#we had dinner outside downtown on the main street and people were just coming up to us and recognizing us

[dreadfutures]

fortunately, with friends getting married and buying houses, I now have places to crash with beloved people in beloved places. and I have PTO.

[helplesslypurple77]

Day 10- Mori/Atsushi/Fukuzawa- with promts Spitroasting & threesome

Notes: So just pretend that the Q mess was instantly cleaned up or something, i don't want to deal with it. But Francis is still out there, menacingly or whatever. I literally could not figure out when Atsushi finds out that Mori is the boss of the port mafia, so I'm going to assume Atsushi doesnt know at this point.

Also im keeping some age gap because it's hot but I'm making Atsushi twenty instead of eighteen. Btw the legal age of drinking in japan is 20, i checked

“Um Sir, are you sure it's ok for me to come?” Atsushi twists his hands in circles, following closely behind Fukuzawa as they make their way down a brightly lit street. “Yes, of course. This was your idea, Atsushi, so you deserve to be there.” Fukuzawa walks in long strides, looking unfamiliar in a three piece suit. Atsushi walks double to keep up, the pants of his own suit, kindly gifted to him by the President, stiff and hard to run in. They fit perfectly, almost like they were tailor made to his body measurements. The President slows down slightly, allowing Atsushi to walk beside him. He shoots the shorter boy an apologetic glance.

They walk through downtown Yokohama at dusk. The lights have come on, and the roads are choked with cars, people on their way home from work probably. The sidewalks are busy as well, and people pore in and out of the brightly lit restaurants, laughter perfuming the air. In all honesty, Atsushi had not thought that Fukuzawa would accept his suggestion of an alliance. He was a new member of the Agency after all, and an Alliance with the Port Mafia sounded a little crazy, even to his ears. But to his surprise, Fukuzawa had accepted with only a few clarifying questions. And so here they were, walking down a main restaurant district street apparently going to meet with the boss of the port mafia.

“Um Fukuzawa Sir?” They stop at a red light, and Fukuzawa turns those eyes on him. “Yes?” Honestly when Atsushi had first arrived at the detective Agency he had been scared of the president. But then, he saw him cooing over cats in the backyard and his image was forever changed. “Well, I was wondering where we’re going.” The light changes and they move across the street, toward where the more expensive restaurants are. “We’re going to the meeting.” Fukuzaw responds.

Atsushi feels lost. He follows Fukuzawa, dodging the occasional pedestrian as people pass by them. Large groups, clearly leaving work parties. Loves truck couples on dates, families headed to dinner. Even the occasional large group of giggling school girls, who shoot Fukuzawa dreamy eyed stares. I mean it makes sense. The President is a handsome man and he looks especially dashing in a suit. It's a dark grayish green three piece, with a white shirt and a yellow green tie. Atsushi’s own outfit is fancy as well, a black double breasted vest, a dark gray shirt and black tie pulling the whole thing together. It's expensive, Atsushi can tell from the fabric. The same group of girls shoots Atsushi a jealous look as he catches up, and Fukuzawa grips his waist, pulling him away from a biker careening a bit too close to the sidewalk. Atsushi ignores their angry stares. 

“Um sir, sorry but i'm a little confused.” Atsushi says, leaving the high school girls angry stares behind. “I thought we were going to the Port Mafia building.”

“We decided that instead of going to meet in a public park or something, we would meet somewhere else.” Fukuzawa sighs, an angry tick in his jaw. “Mori insisted, after I told him I was bringing you, for some reason.” That name sounds familiar, but Atsushi just can't place it. And for some reason, it looks like the President and this Mori fellow know each other better than Fukuzawa had let on. “We’re here.” The president says.

They’ve come to a stop outside of a sushi restaurant. It's a new age design, and Atsushi blanches as he spots the line out the door that weaves around the corner. People, mostly couples, lined up around the corner, dressed in semi formal outfits and anxiously checking watches. Every few minutes a smartly dressed waiter steps out of the restaurant, and whispers something to the Maitre D who nods, calling out a number and guiding a group through the foggy double doors. But just as fast as someone goes in, three more people get in line behind. Atsushi frowns, following Fukuzawa as he marches straight up to the maitre d, a smartly dressed woman standing behind a small podium by the double glass doors. The woman glares. “Can't you see we have a line, Sir.” 

Atsushi flinches. She’s rather rude for someone running the front of a restaurant. Fukuzawa mearly sighs. “We have a reservation for a back room.” The woman glares on, unimpressed. “Card?” Fukuzawa hands her a small golden card. There's black writing on it, but Atsushi can't quite make it out. The woman flips it around, scanning the letters with a magnifying glass, carefully looking for something, what Atsushi doesn't know. But after a minute or so, she nods, and a waiter steps out from behind the frosted double doors, smiling much more pleasantly at the two of them. “If you and your date will follow me, Sir.” Atsushi flushes, and opens his mouth to protest but Fukuzawa just slips a hand on his waist, a silent confirmation. 

“Come on Dear, this way.” Atsushi knows he’s blushing like a tomato, but he does the wise thing and shuts up as the waiter leads them through a crowded restaurant. Fukuzawa leans down. “Sorry Atsushi, but bear with it for now. They won't let you in without a reservation card.”

He must be talking about that strange little golden card Fukuzawa gave the Maitre D earlier. Face still steaming, Atsushi manages a nod and clutches at Fukuzawa’s dark suit jacket in what he hopes is a ‘couply’ way. Fukuzawa’s hand is big, big enough to wind quite a long way around Atsushi’s waist. Atsushi can feel the heat of it through his layers. Fukuzawa is a good bit taller than him as well, and as Fukuzawa tugs him closer still Atsushi’s head hits his shoulder lightly, his silver hair brushes against it. 

The room the waiter leads them to is empty. The room is small, with a large table set for three waits for them in the middle, and little outcoves full of flowers. “I’ll be back soon with the rest of your party.” The waiter says, and then closes the door behind them. A slightly awkward silence fills the small room. Fukuzawa’s hand is still on Atsushi’s waist as he leads him to a seat, placed on the short side of the rectangular table. The other two place settings are exactly opposite each other, conveniently placed just out of weapon range. They seat themselves, and before the silence can get any more awkward the door opens and a smug, familiar man follows the Waiter into the room. 

“Didn't wait to seat yourselves i see, still as rude as ever huh Fukuzawa.” There, standing smartly in a pitch black suit is the strange doctor fellow Atsushi had met in Anne’s room. This time cleanly shaven and with a peculiar unfamiliar gleam in his eyes. Atsushi’s jaw almost hits the floor. Fukuzawa merely sighs. “Give your scalpels to the waiter Mori, they aren't allowed in here.” Mori chuckles darkly, and holds up his hands in surrender. Two metal scalpels are placed in the waiter's hands. The waiter for the most part looks mostly unfazed, and simply hands over the menus and is gone with a smile. Mori’s eyes fall on him, and, Atsushi must be hallucinating, he throws him a little wink. “Well well Were-Tiger, it's nice to see you again.” 

The shocked look must be plain on his face because Mori chuckles. Fukuzawa turns a confused look on Atsushi. “You know him?” Atsushi picks his jaw up off the ground. “Um, when Lucy from the Guild captured me and Junichiro, he helped us.” Mori smiles, a rather predatory smile, but still attractive. “Yes that's right.” Mori sidles around the table, brushing close to Atsushi. He smells faintly of rosemary, sandalwood and something deep he can't quite place. The two men sit across from each other, twin expressions of hatred painted across their faces. Atsushi realizes all at once that this is going to be a long dinner. 

“It's so nice to see you, although I see you haven't bought your creepy ability this time.” Fukuzawa flips the Menu open aggressively, as if the laminated pages have personally wronged him.

“The feeling is mutual, Fukuzawa. I see you still have a fondness for cats.” Mori gestures in Atsushi’s direction, and Atsushi flushes. “But tell me kid, how old are you?” Its and odd question, and Fukuzawa’s face visibly darkens, but Atsushi see’s no reason not to respond. “I just turned twenty.” 

Mori’s dark eyes twinkle, and Fukuzawa frowns even harder. “How nice!” He gestures at the menu before him, shooting Atsushi another wink. “Order whatever you want, kitten, think of it as a late birthday gift.” Atsushi flushes at the nickname, but the prospect of free sushi almost has him drooling. “Are you sure?” He asks, although he knows his eyes are shining with anticipation. “You already gave me this nice suit Sir.” Fukuzawa’s face loses its glare as he turns to him, and smiles faintly. “Sure, we’ll split the bill.” 

Atsushi can't hold back his excitement as he eyes the menu. The place is so fancy they don't even list the prices, and although it's slightly concerning, he’s not paying so he doesn't care. His mouth is watering as he stares at the nigiri. The two men chuckle at his enthusiasm. Mori smiles his way. “So, Fukuzawa bought you a suit huh?” Fukuzawa glares, Mori just smiles wider. “That's a custom tailored model, he must have prepared it early.” 

“You're finally cracking Mori, that's clearly not true.” Atsushi isn't even really paying much attention, still drooling over the pictures in the menu. Mori just smirks, that feral smirk. “I bet you dreamed about seeing him—” Fukuzawa kicks him hard, Mori just smiles. “Ooh, touched a nerve. Straight laced Fukuzawa desiring a subordinate. Blasphemous.” 

Atsushi catches the last words, looking up from the menu and at the two men glaring at each other. “What was that? Something about blasphemy?” Mori opens his mouth, but the waiter interrupts him, stepping back into the room with a smile.

“What can I get you gentlemen to start?”

“You want some sake kitten? I know your president does.” Mori gets another kick under the table, but Atsushi nods. The older men give their orders and the waiter leaves with a nod. 

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

The door closes behind Atsushi with a decisive little click, on his way to the bathroom. Fukuzawa glares at the man in front of him. Mori smirks, leaning back in his chair.

“What an adorable little subordinate you’ve got.” Mori leans forward like he’s telling a secret.  “Im just dying to fuck him.” Fukuzawa glares so hard he thinks his eyebrows might actually fall off. “How inappropriate, he’s much younger than both of us.” Fukuzawa hates how the suggestion brings in images he’s been dying to erase from his mind. 

“But that's boring.” Mori says. Fukuzawa rolls his eyes so far back into his head that he thinks they may get stuck there. Mori continues. “I saw you staring at his cute little ass when he left for the bathroom. Nice job with the suit by the way, fits him like a glove.” 

“I was not staring at his butt.” Fukuzawa totally was, but he’ll take that secret to the grave. “You can admit it to me, you know.” Mori says. He downs a cup of sake, pouring himself another. “I can imagine what I'd do to him. ” Fukuzawa can imagine it too. He glares. Mori laughs. “Oh my bad. I’d be happy to share him, maybe over the table?” Mori says. He chuckles, passing Fukuzawa the sake bottle.  “Ah, reminds me of the old days.” Fukuzawa feels his thoughts drift involuntarily back to the ‘old days’. Several occasions with a woman between them in a hotel room.(and the other occasions he’d rather forget, without the woman between them. Just heat and soft skin and panted angry ‘I hate you’s. He'd rather die than think of those days again however.)

It's appalling how clearly he can imagine the scene. Atsushi’s thin body painted with hickeys, his pretty mouth spit slicked mouth wrapped around Fukuzawa’s co—

Fukuzawa coughs, clearing his throat and hopefully his brain at the same time. 

“You know why we’re having this meeting in the first place Mori, so please try to be serious.” Mori bats a hand at him, much akin to the way someone would bat at an especially annoying bug. “Yeah yeah, I agree with the alliance and everything. So anyway, does Atsushi like men?” Fukuzawa almost chokes. “Are you serious?” 

“Yeah, it's a really good idea, no matter how distasteful the idea of working with you is. But answer my question.” Mori says, sipping on the sake the waiter had returned with. “I don't know, it's not my business to pry into my coworkers' sexuality's.” Fukuzawa says, clearing his throat with a cough. “Don't be dramatic, it's called gossip.” Mori says. Fukuzawa shoots him an eye roll. Whenever the two of them are together they seem to revert to their younger selves again. It's honestly a little embarrassing. Mori sighs. “I'll just have to ask Dazai.” He takes out his phone, and scrolls through his contacts. Fukuzawa eyes it with a glare as it begins to ring. “Why do you even want to know?” Mori simply raises an eyebrow at him, wiggling it suggestively, Fukuzawa feels heat start in his neck. Mori chuckles. “Don't you want to know too, Fukuzawa.” And although he chokes out a denial, Fukuzawa listens a little two closely as Dazai picks up.

“What do you want, Mori.” Dazai sounds annoyed.

“Oh nothing, I just had a question.” Mori says, twirling a strand of hair around his finger. He almost resembles a high school girl gossiping on the phone. Almost. Ok he really doesn't.

“Shoot.”

“Does Atsushi like men?” 

Fukuzawa hears a choking on the other side of the line, and faintly he can hear laughter in the background. A lot of it. Dazai must be still at work, although he’s probably not working. 

“Yes–No–Why would I tell you?” Fukuzawa is almost disappointed, and then corrects his attitude and immediately congratulates Dazai in his head with only the mildest bit of bitterness.

“Your president wants to know.” Fukuzawa barely resists the urge to throw something at Mori, maybe a sake cup. 

“No, no it dont. I don't care. I don't.” Fukuzawa blurts out, and that was probably a bad idea because now Mori is smirking.

“See? He wants to know.”

“Well I actually don't know, but we do have an office bet running.” Dazai says, his voice less full of venom and more amusement. 

“You have a what?” Fukuzawa feels he needs to have a talk with all of them about proper office conduct, but he doubts it will have that much effect.

“Sorry Boss.” Dazai doesn't really sound that sorry at all.

“So, how's it going?” Mori sounds a bit too invested. Fukuzawa glares at him. 

“Well, Yosano and i bet Bisexual, Naomi and Tanzaki think Gay, and Kunikida said he refuses to participate in such activities.” Fukuzawa makes a mental note to give Kunikida a raise. 

“What did Ranpo say?” Fukuzawa asks, in spite of himself. 

“We banned him from betting, it wouldn't be any fun.”

Ranpo’s voice comes out muffled through the speaker. “For the record, he’s Bisexual.” A series of groans echo through the room, and Fukuzawa can faintly hear money being passed around.

“Sorry I took so long, some ladies ambushed me by the bathrooms.” It's Atsushi, closing the door behind him with a click. “By the way, what's a sugar daddy?” Dead fucking silence wraps the room for a moment, before someone chokes on the line and the whole armed detective Agency bursts out laughing. Atsushi frowns in confusion. “The ladies by the bathrooms kept congratulating me for getting two Sugar Daddies, and said it made sense because I was pretty.” Fukuzawa feels his face burning red and even Mori across from him is flushed, even though he is smiling. 

“You see Atsushi…” Damn it Dazai is still on the phone. “A Sugar Daddy is a rich older man who  gives gifts to a young person in return for sex—” Mori hangs up on him with a beep, but the damage has been done, Atsushi’s face is flushed a charming red. Fukuzawa sighs, deep and long. But before he can launch into the speech he’s mentally preparing, the waiter arrives with their food. Fukuzawa resolves to leave a large tip

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

Its plate by the time they finish up at the restaurant, and step out into the street. Atsushi feels full and satisfied, and it didn't cost him a scent. The two men kept their word and paid for the meal in full. Apparently Mori had agreed to the alliance, but the actual details of it where still being hammered out. 

“I will not give you free reign over the harbor district.” Fukuzawa says, hand twitching for his sword. Atsushi sighs. 

“Well, I need the harbor district to conduct work.” Mori says, speaking directly over Atsushi’s head. He’s sandwiched between them as they stand outside of the restaurant, and he feels very short. 

“What kind of work? Illegal work?”

“We are the mafia.” 

“Um Sir, if it's alright to interject.” Both men turn to look at him and he shrinks under their combined gazes. “Maybe you guys should have this conversation somewhere else? People are staring.” The bubble seemingly popped, both men look around and take in the different kinds of stares their getting. The angry stares of people trying to go around them on the street, the curious stares of people in line, and even a few stares of disgust, from people who probably still think that these men are his ‘sugar daddies’. Atsushi flushes a little at the implications. 

“We can go to my office.” Mori offers. Fukuzawa glares. “And probably have to fight through several hundred armed guards?” And now they're arguing again. Atsushi is distinctly reminded a bit of Dazai and Kunikida, if Dazai and Kunikida threw insults at each other like two year olds. It's sometimes easy to forget that Mori is perhaps one of the most powerful men in Yokohama, and the same for the president. 

“Um, we could go to your office Fukuzawa sir, it's easily accessible and the only people that will be there this late at night is Kunikida.” The men turn their eyes back on him again, considering. Atsushi is kind of waiting for his suggestion to get shut down, but then Fukuzawa nods, and Mori winds an arm around his waist, subtly pulling him away from Fukuzawa. 

“What an excellent suggestion Kitten! You’re quite impressive, you know.” Atsushi flushes at the praise. Fukuzawa grabs his arm, pulling him away from Mori’s arm. “This way Atsushi, hurry up.” Fukuzawa says, pulling Atsushi's arm. Mori grabs his other arm. “Now wait up, it'll be fast to call a company car. The sidewalks are choked up at this time of night. And besides,” He says, gesturing at a darkened ally. “It gets sketchy as hell around here, and I'd prefer not to get blood on this suit.” 

Fukuzawa frowns, and Atsushi is sure he's going to protest just for protestings sake, but then he nods with a sigh. “Fine.” He says, dropping Atsushi’s arm. 

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

The car was really fancy. A sleek black on the outside and inside and it even had a driver! The car ride was kind of annoying though. Fukuzawa refused to let him sit in the back with Mori, and Mori refused to sit next to Fukuzawa so Atsushi spent the car ride smashed between two handsome men who wouldn't stop throwing petty insults back and forth. He could smell them again, Mori’s scent of rosemary and sandalwood, and Fukuzawa’s clean smell, tinged with green tea. And as pleasant as that may sound, the rest of it was not. When they were not insulting each other, Mori would try to ask him a question or say something nice and Fukuzawa would swing at him over Atsushi’s head and suddenly two middle aged men were having a slap war above his head. It was the same way when Fukuzawa tried to say something to him as well. 

But now it's over and they're walking up the stairs of the Agency building, and Mori is snidely insulting the building and Fukuzawa is saying something insulting right back. And Atsushi would defend the building but he has a feeling Mori doesnt actually think that he’s just saying it to fuck with Fukuzawa and Atsushi really is forgetting how powerful these two men are. 

Also, through the entire night, it almost seems like Mori’s flirting with him. Now Atsushi doesn't have much experience with this stuff, and his knee jerk reaction is to deny, but then again…

“You cant do a double suicide, all by yourself~” Atsushi can hear it from all the way down the hall. Fukuzawa sighs, and murmurs something about apologizing to the people downstairs as Atsushi pulls the wooden door to the detective Agency open. 

Surprisingly, a good number of people are in the office when they arrive. Dazai is sitting at his desk with headphones on singing really loudly and off-key. Kunikida is at his desk with earplugs on, pointedly ignoring Dazai. Ranpo is perched on his desk, playing some video games and munching on snacks, also with headphones in. Naomi and Junichiro are sitting at their desks, sorting thirdly through paperwork. They all look up at the three new arrivals. 

Kunikida looks up a little late, pulling his earplugs out of his ears. 

“So Atsushi, I see you brought your new ‘Sugar Daddies’, huh.” Kunikida, who Atsushi guesses was absent from the office during The Phone Call™, chokes on his own spit. “Wha-who, excuse me—” Atsushi can feel the flush working up his neck again. Mori smirks, and Fukuzawa, perhaps sensing danger, jumps in. “That is highly inappropriate, Dazai. We’re still negotiating contract details, Kunikida, and since we didn't finish at the restaurant Atsushi very smartly suggested we come here.”

“They were arguing about the Harbor district in the middle of the street.” Atsushi, who’s kind of tired of their nonsense, says. “And then they spent the entire car ride insulting each other over my head.”

“Yes,” Mori says, giving a fake sad sigh. “Unfortunately Fukuzawa just refused to sit in the front of the limo. So poor this kitten was squished between us.” Someone chokes, probably Kunikida and Dazai murmurs ‘kitten?’ under his breath.

“Well you refused to sit next to me, and so Atsushi had to sit between us. And I refuse to let my prescouse subordinate sit alone in the back with you, especially with the way you were eyeing him.” Fukuzawa glares, and they're at it again. Naomi sends Atsushi a sympathetic look. “They’ve been like this all night then?” She says, shooting him a small smile at his nod of conformation. 

“I would never do anything in the limo, that's not my kink Fukuzawa. You know that.” 

“I wish I didn't. I'll never forget—”

“Um, Fukuzawa Sir, Mr Mori Sir, how about you guys go negotiate alliance details in the office. I have some stuff i need to—”

Atsushi is interrupted by Mori’s arm, winding around his waist again. “Nonsense! Without you there we would simply devolve to bloodshed or something worse.” Mori says, his gloved hand stroking Atsushi’s waist softly. It feels nice, and Atsushi can feel the warmth of his hand through all the layers of fabric. 

“For ounce, I actually agree with Mori. You can simply give your work to Dazai.” Fukuzawa says, smiling slightly. “Think of it as payback for how he pawns his work onto you.” 

A few stares are traded around the office as Atsushi is dragged away. Kunikida simply looks confused, while Naomi and Junichiro trade equally knowing looks. Dazai just chuckles to himself, then goes back to his horrendous singing. 

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

The actual process of arguing small details didn't take that too long. After about forty minutes of back and forth about the harbor district, where about halfway through Kunikida brought them some alcohol and cups and informed them the others were leaving, Fukuzawa compromised about The Harbor district. And after that, the problems just flew by. And then they were shaking hands and signing a formal document with Atsushi as witness. And then, it was all over and they were all drinking and Atsushi could feel a faint pleasant buzz. He was by no means drunk, just clearly a bit tipsy. 

A record in the corner is playing slow, sexy jazz and somehow, over the ten or so minutes they’ve been drinking, Atsushi’s been sandwiched between the two men again. But this time, it's less uncomfortable because they're drinking and laughing, and both of them have taken off their coats to relax. And although they can't help but throw a dig or two in there, the constant insults have stopped, and the two of them are, if not friends, resembling something closer. 

Atsushi lets himself sink back into the couch, his head hitting Mori’s arm, which slung across the back of the couch. He’s noticed over the entirety of the evening, that the man seems to be a very physical person. He would very freely touch Atsushi’s arm or waist, and even now his hand, the one currently not holding a glass of whiskey, was reaching up, stroking Atsushi’s head softly. It felt really nice. Mori was a strange man. At times Atsushi really forgot that he was the head of the port mafia, a man whose clothes were stained with blood. But, he had been quite kind to Atsushi. 

And he was handsome. Very handsome in a sexy aged kind of way. Not unlike a wine. Yeah, the president was like a Wine too. A white wine though. The president was white wine, while Mori was red wine. Atsushi chuckles to himself. 

“What are you laughing about, kitten?” Mori’s eyes are sparkly. He’s not sure why he didn't notice that earlier. 

“Oh, i was noticing how you guys are like wine.” Atsushi says.

“Like wine?” Fukuzawa’s voice is sexy, all deep and raspy. It resonates in Atsushi’s bones, warming his body slightly. 

“You guys are so handsome. In an aged kind of way.” Atsushi says. Fukuzawa chokes, and Mori chuckles. Atsushi continues, smiling slightly. “The president is a white wine, and Mr. Mori is a red wine.” Mori’s hand is tangled in his hair now, lightly massaging his scalp. It feels good. 

“You think we’re handsome?” Mori says, placing his mostly empty glass on the coffee table before him. Atsushi nods. “Yes, very. I’ve been thinking about it the whole night.” He says. Someone in the back of his mind is screaming at him to shut up, but he feels pleasantly buzzed and his walls are slipping. Mori chuckles. “Well kitten, Fukuzawa and I think you're very pretty. Infact,” He leans close like he’s telling a secret, and Atsushi smells that scent of rosemary and sandalwood. “I’ve just been dying to fuck you stupid.” Atsushi feels a twinge of arousal sing though his body. He would like that, he definitely would very much so. 

On his other side, Fukuzawa coughs, directing his ire at Mori. “Seriously Mori? I'm right here.” Atsushi personally see’s no problem in this, and Mori seems to agree, because he speaks directly to Fukuzawa. “Why don't you join in? Atsushi wants you to. Right Kitten?” Atsushi nods, turning to look at the President on his other side. “Yes, I want you Sir.” 

“See Fukuzawa, no need to hold back.” Mori’s hand, still tangled in his hair, gently draws Atsushi’s eyes back to his own. Red eyes, pretting red eyes, twinkling with a strange light, heavy lidded. And then the hand on Atsushi’s head is pulling him forward, and Atsushi closes his eyes as Mori’s lips touch his own. Mori kisses deep, devouring Atsushi’s lips, stealing his breath away. His other hand winds up, slowly working the buttons on Atsushi’s double breasted vest, showing no hurry. Atsushi does his best to keep up, slowly following Mori’s lead. He feels a warm hand on his thigh, slowly stroking it, fingers just avoiding where he needs them to be. Fukuzawa’s other hand strokes his back, almost soothingly. 

Mori’s tongue is tracing the seam of his lips now, begging for entrance. Atsushi opens his mouth. Mori is obviously experienced, his tongue tangles with Atsushi’s own much more skillfully, tracing the inseams of his mouth, all while those fingers slowly undo his buttons. The hand on his thigh is tracing closer and closer to where he needs it, and Atsushi feels like a tightly wound bobble, waiting for the caress of a hand on his hard dick. 

Mori separates from his mouth, and Atsushi flushes at the dirty string of saliva that follows their separating tongues. It breaks when Mori dives back in, this time leaving little kisses on his neck. Atsushi’s head falls back, mouth parting in a soft moan as Fukuzawa’s hand finally strokes his dick. It feels good, even with layers of fabric softening the sensation. 

“Feel good?” Fukuzawa is watching him, his voice dropped down to a sensual whisper. Atsushi nods. “Yes, Fukuzawa Sir.” 

“Wow, Sir. That's hardcore.” Mori murmurs against his neck, and Atsushi moves as Mori’s skilled fingers undo the last button, discarding the vest on the coffee table. He presses a delicate kiss to his jaw, as his fingers move much faster, undoing the buttons of his shirt. Fukuzawa’s still applied the slightest of pressures to Atsushi’s clothed dick. He speaks right over Atsushi’s head. 

“Shut up Mori.” Although his words are aggressive, his tone doesn't match. It's still all low and sensual, and Atsushi moans as his fingers dance over his dick, the teasing touches a cruel torture as Fukuzawa undoes the zipper of his pants. But it's all worth it when Fukuzawa’s hand reaches into his boxers, finally coming in contact with his dick. Atsushi’s head falls back with an embarrassing moan, and he thrusts up into Fukuzawa’s hand. 

Mori had shed his gloves at some point during the drinking, and now his bare hand is trailing across Atsushi’s chest, the slightest bit of contact a delicious tease until he comes in contact with a nipple, brushing over the hard nub. Atsushi whimpers, an embarrassing sound, loud to his ears but still barely hearable over the jazz. Mori chuckles. “Such a very sensitive Kitten.” He says, shoving two fingers into Atsushi’s open mouth. “Now be a good boy and suck.” Atsushi obeys to the best of his abilities, distracted as he is by the stimulus on his dick and nipples. He sucks hard on Mori’s fingers, creating what he hopes is a pleasurable vacuum, occasionally using his tongue to trace the rough pads. 

“You're doing so well, Kitten. Such a good boy.” Mori says. The praise warms his heart, and at the same time he bucks into Fukuzawa’s hand. “Praise, huh. Stand for me, Atsushi.” Fukuzawa says, his hands momentarily leaving Atsushi’s dick to push down his pants. Mori’s fingers slip out of his mouth as he gets to his feet, kicking his pants away. And then his world is spinning as Fukuzawa’s big hands grip his waist, sitting him smack dab on Mori’s lap. 

“Condoms?” Mori asks, promptly shoving his fingers back into Atsushi’s mouth, rather roughly. Atsushi chokes around the intrusion, much more forceful this time, but shamefully his dick twitches at the force, and he shifts on Mori’s lap. Mori definitely notices. 

“Oh, you like it rough huh.” Atsushi nods around the fingers, whimpering. Mori smirks. “How dirty Kitten, just the way I like it.” He moves his fingers out and in, and Atsushi just lets his jaw fall slack, letting Mori do what he wishes. It's arousing to surrender control, to let this dangerous man do what he wills, and Atsushi’s free hand moves down the stroke himself over his boxers. His dick is leaking, staining his boxers with a quickly spreading wet stain, and as Atsushi grinds down against Mori’s lap, he feels a large hard thing under his ass. Mori groans in his ear, and Atsushi’s world is tilted on its axis.

When the spinning stops, Atsushi finds himself laying on his hands and knees on Fukuzawa’s brown couch, Mori’s hands smoothing over his butt. 

“You look so sexy like this kitten.” Mori says, his wet fingers prodding slightly at Atsushi’s hole. Atsushi shivers at the praise, and then keens as fingers penetrate his hole. It's an odd feeling, but not entirely unpleasant. But still, Atsushi feels himself flagging a little as Mori shoves his fingers in, stretching his ass out for a bigger intrusion. Mori notices. 

“Does it hurt?” He says, pausing his motions, his fingers still lodged deep in Atsushi’s ass. Atsushi shakes his head. “No, just strange.” 

“I see.” Mori resumes his motions, slowly withdrawing almost all the way out before he enters again, his pace slow and deep. And soon, Atsushi feels the strange discomfort turn to pleasure. And soon he’s arching his back, keening, begging for more. 

“I'm back, I had to borrow some from the infirmary.” Fukuzawa says, passing a foil packet to Mori. When had he left? Atsushi hadn't noticed. He returns to the couch, bending over to kiss Atsushi harshly on the mouth. His kiss is different from Mori’s, much more aggressive, but Atsushi can't decide which one he likes more. And while he’s distracted, having his tongue sucked on by Fukuzawa, Mori slips on the condom, lining the head of his cock up with Atsushi’s ass. 

He pushes in slowly but Atsushi feels it, pulling away from Fukuzawa’s mouth the moan loudly, a garbled mix of Mori’s name and nonsense. The stretch burns a little, but Atsushi finds he likes it. His back arches, eyes falling closed as Mori moves slowly, before finally stopping, all the way in. Atsushi doesn't think he’s ever felt this full. He’s left panting against the couch, Fukuzawa’s fingers tangled in his hair, soothing him. 

“Such a pretty boy.” Mori coos, big hands gripping Atsushi’s waist. “Staying so still for me. Can I move, Kitten?” That nickname makes Atsushi clench down, moaning loudly out a, “Yes Mori. Oh god please yes!” Mori chuckles, and obliges. Mori sets a fast pace, his hands making good use of Atsushi’s waist, his balls slapping on Atsushi’s ass. Atsushi is moaning up a storm, eyes closed when Fukuzawa’s hand, still lodged in his hair, pulls him upward.

“Atsushi.” Atsushi opens his eyes, and comes face to face with Fukuzawa’s hard cock, bobbing in front of him. Atsushi nods, understanding what he wants. Fukuzawa’s dick is long, and heavy on his tongue, the taste faintly salty. Atsushi does his best, doing what he’d done to Mori’s fingers earlier, but he soon just surrenders and lets Fukuzawa fuck his throat. 

“Such a good boy.” Mori grunts, hand reaching around to stroke Atsushi’s dick. “Taking me so well, letting him fuck your throat raw.” he leans down, cooing directly in Atsushi’s ear. “You were made for this, made to be fucked stupid.” Atsushi keens, moaning around Fukuzawa’s dick, his back arching as he cums. 

“Did you cum pretty boy?” Mori says, trying for a chuckle, but ending up with more of a choked up grunt. Atsushi nods, trying his best to apologize around Fukuzawa’s dick. “No need to apologize.” Mori continues. “We’ll just make you cum again, won't we Fukuzawa?” 

“Mhm.” Fukuzawa responds, much more prioritized with Atsushi’s mouth. Mori was very vocal during sex, cooing dirty talk and praise in his ear, moaning and grunting as he thrusts in and out. Fukuzawa was much more quiet, occasionally grunting or groaning quietly, but not much speaking. His dick is still twitching, already coming back to hardness as Mori fucks him hard, landing the occasional slap on Atsushi’s butt. 

“No refractory period. Interesting.” Mori doesn't sound interested, he just sounds raspy and sexy and Atsushi almost comes again. And then, he hits a spot inside Atsushi that makes him white out for a second. Atsushi moans, choking around Fukuzawa’s dick, spit sliding from his mouth and landing on the couch. Mori seems to understand, and hits that spot again, and again, and again until Atsushi is cuming again, shooting ropes of semen onto the couch. 

“Atsushi, ‘m cuming.” Fukuzawa says above him, shoving himself down Atsushi’s throat one more time, and soon hot seed is running down Atsushi’s throat. He swallows it all, or tries his best as he’s still cumming. “Me too.” Mori murmurs, still stroking Atsushi’s dick as his rhythm stutters, and he shoves his hips in one more time. 

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

Work the next day is a little awkward. For him at least. The rest of the Agency has no problem interrogating him for details. 

“So, what happened again?”

Atsushi sighs. “It took a whole entire dinner, car ride, and about another hour but the Alliance has been finalized. Or whatever.” 

Naomi frowns. “No, that's not what we ment. We ment did—”

“Yo, lame ass detective Agency, i have something for you.” Chuuya pokes his head in, sending Dazai a glare and the rest of them mostly a confused sort of smile. 

“What are you doing here mackerel?” Dazai says, his eyes darkening. 

“Shut up stupid Dazai, I've been demoted to a delivery guy apparently.” Chuuya says, walking over and depositing a box in Atsushi’s desk. “Here you go Were-Tiger, it's from the boss.”

Dead silence falls for a moment, and then Dazai speaks. “I guess he really is your Sugar Daddy huh.”

Atsushi throws a pencil holder at his head. 

End Notes: so, this is a thing, that exists. I dunno man. I'm going to hell. also this got long as helllll i dont know what happened

[annique92]

Portugal - Madeira

Day 1

Land and pick up car

Car Strugglesss. Learn the hard way we cant trust the gps for anything and we have to plan our routes and parking destination before we go anywhere (this took a few trips to learn).

Downtown funchal. Parking garage, big egg steak lunch, coffee, tosta michea.

Decompress by the pool, read, find Steven the Apollo Ono book.

Hotel owner runs it after his grandmother passed. He got us a bottle of champagne for our anniversary!

Go to cafe for beer and a nata. Nata had cinnamon, Soo good. 1.20 for tall beer. 1€ for nata

Across the street for dinner

Hanging meat skewer. Chicken super good. Salad, bolo coca garlic bread DELICIOUS, and rice. Bottle of red wine for 12€ 😂 all really good. And then chocolate mousse!

Day 2

Levada PR 25

Up early and to the cafe for a chocolate croissant and a tropical fruit croissant for Steven.

Getting better at driving and navigating together but the roads are just TERRIFYING. Took the highway around the outside of the island most of the way there but then the "main road" up the island was so so so steep and windy. Steven was okay but I hated it. I made one wrong call on turns but had Steven turn around right away so it didn't get too bad. Finally made it up to the ridge for the hike. The last bit of road was just cobble stone which we thought was weird but maybe for grip because its so steep?

The hike is down first then up the way back. Starts out on a paved road, down to the first stream where we stopped for a quick stretch. Continued on to the first set of stairs which took us to a cafe with camping, paid bathroom, ice cream and beer. Wasn't open yet. More stairs down to the main trail with the levada! A levada is an aqua-duct about 2 feet wide with varying depth, 0.5ft to 4ish feet, at least for the ones we saw. The builders capture the water coming down the side of the mountain and transport it to the farms and towns. All these trails were originally built for them but have since turned into a recreational attraction. This levada originates at a tall beautiful waterfall where the constructors built a weir to redirect most of the water from the river bed into the levada. We even saw fish in the levada! We got to the waterfall and ate the rest of our pasties and watched a few people jump in the cold water. Started back and found another main trail to a second waterfall, lots more people now, full tour groups of 20+ people. This levada wasn't flowing as fast or full. The must not have gotten the slope right 😋. At the waterfall there is a tunnel into the rock to carry the levada through the cliff, around the valley. So crazy. We put some water on the backs of our heads to cool us down. Starting the hike back up out of the valley. So many more people now, we realized we took the wrong way out, not supposed to come back the same way because the levada trails are only so wide. Made it back to the parking lot and there was a shuttle running from the lot down to the cafe which was now serving lots of people. The parking lot was now PACKED. Hundreds of cars, way further down the road then what seemed reasonable. So glad we got there early!

My original plan was to go from here to the far side of the island for the black sand beach, then to the Thatch roofs, then a cafe for dinner, then home. But with the driving being so stressful because of the combination of manual car plus steep, skinny, windy roads, we re-assesed based on roads that looked more reasonable...

Because the main roads stay up on the center ridge line more, we decided to go even further to the end of the island and drive to Porto Moniz. We got through the windy roads, found a parking lot and made our plan! There are natural volcanic rock pools that have been made into public swimming areas with the help if some concrete and pumps. First we had lunch at a cafe. The sit yourself method really through us off, we never know if we should tell them we're here, or order at the counter, or what! We finally ordered and got fruit juice and fish sandwich on our favorite local bread, the bolo coca. The swimming was 3€ each and was awesome! Not too cold, clean, and the waves were coming of the edge! We loved it and hung out there for a while. Afterwards we walked around a bit more and found a second pool area on the other side of town that was actually free! But we were already changed and had more to do so we continued on. Next we drove to Seixal to try the black sand beach. We were able to take the highway there and there were new highway tunnels that weren't on Google maps that made the trip way easier! The tunnels for the highway are these major builds for the two lanes of highway, one tunnel for each direction. I think the longest tunnel we took was 2.5 km, over a mile! This makes it wayyy easier to get around.

Between building the levadas, driving the crazy roads, and then building all the tunnels, I've decided the people of Madeira are next level tough. Makes sense Ronaldo is from here.

We arrived at Seixal but it was super crowded and not very warm out. We circled but couldn't find parking so we ended up skipping. Next was the traditional thatched roof house that all Madeira people used to live in, there are few left in the town of Santana. Again more new tunnels that made it easier for us to get there!! But the same thing happened, no parking so we saw the houses and kept driving to the surf town Porto da Cruz. There's a surf school here and I had picked out a cafe with good reviews. We found a parking lot and the town was not nearly as crowded as the others. Before the cafe, we found a nice rock walk along the water and saw some beautiful cliffs and fisherman. We got to the cafe and had beer and a sangria and ordered too much food again! We got prawns and our favorite bolo coca. Really good and also messy. After that we started the trip back to our hotel, we picked up some water on the way as well.

Drive UNDER the airport runway to get home! So cool

Sausage skewer, salad, bread, and beer too much again! The wait staff didn't seem to like us tonight haha took the long way home for some extra walking

Went to shower, no hot water!

Day 3

7/6

Skip PR1 too scary to drive and out of shape

Change it up and do the PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, point of the island hike.

Early, good parking, cool airport view

Down town funchal, park near lido

CR7 restaurant and then museum

Busy funchal streets, cute shops and cafes, nata and coffee for 1.5 €

Found a mall with "women's secret" instead of Victorias secret. Walk through park

Back to car. Drove to Santa Cruz, small beach town near our hotel town

Looped acouple times but found a parking spot

Tried "poncha" the local drink. Basically whiskey and fruit juice. Steven liked it but I didn't

Went to another cafe and I got the best mussels maybe ever, huge with really good garlic lemon butter and of course our favorite bread. Steven got a steak sandwich on the same bread and we ordered the fried polenta bc I wanted to try but it was too much food again 😂 I took my extra garlic bread and wrapped in a napkin for breakfast

Walked around a bit more, stuck feet in the water, super rocky, really hard to get in the water.

Went back to hotel, cold shower, but don't really mind it at all

Skipped the restaurant this time but still went for a nice walk.

Had our champagne on the little porch and relaxed a bit

Having such a great time. Tomorrow morning we take off to Lisbon! And no more driving!!

[umichenginabroad]

Week 4: Starting Australian Travels!

The first half of this week was spent in Sydney. I spent most of the time getting ahead of my work in various coffee shops in preparation for upcoming travels where I knew I’d be too busy to stay on top of my summer class. Besides work, I also celebrated my friend’s birthday at a cozy Italian dinner spot and bar downtown. 

On Thursday it was Australia Day! This is a very controversial day since it marks a day of colonization for the Aboriginal people. Rather than a celebration, this day represents Invasion and Survival for the Aboriginal people. Keeping that in mind, my friends and I took this public holiday as a chance to relax and do something fun with the free time. We went to a boat party on the harbour from where we could see the opera house and bridge! Afterwards, we just spent time together by the beach. 

On Friday I had the opportunity to travel northwest, about an hour and 15 minutes by transit, to spend time with people my dad went to high school with! Even though they haven’t seen each other for 40+ years, the family was welcoming and happy to host me for dinner. It was nice to spend time with them and see what it looks like in Suburban areas outside of Sydney. It also helped with any nagging feelings of missing home. 

On Saturday the adventures began! We took a short flight in the afternoon to Byron Bay, a beach town north of Sydney. On our first full day we went on a bus tour. First, we stopped in Killen Falls where we saw an Australian Python in the wild! Then, we stopped at a historical pub with an art gallery and met an older man who had some crazy stories to share about his time growing up in Australia. Our last and main stop was Nimbin, a hippie town an hour west of Byron Bay. There were so many natural herbs and unique things being sold in markets and shops on the streets. I also got a short tarot card reading which was an interesting experience! After getting back home, we went to the beach which was one of the best beaches I have seen so far in Australia! 

On our second day in Byron Bay, we woke up at 4:30am for a sunrise hike to the Byron lighthouse. After a steep hike up & being rained on a few times, we watched the sun come up at the most Eastern point on Australia mainland! Afterwards, we got breakfast and got ready for sea kayaking. We headed out into the ocean to the reefs and saw dolphins swimming by us only a few hundred feet away! Later, we spent time on the beach and walked around town.

Thanks for reading! Tune in next week to hear about the rest of this trip on the Australian coast!

Anika Satish

Mechanical Engineering

University of New South Wales

Sydney, Australia

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Void of Extinction by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 1/9

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Chapter 1: There is Nothing to Fear

Storybrooke Maine, 2052. The world is slowly dying from a plague, only known as J2, that is spreading across the realms, a disease that has no cure. A faction known as “The Rebellion” have moved underground to search for a cure while avoiding detection from “The Hive”, a dangerous group run by an unidentified man of darkness searching for power. The only thing standing in the way of either group taking power is Mayor Regina Mills, who spends her time protecting the residents of Storybrooke from criminals who might bring the plague to her small town. The most dangerous occupants, those deemed most likely to bring the plague to town, are given a new opportunity, a chance for a new life, without being a danger to society, courtesy of the Gold Collective.

The pain was tortuously blinding as he tried to open his eyes. It was a feeling of waking from an all-night bender he couldn’t even remember attending. Peering through slits, his room came into view, blue neon lit behind the monitor on his wall. “Status Report.” He spoke, a gritty tone leaving his throat.

“Good morning James, it’s 7:53 am, pollution level 63%, you have no appointments today.” The pleasant robotic voice carried throughout the room. Something felt wrong, like a small itch at the back of his brain, a light tick that was calling out to him, telling him to pay attention.

He stood from his bed, the silk sheets falling to the ground behind him as he wandered through the apartment. “Open blinds.” He spoke and the metal slats hummed as they opened fully, revealing the land in front of him, dark smoke clouds on the horizon behind the mountains. Storybrooke, the only home he had ever known. He sighed; he was going to be late. He was halfway to the bathroom before he stopped in his tracks.

What the bloody hell was he about to be late for?

“What time do I have to be at work?” he said loudly.

“You are expected at 8:30am. Shall I prepare transport?”

He groaned, “Sure, but where is my destination?”

“Granny’s Diner, Main Street, Storybrooke.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache taking form at the back of his neck. “Granny’s.” He mumbled. Short memories, like a picture show, formed in his head, an older woman barking orders at him as he cooked burgers in the back of the small diner. He was a cook. He wasn’t sure why that felt odd to him, like something was out of place. He didn’t have time to contemplate the decisions he made in his life. He was going to be late for work.

The quick shower didn’t erase the feelings, images he didn’t recognize were imprinted in his subconscious every time he closed his eyes. A woman with hair, a light pale yellow, eyes green as grass staring at him. He couldn’t place the image, some celebrity perhaps he had seen in a movie. He shut off the water, running the towel through his hair as he tried to rub the sleep from his brain.

He dressed and left his apartment, sliding the locks shut with a slam, cranking the large metal door handle to the right to ensure it was locked. He glanced down the darkened hallway at the few people meandering about, the lot of which always appeared to be lurking, watching for unsuspecting individuals who left their belongings unprotected.

“You’re late.” The woman growled as soon as he entered the back of the diner.

“I’m sorry, Granny. In my defense, I forgot I had…” He thought about his sentence. What did he forget exactly? That he had a job, that he was a cook, why he had even woken up at the time he did, dreaming about a woman he had never met, “to work this early.” He finished.

“I’ve had to tell you the same thing since you started working here, it would do you some good to have your AIM set a damn alarm before you go to bed.”

Killian had alerted his AIM or Artificial Intelligence Monitorto set a 7am alarm, yet it failed to alert him to his shift for the last few weeks. He would need to have it repaired if this continued.

“Yes Ma’am, apologizes.”

“Just get to work, we got people waiting.”

James pushed through his shift, flipping burgers, cracking eggs, and sending out plates of food he had no memory of knowing how to cook. He wondered to himself how he ended up with this life, when had he decided that this was the best job he could find? Each time he tried to imagine another career, something that he might actually enjoy doing, the migraine would hit him out of nowhere, crippling him until the inhibitor was injected into his arm and his breathing returned to normal.

Whatever plagued him, this medical condition that brought him to his knees had always been with him from what he could remember. He assumed that it had begun when he was a child, it was second nature for him to know to inject himself once the pain hit. Yet he couldn’t remember when it began.

He climbed the stairs to his apartment at the end of the day, entering his room and locking it down behind him. “Set alarm for 7am.” He said once he sat his keys on the counter.

“Alarm set. 7am.”

He went about the mundane task of preparing his dinner, watching the Holo TV, news that the plague had spread to the outer banks was on every station. Mayor Mills calmed the crowd during her press conference and on each holo announcement that played every 15 mins.

“People of Storybrooke, I give you my assurance that the plague will not breach our walls. We have taken every measure possible to protect our citizens. We continue to fight back the resistance uprising, and our law enforcement continues to arrest any faction that supports it. There is nothing to fear.”

Mayor Regina Mills stood in the center of the screen, flanked by her officers on either side. She was fierce, strong, and protected the town of Storybrooke with honor.

“Turn off Holo TV.” He announced, setting his dishes in the machine for cleaning.

He crawled into bed, pulling the covers over his hips. “What time is the alarm set for?” He asked, ensuring that everything was still working.

“Alarm is set for 7am, James. Sleep well.”

~*~

Emma woke to the sound of crying. She jumped up from her spot and reached for her son, pulling him against her chest. “Hush now Henry, mommy’s got you.” Pressing her child to her breast she felt the tug against her nipple as her son quieted. She smiled down at the infant in her arms, her heart aching as she watched him so still against her, as if nothing in the world mattered but his own nourishment.

Emma wished her view of the world were as innocent. But she knew better.

She looked around the dark shack she had been hiding in for the last few weeks. She could hear the water on the other end of the door, just on the outskirts of the town line. It would be dangerous if anyone were to find her. She had given up everything to get away from Neal Cassidy. Her safety, comfort, even her future was all gone the instant she escaped the tower that had been her home for the last five years.

Emma knew it was dangerous being outside the protective walls of Storybrooke, those who had been exiled lived on the outskirts, many would not escape the plague once they lost the protections provided behind the walls. Emma knew it all too well, five years ago when the plague first appeared, she had taken ill, she was expected to die quickly, painfully. But after a month, the symptoms subsided, and Emma survived.

Doctors could not explain why she survived, only that she had been very lucky.

And then she met Neal. She thought she had finally found someone to share her life with. She was taken in by his father, Gold, a man obsessed with finding the cure to the plague.

His company, The Gold Collective had invested in experimenting on anyone who had come down with the plague, valiantly searching for a cure, the perfect gene sample that would save humanity, but his efforts had been fruitless as most of his subjects died before he had completed his experiments.

Emma found him to be odd, even a bit intimidating at times. His obsession with the plague caused her to keep her own situation quiet. She had a feeling if he had known that she had somehow lived through the plague that his interest in her might become more than just the father of the man she lived with.

Gold took care of her, as Neal’s girlfriend, he ensured that she had everything she could ever want. And Neal provided her money, food, and a roof over her head. Something she didn’t have before she had met him, back when she was homeless, trying to find her place in Storybrooke. Neal took her in and loved her.

But all of that changed a little over a year ago. Emma wasn’t snooping, she hadn’t meant to be in the office after hours, but Neal had not returned home that evening, and Emma had been worried. So, she left the penthouse suite of Gold Laboratories and headed to Neal’s office. Before she even reached his wing, she heard arguing.

The conversation between Gold and his son was chilling. She knew she needed help. She didn’t want to cause alarm or alert either of the men to the knowledge she had overheard them, had realized who the Gold Collective really was, so instead she waited out her time. A week passed before she found her mark, a police detective whom she had followed for days. He lived a quiet life, devoted to his job, going between his apartment downtown and his job at the station, never deviating from his day. He always arrived at work at 10:02am for a 10:30 shift. He had lunch with his partner at 12:45, he picked up Chinese food at 9:00pm before returning to his apartment. She had watched him assisting his elderly neighbor up the stairs and she knew this was the man she needed to trust.

Officer Killian Jones didn’t know what to make of her when she showed up at his door at midnight one night. Begging to talk to him, asking for discretion as she tried to determine if he trusted her. When he learned of the knowledge she had, he panicked. He sent her home that evening, telling her to wait a week before she reached out to him again.

It took a month, Emma would arrive at his apartment, they would talk about their plans, share intel on what they had each learned, and suddenly, knowing he was the one person she could trust, feeling like for the first time in her life, someone understood and truly cared about her, she fell for the man.

He tried to deny her, not wanting to take advantage of her trust. But they were in love. There was no denying it. The affair was something that neither one of them had the power to stop. Emma would spend her evenings with Killian, staring at the stars talking about what the future held for them once they were able to figure out a way to stop everything that was happening around them.

But she always returned to Neal, she had no choice but to keep up the ruse in order to protect the secret she had. Too many powerful people were involved for her to alert anyone else. Killian didn’t even trust his partner David enough to share the information.

Suddenly Neal became protective of her, asking her where she was going anytime she left the apartment, so Emma had to distance herself from Killian. It had been a month since they had been in contact when Emma received devastating news. She and Neal were having a baby. It broke her heart. When she finally told Killian, he urged her to escape before the child was born. Once Neal had a child, he would never let her leave.

Emma knew he was right, unfortunately by the time she planned her escape, the child was born a prematurely. She was trapped. Killian became concerned for her safety now that a child was involved, and Emma was forced to share her secret with her childhood friend, Will Scarlett. He sprang into action, becoming the go between for Emma and Killian to set their plan in motion for Emma and Henry to escape.

That night, she met Will on the roof, and they made their daring escape, 65 flights of stairs down the back of the building. They waited for hours at the drop off point, but Killian never showed. Emma was devastated, she felt trapped. Will went in search of him, he wasn’t at his apartment, the station, or any of his usual locations. Killian was gone without a trace.

She knew that something bad had happened to him. He would never abandon her. She trusted him. The only solution she could come up with was that Gold or Neal had found out about their plan.

Killian was in danger, unless something bad had already happened to him. She was desperate to find him. Without Killian Jones, the entire town was in danger.

“Are you decent?” Will’s voice rang out from the other side of the door. She pulled her shirt over her breast, setting her sleeping son beside her.

She stood up and looked through the crack in the door. Will was standing nervously on the edge of the water. She clicked the locks, lifting the wooden latch until the door slid open. Will stepped quickly into the shack.

“You ok?”

“Did you find anything?” She asked anxiously.

“Maybe.”

Emma stared at him with pleading eyes. “What do you mean maybe?”

“Look, don’t freak out, ok?”

“You’re scaring me.” She responded nervously.

“I drove by the station again, nothing. David is there but Killian wasn’t around. I didn’t want to go in, because I figure they might start asking questions, but there was this girl sitting outside and I asked who I could talk to about a case of Killian’s, and I used me ole charm and she told me that he never came back to work a few days ago, and that they opened a missing persons case on him.”

“Oh God, Will.”

“I said don’t freak out.”

“This is terrible. They killed him, didn’t they?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I haven’t told you everything yet.” He pleaded as she paced the room. “Anyway, I went by his apartment, and it was empty. The neighbor says they haven’t seen him for days.” She started to speak, and he pressed his hand to her mouth. “Emmie, I need you to be quiet, I know that’s hard for you.”

She groaned against his finger and mumbled. “Fine.”

“I got hungry as I usually do about this time and got a craving for a big greasy burger.”

“Seriously, you wanted me to be quiet so you could talk about food? I’m losing my patience, Scarlet.”

“The burger was excellent by the way, but that’s not the point.��� He paused. “I went back to my car, and there was a man out back tossing out some trash.”

“Would you get to the damn point!” She yelled.

“It was Killian.”

“What?”

“The guy out back. Spitting image of him.”

“Did you talk to him, ask him what the hell is going on?”

“I talked to him, but he acted like he’d never seen me in his life. Swears his name is James Rogers. Emmie, it was the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. But I tried, I even called him Killian Jones and he stared straight through me…” He dropped his head. “And then he thought about it, I could see the wheels turning in his head, and then he started wincing, and that’s when I saw it.”

“Saw what?” Emma asked impatiently, dreading the fact that she could already feel it in her gut, she knew what he was going to tell her, every sensor in her brain was going off that she already knew the truth.

“An inhibitor. The man injected himself with one of Gold’s inhibitors.”

Emma felt the tears forming, she knew it was the truth. It made sense, he would never have abandoned her or Henry. The only explanation was that Gold or Neal had found out what she was planning to do and got to Killian first. “They erased him.” She said sadly, feeling every last bit of hope she had draining from her being.

“Emmie, he’s one of the void. There’s no way back from that.”

“Don’t say that, we don’t know that. It’s all experimental, it’s not even legal. Gold’s been doing it for years on test subjects. Killian can fight it; I know he can. He’s too strong.”

“Emmie, he had no idea, absolutely no idea of who I was.”

“It doesn’t matter, Will. We must keep trying. Maybe the inhibitor just suppresses his memories. We have to get him not to use it.”

“For all we know, not using it could cause his brain to explode. It’s dangerous.”

“I won’t give up on him Will. I can’t lose him.”

He pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back in slow circles as she cried. “It’s gonna be ok, we’ll figure it out.”

“What are we going to do, Will? Without Killian, I’ll never get into the station to upload the information.”

“We’ll find a way. That’s what we do right?”

She smiled weakly. She wouldn’t give up on him, he risked so much to try and protect her and another man’s child. He had given her hope when she had none. She would never stop trying to get him back. Even if it killed her, she would save Killian Jones and take down the Gold empire.

[ohmyjinsus]

the right reasons

yang hongseok x gender neutral! reader

recent college grads nonsense idk || 5.9k

** there is some drinking in this (they are of age, after all), but no swearing uwu**

finally, a fic not inspired by a taylor swift song, shocking, I know (I listened to cruel summer on a loop while I was writing this though, I think y’all will see why)

summary: when your best friend, hongseok, decides to audition for bachelor in paradise after graduation, you don’t want to believe it ….. mainly because you’re in love with him, even if you haven’t realized it yet

“Do you think I should apply?”

You look up. The two of you are watching The Bachelor in his apartment. Hongseok’s the only other person you know who’s into it. Once you found out, you immediately agreed to watch it together. Ordering takeout and making fun of the contestants has been your tradition ever since you met 4 years ago.

“I’m confused,” you say. You were checking your phone during the commercials.

“Bachelor in Paradise,” Hongseok replies, gesturing to the TV. “They’re casting for next season, there was an ad.”

“That came out of nowhere.” He doesn’t look phased.

“We’ve graduated now,” he says. “I don’t know what else to do with my life.”

“You have a point,” you reply. It’s been one month since all of you finished university. Lots of your other friends had jobs lined up beforehand, but you and Hongseok still have no idea what you’re doing.

“Right?” He grins. “I could go on, I’d have something to do, then I’d come back and I’d have a bunch of new Instagram followers and I could do sponsorships or something.”

“You realize that sounds crazy, right?” You grab a french fry from the box on the coffee table.

“It’s not!” You roll your eyes. “Think about it y/n, I’m smart, funny, attractive, nice-”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong, but okay.” He laughs.

“I’m exactly what they’re looking for on these shows.”

“But you want to go on for the wrong reasons.”

“Shhhh,” he tells you. “Nobody needs to know that.”

“What’s your story then?” You ask.

“I grew up seeing my parents being so in love,” you make a gagging noise, but he keeps going. “And now, I want that kind of love for myself. The apps are just no good, and I need to find a special someone to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Jesus christ,” you mutter. “You didn’t mention anything about your personal journey to find love.”

“Oh right,” he says. “Now that I’m finished university, my main focus is to settle down, get married, have kids, and I’m on my personal journey to find all of that.”

“Amazing,” you fake clap for him. “You’re a shoo-in.”

“There’s no harm in applying, right?” He shrugs. “I doubt it’ll lead anywhere, but it could be fun.”

“I guess so,” you admit. “Your chances are slim, but you never know.”

“What do you mean?” He says, offended. “Have you seen me in a swimsuit?”

“Shut up.” You throw your napkin at him, but you’re laughing.

Hongseok offers to grab you another drink, so you tell him yes. He doesn’t mention anything else about the show for the rest of the night. By the time you’ve gone home, it’s completely slipped your mind.

===

When Hongseok invites you over 2 weeks later, you assume he just wants to hang out and have dinner. You’re shocked when he sits you down on the couch and says he has news to share.

“You’re dating someone.” He shakes his head. “Someone died.”

“No,” he tells you, laughing. “I love how those are your first two guesses though.”

“What is it?”

“I got a call yesterday from the Bachelor in Paradise producers...”

“You’re joking.” You didn’t expect that to go anywhere. You just assumed Hongseok would send in his audition tape and never hear back. The possibility of him actually being on the show makes you feel uneasy. “Really?”

“Yes, y/n, really.” He sits down on the armchair, facing you. “They want to meet me in person next week.”

“Oh my god,” you say. “Congratulations.”

“You don’t sound that happy,” he smirks. “Are you jealous?” You shake your head right away.

“I’m just surprised.”

“You didn’t think they’d want me?” He asks quietly.

“No, of course not,” you reassure him. “You’re kind, and funny, and attractive, why wouldn’t they want you?”

“Exactly,” he grins at you.

“So are you gonna go?” He nods.

“Why not? The worst they could do is say no.”

“That’s so exciting,” you tell him. He seems very happy about it, and the last thing you want to do is bring him down. As his best friend, you should definitely be supportive.

“Will you come with me?”

“What?” You glance at him.

“Downtown, for my interview,” he clarifies. “I have to take the train down and meet them there, I don’t really want to go alone.”

“Are you nervous?”

“A little bit,” he admits. “I’d just feel better if I had someone with me.”

“What about Changgu?” Hongseok shakes his head. “Shinwon?”

“You’re my first choice.” That catches you off guard. “We can make a day of it,” he suggests. “We can go to that bakery you wanted to try on Queen, and we can go shopping, get dinner, it’ll be fun.”

“Sure,” you say. Going on adventures with Hongseok is always a good time. “How long will your interview be?”

“They didn’t say,” he replies. “I just know it’s at 10 on Wednesday.”

“Cool,” you pull out your phone so you can put it in your calendar. “So if it goes horribly, I can cheer you up, and if it goes well, we can celebrate.”

“Sounds good.” He smiles at you. “Thanks y/n.”

You nod but there’s a small part of you that’s anxious. You decide to ignore your feelings for the time being. Your day with Hongseok is going to be great, you should focus on that and enjoy your time together.

===

Hongseok meets you outside the train station the morning of his interview. The first thing you notice is how nicely he’s dressed. As he gets closer to you, you notice he smells really great too.

“I should’ve dressed up some more,” you mutter, glancing down at your own outfit. You’re dressed like you’re going to class, while Hongseok’s dressed for a first date.

“You look fine, don’t worry.” He heads towards the entrance, so you follow close behind.

You were right to have Hongseok come early, as the train is at the platform the second you get there. He follows you to the back of the car, and sits down facing you.

He hasn’t seen you in person since he asked you to join him on this trip. Apparently he went on a shopping trip with Changgu yesterday. That’s when he got his current outfit.

“No wonder this cardigan is so nice, you couldn’t have picked out anything like that yourself.” Hongseok rolls his eyes at you, but he’s smiling.

The train leaves soon after. Hongseok watches out the window like a little kid. He keeps his eyes on the station until it’s all the way out of sight. And you keep your eyes on him until he catches you looking.

“Are you nervous?” You ask him. He shakes his head, but you notice his leg bouncing up and down.

“It’s just like a first date, right?”

“Exactly,” you reassure him. “And you’re great at those.”

“Are you sure?” He asks. “You’ve never been on one with me.” You don’t know how to respond to that. You almost want to tell him to take you on one. But you’re just friends, you remind yourself, you can’t do that.

“You’ve dated more people than I have,” you point out. “You’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The two of you sit in silence for a little while. Hongseok goes on his phone, so you focus on yours. You brought your AirPods so you can listen to music or watch a show while Hongseok’s busy with the producers.

“y/n-” You look up. Hongseok looks like he’s about to ask you something, but he hesitates.

“What’s up?” He shakes his head.

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” He asks you. You know that’s not what he was planning on saying, but you go with it.

“While you’re busy, I’ll get us breakfast,” you tell him. “There’s a café across the street, let me show you.” You sit down next to him so you can show him your phone. When he leans over to get a look at the screen, you’re suddenly aware of how close he is. You push it out of your mind.

By the time you’ve planned out your day, you’ve arrived at the train station. The two of you grab all your things and leave the train. Once you’re out of the station, the interview location isn’t too far away. There’s still 20 minutes before Hongseok’s meant to be there. He’s adamant about getting there early though. Although he won’t outright say it, you can tell he’s nervous. No wonder he brought you instead of one of his other friends; they wouldn’t let him live this down.

Once you get there, there’s a line of all the other candidates running through the main hallway. You and Hongseok join the end of the line.

“You don’t have to stay,” he tells you. You shake your head.

“It’s fine,” you say. There’s a check-in desk a few metres ahead of you. “I’ll stay until you get past there.”

“Okay,” he replies. “Thanks.” You bump your shoulder against his.

He’s brought his application package with him, so you ask to look it over while the two of you wait. There’s tons of pictures of him, some of them shirtless, which you quickly flip through. Then there’s copies of all of Hongseok’s identification. At the very back, there’s the printed copy of his application. You move that to the front, flipping through to make sure he didn’t leave anything blank.

He never asked you to look over his online application before he handed it in, so you’re interested to see what he had to say. There are the stereotypical questions about his career, education, background, and all of that. But there are also some more personal questions further down.

Why do you want to be on this show? Are you prepared to get engaged at the end of the season?

Hongseok’s answer is cookie cutter perfect. He knows he’s the prime candidate for this kind of show. Kind, good-looking, easy to fall for. He’s played to all his strengths in his application. You know he’s lying about being prepared to propose at the end of the show, but everyone does that. His answer comes off as genuine though.

The line moves up a little bit while you flip to the next page. It’s all about his dating history. You’re shocked at how invasive these questions are. Then again, if it’s for reality TV, it has to be.

The first section asks for a detailed dating history from the past 5 years. You’re familiar with all of that. He’s never told you about any ex-girlfriends, or anyone he’s currently interested in. He’s a casual dater, and you’ve never seen him tied down for too long. The maximum amount of dates he’s been on with one person is 3. You haven’t seen anyone get past that point. He seems to get bored easily. You’re honestly surprised he’s been friends with you for this long.

Despite all of his casual dating history, he’s made it clear he’s ready to settle down now. You thought he was just making this up to get on the show, but the more you read, the less you’re sure. Maybe he’s just persuasive.

The line moves a little bit more. Now there are just 3 other people ahead of you. Hongseok’s on his phone again. You figure you have enough time to skim the rest of his answers.

Have you ever been in love? is the next question. You know the answer is no, so you’re surprised when there’s a couple paragraphs written underneath it.

I have, but I was never brave enough to act on it. You try to read the entire section as quickly as you possibly can, but your brain doesn’t work that well. You grab some words here and there, years, class, close friends but not enough to fully comprehend.

“C’mon y/n,” Hongseok says to you. “We’re next.” He holds his hand out for the folder.

You glance down at the page you’re on. Although you want to read the rest, you also realize you’ve stumbled upon something incredibly personal. Granted, Hongseok may wind up sharing this on national television, but for now, it’s none of your business.

“Here,” you close it and hand it to him.

“Thanks.”

Hongseok gets checked in soon after that. It takes about 5 minutes for them to verify his identity and double check his application. Finally, they direct him to a room down the hall where he’ll meet some of the producers. They tell you you can’t go beyond this point.

“Good luck,” you say to Hongseok, not sure what else to say. He smiles.

“Thanks y/n.”

Some of his hair is falling in his face, so you reach out to quickly brush it out of the way. When you pull away, he’s looking at you with an expression you’ve never seen before. It feels surprisingly intimate.

“Text me when you’re done,” you tell him, pulling yourself out of your thoughts. “You’ll be great.”

He nods, and the two of you go your separate ways. You know you’ll see him again in an hour, but it still feels weird to say bye to him like this. You hope nothing changes if he does wind up on this stupid show.

You walk out the doors onto the sidewalk again, thankful for the fresh air. You pull your AirPods out of your bag, so you can listen to some music. As you walk along the street, you can’t help but think of Hongseok and what he might be saying to the producers in there.

You tell yourself you’re curious just because you’re best friends. But you can’t get that look on his face out of your mind. You have no idea what it means. You’re just really close friends, right?

You turn the music up, hoping to distract yourself. It works until you pass a small playground. You can’t help but think of Hongseok yet again.

The two of you met during your university’s orientation week, but it wasn’t until halfway during the semester that you actually spoke to him. You knew you were taking some classes together, but you never really thought about it until then.

Speaking in class was something that always terrified you, but one of your professors was adamant that everyone do it in order to get full marks. It took a while for you to work up the courage to raise your hand that day in October. When you were called on, you hesitated for a second, before sharing your answer. You don’t even remember the question anymore, you just remember your professor outright laughing at you. You’d been so sure you were right, but your professor made it very clear that you were not. Right away, you threw all your things into your backpack and ran out of the lecture hall. Your heart was beating so fast and you had no idea where to go. You wound up outside, walking as far as your legs could possibly take you, until you found a park off campus. As soon as you sat down on the swings, you couldn’t help but cry.

It was one thing to get an answer wrong, but to have your professor react like that was humiliating. You were never going back to that class ever again. You’d drop the course, or only show up on test days, whatever it took to never see that godforsaken man ever again. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice when someone sat down on the swing next to you.

After that day, you and Hongseok quickly became friends. You still can’t believe he was kind enough to follow you out of class like that, but he always tells you it was nothing. As you think back to it now, you can’t help but feel a rush of affection for him. Maybe he is more than a friend to you.

You head to the playground and sit on the swings alone, thinking back to some of your other memories with Hongseok. He’s always been there for you to lean on, and you’ve always done the same for him, like today. You remember feeling this way when he’d specifically asked you to come with him. At this point, you’re about 90% sure you have feelings for him. You don’t know how you didn’t clue in earlier.

You stay there until your phone buzzes. Hongseok’s done sooner than you expected. He says he’ll meet you at the café where you wanted to get breakfast. You respond, saying you’ll see him there soon.

You didn’t walk that far, so it only takes about 5 minutes of speed walking to get back there. When you spot him waiting outside on his phone, you can’t help but smile.

The two of you head inside, while you tell him what you got up to. You say you found a park bench and wound up doing some work there. He rolls his eyes and tells you you should’ve found something more entertaining to do.

After you’ve got your food and sat down, you ask him about the interview.

“It was okay,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee. “I think they liked me.”

“What do you mean think?”

“It seems like they believed me when I told them how passionate I am about my journey for love.” You smirk at that.

“Are you sure you weren’t speaking from the heart?”

“Of course I was y/n,” he says, jokingly. “How dare you insinuate I’m applying for the wrong reasons.”

You’re still unsure if he’s joking or not. After your earlier revelation, you’re praying he is.

He tells you some more about the interview and the producers. Apparently they asked even more invasive questions about his dating history, like his body count. That makes you cringe.

“If they offer you a spot,” you ask, “which I’m not saying they will, but if they do, would you take it?” You expect him to say yes right away, but he ponders it for a second.

“I don’t know,” he replies. “What do you think I should do?”

You want to tell him to say no, and to stay at home. Preferably so you can spend more time with him, and then maybe he’ll realize he’s into you as well. But you can’t say that, of course.

“I think it could benefit you,” you tell him, honestly. “But it’ll also change your life in multiple different ways, and that’s something you’d really have to think about.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” you hesitate, taking a sip of your drink. “Assuming you wound up in a relationship by the end of the season, the odds of it working out aren’t that high,” he laughs at that, but doesn’t disagree. “Anyone you date after that will always see you as that guy who was on Bachelor in Paradise. You’ll probably have a wider range of people to choose from, but a lot of them will be fake too, so, it’s up to you.” You shrug.

“All valid points,” he replies.

“I don’t know if you’re ever planning on settling down,” you admit. “But if you do, it’ll affect that and whoever you wind up with.”

“I would like to settle down someday,” he says quietly. You glance across the booth at him. “What?”

“I’ve never really thought about you in a long term relationship. It doesn’t seem like your type of thing.”

“It could be,” he tells you, “with the right person.”

You just nod, afraid you might say something stupid if you open your mouth.

Once you’re finished eating, the two of you head out to the closest subway station. You have a list of stores you want to visit, and Hongseok happily follows along. He helps you pick out some gifts for your friend’s upcoming birthday and some clothes. He winds up buying some things for himself as well. You joke that he’ll have to buy an entirely new wardrobe if he winds up on national television. He promises to take you swimsuit shopping with him if that happens. That makes you roll your eyes, but you’re blushing the whole time.

You stop for lunch at a random fast food chain, then head to that bakery you told him about the week before. The two of you get some extra goodies for your roommates as well.

Finally, it’s almost 7 o’clock and you decide to go to a decent sit down restaurant for dinner. Earlier you told Hongseok you were in the mood to drink tonight, so he promised to take care of you. He lets you pick where to go, so you choose a restaurant with a rooftop bar. You know he likes to take nice photos for his Instagram feed.

The food is good, and the drinks are even better. You only have a few, but you can feel them getting to you. Hongseok’s extremely entertained by you. Normally you’re not this talkative, but you’re asking more questions and telling him more random things than usual.

You wind up telling him the truth about how you wound up at the park this morning. He’s surprised you lied, but you refuse to tell him why. Instead he just smiles and tells you it’s cute you thought of him. You wind up blushing profusely, hoping he doesn’t notice. The two of you reminisce over some other memories from early on in your friendship. You’re surprised he remembers them as well as you do. Maybe that means something.

When you’re finished eating, you stay a little longer. Hongseok has 2 drinks as well, but he can handle his liquor much better than you. It seems to have no effect on him at all. By the time you leave, it’s almost 9:30.

The second you step out of the restaurant, you’re met with a crowd of people. As you awkwardly navigate yourself around them, you’re separated from Hongseok. Once you’re free, you glance around, afraid you might have to call him. Thankfully, he’s waving at you from a couple metres ahead. You run over to him and immediately interlock your arms.

“C’mon,” he says, pulling you in the direction of the train station. You could have taken the subway back, but Hongseok suggested you walk instead, as it’s not too far. It’s dark out now, but it looks nice with all the street lamps lit up.

“I forgot to ask something about Bachelor in Paradise,” you say as the two of you head down the sidewalk. “Did they mention when they’ll get back to you?”

“In two weeks or so.”

“Will they let you know if you get rejected?” Hongseok smirks at that.

“Do you want me to get rejected?” You know he’s joking, but you can’t bring yourself to smile.

“Yes.” You mumble, mostly to yourself. Hongseok must not hear you.

“I was scared earlier,” he says. “But it might be fun. It’s a free vacation, technically.”

“Yeah, for the cost of your sanity.” That makes him laugh too. You rest your head against his arm.

“Do you think I could actually find someone worthwhile on there?” He asks quietly. “I know the premise is to date multiple people, but maybe I could find something real.”

“Hongseok-” You almost want to punch him. You wish you could yell at him, here on the sidewalk, and tell him off for not realizing there’s been something real right in front of him for the past 4 years, but you can’t bring yourself to do it. “Please.”

“I know, it sounds ridiculous, but you never know.” You two turn the corner and wind up right in front of the train station’s main entrance. “Crazier things have happened.”

You don’t know if it’s because you’re tired, or slightly drunk, or what, but you pull your arm out of his and turn to face him.

“Hongseok-” He glances into your eyes. This time, he notices something serious is happening.

“y/n, what is it?”

“Please don’t go,” you say quietly. He takes a step closer so he can hear you better. “Just… don’t do it.”

“I mean, I haven’t made up my mind yet,” he says, awkwardly. “But I thought you wanted me to do what’s best for me.” You shake your head.

“I was wrong,” you tell him. “I can’t do it.”

“You can’t do what?” You freeze. You wish you hadn’t used that choice of words, but at this point, there’s no turning back now.

“I can’t stay here and watch you on TV, dating other people, kissing other people, being with other people.” You’re not dumb, you know what the fantasy suites on that show are for, and imagining Hongseok in one of them with somebody else makes you simultaneously want to cry and throw up.

“I don’t understand.” You groan. You were hoping that would’ve been enough to get your point across, but of course, your best friend isn’t that smart.

“I’m going to be so jealous.” You hate yourself for even saying it, but it’s true. Hongseok reaches out, taking your hands in his. “My heart can’t handle it.”

“y/n,” he says. “You’ll always be my best friend, regardless of what happens-”

You pull your hands away from his. You don’t understand how he’s not getting it at this point. Granted, you’re not thinking clearly because of the alcohol, but he should be able to read between the lines.

“That’s not what I meant,” you tell him. “I don’t just want to be your best friend.”

“What?” It seems like it’s starting to click now. But just to be sure, you decide to outright say it.

“I’m in love with you.” It comes out louder than you intended, but the second you say it, you know it’s true. Even though the realization only, truly, hit you today, you’ve never been more sure of anything in your life. Your heart is beating a million miles a minute, but it doesn’t matter. “Hongseok, I love you.”

“You do?” He asks quietly. You nod, too scared to say anything else. “I don’t know what to say.”

You wait, not sure what to say either. Both of you just stand there, awkwardly staring at each other for a few seconds. Panic starts to set in at that point, maybe you shouldn’t have said anything.

“y/n-” You can tell from the tone of his voice that he’s going to turn you down. You really shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“It’s okay.” You cut him off right away. You don’t want to hear him outright rejecting you, not now. “It’s okay.”

“y/n, I-” You reach over and press a finger to his lips. Maybe he’ll just brush it off as you being drunk, that’s what you’re hoping for anyway. You wish you could take it back, but that would be the next best thing.

“Really,” you force a smile. “It’s okay. I’m sorry.” You glance at the time on your phone, realizing your train will be there any second. You don’t want to think about the awkward train ride home.

“Here,” you tell him, gesturing towards the entrance to the train station. “You can take this one and I’ll wait for the next one, it’s okay.” Maybe if you say it enough times, it’ll be true.

“y/n, I can’t leave you waiting here for an hour on your own.”

“Fine, I’ll take a cab,” you tell him. “Just go, before I make a fool of myself again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he walks through the doors, so you awkwardly follow him. “Nothing’s changed.”

That hurts more than an actual rejection. You could tell he doesn’t have feelings for you too, but for him to dismiss your feelings like this stings. You can’t stand sitting next to him in dead silence on a 30 minute train ride. You can feel the tears starting to form in your eyes, but you try to ignore them.

Once you’re both on the platform, the train is already there, waiting.

“I’m going to go down there,” you say to him, pointing to the far end of the train. “Don’t follow me.” You hope he can’t tell your voice is about to break.

“Okay,” he replies, right away. That hurts too. You expect him to say something else, but he jumps into the first car.

You wait until he disappears from your sight before you turn and walk all the way to the other end of the train. Once you’re inside, and you’ve found a seat by the window, you take out your phone. You were hoping there would be some kind of text from Hongseok, but there’s one from your roommate instead.

Hongseok called me and said the two of you are out right now and he was going to take you home but something happened ???

You roll your eyes. You really don’t want to get into this right now. But you text your roommate back and say yes, that’s all true.

he asked me to pick you up from the train station, he said you’re arriving at 11 or so, I’ll meet you there

You immediately respond saying that isn’t necessary.

y/n, he said you’ve been drinking…. he’s worried about you getting home by yourself

The second you read that, the tears start to fall. You hate him so much. How could he have no reaction to your confession, but still worry about you like this? It doesn’t make any sense.

You respond and tell your roommate you’ll be there soon.

As the train pulls out of the station, you rest your head on the window and close your eyes. This train ride is so much different than the one this morning. You honestly wish you hadn’t said anything at all. Now you’ve probably lost your best friend forever.

===

Three days go by without hearing anything from Hongseok. At this point, you don’t know what there is to say. You spent a long time wondering if you should be the first to reach out, but you’ve said all you need to. If you’ve ruined your friendship by telling him your feelings, then that’s on you.

You really don’t want to make things any harder for him. You knew he was trying to get on the show, so you really shouldn’t have said anything to begin with. You hope he still makes the right choice for him, regardless of you confessing.

On Saturday afternoon, the doorbell rings. You expect it to be one of your roommates, as they tend to forget their keys often. When you open the door and see Hongseok, you’re stunned.

“Hi y/n,” he says, smiling. Seeing his face makes you want to smile too, but you can’t, considering all you’ve been thinking about these past few days.

“Hi,” you reply. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry,” he laughs. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Why are you here?”

“I came to say sorry.” You frown. “I was thrown off guard so my reaction may have come off the wrong way, and I’m sorry for that.”

“What do you mean the wrong way?” Now Hongseok looks nervous.

“How did you feel?” He asks you. “When you told me you’d take a different train, why did you say that?”

“You were rejecting me,” you say. “I didn’t want to sit in a train with you for 30 minutes trying not to cry.”

“You cried?” Hongseok looks like he’s about to cry himself, just hearing that. “I’m so sorry y/n.”

“It’s fine,” you tell him, shaking your head.

“I withdrew my application.”

“You did what?” You’re shocked.

“I called the producers and told them I wasn’t interested anymore.”

“I hope this isn’t because of me,” you say.

“Of course it’s because of you.”

Hongseok’s looking at you that way again, the same way he did downtown, right before his interview. Maybe he wasn’t rejecting you after all. You suddenly feel really nervous.

“I did some thinking,” he explains. “I did want to be on the show, but it was obviously for all the wrong reasons.” You smile at that.

“So you changed your mind?” He nods.

“I want to stay here, and be with you.” That makes your heart rate jump.

“For the right reasons?” You ask, jokingly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner,” he replies. “y/n, I love you too.”

You practically throw yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck. His arms are tight around your waist as he hugs you back.

“What if I had changed my mind?” You ask, pulling away a little bit. His arms are still around you.

“I knew you wouldn’t,” he rolls his eyes. “And I have a surprise for you, so that would’ve won you back.”

“A surprise?” Hongseok smiles, letting go of you. There’s a small paper bag sitting outside your front door, to the side, that you hadn’t noticed before. He grabs it, and pulls out your favourite cold drink.

“Here you are.” You say thanks and take a sip. “I have food as well, I was thinking we could go to the park.”

“The swings?”

“The way your eyes just lit up is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.” You roll your eyes at that. “But yes, the swings would be great.”

“Let me grab my things,” you tell him, stepping back into your apartment to get your phone and keys.

“This is going to be such a fun first date,” Hongseok says, as you lock the door.

“Date?” Technically, you knew that’s what this is, but it’s still shocking to hear him say it out loud.

“Yes… If that’s okay.”

“You didn’t bring me a date card though.” Hongseok laughs at that.

“This isn’t Bachelor in Paradise!”

“Well, no, but a card still would have been nice,” you say jokingly. The two of you walk down the hall to the elevator.

“Next time.” You nod in agreement. “Can I offer you a kiss instead?”

“I’m sorry what-” Before you can say anything else, Hongseok takes your hand and plants a kiss on the back of it. “Oh.”

“What did you think I meant, y/n?” He asks, a smirk on his face.

“Don’t worry about it.” The two of you step into the elevator and he pushes the button for the bottom floor.

“As your boyfriend, it’s my duty to worry about you.”

“Boyfriend?” You mean to tease him, but you’re more soft than anything. The word sounds so nice to say.

“Well yeah,” Hongseok says. “You love me, I love you, it only makes sense.”

“You should say that more often,” you tell him, as the elevator stops. He follows you as you step out.

“What?” He asks. “That I love you?” You can’t help but blush.

“Yeah,” you reply, absolutely smitten.

As Hongseok opens the door, and you step out into the warm air, he wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“I won’t let you forget it.”

[i-am-a-mes]

Blueberry Chapter 3

Summary: Y/N is fresh out of college with a small job at a newspaper, when she meets Chris Evans. They start a Sugar Daddy/Sugar baby relationship and try to navigate through their feelings, desires and personal obstacles.

Parring: AU Chris Evans x female plus size reader

Warning: Anxiety, panic attack, angst (sorry, have to for plot reasons ;))

A/N: Hi there. So this is my first Chris Evans fic. It’s still a WIP and don’t really have that much of a plan with it. It will be a fluffy, angsty, smutty adventure spiced with some Sugar Daddy, Ddlg and D/s elements. But don’t expect that from the get go though. It’s a slow burn in some elements. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment and share!

My Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter Three:

The door opened and revealed Chris standing by a sleek deep grey car. You know one of those cars you see in spy movies that you don’t believe exist. But my attention was quickly drawn from the vehicle to the man in front of it. 

He was wearing a deep blue suit that fit so well that you would think he was born wearing it. His white button-down was tieless and the first few buttons open. As he adjusted his cufflinks he looked up at me. 

I just stood still and didn’t quite know what to do with myself, so I just kinda stood there taking in this out-of-this world human specimen.

“Y/N! I thought you had bailed on me.” He came up to me and placed a small kiss on my cheek which made my applied blush disappear under the new red one I was sporting

“Uhm.. sorry.. I had to get down from the 5th floor” I looked up at him and blinked a few times.

“Slow elevator?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Slow legs.. No elevator” I said with a shrug.

“Wauw okay then. Are you ready?” 

He placed his hand behind my back and looked at me with that ever so charming smile.

“As I’ll ever be” 

He threw his head back in laughter and we made our way to the car. He opened the door for me and with a beat in his step he got around to the driver’s side and soon we were off. 

The drive was mostly silent besides the low rumble of the engine and soft music playing on the radio.

“So, have you lived here long?” He asked as we drove through my part of town, the poor and rundown side of town. 

“Well I moved here about 6 months ago, so yes and no” I stole a glance at him as I answered.

“And by that you mean…?” He had a smile in his voice as he asked the question.

“By normal standards 6 months are not that long, but by climbing 5 flights of stairs every day and dealing with my roommate it sure feels like an eternity” 

“A lot to handle maybe?” He asked genuinely with a quick glance my way.

“Yeah, to say the least” I looked defeated out the window as we drove nearer the center of the city.

Girl! Get out of your head. Ask him a question.

“Ahem.. “ I cleared my throat and some of my mind “How about you? Lived in the city for a long time?”

“You can say that. Born and raised in a town called Sudbury outside here of Boston. But I’ve lived here in the city on/off for about 10 years.”

“Oh okay” I nodded and began fiddling with my hands in my lap.

Another silent moment came over the car and before I knew it he was slowing down, and pulled up to a very fancy looking restaurant equipped with a red carpet in front of what looked like valet parking. He parked right in front of the place and quickly came over to my side to help me out of the car, and then tossed the keys to the valet guy. 

I felt his hand on the low of my back as he guided me inside. My nerves were all over the place and my mind kept bringing up the fact I had never in my life been anywhere that was this fancy or expensive.

“Take a breath sweetheart. I can feel your nerves running through you” he leaned down and whispered. I looked up at him to see his million dollar smile, which calmed me while also wounding me up more. 

He gave his name to the hostess who never glanced in my direction and we followed her to a secluded corner with a rounded bench seat and a round table. He guided me in and thanked the hostess who just battered her eyelashes at him and giggled before leaving us.

I slowly pulled off my jacket, and as I did Chris stopped his motion to sit down beside me.

“Wow!” 

“What?” I looked at him like I did something wrong.

“Nothing.. You just look great. Phew!” He smirked and shook his head as he placed himself besides me.

Soon two menus were in our hands and we were trying to decide what to get. I scanned the pages, not understanding much of what it said, only that everything was really… I mean REALLY expensive. 

Fuck! Maybe if I just get a starter as the main course and then some water. Yeah that should be durable. I got that 25 dollars I pulled from my in-case-of-emergency-piggy-bank

I gnawed on my thumb as I stared wide eyed at the options, and before I knew it the waiter was ready to take our orders.

“So what can I get you tonight?” He asked with a perfectly customer friendly voice.

“Ahem.. “I squirmed in my seat “I--I’ll have the tomato salad… and a glass of water. Thank you” I glanced up at the waiter.

“And for the main course Ma’am?”

“Just that please…” I swallowed as my face began heating up.

Chris studied me with intense eyes and then looked at the waiter.

“Will you excuse us for a moment?”

“Of course sir!” He turned and left us alone again.

Chris put down the menus and turned his body so he could get a better look at me.

“Hey Y/N...Are you okay?” 

I dared taking a peek at him before letting out a big sigh.

“Really? You really want to know?”

“Yes, I really do” His stare intensified.

“No I’m not okay. I have never been on a date with a guy like you, and never been to a place like this. I can’t for the hell of it understand why you would want to go on a date with me? Me of all the people you could pick. And I can’t afford any of the stuff, because I work a shitty job that doesn't pay much, but it's in the field of what I want to work at, so I just suck it up. And I don't have time for a second job because they keep giving me small shitty assignments that take up most of my time. And then there’s the 500 dollars I have to get by tonight so my roommate doesn’t kick me out.-- oh oh.. “I began to nervously chuckle “I’m all out of food, so can’t get any before Monday when I get paid, since my last 25 dollars are going to tonight's dinner..so no I’m not okay at the moment” 

My breath was jagged and uneven and I began pulling on the napkin in front of me.

“Easy Y/N. Breaaathe! Come on baby! Take a deep breath!” He placed one hand between my shoulderblades and one on my hands.

“Breathe with me… One..” He searched for my eyes, and as he caught them he made me take a deep breath with him.

“And two…” another one.

“The last one.. Three” His hand made calming circles on my back as he softly grabbed my hands. My eyes locked with his as we took the last big breath together.

“Good girl!” He praised as he lowered his hand to the small of my back, the praise and touch sent a thrill through my body. 

Oh holy shit that gave me the tingles.

“First of all, tonight, it’s on me. Maybe I should have made that clear, my bad. So keep those dollars for a real rainy day” He stated with a small smile and searched for my eyes again. I nodded as I held his eyes for a second.

“Second of all, I think you are absolutely beautiful, sexy and so interesting, so there is no one I would rather be here with than you”

“And thirdly I’m sorry to hear about your work situation. But why don’t you tell me about it and vent for a bit as we enjoy our meal and get to know each other a bit more”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and nodded.

“Sure, I think I can manage that”

Chris waved the waiter over and ordered for the both of us and as the waiter took the menus Chris squeezed my hands as he cast me another dazzling smile, which made me smile in return and even relax a little bit.

Over the course of our dinner we began to talk and really got to know each other. I learned he had three siblings, two sisters and a brother, loved the Patriots, loved to read when he had the time for it, and graduated top of his class at Harvard law. 

I told him about my recent college years and my love for writing and journalism. But whenever he tried to get some family info out of me, I would avoid the question and talk about something else. 

I really don’t want to open that can of worms right now. My anxiety is finally calming down.

After a few tries he seemed like he got the hint, and went on to different subjects. As the night progressed and the bottle of wine we had became empty, it seemed as if the night was over.

“This has been wonderful, Chris. Thank you, and sorry about my little thingy earlier tonight”

“Don’t think about it. And yes it really has been wonderful. But I don’t want the night to end quite yet. Are you up for a little walk?”

He looked me right into my eyes and what felt like my soul and all I could do was smile and say “Absolutely!”

We grabbed our things and went for a walk on the streets of downtown Boston. He had his arm around my waist and held me close to his side as we talked some more. Not before long we ended up in front of a little bakery that was placed in a much smaller brick building than the neighbouring houses. 

“Uhm, Chris, I think they are closed” I looked at him and crooked an eyebrow.

“Well, I might have pulled a few strings” He answered with a cheeky wink and knocked on the glass door.

A light went on in the small store, and an elderly woman walked up to the door with a big smile on her face, as she saw me and Chris and opened the door. 

“Ah Chris! My boy! Just on time.. By about 30 minutes” She exclaimed in a high pitched Boston accent as she pulled him down for a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Well you know how it is, Mrs.Kent, time flies when you are in good company” which made him pull me up besides him.

“Mrs. Kent, let me introduce you to Y/N. Y/N, Mrs.Kent. The best baker in Boston”

I went to shake her hand, but was surprised when the old lady pulled me into a hug.

“Oh how good to meet you girly! Come in! Come in. Everything is ready for you” She yanked me towards her, and I frantically looked back at Chris, who held his hand up to his chest and threw his head back in laughter, probably caused by my confused and shocked look by what was going on. 

Mrs. Kent dragged me through the entire bakery to a back door, with me casting continued glances at Chris. Mrs. Kent talked the whole way out, but I didn’t really register what she was saying as I was utterly confused. Suddenly the back door opened and my mouth dropped. A little courtyard filled with plants of all sizes and types, and with fairy lights covering every part of the top and walls. In the middle a small table stood with two cushioned chairs and with a small candle on top of a white embroidered tablecloth.

I turned around to see Chris coming up behind me and he grabbed my hand.

“Wauw.. Chris.. This is amazing!” I was in complete awe. 

“And it’s all for you sweetheart” He whispered so close to my ear that I felt his hot breath on my skin, giving me goosebumps. He placed me in the seat of one of the chairs, and scooted closer to me as Mrs. Kent returned with a small plate. 

“There you go, your dessert. Enjooooy” She said in a sing song smile as she walked back inside.

On the little mint green plate was a blueberry muffin. The most delicious and tasty looking muffin I have ever laid eyes on. Two small dessert forks lay beside it, and Chris picked one up and took a piece of the cake on it, before lifting it up to my lips.

“Open up” He smiled a wicked smile at me and held my eyes as I did as he told me. He placed the fork gently in my mouth and as soon as the soft spongy bit touched my tongue I closed my lips around the fork and closed my eyes and enjoyed the wonderful amazing tasty bite. 

“Mmmhmm! That is amazing” I slowly opened my eyes to find Chris staring at my lips and face with his lips slightly agape.

“It sure is” He stated in a soft whisper with somewhat dilated pupils. I couldn't help but turn a slight pink under his stare.

"So Y/N. I want to talk to you about something. It might be weird for you, but just hear me out, okay?"

"Ehm.. sure?" I hesitated, not knowing where this was going.

"You see, I'm a very busy man and my work fills up a lot of my time, so to have the time to find someone special, someone like you, is very rare for me" he took my hands in his "and I would love nothing more than to dive deeper into you and me, but my life as it is prevents that. So.." he took a breath and looked at me, studying my features "so I want to work out a compromise that hopefully can benefit both of us. I have enough money for a lifetime, but nothing or no one to spend it on and.. maybe you could help me with that" He looked away almost shyly before catching my gaze again.

"... I don't think I understand, Chris?" I swallowed hard, feeling on fire under his touch and stare.

"Hehe.. right. I want to start a sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship with you"

"WHAT????" 

I was in utter shock. This wasn't even on my radar of things that could happen. 

Oh my god! How stupid was I to think Chris Evans would want an actual relationship with me. 

I'm only good for what… arm candy? Sex escapades? No no no… 

This is not how I expected this night to go. Maybe a goodnight kiss and if I was lucky a second date. Not being asked to be a fucking sugar baby!? 

Do I look that desperate?

“Y/N… Hey Y/N… “ Chris tried to regain eye contact with me, while my mind completely took over and ran a mile a minute. “Sweetheart, look at me” Nerves could be heard in his voice.

Suddenly I turned to him and stared right at him with tears filling my eyes.

“Wow, Y/N calm down. Listen listen… I just wanted to..”

“Oh I’m perfectly aware of what you wanted.” I exclaimed in sadness and somewhat rage. “And to think I really thought I had a chance with someone like you, I guess I really am stupid” This was spoken with much more sadness and merely as a whisper as I got up from the table.

“Wait Y/N!” Chris went to grab my hand as I began to walk away, but I pulled it to me before he could get a grip on it. “What, Chris? What did you really think I would say to this… this lewd proposal…? Huh?” I straightened my back and glared at him, sniffled a little before continuing “You think I would absolutely love being.. Being a whore for you and your money? I couldn't care less about how much money you got. I thought you were a good man, a man I could really fall for. Turns out you just want a little plaything to toss money at. I might not be rich or have the best job, but I’m not selling myself for some coin and a dick!” 

I turned before I could see his reaction. I just knew I had to leave before I completely broke down. My anxiety was going up by the seconds. 

Breathe girl! Just till you get to the streets to find a way home.

I ran through the little bakery, past a very confused Mrs. Kent.

“Oh dear, where’s the fire?” She yelled as I ran towards the front door. The streetlights brought a yellow somber atmosphere as I looked up and down the street for a cab or bus stop. The moment my feet stood still for a second, tears filled my eyes as I angrily wiped them from my cheeks as they rolled down.

Behind me I could hear the little bell ring from the door of the bakery and soon Chris’ words reached me.

“Y/N WAIT!” 

I just shook my head as I pulled my jacket tight around me and began walking. His heavy footsteps could be heard behind me faster and faster as he caught up with me. 

“Y/N”.. he grabbed my shoulders to turn me around to face him, but I just kept staring at my feet. 

“Listen.. Shit” He dragged his hand across his face and then put a finger under my chin to lift my face up to meet his. My eyes was still drawn downwards.

“I fucked that whole thing up big time! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was buying you or something. Trust me!” 

“Well it did!” I answered in a small sobbing voice.

“I know! And holy shit I’m sorry for that! It was never my intention to make you feel like that. Please let me explain better. Let’s go back to the courtyard” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and began taking a step forward.

“No” I stood still.

“Chris, I want to go home. Please”

He looked at me with regret written all over his face and sighed.

“Alright. But I’m driving you home. Not up for debate”

I barely gave a nod, and he pulled me towards his car, which I had no idea how he got to the bakery from the restaurant. 

The drive back to my place was silent. I just kept myself tucked up against my door, glancing out the window at the city lights passing by.

“Y/N please believe me when I say I’m sorry! I just thought…”

“It’s okay Chris. Let’s just write this off as a bad date and leave it at that” My eyes stayed tuned on the passing streets as I answered him. I heard him say a whispered “fuck” under his breath. 

As soon we came to a stop in front of my apartment building I unbuckled and got out. 

“Bye Chris. Thanks for dinner” I cast a quick glance at him before getting out of the car.

“Wait.. Shit!” Chris struggled with his seat belt, and when he finally got out of the car I was almost at the door.

“Y/N… just hold up for a second”

He ran up to me, and for some God knows what reason I lingered at the door.

I just looked at him, a proper mess with makeup down my face.

“I really am sorry. I really hope you would consider giving me another chance, even though I don’t deserve it. Arrh! I just fucked this up majorly!”

“I don’t know what to say, Chris. I don’t know if I can, since I’m obviously not the kind of girl you are after. Goodnight, Chris, and drive home safe”

I gave him a sad small smile and went inside. I made it up the first flight of stairs before the tears began dripping down my face again.

How could I be so stupid?

Taglist

@thejemersoninferno​

[olsone13]

I Wrote it in Your Shower

A bouquet of flowers and some Italian food inspire a song

A/N: lol okay so i was oddly inspired while working this evening and this is what happened. Please be kind and any feedback is greatly appreciated!!! I also didn’t edit this very much after the initial writing of it...

TW: None really, sexual behavior implied but very, very lightly. 

The library was quiet. And that’s the way I liked it, just me and the books and my music. They had lives of their own that lived in the people that borrowed them and lost themselves between their pages. The books came back to me, always a little different than when they left me. I was on my break, reading the latest novel I had become absorbed into in the old leather chair by the window in the back corner of the library. It had the best natural light and no one seemed to bother me when I was back here, even though it was the best spot in the library. As the music flooded my ears and my eyes skimmed the pages, I saw a pair of scuffed boots standing a little too close to my chair to be an accident. Pulling an earbud out I asked the individual belonging to the boots what he needed.

“If you really need help, I can take care of it but I’m on break and Catherine at the front desk would be more than happy to help.”

“Oh, um, actually I was wondering if I could just sit and join you. I need a moment,” he said with a sigh. He looked familiar but I couldn’t place where I knew him from.

“Uh sure, it’s my favorite spot in the library and I’m in a good mood so have a seat,” I said as I shuffled myself and my sprawled lunch away from the other leather chair.

“The name’s Harry. And thank you for sharing your spot.” A soft smile reached his eyes as he looked back up at me. It was the I realized who he was and that he was singing to me in my headphones right now.

“Y/N. And of course, anything for you Harry” I said as I turned my phone screen towards him, to show that he was in fact the person I had in my headphones at the moment.

“I won’t tell anyone your secret, that you’re here, if you don’t tell anyone about my favorite spot” I winked at him when he quickly realized I knew he exactly who he was.  

“Deal,” he smiled back at me again, relief replacing the worry that had quickly appeared.

I finished my food and the remainder of the chapter I had started, all while Harry’s eyes never really left my space. He would occasionally check his phone but it felt like I was an animal being observed in a zoo. I started to gather my garbage and the book to check out since it had hooked me by chapter 1, asking Harry if he was staying any longer.

“I’ll be a bit longer I think. I like this space y’know? When are you done with work, I owe you a coffee or a drink or something for saving m’skin back there” He said as he shifted in his chair.

“I’m done around 3, so like an hour and a half, I know a cute cafe down the block and we can walk since it’s still nice out.” I quickly pushed myself out of the chair, walked to the front counter and tossed my garbage. The rest of my time passed quickly and I seemed to find every chance to visit the back corner to put away books or to just peek my head around the corner and catch his eye.

I clocked out and put my name tag on my desk so I wouldn’t forget it tomorrow. I threw my tote bag with my laptop and other work materials over my shoulder and picked up my purse. I went to go grab Harry, only to find him waiting for me outside the library specialists office.

“A specialist huh?” He asked me as we walked toward the staff parking lot.

“Uh yeah! I have always loved research and books and so I found a home here and I do some side projects with local colleges to assist on research materials and stuff.” I said as I unlocked my car door and threw my work bag and cardigan into the back seat. I was left in the sleeveless dress and loafers I had thrown on this morning.

“The cafe is just down the street a little if you’re okay with walking, otherwise I can drive us.”

“I think it’ll be nice to walk, just uh show me the way.” I started off down the path that cut through the park and towards the main part of old downtown. As we approached the café, I finished my story about how I had ended up in town. Harry opened the door for me and I walked up to the counter ordering a large caramel iced coffee, my drink of choice since I was 16 and needed an excessive amount of sugar to down the bitter drink. Harry stepped up and placed his order as well, grabbed both of our drinks and then picked out a small table in the back corner of the café.

“Wow a big ‘back-corner’ kinda guy huh?” I chuckled as I sat and grabbed my drink from him.

“S’habit.” He shrugged as he took a sip of his drink.

2 hours later and we were finally stepping out into the darkening main street. We walked back to my car and I looked at Harry again, asking where he was staying.

“Oh uh don’t worry bout me, I’ll find a ride” he said as he kicked a rock across the parking lot.

“Let me drive you there so you don’t get picked up by some weirdo, please?”

“A’right” he nodded like he was pressuring himself that this was the best decision, and got into the passenger seat.

After pulling into the hotel parking lot, Harry and I looked at each other for a moment before he said, barely above a whisper,

“Thank you for the normal day today” and getting out of the car. I waved back to him as I drove away and watched him disappear into the hotel doors. Cursing myself for not asking him to stay longer or at least get some way to contact him, I drove back to my apartment. I laid in bed and distractedly read my book. After reading the same page over and over again, I gave up and turned off the bedside lamp.

Morning came entirely too fast, and my dream of kissing Harry was cut short. I shook the sleep from my head and hopped in the shower before getting dressed for another day among the books.

“There’s something on your desk, came in as soon as I opened the doors this morning dear,” Catherine told me as I walked into the library.

“Thanks!” I called back as I entered the shared office space. When I looked at my desk, my jaw dropped, a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers was sitting on my desk. I pulled the card out as I set my bags on my desk chair.

“To being normal and back-corners. Call Me - H”

Harry Styles had just sent me flowers AND he wanted me to call him? I thought to myself, as I got my desk set up for the days work. I wold be doing more research than front desk work today, which meant more time to stress over whether or not I was actually going to be calling him. By the time lunch rolled around, I had dialed his number 6 times but never actually called. Yes I was a grown woman, reduced to jello by one celebrity crush, but who wouldn’t be? I dialed the number and held my breath, praying for the voicemail.

“Mornin’ was waitin’ for you t’call me.” I could hear the smirk as I stammered out a hello.

“Well, I uh, you know was busy. I’m a professional you know?” I said as I walked into the staff room to grab my lunch, which was a sandwich again. I sat down on the plastic chair and Harry asked me about my day and what had happened so far.

“Oh you know, the usual. I walked in to a giant bouquet of flowers and then trying to focus on very important research but focusing on the wrong… erhm… subject” I said through bites of food.

“The wrong subject huh? Why don’t you tell me all about this wrong subject at dinner tonight? 7pm work for you?” He asked.

“Bold of you to assume I have no plans, but yeah 7pm should be great.” I said with a little smile, knowing he was grinning from ear to ear by the way he sounded on the phone.

“Text me your address and I’ll pick you up. My turn to drive, love” He said as he hung up the phone. Did I really just get asked on a date? Tonight? What was I supposed to wear?

I smoothed the black dress down and picked up my purse. It was simple, but it was flattering and we were just going for some Italian food at the bistro by the river. Harry pulled up in front of my building and I walked over to the car. I slid into the front seat and looked over at Harry who was wearing a floral shirt, flared cords and some boots.

“Well you clean up nicely, although the flared pants are a dead give-away” I said as he started to pull away.

“What are you talking about?” He looked confused as I chuckled to myself.

“Well clearly people know you’re here, otherwise you would not have been hiding in my library yesterday. Those pants are a dead giveaway that it’s you, they’re nice though. I like them.” I finished with a shrug. He just looked at me and shook his head not saying anything.

We enjoyed dinner, wine and sharing stories about out lives, mine seemingly more boring than his. The drive back to my apartment felt too short and I didn’t want the night to end, so I took a chance.

“If you… want to… you can, uh come up to my apartment. Nothinghastohappenthoughifyoufon’twantitto” I rushed through at the end. I could feel my cheeks darken, the wine from earlier also contributing the their rosy shade.

“I would love to.” Harry parked the car and followed my into my apartment. As soon as I opened the door, I kicked my heels off and let out a sigh of relief. I walked into the kitchen and took down two glasses to pour us some more wine. Harry wandered around my small one-bedroom and looked at the pictures and books that littered every conceivable surface. I handed him his glass, and his hand lingered on mine for a moment before he plopped down on the couch.

“Well, s’alright if I end up staying here? Don’t feel like driving anymore and I sense that bottle won’t last long” He said as he took a sip of his wine.

“Yeah, I’ll grab you some clothes if you want to sleep in uh not corduroy pants and some blankets and stuff” I said with a giggle, the wine from the restaurant hitting me as well as the half glass I just gulped down. I grabbed some big shorts that I kept for god knows why and an extra large shirt that I usually used as a smock for house projects as well as a blanket and pillow from my bedroom.

“More wine?” I asked after I set everything down on the floor besides the couch. He followed me into the kitchen nodding his head to indicate another glass wouldn’t hurt anything. Before I could even think about it, Harry’s lips crashed into mine. The kiss was warm and smooth and tasted like pasta with the wine he had just finished. Wine and extra bedding forgotten, we didn’t sleep much that night.

I woke up to Harry singing in the shower, something about sunflowers if I heard him correctly. I rolled over and threw on an old t-shirt from the floor and made breakfast.

I was in the library when I heard the song for the first time. Harry’s new album had come out recently and I had finally had time to listen to the whole thing while I was working on putting loaned books back in their place. It was the song from the shower, but it was on his album. Did he write a whole song about that night? I felt my heart rate pick up. Harry and I hadn’t talked much since that night and hardly at all while he was writing the album. I pulled out my phone and hopped he still had my phone number.

“I listened to the album, it’s so good H. I think my favorite was the one about kissing in the kitchen lol” I sent the message before I could overthink it anymore. My phone buzzed again a couple minutes later and I smiled as I saw who it was from.

“Well I would hope so, wrote the bloody thing in your shower after all.”

[salems-hq]

in-game dates included in this drop: september 11th-12th system hack: evening of september 11th, 6:47pm.  town hall mob: immediately following the hack, reaching its peak at 7:26pm. warehouse: the morning of september 12th, 5:28am trigger warnings: violence, murder, dead bodies, gore, horror, and supporting themes, religious themes

setting: all across salem, affecting all powered televisions, mobile devices, PCs/laptops, and radios

it’s a normal saturday evening in salem. daily activities are winding down, transitioning into family dinners, game nights. businesses are booming as the sun begins to set, jaunting near the horizon for a final show before giving way to nighttime. main street is crawling with life. it seems as though the city has come to terms with its last jarring occurrence, and things are almost back to normal, even amidst looming threats- which have thus far failed to prove credible. birthday parties, retirement dinners, sport championships, engagement parties: there’s no lack of celebration on the street. this is what makes the interruption that much more memorable. 

the sound of static alters the music coming from various speakers that adorn main street’s lampposts before pushing it to a halt. few people pay it any mind, until a voice chimes into the air, through the speakers on the street, radios, phones, laptops, and other affected devices. “good evening, salem.” the voice brings with it the simultaneous shutdown of all powered screens in the city. one by one, people cry in surprise as the single image of a skull appears in the center of their screens, the spoken words written underneath it. the disguised voice continues. “don’t be alarmed. i’m merely here to indulge you all with some secrets our dear mayor has decided to keep from us.” the skull vanishes, and the captions continue as video footage comes onto the screen. a single figure can be seen in the footage, standing near the edge of the recognizable forest river park.

FREDERICK B. FREEMAN stands center frame. unknown to the public, MIKKO THROMBEY is behind the camera, having recorded this incident himself after receiving an anonymous tip about the mysterious civilian. he stands in the shadows, having followed frederick all the way from downtown. mikko’s breath hitches, which can be heard on the video footage, as he watches the man double over, almost as if in pain. limbs can be heard cracking, shifting, as the man slowly morphs into an animalistic, hideous creature. the camera zooms in on the gruesome transition, catching it in its entirety before the creature’s head suddenly snaps up. its gaze points straight into the camera, holding there for a few moments before turning into the forest at full speed. 

“this footage is from the computer files of none other than the dashing mayor JULIAN AUSTERE. how many things has our city kept from us? what other dangers do we not know about? what ELSE are they keeping from us? freddy here isn’t the only monster among us. where have all these missing persons victims come from? why are they here now? our city officials have known about these suspicious arrivals for weeks and have kept us in the dark.”

as the voice continues, various files are shared through the screens. official city hall documents, emails exchanged between officials and contracted employees, and images of the mentioned ‘returned missing persons’. “have these demons come here to infiltrate us? why are we still in the dark?”

a smiling image of MAYOR AUSTERE appears on the screens, followed by the edited effect of invisible claws slashing diagonally through the image. “wake up, salem. we deserve the truth.” the same skull appears on the screens before the message disappears, and all devices are released from the hack. 

                                    ___________________________________________

setting: town square

one would think images such as the video leaked to the public would shut everyone in their homes out of fear, but then again...salem has never been known to follow the meek mentality of fear. instead, hysteria rises. as if driven by a hive mind, the majority of the city has taken to marching down the streets, headed for the same location: city hall. 

julian austere had been in his office at the time of the hacking, wrapping up a day’s work. he had been on his way out the door when the radio in the upstairs accounting department suddenly switched channels, playing the hacker’s recording through the second floor. as expected, the mayor heads to the city hall’s tech department, where the employees are doing their best to counteract against the hack- to no avail. the hacker’s message comes to an end, and it isn’t long before the all too familiar sounds of a mob reaches the building’s steps. 

the mayor exits the building to meet the growing crowd, narrowly dodging garbage and other such articles that are thrown his way. he comes to a stop at the top of the stairs, looking down at the crowd, at a loss for words. how can you call yourself our mayor?! why are you keeping secrets?! what else is there what else don’t we know are you even on our sidehowcanwetrustaliaryoudon’tdeservetob-

“people, people, please!” his voice cuts through the shouted questions that threaten to crumble his already wavering psyche. the worst possible case scenario has just shown up on his doorstep- and he finds himself struggling to deal with it. “i assure you it was never my intention to keep secrets from you,” he continues, brows furrowing over a sincere gaze. however honest he’s being, the mayor is clearly not in top condition to deal with the situation. he opens his mouth again to stammer out his explanation, when a heavy hand lands on his shoulder.  

“your mayor neglected to inform you all per my instructions,” the figure booms from beside mayor austere. the crowd seems to silence at the sudden arrival, entranced by the stranger. to them, the man seems to be glowing with an unsourced light. “i am the archangel GABRIEL,” behind gabriel stands MICHAEL, who is known around town. “joined by my brother Michael. we asked your mayor to investigate a breach in hell’s gates for us, and report directly to us to avoid a panic like the one we have now. please, be still.” incredulous mumbles scatter through the crowd, but they are quickly dispersed when the two angels standing by the mayor unleash their wings. to many, it might be too difficult to stare directly at. the light they resonate is celestial. “but now that things are in the open, we can assure you that this creature you saw on your devices is on your side. they are a select few who have been allowed to return to their human forms. they protect the town in exchange, per our orders. mayor austere hasn’t lied to you. dark threats loom over this city, and i fear the worst is yet to come. please, go home for now. continue your lives as you have been. my brother and i will be available to you from here on out, but for now...get some rest.” the angels ignore the questions being thrown at them and usher the mayor back into city hall. the last thing the crowd sees before the double doors close are michael’s large, blindingly white wings, which sends a gust of wind into the crowd strong enough to push people a few feet back. 

                                    ___________________________________________

setting: the old lumber mill warehouse, just between salem and eastrath 11:51pm.

“that makes 13.”

“i count 14.”

ANTHONY LORENZO and ORION GREYSON stand amidst 14 bodies, protected from detection and watchful eyes by azrael’s own blessing. the imp raises a bloodstained hand to his mouth. a tongue hovers near the ruby red substance when a crash comes from the other side of the warehouse, earning the interest of both men. matching grins, sharper than an assassin’s knife, stretch as eyes full of bloodlust meet each other. 

“you know what’s better than 14?”

claws unsheathe from the imps hand, the sound slicing through the still night air. the sound of bones cracking follow as the siren cracks his neck. the two are in the outer hallway immediately, allowing tony a glimpse of a new victim fleeing out the back door, into the woods outside. they expertly dodge each other as they rush through the hallway and out the door. it would be clear that this is not their first massacre together, were anyone watching.  

“15.” 

shadowy figures move out of the warehouse and into the night, their supernatural speed causing them to look more like electrically charged figures bounding from spot to spot. it doesn’t take long for them to catch up to the fleeing civilian. they follow him into a clearing in the woods, where he stops in the middle, out of breath. “please! i have a family! i can get you money!” in unison, the boys chime. “oh, shut up.” the last thing the man sees is red: the color of his own blood staining tear-filled eyes. 

                                     ___________________________________________

the police are at the warehouse the following morning, responding to a 911 call at 5:22am from a warehouse employee. the warehouse’s main hall is covered in blood, and a few dozen of the bodies have been posed in the center of the floor. torsos, severed heads and limbs, are littered on the floor in the shape of a pentagram. the pentagram’s shape is lined underneath the bodies in blood. found in the woods, half a mile from the scene, is old farmer abernathy, strung on a pole in a fashion similar to that of a scarecrow. his throat has been slashed and stuffed with some of the dry grass that covers the clearing’s floor. his hands are purple from the ropes tightly wound around his wrists. surrounding the figure on the pole is a much larger pentagram, this time made of fire. 

the fire crew are the next people on the scene, soon followed by local news stations. the story is broadcast on the first news of the day, the 7am session. headlines read: MASSACRE AT THE MILL. a moment of silence is given on the news for the following victims: 

Melody Pearson, Katrina Brock, Patti Cooper, Isaac Hernandez, Jaime Greer, Janie Briggs, Austin Hammond, Valerie Bradley, Lee Grant, Betsy Fletcher, Carroll Schneider, Clayton Abernathy, Gordon Delgado, Mindy Chandler, Sylvia Summers

                                    ___________________________________________

PLAYER NOTES: players may post threads surrounding/involving the events of this plot drop. if you want your muse to have known any of the listed deceased, go ahead and add it into your interactions! if you would like your muses to have plot specific interactions (i.e meeting with the mayor, any of the exposed angels, etc), or have part in any upcoming plot drops, events, etc, please approach any admin. 

tldr; first of all :’) ow. second of all, ANGELS have appeared in salem, specifically the archangels MICHAEL and GABRIEL 15 bodies have been found with no suspects thus far. NEWS ANCHORS announced an 8pm CURFEW following the murders, effective immediately. 

[atreegrowsinnorthnywrites]

A little v-day love story

I was on my second helping of Dad’s infamous enchiladas when my older brother, Sam, clapped his hands together and declared, “We’re going out!”

My fork clattered to the half-eaten plate and I gave him a stern shake of my head.

“Come onnn, Em,” Sam whined, precariously tipping back his chair so it hovered on two legs. “You can’t sit around and mope forever. Silas and Sean will come too.”

I looked to my two other older brothers with a challenging raise of my eyebrow as Dad leaned forward and cuffed Sam over the head. 

“Hell no I’m not,” Sean said without hesitation. All four legs of Sam’s chair returned to the ground with a disappointed thud. “I love you and I’m here for you, Em, but no.”

I chuckled at my eldest brother’s immediate reaction. With a family of his own, and an hour and a half drive back to Tucson, I was not surprised in the least. Silas’s lips were pursed and he actually appeared to be considering. 

“Just say no,” I muttered as Sam egged him on. 

“I have to text Paige,” Silas said slowly, “but if she doesn’t mind.”

“YES!” Sam pumped his fist triumphantly. “Dad?”

I looked to our patriarch, mid-lift of his beer to his lips, who snorted. “I’ll pass, but so thoughtful of you.” I stifled laughter at Sam’s disappointed face. 

“Alright, Em. Go get ready.” 

“I’m not done eating?”

My plate disappeared with a quick swipe of Sam’s hand and he waved me away with the other. “You are now.” 

---------------------------------------------------------

An hour later we were pulling out of the long driveway that led to Dad’s ranch. I was wedged in the back seat of Silas’s truck between his work boots and tools, Chattahoochee blaring through the speakers, Sam and Silas arguing about the best bar in Bisbee on a Friday night, and it hit me this was the first time I had ever gone out with my brothers. 

If I thought about it more, it wasn’t that surprising. After the divorce-court mandated summers in Arizona with my dad and brothers had ended my senior year, I never came back for an extended period again. My mom, my friends, and college were all back in Michigan. Once I met Thomas my sophomore year at Michigan State, I had spent my holiday weekends with his family in Chicago instead of visiting my own. 

“You need more air, Em?” Silas asked from the front seat, smiling at me in the rear view. 

“I’m good,” I murmured back, a wave of guilt flooding me. 

Guilt that reminded me the five years of my life I had spent on Thomas had been a waste, and when the engagement and subsequent wedding had been called off, it had been my dad and three older brothers who had welcomed me home. It was my dad and brothers who had no judgement or questions. 

“You better not sulk all night,” Sam warned, whipping around and eyeing me warily. 

“I won’t.” I crossed my arms and scowled. 

“Good.” 

It had been three months since I had broken down in sobs at a dinner with Thomas and proclaimed I couldn’t marry him. Though I would die before admitting aloud any of my brothers were right, it was indeed time to get out of the house.  

After Silas parked the truck in downtown Bisbee, we made our way down the string-light filled main street toward a packed bar with live music. Wafts of cigarette smoke, and definitely weed, greeted us outside the door. Silas and Sam shuffled me inside, pushing passed bodies to inch our way towards the bar. The crowd was far more eclectic than I would have guessed for my western brothers, with a band that sounded more like folk rock than country. 

“What’ll it be?” Sam shouted over the music.

“A margarita,” I yelled back. “Spicy, if they can.”

He gave me a thumbs up and approached the bar while Silas waved to a group of guys from across the bar that had recognized him. During my summers on dad’s ranch, the only friends I ever really made were friends of my brothers, but I had not seen any of these guys since high school. The band played the final notes of their song and the crowd cheered enthusiastically as they announced a short intermission. Then I heard a high-pitched whistle.

“Ho-ly shit.”

I turned at the curse and came face-to-face with a brown haired, short-bearded, six-foot-or-so man wearing a white t-shirt, dark jeans, and vans. I squinted, and then he said my name.

“Emmeline Collins.”

There was only one person I had ever heard drag the “i” in my name that way.

“Lane?”

My stomach was in my throat. I remembered, very clearly, the last time I had ever spoken to Lane Diaz. He was smiling despite my memory, his right hand wrapped around a bottle of Corona and his left in the pocket of his jeans.

“Didn’t recognize me?” He asked with a laugh, and I debated admitting the truth. He looked great. Better, actually. But his southern accent had faded, and his cowboy look from all the years romping around the ranch with Sam was gone.

“Diaz!” Sam cried as he approached with two bottles in one hand and my cocktail in the other. He distributed the drinks for Silas and me, and then gave Lane a hug. “What’s up, man?”

“Just getting reacquainted with Em.” I frowned. Were we though? “Y’all didn’t mention your little sister was back in town.”

Sam looked down at me and then back to Lane. “Oh, right! You two haven’t…since…oh...right.” Sam took a long pull of his beer, and I stared him down the entire drink.

“Weekend visit to see the family?” Lane asked politely.

“Uhm,” I sipped my margarita for courage. A bite of jalapeño, just the way I liked it. “No. I’m uh, here for the summer.”

“Just like when we were kids,” Lane observed. I took another drink.

“Oh, hey!” Silas announced loudly, moving towards the crowd, “I see uhm...yeah I’ll be over here.” 

Silas hurried out of sight, but when Sam went to follow, I dug the heel of my sandal down into his foot.

“What’s it been? Six years?” I asked Lane, taking a third sip and willing the alcohol to hit quickly.

“Seven in August, actually.”

Oh, he remembered.

“I’m going to let you two catch up,” Sam declared bluntly, extracting his foot from under my heel through gritted teeth and patting my shoulder as he walked by. The band was returning to the stage. Lane nodded to a pair of empty seats that had just vacated next to a window, on the far side of the bar from the band. I was trapped and agreed with a jerky, awkward nod.

“You look as surprised to see me as I am to see you,” He noted as we sat down.

“My brothers didn’t mention you were still around,” I replied. I was not entirely surprised he was, considering the rate of people who never leave a small town, but Lane had always seemed different. It was what had attracted me to him all those years ago.

“I moved back last summer,” He shared as the band started up again.

“Where were you before?” I asked over the growing sound.

“Army.”

Now, that, I did not expect. We had talked about going to college together on the west coast before everything happened.

“And you?” He asked, “What are you doing here?”

The question was edged with a coolness I deserved. His face was serious, his warm, brown eyes watching me intently. I did not want to rehash my screwed up, disappointing life with my ex-boyfriend, of all people.

“Another drink, hon?” A waitress asked from behind and I realized I had drained the cocktail in my hand.

“Yes,” I agreed quickly, “Margarita with jalapeño.”

Lane chuckled as the waitress walked away.

“What?” I asked him defensively.

“Why am I not surprised Em Collins’ drink of choice is tequila and spice?”

Ouch.

“The same reason I’m not surprised yours is Corona. What are you on vacation in Rocky Point?” I scoffed.

“You know I asked for a Pina Colada, but they gave me this instead.”

I laughed, and his stoic expression split into the friendly grin I had seen when he first caught sight of me in the bar.

“How long were you in the Army?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. He had a knowing look on his face, aware that I had dodged his question, but polite enough not to call me out. Yet.

“Four years.”

The waitress returned with my drink, and I made sure to put it on Sam’s tab.

“Good for you,” I replied, “Thanks for your uh…service.”

Lane cringed and took a sip of beer while I briefly contemplated throwing back my entire drink so I could at least claim my awkwardness was from blacking out.

“So, where’s your fiancé?” He asked. 

I froze mid sip of my drink and looked up at him. We had not been friends on social media since my freshman year of college when a few months into dating Thomas I did an inventory of old photos and took down all of those with Lane and removed him as a friend. A little dramatic, thinking back on it. 

“How did you…”

“Sam and I are still friends, Em.”

Duh. My stupid brother had probably told him ages ago. The alcohol was starting to go to my head, making me light and loose-lipped. I didn’t even know why I was skirting around this. I had nothing to prove to Lane Diaz. 

“I broke off the engagement a couple months ago. We’re not together.”

It was the most abrupt way I had said it yet. It felt painfully final. Despite my boldness, I could not look at Lane’s face and so I followed it with a shrug and stared out the window.

“Damn. I’m sorry.” Lane said gently. 

“It was for the best,” I said quickly, glancing at him and seeing furrowed eyebrows, “Trust me.” 

“Doesn’t make it any less hard,” He noted. No, no it did not.

“It sucks, but what do you do,” I replied pitifully, taking yet another drink.

“Is that why you’re back?” He pressed. Lane was never scared to push me. I remember that about our two summers together. He always asked the questions I did not want to answer. Challenged the things I thought and believed. 

“Part of it,” I admitted, “Honestly, uhm...I’m having a bit of a quarter-life crisis.”

“I see.”

“I knew my dad would be more understanding...”

A look of recognition crossed Lane’s face and he winced for me. I had almost forgotten our daily phone calls nearly every night of my junior year.

“How’d your mom take it?” He raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You’re a jackass,” I said with a flourish of my straw, flicking droplets of my drink in his direction. “Because you know exactly how well she took it.”

He coughed on his drink of beer and we both broke into laughter.

“Still a little high strung then?”

“A little?”

“Worse?” Lane gaped.

“After I told her we broke up, she called me back and said I needed to beg for Thomas’s forgiveness. Tell him I was having mental health issues or I would fracture my future.”

“Jesus.”

I finished the rest of my second margarita at the memory of my mother’s shrill voice on the phone. We had spoken once since, and that conversation had been even worse.

“How’s your ma?” I asked, desperate to change the topic.

“She’s good. She was sick last year, but she’s feeling better.” He paused at the look of my face, and I bit my lip to keep from asking more. I had my assumptions with the smoking habit his mom, Eileen, had back then. “She would love to see you.”

He placed emphasized on the word love, and I looked away, uncomfortable at the very thought of going back to Lane’s childhood home where we used to hang out alone when his mom was working nights. Lane seemed to regret the statement and drained the rest of his beer. Regardless of my discomfort, I was not heartless.

“I’d love to see her too,” I added, and Lane relaxed. When his tense shoulders fell, I noticed how much more muscular he was than when we were kids. His brown skin wasn’t as tan anymore though, so he must work indoors. My eyes subtly trailed down to his hand, where I noted no ring on any fingers.

“Another round?” The waitress asked and Lane opened his mouth to answer, but instead gestured to me to decide.

“Sure,” I agreed, and she winked at me, obviously assuming we were on an early date. 

“You don’t have to,” Lane said. “I understand if you rather go find your brothers.”

Maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was pure curiosity, but I shook my head. “No, this is…nice.”

He gave me his iconic frown smile I remembered well. “Well, alright then.”

The waitress returned with our drinks and when he offered up his credit card, I placed my hand over his and smiled sweetly at her, “Put them both on Sam Collins’ tab. That’s S-A-M.” 

When the waitress walked away to do just that, I realized my hand was still on top of Lane’s, my body angled close enough to his I could smell his minty aftershave. He smiled softly and I dropped his hand, quickly reaching for my third drink. The most sour margarita they had made me yet. My mouth puckered and I shivered as it went down.

“There’s the girl I remember.” I tilted my head with curiosity at his comment and Lane laughed, taking a drink instead of elaborating.

“I’m nothing like that girl anymore,” I declared defiantly. 

“Good,” Lane said, his smiling fading as he set down his beer. His eyes softened, and his voice dropped. “Because that girl broke my heart.” 

[tirednotflirting]

when you're next to me and the music's loud

i joined the crew of people who wrote like, love letter fics to their city (though i will be back to do it again bc i’m a romantic about this place lol). so here is jalex in austin !

title and inspo from the ungodly number of times i listened to don’t come down by the maine. thank you to literally rian dawson on a podcast for getting me to sit down and finally listen to all of lovely little lonely lol

i don’t mention the name of specific places for the sake of allowing you to kinda picture whatever you want while reading this thing but if you’re curious, the boys are seeing a show at this restaurant/venue called stubb’s (the indoor part of the venue which i’m not sure if they ever actually played but they DID play the outdoor bit in like 2011 or something).

feel free to come chat w me about austin or the couple of other places i halfway mention if you wanna. i love my city w my whole little heart and miss dancing and singing at shows 

here it is on ao3

Watching Alex watch a show is probably Jack’s favorite view in the world.

He’s traveled around the world more times than he can keep track of at this point. Watched the sunrise over a few different oceans and sunsets over crowds of thousands singing along to words Alex scratched out into journals over a decade earlier. He’s watched meteor showers and solar eclipses and yet none of them hold a candle to the smile he can see on Alex’s face as he looks back at him from the crowd in this tiny, packed room.

He just barely catches the wink Alex throws in his direction before the bartender is tapping his shoulder to hand him his card back. Jack thanks her and weaves his way back through the crowd to Alex’s side. A lemon-vodka-flavored kiss is placed against the corner of his lips in thanks as Alex starts singing along to the song he’s somehow already learned the words to despite having never heard of this band before they started playing an hour earlier.

Jack knows he should be watching the band up on stage thirty or so feet in front of him but his attention just keeps getting pulled back to the boy next to him. To the way the blue and pink lights shine against Alex and paint his hair a bright purple (he makes the mental note to mention to him later that he should consider it next time he decides to dye his hair). To the way Alex bounces on his toes in the same way he does when up on stage himself. It’s always been one of Jack’s favorite parts about going to shows with Alex, the fact that he watches shows in the same way he performs one. It’s further evidence of how in sync he always is with the people who come to see them play.

It had been Alex’s idea to find a show to go to on their off night in the city. The venue’s website had no notice that tonight’s show was sold out so after dinner they wandered down the street and bought tickets at the door. Jack bought the tickets and Alex bought their first round (This is like a rock and roll version of dinner and movie, right?). 

He closes his eyes for a moment then and takes a breath before bringing his drink to his lips again. Jack has always loved coming to Austin. He’s spent his entire life in love with live music. He loves the volume that leaves his ears ringing and bright lights and screaming along with singers from crowds. It’s always been his favorite part of being in a band, that he gets to help create those moments. Sometimes he forgets what it’s like from this end though. And this city always feels like the best place to come to for a reminder. The city always feels like it’s singing, like there’s music coming from every corner. It’s a different feeling from LA or Nashville or any other big, bright city. It feels more pure and alive but in an unpolished kind of way. Austin is what live music is meant to feel like.

“What’s going on up there?” Jack hears as Alex’s lips brush against his ear while tapping a finger against his forehead. He opens his eyes to the bright lights and blinks a few times so he can focus on the room before turning to let his eyes lock with Alex’s. Jack watches the stage lights flash in the dark brown of his irises, another view he should be so familiar with by now but still knocks him out every time. His free hand drops to wrap around Alex’s waist to pull him into his side and his cheeks warm at the laugh he receives in response though the music is loud enough he can’t hear it.

“Just happy. To be here, to be with you,” Jack leans in to say so he can be heard above the music. He watches Alex close his eyes and smile in the flashes of colored light coming from the stage and Jack returns the grin when he feels Alex lean more into his side and drop his head against Jack’s shoulder. He reaches for Jack’s free hand with his own and presses his lips against the back of it and Jack figures it says more than what he would likely be able to hear over the crowd and the music.

Jack knows it’s a ridiculously cheesy thought but there really is something so intimate about standing in the middle of a crowd with the person you love. He can hear the music, see the lights and the colorful crowd around them, taste the tequila on his tongue but his head is full of nothing but a static of Alex Alex Alex. As he’s gotten older, Jack found he was proud of himself for his ability to be more present as he moved about life and the world around him. But every once in a while his heart clouds up what’s in front of his eyes and the weight of his smiling, singing boy against his chest is the only thing in the world. It’s a peaceful feeling. For as long as he can remember, even when they were rowdy, screaming kids, Jack’s brain has always automatically associated Alex with peace. It’s something he’s been thankful for, to grow up in this wild world they created for themselves while holding the eye of the hurricane against his chest.

Alex lifts his head from Jack’s shoulder then and returns to shouting and jumping along with the crowd. The song comes to a close soon after and Jack wraps an arm around Alex’s middle to sway them back and forth as they listen to the singer introduce what is to be the final song of the night. He thanks the crowd and tells them to come out back to say hello after they pack up. Jack smiles fondly as he remembers hearing similar words from another lead singer in the same room nearly a decade earlier. He hopes the boy standing at stage right all those years ago would be proud of where he’s at now, playing to bigger rooms further downtown and holding the boy he loves against his chest. (A younger Jack would probably be most surprised that he’s drinking tequila though, if he’s being honest.)

“Where are we headed after this? Zack and Rian are asking if they can join,” Alex says into Jack’s ear to bring him back out of his nostalgia.

Jack drops his head to rest on Alex’s shoulder, his arms wrapping further around his middle. “Girl at the bar was recommending this other bar basically across the street. Said they have a food truck too if the boys are wanting food. I’ll drop the location for it when we’re heading out.” “Always one step ahead, aren’t you?”

“Only when playing tourist,” Jack laughs before turning to press his lips to Alex’s hair. He stands up straight then as the song starts and this time he instinctively starts jumping with the rest of the crowd as he recognizes the tune coming from the stage. Alex joins him and then they’re both bouncing and dancing around in the middle of the packed room, loudly singing to a chorus they both only barely know. 

Soon enough, their eyes are sparkling as they laugh and try to catch their breath, the room already clearing out as the crowd heads for the merch booth and the bathrooms. Jack shoots the name of the bar to the group message while Alex spins around in circles while tying his flannel around his waist, bopping his head along and singing to a song that’s no longer playing. “Come on,” Jack says while pocketing his phone and reaching for Alex’s hand. “The food truck has chili fries.”

“God, I love you,” Alex says dazedly as they reach the stairs to take them back to the street level. 

Jack laughs. “Because I know where to get chili fries at nearly midnight in downtown Austin?”

“For so many reasons, my love, but at this moment, yes. Because of the chili fries.”

“Alright, silly boy. Love you, too.” 

And then they’re back outside and somehow the magic of the crowd and the band and the lights hasn’t faded as they head for the crosswalk. Jack is used to leaving a show and stepping back into a reality that just doesn’t feel as special as the energy of a show. Maybe that’s the most special part about Austin, that the entire city carries that magic in the gentle breeze blowing under the hem of his t-shirt. He’s turning to Alex as they cross the street to describe the feeling to him and see if he even understands what he means, when the grip Alex has on Jack’s hand tightens momentarily. 

“I can feel it, too.”

Jack can only laugh in response, because of course Alex gets it. He always gets it. Later when they’re dancing around their hotel room, Alex will compare the feeling to something having to do with the formation of galaxies and exploding supernovas. Jack will smile and agree with every comparison Alex makes but when asked for his own, Jack will remember the weight against his chest during the show and the reflection of the city in dark brown eyes and give an answer with a more simple, four letter name. 

*

[emybain]

nodrian headcanons where they get to live slightly normally/where they get to take a little break from reality and just be "normal"

this was super fun to write! im a little bitter that they never got an actual, honest date in the series, so I decided to take that into my own hands. hope you like it:)

CONTAINS SUPERNOVA SPOILERS

    Change is good. Change is good. Change is good.

    Those three words were on a loop in Nova’s head. She stared at herself in the mirror, torn between liking the clothes on her body and wanting nothing more than to rip them off and put on leggings and a sweatshirt. It was nothing fancy, just a pair of acid washed jeans with a plain white t-shirt. She dressed it up a little bit with a necklace Honey had given her years ago and her father’s bracelet. The biggest issue was the bandana in her hair; Ruby had convinced her to buy it a few weeks ago because Nova liked the pattern. It was a simple light blue silky fabric with tiny pink flowers here and there. It was pretty, that was all. But Nova had seen how other girls had started wearing bandanas as hair accessories, and she kind of liked that, so she was now debating whether or not to keep the one she had bought tied in her hair. 

    She was going out on a date with Adrian for the first time since the Supernova and since they decided to break up to give one another time and figure things out. A couple weeks ago, he had  casually mentioned that he was ready whenever she was, but he would wait for her. That had terrified her, honestly, and it wasn’t until a few days ago that she sent him a text telling him that she was ready, too. 

    Her therapist, a nice older lady named Liza, suggested the other day Nova do something to step outside of her comfort zone, like wearing something she normally wouldn’t wear. Change could be a good thing. She didn’t have to step too far out, but maybe baby steps at first. Like instead of wearing leggings, wear a pair of jeans. Or put on a small piece of jewelry. Or wear a color a shade lighter than normal. 

    There was a knock at her apartment door. Nova cursed and looked at herself once more in the mirror. She bit her bottom lip, hoping that maybe that would bring some color back into it. She sprayed herself with perfume and then left her room, grabbing her bag on the way out. 

    Adrian smiled at her when she opened the door, eyes widening as he looked her up and down. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

There was a short pause, borderline awkward, before he said, “You look nice,” then held out an arm. “Ready to go? There’s this new restaurant in the historic downtown that I think you’d love.”

    Feeling a rush of boldness, Nova grabbed his hand instead, lacing their fingers together. His smile brightened, and he squeezed her hand. “Ready.” 

__________

    Nova had only been to the old downtown a few times in her life. It used to be pretty rundown and sketchy, but in recent years, there had been a revival in the area. Now there were little coffee shops, antique stores, pubs, boutiques, and more spread out over one main and four side streets. The streets had been redone as well, paved with brick like how they used to be back in the day. The only modes of transportation allowed were by foot or by cheesy horse-drawn carriages. The area was like a little bubble away from the rest of the city. And it was stunning in the evening, as everything was lit up. 

    Dinner had been wonderful. Adrian took her to a burger place designed like an old-timey diner; there was even a jukebox that played music from another era. They had talked and laughed as they always did, as if nothing had really changed. After all, Adrian was still Nova’s best friend, and they had always kind of known that they would get back together one day, so nothing was awkward. The only thing that was different now than it had been in recent months was that Adrian sat beside her in their booth and held her hand, absentmindedly tracing her fingers. He even got bold enough to reach a hand down beneath the table to rest on her knee at one point while they ate. Nova never once protested at his affections. 

    Now they were strolling down the sidewalk, sharing an ice cream in a cup with two spoons. Adrian’s jacket was still resting on her shoulders from when she got cold in the restaurant. 

    “I’ve been talking with the people in weapons,” Nova said, licking her thumb as a little bit of ice cream dribbled down onto it. “They’re really interested in some of my designs, how they’re better for every day crime instead of targeting prodigies-”

    “No Renegade talk,” Adrian said sternly, although there was humor in his eyes. He nudged her lightly. “Remember what we agreed on?” Right. They had agreed to not bring up the Renegades or the Council or the government or anything like that. They would have a normal date as normal teenagers and not as superheroes who were known worldwide. 

    Nova rolled her eyes and pushed him back. “Fine, bossy. What do you want to talk about?”

    Adrian didn’t answer for a minute, although Nova could feel his intense gaze on her. “Your birthday’s coming up, right? May…?”

    “27th.” Nova nodded. “But it’s March, Adrian.”

    “It’s still coming up.” He shook his head with a slight laugh. “Are you going to do anything?”

    She shrugged. “I don’t think so. Maybe go out to eat with the team, or Ruby might force me out of my apartment to do something.” With a tiny glance in his direction, she added, “Maybe have a date with my boyfriend.”

    He stopped in his tracks, and they had to move to the edge of the sidewalk as to not block the pathway. He looked down at her, joy clearly written in his features that he was trying so hard to school. Nova bit her lip to hide her grin, although it wasn’t working too well. 

    “Are you saying you want to be my girlfriend, Nova Artino?” She could’ve sworn he puffed his chest out a bit, maybe even raised his chin a bit higher. 

    “Not anymore.” She snorted and pushed him away. Noticing that their ice cream was gone, she grabbed it out of his hands and threw it out in the trash can beside her. Then, she turned to leave him, jokingly of course. As expected, he pulled her back to him, arms encircling her waist. Her laughter died in her throat, but her smile remained. 

    “Yes,” she answered honestly this time. “Let’s make it official.”

    “Are you ready for that?” The look he gave her was so sweet, so sincere. It only made Nova love him more. “It won’t be easy, at least with the public knowing about us. And I don’t want to rush you if you need more time.”

    Nova shook her head firmly. She had noticed all night the looks people gave her, the confusion and elation and anger from all different kinds of faces at the sight of her with Adrian Everhart. Some probably still thought she hated the Renegades. Some saw hope at an Artino and an Everhart coming together out of love. Some were upset that a former villain should be allowed a chance at redemption and happiness. But she had been given those looks for months whenever she was in public with one of her friends, especially Adrian. She still wasn’t used to it, maybe she never would get used to it, but it had gotten easier. 

    “I want you, Adrian Everhart.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “All of you. And if that includes nosy people,” she shrugged, “then so be it. I won’t love you any differently.”

His hold on her waist tightened. He reached a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then let it rest on the back of her neck as he leaned down. Nova met him halfway, heart fluttering when he murmured so softly, just loud enough for her ears alone, “I’m so in love with you, Artino.” 

The kiss was short and sweet, nothing more than a few gentle pecks. It had been a while since they had kissed, and Nova had to restrain herself from jumping in his arms and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. She knew, however, that they couldn’t. For one, they were in public. And two, there was probably a reporter hiding somewhere, camera at the ready. Nova wouldn’t be surprised if she found photos of her date with Adrian the next day, with their kiss blown up for the world to see. 

But she didn’t care. Not in that moment. 

__________

Adrian drove her home. 

They sat in his car for a while, just talking. It was more private here. Nova allowed herself to be a bit more open with him, playing with his fingers as he recounted what Max had done the other day that got him grounded for a week. 

“But my dads can barely keep the grounding serious.” Adrian shook his head in amusement. “Especially Hugh. They seem to ‘forget’ that Max is in trouble when he’s watching TV.”

Nova rolled her eyes. “I’m just glad to hear he’s adjusting okay, and that he’s not always a wise old man. It’s good for him to get in trouble.” 

“I know.” Adrian chuckled. “But that still doesn’t mean I won’t preach the injustice with all the times I was grounded for doing the littlest of things.” 

“You’re not exactly innocent, Mr. Everhart.” Nova narrowed her eyes at him. “You’ve had a few secrets up your sleeve. Literally.” 

She tried to maintain her neutral expression as Adrian shifted his body a bit closer. “Oh, we’re going to play that game, huh?” 

“I’m just saying,” she started, smile creeping onto her lips, but her defense was soon forgotten when he placed a hand on her cheek. Instinctively, she leaned into his touch. “But none of that matters anymore, right? No more secrets.”

Adrian’s lips quirked up. Her eyes were immediately drawn to them. “No more secrets,” he repeated softly. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on her cheek. “Skies, I’ve missed you, Nova.” He pulled back a bit to face her. “I know we agreed that breaking up was for the best, and being just friends while figuring this shit out helped a ton, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t also agonizing to not be able to be with you in that way.”

Nova rested her forehead on his, feeling her neck heat up. “I missed you, too,” she murmured. “But now we have mostly everything figured out.” She paused. “I meant it when I said earlier that I’m ready.”

He kissed her, slow yet not long enough. “You’re so beautiful, Nova.”

Nova beamed against his lips and kissed him back, a bit harder than before. He responded with enthusiasm; the hand on her cheek pulled off her bandana and reached back to dig into her hair. She melted under his touch, becoming completely putty in his arms. It was hard to keep her composure. After all, it had been months since she had been this intimate with someone, as Adrian was her last. 

His lips wandered down to her throat, leaving her trembling. When he was sly enough to gently pull her skin in between his teeth, Nova couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped her mouth. As her hand trailed up his back underneath his shirt, she had a brief thought to invite him in to watch a movie or something. It wasn’t too terribly late, and they still had a lot of catching up to do. But then she felt his fingers graze her hip and rest just underneath her bra as he rose back up to kiss her deeply, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be lost in Adrian Everhart. 

However, they were in his car outside her apartment complex. His windows didn’t exactly grant them privacy. Really, it wasn’t the most romantic setting for their activity. 

Sighing against him, she broke the kiss. His eyes blinked open in surprise, chest rising and falling as heavily as hers. He frowned at her.

Before he could start asking questions, Nova brought a hand to push his glasses up. Her fingers may or may not have accidentally brushed his lips when her hand fell to his cheek. She tried to catch her breath even as she spoke.  “How about we go inside where it’s more...appropriate? Watch a movie, maybe?” 

Adrian glanced at their surroundings and nodded. They shared a sheepish smile, then headed inside. 

They weren’t an hour into the movie before they passed out on the couch cuddling, nothing but a tangled mess of blankets and limbs.

[need-a-new-hobby]

Haunted

Spencer had his leg propped up on the coffee table, crutches just within reaching distance, while he read Fahrenheit 451 when he heard the door unlock. Instinctively, he reached for his gun but paused as he saw a large paper bag walk in with Piper behind it. “You said you were bringing dinner.”

“Takeout isn’t dinner,” Piper scoffed, plopping the keys into a bowl and placing her groceries carefully onto the kitchen countertop. Spencer moved his leg off the table slowly, limping over to the stools next to the countertop, frowning at the green vegetables. “You look like you’ve never seen a vegetable before.”

“I saw Lisbon, didn’t I?” Piper laughed as she set the water to boil on the stove. She moved to tie her hair up, grinning as she took the elastic Spencer offered.

“You know, you always have those bands, you never wear them.” Piper’s smile faded as he blushed. She leaned over the countertop, brushing his lips before turning back to the water. He watched her clean the stalks of spaghetti before sliding it in carefully.

“You know, Rossi makes his own noodles.” Piper smiled.

“I’m gonna tell him you called his handmade carbonara ‘noodles’. Besides, Rossi’s actually Italian.”

“Right. And what are you?”

“I am…trying my best,” she grinned at him before pulling out the cherry tomatoes and sliding them over to Spencer.

“No, I’m— I’m not good at this,” Spencer stammered, pushing the tomatoes back.

“Spencer, you just have to halve them.” She pouted.

“But what if they fly and hit you like last time? No, no thanks.” He leaned away from the countertop.

“Spence, it’s not that hard. Look,” she said, grabbing a chopping board and a knife. “All you have to do is hold the tomato between two fingers, slip the knife between and slice. That’s it.” Piper gently placed his fingers on each side of the small tomato, watching his hands carefully as he sliced through. “See, easy.”

She let Spencer have fun with the tomatoes as she put together a quick marinade for the chicken and started frying. Soon, the smell of food permeated the apartment as Spencer chopped tomatoes and grated cheese, then spotted the onion. Piper still had his back to him as she cooked the spaghetti, coating it with a rich sauce. Spencer grabbed the onion and started peeling. He cut the onion slowly through the middle and kept the cut sides on the board like he’d seen her do a million times. He sliced through the onion, gaining confidence with each slice. His eyebrows furrowed as his teeth dug slightly into his lower lip in concentration. He looked up as Piper yelped, blowing on her finger. Wincing, she ran it under the water, looking back as Spencer mirrored her wince, slicing his finger by accident.

Abandoning her finger, she grabbed his hand and sucked on the wound before ordering him to keep the pressure on it while she searched for the first aid kit. She grabbed a purple band-aid and ran back as she peeled the plastic away, wrapping it tightly around his finger. “You idiot,” Piper muttered as she checked his finger was okay. “Who told you to chop that onion?” Spencer gently grabbed her burnt hand and she winced, eyes flicking up to his. He started dabbing burn ointment on it gently and suddenly, the pain melted away as she watched him blow gently on her hand until she remembered the food. “My pasta!” Piper whipped around, running to the stove to turn the gas off, sighing in relief while Spencer laughed from behind her. She rubbed the ointment into her finger and pulled on a glove before she scooped the vegetables Spencer had so delicately prepared. She tossed it all together before adding a dash of salt, pepper and olive oil. She grabbed two plates from the inner cabinet and served both of them after setting the table and helping Spencer to his seat.

“You know, the word spaghetti is the plural of spaghetto, which comes from the Italian word spago, meaning twine or thin string,” Spencer nodded as he grabbed his fork.

“Italy makes 3 tonnes of this stuff every year,” Piper said as she sat down. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Not really. The average American consumes nearly 9 kg of pasta annually.”

“Huh.” Piper thought as she chewed her mouthful. “Wonder what would happen if we cooked it all at once.” Spencer choked at the thought and Piper laughed as she passed him a glass of water.

“Rossi would drown you with it.” They spent most nights like this. Just eating together and laughing. Sometimes they’d fall silent with the food just being that good. Eventually, it came to an end. Like it always did. She’d clear up the table, then the kitchen while he’d protest to try and help. And then she left, pressing a small kiss to his forehead. That was the worst part. Listening to the apartment quieten. Feeling the apartment become a little colder.

In the morning, Rossi helped Spencer into his car, placing the crutches in the back. Spencer found a warm cup of coffee sitting on his desk with a little sticky note left on the top. He recognised the little doodle of a coffee and the neatly scrawled pun below, ‘Don’t feel depresso, have an espresso.’ He looked over to Piper’s empty desk. Smiling, he lifted the little note, sticking it on his monitor before scrawling his own. He rolled his chair over to her desk, sticking the pun on her monitor. ‘I love you a whole latte.’

Slowly, he grabbed one of his crutches and moved over to Garcia’s lair. She yelped happily and helped him into a seat before returning to her own. “Thanks.”

“Does it hurt?” Penelope asked as she resumed her seat.

“It really only hurts when I think about it, which is pretty much all the time.” Spencer smiled at his cheerful friend before noticing the cookie box. Except Penelope slapped his hands away.

“Get away, you. These are for Hotch.”

“I get shot in the leg and I don't get any cookies,” he pouted until Penelope handed him a lollipop. “You know he's gonna hate the attention.”

“It's cookies, not cake.”

“He's probably gonna pretend like nothing happened, anyway.”

“Well, it doesn't mean we have to.”

“I think maybe we should.”

“I don't roll that way,” Penelope shook her head.

“I've been thinking about it. The entire time I've known Hotch, I don't think I've ever seen him blink.”

“I know. It's weird.”

“Classic alpha male behaviour.”

“Do you think he stared down Foyet?”

“Maybe. If it would save his life.”

“Do you think he stared the whole time, like with each stab?”

“I have no idea.”

“Is he ok?”

“I wouldn't be, but... I'm a blinker,” Spencer said as JJ entered the lair.

“Spence, there you are. Grab your go-bag. We’re going to Louisville.”

“Just after 8:00 this morning, 40-year-old Darrin Call assaulted customers at a pharmacy,” JJ briefed them on the jet as Piper and Derek flipped through the file. “Eyewitnesses saw him walking east on main street minutes after the attack. He hasn’t been seen since then.”

“Do we have footage from the scene?” Piper asked JJ.

“They’ll have it ready for us at the precinct. The governor’s called in all sources for a manhunt. We have 3 confirmed dead, 2 are in critical condition. Our point person in Louisville is Lieutenant Kevin Mitchell.”

“Any other attacks?”

“Um, no, not yet. Call's proven hard to track.”

“He's never had a driver's license, so he's most likely still on foot.”

“Or public transportation,” JJ offered.

“He's not gonna take the bus. His face is everywhere,” Morgan explained.

“Has anyone found a stressor?” Hotch asked.

“He just lost his job. He's worked at a factory since 1990. Made appliances since forever and not a single promotion.” Piper smiled at the sight of Garcia.

“That's a long time to be bitter,” Emily pointed out.

“Or he doesn't care,” Spencer added.

“Not if he's got a family to feed,” Piper contributed.

“Actually, he's of the hermit variety. As far as I can tell, he's got no one. No wife, no kids, no parents.”

“Nothing to live for.” Hotch put the question to the team. “Sprees usually end in suicide. If he's got nothing to live for, why hasn't he ended it?”

“Because he isn't finished yet. We know he has displaced anger. He took it out on the first victim,” Rossi answered.

“Well, the stock boy represents someone. We need to know who.”

“Is he military?”

“Negative.”

“Well, he's lashing out for a reason,” Morgan surmised. “This guy's got anger, endless targets, and a gun, and he's just getting started.”

“Prentiss and Rossi take Call’s address. Morgan and I will see the crime scene. Reid and Bishop go through the security footage. Frame by frame, you understand?” Piper nodded, leaning back in her chair as she watched the plane hit the tarmac.

At the precinct, Piper took Spencer’s 4th cup of coffee, handing it to JJ who was helping with the geographic profile. “All right. We've got checkpoints at the state line on both I-64 and I-65 and within a 20-mile radius of downtown.”

“It's been just under 3 hours with an average walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour, which rounds up to an approximate 8-mile radius,” Spencer calculated. “Did you get anything from the footage?”

“Yeah,” Piper answered, taking a seat next to Spencer. “So, he doesn’t attack anyone until the stock boy touches his arm which made me think that that was the trigger.”

“Like a sensory trigger?”

“Exactly. Especially considering the fact that the stock boy was carrying a knife. Do we know why he was at the pharmacy?”

“What do you—” Spencer asked, looking back at JJ. “Did he not go in to kill?”

“He was unarmed when he entered. The weapon he used was the stock boy’s knife, then the police officer’s gun. He probably went to get…” Piper trailed off in thought before calling Garcia on the answering machine. “Garcia, I need full medical charts on Darrin Call, specifically a list of prescriptions.”

“Hold on, are we saying that this was defensive? We just put his face everywhere,” the lieutenant spoke rapidly, panicking. “People are going to try and stop him themselves.”

“Relax, sir.” JJ’s voice was soothing. “How soon can we have a press conference?”

“We have uh… camera crews ready outside.” JJ nodded, leaving to dial Hotch.

“Hey, Pen, you got those prescriptions for me?” Piper repeated.

“He used to be on thiothixene.”

“He had an antipsychotic prescription?” Piper all but shrieked as she dialled Hotch. “Nothing. Just comes up as busy. Garcia, I need a doctor.”

“Yeah, just give me a… state-appointed psychiatrist Charles Cipolla.”

“Alright, send me an address.” Piper pressed a quick kiss to Spencer’s cheek before he said he’d tell Hotch as soon as he could. Piper weaved through traffic on her way to the office. She pulled off her helmet, racing up the steps, opening the office doors to find 2 bodies mangled on the floor. Her shoulders sagged as she dialled Reid. “I wasn’t fast enough. They’re dead. Let Hotch know and I need forensics here.” Piper sighed as she sagged to the floor in the corridor, letting CSI do their job when they arrived just before Hotch and Morgan along with Mitchell, Prentiss and Rossi.

“Hey, Reid told us what happened. You okay?” Piper nodded, getting up.

“Yeah. I was too late. Couldn’t have been more than 5 minutes.” Hotch entered the small office, repulsed by the figures lain on the floor.

“Yeah, you were,” Hotch shot at her before leaving downstairs. Piper watched helplessly as Emily followed him.

“The pharmacist said he wasn’t on his medication,” Derek updated. “Why would he do that?”

“A lot of trauma patients do it to recover memories,” Piper explained, pulling her eyes away from the stairwell to Derek as Rossi moved to the file drawer, scanning the names.

“Why?”

“Lots of reasons, the main one being you can’t heal from your trauma if you don’t know what happened. In which case, the formative event was probably in Call’s childhood. Other than that, it could be recurring dreams or just plain curiosity.”

“Call’s file is missing.”

“That’s fine. There’s a digital database for all state departments,” Piper solved, moving to the computer.

“What are you doing?”

“All state psychiatrists have a department login. But they don’t disappear when they retire for consultation reasons.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning my login still works.” Piper beamed at Derek. “And if I still have departmental access, then…” she trailed off, gazing expectantly at the printer, pulling out a copy of the file. “I can pull the file. Alright, I’m gonna go back to the precinct, see what I can make of this. Have fun, boys.” She waved before taking the steps two at a time. Back at the precinct, Garcia connected a call between Reid, herself and Hotch.

“Here's the deal. I went back to the beginning for the call, except there is no beginning. Darrin call didn't exist like from 1969 to 1975. There's no birth certificate, no social security, no identity, nothing until he was 6 years old.”

“Guys, if he was abandoned in the 70s, it’s likely his case revolved around something seriously twisted,” Piper thought aloud.

Morgan’s voice flooded the machine. “Garcia, where do the records start?”

“May 1, 1975, a 6-year-old Darrin Call was found roaming in the middle of nowhere and was picked up and was in state care for the first few months.”

“Pen, I’m gonna need state transcripts.”

“That’s the thing my doves. Because he didn't talk, Not for over a year. And once he started talking, he only knew his life as Darrin Call. Little Darrin was never even claimed. But never fear for I’ve got more.”

“This one of your jackpot surprises, Garcia?”

“Oh, for you, sugar, always. So, listen up. Call left Louisville 3 times. Always came back to the same 10-Block radius.”

“Victims are often drawn to the scene of their first trauma,” Piper filled in.

“Part of him wanted to escape, the other part probably struggled to find answers,” Spencer continued.

“In 1985, he was hospitalised and again in '95 for a few months, both at the state facility in Fayette County. That’s all I got for now.”

“Bishop, what about the file? You get anything?” Hotch’s voice was direct, straightforward but colder than usual.

“More like what didn’t we get. His moral complex is severely damaged probably as a result of neglect. Nightmares and chronic insomnia, scars that he doesn’t know when or how he received. His dreams are about falling and running, all pointing to abandonment issues. He’s suffered from blackouts, probably resulting from early trauma. He’s lethargic, explains why he stayed in the same job for so long. Hotch, this guy is gonna be hard to—” The line disconnected. “Hotch?” Piper raised an eyebrow at Spencer who just shrugged. He turned to Lieutenant Mitchell, asking him about unsolved missing children's cases from the 1970s.

“Now, there was a case in Hollow Creek. Kids were dead, though. Found them in pieces.”

“When was this?”

“'75. Nobody talks about it because they never found the guy. You think Call walked away from there?”

“It's possible. Can you get us the files?” The lieutenant came back with two boxes just as the rest of the team filed in.

“Is there a suspect list?” Rossi took a seat while Piper leaned over Spencer’s shoulder reading the police reports.

“It's in here somewhere,” Reid murmured. “He was known as the Hollow Creek killer. 3 bodies were found, some never identified.”

“There's a survivor,” Piper added.

“Call?” Rossi looked up.

“No, a 12-year-old boy named Tommy Phillips,” Spencer explained. “Parents said he'd been missing for 2 weeks, came back a different kid. The family left Louisville after Tommy told police where to find the bodies. He also said the suspect was a white man in his 30s and drove a red pickup truck.”

“The victims had cuts. The stock boy's blade is what set him off in the pharmacy,” Piper pointed out.

“If this is what Call's been running from, it's no wonder he's blocked it out,” JJ sighed as Hotch looked back to the 1975 on the board. Sterner Orphanage.

“Since he's clean now, there's no medication to block his memories and he wants answers,” Emily surmised from her seat.

“Where would he go?”

“To what he knows,” Hotch murmured. “He's beginning to remember. 1975, Sterner Orphanage. It's where he became Darrin Call.” Piper and Emily took a bike while the boys took a single SUV to the orphanage.

“You used to be a state psychiatrist?” Emily murmured into Piper’s ear

“After my PhD,” Piper spoke into the wind. “Worked in the state department for a few years.”

“What changed?” They skidded to a stop outside the orphanage.

“I thought I could do more good making sure people didn’t wind up there in the first place,” Piper said as she took off the helmet and they walked over to Hotch coming back from the ambulance. Piper noticed Derek and Rossi up front talking to witnesses.

“He took a kid this time. Called him Tommy,” Hotch explained.

“As in Tommy Phillips? You think that’s what set him off?” Emily questioned him.

“She thought it was his reflection.”

“Whoever hurt him years ago might have been the same age he is now,” Piper pointed out. “He might have seen the similarity.” They turned to see Lieutenant Mitchell walk up from his vehicle.

“A minivan was stolen one block from here. Call's never driven in his life. You think he's still not running from us?”

“Which way?” Rossi asked.

“Eastbound. I got roadblocks set up everywhere. He's not getting out of this county,” the lieutenant scoffed and Piper motioned Emily to the bike.

“You’re wasting your time,” Hotch murmured.

“He's outnumbered. You think he's gonna just disappear?” The lieutenant’s voice became defensive and Rossi made eye contact with Prentiss and Bishop.

“I think he took the boy for a reason.”

“I don't care why he took him.”

“You should. Call's memory is no longer suppressed,” Hotch explained. “He's reinventing his past, and unless we understand how, we're not gonna find either of them.”

“Well, I'm not gonna just sit around and speculate.”

“Then don't.” Hotch levelled his gaze at the lieutenant who turned to Rossi

“You don't think we should chase him either?”

“We need to get ahead of Call,” Rossi explained, his tone neutral and soothing. Mitchell licked his lips, considering his options, then moved to the vehicle.

“There’s a kid missing, Hotch.” Emily’s voice was laced with warning.

“They don't need the extra manpower.”

“Since when?” Rossi asked softly.

“If we'd studied Foyet's initial crimes, we would have known that a survivor didn't make sense.”

“Hotch, what does he have to do with this?”

“All we had to do was stop and look at Foyet's history, and we didn't, and we lost two couples and a bus full of people. And I'm not making that mistake again.” Hotch led the agents down to the precinct, Derek following behind them.

The precinct was a mess. There were files everywhere as the examined a case more than 30 years old. Hotch divided the group into objectives. While Rossi narrowed down suspect lists, Emily examined victimology. Piper broke down the M.O. with Derek as Spencer gauged the geographic profile of the second unsub. After a solid 20 minutes of working, Hotch brought them together to discuss the details. “There were only 4 suspects in the hollow creek case and they're all dead,” Rossi said grimly.

“The kids were taken in 1973, '74, and '75,” Emily continued.

“All on the way home from school,” Piper interjected.

“Different school districts too,” Spencer added.

“He waited for them to be alone,” Derek pointed out. “That takes patience. He must have had time off in the afternoons.”

“I can’t find a secondary location,” Spencer sighed. “Could be anywhere.”

“He’d need seclusion to do what he did,” Derek added, clapping Reid on the shoulder as Piper answered the phone.

“You’re on speaker, Garcia.”

“I found Tommy. He goes by James Thomas Anderson now.”

“Is he local?”

“One county over. Address and bio are coming...now. Au revoir!” With Hotch and Prentiss leaving for the address, Piper could breathe freely as she sank into a seat next to Spencer while Morgan and JJ left to grab lunch

“That bad, huh?” Spencer noticed and Piper scoffed.

“Look, Spence, you know I love him and I’m here for him. But if he doesn’t talk about what happened to him out there, it’s gonna keep eating at him.” Spencer nodded, discreetly placing a hand on her thigh. “I can’t even imagine what he went through and yeah, therapy sucks but it works.”

“I think he’s afraid that if he talks about it, he won’t be able to focus.” Piper smiled sadly but then noticed Spencer’s far-off look.

“What’s up?”

“How did Tommy and Darrin escape?” Piper was stumped. They started rummaging through the transcripts of the police interview with Tommy. “We know Call was found wandering around a neighbourhood…”

“Reid, the file. It said he had recurring dreams about falling and running. That it was suggestive of abandonment, but who would he have been abandoned by?”

“Tommy. Tommy must have escaped with Darrin. Tommy would’ve been about 12, double Call’s age in 1975.”

“And the reflection,” Piper murmured. “The woman at the orphanage said he was triggered by his reflection.” Suddenly the answering machine rang, and Piper picked up. “Hotch, it’s Call’s father. He’s the Hollow Creek killer.”

“We know. Call wasn't a victim,” Hotch said. “The question is how did the father explain his son just disappeared?”

“Could have said he ran away,” Spencer supplied.

“The mother would have reported him missing,” Hotch refuted.

“Maybe he said the boy died.” Prentiss’s voice came through the monitor.

“No, she'd want a funeral,” Spencer refuted while Piper was deep in thought.

“What if there wasn't one?” Her voice was quiet, and Spencer rubbed circles on her hand under the table.

“Call Garcia,” Hotch directed. “Ask her to check death records from 1969 to 1975 for the mother.” The line disconnected.

“You need a minute?” Piper tried to even her breathing by focusing on Spencer’s circling thumb, sweeping a strand of hair away from her face.

“No. Let’s do this,” she said before stabbing Garcia’s number into the machine and relaying Hotch’s instructions. “What have you got?”

“6 years is a long time, Pipes. I need more parameters.”

“She lived within that 8-mile radius,” Spencer started. “She was married. Most likely in her 20s. He was probably her only kid. The husband drove a red truck.”

“Okay. This could be one. Here we go, Doris Jarvis. Died in childbirth. Had a beautiful baby boy. Was married to Bill Jarvis. He owned a machine shop just outside the city.”

“That could be the secondary location,” Piper noted quietly.

“It closed in 1980. He hasn't done anything since. I guess he laid low. He had a red pickup until 1976 when he bought a black one. I know that because that's what he was driving when he was arrested for DUIs. He was locked up from '77 to '80, And I'm sending his picture now.”

“Thanks, Garcia.” A photo pulled up on Piper’s screen. “Well, that could certainly be Darrin Call's father. Where's Jarvis now?”

“In the same house. 1457 Hitchens Avenue.”

“Alright. Let Hotch know,” Piper said as she got up, squeezing Spencer’s shoulder as she went to grab her vest and mic.

“Be safe, my angels.”

“Always.” Piper fastened the vest outside as she met Derek and Dave. She updated them on the address and started driving. She skidded to a halt just past Hotch’s SUV. She pulled the keys out of the ignition, slipping them into a pocket before she pulled off her helmet. Unhooking her leg from the bike, she approached Emily and the lieutenant as she tied her hair up. “What’s the situation?”

“The kid's in there,” Emily started.

“We've got this,” the lieutenant interjected. “Tactical teams are covering the exits.”

“Call needs a distraction.” Emily reasoned.

“He's focused on the old man.”

“For now. But we're gonna have to figure out the safest way to get that kid out.”

“I've got a team in the back and one on the way. We're going to infiltrate.”

“You do that and someone else dies.”

“Either call or a child murderer... Flip a coin.”

“It doesn't have to end like that,” Piper dissuaded. “We get a confession out of Jarvis and he goes away, and Call gets his answers. No one else has to die.” But just as Piper thought he’d been convinced, Hotch marched past the without a suit jacket or bulletproof vest. “Hotch?” But he kept walking straight towards the house. “Hotch!”

He ignored the yells from Piper and Derek, headed straight inside. He opened the door and walked in; hands palm up as he faced Call. “My name's Aaron.” He ignored the hammering inside his chest as Call raised his gun towards him.

“This is between us and him. You leave us alone.” Darrin’s arm quaked and his father lay seated in his armchair.

“I know what he did to those boys. I know about hollow creek and the cage. And Tommy.”

“You know about Tommy?”

“Let him go. Tommy doesn't need to see this.”

“He should die.” Darrin moved his gun to aim at his father.

“He should. But if you kill him, you have nothing, and I thought you wanted some answers. Go ahead, Darrin, ask him.”

“Why did you do that to those kids?” Darrin whimpered.

“What kids?” The father’s voice snarled, reminiscent of a wolf at prey.

“No! The ones that we buried. Why?”

“You're confused.”

“Jarvis, why didn't you move?”

“This is my home.”

“You sure it's not the view? Darrin, come here.” Darrin moved towards the door, following Hotch’s gaze to the kids in the back of the school next to them. “Come take a look at this. He sits on the porch every day and watches those kids. He can't help himself.” Darrin grunted, moving back to his father as he released his grip on the young boy. Hotch discreetly pushed him out of the doorway while keeping an eye on Darrin Call.

“We...we drove around in that truck.” Darrin panted.

“You made your own son sit in front so the other boys would feel safe?”

“You...you kept them in cages. And burnt their clothes.”

“And when you finished, you'd bury them, and you made him help.”

“And—” Darrin made to continue until Hotch pulled Bill up by the shoulders.

“Get up. Pretend you're a man. You like little boys, don't you? But they can't be too small, 'cause that would be wrong. What was it about them? They make you feel strong, make you feel like a man?”

“You shut up.”

“Is that a yes?” Bill Jarvis stared right back at Hotch’s levelled gaze. Hotch stepped back, addressing Darrin.

“Darrin. Please... Please. We're surrounded here. The police are gonna storm in here any minute. They will not shoot you if you are unarmed. You need to put the gun down now.”

“Don't...don't... Tell me what to do!” Piper and Prentiss heard 3 gunshots ring out and they sprinted out and into the house, only to see Bill Jarvis slumped in his armchair.

“What happened?” Prentiss looked to Hotch.

“I couldn't stop him.” As abruptly as he said the words, he pushed past the team to go outside. Piper stared at the dead body for a moment before following Hotch. The rest of the day blurred past from packing up the precinct to the jet ride to their dispersal from the airport. Derek and Rossi decided that they needed a drink while Emily dropped Hotch and Spencer off.

Meanwhile, JJ and Piper needed a boost, so they showed up to the smell of takeout and the sound of a bassline pumping in Garcia’s apartment. As they entered, they couldn’t help smiling as Penelope danced over to them with two glasses of wine. The three ladies danced to the beat, Penelope and Piper taking turns spinning JJ. But the atmosphere quickly changed with the Penelope crying over how adorable Will was with Henry whilst JJ and Piper built a pillow fort. It is ill-advised, as Piper would tell the boys later, to build a pillow fort whilst drunk. But that didn’t stop them.

[newstfionline]

Monday, April 5, 2021

Coming out of the cave: As life creeps back, some feel dread (AP) Dinner reservations are gleefully being made again. Long-canceled vacations are being booked. People are coming together again, in some of the ways they used to. But not everyone is racing back. For some, even small tasks outside the home—a trip to the grocery store, or returning to the office—can feel overwhelming. Psychologists call it re-entry fear, and they’re finding it more common as headlines herald the imminent return to post-pandemic life. “I have embraced and gotten used to this new lifestyle of avoidance that I can’t fathom going back to how it was. I have every intention of continuing to isolate myself,” says Thomas Pietrasz, who lives alone and works from his home in the Chicago suburbs as a content creator. Pietrasz says his anxiety has grown markedly worse as talk of post-vaccine life grows. He says he got used to “hiding at home and taking advantage of curbside and delivery in order to avoid every situation with people.”

Vaccine passports are latest flash point in COVID politics (AP) Vaccine passports being developed to verify COVID-19 immunization status and allow inoculated people to more freely travel, shop and dine have become the latest flash point in America’s perpetual political wars, with Republicans portraying them as a heavy-handed intrusion into personal freedom and private health choices. They currently exist in only one state—a limited government partnership in New York with a private company—but that hasn’t stopped GOP lawmakers in a handful of states from rushing out legislative proposals to ban their use. Vaccine passports are typically an app with a code that verifies whether someone has been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19. They are in use in Israel and under development in parts of Europe. But lawmakers around the country are already taking a stand against the idea. “We have constitutional rights and health privacy laws for a reason,” said Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a Republican. “They should not cease to exist in a time of crisis. These passports may start with COVID-19, but where will they end?” Benninghoff said this week his concern was “using taxpayer money to generate a system that will now be, possibly, in the hands of mega-tech organizations who’ve already had problems with getting hacked and security issues.”

Facebook data on more than 500M accounts found online (AP) Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers. The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is. The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses. Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years.

In Myanmar, Easter eggs a symbol of defiance for anti-coup protesters (Reuters) Opponents of military rule in Myanmar inscribed messages of protest on Easter eggs on Sunday while others were back on the streets, facing off with the security forces after a night of candle-lit vigils for hundreds killed since a Feb. 1 coup. In the latest in a series of impromptu shows of defiance, messages including “We must win” and “Get out MAH”—referring to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing—were seen on eggs in photographs on social media. Young people in the main city of Yangon handed out eggs bearing the messages of protest, pictures in posts showed.

With Swarms of Ships, Beijing Tightens Its Grip on South China Sea (NYT) The Chinese ships settled in like unwanted guests who wouldn’t leave. As the days passed, more appeared. They were simply fishing boats, China said, though they did not appear to be fishing. Dozens even lashed themselves together in neat rows, seeking shelter, it was claimed, from storms that never came. Not long ago, China asserted its claims on the South China Sea by building and fortifying artificial islands in waters also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Its strategy now is to reinforce those outposts by swarming the disputed waters with vessels, effectively defying the other countries to expel them. The goal is to accomplish by overwhelming presence what it has been unable to do through diplomacy or international law. And to an extent, it appears to be working. “Beijing pretty clearly thinks that if it uses enough coercion and pressure over a long enough period of time, it will squeeze the Southeast Asians out,” said Greg Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, which tracks developments in the South China Sea. “It’s insidious.”

Nearly 20 arrested in alleged plot against Jordan’s King Abdullah II (Washington Post) Jordanian authorities on Saturday arrested as many as 20 people and sought to restrain the movement of a former crown prince amid what officials called a threat to the “security and stability” of a country long regarded as a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East. Prince Hamzeh bin Hussein, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor, was told to remain at his Amman palace amid an investigation into an alleged plot to unseat his older half brother, King Abdullah II, according to a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official briefed on the events. The move followed the discovery of what officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot that included at least one other Jordanian royal as well as tribal leaders and members of the country’s political and security establishment. One official cited unspecified evidence of “foreign” backing for the plan. Biden administration officials were briefed on the arrests, which come at a time of heightened economic and political tension in a country long regarded as a bulwark of stability and an essential partner in U.S.-led counterterrorism operations.

Cairo’s mummies get a new home. And a grand procession on the way. (Washington Post) It was a parade unlike any other this city has seen. A procession of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies streamed Saturday from downtown Cairo, where revolutionaries rose up to topple autocrat Hosni Mubarak a decade ago, to a new museum three miles away that represents Egypt’s future as much as its past. At 8 p.m., the mummies—18 kings and four queens—left the famed ochre-hued Egyptian Museum near Tahrir Square, where they had rested for decades. They were each atop specially decorated gold-and-blue-hued vehicles resembling boats. Or perhaps the symbol of a winged sun, an ornament worn by Egypt’s ancient rulers and seen as providing protection. Each of the 22 vehicles was emblazoned with the name of the royal mummy it carried. The multimillion-dollar affair—called the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade—had been promoted for months. Egyptian authorities are seeking to attract tourists, a key source of foreign currency, and alter the course of an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic, Islamist attacks and political chaos in past years. The highly choreographed ceremony was also a nationalist vehicle to highlight Egypt’s place in history. The nation’s authoritarian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who himself is often referred to as “a new pharaoh” for his ambitious projects and iron-fisted rule, presided over the ceremony.

Confronting late-stage pandemic burnout (NYT) Like many of us, the writer Susan Orlean is having a hard time concentrating these days. “Good morning to everyone,” she tweeted recently, “but especially to the sentence I just rewrote for the tenth time.” “I feel like I’m in quicksand,” she explained by phone from California, where she has been under quasi-house arrest for the last year. “I’m just so exhausted all the time. I’m doing so much less than I normally do—I’m not traveling, I’m not entertaining, I’m just sitting in front of my computer—but I am accomplishing way less. It’s like a whole new math. I have more time and fewer obligations, yet I’m getting so much less done.” Call it a late-pandemic crisis of productivity, of will, of enthusiasm, of purpose. Whatever you call it, it has left many of us feeling like burned-out husks, dimwitted approximations of our once-productive selves. “Malaise, burnout, depression and stress—all of those are up considerably,” said Todd Katz, executive vice president and head of group benefits at MetLife. The company’s most recent Employee Benefit Trends Study, conducted in December and January, found that workers across the board felt markedly worse than they did last April. The study was based in part on interviews with 2,651 employees. In total, 34 percent of respondents reported feeling burned out, up from 27 percent last April. Twenty-two percent said they were depressed, up from 17 percent last April, and 37 percent said they felt stressed, up from 34 percent.

[foodmadewithlove]

With Delicious and Fresh Seafood, It’s No Wonder Why ‘Turner’s’ Is So Popular

I’ve always loved food. I tend to have high expectations for the meals I am receiving or eating, and strive to find places with a variety of dishes that I can choose from. If I’m going to pay for it, it has to be good. Few restaurants stand up to that measure, but I believe that I might have found one. 

My goal was to find a family-owned and operated restaurant on the North Shore, a place that has been in the family for a long time. Since my Beat Reporting class junior year, I have been a member of the ‘North Shore Eats’ Facebook group page in which members of the North Shore communities suggest and recommend restaurants and places to eat. As I became stuck trying to find places on Google, I decided to reach out and ask members of the group their favorite restaurants that are family-owned and run. I was expecting a few responses, but when I looked at my post the next day, I had ended up receiving over 230 comments. I was blown away by how many people decided to help me, and very excited to look through all the recommendations.

There was one restaurant that everyone kept commenting, a place called ‘Turner’s Seafood’. Seafood is one of my favorite things to eat, especially when I am able to enjoy lobster rolls at the beach during the summer as well as clam chowder throughout the year. Since I love seafood and due to the fact that I had never heard of the restaurant before, I decided to look it up and became overwhelmed by what I found. ‘Turner’s’ had not one, not two, but three locations around the North Shore. The locations are all different, with some focusing on on-site dining and others providing a fresh seafood market for customers. They all looked amazing, but I knew I had to go to the location which started it all.

(Above) A shot of Turner’s Melrose location that I went to. Credit: Turner’s Seafood website.

20-year-old James F. Turner emigrated from St. John’s Newfoundland in 1922, and started his career on the Boston Fish Pier. With hard work, “Jim” opened ‘Turner Fisheries’ in 1954, eventually becoming one of the leading suppliers of fresh seafood due to the new ability to fly their products anywhere across the country. Due to a myriad of restrictions and regulations surrounding the seafood industry in the 1980s, John Turner (Jim’s only son) established ‘J. Turner Seafoods’ in 1989. This new wholesale company in Gloucester dealt with the lesser amount of supplies and difficult regulations that had been implemented. 

John had four sons, who growing up learned the ins and outs of the seafood industry. In their hometown of Melrose, John’s four sons opened up ‘Turner’s Seafood Grill and Market’ in 1994. The sons decided to expand the business, first creating a Gloucester location in 2006 as well as a market in the same location that ships seafood overnight in 2010. The Turner brothers additionally opened up another restaurant in Salem in 2013. Each restaurant and location is different, but all has that same family-oriented atmosphere to them. On their website, ‘Turner’s’ boasts that 9 of the 4th generation of the Turner family currently work in the three locations.

That’s how I arrived at ‘Turner’s Seafood Grill and Market’, the sons’ original location in Melrose. The seemingly small location is located on one of the main streets in downtown Melrose, among other shops and restaurants. With the onset of warm weather, various people had been sitting in multiple tables outside the restaurant, enjoying drinks such as martinis as well as their food. When I walked in, I was met by the delicious smell of fresh, cooked seafood. The restaurant is much bigger than it looks, split into four sections. The dark colored walls are filled with various seafood-related decorations, such as oars and fake fish. To the right, a glass display case held fresh seafood such as clams and shrimp on ice, in which customers are able to purchase every day. Behind that, a bunch of small tables remain in an ‘oyster bar’ area, where customers can get fresh oysters upon request. 

On the other side of the restaurant, multiple tables covered in blue-striped tablecloths allow customers to get a full dining experience. I was seated in a high top next to the regular tables, near a string-lights covered bar that normally has seating but due to Covid has been removed. I noticed a hard working bartender, making his way through the various drink orders of the night. I could hear him constantly talking with the waitresses, creating a comfortable atmosphere that reminded me of fun family banter. 

The restaurant had the option of ordering through your phone, but I decided to order with a waitress, who welcomed us with a smile and a greeting. Since it was my first time there, she was very helpful in describing the various dishes they had to offer. ‘Turner’s’ has a wide variety of options on their menu, starting with appetizers such as clam chowder that is not bad priced at $6.50 a cup. I went there with my boyfriend, and we decided to start off with a warm crab dip as we both enjoy crab. It didn’t take too long for the appetizer to come, and we were excited to dig in. The plate contained four large soft pretzels, which we were able to dip in a ramekin of warm, delicious crab dip. It was very savory, and I could even find large chunks of crab in my spoonfuls, which greatly impressed me. It was just what we wanted to start off the night. 

It was truly hard to decide what I wanted for my meal, as ‘Turner’s’ has so much to offer. I considered getting the crab roll, but decided that since I just had the crab dip, it would be too much of the same thing. My boyfriend considered getting fish and chips, but we both knew that we wanted to go down to ‘Turner’s’ Gloucester location to eat at their specialty fish and chips shop soon. He ended up getting the yellowfin tuna burger, with fries and a brightly colored slaw as well as a wasabi aioli (that was too spicy for me, but he loved it!). The burger is one of the lower priced items on the menu at $15.00, but is still fairly large for its price and easily able to be shared. I ended up trying his burger, which seemed a little dry to me, but was still full of fresh flavor and seasonings. As for me, I love shrimp, so I decided on getting stuffed shrimp with a baked potato and brussel sprouts as my sides.

When the food arrived, I was very impressed with the overall presentation. Four shrimp sat in the middle, all stuffed with a breadlike seafood vegetable filling. My baked potato was to the left, with a pad of already melted butter sitting in its ridges. The brussel sprouts, which contained bacon, sat on the right. My mouth was watering even before I dug in. The presentation was great, but the food was even better. Each shrimp tasted like it had just come out of the ocean, and the bread filling reminded me of Thanksgiving day stuffing. The filling was a perfect combination with the shrimp, as it added extra flavor and texture. They were topped off with a lobster basil cream sauce, which was heavenly. It had an almost buttery taste to it, a creamy flavoring that was delicious on top of the shrimp. The sauce seeped into my brussel sprouts, which combined with the smokey flavor of the bacon throughout. 

(Above) The meal I got at Turner’s, a stuffed shrimp dish with a baked potato and brussel sprouts.

The star of the show truly were the roasted brussel sprouts, which were fresh and perfectly charred to perfection. I normally don’t like whole brussel sprouts, but these changed my mind. They were a 2 dollar upgrade, but completely worth it. My baked potato with butter was pretty good, but nothing special, tasting starchy like a normal potato without any seasoning. Even so, it was a delicious meal overall. My dinner wasn’t badly priced either, a steal at $22.00 for a large plate of fresh seafood (which is usually highly priced!). After I ate, I was so full and pleased with what I had just gotten. 

When the check came, I was shocked to see that the price wasn’t higher. I feel that they gave fresh, delicious seafood for a great price, which is amazing. After we left, I knew this could be deemed as one of the best restaurants I had tried in the North Shore area. I will definitely be back, and I of course want to try the other ‘Turner’s’ locations in the area. I encourage you to check out the various ‘Turner’s’ restaurants across the North Shore, you won’t be disappointed!

[evengayerpanic]

Beyond the Hollows [Week 1]

Read Another Part: [One]    [Two]    [Three]    [Four]

_________________

The end of the world came about so subtly that unless you were watching out for it specifically, you probably missed all of the signs until it was too late.

Sarah Anne Murphy, better known as Sae, was one of the one’s who was unlucky (or lucky) enough to be blindsided by the chaos that was about to engulf her. 

As she hurtled down the highway going 100kms an hour, her car screaming 90′s hit songs almost as loudly as the excited chatter from her 1994 Honda Civic’s three other passengers, there was only one thing that actually occupied her mind.

How she was going to come out to her older sister Katherine with as few victims as was possible.

One victim was inevitable, Lukas Keizerfjord.

He was a sweet boy, only three years older than Sae herself. He had a decent job in construction (which was what Katherine’s fiancee Curtis also did), appeared to be clean-cut, and had been nothing but respectful since they had picked him up in Hamilton on their way to the resort they booked in Niagara.

Sae knew what her sister and her sister’s fiancee were thinking... he was perfect for her. Maybe he was?

But he wasn’t Kristin Reynolds from her Gender Studies course; who had kissed her in her dorm room while they had been studying for their final assignment, who had held her hand when nobody was looking, and who was waiting back in Toronto to spend two weeks alone with her figuring out what they were before she started Teacher’s College.

This trip with the four of them was supposed to celebrate Sae’s graduation from Queen’s University, the young blonde woman just hoped they’d still be celebrating once she shook up the picturesque double-date that Katherine had set up for them.

The what if’s roared through her head as their journey came to a close, her GPS signaling that they were less than twenty minutes away from the resort.

It overwhelmed Sae; more than the news reports of a strange illness spreading city to city, more than the stress of her last year of university, and more than her unconventional childhood experiences.

Katherine had been her only constant growing up, and the very thought that her big sister might be disappointed in her for who she was, tore Sae up.

“Sae...” A voice came from beside her, so quiet that Sae’s busy thoughts drowned it out. “Sae.” The voice repeated, once again to deaf ears. “Sarah Anne!”

As the last call of her name came out more as a shout, Sae jumped in her seat, the car swerving slightly before the young blonde was berating her sister. “Kate, what the hell! I almost crashed the car!”

“You missed the exit.”

“Oh, sorry, I’ll take the next one.”

Katherine narrowed her eyes at her sister for a second. “What’s wrong, you look upset.” At the silence, the brunette leaned over and nudged her sister’s shoulder as she drove. “You don’t need to be nervous, I’m sure he’s going to really like you.”

“He’s not the one I’m worried about.” Sae mumbled under her breath, her eyes trained on the road ahead of her as she followed her newly recalculated GPS.

“What was that?” Kate feigned confusion as her gaze lingered on her little sister for just a little too long.

“I asked what the plan was for tonight?” Sae recovered quickly, throwing Kate off. “After we get to the hotel, I mean, where are we going tonight?” 

“Oh! Dinner at Copa Cabana, then the Casino!”

The conversation between the two sisters died down as Sae turned off onto the next exit, the resort popping into view, and the mood in the car changed.

The rest of the drive was full of excitement; the two men in the back chattered away about the games they were going to play at the casino, and the attractions in town they wanted to visit, Katherine ranted about all the stores she wanted to check out, and Sae... Even Sae couldn’t escape the excitement over getting to take pictures of the Falls up close.

_________________

The excitement was indescribable. Whether it was the look of the main street as they passed it to the resort; a cacophony of screams coming from the arcades, casinos and funhouses that littered Clifton Hill, or perhaps the beautiful views of the water as they passed through the more residential side of Niagara... there was a magic in the air that took away all of Sae’s self doubt and anxiety.

The resort, if possible, looked even more amazing than the views that they had passing it, and as Sae parked the car, she felt the light and airy feeling of vacation wash over her in a rush.

It was vacation, her graduation vacation.

Tones of blue, and accents of silver flooded the quartet as they brought their belongings from the car to the bustling front desk. Sae let her eyes wander as Katherine took over checking in to the resort, like the older and in charge sister that Sae knew and loved.

If there was anything wrong going on in the world, then this resort was far from it; a huge fence closed them off from the outside world, and the televisions littering the main foyer, had all been switched to some sort of aquarium channel, anything to further solidify the feeling of being in paradise.

“We have three hours until our reservation, what do you say we get ready as the boys check out the resort?” Katherine would tease once they got up to their rooms, and for a little while, Sae would feel normal about the whole adventure.

The girls took turns helping each other with their hair, practically wrestling to straighten Sae’s natural blonde waves, and add a bit of crimping to Kate’s naturally pin-straight auburn locks. Make-up was done together as well, Katherine taking on her duties as the older and more feminine of the two, and carefully giving Sae a smokey eye look that rivalled her own.

“We’ve got to impress Lukas, right?” Kate smirked, bringing Sae’s mood down from the vacation-glazed excitement she had been in since arriving.

“Actually...” Sae whispered, as she helped Kate finish gluing on her lashes. “I wanted to talk to you about-”

A loud bang on their door cut the blonde off quickly, and made both girls jump. “Must be the boys.” As confident as Kate was about that, Sae didn’t share the same idea as her sister moved to the door.

“Are you sure? It’s kind of early for them to be back.”

“Who else would it be, silly?” Popping open the door, the two girls shared a moment of confusion when there was nobody there, only to jump as a door down the hall slammed and a shriek was heard behind it.

“A bit early to be playing around like that, but hey, maybe someone is on their honeymoon.” Kate raised an eyebrow playfully, even as Sae’s eyes narrowed in worry as she scanned the empty hall.

“I don’t think that sounded playful at all.”

“Don’t be naïve, besides we should go see if the boys are back, it’s almost time for our reservation.” Kate chastised her, turning back to grab her purse and fixing Sae with a look that meant no nonsense.

The uneasy feeling didn’t shake off of Sae, even as she grabbed her own cross-body bag and followed after Katherine closely, her eyes not leaving the door that had slammed shut and her ears not ignoring the sudden silence that came from that suite.

_________________

“Something’s up, Kate, they won’t let us leave the resort.” Curtis’ words rang in Sae’s ears as her and her sister found the boys among the crowd that had gathered haphazardly in the lobby. 

A feeling of dread was palpable, especially as Sae looked around the crowd to see the worried faces of both staff and guests alike as they looked around, trying to find some answer of what was going on.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on a little girl, no more than eight years old, being held by her Father, the child’s arms wrapped tightly around the man’s neck, a look of terror and confusion on her face.

She tried to smile but all that came out was a grimace, especially as she heard Lukas cut Curtis off with something even more terrifying. “There was these two brothers behind us maybe 200 yards back, only teenagers, they weren’t allowed back in. The resort locked the gates soon as me and Curt got in.”

“Why wouldn’t they let a couple kids in?” Sae wondered out loud, before a loud voice came from the front of the room, effectively quieting over half of the murmuring from the crowded room.

“Everyone!” The voice boomed, Sae strained her neck to look overtop of the crowd at the man (she recognized him from check in) that it came from. “We understand you are scared and confused right now!”

“What’s going on?!” Came a yell from behind Sae.

“Why did you lock the gates, my wife is still out there shopping!” A voice sounded to the right.

“Please! We need everyone to stay calm!” This time a shrill voice came from one of the waitresses of the resorts restaurant. “Let Thomas explain!”

The murmuring of the crowd died down again, the man stepping on top of the check-in desk so that he could be seen by everyone in the crowd.

“It appears that there is a riot going on downtown.” Sae glanced around, stepping closer to Kate and taking her hand tightly, noting as several others seemed to be getting closer to their loved ones too.

“We don’t believe that we are in any danger, but there are reports of people fighting, and-”

He was cut off by another staff member, a parking valet. “There’s even been reports of a few deaths.”

A gasp ran over the crowd.

“We understand you are afraid, but it is our job to keep you guests safe.” 

“I recommend everyone return to your rooms, lock the doors and wait for more instructions.”

At the sound of a scream from the rear exit, Sae turned to see a man climbing over the gate, and her heart thudded into her chest as he dropped down and immediately began stalking towards a young woman who was busy on the payphone.

“Kate... I think we need to go.” Sae tugged at her sisters arm, noting that both Kate and Lukas seemed to be staring in the opposite direction.

As she turned her head to see what they were looking at, a scream popped out of her mouth as another man leapt onto the reception desk and tackled the manager to the ground with an animalistic shriek.

Curtis, seeing this as well, leapt to action, grabbing a chair and breaking the leg off of it, brandishing it in front of him before shoving Kate and Sae towards the staircase. “Get to our room, now!” He yelled as the screams began to erupt around them as people started to catch onto the chaos.

_________________

The next few moments seemed to take forever as the terror set in and people all began to try to get away from the carnage that was happening at the reception desk.

Sae found herself fixated, staring as the man who had knocked the manager to the ground, began to dig into his chest with his fingers, tearing chunks of flesh away from the poor man as he shrieked at the top of his lungs in pain.

It was a mix of confusion and horror that held it’s grip on Sae before her soon to be brother-in-laws hands shoved her into action, breaking her glance and snapping her into focus.

“Run!” He screamed again, right in her ear as she began to take the stairs by two, her sister almost half a flight ahead of her, screaming for Sae to hurry up.

The group ascended the stairs quickly, few other guests following their actions as they all rushed to their rooms, to some preconcieved notion of safety that would await them as long as they could get behind a pair of locked doors.

The chaos was ringing in Sae’s ears, screams coming from the left and right of her as more and more guests were both attacked, and caught on to the attacks happening to the people around them.

As they cleared the first flight of stairs, the small group broke off from the pack of resort guests just in time to start sprinting down the hall to their room. The boys were in lead, trying to clear the way, their keys out to get the door open when Sae ran past her sister, frozen and staring at an open door.

“Kate!” The blonde screamed, skidding to a stop and turning back to her sister. “Come on!”

“That’s the room.” Kate yelled back, her voice weak and small. “The scream from earlier, it was her. Look, she’s hurt, Sae, she needs help.”

“What are you talking about?” Her voice is scared and hoarse, and it’s only when the silence sets in that Sae realizes the screaming she heard earlier was her.

Thats when she sees her.

In the doorway across from Kate, the room that they had heard screaming from what seems like forever ago, a woman stands in the doorway and shakes.

“She’s hurt Sae, I can help her, I’m a nurse.” Kate demands, and Sae freezes like ice when she sees the blood dripping from the girls finger tips.

“I don’t think we can help her Kate, we need to go.”

The boys have already reached the room, and are fumbling with the door key, they haven’t noticed that the girls have stopped running... not yet.

“I’m a nurse, I have to help...” Kate says, her voice is fierce and determined and yet Sae can sense just the slightest hint of fear.

“We need to get to safety.” Sae tries to talk her down, tries to talk her sister over the guilt she has that what she thought was a playful sexy scream earlier was anything but playful or sexy.

Kate takes a step forward, hand out to the trembling woman. “Come with us, we’ll help you, I’m a nurse.” 

Sae sees the expression on the woman’s face change just a second too late before she’s grabbing onto Kate’s hand with full force, pulling the brunette closer and sinks her teeth into Kate’s shoulder. 

The sister’s let out a scream in unison, Kate’s in pain, Sae’s in horror as the woman tears a chunk from Kate’s shoulder and begins chewing on it desperately.

“Kate! Kate!” She screams, the boys finally noticing and running back towards the girls in defense.

Lukas runs at the girl who attacked Kate, and Curtis begins to use the chair leg like a bat to beat the woman away from his fiancee and her sister as Kate crumples to the ground and Sae rushes towards her.

“Kate... Kate, please talk to me, please!” Sae begs, cradling her sister’s head in her lap and trying to stop the bleeding of her shoulder by pushing her hands against the wound, blood seeping between her fingers and staining her hands and dress a bright red.

Life flashes before Sae’s eyes; her and Katherine as children, holding hands and sobbing as their Father is put into the ground, the moment that their Mother brought home her first boyfriend, coming home from elementary school to find her sister nursing some fresh bruises from that very same boyfriend, and finally, promising each other that they’ll always be there for each other, no matter what happens.

It’s those words that she repeats to herself as she desperately tries to stop the bleeding. “I’m right here Kate, I’m right here!” Sae cries as she can feel her sister shuddering underneath her, her wound pulses with every fleeting heartbeat that Kate has.

“Come on Katie, you’re okay...” Sae begs as she feels the stillness of her sister begin to settle in. Tears mix with blood as Sae drops her head over Kate’s and begins to sob, taking in loud gasps of air as her cries quickly become frantic and hysterical.

“Get away from her.” A voice warns from behind Sae, but she’s stuck watching as the life drains from her sister. “I mean it, you need to get away now!”

A gasp leaves Sae as rough hands pull her backwards, moments later that gasp is turning to a shriek as the young woman notices Katherine’s eyes are beginning to open again, only instead of the warm brown honey that Sae is used to, she meets a milky white.

“Kate?” She screams, a snarl leaves her sisters mouth as the brunette gains momentum, leaping from her place on the ground towards Sae. “Stop!”

A pair of rough and calloused hands shove at Kate, knocking her back to the ground, giving Sae a moment to look beside her and see the man from earlier who was holding his young daughter, standing in the doorway of a room directly behind them.

Sae can see the young girl just inside the room, screaming for her Daddy, but only briefly before another shout focuses her attention in front of her.

“No!” Comes the desperate scream from Curtis, his heart stopping as he sees Katherine, or what’s quickly become of her. Her focus doesn’t change from Sae.

“Move, now!” The man beside her yells, simultaneously as Kate once again lunges at Sae, stopped by his bare hands as he manages to grab her arm and keep her from reaching the young woman.

The next few moments feel like they go by in slow motion, stumbling away from her sister and the man, Sae watches as Curtis and Lukas both run forward.

While it looks as if Lukas is going to run for Sae, and Curtis for Kate, fate takes a strange turn and the two boys go for the opposite sister; Lukas runs full force at Katherine and the man, his lips screaming out a hoarse “Get away from her!” as he tackles Kate away from where she’s trying to pull towards Sae.

Curtis on the other hand slams full force into Sae, knocking her backwards into the open room. For a moment she tries to scream and fight against him that they need to go save Kate, but Curtis doesn’t listen past yelling at her to get inside to safety.

As the man is broken free from Kate’s hold by the flailing and fighting Lukas, he also manages to enter the room, turning to face the frenzied Lukas with a quick demand to “Hurry up and get inside!”

With Sae momentarily stunned, Curtis turns his head to watch as Kate grabs a hold of Lukas, and in a last minute decision, Curtis slams the door closed and throws a wardrobe in front of it.

There’s a second of shocked silence before hell breaks loose in a flurry of screamed threats and desperation.

“What are you doing, your friend is still out there?!” The man demands in a roar of confusion.

“We need to go back out there, Curtis!” Sae is shrieking in endless desperation, held back by her would-be brother-in-law as she tries to fight to the door. “We have to get Kate and Lukas!”

“She’s dead!” Curtis finally growls, managing to fight Sae onto one of the hotel beds in the room. 

She stills in fear, her eyes wide and red with tears.

“Kate’s dead, Sarah... Lukas is too. Unless you want to be responsible for getting the rest of us killed, including that man’s daughter, you’re going to shut the fuck up and just accept that your sister is dead.”

The room falls into silence as Sae turns away from Curtis, putting her face against the pillow and attempts to drown out the rest of her crying.