against your skin, and your fingers caress his plush bottom lip. Another hand trails along his hard-lived skin, blessing it for existing. Your worship of him makes him groan gutturally, and he begins to pump his hips. The sounds of wet slapping and mutual gasps and moans fill the sparse room.

He slides his hand down the column of your throat and squeezes the sides. His other hand rubs your clit in the pattern he’s found you love.

“You’re gonna come on me. You’re gonna say my name when you do it,” his voice is pure sin.

“Joel,” you moan, just because you can.

“Jus’ like that. ‘m right here,” he encourages. His soft, gray hair moves in time with his hips.

Joel concentrates, eyes boring into you, as you begin to tighten around and underneath him. He feels it building in you, but he doesn’t let his excitement ruin the pace you’re enjoying. He’s steady, like always.

Your hair spreads on the sheets, your breasts bounce as he rocks into you, and your lips form his name. His fingers hit the right combination, and the hand around your throat moves to your hair, and he tilts his forehead to yours.

“'m right here,” he groans again, and when his lips plant on your forehead, your soul shatters.

Your thighs shake, body wracking with waves of euphoria - and Joel feels it all with vicious pride.

He did that to you.

His release is right behind yours, and he pulls out to come on your stomach with a protracted, growled sound.

He still can’t believe he came inside you the night you were bitten, but you’d had your cycle since then, so that had become a non-issue.

Joel lies down on the bed next to you, wiping his semen off with a cloth he sees on the nightstand.

You curl onto his chest and throw your leg over his wide thigh. Joel settles his shoulder underneath your head, and trails his fingers down your arm.

The room is growing darker. The sun is on the far side of the house now, though there’s still an hour or two before sunset. Joel kisses the top of your head, then leans his cheek against the same place. Peaceful sleep takes you both.

_________________________________

Bang, bang, bang. “The movie starts in like twenty minutes. Let’s go!” Ellie yells.

Your eyes fly open, staring with full frustration at the wall. Joel chuckles behind you, his breath tickling your neck.

“Where are my clothes?” You ask the man curled around you.

“Mmm. I think your jeans are outside.” He fights a laugh at that.

“Thanks,” you playfully elbow his arm. “For the record, I was going to allow you to stay with me tonight. I don’t think I will now.”

"Hilarious.”

You turn to look at him, and your heart fails at the sight. His hair is entirely fucked, standing at all ends, and his big brown eyes indicate happiness even more than his curved, swollen lips do.

You can’t help it - you’re only a woman. You quickly lean across the space, curling your hands in his hair and kissing him again. Then again. Once more for good measure.

“Wha’ was that for?” He asks, semi-dazed.

You don’t answer, standing from the bed and picking up the strewn clothes. You hand him his clothes, but he grabs your wrist as you turn away.

“What was that about?” He looks worried again.

You look at the ceiling to save you, but it won’t.

“I don’t want to lose you.” You tell the ceiling, but it provides no reassurance.

Joel does, though. His biceps flex as he grabs your face, tilting it down to meet his.

“You ain’t ever gettin’ rid of me.”

“What about your brother?”

“He’s got his own family now.” Joel raises an eyebrow, confirming your suspicion about Maria. “An’ so do I.”

___________________________________

You and Ellie walk behind Joel in the fading light, but Ellie begins to speed up, excited and interested.

"Have I ever been to a movie?" Ellie asks you.

You nod, "We all went to see Lilo & Stitch in ‘02. You were so little.” A sad smile touches your lips.

"I don't remember," Ellie frowns.

“It was fun. You wouldn’t sit still,” you laugh, remembering the boisterous, untameable child bouncing around a movie theater seat. “You haven’t changed a whole lot.”

“Sometimes y’really remind me of Sarah,” Joel chuckles, entirely forgetting that he’s never told Ellie about his daughter.

Your mouth drops open in shock, now-grateful that Maria had been so invasive. Joel, somewhat ahead of you, can’t see you or Ellie, so you signal with your eyes to Ellie to be cool.

“Like how?” Ellie asks, genuinely curious.

“Always goin’ somewhere. The sarcasm,” Joel turns his head and pins Ellie with an exasperated grin. “Excited by everything. Course you’re completely different, but sometimes you remind me of ‘er.”

A little, acknowledging smile curves Ellie’s mouth, and she nods at Joel, who turns back around.

You grab Ellie’s hand as the three of you hit the end of the side street and turn onto the main road. Hundreds of people walk by, but it’s clear that many of them have the same destination, so Ellie drops your hand and jogs ahead.

You sidle up to Joel and kiss his clothed shoulder. He tosses a hidden smirk down at you, and holds his arm out.

“Oh, my gentleman cowboy is back?” You tease.

“I’ll drop it,” he threatens, so you laughingly loop your arm through his.

As you head into the crowd, snatches of conversation can be heard. It’s all still so new, so weird, that you try to listen to everyone. Nearing the entrance to the makeshift theater, a high-pitched voice stands out to both you and Joel.

A group stands next to the entrance, chatting before heading inside.

“That’s what I heard, too. Heard they repaired it.”

“Really? That hospital was fucked up the last time I saw it.”

“Shh, don’t curse. There’s kids around, you idiot.”

“Yes. They s’posed to be looking for a cure.”

“FEDRA?” It’s said in disbelief.

The group collectively laughs.

“Good luck to ‘em. They can’t even keep infected out.”

“They’re not gonna do it. I’m not even crossin’ my fingers.”

Joel’s hold on you tightens as you brush past the group. Once inside, you find his eyes: they’re afraid.

Joel slowly shakes his head ‘no.’ You clutch his arm and nod in agreement.

_______________________________________

“Hey!” A man’s voice echoes down the alleyway.

You, Joel, and Ellie are nearly to the street you’ll call home, but turn to greet the man.

It’s Tommy, and behind him, catching up to his jog, is Maria.

“Just wanted to see how your first day was,” Tommy beams at you and Ellie.

“I ate something that wasn’t rabbit,” Ellie snarks as if that’s explanation enough.

“It’s been awesome to see everything. Bizarre,” you add. “Thanks again for the food and the house,” you tell both of them.

“We’ll assign you jobs on Monday,” Maria says.

“Monday. What’s today? You guys keep track of the days?” You ask somewhat incredulously.

“It’s Friday. Movies are every Friday night.”

“A real weekend, huh?” Joel says. “What else’s there to do?”

“There’s a bar,” Tommy raises a conspiratorial eyebrow.

“No shit? It real?”

“‘s real.” Tommy beams again. “We can head over, if you wanna.”

“Naw, I’ll pass tonight. Pretty tired,” Joel declines to your surprise.

Tommy’s too quick. His eyes dart to your face and back before Joel even notices.

“A’right, well, whenever you wanna. Y’all have a good night.”

“Night,” Maria raises her hand once in a wave.

The three of you continue down your street, the sound of frogs and crickets once again filling the night air. The lull of town quiets behind you as Joel’s looming, brick house comes up first.

You slow as you near it, wondering what he was going to do.

“Why you stoppin’?”

“You’re not staying here?” Ellie asks hopefully.

“Why would I do that?” Joel’s accent drawls the sentence out as he pulls you down the road, you laugh.

“To get away from us finally?” Ellie jokes. Her voice deepens into a mock of his, “To drop off the cargo?”

“Ellie, don’t you got a joke book? Those are much better than yours.”

Ellie smacks him with the very book she whips from her backpack.

“You’re asking for this,” she tells him.

_____________________________________________

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