#… oh yeah - I RAN OUTTA READING MATERIAL | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

teddy06writes · 4 years ago

Note

sum angst for sapnap x quackity x karl x reader if requests are open, i dont remember if they are, and if u feel up to it

sapnap x karl x quackity x reader + sleepy bois x sibling!reader

trigger warnings: yelling, swearing, character death

this is an in game au so be aware of that

premise: you’ve been on the inside, spying on Shlatt for pogtopia, you thought you had had him convinced that the spy was Tubbo (Who knew just about nothing about pogtopia) but during the festival Shlatt asks you to make a speech... after the festival, things begin to fall apart

(y/n/n)- your nickname

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

“And you’re sure about this? You’re positive that it’s him and not Quackity?” Shlatt asked.

The festival was in two days, Wilbur’s plan to blow Manburg was in place, and suddenly huge evidence of things you had berried was piling up. Your entire position as Pogopia’s spy was at risk.

“I’m positive Mr. President. I caught Tuboo poking around in some tunnels, trying to talk to TommyInnt just yesterday,” You lied straight through your teeth, “The log I found behind the files proves it.”

You held up the book, truly a work of your own notes, signed in you co workers hand.

Shlatt took it, quickly skimming through the pages, “Hmmm, this is significant evidence to condemn the kid. We’ll have to do something about.”

“Maybe we should exile him, like Wilbur and Tommy.” You suggested carefully.

He considered it for a moment, a wide jagged grin spreading across his face, “Or... we could execute him,” He seemed to take pleasure in your shock, “Publicly. We have been needing a slam finish for that festival.”

“Shlatt Tubbo is just a child!”

Shlatt glared down at you, “Sorry, what was that? It almost sounded like you were trying to go against the word of the president.”

The threat chilled you to the core, and you strained to stay calm, “With all due respect Mr. President, Tubbo is only 16, and there are other ways to deal with insurgents.”

“Insurgents? As in there's multiple now?” Alex strode into the room, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as you breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Yes, your partner here has just informed me that our dear Tubbo is a traitor,” Shlatt slammed the journal onto the desk, ignoring the glare Alex gave him when you jumped, “He’s been spying on Manburg for Pogtopia.”

Alex reached for the book, flipping to the last page and reading allowed, “If there is ever a time to strike, it would be during the Manburg festival, though it is worth noting Wilbur’s plan of destroying L’Manburg should be put off as long as possible.”

“When I caught them in the tunnels under the city, they were talking about tnt,” You said, the shake in your voice all too real, as forced tears began to prick in your eyes, “Wilbur’s going to blow it up.”

Shlatt looked at you clearly searching for something, but giving up once you fully began to cry, turning to burry your face in your boyfriends shoulder.

The president sighed, annoyed, “Get them outta here Quackity, I can’t work when there's fucking crying in my office.”

“It’s probably just the stress, sir. I’ll get them home.” Alex carefully led you out of the white house, and you were grateful, unknowing how much of the emotion was real or not.

“Oh god! Is (y/n) okay?” Karl asked as soon as Alex had gotten you to where he was decorating party island.

“Yeah, they’ll uh- they’ll be alright. Shlatt, Manburg, stress, you know?” He eased you down to sit on one of the benches, and quickly Karl moved to sit and wrap his arms around you.

“Hey, I’ve gotta get back to work. I’ll see you guys tonight.” Alex quickly pecked at your cheek, and then Karl’s lips before heading back in the direction of the white house.

“What happened?” Karl asked softly once he had gone.

You sniffled, leaning into his embrace, “Work’s stuff. The festival’s getting stressful.”

“Yeah, well I’m helping Tubbo with the last of the decorating tomorrow,” He paused, “You’re missing Wilbur and Tommy aren’t you?”

You nodded, “I miss them and Techno and Phil. I miss home.”

Your duties as a spy didn’t entail much seeing your brothers, just taking down notes of what was going on in Manburg and leaving them in a remote chest for Wilbur to collect later.

“We all miss home. But think about it this way, if you hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t’ve found me, or Alex, or Nick,” Karl said, looking out at the rest of Manburg, “We wouldn’t have this place without you or your brothers, and even Shlatt can’t change that.”

You smiled a bit at that, “Thanks Karl.”

“And! You don’t have to worry about decorations for the festival cause I’m helping Tubbo with it tomorrow!”

Though it was meant to cheer you up you felt your heart sink lower, he and Nick still didn’t know, and wouldn’t about what would be planned for the festival, but hopefully Alex would understand the burden.

“So why is there a festival?”

Nick had just arrived back in Manburg from a while’s stay in the SMP, and was very confused by the posters lining the streets.

“Shlatt wants to celebrate democracy, so he’s had Tubbo and I organize a festival.” You explained.

He cocked an eyebrow, “And what does Wilbur think of this?”

Nick was still the only one who’d found out about your allegiances to Pogtopia, only by mistake, when he’d caught you making the journey back from the cavern.

“Wilbur thinks it’s an opportunity,” You sighed, quickly scribbling down a new messege to the boys, “Techno think’s it’s a waste of time and energy, the anarchist energy’s been shining through more and more lately.”

“So who do you agree with?” He asked carefully.

“Neither, Wilbur’s gone manic, Techno is- well he’s Technoblade, and Tommy just goes along with what Wil says.” You tucked each note into an envelope, folding them between the pages of the newest set of notes.

You looked up to meet Nick’s eyes, “I’m worried about what Friday will bring. I’ve tried to throw Shlatt off my trail and it seems like it’s working I just-”

You broke off as Nick wrapped his arms around you, “Hey, it’ll be okay. And if he tries anything, I’ll be there to protect you,” He chuckled, “Hell, maybe it’ll be the only time your brothers and I agree.”

“Maybe.” You mumbled.

“Woah! Are you guys cuddling without us?” Karl feigned shock as he came into the living room with Alex.

“I would never!” You forced a laugh.

“(y/n), come on, we’ve gotta go get ready to meet Shlatt.” Alex nudged you.

You sighed, starting to snuggle back into Nick’s grip, wishing the small amount of morning calm would last, “Do we have too?”

“Yeah, you know he won’t be happy if we’re late.”

You looked at Karl and Nick, still mostly asleep, and then back at him, quietly admitting, “I’m scared today could change everything.”

He sighed, immediately shifting back down into be, “I suppose we could stay a bit longer.”

Slowly, the other boys woke up, but the room remained in silence, as if everyone could feel the coming tension, as if even moving would shatter the peace of the day.

Carefully, Karl broke the silence, “We’re gonna be okay guys. The festival is gonna be awesome. Wilbur wouldn’t do anything to ruin it for (y/n).”

“If what they found out is true, you guys could all be at risk.” Alex murmured.

Nick sighed, “I don’t care who’s bad side I get on, it’s gonna be anything to keep you all safe.”

Each of you heard a different meaning behind his words, but still none of you spoke.

“Whatever happens today, we’ll make it through, the country, may not.” You said, voice wavering, but still with a note of finality.

By midday the festival was in full swing, and surprising your older brother had actually shown up for the festivities.

“Strange seeing you here,” You laughed, nudging him, “A celebration of a government.”

“It’d be rude to turn down an invitation ta one a these,” He sighed, glancing around, “Where’s your boyfriends hanging around at, I haven’t threatened them yet today.”

You chuckled, “Q’s helping Shlatt with the last of the prep for the speeches. Sapnap’s supposedly trying to figure a way to cheat Fundy’s dunk tank and Karl’s over there.” You gestured to where he, Tubbo, Sam and Bad were running around at Party Island.

“mmm, hey, uh, your note the other day, you weren’t serious about framing the kid right?”

You sucked in a breath, tightening the grip on the sword at your side, “It was him or Al- Quackity, I couldn’t do that to him. Whatever they’re planning I’m going to stop them.”

Techno look back at the stage warily, “I’ll back you up if I can.”

Soon everyone was being called to take there seats in the audience as you, Tubbo, Alex, and Shlatt took to the stage.

“Well everyone!” Shlatt addressed the crowd, “Thank you for coming to this wonderful celebration of democracy! Things sure have gotten bet around here, I’m gonna give the mic to Tubbo, the main organizer of this event, for his speech.”

Tubbo grinned, shuffling his notecards as he took Shlatt’s spot in front of the microphone, “Hello everyone! I’m honestly so excited to be here right now!”

As Tubbo rambled on about Wilbur and Tommy’s banishment, you stood back, wishing you could’ve stood on the same side of the stage as Alex.

Looking out over the crowd gathered you tried not to let your gaze wander to Tommy and Wilbur, who you knew were perched on the top of a near by building.

“And uh yeah! To democracy!” Tubbo concluded.

You could almost here Alex chuckle as he started to turn to the chest on the side of the stage, ready to grab the materials to box the boy in.

“That was nice, hey, uh, (y/n), dear (y/n), my secretary of state, I uh, I hate to put you on the spot here, but uh, why don’t you come up and make a speech?” You blood ran cold at Shlatts words.

On the other side of the stage Alex froze as well, out in the crowd no one suspect anything, so you clasped your hands behind your back to hide the tremors and moved in front of the microphone.

“Well, uh hi guys! I honestly didn’t except to be up here making a speech today, so I’m not quite sure if this will even turn out coherent,” You laughed, out of the corner of your eye you noticed Tommy tensing, “I remember, soon after I followed my brothers to this land, we fought in a war. L’manburg’s war for independence was long and hard, and I often thought we would never see a better time, but standing here, it is very clear to me that this country has changed since the election.

“This country, since gaining it’s independence has changed my life, and it weighs on my heart that My L’manburg has a ruler such as Mr. JShlatt. We fought for this land, my brothers and I, and here we are today, with so much progress made! So, my friends, my colleges, here's to Our L’manburg!”

Everyone began to cheer, only to be cut off my Shlatt’s harsh laugh, “Oh, (y/n), it’s Manburg now remember? or did you forget while you were off conspiring with your brothers in Pogtopia?”

Tubbo pushed a still frozen Alex out of the way to grab the materials, beginning to box you in.

“S- shlatt?” You quickly turned on the emotion, turning frantically as they caged you in, “Shlatt what are you talking about?”

“Shlatt what the hell are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Oh, you didn't know? Your partners a traitor!” Shlatt laughed again.

Alex turned to you, now trapped between the throne and the mic stand, looking betrayed.

“I didn’t do anything! Shlatt! Please!” Though a few days before most of the emotion had been real, but now you were thankful for your acting skills, blubbering, “Alex! Alex look at me it wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything!”

Down in the stands Nick was halfway to standing, pushing Karl back down into his own seat.

“Or really? So that book wasn’t forged? That chest you used to pass messages? You tried to turn them against me!” Tubbo exclaimed.

“I didn’t- I- I would never betray my country!” You sobbed, forcing tears to leak from your eyes.

“Oh shut up,” Shlatt turned to the crowd, “Technoblade, front and center, get up here.”

Shakily Techno stood, quietly moving up to stand on the stage as Alex backed off the stage, looking between you and Shlatt with mixes of betrayal and shock.

“What uh, what you need me up here for Shlatt?”

“I want you to take care of them, make a public example.”

Techno coughed awkwardly, “You- you want me ta kill m’ sibling?”

“No!” You exclaimed, “Techno please...”

Shlatt glared at you, “Cut the crap (y/n)! We all know you aren’t actually this god damn emotional!”

Sapnap was fully in the isle now, sword drawn, and up on the roof You saw Wilbur clamping a hand over Tommy’s mouth to keep him to keep him from giving them away.

Sighing you wiped away the fake tears, “You have to admit, Shlatt, you believed me, you trusted me!”

Shlatt just rolled his eyes, “Techno get on it, snap too! I’ve got places to be.”

Techno slung his crossbow off his shoulder uncertainly, “(y/n)?”

All the fear from the morning came flooding back, but you shoved it down, leaning forward, to make eye contact with Shlatt, “You kill me now and nothing will change! This place will still go down hill and my brothers will still plot against you! All my secrets go down with me!”

“Shut your mouth and die already!”

Your nails dug into your palms, “Don’t make them watch Shlatt, have some mercy, if you want to kill me kill me, but don’t make my boys watch, don’t make Techno do it.”

“Get it over with!”

You leaned forward, gritting your teeth, “You heard the man, kill me.”

“(y/n), I can’t- you- yo- I-”

“Do it.” You hissed.

Time slowed, and Techno slowly raised the crossbow.

You looked out, past him, over the rolling fields of L’manburg, your home.

Niki out in the crowd wore a look of horror, hiding her face in Eret’s shoulder, who wore a simillar look for fear. Fundy wore a steely expression clearly close to breaking, Sam looked down right terrified, as Bad hid his eyes in his hands.

To your left Tubbo looked scared even though he’d put you in the cage, you were glad it was you and not him.

Shlatt wore his usual evil grin, pupil’s dilated.

Up on the roof, Tommy, your little brother looked horrified, Wilbur still holding him back with a neutral expression, Techno, now directly in front of you, was nearly in tears, your big brother, who swore to protect you, now being your end, it seemed almost poetic.

Behind him Nick was running up the isle, sword drawn, though you knew he’d be to late, Karl, lip quivering sat frozen, and Alex, his face still was filled with betrayal.

You looked up, took a deep breath and then time resumed, Techno pulled the trigger and everything went black.

{(y/n) went off with a bang}

It was cold.

Dark.

You didn’t now where you were as you drifted through a world you barley recognized.

Where was this?

How did you get there?

Vaguely you remembered a festival, your brothers, plus your boyfriends, oh how you loved them.

Your friends had been there too.

You looked back down to see L’manburg, ‘home!’ you thought happily.

You drifted towards your house, a voice in the back of your brain wondering, ‘why am I not walking?’

“What the fuck was that?” A loud voice cut through the air.

‘Nicky!’ you thought happily, following the sound.

“What the hell do you mean?”

‘Alex!’

You entered the room, finding them standing on opposite side, Karl, huddled in the corner.

“You are so fucking stupid! You know that? You let them die! They’re fucking dead because of you!”

“They were a fucking traitor! They got what was coming to them!”

“They loved you!” Nick screamed back, “They loved you and me and Karl, and their brothers! And now there gone! Because of You and Fucking Shlatt!”

What were they talking about?

“They fucking betrayed us! They betrayed Manburg! You saw the fucking acting they did! How do you know they ever loved us!”

From the corner Karl sobbed, and instinctively you moved to comfort him, but instead you passed right through.

‘what the hell?’

You had no time to dwell however because Nick shouted, “Etheir way you let them die! They’d be here if you’d interfered!”

“But I didn’t wooupdy do! They were a traitor!”

“They were trying to save their home!”

“WELL MAYBE THEY SHOULD’VE CONSIDERED THAT I WAS TRYING TO BUILD IT UP!”

“You and Shlatt never did anything but tare this place to the ground.” It was only a whisper, but Nick’s words sent Alex spinning on his heel and heading out the door.

“Fuck you! Fuck you! I am aware that my best isn’t good enough! So fuck you!”

The door slammed, and Nick only blinked a moment before Karl quietly asked, “Why did you do that?”

“What?”

“Now he’s gone too!”

Karl’s voice made your heart shatter.

“You think that’s my fault?! Clearly he didn’t give a shit about us, or them, other wise he would’ve stopped Shlatt.”

“They said we’d be okay! But we’re not!” Karl sobbed.

“I can fucking see that! God damn Karl! What did you except?”

“I-”

Before he could finish the door was slamming again.

Karl leaned back against the wall, staring straight through you whispering, “Why did you have to go (y/n/n)? You only just brought us together! We only just figured it out.”

#mcyt x reader #mcyt imagines #sapnap x reader #karl jacobs x reader #quackity x reader #sapnap x karl x quackity x reader #teddy06 writes

530 notes · View notes

bugsy-maria · 4 years ago

Text

Casifer x Reader

inspired by the song Bruises

I heard the door close with a click, I knew that they would be gone for a bit so I ran to the dungeon. I grabbed the materials that I'd need to summon crowly. I knew something bad would happen. I mean, of course, I would know I watched the show back in my universe. I just needed to protect Cass from making that stupid choice I knew he would make.

I said the spell that Sam taught me a while back. I waited for a bit and Crowley popped up behind me in the library. I looked up and around at him before proceeding.

"I need you to put me in Lucifer's cage," I stated simply keeping a monotone voice and serious face.

"What is it with your bunch and wanting to go in there?!" he exclaimed like his usual self.

"Something bad is going to happen and I need to stop it. so, get me in there."

"Look (Y/N), I love you like one of my own demons but I would not let you in there."

"It would have been easier to just say you hate me," I mumbled under my breath

"You know what I mean. I'm not letting you go down there."

"I wasn't asking, take me there now," I said my voice rising a bit as I knew that every minute we bickered the closer Cass is to say Yes.

"I said no. besides they're out already, there's no one to save." and as his raised voice died down he disappeared.

Black and blue, I'm on the edge Forgave you with your hands around my neck You steal my breath, you throw me away I'm only left with bruises Always played too close to fire I thought I saw the devil in your eyes You pull me down, I can't act surprised I know you're kind, the truth is I sat on one of the chairs in the library waiting anxiously for the arrival of the two brothers and the angel. I heard the click of the door again and shot right out of the chair I had been occupying the past couple of hours. I looked at sam and dean, they were just about the same as when they left. "Cass" followed right behind them.

"How did it go?" I asked, already knowing the answer while hugging them when they got to the bottom of the stairs.

"You already know." sam said with a chuckle. I hug dean but not "Cass". I went back to my seat, not sitting, and patted the table telling them to sit with me.

"I know but it might be nice to hear how it went for you, you know?" I looked at them and noticed that they both shared a glance at one another, thinking it was weird that I didn't hug the angel as they knew I might have most likely a tiny small somewhat big secret noticeable crush on him.

They all soon sat Cass next to Dean, Sam next to my chair.

"I'll go grab some beers, yeah?" they all nodded in response, I left to get the beers from the kitchen. I came back to hear them talking about me acting weird but I just brushed it off and walked in. "Here they are!" I said having two bottles in each hand.

"Oh just what I need," Dean said grabbing his when I placed the bottles down. we spent that night drinking a little and talking about nothing. it was about an hour or two before Dean said he was gonna crash, about 20 minutes later sam said he'd hit the hay. this left me and Cassifer to be alone.

"Why didn't you hug me when I came in?" he said in Cass's voice.

"Oh drop the act I know you're not Castiel," I said, standing up and grabbing the empty brown tinted glass bottles.

"So you know," he said in more of a menacing voice.

"Of course I do."

"And you won't tell." he stands up

"Of course I won't" I turned around and started to walk to the kitchen

"Well, I guess we'll have to keep it that way huh?" I heard his chair squeak on the wood floor.

"They'll find out on their own anyway," I said looking over my shoulder. No chains, no ropes Don't need 'em, I'm not going home Can't be alone You hurt me and I pull you close I woke up sore, everything hurt. the events of last night flashed in my mind when I took in my surroundings. my surroundings being on the floor of my room with books all over the floor. I push myself up painfully and stumble out of my room. I walk to the kitchen with my hand sliding along the walls like normal.

I go into the kitchen to see the two brothers eating eggs toast and dean was eating bacon. they stopped talking about turkey bacon and looked at me. upon seeing me dean shot up along with sam after him.

"What happened to you?" Dean asked, his big hands grabbing my face, turning it to get a better look on all sides.

"I ran into a wall," I said simply while shrugging my shoulders and closing my eyes.

"A wall doesn't leave handprints around someone's neck." sam said with worry laced in his words.

"Well it did," I said as I pushed past dean to grab a plate for myself. I picked up the spatula and scooped some eggs onto my plate.

"Oh are you sure you wanna eat that (Y/n)?" I heard Castiel's voice from behind me. I sighed before thinking about it. maybe the reason they didn't take me with them to get sam out of the cage was that they knew I'd only get in the way. ill need to train and be thinner to save them the next time right?

and with that thought, I scrapped the food off my plate and put it down on the counter. I turned to see both brothers staring at him in shock. I mean it's not their fault. they didn't know that Cass wasn't himself right now.

"I hope you burn in hell." and with that, I walked out. I knew that it wasn't much of an insult to an angel that was imprisoned in a cage with no interaction by his own father, but to the boys thinking that I said it to Cass it was the best one out there. they know that I love the angel to death and wouldn't think twice before jumping in front of an angel blade for him. they would be able to tell that something is wrong I know it.

I can't tell you why When you kill me with a smile I don't wanna lose it Wish I could unchoose it All I have are bruises Let you see inside my mind Got no tears behind my eyes I don't wanna skew it Wish I could undo it All I have are bruises After a while, he stopped hurting me as he found out that I was already putting myself in hell. I could never stay mad at Cass so I've started hugging him and whispering "I'm sorry's" over and over. it's gotten harder and harder to sleep lately. I'm exhausted all the time from not eating and overworking. Black and blue, I still regret Forgive you even when I know what's next But I'm not scared, I'm outta my head Lay down to rest with bruises Cross my heart and hope to die I knew I saw the devil in your eyes If love is hell, I guess I gone blind At least you're mine, the truth is Today was the day, the day no more scars and bruises would be left on my skin. the night that I could go to bed at a normal time with my favorite angel/person in the whole universe.

"(Y/N)?" I heard his voice fly through the hall on the other side of my door. I got up and walked to the door, my hand stretched out in front of me. my hand hovered over the handle, i hesitated while my mind raced with thought about this all being a sick messed up dream. if it was I sure hope it would never end.

my boney digits wrapped around the nob and in a swift motion the door was open. I quickly looked left down the hall then right, where I saw him standing there having me.

"Cass," I sighed and ran over to him, stumbling over my feet before i got to him and quickly tied my arms around him as tight as I possibly could as to make sure he could never leave me. I felt his arms wrap around my now small and thin frame. his warmth covering me like a blanket.

"I'm back." he mumbled into the hair on the top of my head. No chains, no ropes Don't need 'em, I'm not going home Can't be alone You hurt me and I pull you close He pryed me off of him and looked me in the eyes. I didn't look at them before this but now that I had I realised that it wasn't actually him. Cass hadn't come back, it was only Lucifer playing yet another sick game.

"Oh come on that was too easy." his smirk spread on Castiel's face. "I mean one would think that you would have learned by now that Castiel is never coming back home." he lowed his face down to mine, "But that's whats unique about you, you're so so so so stupid." he said shaking my head with his hand.

"No, no Cass is going to come back i know he will." I said with determination in my voice.

"This isn't a TV show!" he shouted then slapped me so hard that I fell, my head hitting the hard wall. Upon hearing the noise sam and dean ran into the other side of the hall. their knifes out, I heard dean say something before running up to him and sam running up to me. i saw dean get stabbed with his own knife. sam tried to pick me up and take me away but was killed. I was too sund by the scene to make a noise.

"There now it's just us." he wiped his hands of the trousers he wore. "Its stupid you know." he looked at me and kneeled down to almost my level. "Its stupid that you would eve think Castiel even thinks of you like someone important to him. he doesn't even see you as a friend you know." and there was that smirk again. I can't tell you why When you kill me with a smile I don't wanna lose it Wish I could unchoose it All I have are bruises Let you see inside my mind Got no tears behind my eyes I don't wanna skew it Wish I could undo it All I have are bruises

I woke up in a cold sweat, I've had the same nightmare for months, ever since Cass came back but I never asked him to be around me when i slept because everything that Lucifer said gets to me. I know he doesn't see me as important or even like a friend.

I sat on my bed remembering the bleeding bodies of Sam and Dean and the shit-eating-grin on castiel's face that was put there by the devil himself. after about 30 minutes of sitting there I finally got the gutts to get up and ask Cass to help me sleep. he doesn't sleep but it has always helped me sleep with him and I cuddling.

my bare feet touched the cold floor and the light patter of them could be heard from the occupants of the rooms I was walking by. i made it to cass' room where he didn't do much, mostly just reading. i knocked on the door then heard a couple steps from inside the room. the door opened and there stood Cass in all of his glory. the real one.

"(Y/N)? what are you doing up?" HIS voice asked.

"I had a nightmare." i said looking at HIS eyes, making sure there was no sign of Lucifer.

"Oh, come in." he stepped aside letting me walk in, softly closing the door behind me. I fell onto his bed, the meletonion in my body kicking me, and boy did it kick hard. I felt the side of the bed next to me dip. "What was it about?"

"It was the night you came back but it wasn't you it was still Lucifer and he killed Dean and Sam." I said leaving out the part about what he had said. I felt his arm drape around my waist and the other one go underneath me to hug me tight and close to his chest. I felt the blanket cover him and me.

"Oh Angel, you have nothing to worry about. it's always going to be me from now on." HE whispered kissing the top of my head. an action he did quite often but everytime he did it I got butterflies.

"Good night Bee."

"Good night Angel, i love you."

"I love you too." I said with a smile spread so far on my face it covered half of my face.

I can't tell you why I'd let you kill me with a smile I don't wanna lose it Wish I could unchoose it All I have are bruises Wish you saw inside my mind I got no tears behind my eyes I don't wanna skew it Wish I could undo it All I have are bruises

102 notes · View notes

maybebanks · 4 years ago

Text

Blow Up My Life

JJ Maybank x kook! reader

“What are we gonna do now? We have no way to dive without materials,” Pope tells the group.

“Guys we can’t give up now. There’s gotta be a way,” John B sighs.

John B had just been caught by Ward when trying to borrow some scuba gear to explore Scooters boat. They had to find some other way to get resources.

“JJ!” Pope exclaims as if JJ has been the answer that they were looking for all along.

“What’s JJ gonna do? Pick-pocket a touron?” Kie adds.

“Do I look like a kook to you?” JJ said, asking why Pope, the smartest kid he knew, was suggesting him as the answer.

“No, idiot. JJs dad used to work at that boat place right? There’s a kook girl that he always flirts with, she can hook us up!”

JJ rolled his eyes, “You mean Y/n? No way! I’m not asking her for shit,”

“Take one for the team, buddy,” John B pleads, getting excited at the possibility.

“She’s not gonna help,” JJ groaned. Fumbling with some keys on his backpack.

“I’ve seen you guys. You have a thing going,” Pope suggests.

JJ scoffs, “She’s gonna ask why. She won’t let us waste money if she doesn’t know what it’s for. Plus she has work to do,”

“She’s a kook though,” John B adds.

JJ never really pondered the fact that you were a kook, because you weren’t a snotty, annoying, bitch one.

“Barely. She’s like a Kiara-kook,” JJ explained, gesturing to Kie who was braiding her hair.

She stopped to give him a confused look.

“Still got the money though,” John B adds.

“Fine. I’ll ask her. I can’t believe you put me up to this. You all owe me!” JJ muttered as he slammed the door on the way out.

You and JJ had a complicated relationship. You met his dad before you met him. Your father owned the boat place that Mr.Maybank used to have a job at.

This gave you a bad impression of JJ. But you got to know him a little bit. He was sweet to you, but flirted non stop. Sometimes going overboard.

Nonetheless, you denied all his attempts. He never stopped trying, but at this point, that was just who he was. You both had interesting conversations almost always ending with you both roasting eachother.

When JJ got to the place, he knew better then to enter through the garded entrance. His dad was fired, so he wasn’t exactly welcomed in.

But he hopped the fense on the side and started creeping past the boats. Trying to be as descreet as possible.

Finally, he noticed you, bending over, fixing a boat. There was dirt trailing up your arms from the work, and your shorts were riding up your butt just a little.

JJ stiffened, he didn’t want to admit to the fact that he was attracted to a kook. Especially one that would never go for him.

You grabbed a wrench and started using it on the boat. But then, metal made a loud squeaking noise, and you jumped back.

“Shit.” You blurted in a disappointed tone, knowing that you just bursted a pipe and there would be consequences if fire got in the vicinity.

Less than a foot away from you, a broken wire began to spark. Your eyes widened and you instantly stepped back.

“Red 80!!” You shouted. This was in case anyone was near you and needed to take cover. Red was for the fire, and 80 was about the explosion. It was a saying you somewhat invented.

You ran towards the boat JJ was hiding behind and jumped to take cover there.

You turned the corner, and saw him.

“JJ?!” You couldn’t stop running and collided into his chest. “What are you doing here? Did you not hear me? There’s a red 80-“ you stopped when the loud eruption started.

You flinched towards JJ, and instinctively buried your head into his chest and grabbed a fist full of his shirt. His eyebrows were raised as he pulled you in, lifting his arm to shelter you. And placing a hand over your head just in case of debris.

It was a short explosion, and not one causing that much damage. But still, to JJ at least, a mistake worth making fun of.

“Not much of a hugger. But I kinda like that. Like a lot,” JJ said.

You pushed him back, “real nice,” you retaliated.

“No really. The whole damsel in distress thing...” JJ added.

You scoffed, brushing his flirts off, and got up to inspect the damage you had done.

“Feels all...James Bond,” JJ continued, gesturing to the explosion.

“It’s not too bad,” you say, in a tone that tells you you’re lying to yourself.

“Good luck telling your dad that,” JJ chuckles sarcastically.

With your hands on your hips you face him, “I think I’ll just tell him this happened the exact moment Maybank’s kid walked in. How exactly did you get in here again?”

JJ puts his hand on his heart, mocking offended.

Causing you to laugh at his facial expressions. You begin to walk away, when JJ jogs infront of you to stop you.

“Wait seriously?” He asks, slightly worried.

“No, dumbass. I’m no snitch,” you scoffed.

“That makes this next part easy,” JJ mutters, but you hear it.

“Huh?”

JJ scratches the back of his neck, he looks down at you, his eyebrow twitching as he involuntarily scans his eyes down your body.

“Ugh,” you scoffed, annoyed as you stepped past him, shoving his shoulder with yours. But it was more like his bicep.

“No, wait...I wanted to ask to borrow some gear. You know...for fun. Maybe cuz we’re cool, I thought you could hook me up?” JJ offered.

“How many?” You wondered.

“A few,” JJ said bluntly.

“So is this for you? Or the whole Scooby gang?”

JJ chuckled, it was always a joke between you two that him and his friends were the Scooby gang, always causing mischief, and riding around in that colorful van.

“The gang,” JJ stated.

“And they thought sending you was the best bet?” You joked.

“Ha, ha. Now please, I know you got some,” JJ said hopefully.

“Not for you, JJ,” you said and left him standing there while you tended to cleaning up the oil mess.

“If I help you fix this boat...then will you let me borrow some gear?” JJ asks, sitting down on the boat beside you.

“I’m working, JJ,” you brushed him off, hoping to ignore him.

You fumbled with the pipes, when JJ’s hand came into your vision. He was starting to help you, despite your protests.

He reconnects a pipe and twists a new bolt onto the latch. Stopping the oil from oozing out.

It makes a loud squeak, and right before he closes the metal, some fuel sprays in your face.

“Ah! JJ!” You scream as you wipe it off your cheek.

JJ smirks, “Whoops, my bad. I was aiming for your mouth,” JJ admits. And you roll your eyes.

A few seconds later, and after a few more moves. JJ fixes the damage you have done.

“This is huge! JJ thank you,”

“Ha. That’s what she said,” JJ mutters, to which you slap him on the arm.

“So...what do you say about helping me and my friends?” JJ brings up.

“Why do you need it? Going on some secret mission!” You tease, pushing his shoulder a little.

“I knew you wouldn’t help,” JJ mumbled.

“Why don’t you just ask your dad...oh right!” You trail off, trying to insult him back.

You see his demeanor change slightly, his jaw clenches in anger.

You and JJ have fought before, but it was all in good fun. You realized his dad was a sensitive topic.

“Come on,” you said, gesturing for him to follow you as you walked towards the scuba tank storage.

You hand him two tanks, “the rest are empty. So use these wisely,” you inform.

JJ smiles, “thank you,”

“Have fun with these,” you sigh, accidentally letting some longing push through in your voice.

“We will,” JJ says, throwing the tanks over his shoulder.

You smile softly, it was a fake smile that faded quickly.

So JJ noticed, his eyebrows furrowing. As a way of thanking you, he put aside his usual method of ignoring problems when he sees them.

“Are you okay?” JJ asked.

You looked at the ground, “yeah I’m cool,” you shrugged.

“You’re not mad about letting me borrow this stuff are you? I promise I’ll bring it back,” JJ tried to cheer you up, by holding out his pinkie finger.

“No. It’s not that. I just...I guess you and you’re friends are so close, and you always have so much fun together...sometimes I just wanna get in on that. You know?” You explained.

“But you’re a kook?” JJ said in shock, he never thought a kook would wish to trade their life for his.

“Yeah,” you said disappointedly, “it gets boring after a while,” you admitted.

“You have a pool in your backyard?” JJ defended, trying to mention reasons why your life shouldn’t be boring.

“Without friends to share it with...friends that know you...I don’t know. It’s okay. I’ll figure it out. You should get outta here. Before my dad finds you,” you suggest.

JJ struggles for words. He knew his friends would tease him if he did what he was thinking, but he didn’t care, “come with us,”

You gave him a surprised look at the offer, “really?”

“Totally. As long as you don’t embarrass me with all your kooky ways,” JJ joked.

“I think I will. All I have here is the same old, same-“

“HEY!” a male voice shouted suddenly. You jumped and turned to face the voice. But JJ had already started running towards the exit.

“JJ! You bastard,” you scolded.

“Oh right,” JJ blurted, he ran back to you, grabbed your arm, and started dragging you with him.

“What are you doing?!” You exclaimed, pushing him off.

“Your coming with me right?”

“Yeah. But I can walk myself,” you retort.

JJ explains, “We can’t walk, we have to run-“

“Is that Maybank?! I told you to never come back here, boy!” The male security man shouts.

You laugh and start running farther with JJ.

He hops a fence, the man still gaining on the both of you.

You’ve never hopped a fence before, but in the heat of the moment, and JJ’s motivation, you swung your feet over with ease and continued to run with JJ.

JJ was a little faster than you, so to catch up with him, you reached out and held his hand.

He was surprised, you could read it on his face, it wasn’t necessarily a bad-surprise, but he felt affection, in your touch.

He thought it was just adrenaline.

After what felt like a mile, JJ finally stopped running.

When you stopped, JJ carefully let go of your hand to run a hand through his hair.

You breathed heavily, “that was-“

“Fun right?” JJ smiled.

You laughed and felt a sudden nerve in your stomach. Almost like anxiety.

“You ready to meet my friends?”

That was it, your face flushed with nerves, “Wait, uh...are you sure they’ll want to. I mean...aren’t your friends very...anti-kook?” you wondered.

JJ scratches the back of his neck, “don’t worry. They’ll love you. And besides, I’m the most anti-kook and you can deal with me,”

You smiled at him, “true,”

You and JJ walked a little further and arrived at a house near the water.

“This is John B’s place. You can find me here a lot,” JJ said.

You already knew why JJ wouldn’t want to be home a lot. So you just nodded.

(Disclaimer: They we’re running with the scuba gear on their backs)

The Pogues ran out of the house to meet the both of you. Smiling when they saw the gear.

You didn’t feel used because you were there too.

The pogues didn’t expect to see you, and not to judge a book by its cover, but you didn’t look like a full kook.

Kiara approached JJ, “what’s she doing here?” She whispered.

John B smiled and held out a hand for you to shake, “hey, I’m John B,”

You greeted him back warmly, trying to hide the nerves.

“Hey, I’m Pope,” someone said from behind John B, “you’re Y/n right? We’ve heard a lot about you,”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, my boy JJ-“ Pope tries, but JJ steps in and elbows him in the gut.

“Welcome to the Cut,” John B says.

“She’s been to the Cut, genius,” Pope says, still recovering from the playful blow he took from JJ.

“Fine. Welcome to the Chateau.” He paused, “That better?”

#jj maybank #obx imagine #obx fanfiction #outer banks #obx netflix #jj imagine jjxreader obx #obx jj #obx jj maybank x you #outerbanks #jj outer banks #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank friends #obx x reader #obx jj maybank #jj maybank fanfic #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x kook!reader #jj maybank imagine

409 notes · View notes

dimonds456 · 5 years ago

Text

What was “A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak” Really About?

What was Zach Callison’s A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak really about?

Hey all you people out there! How are you surviving quarantine? I had a bunch of spare time, and so I decided to write an essay that focuses on Zach Callison’s album, A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak. The album has been out for a while, but most people either only know Interlude IV or are really confused about the story it tells. I think I’ve finally got an answer, and I wanted to share it with you all.

If you’re only here to better understand Interlude IV, you can skip down there if you want, but you’ll still be pretty confused. Besides, you should listen to the rest of the album. The whole thing bops.

Personal favorite song is Phantom Love, but I’m pretty sure no one cares about that.

Anyways, on to the show! One song at a time, in order.

WARNING: REALLY, REALLY LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!!

Phantom Love

Phantom Love sets up the whole story for us. Juanita is Zach’s old GF, who appears to only have dated him so she could get ideas for a music album she was writing. However, she had no ideas and/or is a masochist, and so wanted to get Zach to either break up with her, do something horrible to her, or just create drama in general she could write about. Whatever happens happens, and she is successful.

Juanita seems to be suffering from some form of depression, but whether that’s actually the case or she, again, just wanted something to write about is up for debate. But either way, it’s hinted at several times that she slit her wrists and other self-harm-inducing activities.

Many people follow her- she seems to be popular enough (which makes sense, due to the album being about two celebrities dating each other, just like Zach’s irl relationship). However, she has two different faces- her showbiz the-cameras-are-on face and her real face. Zach seems to have the same thing, as hinted at in She Don’t Know, but we’re not there yet. Point is, Juanita used Zach to try and get a tragedy out of the whole deal.

It was a phantom love- it never existed.

“Made me promise I would never break your heart

How was I to know that’s what you wanted from the start?”

Both people got into Hollywood from a young age and grew up with it, and so were surrounded by drama constantly. This takes a toll on Zach, but he tries to deal with it whereas Juanita actively wants to partake in it. She causes drama- little triggers to get him to snap- until one day, he does.

Interlude I - Frantically

This one is pretty straight-forward. After the two break up, it’s the perfect excuse for Juanita to start spreading rumors and stirring tension. She’s quick to make Zach out to be the bad guy, when in actuality, he was the one who was being loyal in their relationship.

We’re clued in that these rumors aren’t true from one line: “I heard he got fired from that cartoon he does. (Nooo wayyy…)” We, as the audience, know for a fact he didn’t, but things get shaky as we realize that some of them are also true.

“I heard he does coke now and, like, screams a lot.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

[laughter]

Zach overhears them talking about them and runs away, going off somewhere to be alone. Once he’s alone, we get the disturbing audio of him sniffing some drugs, implying that he actually does, indeed, do coke.

DISCLAIMER: Irl Zach Callison did NOT turn to drugs! It’s a metaphor for how many people he knows who have decided to do so, and so he;s aware of what it does to one’s mind. Don’t worry; Zach is okay in that department.

She Don't Know

After gaining the following knowledge, this song is easier to understand. Zach really did love Juanita, and he misses her, even though he knows at this point that she used and abused him.

“There ain’t no drug in all the world like loving you

Cocaine and cigarettes will have to do

Won’t somebody save me? My heart’s beating outta m’ chest

I just wanna hold you with those hands I once possessed.”

Juanita isn’t aware of the effect she had on him, and he laments this quite strongly (hence the title). Once she had her heartbreak, she ran off, leaving a broken lover behind.

Trigger warning: there are hints of suicidal thoughts in this song. They get more prominent as the album goes on, which becomes important later. This is where we really start seeing them, though.

“F***ed up on my bedroom floor

And my first thought’s ‘let’s do some more’

They say it all kills for thrills

And I hope it does!

Can you hear me, love?”

He speaks about “where did I go” later on, meaning that he is losing himself/doesn’t feel like himself. He still wants to be with her, and her absence has utterly destroyed him. He’s still in love with her, and wants her to know that. However, Juanita doesn’t give a bat of the eye in his direction, only caring that she now had the material she needed to write her album.

Interlude II - Christie Only Knows

Here, we are introduced to Zach’s make-believe sister, Christie. Only she is aware that he is going through this, and we find out quickly that she isn’t supportive.

“It’s getting late now, but to me, it’s just beginning

‘Cuz life’s tearing me to pieces and I know I’ve been defeated

Oh, no

And Christie only knows.

Never seen someone like this before

An eight-ball power on the floor

And I’m staring at the ceiling

Wondering if the reaper’s close

But Christie only knows

That there ain’t no drug in all the world like being you

\Glory on the silver screen just had to do

Won’t somebody save me? I am screaming out of breath

And my shadow, he’s holding a gun…

With those hands that I once possessed…”

This is the only time I’ll put all the lyrics in here, I swear. However, this one is important as it paves the way to Nightmare, bridging the gap between the two moods. She Don’t Know is angry, stressed, unsure, and frustrated, whereas Nightmare is just… depression. Interlude II is the middle ground, showing us that once Zach got all that off his chest, he feels… numb. He doesn’t know what to do.

Now, who exactly is Christie? I don’t think she really exists, in the context of the album, that is. I believe that Christie is someone he’s hallucinating, an embodiment of all his most negative thoughts, sugarcoated into something pretty and worth listening to. We’ll explore her character later on in Interlude IV - Showtime, but for now, what you need to know is that his suicidal thoughts are getting more and more intense now that she’s here.

A sister is someone who you’re bonded to, whether it be in blood, relationship, or cause. In this case, I think it’s more relationship. She is telling him to let go, to accept that things are this way and won’t get better. It’d be easier to end it. And Zach is listening to her. We know this because of the line “And my shadow, he’s holding a gun with those hands that I once possessed…” He is seriously thinking about it, and the fact that it’s his shadow shows that the thought is always in the back of his mind. The same thoughts that led him to love Juanita are now ready to kill him- those same, once-steady hands he used to hold her with. And he’s done. He’s holding on by a thread.

Nightmare

This song is told in the 3rd person as Zach really explains what he’s been going through each and every day that lead him to this fateful decision to end it. He is done. He’s decided it.

Every day, he cries. He hates himself, he hates looking at himself, he hates all of it.

“Prosecutor at his own trial,

The floor below him becomes so fertile

by his very own vile, Nile, and exile source

By the pitter-patter of his tears on the bathroom tile…

...you’re nothing more than your feelings

from your floors to your ceilings

and out the all-bloodshot ocular faucets…

Boy vs brain, white noise vs the sane,

always vs the same, cries for help exclaim

that he’s beyond repair. He’ll swear, he’ll despair, he’ll stare

straight ahead in the mirror at the source of his waking nightmare.”

There’s an instrumental break, during which he says “Are you writing this down, Christie? Yeah…” This shows that he’s lamenting to himself, as again, Christie doesn’t really exist. He’s venting to her, jotting down everything that’s wrong with him.

This tells me that he’s writing a note. He is telling someone where he’s going and why he did what he’s about to do. Remember, Christie is in Zach’s head, and so if she is writing this down, that means that Zach is writing this down. His worst, most negative thoughts are writing all this down, showing him that this was the right decision. This will end all his suffering, and whoever reads the note will understand and be happy for him. This was his solution.

“He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city

The city’s biggest bluff is making itself look so pretty

He tells himself to be tough, isolated and gritty

But gritty’s kinda hard when his brain’s run by committee”

This is how he decides to die. Now with a gunshot like Interlude II hinted at. He is willing to jump for it.

Look at the album cover. Did he go for it? I don’t think so, but we’ll get to that.

The song concludes with him saying this:

“So who do I speak of and why is he grey?

He rejects all his love, see the prices he pays

To his vices he caves, in a crisis of fates

No tragic history, only a mystery

So I say to you, ‘who?’

Why don't’cha tell me?”

This is him confirming to us, the audience, that this is Zach’s character speaking about himself. He’s been hinting and clueing at us to this song all along, and now he is making sure that we know what’s going on in his head. He’s ready to end it.

His love for Juanita broke his heart so severely that it left him broken and bruised beyond repair. And if you can’t fix it, it’s time to throw it away.

So he heads back out to the bluff to jump.

Interlude III - Second Thoughts

He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city. The bluff’s height is making itself not so pretty. Is this being tough? Or just being petty? But petty’s not likely, it’s a selfish, single entity…

Doe she really want to do this? Looking down, Zach thinks about what made him come here. The drugs? They’re messing him up. He’s aware of it, he’s been aware of it. Would jumping be giving in to their influence? Or Juanita’s?

“We put his record on until he’s bleeding on the needle

And he’s weeping in the street

Cut down on his curtain call

That’s where he’s gonna sleep.”

Standing on top of the bluff now, he looks down onto the road. He can see that there is where he could die, but he’s suddenly not so sure. The idea just slammed into him, reality slapping him in the face. “Do you really want to do this?”

“Take aim with these hands he once possessed

A dozen roses on the pavement laid the rest

Oh, my dear sister Christie, will I feel some remorse?

She says ‘no, pull the trigger, ‘cuz he’s left us no recourse.

His brain has a sickness, so kill it at the source.’”

He steps closer. He can see, in his mind, the image of his dead body lying on the road, forever resting. But, was that the right call? To just throw in the towel like that? So, in true metaphorical fashion, he turns and asks Christie. His inner demons. They’ve been straight with him before, right? And, of course, they say “yes, go for it.”

But Zach still isn’t sure.

I believe he backs off for now, leading the way to Curtain Call.

Curtain Call

This is where it really starts to get difficult when it comes to dissecting this album, and from here on out, I guarantee that I got things wrong. However, stay with me, because I’m open to and want to discuss what everyone else thinks it all could mean. I’m going to share my ideas, and if you have a better one, tell me and I can either agree or argue it with you. Point is, like English class (in high school), if you have the evidence to back it up, you’re not wrong. Let’s have a serious discussion about this.

On with the show! Now, it appears as though Zach is arguing with himself in this one, one wanting to show people that he’s hurt so he can get help- the side that wants to live- but on the other hand, his other half knows that there’s nothing they can do if he does. He’d just weigh them all down. Because all of him agrees that he’s useless and hopeless.

He sends up a prayer (I think Zach is Christian, so this makes sense), asking for, basically, karma of some kind. He’s done feeling this way, and wants it to stop. So he asks for “some price to pay,” hoping that there’s a solution, but knowing that the solution isn’t going to be handed to him on a silver platter. He’d need to work to get better, and this is him saying that he’s willing to do that. He WANTS to live, but he’s just not sure he can anymore. And that’s his main argument. Can he do this? Was it even worth it?

Obviously, with Zach being a famous actor (both irl and in the album), he has a double life. One is bringing joy to others, while the other is a constant internal struggle. The world is a stage, and at this point, Zach is basically admitting- through metaphors- that he has been acting. Pretending.

Consider this lyric, put there- side by side- very intentionally:

“I find that I’m anything but fine.

No, I’m okay. Oh please just look away!”

It’s all a mask. And it’s one he’s tired of wearing. Notice how tired he sounds when he sings those lines. He’s done. He’s been done.

“Bourbon to kill my pain

Curtains to hold my shame

No, they can’t look away

Cannot contain my rage…”

These lines are telling us that people around Zach have started to notice that he’s off, but he wants to believe that he’s okay, that he’ll be okay. So he continues his career (“curtains to hold my shame”), even though it’s hurting him to do so at that point. And people are starting to notice. And that’s making him frustrated. At himself. At them. He’s tired. Let him rest. He just wants to rest and forget. Bourbon, alcohol, kill the pain. Make it go away so they can’t see. But they already see. The mask is old and withering in decay.

Towards the end, Zach’s voice becomes more echoey and distant (discluding the Italian that I have no hope of understanding, which is why I’ve yet to mention it). This shows that he’s distancing himself, running away, if you will.

Running back to the bluff.

And this time, he jumps.

Interlude IV - Showtime

Okay, meme time. This is the one everyone knows. However, we are not going to be talking about a Connverse fight that honestly makes no sense given the limited context of the song (as cool as those animatics are). We will be talking about, however, Zach facing and challenging his inner demons. Christie does not exist. Why should she rule over his life?

Let’s break this one down, since this one is the hardest to fit into the story.

He jumps, but survives the fall. Maybe dazed, maybe broken. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe this song IS the dream. We can’t be sure. Everything is metaphorical in this one. Perhaps he didn’t jump at all. We can’t be sure.

Christie congratulates him. She tells him that he’s free. He did the right thing, and now it was just the two of them. They could do whatever they wanted without feeling so weighed down!

Zach disagrees, coming to a realization.

He jumped. Christie had said that it’d make everything okay again, that it’d be bliss. Well, he jumped, and it wasn’t. It was worse. He felt anger and fear, and this leads him to finally, for once, counter her.

“The world is ours!”

“No it isn’t.”

“Get in the car.”

“This isn’t finished.”

“...What?”

She’s shocked that Zach openly argues with her, and as their bickering goes on (which I’m sure a lot of you reading this can hear perfectly in your heads, so I won’t write the exact lyrics down), Zach gains more confidence. He accuses her of murdering him. “And they’ll all think that it was suicide, but Christie, I know that it was you inside.” Remember, she’s not real and therefore didn’t really “kill” him, but he blames her as he allowed her to control and manipulate him.

Christie is shocked, stating that everything she did, she did to comfort him. ”I saved him! I held him ‘til the moment he [Zach’s “innocence”] died!”) However, Zach realizes what she really is now, and decides that enough is enough. (“You choked him out of his goddamn mind! Promised the world to him, a goddamn lie!”) He knows what she is, and won’t let himself be manipulated by her again.

Now, the whole time, they’re talking about someone who is dead. Who is that someone? Zach. However, it’s all a metaphor. When Zach jumped, a part of him died. The last of his humanity? His sanity? I think his “innocence,” which I say in quotes because I’m sure there’s a better word for it out there somewhere. He’s done being blind to the truth, blindly following Christie around. The part of him that was naive enough to do that, to listen to her influence and complain about the world, is gone. He’s dead.

And that means Zach isn’t taking anymore s***.

C: “I won’t help you take [Juanita] down.”

Z: “Fine. I’LL DO IT BY MYSELF!”

C: “You don’t need it!”

Z: “Oh, I know that I need it.”

C: “She’s been gone for years, I know you can beat it!”

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her…

But you let me kill him, you’re WORSE than Juanita!”

Juanita herself never killed him. She never physically harmed him, not in any way that counts here. However, Christie did. She pushed and pushed him, taking a fragile boy and breaking him even more. Zach is now his own worst enemy, not Juanita, and this is him realizing it. But he doesn’t want to be his own enemy.

C: “I won’t help you take her down.”

Christie doesn’t want Zach to face her, because she knows that that would be him really facing his demons and starting down the path to healing. Juanita is Zach’s biggest obstacle, aside from himself. He has to face himself first, and that’s why this song is so powerful. Zach is taking a step back and realizing what he has to do, who he is, and why things are like this.

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her.

We’re one and the same, we’re afraid to be near her!”

There’s that mirror metaphor again, except that he’s not looking at himself with hatred; he’s looking at himself with understanding (and a side of hatred). He’s ready to face her. He’s ready to get everything to stop.

“1, 2, 3, 4

Is this what love is really for?

Is this all I get for being yours?

The kid in front of me in blood and gore?”

The kid is, again, Zach’s “innocence.” He understands, he’s ready to not only move on, but also confront her.

5, 6, 7, 8

Years left to waste for all I hate

They’ll all know Juanita’s fate!

Show’s about to start; don’t be late.”

He knows that it’s going to be a showdown, a big, epic throw down. And Christie isn’t coming with him. He’s leaving her behind. He’s leaving his demons behind, breaking free from them and moving on.

War!

The ultimate throw down begins!

“A wise man once said, ‘time is money’

So how much money did I lose to you, honey?

Find it kinda funny you wanna keep this feud runnin’

But I’m glad I’m on your mind, keep that canon fire coming, woah!”

This is 100% a diss track. Zach confronts Juanita in front of a lot of her friends (we hear multiple girls go “huh?” as they realize that Zach’s here and he’s ANGRY), and immediately starts in. No introductions, no “hey it’s nice to see you again”s, nothing. He’s here to make a statement, and he’s gonna do so.

He realizes Juanita for who she is now, and she has done so many horrible things to him. Spreading rumors and lies to ruin his life, after dating him just to get a story to write about. He’s sick of it and done. He calls her out, and it’s important that he does this in front of other people so they see what she’s really done. He’s hurt, he’s been hurt, and it’s because of Juanita, this amazing person a lot of people looked up to and liked (“I know, Juanita deserves so much more [Interlude I]”. “Step inside the life of the men weak enough to follow you [Phantom Love]).

Juanita also appears to be dating someone else by this time. This is really important, because now due to context clues we got from before, the only reason Juanita dates is to get a heartbreak out of it so she can have the motivation and drive to write her own album. That’s why she dated Zach. So, if she’s dating again, that means she either lost the motivation and drive again, or she never had it in the first place since it wasn’t a real love between them. She didn’t truly experience a heartbreak at all. This is further backed up by the claim that “we’ve been waiting on your album for ages, no traces, and baby, we’ve already run out of patience!” She’s only dating to get that experience again.

This means that, at least in Zach’s eyes, she hasn’t changed. “To your new boy, let he be warned: you’re her new toy for blood and gore! What, you didn’t know?” She is going to destroy him emotionally, and he’s going to go down the same path as Zach, ending in death- blood on the pavement. The gore part is to emphasize how horrific the whole ordeal was.

“Sit down with me and sign this armistice

Get your big proboscis outta my s***, miss”

A proboscis is the butterfly equivalent of a tongue. They use it for sucking nectar out of flowers. So, what he’s saying here is that they need to settle this between them (“sign this armistice”), and that she needs to mind her own business. By her talking about Zach like that, she ruined his life and he’s sick of it. She literally sucked the joy out of him like nectar.

“Welcome to the new me!

Paint your nails black and unscrew me

But that’s okay, Juanita

Know my business is booming”

His business is a reference to his own album, the very one you’re listening to. His music career took off now because of her and the fact that she broke his heart, not the other way around. Juanita can never understand that because she “only loves to be broken [Phantom Love].”

“That’s alright, that’s okay!

You barely wrote them anyway

Half your songs got thrown away

Like ballets on voting day

All my ballads had more to say

Like a bullet through a motorcade”

In a twist, Zach got the story Juanita had wanted. He experienced a heartbreak, while she never really did. So he writes an album instead of her. It’s a cool kind of karma that Zach- or, at least, his character- can’t resist.

The whole song ends with him forcing her/her friends to sing along with him, repeating her name, then yelling. She screams, and it cuts out.

I think he’s lost his sanity (or again, his “innocence”) here. He gets carried away, and either attacks her or makes like he’s about to. I think he makes like he’s about to, but stops. This is the final song; if Zach killed her, there would more than likely be another song depicting the consequences and an Interlude V to show the aftermath of the incident. But because he stopped himself, he’s satisfied. Juanita learned her lesson, Zach got everything off his chest, and the people around them know the truth.

That’s all he’s wanted for longer than we can possibly know.

Final Observations

Zach Callison has gone on record to say that “Juanita” has finally published an album of her own, but that happened months later. I don’t have any specific dates for anything, though. No one knows who the real-life “Juanita” is, which in my opinion, is noble of Zach. He had a lot of anger to get out, but unlike her, he wasn’t going to ruin her life to try and get something out there. He can make a statement without ruining someone else along the way.

With that knowledge, let us all stand and clap for this man.

Not only is the album just a really good listen, but each song tells a cohesive story. The tones each song sets, as well as the far under-appreciated interludes (or over-appreciated in terms of Showtime), really shows how his emotional state changes. Phantom Love is a lament, She Don’t Know is a classic “I’m sad bc my gf broke up with me :(“ which is how Zach perceives that incident at that point in time, whereas Nightmare is him falling into depression stronger than anything he’s ever felt before. Curtain Call is him arguing with himself about whether or not he should even live anymore, and it all comes back around with the upbeat, heavy-rock literal song of War!. The interludes take the tone of the next song and combine it with the lyrics of the previous to show that smooth transition between emotions as he grapples with his mental state, the only exception really being Interlude I, as it has an overall bouncy tone to it.

Zach not only made every single song enjoyable, but also unique and heartfelt. Just listen to how his voice shakes during Christie Only Knows. He is genuinely upset and lost, and because of this, he’s better able to convey the HUGE emotion dump that was his album.

Do I recommend it? Yes. I think there’s something in there for everyone, even if you only enjoy one of the songs. However, doing a review is going to be an entire post in and of itself.

Thanks for reading, guys. Now go listen to the album and tell me your thoughts. Does my explanation make sense? Do you have a better idea? Let me know. I want to have a real discussion about it with other people who have listened to the whole thing, not just Interlude IV.

If you haven’t listened to it yet, it’s on YouTube and ITunes. Do yourself a favor and check it out. The whole thing is ~45 minutes long.

Have a link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1rA_1uUBtxoATot0ixiTgvdEHhj3lAn4

#zach callison #a picture perfect hollywood heartbreak #picture perfect hollywood heartbreak #long post #meta post #theory post #pphh #pphh zach callison #zach callison's music #zach callion's album #juanita pphh #Personally I think War! is the best song in the album #but Phantom Love is my favorite to just listen to #War! is the best in terms of vocals and especially the instrumental tho #And Interlude IV is my fav of the four

613 notes · View notes

athingthatwantsvirginia · 4 years ago

Text

How Kurt Cobain

PART TWENTY-SEVEN OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: drinking, anxiety about future, plentiful pop culture references, this is the product of intense writer’s block so who knows its quality honestly

Word Count: 4.3K

Summary: Ella takes a morning walk through Philly. Then, she takes Jess to Lane’s wedding.

Tangled beneath the sheets, Ella awoke with the sunlight streaming through Jess’s window and into her closed eyes. She squinted as she cleared her throat and shifted to find Jess’s side of the bed empty. Furrowing her brows, she raked a hand through her messy hair and sat up against the green wall, Nietzche’s eyes looking over her almost comically. Still, she found no Jess in the room, though the door was slightly ajar. The smell of coffee drifted in from the kitchen. She worried frantically if she had missed her interview with the Dean.

“Jess?” she called.

After only a moment, he waltzed in with the paper in one hand and a mug in the other. He smirked when he saw the scowl on her face. Yet another thing he could count on never changing. Ella Stevens was not a morning person. “Yeah?”

“What the hell? Why didn’t you wake me?” she demanded, rubbing at her eyes with both hands.

Jess snickered. “Like it’s so easy. I tried. You told me to fuck off.”

“I did not.”

“Oh, but you did. Twice.”

Groaning slightly, she shook her head at herself. “Sorry.”

“No problem. I’m used to the colorful vocabulary by now,” he shrugged, taking a long sip of his black coffee.

She rushed over to her bag, convinced of her tardiness.

“Woah, where’s the fire?” Jess asked.

“What time is it?”

“Relax. It’s only nine. Your interview isn’t until eleven, right?’ he asked, smug smirk ever-present.

Blowing out a small breath, she nodded. “Yeah. Jesus. I thought it was noon.”

“Why?”

“That’s usually how late I sleep when I forget to set an alarm,” she said, running her fingers through her hair again.

He chuckled. “Well, you’ve got a while. I had to get up to let the poet guy in. There’s donuts in the kitchen. Campus is only a few blocks away. I can walk you there later, if you want.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she tried to fight the smile which threatened to cross her face. “I don’t need an escort, Mariano.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you know exactly how to get there from here,” he said, feigning understanding.

She rolled her eyes. “I brought a map.”

“That’s cute,” he teased.

“Fuck you.”

“It’s not the twentieth century anymore. Just let me walk you, Stevens.”

“Okay, fine,” she conceded, finally letting herself break into a little grin.

. . .

Cloudy light shone through the overcast sky in gray tones, but the air was light. Philadelphia was not due for rain. Ella breathed in the city as they strolled down the sidewalk. It was a little grimy, but so alive. The pulse of the noise and the people made her feel excited, inspired. She would have to draw something of it as soon as she got a moment. Jess had his hands shoved in his pockets, stealing occasional glances at Ella. He saw the same wonder in her eyes that he had when she’d come to visit him in New York all those years ago. A pleasant warmth radiated throughout him, and for just a little while he stopped wondering where they stood with each other, what would happen, about the words they still needed to speak.

She fiddled with the thin strap of her watch as she walked along. “Do you like Philly better than New York?”

He perked his head up as she suddenly broke the silence between them. “Oh yeah. Less people. Better art scene.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. And it also helps that my mom doesn’t live here.”

“Ah,” Ella replied knowingly, nodding slightly. “So, you guys haven’t talked much since the wedding, I take it?”

“Every now and again,” he shrugged.

They turned down a road lined with coffee shops and bookstores. Ella could tell it was a backwards way of getting to campus, but expected nothing less of Jess. It made her want to smile. The more she saw of the city, the more she could tell he belonged. Finally, he had a place where he fit.

“She did call me when April showed up, though,” Jess continued casually.

Ella uttered a small laugh. “Yeah. That was...straight outta left field. She’s a good kid, though. Can recite the whole periodic table in like sixty seconds. She kinda reminds me of my brother.”

“Adam?” Jess asked.

Ella nodded, the warm breeze blowing her bangs back from her face. Her hair was in a low bun, and she was dressed in the same clothes as the day before. Most of her wardrobe wasn’t the most professional. And straight-laced clothes, she thought, were an important balance for her visible tattoos.

“How’s he doin’?”

She shrugged, smiling lightly. “He’s good. Almost done with his junior year. He’s applying to all those big schools. MIT is his top choice, I think.”

“Jeez. Another valedictorian in the family?”

“Maybe. He might get a full ride, especially since…” she paused, biting at the inside of her cheek. Looking over at Jess, she saw his curious expression. He seemed more open than he ever had, comfortable in his own skin. When she continued, her tone was firmer, more direct. “Well, my dad left to live with my uncle in Baltimore a few months ago. It’s just Adam and Fiona back in the house. He’ll get lots of financial aid points for having a single step-parent.”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Yeah. But, I think everyone’s better off,” she said, averting her gaze from him. Again, Jess thought he saw her try and grab for a necklace, but instead she reached up to tug gently at one of her small earrings. “Once the baby thing didn’t work out with Fiona, my dad started drinking more and...I think he realized he’d never...losing my mom. He’s never gonna be the same. Adam’s doing well, though. And Fiona’s doing better. It’s better.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, appraising her with a careful eye. “I’m glad, then.”

“Me too.” She cast him a tiny, reassured smile. “Sorry. That’s heavy stuff and it’s not even afternoon.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry over,” he replied.

Rushing over a crowded crosswalk as the seconds blinked off the timer, Jess took her hand to lead her. She wouldn’t be late, but he could tell she was anxious to get where she needed to be. “We’re almost there.”

He thought for a moment about disentangling their fingers, but she gave his hand a squeeze instead. His heart glowed with nostalgia and hope. The noise around them seemed like music. Cherry trees, which dotted campus, were blooming and they stepped over the petals beneath their feet. Hardly thinking, Jess ran a thumb over the smooth skin of the back of her hand. Her smile grew.

They were approaching the brick building which held the dean of the art school’s office. Students whizzed past them with backpacks and frantic looks. A sense of surrealism dawned on Ella. She was going to end up at an Ivy League, after all. Just a little later than she had once hoped she would. The air smelled clean and damp with spring.

“So,” Jess began, coming to a stop a few feet from the walkway which led to the double doors, “after this, you’re all set?”

“Guess so,” she said, slightly breathless with the moment.

He hummed, looking around him. “Y’know, this morning, I was thinking-”

“That’s a bad sign,” Ella interjected.

Jess rolled his eyes. “Age has not helped your stand-up material, Stevens.”

“I disagree,” she said shortly. “Please, continue.”

He sighed heavily, separating their fingers and running a hand over his mouth. “Well, you don’t have a place to live here yet, right?”

“Not yet.”

“I was thinking maybe you’d want to come live with us. Above Truncheon,” he said, spitting out the words as fast as he could.

Ella’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

Jess nodded shyly. “My bed’s big enough. And I don’t have that much stuff; there’s room for you. Chris already loves you. I’m sure Matthew wouldn’t mind either. And your sketches are down in the main room anyway. We could put a price on them and...only if you want to. I know it’s a lot to process, so you don’t need to answer right now or anything.”

Her eyes were calculating as she gathered her thoughts. “Just so I’m clear...you want us to get back together. And you want us to live together in your apartment. With Matthew and Chris. Above Truncheon.”

“Yes,” Jess confirmed, tone growing more confident, though his heart was beating painfully against his ribs.

“Are you sure? I mean...we haven’t seen each other in two years. Maybe time has corrupted me,” she said, voice serious despite her weak joke.

Again, he sighed. “I think we were both pretty corrupted to begin with-”

“How Kurt Cobain of you.”

“And I don’t care how long it’s been. We’ve got a lot to make up for. I feel like I’ve been waiting for you forever. And I’m tired of waiting. I’m ready to try again. Really try, this time. But only if you are. Only if you want this too,” he said.

A familiar nausea rose in his throat, and his hands began to shake. The only other time he’d taken such a leap of faith, it hadn’t gone over well. But everything was different. He was settled, with a steady income. She had graduated, and was finally embracing her dreams. His foolish hope persisted, even still. When he’d woken up next to her again, in a bed which he’d bought himself, and eaten breakfast with her, read morning papers with her, he could think of nothing he wanted more. Communication, he reminded himself. Open and honest communication. Even if he still wanted to roll his eyes at just the thought of Luke’s self-help nonsense.

“And,” he continued, when she hadn’t said a word, was only turning thoughts over in her head silently, “you don’t have to say anything now. I...dammit. I should’ve done this after your interview. I just got caught up after yesterday and this morning. I wasn’t sure if I’d see you later and...I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m sorry. Really, you don’t have to say anything-”

“Jess,” she interrupted, finally locking eyes with him again. “Just shut up for a second.”

“Okay.”

After chewing on her thumb nail for a moment, she blew a breath out through her nose with finality. “Can I get cactuses again? There was no place for them at Lane’s. And, Jesus, you guys have got to organize your living room. I mean, the kitchen and your bedroom are okay. But I have no idea how you guys even find anything. The piles of paperwork on the table are, like, seven feet high.”

A slow grin formed on Jess’s face, and the worry began to clear from his brown eyes. “You can do whatever you want, Stevens.”

“Truer words never spoken,” she agreed earnestly. “You better make room for my fucking records then, too. They’ve been living in my car for way too long.”

Jess chuckled, nodding slightly. His eyes lingered on her lips. “I was thinking about kissing you, just now. Is that okay?”

Ella thought her heart would melt at his words. “Go for it, Mariano.”

Jess brought his hands to her waist and kissed her. For the first time in years. Ella smiled into it, pressed against him. It tasted sugary-sweet, from the donuts they’d eaten. Her fingers tangled into his hair, longer and less greasy than she remembered. But it felt much the same. A tingly joy began in her stomach and then spread throughout her body, new and old and welcome and perfect.

. . .

Of all the people not to be at Lane’s wedding, Ella did not expect Luke to miss it. For some reason, he was still out of town for April’s field trip. Not that it was any of her business, but she couldn’t help be slightly irritated at his absence. However, she wasn’t entirely alone. Though Lane and the other people in her life weren’t exactly sold on him, Ella had taken a shot in the dark and invited Jess. At Mrs. Kim’s millionth reference to her loneliness, her lack of a date, Ella had finally let it slip to Lane. She had seen Jess again. They were talking on the phone every single night. She was set to move in with him in a week. And, soon, she was calling him up. Hearing the surprised tone of his voice, his apprehension to come back to town. But, honestly, he’d caved a little quicker than she thought he would. All it had taken was her offering to try Hemingway again. And Kerouac. She knew she was going to absolutely loathe the latter, but it would be worth it.

As the ceremony ended, most of Lane’s family, including her mother, left the gathering in town square. None of them were eager to party with the townies. Kirk revealed the white food truck parked on the street opposite the gazebo to actually be the bar. He was exploring business ownership, and Yummy Bartenders was his most recent endeavor. Lorelai, without Luke and somehow having ended up with Rory’s father, Christopher, as her date, flocked straight to the alcohol. It made Ella snort a laugh, but inside, it made her heart ache. Luke and Lorelai had taken so long to get together. And now, things were headed nowhere good. A hot, dry sunlight shone down on them in yellow tones, and soon the sky would darken. Everyone’s mood had changed as soon as they left the church. Lorelai ripped off the bottom half of Lane’s dress, revealing her calves joyfully. Standing beside Ella, Rory let out a hoot of excitement and rushed over to the new bride. Snickering, Ella took the long pin from her low bun and let her blonde waves loose down her back.

Jess tucked her hair behind her ear gently as they both took a moment to breathe. The church had been stuffy and hot, filled to the brim with people. The air was no cooler, but at least there was a wide open space to mingle in. Grabbing his hand, Ella ventured a glance at Jess. As soon as his rusty Ambassador had rolled into town three hours earlier, she could sense how anxious he was. Maybe just being in Stars Hollow made him uncomfortable, or maybe it gave him too many flashbacks to his own mother’s wedding.

“You okay? I have the key to the diner, if you wanna go. I called Luke earlier and he said we could stay in the apartment. I’ll be up there later,” she said, tone apologetic.

Jess shook his head. “No. I’m fine. Just don’t know where we should sit.”

“Next to Miss Patty?” she asked. The dance teacher had noticed her across the way, and Ella waved back at her.

“She’ll eat me alive,” Jess sighed. “What about with Rory and Lorelai?”

Narrowing her eyes, Ella considered it. Then, she bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. “I don’t know. I haven’t been so close with them recently. And I don’t know if I wanna get in the middle of the happy family back together.”

“Fair enough,” Jess agreed. “Alright. Miss Patty and Babette, then. But I’m counting on your protection.”

Her grin grew wicked. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m your knight in shining polyester.”

. . .

Hep Alien was on fire, despite the wasted state of every single band member. Balmy breezes blew and Ella’s flushed skin was finally beginning to cool down. The night was dark and the sky clear. Every so often, her eyes flicked to Rory, Lorelai, and Christopher’s table. Sookie and Jackson had been sitting with them, but they had long since left. Without Ella to babysit the kids, they’d had to hire a new girl. Jackson could barely handle the nerves at a random high-schooler watching his babies. Ella twirled her rings nervously on her fingers, while Patty, Babette, and Maury chain-smoked across the centerpiece floral arrangement. Jess, at her side, had his arm around her shoulder. He stroked her upper arm absently.

He raised an eyebrow and followed her gaze to Rory. “What’s with you?”

“Hm?” she asked, blinking the reverie from her eyes. Facing him again, Ella was struck by how much more mature he looked. Back in Stars Hollow, but as a man with a publishing business and a decently neat bedroom of his own. Despite the uneasiness brewing in her stomach, she also felt pride appear. It didn’t shock her where he ended up. But it still made her feel such joy to see him successful and content.

Jess nodded in the direction of the Gilmores, three tables over. “Did something happen between you guys? Is it why you weren’t a bridesmaid?”

Ella shook her head. “No. I wasn’t a bridesmaid because Mrs. Kim hates me with the fire of a thousand suns. I mean, my outfit alone is probably enough for her to condemn me.”

Giving Ella a once-over, Jess smirked wider. Her camisole dress was black, with small pink flowers embroidered on it. It had thin spaghetti straps and fell above her knees. Of course, there were no heels on her shoes, black leather ballet flats. The ensemble was so very Ella, along with her dark eye makeup. And, it was true, Mrs. Kim was not a fan of anything which could be described as ‘so very Ella.’

“It does give off a certain Beetlejuice vibe,” Jess agreed.

“The best compliment you’ve ever given me,” she said lightly, then turned back to the crowd of wedding-goers. “But...I don’t know. Rory slept with Dean when he was married and then took a year off from Yale and stole a boat.”

“What?” Jess chirped, almost choking on the watery soda he sipped. He’d debated going to the bar, but decided against it. Best not to get drunk in the town where everyone hated you. Especially when your long lost girlfriend didn’t drink anyway.

A certain sadness came to Ella’s smile, shrinking slightly. She tugged at her earring. “Yeah. And she was fighting with Lorelai forever. They weren’t talking. I’m also pretty sure the guy Rory’s dating now is some trust fund kid from Yale with a porsche.”

“Ugh,” Jess grimaced, unable to hold back his distaste.

“We’re just...different. We grew up. Went in different directions. I mean...Lane and Rory are still best friends. I was friendly with her at a bachelorette party last night. But it’s weird now. I can’t...I don’t really know her anymore, I guess.”

Jess nodded.

She shrugged again, deflective. “I still love Lorelai. But I haven’t seen her much lately, since Luke didn’t want her to meet April, which is a whole different beast. Things...changed. But, hey, maybe I changed too.”

“You did,” Jess said. “But not in a bad way.”

She scoffed, gently plucking at the collar of his white button-up. He wore with it black pants, completing their gothic look when they stood together. Ella knew, though, that both of their outfits came cheap and basic. That’s why they had them. Of course, he still refused to wear a tie of any kind. “You too. Still a jackass, though.”

“Glad you see me in such a positive light.”

“But, in an arguing-with-me-about-Kerouac kind of way. Not in a gnome-stealing, running-off-to-California kind of way,” she explained, feeling goosebumps rise on her pale skin where his fingertips still brushed against her arm.

As much as Jess lived in his words, touch had always been such a major form of communication with him. Older and able to judge it more easily, Ella could see it. It calmed him down, made him feel safe. She could understand that. It was what happened when someone grew up in a place where they were often touched in anger.

“Well, the Kerouac defense will never change. He’s a genius,” Jess insisted mockingly.

Ella rolled her eyes, leaning back against him. “You’re impossible.”

“Right back at ya.”

The band began one of their familiar White Stripes covers. Ella couldn’t count how many times she’d heard it over the years, during nightly practice. It was so odd to see Lane in a wedding dress, all grown up. A nostalgic smile ghosted over her lips and she sighed. Neither she nor Jess said a word for a long while, comfortable in each other’s grasp. June crickets and cicadas sung, mixing with the sound of Zach’s vocals. Patty and Babette laughed heartily at something across the table. The air smelled of cigarettes and beer and summer-cut grass. Soon, the song faded away and Zach played the opening chords to something different, something Ella hadn’t heard him play in a long time. “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison, a cover they’d attempted after Ella moved in, when she’d let Lane hear one of her Jeff Buckley live albums, on which he did his own cover of the song. She broke into a full grin. It was the perfect song for a late-night wedding reception, romantic and long and calm.

Jess seemed to notice her brightening up at the tune, as he sat up and faced her with a mysterious smile. “You wanna dance?”

She snorted a disbelieving chuckle. “Excuse me?”

“Do you wanna dance? I know you like this song.”

Ella raised her eyebrows. “Liking the song is one thing. Subjecting everyone to the horrifying visual of my dance moves is another.”

He rolled his eyes, standing up and extending a hand to her. “So dramatic. It’s a slow song. And we didn’t dance at Liz and TJ’s wedding. Making up for lost time.”

“Fine,” she sighed, taking his hand, and letting him pull her up. “But it’s your funeral.”

“I like to live dangerously,” Jess said, leading her to the dance floor.

“Whatever, James Dean.”

Before they were out of range, Miss Patty blew a stream of bluish smoke in their direction and gave a bark of haughty laughter. “I’d watch out for her, young man. Have you heard about the domino incident of 1992? Ella made the Gazette. Her talents run more towards the musical.”

His smirk grew. “I’ve been warned.”

They passed Lorelai on the way, lingering by the bar and sipping her Manhattan. Tumbler filled with cherries, sugar on the rim. The sight almost made Ella want to chuckle, almost grimace. The drink looked as sweet as cotton candy, but she would expect nothing less of a Gilmore woman. More than half of the sleepovers she’d had with Rory involved a midnight raid of the kitchen. S’mores pop tarts were one of Ella’s personal favorites. Lorelai reached out an arm to stop them, wavering drunkenly on her feet.

“Ugh, I can’t believe Sid Vicious is back,” she slurred to Ella, pointing at Jess angrily.

With Lorelai so close to her face, Ella could smell the tequila on her breath. “I told you before. He’s got more of a Richard Hell vibe, in my opinion.”

Jess blushed, but said nothing. He only tightened his grip on Ella’s hand.

“Your uncle is out of town,” Lorelai continued, facing Jess.

“That he is,” Jess said shortly. Time had passed, but it was clear Lorelai still wasn’t quite over her contempt for him. Though, he could definitely recognize what an asshole he’d been as a teenager.

Lorelai laughed bitterly. “He’s with his daughter. Who Ella’s met and you’ve met and Rory’s met. And I haven’t met!”

Searching her head for a careful response, Ella was utterly relieved when Rory came up from behind her mother.

“Hey, mom, let’s get some coffee for you, why don’t we?” Rory asked, voice bouncy and nervous.

“You got her?” Ella raised her eyebrows at Rory as she took her mother by the shoulders and began steering her away.

“Oh, I guess we’re going over here now,” Lorelai muttered in drunken surprise.

“Yeah, go have fun,” Rory answered with a little wink, disappearing into the crowd with her mother, headed for the table where her father and some steaming coffee sat.

Blowing out a long breath, Jess shook his head. “I take it that she and Luke aren’t seeing eye to eye.”

“Understatement of the year,” Ella scoffed. “No matter where she and Luke are though, I think you’ll always be a portrait of Sid Vicious to her.”

“Not even with the haircut?” he asked as they made it to the edge of the wooden dance floor.

“Not even with the haircut,” she replied with a smug smirk.

With a heavy breath, Ella placed her hands on the back of Jess’s neck as he brought his hands to her waist. She felt glad Hep Alien’s version of the song was nearly ten minutes long; it would have nearly been over after Patty’s warning and Lorelai’s ramblings if not.

“Don’t worry, Elle. Just follow my lead,” Jess said quietly, beginning to sway side to side, taking small steps.

“Shut up, I’m focusing,” she hissed, watching her feet.

He chuckled slightly. “Relax. Just look at me.”

Sighing again, Ella managed to drag her gaze away from her shoes and up to Jess’s big brown eyes.

“Hi,” he whispered, smiling fondly.

“Hi,” she replied, feeling the anxiety in her stomach lessen slightly. “Deja-vu, huh?”

“Maybe a little,” he said, shrugging. “But I’d say things are looking a little sunnier now.”

“Still finding those silver linings.” Ella gave him an affectionate peck on the lips.

Why was she nervous?, she asked herself. She didn’t need to be. Maybe it was the future creeping up on her, or her exit from the only place she had ever lived only a week away. But, as she looked at Jess, she felt her heartbeat slow. And her lips even turned up a touch at the corners. Where she was going, he’d be.

#jess mariano fanfiction #jess mariano imagines #jess mariano imagine #jess mariano #jess #mariano #gilmore girls fanfiction #gilmore girls imagines #gilmore girls imagine #gilmore girls au #jess mariano au #lane kim #lorelai gilmore #rory gilmore #jess mariano x oc #jess mariano x original character #original character #original character stories #fanfiction

75 notes · View notes

uzumaki-rebellion · 5 years ago

Text

“Wet Sugar” [Part 26 of 30]

Summary: Erik and Yani’s time comes to an end...

NSFW. Mature. Smut.

youtube

"Every morning, every evening

Oh love, love, love, love, loving you

I can hear you when you're calling

Oh, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon

Take me with you

You'll break my heart and soul

If you left me behind

Take me with you

Don't want to stay around when you're gone…"

Blundetto Meets Booker Gee—"Take Me With You"

Yani dropped Erik off at the compound after ten in the morning. He stood in front of the compound gate and allowed the retina scan to gain him access onto the property. Meandering down the walkway to the main house, he ran into Jerome who dangled precariously close to the end of a tree branch hanging over the middle house roof. The iguana's eyes were shut tight in a peaceful looking pose, and Erik took a moment to watch the creature snooze in the sunlight.

To think his woman adored that overgrown lizard.

"Jerome."

Erik called the reptile's name and Jerome opened one eye.

"Lazy ass," Erik said.

Jerome closed his eye again and ignored him.

Erik thought about taking a swim in the cove but decided to sit and meditate on the balcony overlooking the sea. Climbing the stairs, he saw Linda sitting on a lounger holding a mug of coffee up to her lips. Dressed in a beach robe with her wet hair jumbled about her head, she turned to look at Erik.

He gave a deep sigh. He was not prepared to see her again.

Their conversation the night before was uncomfortable for him. When Yani told Erik that Linda was in love with him, he scoffed at the idea. Linda? In love with him? She was a woman with a sex drive as high as his, and she often stayed out late sowing her wild oats like him. He knew she liked him, respected him, trusted him…but love?

Thinking on it, he knew she still had the hots for him, but that was because he put that thang on her so long ago and it was only natural that she'd want to have sex with him again if she could. He did enjoy it…for what it was. Just sex. He had no deep affection for her because his heart had already made a connection to Yani.

He should've been stronger, more discerning with where he laid his pipe. Hooking up with Linda had been a flippant mistake on his part. He assumed that she was a confident woman who played the field too. She had fucked him while she had a man and didn't regret it. Allowed Erik to humiliate her boyfriend in another country. He had no clue that her wanting to sleep with him on different occasions was her way of showing love for him. He thought it was just lust and horniness. Boredom from the other mercs and not having access to other men while they were stuck in various places doing the bidding of Klaue. If Yani hadn't been in the picture, he and Linda would probably be fuck buddies as well as colleagues. But love? Nah.

Perhaps her drinking too much all the time was a way for her to cope with his lack of interest in her. She could be hard to read. Perhaps her overconfidence and need to one-up the other mercs was her way of trying to impress him. Make him notice her more. She acted like Yani was beneath her and made fun of him when he came back from trysts with his woman.

To see her so upset in the kitchen of the middle house, her eyes blazing with anger and jealousy, was a sight to behold. It was a complete crack in her façade.

He knew what Yani said was true when he went to get his overnight bag and he found Linda crying on the balcony, her chest heaving and her eyes shiny with tears. He had never seen that woman emotional like that before. Didn't even know her powerful aura could even shed tears. She held her own with the deadly male company, her brilliant mind a joy for him to tangle with during their free time together. Nothing about her was ever soft with him and so he treated her like one of the guys at all times. To see her weeping because of Yani threw him.

"I wish you looked at me the way you look at her."

That's what she said when he tried to slip away with Yani.

He took the plunge and sat next to her.

"I tried to play it cool with you, Killmonger. I thought that's what you liked about me. I thought…I thought we had so much in common. I thought you would see me as something more…"

He let her talk. Tried to be a good listener.

"I didn't know," he finally said.

"You know how to read people so well, but you couldn't see how I felt about you?"

"We work for Klaue. He takes so much energy to keep up with. Maybe I just didn't want to see that. Or even deal with that. I don't feel that way about you. I'm not looking for that right now."

"I'm just one of the guys…"

"Yeah."

"I tried to play it that way for a long time. But those nights together in South Africa…before the raid…shit. As wild as it sounds, those were some of the best nights of my life. Talking under the stars all night. Arguing about shit in front of the fireplace and drinking so much together. Laughing so hard with you. Watching bad movies together. I thought of us as friends and then I just…wanted more. I should've told you then, but I thought we'd have time here to relive that magic like we had in South Africa. But once I got here, I realized that you wouldn't be with me like that. And then when Neal said you were fucking her…"

She wept and Erik could only sit and listen to her. No words of comfort came to him except sincere apologies for not loving her.

Staring at her on the lounger in the morning light, her eyes looked better. Less red and less puffy.

"Hey," he said. He sat next to her again.

She sipped from her mug.

"Back early," she whispered.

"A lot to do today before y'all head out."

"Yeah. I'm not sure if the Sweden adventure is a good fit for me."

"You quitting the team?"

"Doesn't seem to be a good idea since our misunderstanding."

Her head bowed down and she stared at her coffee mug.

"I acted a fool last night. None of the guys will take me seriously again. They'll look at us like a soap opera."

"It's a four-unit team now. Limbano and Klaue don't care—"

"But I do."

Her eyes regarded him with deadly seriousness.

"I love you. I can't change that, Killmonger. Yani saw through me like an open book and I was so pissed at her. She apologized for the fact that you didn't love me. Ain't that some shit? Apologized to me. That's fucking rich…"

"You're a big girl, Linda. You can work around feelings—"

"I can't. Not when it comes to you. Best to leave the team. Keep the drama at bay."

Erik felt the itch of panic in his belly. They needed Linda. It was too late to vet a new hacker or even a new team member. Tahir wasn't available. None of the other mercs were trustworthy.

"Yani is just a distraction for me."

"Liar."

"I made a mistake mixing business and pleasure with you. That's on me. I've had other women on this island too. You ain't the only one out there getting it in."

"Don't play me, Killmonger. You love that girl—"

"I love fucking her. Pussy too good to turn down. It's there when I want it. Think I'm gonna pass that up? She was just showing off yesterday. Tryna get a rise outta you because you always dog her out. And you fell for it. I got a million things to deal with that are far more important. Like getting this C.I.A. money. Getting into Wakanda so I can ghost this life."

Erik prayed that his words would get through to her.

Linda gazed out at the water.

"You don't see yourself when you're around her."

"The fuck that mean?"

"You glow—"

"Girl, please—"

"You do. Look like a big ole puppy—"

"Shut up."

She laughed.

"You're not a good liar. So stop trying to convince me otherwise."

"When we get to Sweden, you'll see how ridiculous you sound right now. Good pussy will make any nigga glow. You didn't see me shining with you after I hit it?"

Linda stood up.

"Good luck with Wakanda—"

Erik grabbed her arm and pulled her back down next to him. Klaue would rake him over the coals if this woman left them.

"You never said anything to me, Linda. How am I supposed to know your true feelings when you don't say shit? We gotta keep focused on the job at hand. We need you. Don't fuck up a fortune. You smarter than that."

"It's not easy for me. I'm not this person. But here I am."

"Do the job. Make these coins, Ma."

"I can't—"

"Please."

He pulled her into his chest and let his lips nuzzle her neck. Her body shuddered against him.

"I can't even look at you without wanting to cry. And I hate it. Fucking hate it. I'm better than this."

"I know you are."

She pushed back from him and he pulled her even closer.

"I can't force myself to be where you are. Don't hold that against me. It's not fair. I need you. I need your skills. You'll love being a multi-millionaire more than you love me, I promise."

She laughed into his neck.

"Come with me," he pleaded.

He stressed the word "me". Not "us" or "the team". He had to make it about them. Corral her into his control. She was making it hard. Linda had pride and she was so damn stubborn.

He ran his fingers up and down her back. Her robe loosened up and he stuck his hand inside the material so that his hand touched her side. She was naked underneath and her sighs from his touch danced in his ears.

"Killmonger…don't…."

His hand dipped lower and rubbed her hip.

"Don't be stupid girl. I'm 'bout that work. Always have been."

His fingers rested in the cleft of her thigh and hip, dangerously close to dipping down…

Linda pressed her face into his chest, her breath hot on his shirt.

"Okay," she whispered.

Erik's eyes closed with relief.

"We'll have fun in Sweden like we did in South Africa. Maybe you'll open your mouth and talk to me honestly for a change?"

"Whatever," she said pulling her robe tighter together.

He walked a fine line of manipulation. Gave her enough to draw her in, but not enough to commit to anything with her.

"I'm so embarrassed about everything."

"Who cares? Forget it. It's done. We'll be gone from here and it won't matter."

"My feelings won't change."

"That's all you, Ma. I told you my position. You packed up?"

"Yep. Bags in the S.U.V. Separate flight times and airline carriers confirmed."

"Cool."

He stood up.

"I'ma take a nap. See you at departure?"

"Yeah."

She sank back into the lounger and curled her legs under herself. She looked a whole lot better. Relieved.

Erik strolled into his room and after he locked the door he jumped on his bed and covered his face with a pillow. Fuck. So close to losing her over some bullshit. He texted Yani with his cell.

Will contact you soon when everyone is gone.

###

"Dat's mi fuckin' friend, we is trouble!"

Yani was loud and grabbing onto her friend Lesonne's arm as she screeched out words to a group of women who tried to provoke a fight with Yani's other friend Milah. She spilled a little of her rum drink on her white pants as she swayed against her other girlfriends Aisha and Caypri. From the side of her eye, she saw Erik at the bar stirring his glass of brown liquor as he spoke to the male bartender leaning over to listen to him.

Since she didn't have to drive, Yani decided to drink to her heart's content. She was so ready to hear Kendall perform live. The audience was bigger, the venue was bigger, and his popularity had grown to greater heights since his travels to Florida and New York. He had quit his gardening job with Klaue and moved into an apartment with two other rappers, finally getting his very own bed to sleep in. He no longer rode his motorcycle since he now had a new car to tool around in. Nothing too flashy, a two-year-old red Honda S2000. It was enough to make Kendall feel like he had arrived.

The boisterous women who had the nerve to accost Milah for looking at one of them a little too hard peeped Yani's whole crew, including Twyla who arrived on the scene late with her newest boyfriend. They hesitated to go any further with their backchat. Flouncing away with her girls, Yani tossed her empty drink and headed out to the dance floor and joined her cousin Dulan in swinging hips and throwing up party hands. She kept an eye on the bar as Erik was approached by different women. He was engaging but focused on his liquor and his view of the stage where Kendall would perform.

Yani danced with her friends among a group of men who tried to show off for them. Two were from St. Croix and Yani was stuck with a Trini who wanted to talk her ear off asking questions about Kendall. She eased off the floor and stood to the side to watch the action. Tapping her left heel with her arms folded across her chest, she enjoyed the gyrating bodies.

"Booty out here jiggling."

She felt Erik ease behind her, his right hand caressing her waist and pulling her back against him.

"I'm not even dancing, hush."

"It don't take much to make them yams bounce, Ma."

He kissed the side of her face and she reached up and stroked his new locs. She thrust her backside against him and he eased back.

"Nah, you not getting me in trouble right now."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the floor with her and he held his drink above her head with his left hand.

Yani felt up his chest while enjoying the stares of others as Erik let her nails rake up and down his pecs that strained against a white cotton shirt. They both agreed to wear all white and her own form-fitting pants and shirt complemented his outfit. The lights of the club made them glow on the dance floor.

Erik sipped on his drink and watched her bring back old dancehall moves, her butterfly a bit raunchy for the crowd. Her friends swarmed around them making the affair more hyped. The energy in the room was high octane and so ready for good live music. Erik finished his drink, tossed the cup, and moved them deeper into the dance mix.

Her eyes took in Erik's face and the happiness she saw there made her spirit burst. The man could dance his ass off and entwining her fingers with his made her feel possessive of him. When dub mixes came on, she usually left the dance floor, but Erik made her appreciate dancing to the dank sounds, especially when she rubbed up against him and he matched her move for move. Winding on him, he gripped her hips and let the room see how he handled all of her. She noticed a lot of women watching him work her body over with dreamy expressions on their faces. There were a lot of stone faces from the men though.

They touched one another openly as they danced, and several times she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him while they swayed.

"Having fun?" he asked after releasing her lips.

"Mmmhmm."

She shook her hips and he slapped her butt playfully before pulling her close again and lifting her off of her feet to swing her around in another direction.

She couldn't keep her eyes off of him, nor could she stop touching him. His hands rested on her lower back as she gazed up at his face. His eyes darted about taking in the couples on the floor and his dimples flashed whenever she squeezed on his ass. He smelled so good that she constantly nuzzled her face into his neck so that her nose could take in his scent.

"Why you keep licking on me?" he asked.

Her tongue flicked along his neck and he leaned back from her.

"Tickles…" he whispered.

He lowered his mouth to hers and they kissed for the thousandth time that night.

"Hey, Killmonger…"

The woman's breathy voice caught Yani's ear as Erik released his mouth from hers and swiveled his neck to see who was talking to him on the dance floor.

"Still around I see," the woman said.

Yani sized her up.

She was only a few inches taller than Yani, a yellow-brown gyal with cat eyes and wanton lips. The woman danced with her man, but her moves were for Erik. Big titties… way bigger than Yani's…were thrust out for the world to see and her hips were made for men like him. Yani didn't like the way the woman licked her lips at Erik before her eyes fluttered to see what he had on his arm. She recognized Yani but chose to act like she wasn't there.

"Harlee," Erik said.

His tone made Yani's lips scrunch up with annoyance.

He had fucked that woman and it had been good to him.

"Tend to yuh man," Yani said to her with some attitude.

Harlee smiled and Erik pulled Yani closer into him.

"No disrespect, Black Mermaid," Harlee said.

Yani sucked her teeth and Erik slapped her butt.

"Stop being mean," he said.

Harlee moved with her partner further behind some other dancers.

"Her meant disrespect. She didn't have to say one word while I'm here."

"Chill—"

"Waving her titties in yuh face. She letting me know she fucked my man to get mi vex."

"Girl, stop."

"For true, man. But me nuh vex. For real. She rude. Yuh rude! Frog face, bitch!"

Yani felt spittle fly from her lips. Erik only smirked and twirled her around.

"Thought you had taste," she teased.

"She not ugly. Don't tell that lie."

"She not cute."

"You trippin."

"Step your game up. Yuh suck them titties good?"

Dimples. Big pearly white teeth flashed at her.

"Yuh did. That's the only thing cute on her."

Yani was amazed that she could joke about a woman he had sex with, but the way Erik held her let her know it was so long ago and probably a one and done hook up. She just wanted to be petty and he let her.

"You were still being mean to me when I got with her."

She caressed his chest again and he ran his fingers up and down her spine.

The movement on stage let the patrons know it was about to be showtime. Erik clasped Yani's hand and led her back to the bar where the best view was while Yani's friends headed to the left of the stage.

Posted up against the bar counter, Yani leaned into Erik, his hard body supporting her frame. She turned around to hug him a bit and his right hand drifted down to grip her right butt cheek. He rubbed it knowing people were watching, thirsty locals wishing they were in his place and squeezing soft handfuls of the Black mermaid. She tilted her head up and puckered her lips. Erik lowered his head and their lips touched. Yani slipped her tongue in his mouth and felt dizzy tasting cognac. His fingers rested on the cleft of her ass. She tried to keep her tongue in his mouth but his lips traveled up her neck and he nibbled on her earlobe.

"You 'gon take care of Daddy tonight?" he whispered.

"All night," she sighed.

"You 'gon sit that fat pussy on my dick all night?"

Yani's lips quirked and she felt her eyes water. His words were hot in her ear making the nerves tingle from his breath. Erik's hand dropped down and cupped her mound. He didn't care who saw him do it. The tips of his pointer and index finger tapped against the outline of her opening.

"…get you all wet wet. Let Daddy fuck you in your ass?"

"Oomph…Killmonger…"

His fingertips pressed a little too deep into her slit and she felt like she was about to cum in front of everyone. His soft taps along her pussy lips had her wiggling on his hand.

She could feel her clit thumping with his tongue dipping into her ear.

The lights on the stage flashed and the music switched to Kendall's "Fiyahbun". Yani's voice filled the entire club as they heard her sing the chorus. A big grin spread across her lips as she saw Erik giving serious appreciative stank face to the thunderous bass carrying her voice all around everyone. A few patrons stared at her as they sang along with her vocals. Yani twisted around to face the stage as she listened to the new remixed version of the song.

"Baby, you sound wavy as fuck," Erik shouted above the music.

"Queen Mary, ah where you 'gon burn? Queen Mary, ah, where you 'gon burn?"

Yani moved her neck in time to her own voice, impressed with the new version.

"Queens don't vibe, hear me now? With no fuck niggas!"

She felt Erik moving his hips dancing to the song. He gripped her waist and rocked into her as she let her ass cheeks rub against him in time to the music.

"Shit is dope," Erik whispered into her ear.

There was something epic about swaying with her man to her own song. The heat from his mouth on her ear had her turned on all the way. She wanted him to drag her to the car and fuck her in the backseat while listening to her voice in surround sound crooning to him.

The speed of her voice was slowed down in reverb creating a haunting sound as Kendall took to the stage. So much swag. So much confidence. So much command of the stage. Yani felt like his first performance over a year ago where he had an anxiety attack and almost vomited on himself was a fuzzy memory. The young man controlling the stage and audience now was acting like a seasoned professional while her voice backed him.

"Queen Mary…fiyahbun…fiyahbun…fiyahbun…"

Her voice seduced the audience and Yani stood still watching the crowd react to her singing as Kendall rapped a few bars on top of her lyrics. Kendall had asked her to perform live with him, but she wanted this night to be about him.

The last echoes of her voice faded as the live band behind him fired up and played the intro to his latest track. A mash-up of all the sounds they grew up with as children. There was nothing like live musicians feeding into the energy of their vocalist, and Kendall gave them all a taste of his true vocal prowess. He sang the chorus himself and his backup singers, top-shelf beauties who swayed in sync behind him, backed him up smoothly as the funky sounds reached a crescendo.

"Your cousin done come up!" Erik shouted.

"Mmmhmmm, him choice. He ah star now!"

Kendall's set was a glorious triumph and Yani felt so proud of her cousin. She hooted and hollered for him along with everyone else and when he finished, Yani knew for certain he was going to make it big. The charisma and talent and star power were right there in front of everyone.

A new performer took to the stage and Yani clung to Erik's arm as it wrapped around her chest holding her close. The seductive female vocalist put everyone into a sexy state of mind after Kendall's fiery intro and Yani arched her back and thrust her backside against Erik once more.

"Stop teasing'…" he whispered trying to ignore her ass by being still.

The crowd around them was busy holding up cell phones to capture the performers on stage and Yani felt bold bouncing her thickness on him openly.

"Yani—"

His left arm pulled her tighter against him.

Her mouth formed a tight "Oh" expression when his right hand slipped down into her pants, bypassing her panties. She gripped his arm in a panic as his fingers dipped into her slick opening.

"That's what you get for teasing me. I'ma play in this pussy now…"

Yani tried to squirm away from his hold, but he clutched her in a solid embrace, his fingers wiggling against her walls.

"People can see…"

"Think I care?"

Yani's eyes swept to her left. One man around Erik's age was the only person not watching the stage, his horny eyes glued to Erik's fingers turning her out.

Erik's teeth gripped the sensitive tip of her ear. Yani panted, her eyes darting about. Only the stranger to her left was paying attention to their public debauchery.

"A man is watching—"

"Let him."

Her eyes tracked back over to her left and the stranger's lips were pursed, his eyes fully taking in all the pleasure she was receiving. When Erik's fingers flicked her clit, Yani's body jerked back and her mouth flew open again. Her eyes latched onto the stranger's and the illicit connection made her pussy pulse around Erik's fingers. She widened her thighs and Erik went deeper and she moaned much to the stranger's own pleasure at watching her. The man's right hand held a drink, and he let it drop down in front of the clear bulge that poked out in front of his pants. He tried to be sly about it, but Yani could tell he was rubbing himself while watching her get fingered.

Tight circles teased her hard clit and when she felt the uncontrollable release of her orgasm clutching Erik's fingers when he inserted them once more into her gushy slit, the stranger's eyes closed tight.

"Jesus, man…yuh killing me…" she hissed.

Erik pulled his sticky fingers from her pants and grabbed her hand. She straggled behind him as he guided her out of the venue and to Klaue's S.U.V.

Erik opened the back-passenger door of the car and helped her get in. He jumped in after her.

Pulling down his pants and boxers to his ankles, she could see his rock-hard erection waiting for her. She kicked off her heels, pulled off her pants and panties for him and crawled onto his lap.

"Ride this dick."

He held her up by her waist and she lined her wet opening with his tip.

"Fuck yes!" he shouted when she slid down to his balls.

They had the car bouncing with their fucking and Yani couldn't stop squealing when held her still and pounded his dick up into her hard and fast.

"Lemme cum in your pussy—"

"No—"

"Why not…oh shit…pussy wet as fuck…fuck…Yani…I wanna cum in this pussy—"

"Cum in my mouth. Mi wahn see the rest of the show…yuh fill mi pussy up too much…ooh love…right there…I feel it deep…shit…yuh soak my panties up and I'll be a mess all night."

Erik grabbed her throat.

"I'ma bust in this fat pussy—"

Yani pushed on his chest.

"Killmonger…don't—"

"Pussy too good baby…"

He choked her tighter.

"Don't… mi nuh wahn walk around with soggy pants."

Erik burst out laughing and released her throat. She lifted off of his dick while he kept laughing.

"For real, man. Yuh like ah volcano. Cum heavy…then it flows back down."

"You don't like it?"

"I love it… at home."

He kissed her and she stroked his length.

"Too much," she whispered.

His eyes regarded her with humor until her thumb circled around the fat head of his glans.

"Let's go home," he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Open your mouth."

Yani shifted next to him and put her face down by his tip. She let him tap his dick on her lips before she separated them for him.

He had her slurping on his dick while he cradled her head. She moved to her knees in front of him, head steady bobbing. He hit the back of throat roughly and she released his length to catch her breath and rest her mouth.

"I make too much cum?"

His thumb toyed with her wet lips and Yani nibbled the tips of his fingers before dropping her head back down to his lap.

His eyes burned into hers as she sucked around his frenulum. The tip of her tongue teased his slit. Playing with her nipples through her shirt, Erik closed his eyes.

"You should let me soak them panties…"

She groaned on his dick and he let the back of his head fall on the headrest.

"You know how to take all my cum…lick my balls…"

Her face lowered further and she suckled each nut sack for him.

"Yeah…put those balls all in your mouth…"

She sucked, licked, kissed, and fisted his erection until he lifted her back up and made her ride his dick in reverse. He squeezed her breasts and thrust up into her.

"I just want to hit it a little bit more…fuck this pussy right…get you ready for more later…"

The loud sound of him slapping his body into hers filled the car. She threw her head back and took it, the build-up of a new orgasm tightening the nerves in her clit that was feeling the strong tugs from his pounding. She loved what he was doing to her. She loved the liquor still coursing through her. She loved it so much that it made her mouth reckless.

"You fuck Linda like this?"

He slowed down.

"What…why would you ask…"

Her mind thought of her and Erik on the dance floor together, all the eyes of the other women watching him, watching his tight body rub against her front and back. She liked the longing she saw. All that desire. It was the same look Linda had on her face, and Yani wanted him to remember her pussy that had him begging to cum in it. Linda wanted what she had, and Yani wanted Linda's sex with Killmonger wiped from his mind.

"Answer me."

"Nah."

"Whose pussy yuh wahn cum in?"

His moans thrilled her ears and the hard needy gasps he emitted every few seconds let her know he was desperate to spurt inside of her.

"Yours girl…yours…," he grunted.

She leaned forward and shifted her weight. Erik shouted and slapped her rump.

"Godammit! Bounce on that dick!"

"She nuh give it to yuh like this?"

She slowed down and flexed her walls around him, doing her best to hold his erection as tight as she could.

"Fuck her, Yani…stop talking 'bout—"

"This be yuh pussy forever, hear me? No one love mi like yuh do, man. No one…"

"Yani…"

Erik stroked the back of her neck. She turned around to bounce on him face to face. Her wrists draped around the back of his neck.

"Love me always, Killmonger?"

"Yes."

Wet kisses joined them together even more and she leaned her face against his as he held her tight giving her everything he could in the backseat of the vehicle.

"I'ma cum…lemme cum in you, baby."

Yani sat still and just let her pussy muscles work Erik's thickness.

"I told you I wahn see the show."

"You betta lift up then cuz my balls are tight and I'ma—"

"Hold it—"

"Girl…the fuck…I can't just—"

"I wahn feel your dick all thick and juicy in this pussy—"

"Yani…I'm fuckin' serious…you betta—"

"Big dick…all in your fat pussy—"

Erik's eyes rolled back and he lifted Yani up from his dick. Her labia rested on his length as a hot lava flow of cum shot all over his chest and dripped down to her mound drenching them both.

Erik fell back against the seat gasping and stared down at the semen overflow. He touched his shirt.

"Damn, I messed up my shirt," he said.

Yani glanced down at his lap and lifted up. She felt his semen pooling under her ass. She gave a big sigh and stared back at him.

"Hey, I didn't cum inside you, so don't blame me for what happens outside your pussy."

The smirk on his face made her giggle and slap his chest.

"Guess we're going home after all," he said reaching for his pants.

###

They picked up Sydette from her parents.

Since they had left the club so early, there was no point waiting until morning to get her. Yani held her sleeping daughter in her arms as Erik drove them to the compound. She took a deep breath when they walked into Klaue's main house.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded.

They were back in their home again.

It was Klaue's property, but only the three of them made the house a real home.

Erik showered first and while he dressed in clean loungers, Sydette woke up and walked out of her room looking for Yani. Erik watched her while Yani showered, and instead of the nasty sex he thought he would have with Yani again, the three of them piled onto the bed together.

Sydette slept between them and Erik just stared at Yani's face as they watched one another. It felt good to have them both back with him.

He had food prepared for their last two days together. The next day would be a cove day and swimming with sunbathing. The following day had even more chill around the house time until he had to fly out. He planned a surprise birthday party for the three of them. He would miss both their birthdays again, so he wanted to have a celebration to end his time there.

Yani's eyes watched him so intensely that he reached out and stroked her cheek. She didn't want to sleep. So afraid he would suddenly disappear probably. They held hands on the bed until Sydette half woke up and crawled onto his chest, her head resting under his neck. Yani tried to pull her back between them but Sweet Pea whined until Erik made Yani leave her alone. Yani stroked her daughter's shoulder until she dozed off herself.

He listened to both of his girls' breathing and tried to stay awake for a long time so he could remember that sound.

He woke up in the middle of the night with Sydette shaking his face.

"I have tuh go bathroom, Baba," she said.

He helped her down from the bed and walked her into her room's bathroom where her potty seat was. The bright lights in the room woke him up fully as he waited for Sydette to finish.

"Make sure you wipe yourself."

She reached for the toilet paper next to the adult toilet and he had to keep himself from chuckling when she did her best to clean herself.

"Throw it in the big toilet," he said.

He helped her wash her hands after flushing the toilet.

"I wahn juice."

He walked with Sydette into the kitchen and found an unopened bottle of apple juice waiting. He poured a little inside a plastic cup and handed it to her.

"More, please," she said holding the cup up to him.

"It'll make you pee again."

"No—"

"Yes, it will."

"I hold it."

"No don't do that. Just a little bit."

He poured just enough for her to get three good sips.

"Thank you," she said handing him the cup.

"You hungry?"

"No."

His eyes took in her small form. He felt a small lump in his throat as he thought about the exact moment he first saw her on his bed fast asleep. No teeth. Tiny curls plastered to her scalp. Chubby belly making her shirt ride up. She could only babble and point back then, but now…

"We all good now?" he said swallowing hard.

Sydette nodded.

He wanted the best for her. If Yani ever married or formed a new relationship with someone, Erik wanted this little girl to know she was loved and would never want for anything. He didn't want Sydette to forget him, but she was so young. Erik tried to think of the many people from his past that his own parents knew and sometimes there were blanks when he tried to go back to when he was two.

Two.

Damn.

Sydette was just nine months when he first stepped on the island. She would be two so soon.

Her face stared up at him, probably wondering why they were still standing in the kitchen.

"Back to bed, Sweet Pea."

Erik guided her to the master bedroom. She fell back to sleep quickly against Yani's arm and Erik got up to go stand out on the bedroom balcony. The roar of the surf sounded loud and he stood there until dawn broke. The hours were winding down too fast for him.

When sunlight struck the room, he turned to see his love wide awake and watching him. Sydette was still asleep. Yani held out her hand to him and he walked back inside. Spooning around her he gave her kisses for over an hour until they both slipped away into the other bedroom to make love. He held her legs with his arms as he balanced her on the edge of the bed. Plunging into her, the only sound they released were soft sighs and the wet suction of her walls gripping and releasing him. She slathered his morning wood with so much frothy slickness that he had to bite his own lips to keep from yelling and waking Sydette. He didn't spill into Yani until they were under the covers spooned together once more, his hips rocking into her backside as he fondled her breasts. He bit her neck during his release and the new mark was deep enough to stay for a few days. A harsh shout escaped Yani's lips when he sank deeper to drown her with all of his seed.

A loud "Fuck!" jumped from his mouth and he pushed his face into her shoulder to laugh. He could never be totally quiet with her. It was impossible.

Sydette came looking for them and luckily, they were under the covers and already finished when she found them huddled together.

"Waffles?" Sydette asked.

"I guess I'm making waffles for breakfast," he said.

###

He had gumbo simmering on the stove early in a large crockpot and made them cranberry chicken sandwiches and salads for their time spent on the beach at the cove. Yani was relaxed on a beach chair and deep into a new medical journal on global pandemics while Erik built sandcastles with Sydette and dipped in and out of the water when the mood struck him.

They ate at their leisure until the sun was high overhead.

"I'm so full," Yani said rubbing her belly, "I won't have room for gumbo."

Sydette was tipped over on a blanket fast asleep, her fingers still clutching a pink plastic shovel.

"Here, put this over her."

Yani unwrapped a rayon beach cover she wore over her waist and Erik draped it over Sydette to keep her skin from burning.

"I should move her to the shade—"

"She's fine. It's not too hot right now. Give yourself a break."

Yani stood up and stretched. Her eyes surveyed the water and Erik watched her take off her blue bikini and wade in. She dove under a lazy wave and floated on her back. Her deep brown body drifted away from shore. He felt that automatic pull to go to her. Eyes checking for Sydette, Erik stood from the blanket they shared and followed Yani out into the water. He circled her and she tread in place.

"Sneaky face," she said.

He splashed water on her and she splashed back.

He ducked under and grabbed her legs pulling her down.

Rising back to the surface together, Yani wiped droplets from her face. They moved closer to shore until he could feel sand under his feet. The aura around her face had him entranced. Without make-up she was a natural beauty, her youth so apparent to him. A decade older he wondered how he would've been with her had he been in his twenties again. That time in his life was wild. Certain women from his past came to his mind and he was so glad that this woman swimming before him came at a time when he could really appreciate her. He broke a lot of hearts, but he could always say that he was honest with the women he hurt. So many tried to scoop him up. Lock him down. Domesticate him. He was a dog. A good dog. But still a dog. He may have run all through Yani and felt no guilt when he stepped. That's just how it was. His Uncle Bakari told him he had his father's nature. His Aunt Serah concurred whole-heartedly.

Maturity brought reflection. Wisdom.

He was old enough finally to have someone like Yani for the short time he did. And it was worth it. She made him remember his heart again. Made him feel once more. He was losing that side of himself through anxiety. Depression. Killing. All the anger he held deep inside.

"I like it when you smile at me," he said.

"I always smile at you."

"Not that first time I came here. You yelled at me."

"This is all my territory. Can't have some strange man out here."

He imitated her voice in a teasing high-pitched whine.

"Hey! You out there! What are you doin' here?"

Yani splashed water on him.

"I didn't say it like that!"

"Yes, you did! Gave me stank face and everything! Hand on your hip. Sucking your teeth. Pointing your finger at me—"

"Yuh lie, man!"

Her soft laughter warmed his spirit.

His Black mermaid.

Yemanja.

"The second time I saw you…you were naked and the water fell from you like… jewels. I walked away from you…"

Yani wiped seawater from his cheeks. He kissed her hand.

"My father…my Baba…he said the first time he saw my mother he knew she was his life…"

He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her and floated for them.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?

Erik looked away from her bright eyes.

"This chance…"

A wave pushed them and Yani let go of him. They tumbled closer to shore. Water splashed in her eyes and she turned away. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Erik kissed the back of her neck. Tracing his fingers down her shoulders, he cupped her breasts and circled her tips with his index fingers. Yani turned suddenly and jumped on him, knocking him back into the water. He felt the drag of the tide sucking sand back under his feet and he reached out for her. Lifting her high in the air, he tossed her out toward the sea and the big splash blew back on his face.

"Mama! I wahn play!"

Erik saw Sydette bouncing on her feet, the water licking her toes at the shore.

"Come out here, Sweet Pea," he said.

"Cold!"

"It's not that cold," Yani yelled.

Sydette hopped on one foot and then the other. She was so cute in her little blue bikini.

"Come get me!"

"Swim out here," Yani called.

Sydette hopped up and down.

"Baba! Get me!"

Yani grabbed his arm when she saw Erik moving toward her.

"Let her swim," Yani cajoled.

"Baba…"

Erik was torn. Sydette's hands were spread out toward him. They heard the whine in her voice and watched her stomp her feet with annoyance.

"Baby girl, swim to us. I'll meet you halfway, okay?"

Erik waved her toward him.

Sydette took a tentative step forward and tested the water again with her right foot.

"Cold…"

"Be a big girl, Sweet Pea. Show me you can do it."

It was obvious to her that no one was coming, so Sydette ran really fast toward them.

"Ow…ow…ow!" she huffed out as if the cool water was really hurting her.

A small wave pushed her back and she went under only to pop back up dog-paddling toward them. Erik stepped toward her, keeping his promise and moving halfway to her. Her body was buoyed up by a new wave and he reached out his right hand.

"A little further, Sweet Pea," he encouraged.

The closer she got, the more determined her face was until she reached out to grab his hand.

"There ya go! Big girl!"

Erik held her against his chest as she wiped her face.

"I did it, Mama!"

"Yeah yuh did!"

Yani kissed her forehead and Sydette jumped from Erik's arms to hers.

They played in the water together until rain fell upon them. Sydette looked up toward the sky and stuck out her tongue to taste the rainwater.

"Well, at least we were able to get a few hours down here," Yani said as she gathered up her bikini.

They packed up their lunch basket and towels. Erik carried their beach chairs and once more found himself trailing Yani and Sydette. Yani bent down to adjust the bikini top that Sydette wore that matched her own.

"Queen Mary what yuh bun…" Sydette sang.

Yani glanced back at Erik with a big grin on her face.

"Who taught you that, Sweet Pea?" Erik asked.

"Auntie Twyla."

"No bad words I hope," Yani said to him.

Taking shelter from the rain in the main house, Erik made tea while Yani cleaned up Sydette.

"Are you yawning?" Erik asked when Yani padded into the living room wearing an orange baby doll dress.

"Water made us sleepy. I'm going to lay down with her. Want to come?"

"Y'all rest. I'm gonna chill a minute. Check on this gumbo. Take a nap with the baby. I'll wake you up later. Okay?"

"Not too late," she said.

Yani kissed his nose with a loud smooch and sashayed back to the master bedroom.

Erik checked their food and debated about making cornbread. He baked a small cake for their birthday celebration and let it cool on the island counter.

His personal cell rang and he saw Marisol's avatar. Padding back into the living room, he closed the hallway door that led to the bedrooms. He accepted Marisol's call on the viewscreen and lowered the volume.

"Yo, what it do cuz?"

Marisol's eyes didn't look playful like they normally did. In fact, they looked tense.

"JaJa."

The Portuguese accent on his family nickname let him know no English was going to be used.

"What is it?"

"Change your mind," she said.

Marisol's face loomed large on the screen. She was in her apartment alone.

"Don't start—"

"I'm begging you—"

"I'll call you when I get to my next spot—"

"You make me carry this burden. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want you out there doing that shit anymore."

"Lower your voice."

"Don't tell me to lower my voice, JaJa."

She burst into tears and Erik stood up from the couch and moved in front of the viewscreen.

"Marisol—"

"Grandpa Dante told me that you are planning visits to everyone soon. That some kind of Tour of Duty?"

"I visited you and Aunt Serah back in December—"

"He said everyone, JaJa. Like a farewell tour. You're going there now, aren't you?"

"I'll talk to you later—"

"Don't you hang up on me!"

Her shriek was more explosive with her face so large in front of him.

"Killmonger…"

Yani stood in the open hallway door. Her eyes were wide staring up at Marisol's crying face.

"Go back to bed, baby. I'll get you in a few minutes. I need some privacy right now—"

"You're Yani, right?"

Marisol's English was good, but when she was stressed or excited, her accent came out thick.

"Yes."

Yani stepped further into the room.

Marisol's eyes gazed at Yani with compassion.

"Yani, I said go back into the bedroom—"

The rumble in his voice made Marisol's eyes focus hard on Yani.

"Yani, talk to him. Convince him to stay there…with you. Please! He's about to —"

Erik shut down the viewscreen.

He kept his back to Yani.

"Killmonger. What was she talking about? Who was that?"

"My cousin. She is upset with me because…"

The words wouldn't come the way he wanted.

"Finish. Why is she so angry? Scared?"

He heard the fear in her voice now too.

"We've had a disagreement for the last six months and it makes her upset to talk about it. It's personal Yani. Nothing to do with you."

"She knows my name. Looked at me like she knows me well—"

"I was with her and my Aunt. Before Sydette was sick. I told her about you. Us. Just forget it!"

"Why are you so angry right now?"

"I'm not angry Yani. Just irritated. That's all. You know family shit gets people agitated. Give me some space right now and I'll come in the room in a minute—"

Her arms went around his waist.

"She's scared for you. She was crying over you. Yuh going off to do something bad. Like before…"

She touched his keloids. He rested his hands on top of hers.

"Don't go," she whispered into his back.

It was the thing he didn't need to hear. The thing he dreaded coming from her. It was bad enough to see Marisol crying over him. He didn't need Yani falling apart too. Not now.

Twisting around in her arms he held her against his chest.

"Let's go lay down."

She shook her head furiously.

"C'mon."

He eased her backward and she went along with him.

###

"Happy birthday, baby."

Yani couldn't help but grin ear to ear when she saw Erik walk into the dining room with a blue and white frosted cake. Three light blue candles flickered on top. Sydette sat on Yani's lap and clapped her hands when she saw the birthday treat. He placed the cake in front of them on the table.

"Make a wish," he said.

Yani's eyes held his gentle gaze and she looked away before she said something to make herself start crying again. She closed her eyes and made a bargain instead. Something she would keep to herself.

When her eyes went back to his, he was watching Sydette touch a tiny corner of icing and taste the sweetness.

"Happy birthday to you…" he sang, and Sydette joined him.

"Blow?" her daughter said looking at Erik with excited eyes.

"Go ahead," he said.

Yani blew the candles out with her and Erik clapped his hands.

He didn't bother to bring out plates, just three forks. They dug into the cake and watched Sydette smear frosting on her cheeks trying to eat a forkful that was bigger than her mouth. Chocolate was their favorite and the small cake was gone in a matter of minutes.

"Dang, I forgot the ice cream," he said jumping up and running back into the kitchen. He returned with small bowls of vanilla ice cream and they ate that quietly together.

They watched a little television, Animal Planet, and Sydette sat wide-eyed watching giraffes run wild in a pack until she yawned and sprawled out on Yani's lap. An hour later Erik lifted her daughter from her lap and carried her into her room.

Yani stretched, took a moment to use the restroom, then waited for Erik to return. She was still rattled from Marisol's call. Couldn't get that woman's face out of her mind.

Erik sprawled out on her lap in Sydette's place and she stroked his hair. His eyes eased shut and his body relaxed on her. His bare chest enticed her to touch it and his warmth was nice to feel.

"Where are you going, Killmonger?"

He ignored her at first, turned his head toward her stomach and tried to pretend he didn't hear her.

"I have the right to know this time. Yuh never come back…I have the right to know…"

"Let us have this last night in peace, Yani. Please."

"You gave us so much. I don't want to spend the rest of my life…"

She felt his body tense.

"I don't want to start a fight or upset you—"

"Then leave it be."

"I want to…for you…but…"

He rolled over and looked up at her face.

"Don't make me hurt more than I already do. Don't hurt yourself more by asking. You're right about me. I'm a killer. That bad man. I just want to be a good man for these last few hours. Be a good man for you…"

He stroked her cheek and she held his hand against her chest.

"You can be a good man for always, love…please…"

He turned away from her and watched the tv.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

She touched his temple and smoothed back a few of his locs. His eyes shut tight and he reached back to touch her cheek.

"I'm the one that's sorry, Yani. I can't give you what you want. There ain't no promises I can give that can make you feel good or make you think we have a future. I have nothing—"

"You have me."

"I have you," he whispered.

She bent down and rested her plump lips on his fuller ones and let the skin there lightly touch before she opened her mouth to let her tongue taste his.

He fondled her nipples through her dress as they kissed.

"Take this off," he said tugging on her dress.

She did what he asked and he rested back on the wide couch.

"Sit on my face."

Always direct. Demanding.

She crawled above him and sat her vulva on his lips.

The heat from his mouth had her sighing before he even licked up and down her folds. She felt her labia plumping up fully, and when the tip of his tongue flicked her clit, she was already dripping onto his lips.

He flattened his tongue and Yani wiggled her waist to get the full lavish flourishes of his wet mouth. Leaning forward, Yani exhaled hard into the couch. He ate her pussy like it was a fine art to be mastered. His hands reached up and held her ass cheeks as he plunged his tongue into her opening. Hot puffs of breath from his mouth excited her more as deep groans had him stop every few seconds to gather himself. She lifted up and gazed down at his face as she writhed above him. She felt his hands release her ass as he pulled down his loose sweatpants and freed his erection. His right hand gripped his length and tugged hard.

She dropped her ass onto his face and he moaned into her pussy.

"Shit…Yani…"

His tongue traced patterns into her folds and her keening above him spurned the movement of his hand jerking off his dick. That wide tongue of his, interchanged with his big lips rubbing all over her labia, made her cry out his name. She pressed her pussy hard on his mouth.

"I'm cumming!" she yelled.

Erik groaned so loud and his body went stiff under her.

When she looked behind her, she watched him ejaculate all over his hand.

"Fuck! I want to cum in your ass Yani."

She crawled off of his face and sauntered into the master bedroom. When she returned to him on the couch, she handed him a bottle of lube and some tissue to wipe up his semen.

Lying next to him, she allowed his hands to roam all over her body before he squeezed a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. He kissed her with slow deliberation as his fingers took their time inserting into her anus, massaging her there. He slickened up his new erection with even more lubrication. Yani leaned forward while gripping the couch cushion and lifted up her leg a bit so he could get his tip pressed into her anal opening. She held her breath and relaxed with a deep exhale as he inserted three inches into her.

"You okay?" he asked.

Rubbing her waist, he waited for her consent before he pressed in further. She could only handle about four inches at that moment and he eased back out to use more lubricant. When she was ready, he pushed back in until she was comfortable with more from him.

He gave short thrusts that she liked and inserted his fingers into her pussy. Stroked from both openings, the tightness pulling her close to the edge of another explosive release, Yani endured the nasty words spilling from his mouth and into her ear as he fucked her good and long.

"…just letting me fuck you in your ass like this…"

"…yes…"

"…nasty…I'ma put cum in you like this…"

"…please…"

"…'gon nut all up in you like this…deep in this ass…fuck girl…letting me do this shit…"

She chewed on the sensitive skin of her lips.

"Who else you fuck like this?"

"Just you…and Chez…"

"Goddamn, I'm in there deep!"

His head fell forward onto her shoulder and she knew he was done whenever he couldn't speak anymore. His fingers had her pussy sticky. His dick had her anus stretched with pleasure. Slow. Deep. Gentle. Just how she liked it with him and only him. "I feel your balls, Killmonger…"

"All in this ass…tight…ah fuckkk—"

His orgasm rendered him speechless and he jerked against her as he spurt hot jizz.

"…nasty bitch…cumming in your fat ass…"

Yani felt tears of sexual release drip from her lids as her pussy spasmed around his fingers. When he removed his slick digits from her, he held her tight and kissed the back of her neck and shoulders. They were both covered in sweat.

"You can bring a nigga to his knees, swear to God."

Yani grinned and held onto him as he brushed his lips over her clavicle. She felt his penis soften and he pulled out from her.

They watched tv a bit longer until Erik removed himself from her and took a long shower. She took one after him and when she finished, all he wanted to do was lay in bed with her for the rest of the night. She asked him no more questions about his destination.

She focused on the now.

###

"What are you two doing?"

Erik sat still on the floor with his back against the vanity mirror drawer. Sweet Pea stood in front of him with her left hand on his forehead and her right hand smearing bronze lipstick on his lips. Yani clutched her stomach and laughed hard when she saw his entire face when Sydette stepped back from her handiwork.

Bronzer, cinnamon eyeshadow, false eyelashes, and liquid foundation rounded out Erik's features.

"Makin Baba pretty Mama, see?"

Sydette returned to her work tracing the lipstick outside the lines of his mouth.

"How I look?" he asked.

"A hot mess," Yani said.

Erik stood up and looked in the mirror. Sydette crawled onto the vanity chair and patted his arm.

"I have tuh finish your lips. Put more on…"

She held up the lipstick and he bent down so she could add a little more.

"There," Sydette said.

"All done?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Clown face—"

"Hush, baby girl worked hard to perfect this look. You just jealous cuz you can't get your face like this."

"Tuh."

Erik ran his fingers through his hair to fluff out his locs.

"I look good, don't know what you hatin' on. Jealous."

He walked into the living room and grabbed his sandals by the door.

"Please tell me you not wearing that face—"

"We're going for a walk. Join us if you want."

Sydette still held the lipstick in her hand and rolled it along her mouth. Yani took it from her.

"Fifty-dollar lipstick…for playtime," Yani said.

"You can afford it. Let's go Sweet Pea."

"We pretty, Mama."

"I see."

Sydette held Erik's hand and they walked around the compound.

They visited Jerome and watched him chase off another iguana from the pool. Moving through Klaue's prized flowers, they observed butterflies resting easy and caught a gentle breeze on their faces as they walked down to the cove.

Yani trailed behind them, still laughing at his overly made face, and Erik just acted like it was normal to have a face beat to the two-year-old Gods of cosmetics. He picked up seashells with Sydette and dipped his toes in the water with her. She chased him when they returned to the house for lunch.

"You are really going to keep that look?"

Yani served them leftover gumbo and cornbread. She kept shaking her head each time she looked at him.

"Hater," he teased.

They napped together on the couch until it started raining again, the soft patter of water striking the roof. They played with Sydette's toys until Yani couldn't take it anymore and made Erik clean off his face. He could hear Yani's snarky laughter while he did it.

Yani cooked their last dinner together, made him all the island foods he loved, and Erik ate until he was stuffed.

As the sun made the journey down from the sky, Erik grew somber.

They put Sydette to bed early and Erik read her a book and stayed with her until the little girl fell asleep.

"Here."

Yani handed him a glass of white wine and they sat outside on the lounger to watch the stars pop out across the dark velvet sky.

Yani crawled onto his lap and he held her close, nuzzling his nose into her neck. A dragonfly drone flew past the balcony, its movement a little off-kilter. The battery was probably running down.

Yani wiggled on his lap, hungry for him once more, and he stripped out of his loungers for her and gave her the dick she craved. In his favorite spot. In his favorite position with her.

"Fuck, I don't want nobody else in this pussy…." he chuffed into her neck.

Lifting her up, Erik stood with her legs slung over his biceps. His eyes watched the water far down below as he thrust. The mewling from her throat had him on edge and he locked his legs in position to hold her up while his length pumped up into her. He needed to work his back into it and carried her on his dick back into the house and into their bedroom.

Her legs spread wide and her toes pointing toward the wall, Erik pressed his muscular thighs into her thick ones as they both watched his dick plunge in and out of her gripping folds.

"I'ma be in this pussy all night. You know that, right?"

She nodded vigorously, her lips pressed tight as they heard the sloppy noise coming from their engorged lower parts.

"You want all of Daddy's cum now, huh girl?"

"Hmmmph…"

"Want me to fuck you in your ass again?"

Her head fell back onto the pillow with her mouth dropping open and when his dick slid out, he saw more sticky wetness spilling from her slit. He sank back in again hitting the side of her walls. The bed was bouncing with his thrusts. Yani's eyes went back to watch their joining.

"Oh shit…Yani…ah fuck girl…I love you…"

"Erik…"

"Say my name again."

"Erik."

He groaned as he slammed into her hard to punctuate the pleasure he received hearing his real name drip from her lips like honey.

"Erik…love…you feel so good. Making my pussy feel so good…God!"

"I see you squirtin' baby. I see it!"

Yani's legs shook even as Erik pressed down on her thighs to keep them flat on the bed.

"You tryna make me nut right now? Huh?"

He dug in her deeper and she took it like he knew she could.

Forcing her onto her hands and knees, he made her face the wall mirror so he could enjoy hitting it from the back and watching her face while he did it.

"All night, baby," he whispered.

All night indeed.

Every position.

Every nasty word he could think of in six languages.

Yani was panting, screaming into the sheets, squirting and cumming from every angle he could twist her into. Front. Back. Side. Diagonal. He held off from ejaculating, wanting to marinate in her juices for as long as he could, trying to savor and remember every moment of that night with her in their bed.

"Ah…baby…'bout to make a big mess…"

"Please!"

She held her breasts, her fingers circling her areolas.

"Wish I could suck milk out them titties again."

His head dropped forward and his right hand clutched her left breast and held it.

"These big titties…"

"Cum in my pussy, Erik."

His eyes narrowed looking down at her face.

"Want me to cum in your pussy, baby?"

"Yes."

He moved slow, so slow that her legs wrapped around his waist to get more friction from him.

"Tell me you love me again," he begged.

Yani clutched onto his back, her harsh pants tingling his ears. He knew that look and reaction from her. She was at the tip of her orgasm. A large one.

Her big eyes looked up at him as she clung to him, the look on her face taking him back to the first time they ever made love.

"Erik!"

"Yes, baby. I'm here."

"Erik…God…!"

Her voice hitched and Erik froze with her as her vaginal walls quivered against his length.

He couldn't breathe.

Tears slipped down her face.

"I love you, Erik. I want you here with me forever—"

Her head fell back as her pussy spasmed tight.

"Erik! Erik!"

"I'm cumming with you! Goddamit I'm cumming so fucking hard!"

There was no shame in his yelling out loud. Every hard spurt into her pussy made him yell out her name and how much he loved her. She only clung to his body as all of her softness pressed into the hardness of his body. When he felt the last of his semen leaving him, he bit into her shoulder and squeezed her tight. His toes cramped up and didn't want to let her go.

Their bodies cooled with the hot sweat evaporating from their skin.

Pulling her on top of him, Erik cradled Yani in his arms until she needed to go pee. He listened to her take a quick shower before she returned to his embrace.

"All night, remember?" she whispered to him.

"I remember. But a quick respite."

He shifted down until his head was on her stomach.

Yani whispered how much she loved and needed him until he fell asleep cradled in her arms.

###

Sydette's crying woke him up.

"She's probably having a bad dream," Yani said.

Erik shifted and Yani pushed him back on the bed.

"I'll take care of her. I get back and yuh give me some more."

Her eyes twinkled.

Jumping off the bed, she pulled on her panties and threw on one of his t-shirts.

"Big nipples poking through," he said grabbing his dick.

She kissed his lips and bounded out of the room.

It was late. If Sydette was up, she'd want to get into bed with them unless Yani could get her back to sleep fast.

He rubbed his belly then scratched his balls waiting for her.

His mind wandered to trivial things until he noticed things were too quiet.

"Yani. Everything okay?"

His hand swiped the security cam feed and he immediately sat upright. There was nothing there, which was impossible because he should see an image of Yani and Sydette…

Erik slid his hand to his bedstand drawer and pulled out his Glock. He slipped his loungers on and crept to the door.

The hallway was empty.

He checked Sydette's room. It was empty. He checked the hall bathroom and Klaue's bedroom on the far end of the house.

Easing toward the living room, Erik noticed a light pop on. He stepped into that light and saw Huntsman sitting on the couch with Sydette on his lap, his own Glock pressed into her little chest, his other free hand covering her mouth. Across from him standing near Klaue's wall of African masks was Shipley strong-arming Yani with his weapon pressed into her temple. His left hand fondled Yani's nipple.

Neal stepped into view with an AK-15 pointed at Erik.

"Now see, you shouldn't have been here, Killmonger," Huntsman said.

"Let them go," Erik hissed, keeping his eyes on Sweet Pea who had big shiny tears in her scared eyes.

"No. We can't do that. It's too bad though. Now they get to die with you."

Chapter 27 Here

###

Tag List:

@fd-writes @soufcakmistress @cherrystainedlipsbaby @tclaybon @thadelightfulone

@allhailqueennel @bartierbakarimobisson @cpwtwot @shookmcgookqueen @yoyolovesbucky

@raysunshine78 @the-illllest @terrablaze514 @l-auteuse @amirra88 @jimizwidow @janelledarling

@chaneajoyyy @sweetestdream92 @purple-apricots @blackpinup22 @hennessystevens-udaku

@scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @bugngiz @stariamrry @honeytoffee @meilintheempressofdreams

@tyees @eye-raq @writerbee-ffs @chocolatedream30

#wet sugar #killmonger #killmonger fanfiction #erik stevens #n'jadaka #klaue #black panther fanfiction #uzumaki rebellion's pantherverse

86 notes · View notes

grimmseye · 5 years ago

Text

A Bird in the Hand: Chapter Five

Read on Ao3 here!

Rating: T

Fandom: Critical Role

Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (eventual)

Chapter Characters: Mollymauk Tealeaf, Essek Thelyss

Chapter Tags/Warnings: Molly Rez, Amnesiac Mollymauk, Oh My God They Were Roommates, Shower Scene, Nonsexual Nudity, Touch Starvation, Dissociation

This fic now contains spoilers up to Episode 97: The Fancy and the Fooled

— — —

For a blink of the eyes, the world fell away.

The sensation of stone under his knees became cold tile. Mollymauk didn’t know how they’d gotten there, one moment in the market and the next here, but he couldn’t dwell on it. A chill was settling under his skin, offset only by the heat of his wounds, the pressure of Essek’s vice-grip on his arm.

That grip vanished as soon as he registered it. Mollymauk slumped without its support, a whine leaving his throat, panic crawling behind it. Somehow he knew what came after this, and he did not want to be alone for it. He wasn’t the first time, he wasn’t the second, but the third was cold and e m p t y and

He was on the ground, now, panting. Black dots flickered in his vision. He saw the hem of Essek’s clothing dragging along the floor, saw a line of red that streaked from where he laid to where Essek stood. There was a rattling, something fell to the floor and clattered and rolled. The image doubled and then blurred beyond recognition.

And then he was upright, and the rush of it nearly made him vomit. Something was pressed to his lips, Essek’s voice in his ear, rough and breathless. He couldn’t respond, eyes rolling in his skull. There was something he was supposed to do. Something important, something easy, but his brain wouldn’t keep up.

A snarl sounded, making him flinch as Essek seized his jaw and squeezed. Molly’s teeth parted, and a bitter flavor drenched his tongue. He gagged, and a hand clasped tight over his mouth before he could spit it out. He retched, air and liquid expelling between Essek’s fingers but not fast enough. So Molly swallowed.

Essek let go to wrap his arm around Molly’s side instead, keeping him upright as he choked. It dissolved into heaving breaths, all his weight leaned into Essek. He didn’t get a chance to catch his breath before Essek pulled him along, Molly staggering with each step.

The drink — the potion, he realized — had been thick and lacked temperature, but now he could feel a warming sensation spreading from his belly and chasing away the ice under his skin. His wounds crawled and then cooled, the labored beating of his heart eased. By the time Essek lowered him into a seat, Mollymauk’s head had stopped spinning.

He blinked, eyes refocusing as Essek knelt down in front of him. The drow was a mess: his hair stuck out of place, his clothes were torn and sopped with blood. His hands, too, were slick with it, skin drenched red with what was probably Molly’s own blood.

And he was speaking, lips moving and brow furrowed. Molly only caught the tail end of a question, forgetting the words a second later. His mouth opened, tongue rolling out over his lips and not even wincing when he tasted iron.

“We just took a bath,” was what Mollymauk said.

The dumbfounded look on Essek’s face made him giggle, a high-pitched noise that began to slip to hysterics.

“Did you hit your head?” Essek started, only for Molly to laugh harder.

“Maybe,” he wheezed, “because I have no idea how we got here .” He nearly hit Essek in the head as he gesticulated about the room. It was all white tile, an opaque glass door on each side of the room. Circles of runes were etched and painted into the wall, and the floor had a shallow slant to a drain in its middle, letting the blood ooze down. “I think I blacked out on the way.”

“Ah,” Essek said. “No, that would be the teleportation. If we had traveled any other way, you would have expired long before we got any help.”

He reached up, pushing Mollymauk’s coat from his shoulders. Molly let it fall.

“This room functions as an emergency shower,” Essek continued. “You should get cleaned up.”

“What about you?” Molly asked, the words slurring together. He went to lift his shirt over his head, hissed as the muscles pulled at a wound. The potion had stopped his bleeding, and was clearing his head, but the damage remained.

“I can wait.” Essek’s hand shifted towards him, then paused and drew back again.

“That’s…” He failed to find a good word. “Dumb. What you said was really dumb.” Realizing what he’d been doing, Molly gave him a defeated smile and asked, “Mind helping me outta this?”

Elven ears were fun, he noted. They twitched, folding closer to the sides of Essek’s head, where his hair was buzzed short. Did the stubble tickle his ears when he was surprised? Or was that not surprise but something else — acknowledgement, maybe even interest? Probably not, but Molly could dream.

Essek cleared his throat and stood. His feet were on the ground, Molly noted. He himself was startled when Essek did lean in, head tilting up automatically, eyes finding lips before the pale pupils that didn’t meet his gaze. Essek’s hands were warm, brushing his sides as he took the hem of Molly’s shirt and lifted. Molly raised his arms, practically holding his breath as Essek slid his shirt over his head, feeling the slow draw of fingers over his skin, tracing a burning line up his ribs before the material was lifted over his head and away.

“Is that why you wear such wide collars?” Essek asked.

Molly blinked, looking up at him. His ears felt hot. “Uh — huh?”

“Your horns.” Again, Essek looked like he was going to touch one, but pulled back a moment later. “A shirt with a tight collar wouldn’t fit around them.”

“Oh, yeah. No, if it’s got a tight collar it needs buttons. Your tailor friend made note of that, no worries there.” Molly stood as well. Even with Essek touching the floor, Molly was only at eye level with his throat. It wasn’t a terrible angle, looking up at him. And with Essek looking down — a grin toyed at his lips. “Do you pay attention to the cut of my shirt?”

Essek only sighed. Molly watched the swell of his chest, the slump of his shoulders. He didn’t know a lot about anything, not about the world he’d been tossed in, not about the people he was chasing, not even about himself. But he knew things he liked, he knew what was good. Making people smile was good. People were good. And there were a few different ways to enjoy people, and at least one of them involved pressing his mouth up to Essek’s neck and feeling that sigh against his lips.

Bloodloss did funny things to his brain, it turned out. Molly swallowed, dragged his gaze up to find Essek staring back at him. Essek wasn’t shy, nor bold. He couldn’t pin Essek down as much of anything, and that was as disconcerting as it was intriguing. It made Molly want to put his hands everywhere they didn’t belong, search until he could find the chink in the armor and peel it away, piece by piece. What did Essek look like when he wasn’t wearing a mask? He would also settle for learning what he looked like when he wasn’t wearing clothes. Wishful thinking, again.

“We got off topic,” Molly drawled. “Get undressed. We’ll just shower together, this is a big room. Why do you even have a room like this?”

“Arcane materials are dangerous,” Essek said, voice clipped. “If an experimental potion begins eating through your flesh, you’ll want to wash it off expediently.”

“Fair enough.” He snorted. “You could afford to make it look nice, at least! If you’re going to have a giant shower you might as well lean into the luxury and live a little.”

“I have my own casual bathing facilities,” Essek sighed. And that was a treat if Molly had ever heard one. Essek had been holding out on him.

Molly took a step forward, intending to hunt for whatever mechanism turned the water on. Instead his knees buckled. Essek threw an arm around him, Molly clinging to keep his balance. He wheezed out a breath, laughing, “I may — shit, I may actually need your help just to shower. I swear this isn’t a ploy.”

“I didn’t think it was until you said that. Can you stand?”

“I’ll find out.”

“Sit on the ground if you must.”

That was what Molly did, sitting on the cool tile and wriggling out of his pants, tossing his remaining garments aside. Undressed, his body was a mess of scabs and dry blood. More scars to add to his collection, but at least he had the story for these ones.

He watched Essek approach one of the doors, touching a crystal embedded in the nearby wall. Where the rune circles were carved into tile, streams of water began to pour down. “Tell me when the temperature is comfortable,” Essek called.

Molly stuck a hand under the water, feeling it slowly warm. He waited until it was just on the edge of too hot to say, “Good!”

He scooted himself under the stream, finding a pleasant pressure behind the water. It ran a rusty brown, blood chipping away from his skin and running down the drain. Essek was shuffling out of his clothes where he stood, and Molly averted his gaze. He wouldn’t step further than he was allowed, and try as he might, he couldn’t get a beat off of Essek.

It surprised him to find Essek approaching. He had a towel in hand, sat down beside Molly and lifted it in an offer. When he nodded, Essek began to draw the towel over his skin, delicate passes of soft material.

Too delicate, really. It made shivers wrack along his spine, his chest feeling too tight for his lungs. If this were just for some heavy petting, he’d be happy to lean into it and purr, but that wasn’t the case. “You don’t like touching people much, do you?” Molly drawled, letting his eyelids droop.

The motion paused. “I don’t dislike it.”

“Then put a fuckin’ hand on me. I won’t bite unless you want me to, and you’re not getting anywhere treating me like those fancy plates you’ve got.”

More readily than he’d expected, a hand clasped on his uninjured shoulder. His skin buzzed under Essek’s touch, the drag of the towel growing more firm, making him hiss through his teeth. He tried to focus on the hand over the pain, how it slid down to lift his arm, how the pads of his fingers weighed on the back of his neck as Essek examined a ragged bite.

When it was done, and Essek pulled away, he mourned the loss. “You want me to get yours?” Molly offered, catching Essek’s gaze in the corner of his own. “At least the ones you can’t reach.”

He watched Essek weigh that in his mind. Something about the way he calculated things in his silence pinged a memory, someone else who was stuck in his own head, curled in on himself rather than open up to the world. The memory was there, in his grasp, and then it was gone.

“That’s reasonable,” Essek murmured at last. Molly watched the stains on the towel clean themselves before Essek handed it over, and turned so his back was to Molly. And again there was that thought of just bending down and kissing the skin where the water ran over his shoulder blade, and maybe parting his lips and seeing if Essek would like him to bite after all.

Then he set his hand at Essek’s unmarked hip, and he watched his shoulders jump and the breath freeze in his chest.

“You alright, there?” Mollymauk checked, not removing his hand but ready to.

“Fine,” Essek said, in that clipped voice again. So Molly began to wash the dry blood from his skin, abandoning the towel nearly at once to just work with his hands. It ran down Essek’s leg, and he murmured a soft ‘ excuse me’ as his fingers drew down to the back of his thigh, working quickly and brusquely to return to a spot that Essek’s arm had hidden.

Hands came up into his hair, where flecks of dry blood stood out against white. Essek made a noise, then, the muscles of his back winding tight but head seeming to tilt into his touch. The sound replayed in Molly’s head as he teased his fingers over locks of hair, dragged nails along stubble. Short and throaty, shaking into a sigh — it was a good sound.

He was massaging his thumb along the crease of a rib when he realized Essek was shaking. His breaths sucked in too quick and too deep, shuddering on the exhale. Molly’s hand froze in place. “Are you —”

“I am fine, Mollymauk.” The words were jagged things, broken and sharp. Essek yanked away, clambering to his feet. “I will take care of the rest myself, thank you. There are towels through there.” He pointed, hand quivering, to the first door in the room.

Mollymauk was silent as he stood and took his leave.

Towels were located in a cabinet as promised, alongside too-long robes. When Essek emerged, Mollymauk had donned one, black material bound around the waist, hanging open in the front. The drow did not so much as meet his eyes, the towel they’d used now clean and dry and wrapped around his hips for modesty.

Molly caught Essek’s movements in the edge of his vision. They were jerky and rough, reminded him of something — of a construct of metal and blades, of a prison and children in need and friends, one was an orphan like these children and one was like him and one was like Essek and there was a child with seven voices and black feathers and a knife in one hand and Welcome to the —

“Mollymauk.”

He nearly flinched, but held himself steady. Essek had already moved to the other door, levitating now in a robe that fell to the floor, covering himself completely. When he was bare, when skin was on skin with no layers in between, he shook and he cracked like glass struck so many times.

Molly followed without a word.

Essek made himself scarce, after. The day passed, and morning rose. No elven mage was there to literally hover over Molly’s shoulder, nor to show him about the city nor treat him to a day at the spa nor even cook breakfast.

That last number was just fine in Molly’s book. Essek’s cooking implied he usually didn’t cook in the first place.

The house — though it was more of a tower, round and tall instead of a box — was large and stunningly empty for something so elaborately furnished. Of half a dozen bedrooms, only Molly’s saw use. Without Essek around, he had an entire vacant home to snoop through.

The first hour was dedicated to finding the most comfortable couch in the building and the one after that to lounging on it naked. Fifteen minutes following that was the hunt for Essek’s bedroom, another five scrounging around for some hairpins, and then longer than he cared to admit spent on his knees trying to pick the lock before he realized it was magically sealed.

“Fucking wizards,” he growled, and left it at that.

Lunch was burning the most expensive cut of meat he found in the kitchen and then spotting a basket of strawberries for dessert. He wandered the house with sticky fingers, scanning over bookshelves and pulling one title off before realizing he didn’t care much for reading. A study yielded good, thick paper and pencils and pens that Molly scooped up to carry to the dining room table, uncertain what his hands wanted to do with them but willing to find out.

An image of a raven etched itself onto the page. It was crude, abstracted. Turned one way, the bird was falling, feet scraping the air to catch the branch that snapped under its weight. Turned the other, it ascended.

Death, he scratched on one end. Then he spun it around and wrote atop the other: Revival.

The raven had too many eyes. A sick feeling rose in his throat and he crumpled the page in a hand.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, hand locked around paper, staring into the table. When his mind returned to him, the clock on the wall sat at a different angle. His skin felt like cotton, sand filled his head. It weighed too heavily to the side, feeling that if he let it droop too far his insides would come dripping out his ear.

Molly slouched in his chair, realizing distantly that his muscles ached.

What was he doing?

He should stand up.

Mollymauk stared at the paper. He should stand up, he told himself. That wasn’t working. He should move his leg, then. It didn’t move. His head tipped just faintly, making his brains swim in his skull. He could hear his vertebrae creak with the motion. A finger, next, the knuckles smoothing out, index finger flexing. Middle, ring, pinky, and thumb followed, and he found himself able to let the paper go, to push himself mechanically away from the table, walk five paces and sink to the ground there.

He laid there, and then he started shaking, and then he started sobbing.

He didn’t know why he was sobbing. The tears poured off his nose and the breaths left his chest quicker than they came, until he was dizzy and shaking and wheezing into the rug. He couldn’t feel his own skin, he was empty inside, he was empty, he was — he was —

And then his breath was steady again and he was just lying still, wracked with sudden bouts of tremors for a stretch of uncounted time, until the tremors became less frequent and stopped altogether and his body went lax again.

Eventually, he would stand, and the clock had inched even further along.

Molly moved back into the kitchen, craving stew and not knowing why. Something about the idea felt like being surrounded by friendly faces. They didn’t have enough but they made do with what they had. That’s what he told her , the big one, his favorite, his heart.

Faces poured into his mind, faces and feelings, colors and music and days rolling by.

Stew was a meal meant to be shared, so when he thought it was almost done, Molly went to find Essek.

A set of three towers made up Essek’s property, surrounded by a garden Molly knew he didn’t tend to himself. There was a plot of loose earth hidden behind the tower that made up Essek’s actual living space, the shortest of the trio. All three towers were connected by bridges.

Mollymauk paused halfway across one walkway, the cold night air sweeping through his coat. He leaned over its edge, elbows braced on the thin rail to gaze out at the city sprawling around them. In the distance, he could see that house, the one with the glittering tree, the place he’d blindly crawled to and found empty.

The clouds opened up at night, here, allowing the moon’s glow to bathe the rooftops, the stars matching Rosohna’s lights.

His ear twitched at the sound of a door opening. He turned, seeing Essek drifting from the tallest tower, the one Molly had been approaching. As the drow locked the door with an arcane word, he turned his head, pausing when their gazes met.

Molly gave a smile, a faint wave. His voice felt stuck in his throat.

“Mollymauk,” Essek observed. He moved across the bridge, coming to hover a few feet from Molly’s side. His eyes seemed to catch the moonlight, pupils glinting white. “What are you doing here?”

It took a conscious effort to form words. “Made dinner. Have y’eaten?” He had to clip his own voice, wincing at how unnatural it sounded, like he grated each sound between his teeth before letting it out.

“... Not yet, no,” Essek said, meaning he’d likely skipped lunch and breakfast, too. Molly just gave a chuckle, raspy, and swatted his leg with his tail. He reached for Essek’s arm — wanting contact, needing to ground himself — to pull him back to the first tower.

He leaned into Essek, walking slowly to drag out the time he could spend close to another person. The material of Essek’s mantle was surprisingly comfortable, like silk. Molly would happily nuzzle a cheek into it if he didn’t know that would be crossing a line. If he could get skin contact right now, that would be worth the world. But Essek wasn’t offering a hand, he was letting Molly cling to his arm, indulging whatever he thought this was.

As they passed back into the first tower, the scent of cooking meat and spices filled the air. Essek’s stomach rumbled on cue, and Molly laughed. “Glad to have me now, aren’t ya?” He rasped.

Essek gave him a single laugh. It was better than nothing, he thought, until Essek turned that calculating gaze on him. “Did something happen?”

Molly made a vague noise, finally letting go of Essek to move into the kitchen. “Get some bowls down for me, would ya? You keep them in the worst place.”

Essek let the question drop. Molly took each bowl from a mage hand, filling each one nearly to the brim. Everything was cut in thick chunks, beef and vegetables in a rich gravy. He stuck a slice of bread in each and passed a bowl to Essek on his way to the table. It wasn’t pretty, but it was everything a meal needed to be: hot and filling and delicious.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” Essek said, as he sat across from Mollymauk.

“Turns out I lived with a carnival,” Molly shrugged. “Learned that today.” Essek looked like he was going to dismiss the comment, and then gazed at Molly for a bit and seemed to concede. Molly snickered, then said, “Anyway, things like this are easy to make and can fill a lot of bellies. And when you have spices like what’s in your cabinet, it’s better than the ten-gold meals down the street.”

He watched, chin in his hands, as Essek gave his bowl a dubious look. “It does smell good,” he said, picking up his spoon and lifting it to his mouth. The ears and eyebrows went up, and before he was even done chewing Essek had another spoonful.

“Y’see?” Molly grinned. “I’m a pleasure to have.”

Essek only smiled down at his bowl. It was a good look on him.

They ate in a comfortable silence, broken only for Molly to tease Essek about the dainty way he ate his bread, for Essek to scrunch his nose at him when Molly licked his fingers instead of using a napkin. He got gravy on them on purpose after that, just to watch Essek’s displeasure as he licked them clean. He had to wonder if there wasn’t an interest in the fork of his tongue.

“You are repulsive right now,” Essek stated.

Molly clutched his chest in mock pain. “Oh! How could you say that.” He leaned an elbow on the table, grinning as he said, “And why don’t you just use your mage hand, huh? Then you never have to get so much as a spot on your beautiful hands.” He paused in his heckling, then gave a delighted grin. “That started as a joke but I actually need to see this, now.”

“See what?” Essek tore a small piece of bread and dipped it ever so slightly into his bowl, maintaining eye contact as he lifted it to his mouth. His fingers didn’t touch so much as his own lips, and Molly made an affronted noise.

“If you won’t get your hands dirty, use your magic hand.” Molly wagged his own hand at him. “The thing you got the bowls with.”

“Why would I do that.” Essek’s voice was flat.

The answer was easy: “To prove you can.”

He knew he’d won, at that point. Essek sighed, lifting his hands as though in surrender. A swirl of purple magic formed into a third, spectral hand, and Molly rapped his hooves on the ground in anticipation.

“This is inane,” Essek sighed.

“This is entertainment,” Molly corrected.

They both watched as the hand tore a chunk of bread, dipped it in the stew. When the hand lifted up to Essek’s face, looming closer to his half-open mouth — Essek’s will broke. His face pinched, a breathy sound hissing from his lips before he turned his head away. He laughed through his nose, eyes shut and lips spread around a smile, a series of quick exhalations as his shoulders shook.

“You can’t!” Molly crowed, smacking a palm on the table. The hand dissipated as Essek sputtered, covering his face with his own hand. “You call yourself a wizard!”

“What was the point of that,” Essek rattled out, losing the fight to hide his smile.

“Purely for my enjoyment.” His cheeks hurt, he was smiling far too broadly. There was something genuine at last, and it was a smile and laughter and the red tinge to the tips of Essek’s ears. Watching him fight to gather his composure felt like he’d finally gotten a peek under the mask.

He didn’t even care when he was caught staring, Essek spotting him with his chin propped on his knuckles and a smile on his face. For a long moment, they were both just smiling at one another, the warmth of laughter softening the air.

Then Molly asked, “Why are you doing this, anyway?”

Essek’s smile waned at the question. He finally seemed to pull himself in order, straightening up in his chair. “What are you referring to?”

“Just. This.” He gestured about, and then to himself. “Me. Keeping me in your house, getting mauled, dumping your potions on me. No offense, my friend, but I know you’re not just a charitable soul.” He recalled the bodies pulled into Essek’s magic, crumpled and broken, killed by the man sitting across from him without an ounce of remorse.

Essek inhaled slowly, as Mollymauk picked up his own bowl and walked to the sink. “That would be an… accurate assessment,” he said, and fell silent. When Molly had washed and dried the bowl, and was setting it on the counter, Essek spoke again.

“I owe the Mighty Nein a great deal,” he said. Molly turned, and found him hunched over the table. He gave a breathy laugh, said, “Technically, they owe me quite a few favors. But I do not think I will ever claim them. Not how I originally intended to.”

The silence stretched, and then Essek shook his head, a slow and delayed motion. “In any case. They are… my friends. I care for them. And with the weight of what I owe them, returning someone that they love to their sides feels like I may finally be able to alleviate some of that weight.”

He lifted his head, giving Molly a thin, somber smile. “So, no, I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I am simply, blindly hoping to weigh the scales in my favor. I apologize for that.”

And to his credit, there was a flash of guilt.

Molly only shrugged, giving him an easy smile. “Listen. My carnival memories are still fuzzy as a lamb, but from what I can make out… you find your family, and you live and die for those people. The rest are just… the rest.” He holds up a finger, adds, “And that doesn’t mean you get to go fuckin’ everyone over along the way. Everything I did, I was doing for those people and for myself. I’ve lied and I’ve cheated and I’ve cut a few throats when I needed to. But I tried to at least put a smile on the faces of the saps I was scamming.”

He walked to Essek, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Kindness is kindness. As long as you’re not gonna stab me at the end of this, I can appreciate that.”

Essek was still and quiet under his hand. His head bowed low. Molly ran his fingers through short, white hair. He nearly leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head before he pulled away.

“Mollymauk.”

He paused half in the doorway, looking over his shoulder to where Essek had spun in his chair, gazing back at him. “Yeah?”

Essek pulled in a breath. Let it out, slouching into the back of the chair. “Just… goodnight, Mollymauk.”

A smile graced his lips. “Goodnight, Mister Thelyss.”

#shadowmauk #mollymauk tealeaf #essek thelyss #mollymauk #essek #cr #cr fic #my writing #a bird in the hand

7 notes · View notes

andtails · 4 years ago

Text

A Prelude to Chaos Control - Chapter 6: Flying Toward Freedom

Click here to start from the beginning. You can also read this story on FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own.

*****

Chapter 6: Flying Toward Freedom

“H…hey! No fair, Sonic!”

“Haha, ya snooze, ya lose, pal!”

Tails shook his videogame controller in frustration as Sonic’s character sped past him, having hit the orange kitsune’s kart with heat-seeking missiles, causing him to spin out of control and off the cliffside racetrack. Seconds later, his car materialized back onto the asphalt, ready to race once more. Holding the trigger button on his controller, Tails accelerated, his tires screeching as he ripped down the raceway, eager to take his revenge on the blue hedgehog.

They were now on the final lap. Sonic, who maintained the lead over his little brother and the other competitors, heard the sound of another kart rapidly approaching. The blue hedgehog chuckled to himself as he dropped spiked tacks from the back of his car.

“You think you’re sooo clever, don’t you?” Tails expertly dodged the tacks and deployed his own weapon; a banana cream pie launched itself from a spring in the back of his kart, landing squarely on the hedgehog’s character as his vision became obscured.

“Ah, shoot!” Sonic spun out of control and crashed into the side of the mountain, the orange kitsune passing him by as the blue hedgehog reversed his vehicle, hoping to catch up before the end of the race. By the time Sonic crossed the finish line, though, Tails was already spinning donuts, confetti raining over him as the crowd cheered his victory.

“You win this time,” Sonic took off his headset and set his controller down, looking at the young fox beside him on the hospital bed, “but I’ll prove victorious next time!”

“Oh yeah?” Tails pulled his own headset off his triangular ears. “Well, I guess you could say you were…too slow.”

Sonic watched as his younger brother broke into a fit of laughter.

“I’ll make you eat those words!” Sonic jumped onto the orange fox, tickling him on his sides, causing him to laugh even more, waving his arms and kicking his legs as the blue blur enacted his revenge.

“Now you’re playin’ dirty!”

“How ‘bout this,” Sonic pulled himself off the young kitsune and sat back on his side of the bed, “best two of three: winner does all the chores for a week.”

“Oh, you’re on! Just don’t come cryin’ to me when you’re eating dirt again!”

As they put their headsets back on, though, they heard a feminine voice at the doorway, clearing her throat to get their attention. The nurse approached the two brothers, disapprovingly staring at the orange and blue laptops that sat in front of their respective owners.

“I thought we urged against screen time, Mr. Prower?”

“Hehehe, well…” Tails placed a hand behind his head in embarrassment. “I figured that I’d reward myself after finishing all my books.” He pointed at the stack of thick texts sitting on the bedside table, the nurse wondering how he had managed to read them all in such a short amount of time. “Besides, I’m feeling a whole lot better, and it has been five days anyway.”

“Ya can’t refute that logic, Miss,” Sonic added, patting Tails on the shoulder.

“In any case,” she continued, ignoring the fox’s arguments, “the doctors are approving your discharge. You’ve healed quite remarkably since entering our care, and we believe you’ve gotten well enough to finish recovering at home.”

“Great!” Tails exclaimed, jumping out of bed. “Now I just gotta grab my stuff, and we can be outta here.”

“Hold on there.” the nurse placed her hand on Tails’ shoulder. “Be sure to sign out with the front desk before you leave.”

“Will do, Miss!” Tails replied, giving her a thumbs up. He continued packing his belongings as the nurse took her leave, closing the door behind her.

“Ever hear back from the shop?” Sonic leaned back on the bed, his hands propping up his head.

“Oh yeah.” Tails turned around to face the blue hedgehog. “They said my plane is ready to go! The manager even moved it by semi-truck to the local airstrip.”

“That’s just a hop, skip, n’ a jump from h—” Sonic was interrupted by a gurgling sound coming from the orange fox.

Tails looked down and placed a hand on his belly. Looking back up at the blue hedgehog, he blushed in embarrassment, laughing nervously to himself.

“I’ve gotcha covered, pal.” Sonic got up and approached the window, pointing out into the distance. “See that park? They have this fantastic chili dog vendor there. We can stop on the way…my treat!”

“You know full well we share finances.” Tails smirked, taking his gloved hand off his gut and playfully punching Sonic in the arm.

“Yeah, I know.” Sonic took in a deep breath of the fresh, early-afternoon air. “I’ll do the heavy lifting and place the order for ya, then. Sound good?”

“Hehe, sure,” Tails replied, the two brothers sharing a laugh.

“Alright, then. Time to finish packing.”

Sonic closed the window and helped Tails fill the two duffel bags. Looking around to ensure they didn’t forget anything, the duo turned off the lights, took the elevator down to the first floor, and checked out with the front desk.

“Fresh chili dogs with the works, here we come!” Sonic exclaimed as the two walked through the automatic doors, eager to satiate their hunger and return home.

*****

Rouge entered a fighting stance as Eggman’s robots stormed the command center. She was quickly surrounded by a group of oval-shaped, orange soldiers with turquoise eyes and wide smiles made of glowing panels. Surrounding the outer perimeter of these Egg Pawns were a small, albeit more fearsome group of Egg Knights, who had a similar shape as the Pawns but were covered in silver armor and sported pointy shields and large javelins.

“Wooahhooohoohooo.” Eggman’s laugh echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls and causing the bat’s sensitive ears to ring. “My mechanical minions will ensure you are captured. ATTAAAAACK!” Eggman sat back down in his chair, polishing off his sandwich as the Egg Pawns approached the jewel thief.

“I don’t like getting my hands dirty,” Rouge said, tightening her silk gloves, “but you gave this girl no other choice.”

She rushed forward and punched the nearest Egg Pawn, causing it to fly backward, knocking over a few more robots before colliding with the metal wall on the opposite side of the room. Taking no time to catch her breath, she approached the next Egg Pawn, knocking it over with a roundhouse kick, rotating her leg around as she made a winding jump, her boot cracking its outer shell as it fell to its side, knocking over several more like dominoes.

“I’ve got to say, she is pretty good,” Decoe said, sitting comfortably on the sidelines with his mechanical brother.

“I agree. She is not only a good sneak, she is also adept at fighting,” Bocoe replied.

“Quit your blabbering and call in some reinforcements!” Eggman yelled, pointing at his minions with teeth clenched.

“Yessir!” they said in unison before returning to their posts, using their computers to redirect a few more groups of robots to converge on the command center.

Meanwhile, Rouge took flight, using her wings to effortlessly maneuver in the air. After dodging a javelin attack from an Egg Knight, she grabbed the weapon from the robot, which still held its handle, and dragged it around the circular room, knocking over its mechanical comrades like bowling pins.

“There!” Rouge’s eyes were fixed on the exit, now cleared of the soldiers still recovering from their fall. She swooped into the passageway, landing gracefully on the floor before dropping to one knee to collect her breath. Wiping sweat from her brow, she looked behind to see a group of robots running toward her while the rest were still on the floor. “No time for beauty rest just yet.”

The jewel thief ran down the hallway, stopping at a large stairwell.

“Hmmm…” Rouge placed a finger to her chin as she devised the rest of her escape plan. “There should be some sort of roof access above. If I can get to the top of Eggman’s fortress, I should be able to fly on out of here no problem.”

She climbed several flights of stairs until she reached the top floor, placing her hands on the metal bar on the door leading to the roof as she took a few moments to catch her breath. Rouge had plenty of time before the slower Egg Pawns would catch up with her.

Meanwhile, Robotnik monitored Rouge’s progress through his monitor, toggling through various security camera live feeds as the bat made her way up the building.

“Decoe! Bocoe! Ready the outside lasers! We’ll see to it she doesn’t escape with my Chaos Emerald.”

“Aye aye!” they responded in unison, preparing the weapons scattered all along the perimeter of the fortress, which included hundreds of yards of concreted land surrounding the building, lasers mounted on several patrol towers and along the central building itself. The gate surrounding the fortress was electrified, and the single exit to the encampment was guarded by an army of Egg Pawns and several large mechs, ready to attack on sight.

“She may’ve slipped through my fingers for now, but she’ll soon be back in the palm of my hands.” Eggman formed a fist and raised it in the air, laughing maniacally as his mechanical minions finished preparing the remainder of the fortress’ defenses.

“Has Eggman finally fallen off the deep end?” Bocoe asked his brother with a whispered voice.

“You assume he hasn’t already,” Decoe replied, using a metallic hand to partially cover his mouth.

“Quit your yapping and be on the lookout for Rouge!” Eggman yelled, his eyes studying the jewel thief through his monitor as she recovered from her sprint up the stairs and pushed through the door.

Rouge found herself on the roof of the building, rain dripping down her face as she observed her surroundings. Beyond a few cubicle cooling units and a helicopter on the far side, there appeared to be nothing abnormal waiting for her on the roof. When she peered down to the ground below, though, her heart stopped as she realized just how much danger she’d have to overcome if she wanted to escape alive. She watched as various robots and mechs of all sizes circled the building, covering virtually the entire area surrounding the fortress. She also noticed the towers scattered around the area of the base were buzzing with energy, searchlights roaming the perimeter and laser turrets searching for their target, a far cry from the defenses she deactivated when she first invaded the fortress.

“This is hopeless.” Turning around, she glanced over once more at the unoccupied helicopter. “Wait a minute…maybe this is my ticket out of here?” Rouge walked toward the vehicle, getting a good look at the flying machine before her.

“With my wings, I wouldn’t have enough momentum to gain the height needed to bypass Eggman’s defenses,” She opened the door to the helicopter, surprised to find it unlocked, “but with this bad boy, I could fly up high and be out of range of Eggy’s attacks.”

She sat down in the driver’s seat, staring at the buttons, levers, and knobs along the dashboard. “The only problem is I’ve never flown one of these before.” She shrugged her shoulders and analyzed the controls. While Rouge never operated a helicopter in her life, she had experience flying other forms of aerial transportation, so not all hope was lost.

“Let’s see…” Rouge flipped some switches on the dashboard and turned a key, bringing the helicopter to life. “Ah yeah, now we’re talking!”

Flipping a few more nodes, the propellers began to spin. Pulling the joystick in front of her, the flying machine lifted itself from the ground, hovering in place as the jewel thief plotted her next course of action.

“Let’s see…to be safe, I should probably fly this thing as high as it’ll go before leaving the area.” Rouge maneuvered the helicopter upward, the contraption wobbling as it gained height, her inexperience clearly showing.

Eggman watched the entire take-off through a security camera on the roof.

“Blast that bat! Why’d I leave the keys in there in the first place?” Robotnik’s face turned red as he slammed his fist against the dashboard.

“A more important question,” Decoe whispered to his brother, “is why he even has a helicopter in the first place.”

“I’ll have you know,” Eggman replied, having become adept at comprehending their whispered speech, “that evil geniuses like myself bent on world domination enjoy a little fun every once in a while, and a helicopter is more exciting to pilot than my silky smooth Egg Mobile.”

“But enough about that,” Eggman barked, pointing a gloved hand at his robotic servants. “Shoot her out of the sky before she gets away!”

Decoe and Bocoe returned to their stations, taking control of the nearest laser turrets positioned around the headquarters and the surrounding watchtowers. By this point, their efforts appeared futile, as low visibility and the helicopter’s current height made accurate aiming almost impossible.

“We’re losing visual contact,” Decoe said.

“Rouge is almost out of our range,” Bocoe added.

“Give me that!” Eggman pushed Bocoe off his chair, remotely taking control of one of the large mechs stationed near the outer perimeter near the gates. Using his keyboard and mouse, Robotnik was able to expertly maneuver his large, silver mech through the perspective of the live feed camera built within its digital eyes.

“Now let’s see…” Eggman tilted the mech’s head up and zoomed its vision until he spotted the helicopter off in the distance. With a few more clicks of the keyboard, Robotnik locked on to the target and fired multiple laser blasts at the escaping helicopter. Eggman enhanced the image further, allowing the party to see black smoke billowing from the helicopter’s engine.

“Darn it!” Eggman yelled.

“But it looks like you hit your target, doctor,” Bocoe said, pointing at the monitor from behind the evil genius.

“That may be true,” he replied, “but by the time the helicopter is forced to ground, Rouge will be long gone.”

Robotnik turned around to face the two mechanical brothers once more. “I want you to follow the trajectory of the helicopter and inspect the crash zone. See if you can recover the Chaos Emerald she stole.”

Giving Eggman a salute, Decoe and Bocoe ran out of the command center. Eggman sat back down, watching the monitor as the helicopter flew away, black smoke lingering in the air as Rouge disappeared completely from the mech’s enhanced field of vision.

“One day, she will pay.”

“Mark my words.”

*****

“It looks like I’m home free.” Rouge leaned the joystick forward as she flew the helicopter away from Eggman’s base. “What a sap! Leaving your keys in the helicopter was a rookie mistake.”

Before she could gloat further, though, she heard a loud explosion behind her. Peeking out the window on the right-hand door, she gasped as she saw black smoke coming out of the engine from behind the cockpit, creating a cloudy trail as the flying machine began to slowly lose altitude.

“Dammit!” Rouge sat back down in the pilot’s chair, watching as flashing lights lit her dashboard. “Yeah yeah, I know!” Maneuvering the craft once more, she discovered that she was still able to control the direction of the helicopter, even if she could no longer raise her altitude.

“Uffdah.” Rouge wiped her brow and leaned back in her chair. “That’s a relief. I can just glide down to safety and ditch this hunk of junk when I’m back on solid ground.”

Unfortunately for the jewel thief, though, the helicopter’s engine had other plans.

Rouge heard another explosion from behind. Looking out the window once more, she watched in horror as fire engulfed the back of the helicopter, the vehicle rapidly losing altitude. Looking forward, the bat saw an island in the distance. Rubbing her eyes to ensure her vision wasn’t deceiving her, she found the island floating above the ocean waters below.

“That must be Angel Island!” She surmised that the helicopter should be able to reach the island before descending too low, and it was her only opportunity to avoid the water, so with what little control she had left over the careening aircraft, the bat glided in the direction of the island.

Another few minutes went by. The helicopter was now over the floating island, approaching dangerously close to the trees below. Rouge opened the left-most door and peered down at the ground. Taking a deep breath, she dove out, planning to use her wings to escape unscathed. As she jumped, however, she collided directly with a large oak tree, hitting her head against the thick bark as she fell to the forest floor.

A 60-foot fall would’ve easily killed the jewel thief, but the branches covering the length of the tree broke her descent every 10 feet or so, leaving bruises and scratches instead of life-threatening injuries. Nevertheless, she was nearly unconscious by the time she reached the forest floor, her body sprawled out near the base of the oak tree, leaves slowly falling to the ground, landing on and around the bat, her body soaked with rainwater as the storm continued its downpour.

If Rouge were awake, she’d have been thankful to be outside the vicinity of the helicopter, which brought several trees down with it before exploding, fire spewing from the smoldering mess of twisted metal as the flames engulfed the wreckage and spread to the trees surrounding the crash.

*****

After their fight with Dr. Eggman, there was a mutual, unspoken understanding that Sonic would look over the young kitsune in the hospital while Knuckles, the sole guardian of the Master Emerald, would return to his duties on Angel Island.

And that is exactly what he did.

Whereas the trip from the island to Seaside City took about 15 minutes, thanks to the speed of the Tornado 2, Knuckles’ journey home took half a day; after walking the entire way, climbing up a mountain to allow himself to safely glide down to the floating Island, he chose to celebrate by napping on top of the Master Emerald for the remainder of the evening.

A week went by without issue. He used the time to relax after the battle with Eggman, thankfully not having sustained any injuries. He called Sonic and Tails in the hospital from time to time, otherwise electing to take it easy; from Knuckles’ perspective, the brotherly duo was more than suitable to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds, even if their efforts would be delayed. His true purpose was to guard the most important one of all: the Master Emerald, the source of the Chaos Emeralds’ power, a mystical gem that could grant any evildoer the ability to spread untold chaos and destruction across Mobius.

And so he guarded the Master Emerald, as he had always done, sitting on the stone steps of the shrine deep in thought, allowing the rain to pour over his fur as he pondered recent events.

That Tails is certainly a resilient little fox. He’ll stop at nothing to help his friends. For such a little guy, he always seems to put his life on the line to thwart Eggman’s schemes.

“Definitely commendable,” Knuckles turned around and peered up at the Master Emerald, “but the shock he gave himself up there, and the battle at Seaside City…maybe Sonic should have him sit things out going forward.” He looked at his feet and crossed his arms. “I get the strangest feeling things are only going to get hairier from here.”

“But still…” The red echidna walked up the stone steps and observed the Master Emerald, the sprinkling rain rolling off the perfectly cut gem. “Tails’ dream about the Master Emerald…and surviving that intense shock with mere bruises on his hands…maybe fate is drawing Tails into this ordeal? Maybe it is the will of the Master Emerald beckoning Tails play a role in the events to come?”

Knuckles’ monologue was cut short by the sound of an explosion in the distance, black smoke bellowing into the sky.

“What’s this? Is the island under attack?” Knuckles scanned the dark sky above, not seeing an aerial assault or signs of a fleet preparing to wage a fight on his turf. “No…but whatever it was, I need to investigate.” The red echidna ran down the shrine’s steps and toward the direction of the explosion.

Navigating through the thick forest of the island was effortless for Knuckles. After all, as the sole occupant and caretaker of the floating island, it was his duty to know every square meter of his ancestral land.

Pushing thick foliage away, Knuckles emerged from a patch of tall grass to find what remained of a downed helicopter and scorched trees surrounding the crash site, the fire having since been put out by the intensifying storm. Investigating the charred remains of the aircraft, he found the cockpit empty, as well as the surrounding area of the crash site.

“Hmmm…” Knuckles placed a gloved finger on his chin. “No bodies, no survivors…no sign that someone was actually piloting this thing. They must’ve jumped out before impact.”

Proving his theory, a feminine voice could be heard in the distance. He approached the groaning sounds, the noise becoming more audible with each passing step, until he found Rouge on the ground, scratched, bruised, and seemingly unable to move.

“Hey, I know you. You’re that jewel thief who tried to steal the Master Emerald before.” Rouge didn’t reply, instead moaning in pain, not having enough energy to carry on a conversation.

“Well, it’d only be right to make sure you’re okay.” The red echidna inspected the bat before him, moving her arms and legs gently. “Nothing appears broken, but—” Knuckles was interrupted by the bat herself, who shot up, pushing him to the ground as she intently stared at him, crossing her arms.

“What do you think you’re doing? I hope you weren’t up to any funny business!”

“W…what?” Knuckles blushed as he looked up at the angry bat above him. “I’d never do anything like that, you ungrateful bat!”

“S..sure…” Rouge began to say, her sassy attitude giving way as she fell back to the ground, too exhausted and banged up to continue taunting the red echidna.

Knuckles pulled himself up and observed the injured bat, checking her pulse before picking her up and slinging her across his right shoulder.

I don’t like the thought of bringing that bat anywhere near the Master Emerald, but I can best tend to her wounds at home. She better not try and take the Master Emerald once she is recovered…

The red echidna made careful strides in the direction of his cabin, Rouge unwittingly along for the ride.

*****

Tails looked up at the sky, observing the dark clouds beginning to creep in from the distance. He shivered at the thought of a thunderstorm, especially considering his current location: an open park the length of a few blocks in Seaside City. Trying to suppress his fears, the fox looked over at Sonic, who was about to order food from a small vendor as he sat at a nearby picnic table, keeping the duffel bags by his side.

“I’ll have a dozen chili dogs with the works!” Sonic slapped a palm on the vendor’s counter as he placed his order.

“Ahh, m’best customer Sonic!” exclaimed the chef, a portly pig dressed in a white apron, a large snout covering his pink face. “A dozen fully-loaded chili dogs comin’ up!”

Before Sonic knew it, the chili dogs were complete, piled up like a pyramid on a large plate. The fresh, brown chili was still bubbling as it completely submerged each deluxe-sized hot dog and their accompanying buns, dripping to the chili dogs below like a multi-layered fountain. For added measure, the chef sprinkled a healthy dose of shredded cheddar cheese over the hotdog pyramid, the cheese instantly melting into gooey goodness upon contact with the searing hot chili.

Sonic began to drool as he eyed the mythical creations before him while mindlessly fumbling in his wallet for cash. The blue hedgehog tossed a bill to the chef, his eyes widening in shock as he inspected the payment.

“Hey Sonic, the dogs were only 25 dollars. I think you overpaid.”

“Keep the change, ol’ friend.” Sonic grabbed the plate of chili dogs as he made his way back to the picnic table. As the hedgehog walked away, the chef eyed the 100-dollar bill carefully before placing it in the safety of the cash register.

“My best customer indeed...”

Tails looked on as Sonic walked toward him, careful to balance the plate so the hand-crafted dogs would survive the brief journey to the table. Sure enough, the chili dogs arrived unscathed; Sonic placed the plate at the center of the table and sat down across from the orange kitsune.

The two brothers grabbed their first serving, the blue hedgehog devouring a full hotdog with a few large bites while the young fox ate with more care. Given Sonic’s speed, the hotdog pyramid blocking the two from seeing across the table was quickly reduced to a small pile. Unsurprisingly, the blue blur ate most of the chili dogs, but Tails didn’t mind; he was approaching maximum capacity anyway.

Letting out a loud belch, the hedgehog quickly covered his mouth.

“Excuse me!”

The duo laughed, Tails pinching his nose with one hand and waving the other in front of his face for comedic effect before returning to the half-eaten hotdog on his plate. Sonic laid down on the bench on his side of the picnic table in satisfaction, placing his hands behind his head for support.

“So,” Tails began, as he polished off his hotdog, wiping away excess chili from his muzzle with a napkin. “What’s the plan now? As far as we know, Eggman may’ve collected all the Chaos Emeralds by now.”

“You know me, Tails,” Sonic replied, reaching for a half-eaten chili dog while lying on the long seat, throwing it up in the air, catching it in his mouth, and swallowing it whole. “I’m usually not the plannin’ type o’ guy. I leave that sort of thing to you.”

“I suppose.” Tails placed a hand on his utility belt, feeling the Chaos Emerald detector within, a pang of guilt creeping out of the young kitsune’s subconscious once more.

The two brothers sat in silence, enjoying the fresh air on their faces, as they spent the last few moments of relaxation together before committing themselves to discovering Eggman’s ultimate plan.

Surely that attack on Seaside City must’ve had some purpose. Otherwise, what was the point?

Tails pondered to himself in silence as he rested his arms on the table, using them as a support for his head as he stared blankly in front of him.

“Regardless of our plan,” Sonic interrupted Tails’ train of thought, sitting up and looking at his younger brother across the table, “I’m just happy you’re feeling better and will be by my side the rest of the way.”

Tails smiled brightly in response to the blue hedgehog’s warm comments.

I couldn’t imagine staying in that hospital without Sonic there with me. He’s been such a good friend. I’ll do what I can to stop Eggman’s latest scheme…for both of our sakes.

“Why the serious face all of a sudden?” Sonic stared intently at his younger brother, whose face was tightened up and eyes narrowed, as if filled with a new sense of determination.

“Oh, sorry…” Tails placed a hand behind his head in embarrassment.

“You don’t need to apologize for being yourself, buddy.” Sonic reached over the table to rustle the kitsune’s hair. “Always be yourself…remember that.”

“I will, Sonic.” Tails smiled as the blue hedgehog sat back down, his hand rubbing his bulging belly. “Let’s say we grab a doggy bag and bring the rest of these chili dogs home?”

“You bet!” Tails patted his own belly in satisfaction.

As Sonic got up from his seat, though, a familiar voice could be heard from several yards away, calling him from a distance. She didn’t seem to be very pleased to see the blue hedgehog.

“Ah geez…” Sonic tried to rub the displeasure from his face before the confrontation commenced.

“SONIC! You have some explaining to do!”

“Ohh, hiya Ames! What’s happenin’?”

“Don’t what’s happenin’ me, Sonic!” Amy Rose was dressed in her red skirt, sporting shorter quills than the self-described blue boyfriend before her.

“Did I do somethin’ wrong?” Sonic placed his hands forward as if to impede the angry pink hedgehog, fire growing in her eyes as her teeth clenched in anger. As she stepped forward, the angry girlfriend materialized her Piko Piko hammer from her hammerspace.

“What? You don’t remember?” Amy asked sarcastically, setting the hammer down and folding her arms as she looked away from the duo’s picnic table.

“Why don’t you tell us what Sonic forgot, Amy?” Tails assumed Sonic was at fault, which was generally the standard order of things in their relationship.

“Alright,” Amy exhaled deeply, ignoring the blue hedgehog next to her, “but only for Tails’ sake.” Looking at the concerned fox, she continued. “Sonic and I had a date scheduled last week, but he totally bailed on me! I’ve been planning it for weeks, had the outfit picked out, even had food catered in. But…” tears welled-up in the pink hedgehog’s eyes as she finished her story. “Sonic never showed up! I waited for hours but still no sign. I had to throw out all the food, too!”

“And worst of all,” she looked menacingly at the blue hedgehog beside her, “he didn’t even bother to answer his phone!”

“Amy, I…”

“No excuses, Sonic!” Amy waved a gloved finger in his face. “You’ve done this to me so many times, I’ve lost track.”

“I know, but…”

“No buts, Sonic!”

“But…”

“What did I just say?”

Sonic brushed a hand through his blue quills as sweat rolled down his brow.

“This time I had a good reason.”

“So you admit all the other excuses were BAD?” She turned her face away, her arms still folded. Amy was caught off-guard, however, when Sonic grabbed her hands, the pink hedgehog allowing her arms to fall at his unexpected touch.

“Look Amy, I’m sorry for forgetting our date. Honestly, but you see…Tails…” Sonic’s voice began to crack as he turned away from his girlfriend. “Tails was in the hospital.”

“Not good enough, S—” Amy stopped halfway through her rejection, so prepared to remain mad at her boyfriend that it took a while to process Sonic’s words. “Tails…was in the hospital?” Amy’s attention turned toward the orange kitsune, who was watching quietly.

“O…Oh…”

In all her years chasing the blue blur, and listening to his endless barrage of lame excuses, she hadn’t quite heard one like this, a reason that was both truthful and sincere. She looked back at Sonic, whose eyes were closed, arms folded, and head down, his face somber as if in deep thought.

“Yes, well…I’m fine now, though.” Tails scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. “I suppose you’d like to hear more?”

“…Yeah.” She couldn’t find anything else to say. Instead, she joined the company as they sat back down at the table, leaning against her blue boyfriend as the orange kitsune recounted the events that transpired, nibbling on one of the leftover, lukewarm chili dogs in front of her.

“I heard Eggman was defeated a week ago, but the media coverage didn’t mention your injuries.”

“No, I guess not…” Tails’ turned away from the hedgehog couple, shifting his gaze to the sky above. “People don’t seem to care about sidekicks, huh?”

Sonic opened his eyes as he noticed Tails’ voice begin to trail off, sadness returning to his younger brother’s face once more.

“People care about ya, Tails.” The blue hedgehog pulled himself away from the pink hedgehog, Amy nearly falling over from the sudden loss of support. “They were just more worried about Eggman’s destruction is all.”

“And besides,” Sonic gave Tails a thumbs up, “you’re not one for publicity, am I right?”

“I suppose.” A smile returned to Tails’ face.

Sonic always knows what to say. I don’t know what I’d do without him...

Sonic chuckled, itching his nose while grinning at his younger brother. “Well, we should probably mosey on out of here.” As Sonic got up to grab a to-go bag from the vendor, Amy stopped him with her intimidating voice.

“Hold on, Sonic…you may be off the hook this time, but I have my eye on you, so I’m coming with!”

The blue hedgehog turned around, itching the quills on the back of his head.

“Well…the more the merrier!” Sonic chuckled nervously as he walked backward to the vendor, grabbing a bag from a dispenser.

Storing away the delectable leftovers in the doggy bag, the trio made their way to the hangar where the fixed-up Tornado 2 was stored, itching to get home in order to plan their next move.

*****

Click here to continue with chapter 7!

#sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #tails #tails the fox #fan fiction #fan #fiction #fic #sonic x #action #adventure #brotherly

3 notes · View notes

voidendron · 5 years ago

Text

Deep Blue Sea: Ch. 16

Chapter 16: Abandoned Subnautica/JSE Egos Crossover

(( note: I haven’t played/watched gameplay for Below Zero yet, so please don’t spoil anything for me! Things from this fic might retcon stuff that happens in it, and I apologize if they do, but I don’t want to spoil any more of the game for myself than what already has been ‘til I can play the whole thing through myself ))

Warnings: Swearing Characters: Marvin the Magnificent, Jameson Jackson, Dr. Schneeplestein, Chase Brody, Jackieboy Man POV: Marvin the Magnificent

Silence.

Pale Faces.

Keen’s words hung in the air between them.

“…We need to help him.” Jackie’s voice startled the rest of them from their shocked trance.

Marvin swallowed. Shook his head. Oh, hell no. “Are you insane?!” He ran his hands through his hair with a shaky breath. “There’s somethin’ here! We need to get off this island!”

“I am not putting my life on the line for someone else,” the doctor growled.

Jameson signed something—Marvin had no idea what it was, but his frantic nodding had him figuring that the chef agreed with them.

“He’s in danger!” the security guard insisted. “The recording was recent—he could still be alive!”

“Jackie’s right.”

Marvin’s head whipped toward Chase when he agreed. “No. No, no, no. He’d been so damn calm in his other messages, and how he’s panicking! You really want to run into whatever made Keen panic?!”

Chase frowned. “It’s a small island. How bad could it be?”

Their three-against-two changed when Jameson ducked his head, then offered an agreeing nod. He was signing again—Marvin would really need to learn those, wouldn’t he?—and the other two so…hellbent on saving Keen sagged with relief.

“Really no other way to change your minds?” the entertainer asked.

“We’ve gotta find Keen,” Jackie repeated, “and hopefully Yu, too. There were only two of ‘em, there’s five of us.”

“Yeah!” Chase was tucking his flippers and Seaglide near some…ferns? was that what they were?

“And if something does come after us?” Marvin challenged, gesturing harshly first at the doctor, then Jameson. “Doc’s ankle is fuckin’ shredded and James’s got broken ribs. They’d be picked off easy.”

“Anything attacks either of them—any of us—” Jackie hoisted up his broken flare in threat; he didn’t have to say any more than that.

Marvin and Henrik glanced at each other. For once, it seemed like they were both on the same page: They did not want to meet whatever had gone after Keen. Did the other three just not understand self-preservation? God…

He tossed his flippers near where the others were putting theirs. His air tank and Seaglide followed, but he was far more careful not to throw those down.

Seeing Henrik’s flippers actually laying with everyone else’s made him double-take. Marvin had always thought he had big feet. Definitely made sense why both of them had needed more materials than the original dive suit blueprint had called for.

Deep breath. The others were leaving the beach, leaving the two of them behind. Well, Marvin would much rather stick with the group than be left alone on the island.

“Come on,” he grumbled. He really wished they’d brought survival knives. He’d feel a little better if he could at least defend himself. “So!” he called ahead—both Chase and Jackie glanced back at him. “Any plan for what we’re gonna do if we find whatever went after them?”

“Depends on what it is, I guess.” Chase shrugged; he was walking backwards now.

Marvin just frowned and shook his head, watched the path ahead of them.

Wait.

…Path?

Henrik was eyeing it, too.

“Please tell me you’re thinking the same thing.”

“Something has traveled this same route for a long while, yes.”

They were following the path, and Marvin couldn’t help the unease settling into his gut. The feeling only amplified when they came across an old habitat and its overgrown garden.

Glances cast around, and Jackie was the first to approach the settlement.

It looked abandoned. Falling apart. Broken windows.

It had been there a long time.

“…I don’t think we’re the first to get stranded here,” Jackie said, voice soft.

Then, he was suddenly yelping; Marvin and the others jumped and scrambled away. From the way Marvin saw it, he was acting solely on instinct when he swung his flare and the little ankle-biter of a creature went flying.

When he blinked at it, Marvin actually found it in himself to snort. Was that thing some kind of…crab?

“Scared the hell outta me,” Jackie muttered, “but there’s no way that’s what had Keen panicked.”

“Unless he got swarmed?” Marvin suggested.

“Maybe..? I’m don’t know…”

Chase cleared his throat, pointing to the habitat. “They had to have made it off the planet, right?” Chase was inching forward, toward the multipurpose room’s shattered window. It looked like a mudslide had caused it. “I mean, it’s clearly been abandoned a long time.”

Marvin’s eyes were scanning the old habitat. He didn’t like this.

“Yo, check this thing out!”

When Chase tried bolting in through the broken window, Marvin grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back. “That window’s broken. You really want to step on glass with bare feet?”

“But look!”

Marvin’s gaze followed his pointing finger. There was…something, in the room. Glowing. It didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before. “What is that thing..?”

“I mean. It looks like the mud’s covered all the glass?”

When Marvin’s grip slackened, he must have taken that as a go-ahead and ran into the room. He was careful while climbing through the window not to cut himself on any of the glass that still remained, and when he came back he had something in each hand.

“There was a data log, too. Also, this thing’s surprisingly light? Like…what is it?”

He gave the data log to Jackie to put in his PDA, then set the glowing whatever-it-was on the ground between all of them.

“Is like a tablet,” Henrik said.

“Yeah,” Chase agreed, “but it doesn’t look human.”

It seemed Marvin and Henrik had the same idea when they both reached for their scanners. Marvin’s scan finished first, and everyone’s PDAs chirped as the data was transmitted to all of them. When he read the information, he only shook his head.

“I really doubt it’s human. Estimated to being abandoned here hundreds-to-thousands of years ago? Yeah, definitely not ours.”

“Alien technology?” Henrik winced as he knelt down to pick it up, ran his fingers over the glowing purple symbol. “What were these people doing with it?”

“Well, from the sounds of it,” Jackie said—another chirp as the data log transferred from his device to the rest of theirs, “—they found it, and also had no idea what it was.”

“They? How many?”

“I count four people in the recording. Three men and a woman, but I’m relying on the PDA translating for me ‘cause they’re definitely not speaking English.”

Marvin opened the new file on his own device, listened for a moment, then shut it off to read over the translation instead. “Sounds like they were from a Mongolian settlement. I don’t speak it, but I’ve performed for one a few times.”

Four people had lived in this now-abandoned habitat: Two Torgals (probably related, he figured), Sepse, Maida. Where had they gone..?

When Chase and Jackie explored the rest of the habitat and came back with a few more data logs, it looked like where they’d gone was deeper. Much, much, deeper.

Apparently they were part of Torgal Corporation—no wonder the names were familiar. Paul was the head of the company and had gone missing about ten years ago. It hadn’t been the same since.

…Ten years ago. God. They’d never made it off the planet, had they? Would that be their fate, too? He could feel his stomach twisting.

Bart was Paul’s son and heir to the company, Marguerit Maid a hired mercenary, and Antony Sepse a microbiologist.

He could see it in the pale faces of his comrades they all feared the same fate, and it was Chase to break their silence.

“I…I kinda doubt we’re in the mood now, but I see two more habitats.” He outstretched an arm, pointing. “There, and there.” Perched oh so precariously at the tops of two mountain peaks were, sure enough, two more habitats clear even through the fog that seemed to have lifted some. “C’mon. We can still try findin’ Keen and Yu. Who knows. Maybe we’ll have better luck than that group did.”

Marvin closed his eyes and took a slow, steadying breath. They’d find a way off the planet. They had to. But…did that really mean rescue never came for that group..? No, don’t think about it, he scolded himself. Instead, he offered a hand to help Henrik back to his feet, and the five of them started for one of the habitats.

What they found didn’t lift their spirits any. A PDA, not a data log, met them. Bart and Antony—the other two were dead?—regretting going down so far. Bart was ill in the recording. With the scientist’s help, they were trying to find a cure, but failing. One of them mentioned that Antony was wearing a special suit—some sort of hazmat diving suit—that had kept him from catching the same illness, and now left him needing to be extremely careful not to touch Bart with his bare hands.

Then it was over. Nothing more to the recording; just a dying man and one of his crew members trying to save him.

“I’m really startin’ to hate this planet,” Chase growled. “What do you think he had?”

Instead of an answer, Henrik pulled his scanner from his hip and ran a scan on himself. The answer had Marvin furrowing his brow.

“Performing self-scan. Vital signs normal. Detecting trace amounts of foreign bacteria. Continuing to monitor.”

He aimed it at Jameson. Same answer. Jackie: Same. Every one of them ended up with the same results. “Trace amounts of foreign bacteria” just kept looping in Marvin’s head. That couldn’t be good. Right? How the hell would they even have it? They didn’t even know that it was the same thing Bart had, but a part of Marvin very much was suspecting that it was.

“Could just be…I dunno, some sorta alien flu?” Chase shook his head and stood a little straighter. “We’ll keep an eye on it, okay? Don’t let it get to you, though. We’ll worry about it if we need to.”

If we need to, Marvin’s thoughts parroted. As if they hadn’t just listened to a man dying in a recording.

“…Do we really want to check that last habitat?” Marvin leaned out the door to peer across at it. “Things are just getting fuckin’ worse and worse on this island.”

Keen and Yu attacked by something. Survivors from ten years before who’d probably died long before rescue could even hope to find them. Some weird alien artifact that Henrik and Jameson were taking turns carrying. An alien sickness.

“Whatever is there can only be the cherry on top, yes?” Henrik grumbled. He was leaning against the wall, foot held off the ground. Jameson was sitting on the floor near him, eyes squeezed shut and hand pressed to his chest.

“Besides,” Marvin added, “those two clearly need a rest, and I am not resting on this island. Far as we know, whatever went after Keen and Yu could be, oh I don’t know, watching us?!”

Chase grimaced and gave Jackie a look.

“We, ah…” He ran a hand through his bleached hair, fingers catching the tangled curls. “What if we have them head back to the habitat? And…you can join ‘em?”

Jackie started nodding. “We can’t just abandon those two if they’re still alive. I’m not doin’ it.”

“And splitting up is probably the worst thing we can do,” Marvin muttered.

“We either split up, or all go to the next habitat together. I’m not leavin’ this damn island until we at least know what happened to them.” Chase crossed his arms, closing himself off for further debate. He’d made up his mind and there was no way Marvin was going to change it.

“Fine.” Marvin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I want them alive just as much as you do, but I’m not risking my life for them.”

Chase shouldered past him. “Then let’s get back to the damn beach so you can leave. Fuckin’ hell.”

Did Marvin feel guilty for it? Sure. Did he feel awful leaving just the two of them on the island while he took their injured comrades back to their habitat? Sure.

Was he going to risk his life for someone who sounded like they probably dead anyway? Hell no. Marvin knew his priorities, and that definitely wasn’t one of them. He felt bad for Keen and Yu, holped that whatever killed them hadn’t let them suffer, or that they had, by some miracle, survived—but he wasn’t going to stick his neck out for them.

He’d had enough near-death experiences these last few days to last a lifetime, thank you very much.

Flippers back on, air tanks attached to their masks, Jameson helped into the Seamoth, and they were off.

His only thoughts were “good luck” when he glanced over his shoulder, saw Chase and Jackie at the edge of the island now, watching for them to make sure they made it a safe distance away. Then the two of them disappeared into the brush.

Good luck, he thought. You’re gonna need it.

#fanfic #jacksepticeye #subnautica crossover #the septics #marvin the magnificent #chase brody #jackieboy man #dr. schneeplestein #jameson jackson #blitz indites #deep blue sea #dbs ch16 #swearing /

7 notes · View notes

eerythingisshaka · 6 years ago

Text

Going Up?

[Trevante Rhodes x Black!PlusSize Reader]

Word Count: 5.4k

Warnings: Smut of some kind

A/N: I FINALLY have a bday fic present for @nickidub718!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Happy Birthday to you, I hope you had a good one and see a many more! You’ve been a great internet fam member to me, supportive, engaging and I couldn’t rest until this fic was finished (sis, this was a challenge lol I ain’t written smut in so long). This is my first Trevante fic, so hopefully it suffices!

The elevator dings after what felt like an eternity of waiting after you pressed the call button. You stand by the gold gilded doors, patiently standing by until finally opened. You do an internal fist pump at the sight of an empty car, strolling in quickly and punching your floor number and the close door button to make a clean getaway.

“Wait, hold up!” A deep voice calls. A hand comes between the closing doors, followed by a strong arm pushing them back forcefully. You jump at the action breaking your peace, watching as a man exhales in relief, walking on to the elevator with a smile that would make a turkey on Thanksgiving feel at ease about their life.

“Hey, sorry about that. I’d hate to wait for a new one.” The man stands across the way from you as you look ahead, giving a tight smile. As much as you were looking forward to a ride up alone, you see out of your peripheral his wide shoulders under his dark colored jacket, beautiful dark skin tone, 6 ft at least with a voice that can make a maniac sane.

“If you don’t mind me asking, you live here?” He asks bluntly. You look at him in confusion.

“Um...yeah, it’s a hotel.” You say.

He scratches the back of his head. “Yeah I know, I just wondered were you visiting or staying.”

You watch the numbers light up as the elevator travels.

“What’s your name?” He asks.

You scoff. “ I honestly think you're doing a lot right now asking all these questions.”

He shakes his head. “No...no I’m not. It’s just….a beautiful woman like you, going home alone….must have a name.”

His smile does you in this time, making you smile back but you look away. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t if it weren’t for me getting stood up. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but work comes first….it always does.”

He clicks his thick tongue at you. “That ain’t right. If you were mine, I would leave work early just to see you.” His voice drags the sentence out deep and slow.

“Yeah?”

He makes a face of disbelief. “Hell yeah! Dinner ready, table set, bath ran, the works!”

You shuffle anxiously, feeling yourself get warm from all of this complimentary conversation from a stranger. “Well, I appreciate that. I’m sure a guy like you has his pick of the litter when it comes to women.”

He cocks his head to the side, closing the space between you ever so carefully. “I don’t pick them, they pick me. And I’m hoping you do tonight.”

You look up at him, studying his eyes as he becomes just inches away from your face, his soft cucumber scented cologne wafting. You can tell in his face he was a cutie as a kid and for some reason that makes you feel safe next to him. You can tell he is a problem, but in this moment, you really don’t care. As long as he wasn't starting an issue with you, why not walk on the wild side for once.

“What’s your name? You ask.

“I asked first.” He retorts. You give your name, and he gives his: Trevante.

“What floor are you on?” You ask.

He shrugs, eyes beginning to wander your body. “Whatever floor you’re on.”

You decided in that moment to take a chance on him. Your night was not going to be ruined by some asshole who wanted to neglect you on your night of much needed romance. If another man as fine as this one comes along to volunteer to give you what you needed, who were you to look a gift horse in the dick.

The elevator finally makes it to your floor and you both step off to walk down the hall. Your room isn’t far as you take your keycard out to open the door. It appears your man had intentions on making an effort, but abandoned it halfway through. The plush carpet now has the pattern of scattered rose petals leading to the comforter of your bed. You stare in awe of the candles on you bedside dresser and table waiting to be lit, 90s R&B playlist musing your soul as you clutch your pearls.

Trevante looks around making a low whistle with his lips. “You really know how to wine and dine a nigga.”

You scoff at him. “This isn’t me, this is FOR me.” A card rests on a pillow with your name on it, handwritten by someone else obviously because your man had no good writing capabilities.

“Read it out loud for me.” Tre asks, coming up behind you.

You roll your eyes,, tearing open the envelope to read the note.

“‘In this place you’ll find great jewels, but these rubies were once a fools.’ Oh my God, this dude was sending me on a scavenger hunt.

Trevante looks at the note front and back. “Huh. Seems kinda lame but it might be fun.” He hops on the bed, causing the rose petals to jump, stretching out like an alley cat. “Let’s see what he got for you.”

You roll your eyes, kicking off your heels and taking off your jacket. “Fine! It better get tougher because this one is real elementary.” You say as you walk over to your beveled glass jewelry box, lifting the handle to find a box of large, juicy strawberries from the farmer’s market.

“Oooh, these look delicious! Mm, can’t wait to wrap my mouth around these…” You moan in delight as you pick one up to enjoy.

“Aye! Let’s make a bet?” Trevante says as he flicks a lighter on, kneeling on the bed as he works on the bedside candles. “Find these clues he giving you before I finish lighting these candles, and you can set the rhythm for what we do tonight. But if I win, I do.”

You look back at Trevante, who has taken off his jacket and shoes, getting real comfortable, but agree because what else was there to do? You pick the strawberries out the box to find a familiar looking card along the bottom of the box. Opening it up, you read the next riddle.

“‘The city lights look so bright, good enough for an evening delight’....Ok, question.”

“Answer.” Trevante retorts, lighting the last candle on the table and walking over to the ones on your dresser.

“You think all the riddles related to things in this room? Cuz I’m not trying to look like a fool looking for shit on the street.”

Trevante guffaws, throwing his head back as he sets a candle down gracefully. “It wouldn’t make sense to set all this shit up here and make you leave. Use your head, you on the clock.”

You nod, looking at the note again. “Ok, then I’ll check this window and see…” Your windows were closed with heavy bamboo blinds, rolling one up you find a bottle of chocolate syrup and a can of whipped cream.

Picking them up, you turn to him, making a confused face but laughing all the same. “I hope you not lactose, because I will definitely make a split outta you in a minute.”

Trevante had two candles left on the dresser. “You soundin a little nervous over there, tryna tell jokes and shit. You got one more clue before I win my night with you.” He wiggles his eyebrows at you tauntingly.

You roll your eyes, peeling a card off the back of the syrup bottle. “It’s fine, I’m not a sore loser.”

“Yeah, you bout to be though.” He mutters.

“‘Treats aren’t sweet until they are in the right wrapper. Open this door to find yours.’ Ok, I don’t think they’re making this big of a deal for a condom, so let’s see...Should I go ahead and check my closet?”

Trevante is holding the last candle in his hand, unlit and tossing it up in the air like a softball repeatedly. “Couldn’t hurt to check.”

You put the cream and syrup down, making a beeline for your closet, pulling back the doors to find a black box with a red ribbon wrapped around it. Your mouth fell open as your fingers traced the embedded Savage x Fenty label on the top.

“You got two minutes to put that on before I order you forfeit.” Trevante’s voice carries across the room as a warning.

“This isn’t a very fair game, I gotta say.” You whine, picking up the box to head to the bathroom.

“Where you goin?” Trevante questions your path with a quickness.

You freeze in place. “I’m goin to change…”

Trevante shakes his head slow. “Uh uh, I want you to change out here. Make sure things are fitting right.” He sits on the edge of the bed, wide legged to study your every move.

You balk at him. “I don’t know you and you’re just being really extra right now, but I fucks with it so lemme shut up.”

You see Trevante’s white teeth like the Cheshire cat in the shadows as you untie the knot and open the box. You’ve been eyeing some new shit from Rihanna’s line for a minute but didn’t have the courage to bite the bullet for fear of disappointing quality or sizing problems. Past the wrapping paper, you find a royal purple bra and panty matching set. Both have a satin applique embroidery across the material that made the sexy set so cute.

“Aww, look! This is one of the ones I wanted to try!” You exclaim, tossing the items on the bed to proceed to snatch your shirt and skirt off without shame.

You hear the flick of his lighter as he ignites the last candle. “Yeah, you got good taste. That color gonna look bomb on you too.”

You turn away from him as you take off your tired bra to replace it with the new Fenty certified one. You felt your girls lift with pride as you clasp the hooks behind you and adjust the straps. A little recalibrating of your titties and BAM! You were ready to work work work! Next you drop your draws kick them off to the side and pull up the matching new pair. These also have an adorable peekaboo lace up right above your booty that you quickly admire as you run to the mirror to turn and look at.

The panties have little charms on either side, no bigger than your pinky nail: a dice block, heart, x and o’s, and a cherry. You couldn’t help drinking in your reflection in the mirror, sliding your hands across the material holding up your breasts, running your fingers down your cleavage over your belly to the top of your waistband. The material leaves little to the imagination due to it being sheer as well as tightly fitted around your waist and thighs.

You barely notice Trevante walking up behind you in the reflection, feeling yourself get shy again as he breaks your trance in your own world.

“How you like em?” He asks, licking his lips as he stands just inches behind you, lightly twirling a charm between his fingers against your hip.

You nod biting your lips. “It’s perfect, so damn sexy and cute, just my speed.”

Trevante breathes in deeply as he wraps his arms around you, putting a steady squeeze on your frame as he chin rests against your shoulder. “I don’t think we hit your speed yet.”

“No?” You ask quietly, resting your hands on top of his.

He shakes his head, spreading his hands wide across your stomach, appreciating the softness of your lingerie and body under his grasp, squeezing your hips roughly, you feel his presence against you even more.

“I like this on you, for sure. But I think you could use a few extra...toppings to set you off.” He looks at you in the reflection mischievously.

Your eyes squint as the gears start to turn in your head. “And that means…”

Trevante pecks your cheek lightly as he points to the table with your scavenger items lined up: whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate syrup.

You laugh out loud, bumping your butt against him to push him off you. “I’m not trying to be a sundae for you, I just wanna fuck.”

Trevante’s mouth hangs open in a wide as he struts slowly across the floor to pick up the items. “You see the room right? Lit up, aromatic, turned down just so that we can turn up, yeah?”

You nod in agreeance.

“But, the bet at the beginning was that if I beat you at putting on the final touches, i.e. the candle lighting, then I get to use this on you as I so choose. You remember that?”

His tone is cocky, conniving, yet so charismatic as he convinces you of the deal you agreed to.

You cross your arms defensively. “I ain’t into food fights man, this just seems extra complicated and boring to me.”

Trevante shakes his head, smiling all the same. “You don’t know me well enough. I’ll make it interesting, I promise. Just sit back on the bed there.”

You scoff at him walking in the direction hesitantly. “If you get one drop of that chocolate on these good sheets, I swear.”

“You better be glad you look good walking away, or I wouldn’t make this as fun for you no more.” Trevante says, putting the goods on his side of the bed, untucking his shirt, opening each button one by one.

“I don’t want fun, I want the business.” You mutter, laying back with a plop on the pillows.

Trevante shrugs his shoulders as he reaches to untie his tie. “Put your hands up.”

You look at the tie in his hands and back at his face, shaking your head. Trevante tuts at you, gripping your forearms firmly as he swings his leg over you to straddle. He brings lowers himself over you, eyes moving slowly over your face, studying you.

“You said you wouldn’t be a sore loser. Now you know I won’t hurt you, so quit acting silly and relax for once.”

You mull over his words. “You know you haven’t kissed me since I got here.”

Tre’s lips curl back at your words before landing softly on top of yours. This is just enough to get you started as you parted your lips quickly to let your tongue loose across his lips. You wanted him badly in between you but his straddling you made that impossible. You allowed him to move your arms back as your tongues teased one another, he moans into your mouth while sucking down hard on your bottom lip, intoxicating your senses before you realized his hands worked the scarf around your wrists and the headboard.

His hands run down the soft parts of your arm, reaching just above your armpit you begin to squirm.

“Tre! Stop! You not supposed to be tickling me, DAMN!” You giggle between protests.

Trevante laughs triumphantly as he reaches for the hem of his tank top to stretch it over his body, tossing it across the room safely away from the flames. Your breath catches in your chest as you view his body. He was not playing fair keeping you strapped down from feeling his beady curls decorating his proud chest, and not allowing your palms to caress the defined mountains and canyons that made up his abdominals. If chocolate cake turned into a man with the snap of your fingers, Trevante would appear. He looked just as succulent, rich, and left you licking your fingers wanting more.

“Ok, what now?” You ask breathlessly. Trevante gets up to walk casually to the end of the bed, grabbing the whipped cream.

“Open your them legs for me.” He commands you, shaking the can as he growth in his pants. You do so eagerly, feeling slight relief in letting your pussy breathe from the building pressure on her. He walks on his knees toward you, laying prone between your thighs, aiming the can at your inner right thigh. The air pressure sound of the can makes you jump a little as the white cream fluffs across the darker skin if your inner thigh, contrasting well for Trevante’s view.

He sets the can down, unfurling his wide tongue, spreading it across you skin to lap up the sweet indulgence between your legs. Your leg jumps at the sensation making your core throb as you bite your lip at the sight, you laugh nervously.

“Do it taste good to you?” You ask meekly.

Trevante nods. “Of course you sweet to me. You wanna try it?”

You nod, opening your mouth as he grabs the can. He tips the can to his mouth, filling it with cream before meandering his way up your body. You try to hold back your laughter as you toys with your mouth, nudging it with his nose and lips to feed you the cream.

“You are ridiculous!” You exclaim but eventually opening your to his, he uses his tongue to give you a taste, letting you suck the sweetness from his mouth. The action becomes more natural as his hips instinctually rock against your heat, stiffening against you. You get excited from his quiet ‘shit’ you hear him say as he breaks away from your mouth.

He shakes his head to clear his mind, blinking a few times as he straightens up to grab the syrup. “Ok, punishment almost done.”

You stick your bottom lip out. “Darn!”

His muscles flex as he breaks the seal of the bottle, popping the top. “Where should I put this?”

“Do I get a say in that?” You ask.

He smirks shaking his head. “It was rhetorical.” His wide hand lays flat against your throat, not applying pressure but caressing the sensitivity of your windpipe and what could be. His chest rises and falls while his eyelids grow heavy. His hand travels down your neck to massage your titty, thumbing across the peak of one of your nipples, your back caves toward him begging for his touch to deepen.

He tips the bottle bottle over your midsection, making a circle around your belly button. He bends down to bring his tongue across you, enjoying dessert on your belly. His tongue linger over one area of your stomach.

“I like this scar here.” He says softly, tracing the bolt of stretch marks across your belly like a treasure map.

You grow anxious from this intimacy. Noticing details about your body, worshiping the ‘imperfections’ made you feel more beautiful than he could ever understand.

“I earned them. This thickness doesn’t come cheap.” You quip.

Trevante looks up at you with a look of desire you barely had time to decipher.

“I’m glad you’re giving me a chance to enjoy it. It’s so damn sexy.” His tone drops an octave causing you to writhe under him.

“How sexy am I to you?”

His eyes lock on your as his fingers reach the tops of your cups, to free your breasts from their binds. He brings them together gently, kissing around your areola slowly. Each audible peck, seeing the softness of this hard boy over you made your senses go into overdrive, threatening your shoulder sockets as you begin to buck your ties when his mouth locks onto your nipples.

You gasp, melting yourself into his mouth as much as possible as you encourage him through gritted teeth. Your legs rub along his sides, hooking him closer to your core as you hope for more of him to come soon.

Trevante pulls himself from your chest to crawl downward, firmly but carefully pulling down your charmed underwear.

“Tre, wait!”

Trevante wasn’t looking for that reaction as he peered at you in confusion.

“I mean, just untie me. I can’t take anymore of this without some control of my body, and I know that mouth will make me dislocate my arms.”

Trevante shakes his head as he crawls over you to turn you loose. “Aight, but don’t be wildin on me.”

Soon as you felt the loosening of your wrists, you tore yourself away pushing Tre on his back.

“Whoa, the fuck? I thought I -”

“That’s not what I wanna hear. Get to work!” You adjust yourself across his face, splaying your pussy above his mouth. “You wanna eat so damn bad, eat something good for you.”

You pat his head between your legs as he looks up at you playfully while you unhook your bra to free your titties completely. His hands wrap around your thighs before dipping into your treasure, spreading your lips with his tongue, painting his name inside of you.

Your jaw drops at first lick, contracting your stomach as he teases your clit with a smart occasion flick that makes you putty in his hands. Your dare to sit yourself down further on his face, which Tre moans gleefully over. The sucking, tasting sounds of his mouth against you make you shiver as you connect it to your orgasm building.

“Stay right there, that’s….the rhythm I….OH!” You grip his skull like a bowling ball as you become unhinged. Tre smacks your ass, shaking it to and fro while you ride your orgasm out arching backward on a high. You work your hips into his mouth while reaching backward. Finding the top of his trousers.

Expertly, you undo his top button, sliding his fly down carefully as his erection threatens the room left in his pants. You look over your shoulder seeing his dick resting against his stomach, thick and heavy, and jerking every so often. Taking the tip in your hands, you massage his already moistened head, stretching the wetness along his shaft.

Tre smacks your ass again. “You gonna kill me with this pussy of yours.” He says with a southern drawl.

You laugh breathlessly as you feel him grow under your grip. “And imma bring that ass back to life just so I can ride this dick again.”

You smile to yourself proudly jacking him off while he eats you out, a happy prequel to your love making.

But Tre isn't one to keep you comfortable in one spot too long. Before you knew, his grip on your backside grows stronger. You feel his thighs tightening and soon you're up in the air. Tre went from completely flat to lifting you in the air with nothing to hold onto but his head. Your hands and thighs grip around him with a death grip.

“Tre! Don't you EVER do that without telling me first!” you scold him, thank God and cursing him.

Trevante’s hands find the center of your back and leans forward. Your thigh grip lessens but you keep a firm grip on his head as your legs roll down his shoulders.

You look up at him petrified in this circus act while he just grins at you all goofy. “If I told you, you wouldn't wanna do it.”

Your heart rate begins to calm down some. “Yeah you right!”

Tre shrugs. “I can't help but want my baby sitting high on her throne. That pussy motivates me to do some crazy shit, and that look on your face was worth it.”

“That so? Or you just tryna make sure you don’t cum too fast on me?” You rebuttal.

He looks up a moment in thought. “nah, i don't think that's ever happened. That was a cute trick though.”

“You're not the only one with em.” You say, stroking his beard shining with your juices embedded in his curls. You couldn't help but want a taste as you kissed him, hungrier than before with the whipped cream. You couldn't take much more foreplay and Tre read that too as you feel one hand playing with his dick between you, slapping it across your pussy lips. He exhaled sharply through his teeth as you massage his scalp, scooting to line yourself up with his dick more; a feat more difficult given your legs on his shoulders. But once he found his way inside, your extremities unanimously degraded under his girth. Your back bent outta shape as your neck gave way to moan. He hadn't even made his way completely inside and you were already a mess.

“Shhh, don't start acting up. I ain't even started with you yet.” Tre says, kissing your chin softly.

“Just go slow, gatdamn.” You wince.

“Don't worry, I plan to savor every surface of these walls.” He groans as you feel him stretch you out more and more. The first stroke took forever to complete before he was deep inside you, your muscles contracting around his dick without control to become used to him, now you needed him to move. Knees in your chest, dick in your gut, you could barely breathe.

“You want me to hit that pussy fast or slow?” He asks, gripping your hips to move you on him slowly.

You feel flush and anxious. “Just hit it daddy, please. I need it.”

He nods laying his forehead against yours. “Whatever you want.” Sounded more like a warning as he splayed your legs wider to wrap around his body. You rub his neck gingerly as he pulled in and out of you slow at first, your pussy makes soft, wet noises, pleasantly accepting his dick within you.

Soon his pace begins to quicken, spreading his lap under you for stability as his hips rise against you. His strokes create a recoil in your body, bouncing against him erratically. You hold tight to his shoulders for dear life feeling yourself on the edge.

Trevante’s face fights for a stoic appearance but you make it hard for him. “Who you been hiding this pussy from?”

You run your hands along his chest; soft skin over a hardened interior, your own personal human stress ball to squeeze.

“I haven’t...hid from nobody…” You say broken up by your passions.

Trevante’s pulls you into him, holding you tightly as he suckles on your neck and chest, using his full arm strength to bounce you on top of him vigorously. The sudden change in position shocked the hell out of your clit, now getting direct stimulation with his rhythm.

“Mm, that ass sounds nice bouncing on me. Make it sing baby.” Tre encourages you as you attempt to keep up before your climax makes you almost tap out. But Tre wasn’t a quitter, making sure you whimpered his name like it was your final wish.

Tre groans loudly, taking your hair in his hands to pull your mouth on his once more, his tongue dances inside your mouth so strong you knew it wasn’t over yet.

A smack on your left booty cheek brings you back down to earth again. “Get on your hands and knees, I wanna see that ass bounce on me in real time.”

Before your could protest for a break, he picks you up with one arm wrapped around your waist before turning and tossing you on the bed.

“Oh shit! Damn you too strong! You hulking out on me when I’m vulnerable.” You whine as he twists your leg to turn you over.

“There you go talking again. The game is over, and I ain’t come here to play with you.” He lays on top of you starting at the nape of your neck, sliding kisses down your back. Your muscles twitch with each massage of his mouth over your back, not missing a nook or cranny around before reaching your backside. Tre creates an arch in your back, pulling your hips back and knees forward for the perfect position.

Tre chuckles as he rubs on your cheeks. “I think we got this pussy going rabid now.”

“The fuck does that mean?” You ask, face down in your comforter.

“Pussy lookin like it’s foaming at the mouth, it’s so creamed up. Ain’t no dick like new dick for you, huh?” Tre emphasizes his point with a simple stroke of his tip against your pussy lips

You nod, looking back at him sheepishly. “Mhm, it’s my favorite. You’ve been a big surprise.”

“We gotta make this happen more often…” Tre pushes himself inside you again, renewing your arousal. Gripping the sheets you steady yourself for him to pound away, but instead are met with a slow, almost lazy stroke.

You whine. “What’re you doing, give me something.”

Tre just stands behind you rubbing your back. “I said I wanna see that ass dance, make it dance.”

You smirk as you catch his drift, pushing back into him until you feel your limit being reached, sliding down his shaft again. You make a slight wind of your hips as you maintain a rhythm, bumping your cheeks against this pelvis.

“God, you feel so good.” You moan as your head drops.

“Uh uh, come on, that shit looks too good, pick your head up and throw it back.” Tre demands, sliding his hand up your back to pull your head back. You seethe from the new pressure but fall in line with his encouragement. Retaining your posture you bounce against him thoughtfully, squeezing around him periodically for good measure. Tre leans over you keeping ahold of your hair as the applause of your bodies in motion raises in volume.

“That’s it, put all that shit on me.” Tre says, biting down as your pussy yanks his dick over and over again.

“Yes, daddy, mm hurt me please.”

“You say hurt you?”

You nod, grabbing your breasts to stabilize their bounce as he pounds against your ass, slapping you over and over. You knees begin to give out, falling down on the bed as Tre follows behind you.

“I don’t know what you running from. You want this ass whipped, Imma give you that.” He says, throttling your pussy as you lay on your stomach, fingers clawing into your linens, toes gnarled in arousal as you scream into the mattress.

“What was that?” Tre asks, pausing his assault as he lifts on leg to twist you around on your back while still inside you. Putting one leg on your shoulder. He leans over you with hands on either side of your body thrusting harder within you. Your hand presses against his stomach,trying your best to remain in control.

“What were you saying when I had that ass in the air?” Tre asks.

You stifle your moans, gritting your teeth. “It.. wasn’t...nothing…”

“You look like you got a lot to say, so say it.” Tre breathes hard over you, grabbing your titties as his strokes doesn’t relent.

“It’s...too….good…” You squeak.

“What is?” His hands find your throat.

“That...dick...ohhhh, it’s too good!”

“You ain’t telling me shit I don’t know. This pussy takin it well.” He squeezes his hands around you.

You sigh loudly feeling your arousal climb as your breathing shallows. “You make it feel good daddy!”

“You gonna save this pussy for me later?” Tre asks.

“I’ll save it for you again and again and-AH!” You smack his chest in frustrated bliss as he makes you cum hard, strangling his shaft between you, your leg threatens to cramp up as he bears down on you, keeping you hollering at the top of your lungs as your hands fall, surrendering to his body.

“I want stay in this.” Tre groans.

“Cum in me baby, please cum.” You beg, holding his face carefully, He turns his head to kiss your palm, digging you out dramatically as his pressure climbs. Soon his body falls on top of you, filling you up.

“Ah, fuck. Oh shit, girl. Damn….” You both remain still a minute, heartbeat to heartbeat still excitedly beat as your bodies catch up to the current intermission.

Tre rolls off of you and on his back, watching the ceiling. You carefully roll over in his area, kissing his chest, twirling and rubbing the hairy, soft, firmness that is his magnificent body; feeling the rise and fall of his tightening stomach.

“How long you want me around for?” Trevante asks, running his fingers along your face.

You rest your chin on his chest, thinking. “I would feel bad if I didn’t get you some room service by the time morning comes.”

“What about ole dude? He not coming back tonight?”

“Honey, he’s not coming nowhere near me after this. My pussy got a whole new muscle memory that he is no longer eligible for.”

Masterlist

#trevante rhodes #trevante rhodes fic #shakafic

303 notes · View notes

ice-cream-nekogirl · 6 years ago

Text

Chocolate Milk and a Sharky Smile (Kirishima Eijirou x Reader)

Summary: You find yourself in Kirishima’s bed after a bad night of drinking no thanks to some so-called friends, and he’s so nice you can’t help but fall for him.

Hehe I totally alluded to Happy Death Day, cuz I love that movie lol sue me

And I used italics for the characters’ inner thoughts that the reader, a.k.a You, can read, and the reader here is kinda chubby I forgot to mention that in the title.

Warning: This one contains some somewhat graphic imagery of attempted sexual assault and may have some other triggering material in it that refer to sexual assault, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bullying and fat-shaming.

Featuring: Best Boy Kirishima!

Isn’t anyone tryin’ to find me? Won’t somebody come take me home It’s a damn cold night Trying to figure out this life Won’t you take me by the hand Take me somewhere new I don’t know who you are But I, I’m with you

‘I’m With You’ by Avril Lavigne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qHWIvq_WR4

Mind-reading. What a terrible quirk.

You swear you would rather be quirkless than be stuck with the current quirk you had. You hated it, because while your friend Shinsou told you it was useful for gathering information on villains and people, it made you useless in combat and on top of that it made it near impossible for you to trust people. Since you could sense and hear their intentions, and you didn’t trust easily either so it just made everything more difficult in your life.

Countless people pretended to be nice to you and you heard it in their heads. Which is why you couldn’t believe that you let yourself fall for this so-called guy-friend of yours’ tricks. Initially you had been keen on him, but now that he pressured you into coming to this wild party you were currently at, not anymore.

“Go on… drink it…”

You should have known better, but for some reason you let the peer pressure from him and some of your other so-called girl-friends pressure you. His name was Mageru, and he was a handsome boy with a fairly strong binding quirk in your General Studies class, but those good looks meant nothing to you anymore after he brought you to this party that you just wanted to leave. As soon as he guilt-tripped you into going, you didn’t have a choice.

But now you were miserable and being forced to down drink after drink just to please some of the nastier peers who looked at you with judgmental eyes as you felt dizzy from all the alcohol in your system as you reluctantly downed another cup of whatever that was getting you drunk.

And your mind-reading quirk didn’t do anything to help you as the voices grew louder in your head, even though many of them were drunk they were still way too loud for you and giving you such a headache. After a while you couldn’t take it anymore and stumbled your way out of there, unaware that you were being followed by the jerk you had no idea why you even liked in the first place. You never should have had those drinks because now your mind was too hazy that everything in your path looked like blurred mist as you focused on your surroundings. You were close to UA, so that meant home wasn’t too far…

“Heeeey…” But then you heard an unwanted voice slur into your ear as you realized that he had yanked your body into his, with a low groan you tried to pry him off you. “I gotta go home…” You shook your head, even if you were drunk you managed to at least say that, but he wasn’t nearly as drunk as you were, and clearly willing to use your intoxication for all it was worth for him.

“Aww c’mon (Y/N)… I invited you for a reason. So you can have fun! Don’t be a goddamn prude… let me take care of ya… I know how to make a pretty girl feel comfy…” Mageru held you closer, against your will as he wrapped one of his arms around your waist, attempting to sneak his fingers under your jeans and used his binding quirk to keep you against him tightly as you groaned at the discomfort as your legs buckled while you tried to get away.

“The guys… they want to come by too…” He said softly, and you heard more footsteps approaching, and as you blinked and narrowed your eyes in an attempt to see better, at least 2 more guys showed up, and they were wearing different school uniforms, very unlike your UA uniform.

‘Heh, she’s drunk enough…’

‘We might not get another chance…’

It became clear to you what they wanted from you based on their thoughts alone.

“I wanna go… let me go…” You muttered weakly as he didn’t loosen his grip on you. He wasn’t going to. “Oh no you can’t go. Not yet… you’re here to have a good time, and we’re gonna show you a good time okay stop being such a-“

“I said… LET ME GO!!”

Suddenly you shouted as loud as you could, forcefully pulling yourself away from him and distracting him as he released you once the force surprised him. Mageru growled as you hit the cold, hard concrete ground and tried to crawl away, but someone had taken a hold of your legs. “H-Hey…!” You tried to yell again, but your mind was so unfocused that it felt like everything was so distorted and you couldn’t help yourself.

“C’mon man this is a good spot.” One of his friends said, the other one grabbing his phone as your former friend knelt beside you and the third one was getting out his phone to record what they were about to do with an insidious grin. “See? We’re having fun already.” Mageru’s smile turned into a smirk as his friend held you down and then you felt the guy unbuttoning your jeans and their thoughts started ringing in your head when they held you down.

‘Oh yeah I’ve been waiting to get all up in this…’

‘I’m showin’ this to the rest of the guys later…’

‘This is some fine stuff right here…’

“No… no stop…” You shook your head, wiggling your legs and trying to kick away, but without strength as you tried to get up but then your ex friend just pinned you down with his palm to your head, pressing you against the grass as his friend started lowering your pants to expose your panties as you felt tears spring to your eyes as you kept shaking your head.

“No… No, no…!”

“HEY! What the hell are you guys doing?!” You heard another voice, another male, except this one sounded much more indignant as the three students flinched when caught in the act as the third guy dropped his phone in alarm. “Shit…!” He exclaimed, and quickly ran away as fast as he could.

“Ehhh…? Hey bud get outta here… this is none of your business, we’re just havin’ fun…” Mageru attempted to warn the person who had come just in time, you tried to make him out. The first thing you registered was his spiky red hair, and his angry expression complete with sharp teeth he bore. You couldn’t see how disgusted he looked; he wasn’t fooled at all by Mageru.

“That’s bullshit. You get off of her. Right now.” He said in a deadly serious tone as Mageru kept his hand on your head so you would stay down. But then Mageru’s second friend suddenly tried to attack the redhead with a punch, but he reacted fast by grabbing his fist and punching him square in the jaw, effectively knocking him out as he shouted and hit the ground. Leaving Mageru alone as he slowly let go of you, nervously grinning with his hands up.

“Come on now… we came from a party… we were havin’ fun…” He claimed, even though all the redhead could see was that you were in no position to fight back or even run away from these bastards who wanted to take advantage you.

“Yeah right. I know what you fuckers were trying to do. What kind of punks just corner a drunk girl?!” His fists shook, and Mageru took that as a challenge in his drunken mind.

“Fine… comin’ in to ruin my good time?! Fuckin’ Mr. Goody Goody Two Shoes?!” He shouted and let you go as he shot forward to try and shove the guy but was instantly met with a hardened fist to the face. A loud crack was heard, and then for extra measure he delivered a swift, fierce kick to the stomach as Mageru cried out, holding his bleeding nose and likely bruised stomach as he fell to the grass and pathetically groaned in pain.

“D-Damn you…!” He shouted, you swore he was starting to cry like a little bitch as he started to try and scurry away like a little cockroach before the other guy could beat him up any further.

‘These assholes… trying to take advantage a helpless girl… they’re disgraces to men…’

You heard the redhead’s thoughts as you slowly picked yourself up after you were finally freed from those bastards’ hold on you. Clumsily, you groaned and tried to stand up, but your lack of coordination and pants around your ankles made you stumble, and before you could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms suddenly caught you, saving you from a hard fall.

“N-No…” You shook your head, unsure to trust this person because you just escaped from a pervert’s arms, but this one didn’t feel like he was a pervert, and you could tell because he wasn’t being forceful.

“Hey, hey whoa, whoa it’s okay...! It’s okay... take it easy now...”

Was this the same person? His voice became much softer as you tried to get a better look at him. Red eyes that had taken a softer look compared to the fury he had earlier. “It’s okay I won’t hurt you I promise.” He spoke again, as you tilted your head slightly in confusion. God you were so drunk… but this stranger helped you, that much you could make out.

“Hi… my name’s Kirishima. I’ve seen you around maybe once or twice, aren’t you in the General Studies class?” Kirishima. So that was his name. You weren’t so sure you would remember it because you were so out of it, but you nonetheless smiled because this fella just saved you.

“Mmm… Kirishima…” Groaning tiredly, you said his name and leaned against him as he held you up, and you could hear him stuttering awkwardly as you suddenly put your arms around him for support, unable to use your legs because your brain was beginning to tell you it was time to sleep. “I’m (Y/N)… uh-huh… gen studs… tha’s me a’ight…”

“(Y/N) huh? I-It’s nice to officially meet you…” He sounded a little nervous, because you were so close to him and you giggled and pressed your cheek against your savior’s warm cheek. “You saved my life… y-you’re in the hero course right…? I see why… you’re nice…” You slurred quietly but you were close enough to Kirishima’s face to hear you as he cringed at the smell of alcohol on your breath. Although it just made him madder because he had (correctly) assumed that those fuckers forced you to drink this much since you were on the verge of passing out. It was a good thing he came outside for a nighttime stroll, because he didn’t want to imagine what could have happened if you did pass out and they had gotten to you.

“Take me with you… ‘m tired… sleepy… please? Can I come with you…? I wanna go with ya… i’s late… got class tuhmorrow… I got class…” You started to close your eyes, quietly yawning as Kirishima almost looked conflicted but there was no way he was going to leave you all alone while you were drunk like this. He had to take you home, and make sure you don’t trip, hurt yourself or choke on your own vomit.

‘Man those bastards… she’s out of it bad, ugh she stinks of booze…’

“Shuddup…!” You suddenly exclaimed in a sleepy tone since you could still hear his thoughts, much to his confusion because he wasn’t aware of your quirk. “I-I didn’t say anything…”

‘I am NOT leaving her alone… I don’t want to risk letting something happen to her while she’s like this… I’m taking her with me! It’s the manly thing to do after all!’

His thoughts were loud enough for you to hear as he carefully picked you up and you laughed quietly, at this point you trusted this person because he wasn’t hurting you. “Whee…” You smiled wide and felt yourself beginning to fall asleep in this stranger’s arms. “G’night Kirishima…”

He smiled sympathetically, “I’ve got you (Y/N)… I won’t let anyone else try and hurt you tonight…” Kirishima said to you gently as he carried you while you snuggled into him, loving how warm and soft he felt in this damn cold night.

However, Kirishima was feeling a little nervous at how close you were getting to him. He didn’t dare cross his boundaries though. He was going to take you to his dorm and give you a bed to sleep on, because although he wanted to take you home he had no idea where you lived, and he wasn’t going to get an address from you anytime soon once he noticed that you fell asleep in his arms…

“It’s okay (Y/N). You’ll be okay…” He said to you softly as he carried you off to Height’s Alliance, giving brief explanations to some of his classmates who started asking him questions, at least the ones who were still awake.

Next Morning brought to you by Evanescence’s 'WAKE ME UP’

Dreamland was dissipating before your eyes. At least until you realized your eyes were closed, and a sudden surge of agony began pulsing through your head as you kept your eyes shut. And then everything came back to you from the night before.

You got totally drunk no thanks to your so-called friends and Mageru tried something funny with you, at least until a boy from the Hero Course came in, but afterwards you just saw him and then afterwards everything was all black. So you assumed that was when you promptly passed out.

This wasn’t your bed. It didn’t feel like your bed, and yet it was so soft with a unique scent that you almost didn’t want to get out of it. And on top of that you didn’t really want to know where you had ended up after passing out, but an angry boy shouting in the distance was impossible to not hear.

“SHUT UP!!”

Well that officially woke you up. Now you couldn’t go back to sleep even if you wanted to, but you instantly regretted cracking your eyes open, your vision still blurred. It hurt for you to even blink, but you knew it was time to figure out where you were at even if you didn’t want to. Slowly, you picked yourself up from the bed you were in, letting your eyes adjust to the light. You were thankful for the slightly dimmed room as you looked around to see the place.

Lot of posters that seemed to be motivational, a punching bag, well that was cool. And some merchandise of that Crimson Riot pro-hero that you had recalled when your dad mentioned him once. This was definitely a guy’s room it seemed. And your thoughts were proven correct when you saw the person from yesterday, standing up and buttoning up his school uniform’s shirt before he suddenly noticed that you were awake and looking right at him.

“Oh! You’re up! Good morning!” He said to you politely and enthusiastically with a bright smile, but you just stared and frowned in confusion. Trying to remember his name, and it came to you after you stared at his face for a little bit to recall what he had told you last night.

“Kirishima?” You asked, and his smile grew as he nodded, “Yeah! You remember! I was almost worried you wouldn’t. You were pretty out of it last night…” Kirishima didn’t mean to sound so blunt, but it was true, and you knew it. But then you looked around and you saw a blanket and pillow on the floor, and it suddenly dawned on you. This was the Height’s Alliance for the Hero course students. You didn’t belong here.

“Am I in your dorm room…?” You then asked as the redhead’s smile slowly fell upon seeing how… surly you looked. He assumed that you were either remembering everything that happened last night or completely forgot about everything that happened last night.

“Y-Yeah… I… I didn’t know where you lived, so I brought you here to let you have a place to sleep.” He replied somewhat nervously as you gave a disappointed sigh, unable to believe that you had been stupid enough to give into peer pressure and drink so much. Now here you were, in a stranger’s dorm room that you had slept in too because he was kind enough to let you have his bed while he slept on the floor. God you felt like such a burden, but you couldn’t let this person know, you weren’t in the mood to be pitied or judged by anyone. In fact, you weren’t in any mood at all.

So you got up, gasping quietly upon seeing that you were only wearing panties and a large red shirt with the word ‘Motivation’ on it. The panties were yours but the shirt definitely didn’t belong to you. Your eyes beginning to widen when a few scenarios came to your head, feeling heat involuntarily creeping on your face.

“I-I called one of the girls to help put that on you!” He quickly exclaimed once he saw your expression, having called on Mina last night over to his room to come and help him take off your clothes to change you into one of his shirts, and she did so gladly to help. “I swear! I would never change a girl’s clothes… I-I mean unless I had to but I didn’t wanna seem like a weirdo..” You saw his cheeks starting to turn a little red, and as much as you didn’t want to believe him, there was nothing in his mind that hinted any dishonesty.

'Man I hope she doesn’t think I’m a pervert or something… that’s the last thing she wants to be around after last night…’

You said nothing even though he was talking and thinking, and you nearly cringed just remembering that you were nearly sexually assaulted last night by perverts. This guy however was clearly no pervert, but you were relieved to know that he at least got a girl to remove your clothes to put you in something more comfortable. But it was time for you to get out of it so you can just go to class and try to forget that this ever happened.

Without much shame, you lifted the larger shirt off yourself, exposing your (F/C) bra and (B/T) body (that you hated) to the boy in front of him as he let out a small yelp of surprise, quickly looking away with a heavy blush spread across his face, now looking quite flustered. “B-But I uh, folded your shirt and pants… I was sure you probably wouldn’t wanna wake up in day clothes…” He then pointed to your school uniform (and your jeans) that was on his desk, and you quickly grabbed them to start putting them on while Kirishima politely kept his eyes averted. It was actually pretty cute.

“I gotta get out of here… don’t mention this to anyone. All right?” You almost regretted how rude you sounded, but after the night you had and the hangover that was making your brain feel like it was being squeezed like a stress-ball, you just wanted to forget everything that happened.

“O-Oh… y-yeah no problem. Got it…” He stuttered a bit but didn’t argue with you because he was sure this was a lot to process.

“It’s all right now.” You put your pants and shoes back on and affirmed to him that you were decent and Kirishima turned to face you, his cheeks and ears still a bit flushed.

“Thanks I guess. I’m going to class now.” Without another word, you neglected to properly thank him, but Kirishima didn’t expect a thanks or anything. He wasn’t the type who expected anything in return after doing things for someone, but he was still kinda worried about how you must be feeling now that you were back in your right mind.

“Oh. Okay, yeah I’m gonna get ready too… maybe I’ll see you around?” He smiled at you, which confused you as you just carelessly shrugged your shoulders and furrowed your brows as you approached the door, which suddenly opened itself as you and Kirishima were greeted two more teenage males: A blonde boy and a small boy with weird purple balls for hair that resembled large grapes.

“Dude! How’d it go with that girl last…” The blonde somewhat loudly asked but stopped right at the end of his sentence as soon as he was met with your unfamiliar face as he awkwardly looked at you.

“Kirishima! I heard you brought a girl home and she’s sleeping in your bed?! You damn lucky bastard why do all of you guys get the girls so close to you?!” Mineta angrily asked with tears in his eyes as he finally took notice of you, his eyes widening with a lust that made you wanna gouge his eyes out. He would have tried to touch you, but the fire in your eyes was enough to terrify him into silence as he and Kaminari both got out of your way.

A look of disgust overcame your already sullen features as you glared at them, looking over at an embarrassed Kirishima as he nervously glanced at you.

“I’m… I’m sorry…” He tried to apologize on behalf of his friends, but you just smiled condescendingly at him before walking past the scared grape-haired boy and electric blonde with a scowl as you tried to find the way out of this building as fast as possible with your shoes in your hand.

“Nice one you dickheads! Way to make her feel uncomfortable!” Kirishima angrily scolded his friend and classmate, although only Kaminari really had the grace to look ashamed while Mineta just looked scared that he had angered both his classmate and a pretty girl.

You got out as fast you could, trying to ignore the way some of the other Hero course students had stopped to stare and glance over at you, including that rich girl, another girl with weird ear thingies, a girl who had a frog-face, a guy with black hair, Endeavor’s kid, the younger brother of the former hero Ingenium, the green-haired kid you remembered from the Sports Festival who beat Shinsou, the brunette girl with that gravity quirk and there was the winner of the Sports Festival himself. It was clear that they knew you didn’t belong here, and it was so embarrassing for you because you were a hundred percent sure that you looked horrible with your disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes that adorned heavy bags under them. At least your clothes were nicely folded thanks to Kirishima.

'It’s the girl Mina told me about… she doesn’t look so good…’

'Wow she looks terrible…’

'Probably had too much alcohol last night.’

'Dang, what happened to her?’

'Hm. So this is the girl.’

'He broke a few rules but Kirishima did the right thing…’

'O-Oh boy. She does not look happy at all… I hope she’s all right…’

'I wonder if we should help…’

'So Kirishima dragged in this extra huh?’

Their thoughts each came to you one by one, making your already aching head throb as you clutched at the side of your head with an irritated groan and glared at the ones who dared to gawk at you. “Shut the fuck up. All of you. I can’t hear myself think… and no I don’t need your goddamn help… I can get out of here myself…” You bitterly muttered to the Hero Course students, many of them (sans Endeavor’s kid) looking a bit confused and somewhat put off by your behavior. They had held their tongue so they didn’t know why you reacted like that, and you weren’t going to tell them that it was just your quirk. However, the Sports Festival winner was pissed by what you said and wasn’t going to tolerate that.

“HEY! What was that you wasted extra?!” He shouted, looking livid and glared at you but you kept walking with your back turned. So that was the guy who woke you up by shrieking not too long ago. As a small form of revenge, while you walked you brought your arm out and stuck your middle finger out to him, which just pissed him off even more as he tried to go after you, but you didn’t see the green-haired kid and Ingenium’s brother holding him back. “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU LOSER?! GET BACK OVER HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!!”

You almost snickered at how loud that one was, and you were kinda glad that you irritated him like that. And you were kinda glad that you confused them all too when you read their thoughts and neglected telling them that you could read minds. They didn’t need to know, bunch of big shots, they probably felt so proud of themselves that one of their students decided to help poor, defenseless you.

Somewhat angrily, you walked out as quickly as you could and left the building. So far, today was shitty and you REALLY didn’t want to attend class today. Alas, life didn’t work that way, so once you got into the school building you went into the bathroom to at least try and look good by fixing up your hair as best as you could and washed your face so you didn’t look completely like shit. There was nothing you could really do to stop feeling like shit though.

After 15 minutes, you got out to go and head to your class but then a snobby voice made you pause. “Oh my gosh. Well if it isn’t the sneaky little bitch herself. Rad party last night huh? Not that great but still good right?” A pretty, slim girl with lovely dark brown hair and a fair amount of make-up had asked you, Hiromi was her name. She wasn’t exactly your friend, more like your frenemy because she was the snobbiest, most vapid girl in UA whose quirk allowed her to always look beautiful and make ugly things beautiful which gave her SUCH an ego. And on top of that she was SO annoying a good 90 percent of the time. “Who took you home last night? I can tell by the way you look like shit that someone was nice enough to take you home. And maybe a little something else~?” She asked with a smirk but you just chuckled and shook your head.

“God no. Nobody took me home, I mean come on look at me…” You defeated yourself a little bit, and there was no way you were going to tell her that a guy from the Hero Course had taken you to HIS dorm last night. That sweet guy from the Hero Course…

“Yeah. Actually you’re right, what was I thinking?” She snickered a bit, making you give her a fake laugh just to humor her. She never had anything nice to say about you as she frequently insulted your eating habits, weight and style of dress. Why were you friends with her again? “So like, I don’t know what happened, but Mageru’s not here today. Apparently he needed to go to the hospital cuz of a broken nose. You should see him now it’s hilarious.” Hiromi started to laugh and your eyes widened a little bit. Not remembering just how much Kirishima had beaten the guy, but the more you thought about it, the more you started to smile. That prick deserved it, but now you really felt bad for not giving Kirishima more of a thanks since he did that for you.

“Anyway. Meet us at lunch, I wanna discuss how to make our class look better. Ever since that purple-haired weirdo left I’m pretty confident that our class can finally look good.” She said and you rolled your eyes. Just like with you, Hiromi was never nice to Shinsou, always insulting his looks, his insomnia and his tastes in music, even though the boy never paid her any mind as you tended to defend him from her, and then she insulted you a lot more because you were actually on good terms with the guy. Unlike Hiromi, you were sad when he was able to join the Hero Course. Well you were happy that he would finally get to do what he wanted, but you were also sad that you lost the only person in your class that you didn’t want to punch in the throat.

And now you had to go to lunch with the rest of your so-called friends. At least Mageru wasn’t going to be there. You were SO going to Principal Nezu later to tell him about how he tried to sexually assault you later today.

…

Time seemed to just dredge on today as thoughts filled your head as you attempted to try and block everyone’s uninvited thoughts that were trying to make their way into your head. You tried to think, but at the same time you tried not to because every thought you had brought you back to what happened to you last night, when the person you thought was your friend had assaulted you and would have done worse if not for Kirishima.

But you didn’t want to think about him either, he made you feel so guilty and pathetic that you tried to block him out of your mind to. You just wanted to forget, you didn’t want to think about how Mageru betrayed you, violated you and wanted to take advantage of you in worse ways possible because you were so drunk because of him. So you resorted to what you always did, as soon as it was lunch you grabbed some of the most unhealthy things possible because food often made you forget about things, especially since you didn’t have any breakfast this morning.

“Chocolate Milk, fried noodles, bag of cookies, chips, small water bottle, milk and a bowl of soup just to try and eat something healthy-ish.” You muttered to yourself as you carried your tray over to where Hiromi and the rest of her bitches were at. Once you sat down you instantly felt all their eyes staring right at you, but you didn’t dare look up at them.

'Wow, someone’s looking to gain more weight.’

'She’s really gonna eat all that huh? Fatso.’

'Eww… why do that to yourself?’

Why did you put yourself through this? You don’t know why, but you refused to let their thoughts get to you as they remained silent until Hiromi spoke up. “(L/N), what in the world is that?” She asked you in a somewhat horrified voice.

“Um, I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I kinda have to eat?” You tried to sound matter-of-factly but Hiromi was relentless. “Well maybe it’s a GOOD thing you didn’t have breakfast. The rest of us haven’t had breakfast since we were 10 years old. And look at us, then look at you…” She said condescendingly with a look of disgust as you clenched your fists.

You weren’t going to put up with this, shaking your head you picked your tray to go and leave but you didn’t see someone coming over to you as the two of you bumped right into each other, causing your tray and all your food to spill all over you.

Irritated and shocked, you immediately glared up at the offender. “You asshole!”

“Sorry! Sorry it was an accident!” But your eyes took a softer look once you saw that it was Kirishima who had bumped into you, “I’m really sorry (Y/N).” He looked guilty as he stared down at your uniform that was stained with chocolate milk, noodles and soup, which had gotten into your socks and shoes which felt disgusting. You were still irked about it, but you felt bad for yelling at him now.

“Wait. You guys know each other? A General Studies student and a Hero Course student? Are you hiding something from us (Y/N)?” Hiromi asked you and Kirishima, and the two of you both quickly exclaimed 'No’ in unison.

“I just know his name…” You said, not really lying since you and Kirishima didn’t really know each other that well at all, other than each other’s names. “Y-Yeah that’s true…” He said in defeat, not wanting to embarrass you any further, but then you looked at him for an explanation.

“What are you doing here?” You asked somewhat curtly, and you were met with a phone. “You forgot your phone under my pillow and I knew you would need it.” He sheepishly said, trying to smile to lessen your bad mood but it wasn’t working. Although you did accept it when he gave it to you and you quietly thanked him as he kept his smile on, while you were trying not to blush. “What was YOUR phone doing under HIS pillow?” Hiromi asked again, her hands on her hips as the rest of the girls gave you questioning and judgy looks.

You froze a little bit, and as the girls stared at you, “N-Nothing…” Was all you could mutter out, but Hiromi didn’t believe you, “Yeah right. I smell a dirty little liar.” She smirked a little bit as the girls started to snicker, and their thoughts became rampant with accusations that you could hear loud and clear.

'Ew. She probably fucked him and is trying to keep it a secret.’

'Probably to score points with the Hero Course students.’

'I bet she thinks she’s better than us.’

'But why would this smoking hot guy want to sleep with her fatass?’

'She’s such a loser.’

'SO Pathetic.’

'What a slut.’

Closing your eyes at how the thoughts got louder, you cringed, shaking your head as your mind told you to just walk away, right now. So without looking at anyone, you turned around and walked out of the cafeteria as quickly as you could, ignoring the way Kirishima tried calling out to you and the high-pitched laughs coming from Hiromi and the girls.

First you desperately needed to get out of these clothes so you ran to your gym locker to put your PE uniform on, you weren’t going to walk around wearing a dirty uniform covered in food. Once you had that on, you left the locker room and headed outside to try and clear your head despite the fact that you were still hungover. Nothing was going right today at all, this morning was terrible and now the afternoon was terrible, how much worse could it get? You wondered as you stood outside the school, gasping when you heard loud thunder crackling and looked above to see grey clouds with a small white streak that indicated lightning as the first drops came down and dripped down your face.

There were other students outside and they noticed that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Normally you didn’t mind the rain, but as you looked up a sudden downpour washed over you and drenched your new clothes and you gasped, having to retreat into the building quick as the rest of the students outside followed shortly inside, but someone was rude enough to push you out of the way and made you fall to the ground with a loud 'OH!’ of pain.

You heard some laughter as you picked yourself up, shivering from how cold and wet you had gotten thanks to the rain and got out of the crowd. Apparently rumor had spread about how you left the Height’s Alliance building and now you were hearing all sorts of gossipy thoughts from every student that passed you. You tried hard to ignore them, but they were just louder and louder.

It was so overwhelming, all the loud voices that were ringing and screaming in your sore ears as you moved away from everyone, keeping your distance as you felt your stomach churn from a bundle of nerves you didn’t know had settled inside you. You couldn’t stop shivering from the cold wetness that drenched your body, at least you thought it was the cold. You swallowed hard, gasping shakily as dread crawled inside your body, grabbing you by the throat and clutching your chest, making it hard for you to catch your breath as you started sweating from the strain and your eyes burned with tears because of how this feeling was strangling you.

They were so loud, it was driving you insane and you could no longer hear yourself think. It made you feel so sick you thought you were going to throw up. Yet you didn’t, but you couldn’t help but lower yourself to the floor of the hallway, shutting your tearful eyes so you wouldn’t have to look at anybody anymore. Desperately, you threw your hands to your ears to try and block everything and everybody as you quivered and softly cried where you sat while everyone’s disgusting and false thoughts kept shrieking loudly like banshee’s in your brain.

You were so shaken up that you almost didn’t hear a familiar voice, “Hey! Hey! Get out of the way! Hey (Y/N)!” You noticed that was Kirishima’s voice but you didn’t dare open your eyes for fear that it was just your mind playing tricks on you. Kirishima heard the rumors and he was worried about you ever since you left his dorm and the cafeteria, and as soon as he saw you like that, he quickly made his way over to you, even pushing some people who were laughing at you. As soon as he got to you, he quickly crouched down to your level. “(Y/N) are you all right…?” There was that soft voice again, you remembered it from last night.

Because he was the only good thing that was happening to you right now, you found yourself able to trust enough to open your glossy (E/C) eyes, looking up at him sadly. His gentle red hues looking at you with worry. “Are you okay?” Kirishima asked you, even though he was sure you weren’t, he wanted to at least try and make you feel okay.

'I can’t believe these guys… (Y/N) doesn’t deserve this…’

Your bottom lip quivered, remorse filling your heart because this boy was so nice to you even though you did nothing to return the favor and yet despite the horrible day you were having, he somehow showed up every time to make it just a little bit better by smiling at you. Not a single ulterior motive in his head. Before you knew it, you suddenly lunged yourself into him and threw your arms around the boy, making him nearly shout in shock from such a sudden move, but he didn’t and wouldn’t pull you away as you clutched at his shirt, squeezing your eyes and letting your tears fall. It took you a while to properly talk, but you took a large inhale before you found enough composure to say something. “I’m sorry… I-I’m so sorry Kirishima…” You apologized, hugging him a little tighter as he tried to not tear up at how miserable you sounded.

“Sorry? Why are you sorry…? You didn’t do anything wrong… you’ve got nothing to apologize for.

"Y-You… you gave me your bed… h-helped me when I got drunk like a moron… and took care of those assholes just to protect me… t-then you brought me back my phone… you didn’t have to a-any of that… but you did anyway… a-and, and I never once said 'thank you’… not like I should have… so… thank you… thank you so, SO much for all of that… God I can’t even thank you enough… that’s so much more than anyone has ever done for m-me…” More tears streamed down your face as your breathing started to hitch, making you hiccup as Kirishima then brought his arms around you, returning your hug and stroking your back gently to try and calm you down.

“Shhh, hey, hey now… it’s okay… it’s going to be okay… you’re going to be okay (Y/N)…” You felt so safe, safer than you’ve ever been because of how gentle he was being. “I know we don’t know each other, but I was happy to help out as much as I could…” Kirishima said with a little smile, and he meant every word because you didn’t hear a single deceptive thought from him.

As he hugged you, you found oxygen greeting your lungs again as your heartbeat slowed down and you felt as if you could just melt in his warm embrace. You loved it, you loved how kind he was to you and how he made you forget about everything that just happened. He made you forget about Mageru, about Hiromi and about all the rumors people were making about you and him, the horrors you had to suffer didn’t leave you, but at least Kirishima was here to say that you were going to be okay. He was so warm and comforting that you wanted him to stay with you just a little while longer even though you knew realistically that it couldn’t happen because of your classes.

It took a while for you to completely calm down, but Kirishima was so patient with you and didn’t let you go because you were still clutching at him and basking in the comfort of his warm body. “Thanks for this…” You mumbled in the crook of his neck, making him blush a little bit. “You’re welcome… anytime okay?” He asked you, not caring that he didn’t know you as well as he did others, he always wanted to help people who needed it. And after last night and today, he wanted to make sure you were okay because he was truly starting to care for you almost like a friend even if he knew you and him were just acquaintances at best.

“I want to know you.” You suddenly said once you finally calmed down, and Kirishima perked up a bit and you both finally pulled away for a bit. “Oh really? Ya do?” He asked, almost excitedly as you started to blush and you tried not to look too eager but Kirishima’s smile looked so adorable it was impossible for you to not smile. “Y-Yeah… I mean… you already saw my bra and let me sleep in your bed…”

Kirishima’s eyes widened and now he was the one blushing when he recalled seeing you change your clothes in front of him earlier that morning, and you couldn’t help but smirk a little bit. “And you actually helped me when no one else did… I think that earns you something… and I honestly hate every single person in my class… ever since Shinsou joined the Hero Course in Class 1-B I don’t really have any friends that I actually like so… yeah… I wanna get to know you…” You said more seriously as your face grew warmer. You wanted to say that you were with him all the way, but it felt too soon for you to say that so you just offered him your friendship. And yet secretly, you hoped that it would turn into something more overtime because there was no way you were letting this one go.

Kirishima’s eyes remained slightly wide as he listened to you talk, but his smile grew when you more or less said that you wanted to be friends, and how could he turn down that offer? “Oh sure! Heck yeah I wanna get to know you too! I’ll be your friend!” He cheerfully exclaimed as you chuckled a little bit.

“Since we’re officially meeting now that I’m not drunk… my name is (Y/N) (L/N).” This time you informally introduced yourself so he knew your whole name and brought your hand out for him which he gladly took to firmly shake. “And I’m Eijirou Kirishima!” He shared his full name with you as you shyly smiled, so his first name was Eijirou. What a pretty name, you thought.

“Uh… you mind taking me to my class? I’ll show you the way… sorry… I really can’t bring myself to go back by myself…” You asked him in a somewhat embarrassed voice as he happily nodded and smiled, “No I don’t mind at all! I’m always happy to help, lead the way!” He let you lead the way as you walked to your respective classes together, and you decided to actually talk to him.

“So you see… sometimes just coming to school is overwhelming… I get nervous around so many people… and it doesn’t help that my quirk lets me read people’s minds.” You admitted, deciding to let him know that as his eyes widened again and that knowledge allowed him to puzzle the pieces together, so that’s why you were covering your ears. The thoughts must have been too loud for you, but then his eyes grew more wide when he realized that you could probably hear what he was thinking right now.

“You can hear what people are thinking…?” He asked you, and you tried your hardest not to snicker as you nodded. “That’s right… I didn’t think you were a pervert by the way. At first I didn’t believe you… but I knew you didn’t take advantage of me last night… you don’t have a single bad thought in that sweet head of yours.” Your smirk grew as Kirishima’s face began to redden, but he still grinned at you bashfully.

“No way! I mean yeah no I’m not a pervert but no way… I would never take advantage of a drunk person ever! That’s beyond unmanly! Anyone who does anything like that… doesn’t deserve to be called a man or a person at all!” He stated, sounding a little angry at that last part because he was thinking about those assholes that were trying to do exactly that to you last night. Although you started to frown a little bit just remembering it, Kirishima’s concerned look made you smile again. This guy was just too sincere, a total sweetheart all the way.

“Well… you’re super manly for helping me get somewhere safe when I was drunk, and letting me have your bed… and for being nice to someone when they’re all by themselves and feeling miserable… there’s nothing manlier than that…” You said rather softly, smiling warmly at the redhead who was grinning at you sweetly and looking almost coy. “Aww thanks…!” But what you said also made him really happy, since he always aspired to be as manly as possible, and hearing you say that just gave him that validation.

You almost wanted to hold his hand, and this time you wouldn’t care what Hiromi and the others would think of you. Hiromi. That gave you an idea. “Follow me Kirishima…” You said to your new friend, who looked confused but he shrugged and respectfully obeyed as you started running towards the cafeteria that had less people than it did earlier, but you quickly made a fast order for two cups of chocolate milk and went back to Kirishima. “Chocolate milk?” He asked with more confusion evident in his tone as you smiled and nodded. “Uh-huh.” He then watched you make your way over back to that girl who was so mean to you.

Hiromi was talking to the girls about how disappointing 'some people’ are because of their eating habits and for being 'slutty’ by sleeping with students from the hero course, but she almost widened her eyes once she saw you standing right in front of her. “Oh well if it isn’t the Hero Course Ho. Well at least you came back to the right people.” She crossed her arms, not too happy to see you even though you were smiling, something you hadn’t done in a very long time.

“First of all Hiromi. You see that boy with the sharky smile?” You pointed to a surprised looking Kirishima who nervously grinned and waved, showing off that sharky smile you had just mentioned. “He actually helped me, something none of you fucks ever did. I like him more than I like any of you, and guess what? I’m gonna be HIS friend from now on, and I’m not hanging out with any of you anymore, I’m not giving you girls anymore hot gossip, no more secrets, no more answers to homework and tests. Nothing.” You said to them, your smile becoming more of a grin as Hiromi’s eyes widened a little bit at how you more or less broke off the 'friendship’ that you had, but she scoffed and tried to look cool, even when the other girls were going 'no!’ because they relied on your mind-reading quirk to let you help them cheat on homework and share gossip to use as blackmail against other students.

“Whatever. You’re not good enough to be part of our crew anyway. You’re just some fatso who drinks chocolate milk and screws with dopey, spiky-haired douchebags from the Hero course. What kind of girl needs a man to help her?” She put her hands on her hips, trying to talk you down like she always did, but today it wasn’t working. Although you didn’t care for how she insulted Kirishima. At all.

“I might not have the strongest quirk. But NEVER talk shit about Kirishima.” You said to her lowly, yet calmly as you held the two cups of chocolate milk in your hands and then spilled both cups all over Hiromi and the rest of the girls, making them shoot up and squeal highly with horror upon being soaked with the sticky, sugary milk, ruining their hair and staining their uniforms which caught quite a few of the remaining students’ attention.

You turned to see a wide-eyed Kirishima with his mouth agape as you started to laugh when Hiromi screamed. “MY HAIR!! YOU BITCH! YOU FUCKING BIIIIITCH!!” She started sobbing dramatically as she ran off, still shrieking and crying as a few other students kept on laughing and the other wet girls ran off in different directions, while some followed Hiromi.

Satisfied with what you did, you let out a cheerful laugh as you carelessly tossed the empty cups to the floor and actually skipped back to Kirishima, who was trying to not snicker at what he just saw. “Wow! That was… that was actually pretty awesome! You stood up to a jerk who tried to tear you down, now that’s just… so manly!” He exclaimed and seemed almost moved by your act of bravery, looking at you somewhat admiringly as you blushed and smiled shyly.

'This girl is amazing! I’m so glad that we’re friends now! I sure hope the rest of my class will like her…’

So pure. You thought, even though you kinda had to apologize to the rest of the Hero Course for being so rude this morning. “I kinda have to apologize to them first…” You chuckled a bit and he perked up, feeling kinda nervous since you implied that you knew what he was thinking. “Now that I did what I came here for… let’s go back to doing what we were supposed to do…” He got what that meant, and you both left the cafeteria to go and find your classes.

However, you had asked to see his class first so you could apologize to 1-A for your behavior this morning, and you smiled and waved when you came into the room. “Hey.” You greeted them pretty casually as many of them perked up, having recognized you from this morning but they weren’t sure how to react to your new attitude.

'Ah! It’s her!’

'But she’s smiling?’

'So different from this morning…’

“So yeah… some things were said… and I regret it. I was a bitch… there I said it, but I really am sorry for how mean I was. I don’t want to be enemies with anyone here, unless you wanna be my enemy that is.” You apologized, and nearly all of them (except for Bakugou) accepted. “It’s no problem! We apologize if we might have made you uncomfortable this morning with our staring.” Ingenium’s brother, Iida apologized and bowed to you as you snickered a bit, appreciating his politeness as you shrugged.

“It’s okay. I’ve gotten worse stares.” You held no grudge this time, since it was true, those weren’t the worst stares you’ve gotten from people. “The truth is my friends suck… and you guys seem WAY cooler… Shinsou’s said some mostly good things about you guys…” You added, as a few of them started to smile and their thoughts were some of the most pleasant you had heard all day. Except for that little grape-haired boy…

“So… does this mean you’re gonna hang out around us more like Shinsou?” The electric blonde you remembered from this morning, Kaminari asked you somewhat hopefully, obviously thinking that you had a cute face since you could hear him thinking exactly that and you couldn’t help but smirk and go over to him. “Why yes it does you naughty boy!” You playfully and softly patted his butt as he jumped a bit and blushed quite madly, his eyes wide with shock (pun intended) as Jirou and Sero started snickering at how flustered he was.

“Kirishima’s you guys’ friend… any friend of his, is a friend of mine.” You went back over to Kirishima, who was smiling widely at you, at least until one of his friends glared at you. “Well I’m sure as hell not going to be your friend you damn drunk!” Bakugou shouted at you, obviously not interested in your offer of friendship despite the fact that the rest of his classmates, especially Kirishima were accepting of it. However, you couldn’t help but smile at the angry blonde.

And you giggled a little bit, which just made him even madder, which Kirishima could see. “Aww c'mon Bakugou… (Y/N)’s not bad at all once you get to know her.” He tried to reassure his friend, but Bakugou wasn’t having it as he scoffed and kept his angry gaze on you as you smiled at Kirishima. “And you’re gonna get to know me all right.” You winked at Bakugou before you turned to face Kirishima, cupping his face before you suddenly kissed him gently on the lips as the redhead made a surprised sound, his face turning almost as red as his hair when he felt how soft your lips felt on his as he closed his eyes and slowly kissed you back and gently put his hands on your shoulders.

An array of shocked gasps and exclamations were heard throughout the entire class, many of the students, especially Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Aoyama, Ojiro and Sero who were wide-eyed and blushing at such a sight.

“P-Public Displays of Affection are prohibited in a school setting!” Iida exclaimed, very flustered as he waved his arm dramatically, but neither you or Kirishima paid him any mind. As the rest of his classmates were forced to witness, some were quite flustered and blushing, while some of the others only looked slightly less shocked, such as Tsuyu, Todoroki, Tokoyami, Shoji, Satou and Koda who had looked away as they blushed.

“AWWWWW!” Mina however, started to fawn all over the kiss as she saw that as a seal of a new relationship. “How romantic!” And Hagakure seconded the emotion as she and her pink friend cheered. “Ha! Way to go Kirishima!” Despite how you teased him, Kaminari was extremely happy for his friend. “Damn you Kirishima! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!!” Mineta cried with his fists clenched at how 'lucky’ his classmate was for having scored with a pretty girl.

“G-Get a room you idiots!” Bakugou actually stuttered a bit, his cheeks a slight red hue as he averted his eyes in disgust upon seeing the person he could call his best friend kiss a girl he didn’t really like at all.

But you cheerfully ignored him, even if you did eventually pull away from the wide-eyed, blushing Kirishima, your own cheeks a bright rosey pink. “I have to go… but do you want to hang out maybe after school is over?” You asked, a little shyly but excitedly as the redhead stuttered, obviously still rather surprised from how you kissed him but he snapped out of it once he registered your question.

“Oh yeah! Yeah totally! I’m down with that (Y/N)…” He finally answered, still looking flustered but excited as you giggled and reluctantly pulled away to head out the door. “I’ll definitely see you around.” You smiled at him, repeating what he had told you earlier this morning before you waved to him, and he happily waved back to you.

“And... thanks again Kirishima… thanks for today…” You said one more time, and he just smiled that smile that you had fallen for.

“You’re always welcome (Y/N).”

You were definitely with him.

189 notes · View notes

ageeksnerdyworld · 5 years ago

Text

Shameful in the Light

Characters: Zale Young, Bonsai Warner, Mayor Whiskers

Word Count: 5,870

Trigger Warning: Swearing, Drug Use (kinda), Death

A/N: The only thing I actually had inspiration for so here ya go... As always the Cyber World belongs to @voiceoflarka

Summary: Life tricks even the best of men into avoiding the truth. Often subconsciously their daily thoughts and actions only aide and abet. Burying a man deeper into his sins and his ignorance. But nothing, not even the deepest love, can keep the demons out forever. Click that read more if ya want...

~~~

The bed was cold. Cold and oddly comforting. The sensation pulled him down and silently begged him to stay. Beckoning like a siren's song from the deep. It didn't matter that one arm hung off the side. Or that barely a corner of the thick blanket covered his person. Or that he couldn't properly breathe with his face buried deep in the pillow. He would've gladly kept laying there and slept the day away.

But the force on his back had other plans. The motion, the light push, was far too familiar for him to ignore. His eyes slowly fluttered open; blinking against the sunlight. What sleep continued to linger, attempting to call him back, made his dark lashes stick to one another.

"C'mon Mayor Whiskers," he groaned. "It's too early for this, man."

"Mmrow," came the response.

Turning over onto his left side he pushed the gray tabby off his back.

Laying on his side Bonsai's face filled his vision. Despite events of the previous night, the state of her hair and makeup, she looked at peace. Her chest rose and fell in perfect time with her deep slumber. She was clutching the blanket close to her chest. He didn't want to wake her. He didn't want to bring the moment to an abrupt end. But at the same time he couldn't not touch her.

Reaching out he softly pushed a couple strands of hair out of her face.

She instinctively moved away; turning her head in the opposite direction of his touch. A quiet, annoyed, grunt escaped her lips. She flung her right arm over her face to block out the light.

"Mrrow," the cat called again. The annoyance in his voice was clear despite the lack of human speech.

"Chill out wouldja? I'm up, I'm up," Zale whispered.

Pulling the blanket off he swung his feet over the side of the bed. Mayor Whiskers took this as a sign and jumped off the bed. The cat hurriedly rushed out of the room. Zale took a few seconds to stretch before stepping onto the bedroom floor.

A low, very aggravated, meow came from down the hall.

"Fucking relax," Zale muttered to himself as he left the room.

Outside the open door he stood in the short hallway. From there he could see the front door to the apartment and the kitchen beyond it. There was the gray tabby cat; standing by the food and water bowls. As Zale walked over the cat rushed back to him and rubbed against his leg. Mayor Whiskers continued to walk with Zale to the kitchen. All the while airing his grievances with drawn out meowing.

Stepping onto the cold tile floor sent a shiver through Zale’s body.

The cat rushed to the spot, adjacent to the small kitchen closet, where his bowls were kept. Once again he started meowing with an annoyed urgency.

When Zale saw the empty bowls he sighed. Bending down he ran his hand along Mayor Whiskers' head before scratching the cat's chin.

"No wonder you're so pissed, huh, bud? You must be starving," he said.

Pulling himself to his feet Zale shook his head. This wasn't the first time either of them had forgotten to feed the cat. It wouldn't be the last either. Even so each time he woke to a hungry, thirsty, Mayor Whiskers his heart sank.

"Some pet parents we are," he muttered to himself.

Bending down again he picked up the bowl on the right side. It was a light gray with a red line along the bottom rim. Crossing the short distance to the sink he turned the faucet on. Letting the dirty, hot, water run for a few seconds he waited for it run cold and clean.

You think you can take care of yourself and her when you can’t even take care of a fucking cat?

He blocked the thought out as he filled the bowl with water.

“Here ya go, Mayor Whiskers,” he said as he set the bowl back down. The cat quickly lapped up the water. He was clearly dehydrated as he didn’t take a single pause for a good minute or two. And when he did finally take a second it was only to lick the excess water droplets off his mouth.

Zale turned back to the sink and reached for the cupboards. Gripping the old, rusted, handle as gingerly as possible he lightly pulled it. The cupboard didn't open but the handle came off in his hand. Sighing deeply he put the handle on the counter. Putting his fingers underneath the lip of the door he pulled. This time it opened. Reaching inside he pushed the other one open as well.

The sagging, nearly empty, bag of cat food sat sadly in the cupboard.

He took the bag out and set it on the counter, next to the sink, before opening it. The sounds must have alerted the cat as he quickly jumped up on the counter. He was circling the bag; sniffing and pawing at the paper.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Zale said as he picked the bag up again.

He took a couple of steps to the empty food bowl. It was the same size and shape as the other bowl. The only difference was the coloring; opposite to its twin. Red all except for a thin line around the bottom rim. Zale quickly filled the bowl and returned the bag to the cupboard. Mayor Whiskers took the short window for what it was and began eating.

The loud, crunching, sounds filled the small space. Zale knelt down next to the cat and began slowly running his hand along the cat’s back. A thousand yard stare overtook him as the thoughts, that he had blocked out earlier, came back in a flood of self-defamation.

Suddenly he realized that the crunching sounds had stopped. Shaking his head, knocking the fog out of his mind, he rose to his feet. He quickly walked back to the bedroom.

From the doorway he could see that Bonsai was still in bed.

She had shifted onto her stomach at some point. Her arms and legs were sprawled out over the mattress. Zale tiptoed back into the room as quietly as he could. Stopping at the foot of the bed he reached over and walked his fingers up her leg. Grunting quietly and annoyed she tried to kick his hands away.

"Morning, gorgeous."

"Go away," she replied; voice groggy and muffled. "I'm sleeping."

"You can't fool me, miss black eyeliner."

He crawled onto the bed; closing the space between them. Sitting on his knees he grabbed her hand and curled his fingers in between hers. Pulling her onto her back Zale leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. He let go and hopped off the bed once more. He crossed to the short dresser that sat a few feet from the door frame. Opening the drawer he grabbed the first thing he saw.

Pulling the shirt over his head, he turned to her and, asked; "Wanna head out?"

She nodded.

~~~

“Gonna tell me where we’re going, babe?”

Zale shook his head.

They had barely left the apartment before she began asking. And even after a few blocks, and a half-assed game of twenty questions, she kept at it. Zale continued to keep it a secret. His silence ticked her off more than the secret.

"Better be worth it,” she said with a bitter voice.

“Oh it is, trust me.”

Bonsai rolled her eyes and scoffed.

She wore an over-sized gray shirt under a red flannel. Layered on top was a light blue jean jacket. The fabric was distressed and faded. Various patches covered the surface in a randomized pattern. A pair of black fishnets covered her legs under a short, pale pink, skirt. Ends of the fishnets were tucked into the galaxy printed high tops which covered her feet. Days, maybe weeks, old polish colored her nails a deep black. Except for the top edges where it had cracked and peeled off. The aviator sunglasses on her face glinted in the afternoon sun. Her makeup was still a mess but she didn’t care.

And neither did he.

To him she was always the most beautiful person anywhere they went.

Like a moth flying dangerously close to a flame he caught himself staring and looked away.

But he was too late and she already noticed. Turning away from the passing cars she side-eyed him. Bonsai pulled the sunglasses down over the bridge of her nose. Looking him up and down she nodded approvingly.

“Mm-hmm.”

Zale chuckled and shook his head in embarrassment.

He mindlessly echoed her gaze and looked down at himself. His eyes glued to each article of clothing for a long time; analyzing every tiny detail. The old and discolored white t-shirt with its peeling black triangle. A pair of faded, over washed, black jeans haphazardly shoved into a pair of boots. Various sized patches of different materials covered the larger holes. One of the zippers had broken. It was stuck half open and the pull tab had fallen off. He wore an aging, and tattered, navy-blue hoodie. The hood covered his head; blocking his peripheral like a pair of blinders.

How in the hell did you get lucky enough to have her? Fucking look at yourself, dude. Look like you crawled outta the fucking dump. Probably smell like it too.

Zale started to zero in on the things he couldn’t see. The hard calluses on his fingers. Scrapes on his knees that burned painfully. Heavy, dark, bags under his eyes. Bruises, scabs, and strangely shaped dents covered his skin in various places. Fading veins, originally a deep oxford blue, were now barely visible. A few had died from overuse and turned black.

All with track marks to match.

Nobody’s gonna see 'em. Even if they did who the fuck cares? Mom? Dad? Cove? Fae? Don’t make me laugh.

As these thoughts ran through his mind he began picking at his sleeve.

Bonsai reached over, standing on her toes, and pulled his hood off.

Before he could fix it she ran her hand through his hair. Pulling her close he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Her long, wavy, black hair cascaded down his chest.

“This is it,” Zale said after a few minutes.

She peeled off him and looked around.

The couple stood in front of a bookstore. Its exterior was long and rectangular. Square transom windows ran along the top of the storefront; metal latticework spacing the glass apart. The square designs were echoed on the masonry pillars and the bulkhead. Two old fashioned street lamps hung from the top of the pillars; along the extended cornice. Everything that made up the storefront, that was not glass, had been painted a dark turquoise color. Large, square, glass panes sat on either side of the recessed entryway.

Display windows gave passersby a clear view inside.

Above the transom windows, and cornice, the facade was painted white. A sign was affixed to the building on the space. The nameplate shaped sign matched the turquoise color of the rest of the building. Painted on the stylized metal, in thin and sharp cursive, was the name of the store. Bright golden letters stood out against the dark black behind it.

“The Book Nook?” she turned to him and asked.

Zale dug into his back pockets; pulling out a Sharpie and a couple of pens.

He held the items out to her with a smirk. She took them quickly and opened the door. He followed close behind.

The interior of the store had a cozy, welcoming, atmosphere. Two or three tables were set up behind the large display windows. A deep, dark oak, counter jutted out from the wall not too far from the large window on the left-hand side. An elderly woman stood behind the counter. Her white hair was tied back in a neat bun; except for a few strands that had fallen around her face. She smiled at them as they entered but did not approach. Zale nodded at her as Bonsai rushed to the shelves at the back.

As he walked over to where his better half had rushed off to Zale noticed that not that many people were in the store. It was a bit late in the afternoon so it made sense. Most people, with normal lives, would be at work or school. Catching sight of Bonsai he quickened his pace.

She was standing near the back of the aisle; near the emergency exit. Book in hand she seemed to be intently reading whatever was typed on its pages.

But he knew better.

“Whatcha got there, B?” he asked as he stepped behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Some stupid self-help book,” she said; the disgust clear in her voice.

The Sharpie was in her hand; hidden under the spine of the book. Her brow furrowed as she searched for something. Flipping through the pages she finally found what she was looking for. The empty space under the title of the eighth chapter gave her a perfect canvas. With a delightful chuckle she pulled the cap off the permanent marker and went to work. It didn’t take long. A minute or maybe less and then she moved to place the book back on the shelf.

“Lemme see that again.”

“Enjoy,” she replied with a wink as she passed the book to him. She walked away and went about perusing the aisles once more.

He quickly flipped to chapter eight.

The chapter was entitled Horrors of Hate. But a dark, thick, line ran through the word “hate”. Above the text, in harshly scribbled handwriting, was the word “youth”. Under the title was a drawing of a girl’s crying face. Her hand was outstretched with an unclear object in her palm. The overall shape of the object matched a small hole in the girl’s chest.

Chuckling to himself and shaking his head he replaced the book.

He wandered through the store once more. Taking a red pen out of his back pocket looked around for the bookstore’s owner. Not seeing her anywhere near him he turned toward the nearest shelf just in case. He held the pen in between his fingers and hid it under the sleeve of his hoodie.

Randomly picking up various books he scrawled his own messages in the blank spaces.

Zale wrote stupid things that were funny in the moment. Short phrases like “doing a book burning? start with me” and “only read when high”. As he finished a small drawing of a dog pooping on the title of a rom-com piece of erotica he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Zay! Look at this,” Bonsai said as she shoved a book into his face.

It was a children’s graphic novel. The superheroes, in their brightly colored costumes, were fighting the villain. All of the typical violence that was associated with the heroes in question was nowhere to be seen. Or it was supposed to be as the book was for children. The heroes were supposed to talk the villain out of doing whatever damage they had planned.

Bonsai had taken it upon herself to fix the problem.

Red and blue ink turned a docile scene into a bloodbath. With the dialogue bubbles untouched the text remained the same. The juxtaposition of the flowery language with the added violence was hilarious. Now the scene ended with the villain, still claiming to be reformed, beaten and bloodied.

As Zale laughed she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Thanks,” she said. “I really needed this.”

“Anything for you.”

She took the book from him and went to return it to wherever she first found it. He watched her go and smiled. After the night they had previously she was in dire need of a pick me up. Thankfully this did the trick.

He returned the book to the shelf and pretended to scan the rest of the books for another. After a minute or so of this miming he shrugged and walked away. Taking his time as he went he looked around for Bonsai. He knew that she couldn’t be far off as the place wasn’t very big. Walking around the store Zale felt the phone in his back pocket vibrate. He slowed to a stop as he took out his cell. A text came through from an unknown number. The message was a simple two word phrase.

In stock.

Before he could text back the phone buzzed again. The vibration was longer than the first time; signifying that a call was coming through. He pressed the green phone icon and put the phone to his ear.

“Howard Boulevard, green-gray,” the familiar voice on the other end said before hanging up.

~~~

The street was busy despite the odd hour. Most people should've been at work or school and yet cars practically flooded the street. Zale turned and gave Bonsai a confused look from under the weathered, dull, navy hood. She echoed his confusion with a cocked eyebrow. Turning back to the street they scanned the opposite side.

He felt her hand harshly squeeze his own.

A slew of parked cars lined the curb. A couple of bikes were neatly corralled by the edge of the sidewalk that turned down a narrow alleyway. But, mysteriously, only one appeared to have the engine on.

From this distance all they could see clearly was the profile of the car. Even with the bright lights above it was difficult to discern the color. They had no idea if this car belonged to who they thought. But already late they quickly rushed across the street. He held her hand as they ran; clutching it intensely. Like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.

Calm down, he mentally shouted to himself, nothing’s happened.

Slowing to a leisurely stroll once they reached the correct side of the street. Zale looked around for a car matching the color he was told. His head whipped around as he searched. A sharp exhale left his body when he saw it. Pointing it out to he lessened his grip on Bonsai's hand. She ran her hand through her hair; trying to shake out her nerves. As the couple walked the silhouetted shape of a person came into view.

The shape was leaning against the trunk; facing away from them. A thin reflection of the car's rear lights shined on the figure's dark jacket. Seeing the man's face Zale felt the tension leave his body. He heard Bonsai exhale a deep sigh of relief.

"Fuckin' took ya long enough."

Klynn Buffett was never a patient man.

He stood with arms crossed over his chest. An old, weathered, light gray jean jacket covered his chest. The sleeves were cut off in a very disordered manner. Fabric strands of varying lengths hung from the edges. He wore a white t-shirt underneath. On the fabric was an image of a skull; black on one side and white on the other. Behind the skull image was a series of pixels. Reversed coloring to the skull the pixels were of different size and shape. Dark blue jeans collected in a series of folds at his feet. On his feet were a pair of bright red street sneakers. The soles were white with black writing all over.

Klynn’s bright auburn veins cut through the dark.

Silver ink shone along the left side of his neck; illuminated by the car’s rear lights. Stylish filigree curled around his skin in an intricate manner. Inside the decorative ink was an image of raven feathers. Underneath the feathers was the Latin phrase; volenti non fit injuria. An impatient annoyance twisted his lips into a snarl. The emotion was perfectly reflected in his hunter green eyes. His white hair, shaved except for the top of his skull, was wavy and long. Swept to the right side of his face the curled locks covered his eye.

Zale shook his head and looked at the ground; "Sorry man. Lost track of time."

Kylnn scoffed. It was clear that he wasn't satisfied with that answer. But he pushed off the car and moved towards the front door. His dark eyes dug daggers into Zale.

"Gonna let it slide. This time."

Clutching the door handle Kylnn pulled it to open the door. It didn't budge. He chuckled and shook his head.

“You good, man?”

“Yeah,” came the struggled reply. “This piece of shit gets stuck all the time.”

Zale nodded and shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. Bonsai moved closer and hooked her arm through his. Bonsai nudged him slightly. Looking over to her he gave her a questioning look.

“You ok?” he mouthed.

She shook her head.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. Without saying a thing she nudged her head in Kylnn’s direction. Then she motioned to the area around them. Zale took a minute before he understood. Clearing his throat loudly he took his hands out of his pockets and stepped in front of Bonsai.

“Kinda noticing your boys aren’t here, Kylnn.”

“Yeah, so? If yo...” he suddenly stopped; freezing in place.

"Let's go," Bonsai whispered.

"What? Why?"

Bonsai's pleading eyes shifted back to where Kylnn stood. They took on a deep look of suspicion. A sprinkling of fear lurked inside as well. She crossed her arms over one another and hugged herself.

"I just have a bad feeling. Please, Zay."

Zale chuckled, smirking, "For real? We've been buying off him for years, B. If he wanted to rip us off he woulda done it already."

She nodded reluctantly. Zale could see that she was still bothered by something. He didn't know what it could have been but he pulled her into a hug. Holding her close for a minute; hoping it would help ease her nerves. Uncurling from the embrace he held her at arm's length. Zale looked at her for a few seconds before cupping her face in his hands. He kissed her on the forehead and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"I’m never gonna let anything happen to you. You're my tree of life, B. This soul," he said; laying a hand on his chest.

“This soul is useless without you.”

BAM!

The sound of the car door slamming made the couple jump. Turning in the direction of the sound they saw Kylnn walking around the car to the front side. He winked at them as he passed. Bonsai’s suspicions grew but she kept them to herself. Her veins began to glow just a little bit brighter as if to echo her feelings.

Zale put his hand on her shoulder.

Another loud slamming sound rang through the night as Kylnn let the hood of the car fall back into place.

“Why, man?”

“Just part of my charm,” Kylnn said with a smirk.

“So, the whole thing with the door was--?”

“Lost track of where I put it. That shit happens to the best of us.”

Kylnn joined the couple on the sidewalk and he approached Zale. He held his hand out. Zale took it and pulled him into a man hug. The exchange only lasted for a few seconds before they let go. As their hands moved apart a small plastic bag was passed into Zale’s hand. He curled his fingers around it before shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.

“Pleasure doin’ business.”

Zale nodded and wrapped his arm around Bonsai again. As they walked away he leaned to kiss her head.

~~~

Once inside the apartment he pushed the door closed with his foot. Turning around to lock it caused the paper bag to shift in the crook of his left arm. He shouted over his shoulder.

“B? I’m back!”

Shoving the key into his pocket he simultaneously kicked his shoes off. After that he turned around once more. Now facing the inside of his apartment he could see that everything was exactly how he left it. An open carton of milk was still on the table. The small stack of books that held up the broken table leg was still askew from when he rushed out.

Exhaling the breath he didn’t know he held Zale walked across the floor.

“I got you something,” he called to the empty air.

He thought that maybe she had taken a nap. She had done that ever since they’d known each other. It didn’t matter what the argument was about, or who it was with, she always ended them the same way. When he asked why she explained that she didn’t want people to fight for too long. He always thought it was sweet.

So he turned the corner and walked to their bedroom. He took a breath before quietly pushing the door open.

But the room was empty. The bed, a small mattress on a thin metal frame, only housed a few pillows and a blanket. The beanbag that sat in the corner opposite the bed was also missing it’s typical occupant.

Walking out of the room he made his way back. It was clear that the kitchen was empty so he didn’t bother looking. As he moved to set the bag on the counter he turned to his right; scanning the small living room.

There she was.

Bonsai was sitting on the sofa with her back towards him. Her long, black, hair cut off at the base of her neck by the back of the sofa. It was clear that she hadn't heard him. Zale smirked and crept over to the couch.

It was the perfect time to surprise her.

Walking on tiptoes he approached the sofa from the left side. Turning the corner she had fully come into view.

She wore the same outfit from earlier minus the aviators. Her arms were on either side of her person. Palms facing up her thin arms were quietly laying by her side. A bright green colored rubber band tourniquet hung loosely off her left arm. Barely past the crook of her elbow was a syringe. The plunger had been pushed all the way down.

The needle was still in her skin.

On the old, dented, and stained wood table was another tourniquet. It was a bright yellow color. Next to the tourniquet was another syringe. Empty. There was an old, burnt and bent, spoon on the other side of the syringe. Also empty. A lighter and a couple cotton balls also lay on the tabletop.

The small plastic bag also lay on the table.

Most of its contents remained.

Zale’s eyes rapidly darted from each item he saw, to the next, and back again. His mind couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It just made no sense. In a daze, unaware that he was even moving, he rushed to her side. His knees slammed into the floor and he ignored the pain. His bottom lip quivered in fear.

With shaking hands he carefully pulled the needle from her skin.

He tried to call her name but the sounds remained in his throat.

The pulse of her veins was getting slower with each passing second. Slow and progressively more faint. Deep black broke through the bright orange every few beats. Her breathing was shallow and rapid. It seemed like there was something blocking the air from filling her lungs. Every couple seconds she would choke on nothing. The edges of her lips were turning pale. And a blank thousand yard stare glossed over her eyes.

"No, no, no," he repeated; anguish heavy in his voice.

"C'mon, c'mon stay with me, B. You were right. You knew and I... Fuck. I'm so sorry."

She pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head. The message was clear. Nothing he could say would change anything. There was no point wasting what time they had left on apologies.

"Babe," her voice a choked whisper, "can you sing something for me?"

He nodded as the tears ran down his cheeks. Clutching her hand in his own, a hand against her back holding on, he could feel the heat leave her body. A whirlwind of emotions ran through his mind as he started to sing. It was quiet and shaky. Completely off tune. He didn't even know if he sang any actual words.

But none of that mattered.

She wanted to hear his voice and so she did.

Lifting his head he took a deep, shaky, breath. Only then did he notice that the gray tabby had sat next to Bonsai. He had been purring quietly.

"Don't go, B. Please."

But she was already gone.

Panicked, afraid, and in pure disbelief he grabbed her shoulders. Shaking her lightly he called her name again and again. She didn't respond. Her head jerked back each time he moved her. Her entire body was limp, although still warm, and didn't put up a fight. Couldn't. Her eyes were dull. Veins now entirely black. Running his hands along her neck he cupped her face in his hands; thumbing her cheek.

He sat there, sobbing, until there were no more tears to shed. The grief poured out of his mouth until his throat was raw.

Why? Why? Why? the question repeated with the rapid, fearful, pulse in his veins.

Kylnn.

Shoving his hand into his jeans he aggressively searched for his phone. Pressing the button on the back brought the dark screen to life. The black void was immediately replaced with a picture of the two of them. He quickly tapped out the code on the screen.

But his nerves got the better of him and the screen informed him that he messed up. Shaking his head he bit his bottom lip and tried again. And again. And again. The screen stayed on the picture, the digital clock changing, as if to taunt him.

He screamed and tightly grasped the phone in his hand.

Mayor Whiskers walked over to where Zale stood. He let out a quiet meow to get the young man's attention. Rubbing his head against his leg Mayor Whiskers started to purr again. The sound was usually low and comforting, but, not this time. In the dead quiet apartment every minor sound, that typically wasn't easily distinguished from the rest, was now obvious. The loud mechanical hum of the fridge. A dull, rattle-like, sound emanated from the air vents. The creaking sounds from the neighbors' walking around their apartments. Even the cat's purr was loud.

The overwhelming sounds pulled him back into the moment. He took a breath and tapped the screen one more time. The picture disappeared. It gave way to the slew of apps that covered an image of gray squares varying in size and shade. Ignoring every other app in view his thumb moved to the dark, blue-green colored, phone icon. Pressing the square brought up his most recent calls.

Without a second thought he pressed the first number in the list.

Putting the phone to his ear Zale found himself hoping that the call went unanswered. But his hopes were dashed as the phone abruptly stopped ringing.

"What did you do?"

"Huh?" the voice responded.

"What the fuck did you do, Kylnn?!"

"Look man I don't know what this--"

Zale cut him off; "She's dead. So, I'm gonna ask again and you're gonna give me an answer. What. Did. You. Do?"

The sudden change in tone was shocking. Violent threats, subtly hinted at through his words, went unspoken.

“Alright, alright, ya got me. I put a lil’ somethin’ extra in it.”

Kylnn paused on the other end as if he was choosing his words carefully.

“Thought you two woulda got hooked on the combo. That’s it. Scout’s honor.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Zale could practically see Kylnn shrug. He could, very clearly, see Kylnn lounging in whatever hovel he currently called home. The man was most likely sitting on a dirty and ratty couch counting his earnings. His phone would be held in place by his shoulder. Even in his own base of operations Kylnn always had his cronies around for protection. He knew that one of the many girls and boys Kylnn kept would be there too.

"I was gonna marry her."

“Well, look, I gotta go. Same time next week?”

Kylnn hung up before Zale could respond let alone tell him off.

He quietly sunk to his knees; no energy to scream nor tears left to shed.

The shock overtook him again and he mindlessly scrolled through his messages. Quickly finding what he needed he typed out what he could. He didn’t look it over. He didn’t care. He clicked send and let the phone fall from his hand as his body melted into the floor.

Barely a minute passed before the replies came in. His phone loudly buzzed as it vibrated on the floor. At first it was a few short notification buzzes. Then it turned into longer, drawn-out, vibrations. Calls began to flood in.

He didn’t look.

He didn’t pick the phone up.

He didn’t move even when his front door slammed open.

Zale stayed in that spot, frozen in place, until his band-mates, his friends, pulled him to his feet. Someone wrapped a blanket around him. Someone else was pacing the floor; loudly yelling into a phone. Zale vaguely took in what was going on around him. Even as he did everything began to blur and blend together. He swore she was fine. He knew that she hadn’t shot up without him.

“She wouldn’t leave me,” he said. “Not on purpose.”

“’Course not,” Zephyr said.

“It’s my fault,” he continued; ignoring what Zephyr had said. He stared out at nothing and pulled at his hair. “It’s all my fault.”

They tried to talk him out of saying that kind of thing. It wasn’t true and they knew that. Emery interrupted at one point to tell the others that the police were on their way. Running a hand through his hair he looked around the room and whispered.

“Bro? Wanna go out into the hall? Cops are gonna be here--”

Zale cut him off with his ramblings; “She didn’t want to. I said it’d be fine. Same guy as always. She didn’t want to and bought it anyway.”

“It’s not your fault,” Dexterity said as they put a hand on his shoulder and quietly guided him out.

“I bought it! I left her alone! I was gone for five minutes all because I had to buy her some dumb fucking mini cactus! I bought her a cactus and now she’s dead. It’s my fault!”

Dexterity didn’t respond and continued to guide Zale out into the hallway. Their hand continuing to rub his back. Looking back to the others they saw Zephyr and Emery standing in the middle of the living room. Both of them were looking around for things they thought Zale might need. After they grabbed a few things, water and snacks, they followed Dexterity into the hall.

Mayor Whiskers followed the group closely behind.

The three of them stayed by Zale’s side until the police arrived.

#my writing #oc story blah #idk what else to tag this as #tw swearing #tw drug use #tw death #ageekwrites #zale young #bonsai warner

2 notes · View notes

the-uptake · 5 years ago

Text

Strange Declensions of Skin and Musculature

The Uptake, With Symbiotic Self-Indulgence. Book 3, Chapter 10. Go to previous. Go to next. A ripening anthology of perverse possibilities. TWs: Medical gore, hard trypophobia warning, needles, drugging. [Revised 2020.01.10]

______________________

Sitting on the toilet cover pantsless as he hemmed over his shin, ‘Choly scratched at his throat. His glasses lay on the bathroom counter. He had his bicolor bangtails braided and tied with button hair elastics, with the ABC-gum barrette pinned into his hairline. In his ears were magenta keyhole ear weights, and just beneath his lip, a spike labret. The variety of colorful pill-shaped charms on his bracelet tinkled as he worked with a seam ripper yet again. The straps of his elastic-band upper back brace, and his ‘please cut here’ dashed-line choker, peeked from the large open neck of his thin white shirt, on the front of which posited a simple ‘So What?’

Second rolling shift had only just started, so he had plenty of time and light to tend to his leg. Meanwhile, Cecil made enough coffee to hopefully get through to third rolling shift.

“It’s just not healing right,” ‘Choly started from the bathroom, holding all his frustration in his lips. “Slag it all, I hate that I’m outta the Trylocaine saline already. That doc used shit stitches, y’know. Ugh, maybe this is me havin’ a reaction to the bone pin itself.”

“That’s absurd,” Cecil assured. A knock at the door, and he sneezed. “Stay put. I’ll get it.”

“Did you order lunch already?”

‘Choly could hear Cecil speaking with a thetic, and handling a shipment package, and the door shut. He saw him carry a decent sized flat box into the kitchen and set it on the table.

“I’ll show you once you’re done messing with your leg. Gosh, an offline signature. Even the localized in-building Nikola has been spotty. Awful.”

Lacking elucidation, and having successfully opened his leg wound back up, he remained where he sat and let his curiosity chew him up. He took a few paper towels off the roll on the counter beside him, and folded them to the desired thickness. He then pressed at the sides of the wound at different angles, and sopped at the milky bruise-colored discharge as it came forth.

“How’re your stitches healing up?”

“They were staples. The HP kiosk removed them a week ago. You were there.”

“Haha, yeah. But I mean, is it healing up?”

“Yeah. It’s getting to the itchy part.”

“Y’think the telemed kiosk would let me get debridement? Or do you think I’d have to drone that?”

The thought of sidestepping medical provision sublimated in Cecil’s head.

“Please let telemed do it. You really think it’s that bad? We can take you up there right now. Second shift. The elevators are working.”

“Ugh. No. No. I’m just running my mouth,” he dismissed, laughter nearly burbling through this anxiety. “Could you. Just help me make sure it’s drained properly at least. I’ve got the stitches off, but it’s hard for me to see. I can do it, but it’d be way easier with a second set of hands.”

“Yeah. But I really need to take my halo off and let it charge more. Only had it on to make sure I heard when the package came.”

After a few minutes, Cecil appeared in the doorway, wearing a dark gold rolled-sleeve dress shirt not tucked in, gradient black-to-red trousers, and house shoes, and not wearing his halo. He’d replaced the glasses he’d lost in the explosion with a pair of super-small round frames, and it nearly made him look like he squinted at all times.

They navigated the expression of the leg wound through touch and body language alone, guiding hands by hands and reading pace in the stiffness or eagerness of their touch. ‘Choly watched Cecil’s face as he knelt and inspected the shin, noting that the discoloration of the different sections of Cecil’s sutured-together face were starting to truly blend back together. He admired Cecil’s halo ports, the pair of shuttered discs at his temples and the pair behind his ears, and thought, If my fingers were the right shape and material, I could just... reach in. When it got to it doesn’t have to be fingers, he sat up straighter to dismiss the thought process altogether. The image of plunging a screwdriver into surgically crafted holes in his boyfriend’s head for fun and profit churned up his stomach.

He wondered what doing that would actually do to Cecil, and physically frowned instead of smiling like he wanted to.

Once the pus started really flowing, Cecil choked, and the haste in his shoulders came across as though he didn’t think he could discard the paper towels in the waste basket fast enough to start again with fresh. The grief stitched in Cecil’s face said it all for ‘Choly.

“It’s not your fault, that it got infected,” Cecil started, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear ‘Choly reply. “Besides, a similar stench comes out of the garbage chute all the time. It’s fine.”

The tenants dumped into the automated chutes at all hours, and stuff was getting trapped in them while the power was off for sixteen hours at a time, when they were supposed to empty directly into the building’s dumpsters.

“These rolling blackouts are hitting the building like the bullet to my leg. Only a matter of time before it all goes necrotic.”

‘Choly remembered Cecil couldn’t hear him, and trailed off watching Cecil continue to sop up the bloody rot. Again, he spaced out, fantasizing with the tenderness Cecil worked, that Cecil explore the wound orally. I wonder what sort of transmission that would create. Whether he’d get infected with my leg rot. Or if there’s something in his mouth that absolutely should not be in my leg. He groaned when Cecil had to press extra hard to get a stubborn vesicle. Cecil let out an apologetic noise, but ‘Choly nudged his leg at him to continue with an appreciative but flighty nod-shrug.

“Swing around and put your leg over the bathtub.”

‘Choly came back to reality, and complied, letting Cecil use a plastic cup to pour water from the faucet over the wound until it ran clear into the tub. Once patted dry, ‘Choly tested the stretch of his skin by pulling it together over the wound. Agitated, he pulled harder, and harder, losing delicateness when the flesh proved so overly pliant.

“Could you get the stylus tin from the medicine cabinet for me.”

When Cecil continued to watch him fuss over the flesh, ‘Choly realized that was something he’d intended Cecil to hear, and his lips scrunched to one side. He made sure Cecil was watching his hands, and pantomimed the approximate size and dimensions of what he needed before pointing to its location. Cecil stood with a nod and opened the mirrored medicine cabinet. Good thing there’s not anything else in there that size or shape...

Cecil produced the ten-inch-long aluminum tin, and ‘Choly thanked him. He watched in concern when ‘Choly opened it up and began sterilizing the implements in it with the rubbing alcohol. He took a seat on the bathroom floor to watch, and observe, not knowing how else to be of assistance. As Cecil held ‘Choly’s calf and steadied his leg with his heel across one shoulder, the nonchalance with which ‘Choly worked with the scalpel to trim away the square inches of flesh, all without the localized anesthesia he’d complained of having used up, painted a potent understanding how jaded ‘Choly was to this particular kind of pain, and how regularly this maintenance had transpired. Transfixed and haunted, Cecil’s spider bites hung parted for some time, before he finally spoke.

“I knew you stitched yourself back up, but surgery?” he begged. “You do your own surgery? Without anesthesia.”

‘Choly shrugged. He set the hunks on the counter, sterilized the wound with an antiseptic spray, and switched from knife to needle and thread. As he wove another vertical mattress suture, he remembered that he’d have to sneak the brine kit, and swallowed hard.

“Oh yeah. I was gonna chuck that stuff. Slag. Uh.”

The sentiment of rejecting the years long project had only intensified since what people now called Central Day, but he had to figure out how to navigate it into the garbage chute without Cecil seeing it.

The garbage chute smelling like his leg. He thought to all the purulent napkins in the trash, and to how the chute wasn’t emptying correctly. Of course it smelled like his leg. He hadn’t really noticed. Had he just gotten that used to the stench?

He ran Cecil out and the bathroom door shut behind him. He then finished up the stitches, dressed the fresh edges of the seam, put his blood-vessel print leggings, and clamped the series of straps and buckles of his leg brace over them. His glasses went back on his face.

He leaned into his reflection with a detached sneer, and with both index fingers adjusted to make sure the hinged shades were erect and out of the way.

He opened the bathroom door, and with a wheeze scrutinized how distracted Cecil was. Through the modular shelving, ‘Choly could only identify that Cecil was arguing with his reader and a cube, which was likely an instruction manual, and that Cecil’s halo still lay in the charging pad on the kitchen counter. Emerging at a caution, he rounded the corner to kneel at his side table and dig the aluminum box from the back of the bottom drawer. He rushed it into the bathroom, and scooped the flesh off the counter into the trash can, then took out the entire bag and the box, and rounded the other way out of the bathroom to shove them both down the garbage chute.

He held every ounce of exasperation and relief in his shoulders, and stood there for some time marveling and loathing in alternations that he’d actually done what he just had.

“--There, it handshaked,” Cecil announced. “What’d you throw away?”

‘Choly nearly fainted, whirling about to find Cecil had put his halo back on and looked on expectantly from where he sat in the kitchen.

“I, it was the pieces of skin. The whole trash bag. I was just cleaning up. I swear.”

Cecil frowned.

“Do you... have to do that often? Cut off part? Seems awful.”

“I have my moments.” Sweating, he tried to shift focus to what Cecil had been unboxing, only to go slackjawed and hobble over. “I, uh. Forgive me but wHAT. the actual fuck is that doing in our apartment.”

“The way things are going,” Cecil replied, with a small resigned smile, “we’re going to need to be able to defend ourselves. And this is the best I could do in terms of protection, without access to an Underweb app. I shopped for a real gun, but ex federal employee or not, the bullets are the hard part. So, I settled on this moment’s crowd favorite: the tranq gun.”

‘Choly picked his jaw up to smile, smitten as Cecil started compiling the various components to resemble the device that had been indicated. It scared and delighted him a bit, that Cecil of all people would have obtained such a thing.

“We could... put something besides tranq in it,” he suggested.

Cecil nearly laughed, only to frown harder.

“Don’t let Augen hear you say that.”

“Or else what? He’ll jerk off in our bathroom? Again?”

Another knock on the door. They both looked at each other swearing innocence. Choly got it, to find Linnaeus and Augen stood in the hall, carrying large woven totes. When he saw who stepped inside, Cecil hastily stashed the fully constructed gun in the space between the bookshelf and the fridge, and came out into the hallway track to greet the pair.

“Well, someone’s ears sure were burnin’,” ‘Choly quipped with a long face. Once the door shut, he greeted, “Good to see you again, Linnaeus.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the vampire muttered, not stopping between the doorway and the kitchen table. He indiscriminately shoved off all the unboxing trash into the other chair. Most of it ended up in the floor. He plopped his pair of totes on the table and divorced himself of them at last. “Never mind. I don’t care enough. We came bearing botany.”

Augen had come in a white asymmetrical vinyl-placket cowl-neck button-down, his gauzy dark grey vest, and aproned drop crotch pants, and had his hair tucked into a low loose bun. ‘Choly eyed his dark penny loafers, noting that his shoes and feet were dry, belying how awfully Augen’s flesh shone. Heavy bags darkened the vampire’s distracted eyes.

Meanwhile, Linnaeus dove into a fierce hug, and Cecil shoved down his agitated sputtering. The thylacine wore a coffee-colored asymmetrical vinyl-placket short sleeve button-down with vinyl sleeves, iridescent emerald slacks, and flip flops that only barely cleared the pads of his feet.

“--But we don’t even keep the fridge plugged in anymore,” Cecil objected, finally breaking out of his brother’s grip. “Unpreserved stuff spoils too fast with the rolling power.”

“We must green up your apartment,” Linnaeus insisted. “I know you won’t come live with me in Premier, so we must make your living space as habitable as possible.”

The thylacine glanced to ‘Choly just long enough to communicate a mixed emotion over being identified correctly this time, then worked to unpack potted plants from the totes and set them out throughout the apartment wherever he could find the room to. Cecil followed trying to meter exactly where the greenery found homes, failing to do much more than simply keep them off anything that wasn’t waterproof. Most of them overtook the modular shelving, though many also ended up beside ‘Choly’s daybed, around Cecil’s bookshelves, and even the bathroom.

“Stout, low-light plants. Daisies. Lilies. I knew the air quality would be awful with the intermittent power, but my word. I’ll have to come back with more chrysanthemums. And ivy. Soon.” He sniffed unpleasantly, noting his rapid congestion. “Vek cultivars. These will filter your air, and increase your available oxygen. Many even flower. A few bioluminesce, to ease your dark shifts. And this one. I’ve got friends in the agricultural frontier. Hybrid bamboo. In case you need to charge your halo without Tesla.”

Cecil squirmed at the remark, knowing it illustrated just how uncomfortable the thetic prosthesis made his brother. Linnaeus still grasped for ways to give him autonomy on Linnaeus’s terms, rather than his own. His brother did not mourn the disability, but rather the accommodations and treatment. Circumstances had neutered Linnaeus’s choices in solution options at the time, and robbed the ideal fix from Cecil in the process.

Breathing heavy, Augen helped himself to a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the kitchen sink. ‘Choly supposed that he just got really dried out from carrying all that stuff as far as they did, but then the fish did not rehydrate externally as he usually did by pouring it all over his face and neck, instead downing three glasses of water before setting down the glass, tugging at his collar, and wheezing.

“I got the care that the HP felt I needed,” Cecil snipped, glossing over Augen’s distress. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It works. The thetic stuff works. But you want to talk people who needed and got care. What the fuck! You re-grafted Augen?” He threw his hands at the vampire, incredulous. “Did you do that for free! How did you get him so perfect again? That doesn’t seem plausible, for so many reasons. Even if you had his exact serum formulation written down somewhere. I know the same formula won’t take the same way twice--”

“--’Choly didn’t tell you about my little April Fool’s Day prank, then.” Augen folded to a coughing fit. He sat on the kitchen counter, and began disrobing starting with the vest and moving on to unbuttoning his shirt. “Uncharacteristic of him... not to wax anecdotal over the little things... Guess everything that transpired on Central Day pales... in comparison.”

Another coughing fit cut him off, and he chuffed weakly with a groan.

“What gives, man?” ‘Choly asked at last. “You’re acting weird. Weirder than you did at Finnegan’s.”

“Finnegan’s was formulaic,” he croaked, letting out a tic. “This is. Something else.”

“He’s some of my finest work,” Linnaeus interjected, tone deaf to his object d’art’s apparent drug conflicts. “Excepting the bizarre habit of intentionally seeking humanization therapy, he’s only been grafted the once. Do a job well enough, and it only must be done the once. It’s not my fault, whatever other chemical alterations he samples.”

“Don’t you rib me for being hooked on therapy darts-- When it wears off, I get to re-experience-- your-- immaculate work seize hold of me over. and over. AND--”

Augen stiffened with a seethe, increasingly struggling to control his gross motor skills. He fully removed his shirt, and stood to start removing his pants, only to collapse in a writhing seizure, contorting in the floor face-down.

That got everybody’s attention. Murmuring oh shits, they all crowded close into the tiny kitchen, but not too close, unsure what to do. His shoulder was pitted in a deep cluster of kumquat-sized holes, many of which gauzy mucus filled.

“What is. Wrong with his shoulder,” Cecil uttered when the vampire’s seizure calmed.

“What do youmean what iswrongwith my-- aUGH”

Augen’s shoulder seized up, the musculature contracting the deep oversize pores to effuse their contents. From one wriggled forth a small creature with translucent veiny skin, a boxy snout, no eyes, large broad pointed ears, two front limbs, a fleshy nape, and a stout tadpole-like tail. It routed blind with its snout for a safe place to get, and found such in Augen’s armpit.

“What... is that,” ‘Choly whispered, unsure if the thing needed squashing or coddling.

“Augen,” Linnaeus started at a caution, crouching and holding out a hand to coax the creature to crawl up. “I do believe you’re the first fertile hybrid.”

Everyone collectively marveled in repulsed fascination.

“You went back to the Lazarus Hall, didn’t you. After I told you to leave the Volumizer alone.”

“Again,” Augen added. He turned over on his side with a grunt, his features as sallow as his salamander flesh would permit. “I know I only asked permission the first time, but slag it’s so raw. I couldn’t not.”

The creature lost interest in the thylacine’s arm, and wanted to get back in Augen’s armpit.

“What do you mean, I’m fertile,” he continued. “I didn’t--”

“Slag it all, I wish I could keep it for study in good conscience. You don’t understand. In a normal batch of Vek serum, Volumizer controls the sequencing potency of the genetics being grafted. From what you’ve told me, exposure to pure Volumizer post-grafting maximized the expression of each genetic donor to the end the human features all but drowned altogether. But this, this would be fascinating if it weren’t so terribly perfect a punctuation that your reckless abuse of the gift I’ve given you has started catching up with you.”

The creature found Augen’s axillary nipple, and it objected to the piercing by biting him. In a kneejerk he almost smashed his armpit tight shut, but instead scooped it up in his closed webbed hand. He snaked up to the counter without fully standing, deposited it in the glass he’d been drinking out of, and reached to refill it slowly. As the water filled the glass, it vacuously suction cupped its buccal funnel to the glass in contentment, and he slouched in exhaustion.

“The vampire bat, the Pacific lamprey, the olm, they reproduce sexually.” Linnaeus just couldn’t stop trying to explain away what had just transpired. “The tunicate, however. I have to have given you Didemnum vexillum, I recall. It’s what I was studying at the time. It reproduces both sexually and asexually, depending on the track of its life cycle. If the tunicate genetics expressed at a high enough potency, your flesh may very well have transformed into a colonial fabric of thousands of tunicate-like structures. Which... from the look of your shoulder,” he leaned in to gesticulate at the bruised, pocked shoulder with a clawed finger, “you must have ejaculated like a tunicate. But, you weren’t underwater at the time, I’m supposing, so it just spread all over your skin. You inseminated your own flesh. But, even after the Volumizer wore off, the tissue didn’t reject the life form gestating in your cutaneous tissue. It’s been theorized that hybrids are infertile due to individual genetic isolation, even between those grafted with similar constituents. But you, Augen, you’re a genetic match to yourself.”

“So you came all this way just to give birth in our kitchen?” Cecil quipped, adjusting his glasses dryly. “What is it with you and covering my place with slime every time you come over, huh?”

“Oh, fuck off.” The vampire pouted, curling up in the floor and tucking his head between his arms. “Are you sure I didn’t just... bud off or something? Like, a piece broke off?”

“If so, that’s only that much more captivating a discovery, to research more thoroughly in the future.”

“Does that mean it’s all right that I went down to the Lazarus Hall, like, four times in the past month. Or does that mean that you’re going to Volumize me and observe the results?”

Linnaeus’s ears folded, and he resumed pacing the hall track.

“If you’re keen to the idea of volunteering for it, my studies would greatly benefit from it.” He paused, to look to him. “If you’ve... Volumized... that many times, are you certain this is the only time you’ve...” He gestured to the creature in the glass.

“As far as I know. But you’re right... No way for me to know whether there’s more... Körbls.”

“You’ve stayed out of the waterways, haven’t you?”

Augen floundered in the floor in a deadweighted incredulity.

“...Of course I haven’t fucking look at me I’m thE FUCKING HUDSON RIVER FISH MAN.”

Linnaeus’s features tightened.

“Didemnum is an invasive species. If even one... Körbl... got into the bay, it’s soon to be covered in you.”

“Wait.” ‘Choly pulled up the picture from his cube storage. “Wait wait. This stuff just made all the different things you’re made of manifest. Literally. Explosively? That’s what happened?” Wow, I’m not the only one with pieces of my body coming off.

Linnaeus snatched the reader from him to glare at the photo.

“You took a picture while you were in the La--” his muzzle tangled into a furious snarl, “--Augen you took my brother’s boyfriend down there!?” He snarled and shoved the phone back to a doe-eyed ‘Choly.

“Told you it was a bad idea to chaperone me while you had your little field trip,” ‘Choly uttered in lyric, pocketing his reader.

“It was only a little semen,” the vampire defended, curling his face up under the counter’s edge to face away from everyone in shame.

“A LITTLE!” ‘Choly cried. “Are you a lamprey or a slagging hAGFISH!?”

Linnaeus couldn’t not laugh at it cast in this light.

“I knew there was Volumizer down there, but I never kept it in these quantities. With it so closely related to Vek use, it’s illegal to possess that much, let alone all in one place. I don’t like the thought of so much of it stockpiled ‘in plain sight,’ within city limits, no less.”

“Can’t be an isolated example,” Cecil said, having felt like this all had been a fever dream. “The only place things have been stored like that.”

Linnaeus paced again.

“There’s a lot of speculation that upsets me. Where else it might be stored. No question whether there is more. Who’s buying all this stuff from BH Meehl, and why are they turning a blind eye to their buyer? They’re either letting one client buy in bulk far in excess of what’s legal per purchase, or they’re letting one client buy however many drums they like provided they don’t exceed the legal limit per purchase. Who could possible need that much Volumizer besides the agricultural industry! The Lazarus Hall may have used that much in three months, during its golden days. Before the bombing flushed the city of most of my clients, it would have easily taken me five years to use that much down at my current parlor.”

“Maybe Meehl, or whoever bought this stuff from Meehl, rented the storage for it on the cheap.” ‘Choly gave a noncommittal shrug. “Repurposing structures for storage, without declaring what’s being stored. Happened all the time in the Quarter. Still happening in the Quarter, from what I understand. Stuff being illegal’s never stopped anybody in this city before.”

“And now, within city limits. The most concerning question, then, I’m thinking... is whether they were looking for a place to discard it, or whether they were looking for a place to hide it with the intent to return to it later.”

“Lots... of vacant real estate with Tri-City largely a ghost city for the time being.” Augen flopped in the floor again for emphasis.

“Wh. While we’re on the subject of Vek...” ‘Choly nudged the topic away from what was making everyone so uncomfortable. “You still graft. Would I... be able to get a consultation from you?”

Linnaeus approached him, and leaned in to remove his glasses. He scrutinized the oleous cataracts staring back at him fearfully.

“You’ve been mutated by Wolfrin exposure, correct?”

‘Choly squirmed where he sat on the daybed. “Wolframite. Yes.”

“--Then your genetics are inoperable, I’m sorry to say.” He straightened and returned the glasses. Once upon his face, Linnaeus flicked the shades down and resumed pacing. He softened to contemplation, welcoming the distraction of working out the logistics of a hypothetical grafting client. “It would likely take years of corrective humanization therapy before you’d be viable for it. Humor me... What would you have liked?”

“He’s obsessed with insects,” Cecil jabbed, failing not to roll his eyes. At this point he just wished the two of them would just leave, but he couldn’t turn down a slightly lighter subject first.

“I would’ve sold my soul for bug grafting donors to have been available during Vek’s legal life span.” ‘Choly nearly cried, his filter fluttering. “I did this to myself, for a lot of reasons. The Wolfrin exposure was voluntary. I figured there’d never be a cicada, moth, beetle or even fly in my future. Not even a mealworm. I’ve spent a lot of the past seven years mourning that I didn’t just settle and get something. Anything. When it was legal. This...” he gestured to himself like he’d just been drenched out of nowhere, “was the best I could do. Knock off hairless mammal. Awful.”

“We’re still not to the point of insect donors, if it’s any consolation. The exoskeleton just doesn’t take properly in mammals.” Linnaeus glanced between 'Choly and Cecil, who’d leaned against the modular unit. At this point, ‘Choly started on a bargaining track.

“What about... insects without one? An exoskeleton? Caterpillars. Worms. Maggots. I’d risk being a larva the rest of my life. Or a nymph. If it held a speck of possibility that the grafting would give me the chance for an eventual true metamorphosis.”

Linnaeus stopped pacing altogether, cowed by the remark. Surely, what Cecil could see in ‘Choly was the desire to have been grafted.

“All insects have an exoskeleton. Juveniles’ are just more pliant. Albeit scientifically ill-informed, I’m moved, though. I wish a method as poetic as that were the solution. You’re... you’re a good mate for George.”

Cecil only thought he’d had enough.

“As glad as I am to have it, Ben, I don’t need your approval who I fall in love with. I appreciate the greenery you’ve brought, but don’t you think you should just--”

A third knock on the door, this time impatient and extensive.

“Just fucking get it, ‘Choly,” the ex-librarian snapped, flapping a hand toward the front of the apartment.

‘Choly raised up on the balls of his feet to look through the peephole, but had absently been turning the door handle all the while, and Jacob immediately started to push himself in. When ‘Choly tried to slam it shut in a panic, Jacob jammed his foot in the way with a flinch. ‘Choly jerked in guilt at having done so, and gave him a little room, to which he slowly stepped inside, and shut the door behind himself to lean back against it.

“Good afternoon, Melancholy-- Oh! You have company.” Sweating, he struggled to breathe. “So sorry. This’ll only take a minute.”

All color washed from ‘Choly’s face. He backed up and shrank into the oversize armchair in the bookshelf area that surrounded Cecil’s walk-under loft bed. Jacob had the brine kit box under his arm. Full of doubt in the situation, Cecil slipped into the kitchen for a moment, and nonchalantly grabbed for his new weapon, and he stood sternly in the back of the apartment to observe. Augen looked up to see what Cecil had and rose to his feet in front of the sink, impulsively putting himself between Jacob and Körbl, sensing the potential for conflict escalation.

With a wild-eyed grin, Jacob glanced around the apartment, eyeing the greenery but also the individuals gathered together.

“Well, if this isn’t a motley crew,” he laugh-sweated. “I remember you from April Fool’s.” He feigned warming to the situation when he pointed to Augen, then wagged a finger around to each of them in turn. “Course you were wearing clothes last time I saw you. Let’s see. A Wolframite stalker. A librarian who, from the look of it, I know right where you were on April Fool’s. And correct me if I’m wrong. My biology’s not so great. But I have no idea what either of you two hybrids are made of. Neither of you can have legal grafting, so I doubt you’re documented either.” He let out a hoarse, vulnerable laugh. “Repairman fits perfectly with this crowd.”

Cecil had heard enough. A tranquilizer dart hit Jacob in the right side of his chest. Linnaeus flinched, but Augen writhed at the pneumatic sound of the tranq gun being fired. ‘Choly and Linnaeus both grasped the stimulus and gave the vampire the stink eye, torn between shame for Augen and anxiety for Jacob. The repairman glanced down, deadpan, then back up to confirm that it had been Cecil who had done it.

“I. Tranq gun. Right. I said I was gonna make this quick, but sure. You-- You’RE A lot scarier than I thought.”

“George, those things aren’t formulated to shoot humans with,” his brother hushed, horrified. The thylacine skirted slowly to the back of the apartment.

“Then I suppose he should get to the point,” Cecil retorted, not even looking behind himself.

Jacob would progressively slur more and more as his tone and volume ratcheted out of modulation, but he persisted. He cleared his throat, brushed the dart off his contrast-collar polo, and pulled the box to his front to open it. ‘Choly’s mouth dried beyond the ability to swallow when he saw the leather patchwork drawn out.

“This isn’t vINyl. Or eveN MYCOvek. It’s leather. A slaggin’ king size sheet of leather. In the traaAAsh. And do you want to know how I know that? You probably understand HOOow rhetorical this all is.”

With his gloved hand, Jacob produced the napkin with the freshest bits of excised flesh. ‘Choly looked and felt like he was going to throw up.

“You get caught doing arts and crafts this morning?” Jacob continued, his eyelids drooping unevenly. “Is that it? Had to dispose of it before yOU GOt caught? You’re lucky as sin that I was doing garbage chute maintenance today. That I found this, not the city.”

“It’s mine--” ‘Choly squeaked, trying to voice culpability. “It’s--”

Cecil rushed Jacob to snatch the leather from him. Jacob didn’t let go readily, but Cecil had enough of a grip to wrestle it from him to scrutinize it. ‘Choly was frozen while Cecil processed what he held in his hands. Incrementally, he gaind more and more of the tapestry by tugging firmly and not yielding the progress, Cecil eventually came to the patch with ‘Choly’s triangular forearm tattoo. He croaked, speechlessly furious that Jacob might have tried to take the kit for himself. He ripped the leather from Jacob’s grip with both hands, burning him down with a death glare, leaving Jacob holding the box with everything else in it.

“Your-- No. This is mine now.” Cecil whipped around to glare at ‘Choly with intensity. “You got this tattoo when we were first dating, ‘Choly.”

“I-- I know--”

Augen couldn’t contain an incredulous fit of hilarity at Cecil’s reaction to it all, nearly mirroring how entertain Jacob was remaining.

“Fuck, ‘Choly,” the vampire started, as he put his shirt back on, “You were churning out homebrew leather all this time and you never told me?”

“Never told me, either,” Cecil mumbled softly, rubbing the leather against his cheeks and staring off in a distant possessive hurt.

As Cecil unfolded it to look at it in entirety, the tapestry struck Linnaeus haunted. The thylacine frowned, eyes wide.

“How is that all--”

“--I told you, I’m a Wolframite.” ‘Choly tugged at the corner of his mouth for emphasis. “Doesn’t always go back. And I wasn’t billable until last year. From all my years dealing with All’s Well, I got used to... handling my health problems myself.”

“...TriplY GRAaateful that I found that and not someone who’d be mad,” Jacob quipped. He had to lean against the door again, for his constitution. “Can you imagine if it got out to the HP that you did your own surgery? You like tHE IDea of going to jail?”

“Hey can I have the freshest bits?” Augen joked. “A bit peckish.”

“You should... sit,” Cecil said softly. Then, he added, mostly to himself, “I had no idea you were keeping it.”

Jacob did not, in fact, sit.

The redhead struggled to calculate all the reasons ‘Choly would have kept every piece... all the reasons ‘Choly would have needed to remove it.... the cascade of criminal activity that had gone into crafting the tapestry, from start to perpetually-unfinished product... His eyes glossed over in horrified awe as he looked back up to the group, and he absently wrapped himself up in the thing, unable to recognize how he looked until his eyes met Jacob’s again. Rather than apologize or remove it, he simply wrapped himself up tighter in it, and gave him an angry fat lip.

“I know I’ve loNG Since worn out my welcome. I JUst... had to make sure you meant to throw that away.” Jacob sniffed away drainage and grinned dopily. “oNE Last thing before I go, though.”

‘Choly’s face couldn’t get any longer.

“What.”

“If this is all somehow you...” he produced a specific item from the box, “where did this spent bullet come from?”

“That’s my fault,” Augen chirped, deadpan. “We were playing William Tell. ‘Choly, do you want that box back?”

“If it’s all right with Jacob,” the dreg squeaked.

“It’s all right with Jacob.” Jacob pointed to Cecil, then to ‘Choly when he knew Cecil was still in orbit running his hands all over the leather. “Hit me up sometime, if you want me to fix that HVAC unit filter, will you? Those things are doing three times the work, and only given a third the time to do it. And somethin’ tells me this apartment develops a lot of... sTUBBooorn... unique... odors. Iiiiii’m...” He teetered a bit. “Slag you all act like goddamn serial killers.”

When Jacob stooped to put the box by the bookshelf, he collapsed in the floor before he could process another thought. Cecil approached the unconscious body and glared down at him. And the haloed redhead murmured, deadpan,

“I knew I liked him.”

Go to Next »»»

#biopunk #cyberpunk #dystopian #dystopia #body horror #the uptake #with symbiotic self indulgence #melanochro kara #george cecil #august ritter #benjamin cecil #linnaeus #jacob thorn #declensions #strange declensions of skin and musculature

1 note · View note