#(sorry for the crappy quality I made these in a hurry)

[vicit-vim-virtus]

[ Ooc: In all my three (four) years of university, I've never known this was one of the buildings they owned and I think that's a crime. ]

[ Ooc: I have my graduation ceremony at my university today, but like, I just want to stay home and continue working on my book AAAAAA. I didn't like my first chapter, so I wrote a new one and the new one hits hard (at least, for me, but that's probably because I know my boi, Luran, through and through) AAAAAAA. ]

[sassyresacon1990]

But if you loved me, Why’d you leave me?

[writersrealmbts]

A Natural

Description: Hybrid!Taehyung x Reader: You’re a single mom, and your son is your entire world. When you take him to get his first hybrid, his choice is pretty bewildering, until you realize that he was picking out a dad.

Warnings: Crappy writing because I wrote this while extremely stressed

Posted: 1/10/2019

Tags: Taehyung, Hybrid Taehyung, Human Reader

Flufff and probably angst: 5,327 words

A/N: Inspired by a prompt by @hybridfanfiction (Let me know if I need to untag you), and apologies for the quality. This was major stress relief writing after my hard drive died and I’m still...it’s a whole debacle but I might be able to save files if the scan ever finishes. It feels like it’s been forever since I posted, but it’s only been seven days.

Theo was bouncing on seat as he looked out the window. "I promise I'll be good! Can we go now?!" You sighed, then unbuckled. "Wait for me to open your door." Not that he had a choice, you kept the child locks on the doors because as obedient as your son was, he got excited and tended to rush towards whatever it was that was exciting him. That was one of the reasons the school counselor had suggested you adopt a hybrid. Not only would it provide Theo with a friend to play with but it might slow him down a little while he makes sure his friend is still with him. Which is what brought you to the adoption center. You waited until he was sitting still and opened the door. "No running, no yelling, no leaving my side unless I tell you you can. Now, we're here to find you a friend but we don't necessarily have to get one today. Okay?" He looked up at you, his eyes the same color as yours and shining with excitement. His hair, which you had carefully combed, was a mess. Thankfully his clothes were devoid of stains since he had dressed after breakfast and wouldn't have lunch until after. You smoothed his hair. "Mom?" "Hmm? Did you say yes?" He nodded, grinning at you, and taking your hand. "I'll be good!" He bounced on his toes. You smiled and nodded. "Alright, let's go. You've been really patient." He pulled you all the way to the building, then through the door. "Hi!" The worker grinned. "Hello. Welcome to Cedarbrook Adoption Center." "I'm y/n, this is my son Theo. I called yesterday," You told him, keeping a firm hold on Theo's hand when something caught his attention and he pulled on you. The worker nodded. "Ah! Yes! We'll have one of our specialists with you in a second if you'll take a seat." You nodded. "Okay, come on, Theo." Theo reluctantly sat down next to you, kicking his feet back and forth and looking around curiously. "Do you think we'll get a dog hybrid? Or a cat hybrid? Maybe a bunny hybrid? Ooh! Or--" "Or whatever one seems to fit with us. Let's just calm down, kiddo. If you're too excited then they could get nervous." You kept attempting to get his hair to lay flat, but it just rebelled as always. It was something that reminded you of his father. His gorgeous, amazing father who had died without ever seeing this precious being that somehow managed to wring every drop of energy from you. Theo was your world. The thought of interrupting the careful balance you already had in your home was stressful, but you knew that it was time for a change. Theo needed this, and everyone you consulted had said that it would actually really help you too. Whatever was best for Theo. "Hello, my name is Jungkook. I'm going to help you find a hybrid today." A man with bright eyes and a charming smile greeted you and gave Theo the high five that was expected. "Any idea what we're looking for today?"

You nodded for Theo to talk. His face scrunched as he thought of serious answers. "A boy." "Okay," Jungkook said patiently, smiling down at Theo. "I want to be able to play with him," Theo said, then looked at you before looking determinedly at Jungkook. "I know what I want, but not how to say it." Jungkook laughed. "I understand. Come on back. You can lead the way." Theo looked up at you, then nodded and hurried off with Jungkook when you smiled your permission. He was talking a mile a minute while you looked through an information pamphlet Jungkook had given you when he came in. It had quick information about the traits of the different types of hybrids and how the hybrids are cared for here. "Alright, we've passed the babies and toddlers. These are the four and five year olds. You're striking me as an awesome six-year-old. Do you want a hybrid younger, the same age, or older than you?" "Older," Theo said, walking past that room. And the next. Jungkook looked back at you. You shrugged and gestured that it was Theo's choice. You'd been told that it was important that the hybrid be his choice, and he had his own thoughts about what he wanted. Which made you nervous, but you also knew that kids--especially your kid--had a really good sense about people. You were surprised when he went into the room of hybrids over twenty. You were standing by the door, watching with confusion as your son went around the room observing all the hybrids in there. They regarded him with curiosity, reacting to him in a friendly manner. Jungkook stayed beside you. "He knows what he wants. That's good. And an older hybrid won't be as high of maintenance for you," He said, obviously sensing how tense you were. He offered you a comforting smile. "Still, it's strange that he's picking one that's an adult." You rubbed your arms in apprehension, watching to see what his choice would be. He was talking to a few of them now, nodding in response. They were gathered around him and he was so calm compared to how he normally was. He pointed back at you, seeing you watching and grinning. You waved a little. "Your husband...?" Jungkook asked, looking at his clipboard. "Died. Before Theo was born. Actually, I didn't even know I was pregnant when he died." Jungkook nodded, making a note as he bit his lip. "Are you a good story reader? Do you do voices?" Theo asked a hybrid, following it over to a different area with some chairs. You didn't hear the responses, but Theo looked pretty happy. "Do you sing? Do you know lullabies?" He asked, grabbing the hybrid's hand and leading him toward you. The hybrid nodded, then glanced up at you and suddenly looked a little shy. You fought the urge to blush as well. He was hands-down the most beautiful and handsome man you'd ever met. "This is my mommy. She's the best. Isn't she pretty?" The hybrid nodded, stepping partially behind Theo. "Mommy, this is Taehyung. Can we take him home?" "You're sure, sweetie?" You asked, but you'd never known him to be unsure about anything. Even the things you'd wish he would be unsure about, such as his dislike of carrots. "I'm sure," Theo said, nodding firmly and then taking your hand in his other one. "Okay," You said, looking at Jungkook. "Paperwork?" He nodded, smiling. He looked genuinely happy about Taehyung getting chosen. "We'll go take care of it. Tae, grab your things and say goodbye to the others?" Taehyung nodded. Theo hesitated. "Mommy, can I stay back here while you do paperwork and play with everyone?" "Um..." "It's okay with us," Jungkook said softly. Taehyung met your gaze, a little less shy already. "I'll keep him safe." Something in your head told you that it was best to start off with trusting Taehyung with Theo. You'd have to eventually anyway and frankly, being in a secure building was as good a place to start as any. You nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back." You kissed the top of Theo's head and followed Jungkook to fill out the paperwork. Last you saw, Theo was following Taehyung further into the room with a hop in his step. Next you saw of him, he was being tossed in the air by the hybrid and caught just as easily, both laughing and the other hybrids seeming to feed off of the positive energy they created. Theo had his father's smile. You went over cautiously, smiling. You had a few information packets and some things to help make Taehyung’s transition a little easier (not that Jungkook seemed concerned, he said that he was required to give it out and that Taehyung would transition just fine), but mostly you just had Theo’s backpack since he had abandoned it in the waiting area. Taehyung noticed you and set Theo down, looking sheepish and scared. “Uh, sorry—” Theo was trying to get back up. “More! Please?” You laughed softly. “He loves that. He got too big for me to do it last year. As long as you’re careful, I don’t mind. We should get going, Theo, it’s almost lunch time.” Theo grinned and ran, crashing into your legs. “Food!” He turned toward Taehyung. “Food! Let’s go!” Taehyung nodded as well, clutching a pillow and a pillowcase that was stuffed with his belongings after another hybrid handed it to him. “Y-yeah, let’s go.” The other hybrids said more goodbyes to him, while you slowly headed for the door. Theo was racing toward the door, excited about food. “Come on Tae-tae! We have to get lunch.” “Theo, your backpack?” You prompted, giving Taehyung more time to say goodbye. Theo froze, then looked around wildly before realizing you were carrying it and rushing to you. “Sorry, mommy, thanks.” He put it on with your help, then gripped the straps and looked up at you excitedly. “What did we talk about?” You asked gently, smiling. He looked up at you sheepishly. “No running off without your permission. Sorry mommy.” You dropped down to kiss the top of his head. “It’s okay, baby, it’s an exciting day. Just stay where I can see you and let’s not leave Taehyung behind, huh?” His eyes widened and he looked back at Taehyung. “Oh no!” He ran and latched onto Taehyung’s leg. “I didn’t mean to leave you behind.” Taehyung laughed and picked him up, nuzzling his face, and then just carrying Theo out into the hall. You took the pillow and pillowcase so that he wasn’t holding all three, giving him a reassuring smile. Theo started telling him about kindergarten, and his bedroom, and the house, and everything that he could think of. He just talked on and on. And on. He was a loquacious thing. He was still talking when you were taking him from Tae to strap into the carseat. He only paused when you closed his car door. You looked apologetically at Taehyung. “He’s going to be talking for another couple hours. He gets like this when he’s excited. He’ll calm down after he gets some food and runs out of things to tell you.” Taehyung smiled happily. “That’s okay. I’m excited too. He’s great.” “You can either take the front seat or sit in back with him.” He gestured that he would take the back, following you around to the other side of the vehicle. Theo talked the whole drive home, and as they got out of the car, and as you unlocked the door and let them into the house. He dragged Taehyung back to his bedroom before you could say a word. You sighed and shook your head, he was like this when he had a playdate too. You just resigned yourself to making lunch and letting Taehyung know the house rules after Theo had fallen asleep during the nap time that he was ‘too old for’ (he conked out at the same time every day). You checked your email while the water for macaroni and cheese was boiling, grimly noting the emails from your clueless coworker that heralded a difficult workday on Monday. “Theo, sandwich or hot dog?” “Hot dog!” He cheered from his room, then you heard him go right back to chattering, probably introducing Taehyung to his four stuffed animals and all of his other toys. You turned on the broiler, and got the hot dogs out of the fridge. Theo pulled Taehyung into the kitchen. “This is the kitchen!” “Taehyung, what do you eat?” “Everything,” He replied easily. “Hot dogs and mac and cheese?” He nodded, smiling still. He looked genuinely pleased and seemed to be relaxed. His tail wagged gently, and his collie ears were swiveled toward your son as he listened carefully to every word that was uttered. He guided Theo around you and into the dining room without ever interrupting. His smile just got bigger and bigger. Lunch was the usual of Theo talking and you listening while eating, except Taehyung was there, also listening and asking little questions.                                                                                                                 Theo dragged Taehyung off the moment the man finished his own lunch. You did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the living room, put Taehyung’s things in the spare bedroom, and straightened up in there for him. You peeked in on them in Theo’s room, seeing they were playing with the army men. Your watch said that you had another half hour before he crashed, maybe a little longer with how excited he was. You looked over the ingredients in your fridge, planning out dinner until you heard a shuffling sound behind you. Taehyung was standing there. “He’s asleep.” You smiled. “You okay? He can be a lot to handle.” Taehyung just grinned. “He’s great. I love him. He’s so bright and energetic. We’re going to have a lot of fun.” You nodded. “This room over here will be your room. I put your pillow and things on the bed. Anything else you need we can buy.” You pulled an extra blanket from the closet. “Especially clothing. I only have to work until lunch on Monday and we can go to the store to get you whatever you need. Okay?” He nodded, looking around and then out the window. “This is really nice. Thanks. I’ll be a good hybrid, I promise.” “I’m sure. Jungkook had the highest praises for you,” You told him, then smiled. “Well, if he’s asleep, we only have about half an hour before he wakes up again. Might as well give you a breather and let you acclimate.” You dipped your head to him and left him looking after you with an expression you didn’t understand. You went to your own room, looking over some bills that for once you didn’t have to worry about. You’d gotten that raise that you deserved the moment management had changed, and suddenly you weren’t having to cut corners just to make ends meet, another reason you were able to adopt a hybrid for Theo. Someone shook you gently. You started, sitting up and bonking heads with him. “Ah!” “Sorry! Sorry, um, Theo started throwing up. He’s okay right now, I gave him some ginger ale.” Taehyung sounded a little uncertain. You mentally cursed. “He must have a migraine. He’s not throwing up now?” You rubbed your head. He nodded. “He stopped a while ago, I just left his side because he seemed a little better.” “Thanks, Taehyung.” You got up, running a hand through your hair, and going out to where Theo was miserably watching ancient episodes of Winnie the Pooh. You ran a hand through his mop of hair. “Hey, baby. Taehyung said you were sick?” He rubbed his head, pouting and reaching out to you. You sat and pulled him into your lap. “Migraine, baby?” He nodded and curled into you. “Hurts, mom.” You kissed his head and got comfortable. “Taehyung took good care of you, baby?” He smiled. “He’s the best.” You nodded, sighing in relief that he seemed to be feeling better. You smiled at Taehyung. “He’s certainly something.” Taehyung smiled back, looking so happy that you had to look away. Being in a house with him was going to be challenging. It’s been forever and a day since you had to function around an extremely handsome man. It’s been you and Theo for so long. Now you had to find a new balance. You turned your attention to the screen, unsure what to do or say around the new man in your life. ——— You tucked Theo in. “School tomorrow.” He pouted for a second. “Okay. Will you and Tae-tae pick me up?” “Yes, we will. And we’re going to have roast beef and mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow.” You pressed a kiss to his forehead, then took your goodnight kiss, smiling as he giggled happily. “I love roast beef,” He said, grabbing his stuffed rabbit and hugging it. “Goodnight, mommy, I love you.” “I love you too. Now, Tae can read you one story. That’s it for tonight, okay?” He nodded. “Yes mommy.” “Goodnight, love.” You kissed his forehead again and got up. He suddenly grabbed at you. “Mommy? You like Tae-tae, right?” You tilted your head curiously. “I do. Why?” “Like, a lot?” You sat back down. “I suppose so.” “Like as much as you loved my daddy?” You flinched, and all amusement you had over the line of questioning died. “Theo…” “Because I love him a lot, and he’s an adult, and he thinks you’re pretty and I bet he—” “Theodore,” You whispered sternly. He closed his mouth, looking up at you with big, sad eyes. “Yes mommy?” Your mind raced, trying to figure out how to explain it to him in a way that he would understand. “You know how much I love you?” “Beyond infinity,” He answered easily. “I want you to be happy, and healthy, but…baby, did you get Taehyung because you wanted a father?” You asked. He’d never said a word about a father before, and rarely asked about his own father. Theo nodded slowly. “Are you mad?” “No, honey, I’m not mad. But I want you to understand that Taehyung and I probably won’t fall in love. Do you understand?” He nodded, but he had tears in his eyes. You sighed and pulled him into your arms. “It just…isn’t how that works.” You kissed his face gently a few times while he sniffled. “Okay mommy,” He whispered, then looked up desperately. “But Taehyung is staying, right?!” You laughed softly. “Of course. I’ll go tell him your ready for your story.” You tucked him back in. “Love you, baby.” “Love you, mommy.” Tears gone, crisis averted, you went out to the kitchen where Taehyung was finishing a snack. “He’s ready for his story.” “I’m sorry,” He blurted, holding his hand in front of him. “For?” You glanced around, expecting to see something broken since that’s how he was asking. “Theo, the whole dad thing.” You relaxed a little. “Oh, yeah. I guess he saw his friends all had both and decided he needed to as well. It’s okay. He loves you without the title of dad anyway. It’s good for him to have you around.” He hugged you. You were surprised, but you hugged back, having read that hybrids thrive with physical affection of any sort. To reject him could greatly upset his adaptation to your home. Besides, he smelled fantastic and it was kind of nice feeling strong arms around you. Made it feel a little less like you were holding the world on your own. He hesitantly nuzzled your hair and cheek, he held you tighter. “You’re tired.” You shrugged. “Labor of love, right? Emphasis on the labor. Have fun reading to him. I told him only one story.” He nodded. “I’ll make sure he sleeps. You go sleep too.” “Thanks, Taehyung.” You kissed his cheek, then turned and headed toward your room. You felt exhausted. You changed, and somehow managed to brush your teeth. You didn’t make it under the covers, and your dreams… You woke up feeling like you needed a drink, shaking a little and hopping into a cold shower (it wasn’t intentional). You hurried to dress and go down to check the water heater, groaning and trying to figure out what the heck you were going to do now. Then your phone alarm went off to tell you to wake up Theo. You darted upstairs, only to find both of them already up and Taehyung helping Theo get a bowl of cereal. Taehyung looked at you with a smile, then it faded slightly. “Good morning?” “Uh, water heater is broken. Morning, baby.” You kissed Theo on the head and mouthed a ‘Thank you’ to Taehyung before rushing off to dry your hair and get ready for work before wrestling Theo into clothing for school. You had to tell him what was happening a day in advance so that he didn’t have a fit over the changes that came with the day, another reason it was so important for you to plan meals. Sure, he could get behind some spontaneous activities and changes, but most of the time he froze up and became a wall of stone. He was already dressed when you came out, and he was waiting for you while talking about what they were doing in class with Taehyung. You blinked, relaxing a bit. “You want to go in early, sweetie?” He nodded. “I can help Mr. Jung! See you later, Tae-Tae!” “Shoes,” You redirected the six-year-old toward the shoe rack. “Tae, feel free to do whatever. I should be back around one and then we can go pick up some more clothes for you and anything else you need.” “Okay, I’ll be ready then, y/n.” Your heart beat faster and harder at the way he said your name, then almost stopped as he bid an affectionate ‘see you later’ to your son. Theo looked so peaceful in Taehyung’s arms. “Can we play catch when we get home tonight?” “Sure,” Tae replied happily, then gave Theo a little kiss on the forehead. “Be good for your teacher.” “Okay!” Theo took your hand and you both went out to the car. You were still reeling a bit from the chaos of your morning, but not having to worry about getting Theo ready, and even getting him and yourself to school a little early set you up for a much better day. You could figure out the water heater issue tonight. Theo would need a bath, but you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t boiled water for a bath before. ———— Shopping with him was the worst idea you’d ever had. Especially clothes shopping. It wasn’t that he picked expensive things. He was conscientious about the budget, even asking about it before, and he tended to grab cheaper items. He just also looked good in absolutely everything he put on. He knew how to put together an outfit and suddenly you felt like that mom that always looks so dated in the TV shows that desperately needs a makeover. He looked like he had stepped out of all of the latest fashion magazines. If anything, his animal features made it even better. You were being out-fashioned by a man that was part Collie. You focused on the linens that you needed to supplement the use of the spare bedroom, and the extra towels. You grabbed a few extra blankets as well, knowing that texture was everything to hybrids. He came with a modest amount of items, with a happy smile. “Thanks, y/n. For getting these for me. It’ll be nice having more clothes.” You nodded. “Of course, you’re part of our family now.” You examined the prices for twin-size sheets for Theo’s bed, remembering that one set had officially bit the dust when his foot went through it. Might as well get all of the necessities now while it was within your budget to do so. “Still, thank you.” “You’re welcome.” He carried the bags out to the car, insisting on doing it and keeping up a lively conversation about everything and nothing going. He was universally charming and it was hard to resist that adorable grin and enthusiastic words. He got you to tell him all about your life somehow, and about Theo’s father. “I found out I was pregnant with Theo two weeks after burying his father. He never even knew. How do you tell a six year old that his father never knew or expected him, that his father hadn’t been excited about him because he never knew he would have a child? So I dance around it and say that his father would have loved him so much. That he would have been so proud of him. Like I have the authority to say what he would and wouldn’t have loved or been proud of.” You sighed, slumping in your seat a little as you both waited for school to end and Theo to run to the car. “You’ve done really well with him, y/n. He’s so kind and intelligent.” He sighed, looking happy. “I’m really happy he picked me. It’s nice. I get to play with him and have fun, but I also get to help you take care of him. It’s really fulfilling. It helps me feel like I’m not just being a burden.” “No, definitely not. If you hadn’t been there this morning it would have been a disaster zone. We both would have been late, and he probably would have his shirt on inside out, and it would have been a mess.” “I fixed the water heater,” He said. “What? How?” You sat up again, locking at him. “It happened at Cedarbrook a couple weeks ago and I watched how the person fixed it. It was a really easy fix.” You checked that off of the list of things you needed to take care of, the burden of responsibility easing up even more. “Thank you.” He nodded happily. “Cold showers stink.” “Oh yes.” The car door opened and Theo climbed in. “Mommy! Tae! Look what I did in art class!” He said, flinging himself onto the console with a drawing. “That’s amazing, Theo!” You praised him, looking over the drawing. “We’ll put it on the fridge when we get home.” He beamed at you. Taehyung was grinning. “Is that me?” Theo nodded with his whole body. “Of course! And that’s mommy, and that’s me, and up there in the clouds is my dad watching over all of us and being happy that we’re happy!” You smiled, mentally making a note to send Mr. Jung a plate of the fudge that you knew he loved for helping Theo so much. He always managed to say just the right thing that made things easier on you when explaining things. Yeah, Hoseok had earned some fudge if he had managed to explain to your son something that just made you upset. Theo dropped back into his seat, buckling up easily. “We’re still going to play catch when we get home?” “Yup! Then we’ll clean up your room so that your mom will let us have pudding.” “We have pudding?!” Theo froze with excitement. “Yes we do. What else did you do in class today?” You quickly diverted his excitement. “We’re learning a new song in music class, but I don’t like it. I miss Mr. Kim. I want him to come back. Mr. Jung gave me a new book to read!” He was starting to pull everything out of his backpack to find the new book. “Why don’t you show it to us when we get home?” Taehyung suggested lightly. “What song are you learning?” “On top of sketti,” Theo mumbled grumpily. “On top of spaghetti, that’s a fun song.” You smiled at him in your rear-view mirror. “No, it’s not.” Theo pouted, but you could see the smile hidden behind the pout. “So, where’s Mr. Kim? Your music teacher?” Taehyung asked. “I don’t know.” “He’ll be back next week,” You reassured gently. “He just had some things happen with his family.” “I don’t like Ms. Hannigan,” He pouted. You figured she must have talked baby-talk to him. He hated that. You’d never talked like that with him, instead just talking like a normal human being. There were some days he was lucky you had the energy to get him dressed when he was learning to talk and you certainly weren’t about to expend more of your precious energy to talk to him like a baby. The result was that he had a hard time around any adult who was overly enthusiastic or fake. “How can you know if you like her? You’ve only had her for two classes.” “She talks funny. Like she’s telling a silly story, but all the time.” You sighed. “Just be patient, okay honey. She’s probably a very nice teacher. Some people are just different.” Taehyung nodded, twisted in his seat to look back at Theo. “Sometimes they’re really nice they just don’t know how to talk to us yet or they want you to like them and they try a little too hard.” Theo looked thoughtful for a moment. “Okay. I’ll be nice to her too.” You parked the car, feeling warm and fuzzy. “You want a snack today?” “Mmm, not today.” You nodded and got out of the car, watching lovingly as Taehyung pulled Theo out. Theo was wrapped around Taehyung’s neck and torso, grinning and giggling and Taehyung pretended to be affronted by this ‘attack’. It was loud and a little crazy, but you felt… Peaceful. They played outside for quite a while, then came in laughing and having fun and Theo ran to his room while Taehyung got some water for both of them. You already had dinner in the oven without Theo getting underfoot, and were in comfortable clothes while you read a book you had tried reading for the past three months. Taehyung wrapped his arms around your shoulders and neck. “He said he wanted to clean on his own.” You laughed softly. “He does that.” He nodded, then was quiet so you went back to reading, relaxing in his hold. Then he kissed your cheek. “If I ever have a pup of my own, I’d want him to be just like Theo.” You were frozen, heart racing almost as quickly as your mind at the small gesture of affection. He chuckled deeply, gently nuzzling your neck. “I knew it. You do like me like that.” He moved around so he was beside you. He kissed your cheek again. “You’re shy. You’ve been alone for so long you don’t even know what to do with help. It adorable. You’re adorable. You’re beautiful.” Your cheeks were burning, and you met his eyes hesitantly. “I barely know you.” He leaned forward and kissed you gently. “Someone needs to take care of you. I saw that the moment you walked in.” You shook your head. “I haven’t dated since long before Theo was born. This is a bad idea.” “We’ll go slowly.” He kissed you again. You sighed and let him kiss you. You had definitely thought about this. About him holding you. Wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him. “I cleaned my room, mommy!” Theo called happily, his little feet pounding down the hall. You and Taehyung naturally shifted away from each other. “Good job, baby! Thank you for cleaning.” You welcomed him onto your lap, not wanting to think about what had just happened. “Taehyung helped me catch better!” He flopped over so he was on both of your laps. He wiggled until he was comfortable. “Mommy?” “Yeah?” “Can I call Tae-tae my dad? Would my real dad mind?” He asked really quietly. You took a deep breath, then swallowed and nodded. “If Taehyung is okay with that.” Tae was grinning at you. “I’m okay with that. I’m here for keeps.” You couldn’t believe it, but you knew it was true. You knew you were crazy for feeling like you knew him already. He was just so open and honest and…refreshing. Three days with him, and you already felt like he was a part of your life you never wanted to let go of. You wanted to pull him closer. You wanted him to hold you all the time. “Why don’t we all cuddle up and watch a movie?” You suggested, looking into Taehyung’s eyes. He pulled Theo into his arms, the kid cuddling up right away, and shifted next to you, putting an arm around you. He snuck a kiss to your cheek. “Sounds perfect to me.” Theo made a contented sound, already half-asleep despite it not even being dinnertime yet. Completely unaware that he was getting what he wanted.

Masterlist.   Part 2.

[therunningwild-er]

It’s a Date - a drabble

“Whose watch is it?” Wilder looked up from the old dinosaur book he had found in the remains of the Jurassic Park gift shop - the place where he and the others currently resided. It was their new base camp since InGen had run them off from all the other buildings they had managed to get into. Thankfully, this building was a fossil all on its own and no one would really think to look in the collapsing Visitor Center. And another thing they had going for them was that the security system in the building was outdated and ruined - meaning InGen couldn’t tap into it to see if they were there. Since setting up camp in the old gift shop, Wilder and the team had started taking turns keeping watch. Whether it was for InGen security team members or for dinosaurs looking for a late night snack, they had to be alert at all times. Ian had insisted on taking the longest watch, feeling as if it was his responsibility. Oliver took a watch after him and the last watch - just before morning - was up to whoever wanted it. Today, Wilder felt like he should volunteer. Quickly he raised his hand, looking over at Ian. “I’ll do it.” Ian kinked a brow and shook his head. “No, we’ll get someone else to.” Wilder scoffed, pushing himself up and onto his feet. “Everyone else is asleep. I’ve been up for a couple of hours.” “Exactly. You’ve been awake and not resting like you should have been. Go lay down, I’ll see if Henry will come to take watch.” Ian said firmly. He was concerned for him. Out of everyone in the group, Wilder was the least trained. He didn’t really know how to fight and when he did fight he wasn’t very good at it. He was good at surprise attacks or fighting when in a rage, but other than that, he was a pretty easy target. What he had that others didn’t was his stealth. He was light on his feet and could move quickly if he needed to - which he felt were good qualities to have as a person standing watch. He wanted to argue these points to Ian, but he could already see that the group leader had made up his mind - he wasn’t going to let him go out there to stand watch. Not with the risk of him getting his skinny self into trouble. “I’ll go with him.” A sudden voice spoke up. Both men turned and saw that Vera was standing there, jacket on, hair pulled up, ready to go. Ian went to protest, but, Vera wasn’t having it. “Look, if anything goes wrong, we can handle it. Besides, we’re literally just going to be outside.” Ian sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “…Fine. But at the first sign of trouble out there-“ “I’ll take care of it,” Vera smirked. Ian gave her a look that said that she wasn’t as funny as she thought she was, but she didn’t seem to mind it. She motioned for Wilder to follow her and made her way out of the room. Wilder glanced over at Ian and gave him a small smile. “I’ll make sure we stay out of trouble.”He reassured his friend. “You better,” Ian replied. “Or Liz will have my ass.” Wilder grinned at his words, knowing that they were true, then hurried out to catch up with Vera. However, the smile slowly began to fade from his face as he realized that he and Vera hadn’t really been able to spend a lot of time with one another. What should he talk to her about while they spent the next several hours on watch together? Or should he just stay quiet? He frantically searched his brain for something interesting to talk with her about, but, when he finally caught up to her and fell into step beside her, his brain was only able to send one thing out of his mouth. “I hope we see the Brachiosaurus’s while we’re here.” Vera kinked a brow, looking over at him like he had lost his marbles. “You what?” Wilder felt his face grow hot. “…Um, the Brachiosauruses. I’ve uh, I’ve seen them on the computer and such and I was just reading a book back there,” He motioned lamely with his thumb behind his back towards the direction they had just come from. “I’d really like to see them, you know, up close and personal….” He trailed off, realizing he sounded like a complete idiot. Here they were, on an island crawling with dangerous dinosaurs, his bloodthirsty sister, and her gang of security brutes - and he was talking about wanting to see a dinosaur like the park was open for business or something! “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t - That’s completely irrelevant right now.” Wilder chuckled, embarrassed with himself. “Not that seeing a Brachiosaurus wouldn’t be brilliant, but….I mean, we’re getting shot at almost every day. We’ve been tortured. My sister is out to possibly kill us all together. The last thing we need to be doing is going sightseeing.” He rolled his eyes, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck to nervously rub it. “Sorry.” Vera’s lips tugged upwards in an amused smile. “You’re pretty crappy at small talk. You know that, right?” Wilder scoffed. “Painfully aware.” She gave him a genuine smile, nudging his arm playfully with her elbow as they reached the entrance to the Visitor Center where they’d start their watch for the morning. “I don’t blame you though.” Wilder shot her a questioning look and she continued. “About wanting to see the dinosaurs. I mean, after everything we’ve been through - that you’ve been through - I think you deserve to have a breather. If seeing a dinosaur is your way of taking a breather, then, by all means….go see the Brachiosaurus.” “When we’re not running for our lives.” “Exactly, when we’re not running for our lives.” Wilder stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, smiling as he looked at his feet. His heart was thundering in his chest as he got up the courage to say something else that had come to mind, “Maybe I’ll take you with me when I go to see them.” There was a pause of silence, then, “It’s a date.” Wilder’s smile grew into a grin and his gaze lifted, locking onto Vera’s. “Brilliant.”

[like-a-bag-of-potatoes]

Reunited - Seven

A/N: Nearing an end to this series… Just a few more chapters left. Thank you to all that has been reading and leaving feedback, that is always highly appreciated. A special shout out to my beta @thorne93, you’re awesome.

Characters: Jensen x Reader, Jared, Lexi(OC), Sarah(OC)

Warnings: Fluff… and angst.

Wordcount: 3033

*not my GIF*

 The next month flew by in a hurry. Work was… busy to say the least, Sarah had been gone for about a week and a half, but even with her back the three of you had a hard time getting everything done. Both girls had accepted your offer for a full time job and you hired another girl, Violet, part time, but you had a sneaking suspicion you would have to increase her hours as well. She was great, she was a fast learner and she was great with the customers and fit nicely into your little group. No doubt would she become a valuable member of your team

Jensen had been busy helping Jared move into his new house. The two of them had flown out to LA to pack up Jared’s apartment and made arrangements to get them to Austin.They had also driven Jared’s car from LA, making a road trip out of it.  

Between your work and Jensen helping Jared, there hadn't been much time for just the two of you. A couple of dinners and a few coffees her and there. Even if he spent most night's at your house it didn't feel like enough for a new relationship. Or was it new? Well… new-ish.

**

You woke up Monday morning to the smell of breakfast being made, and it immediately brought a smile to your face. Jensen did this almost every morning, sneaking out of bed to make breakfast before waking you up. He could see that all the extra work had tired you out and he wanted to do everything he could to help, even if it was just making sure you ate.

“Good morning,” you hummed as you padded into the kitchen, your robe hanging loosely over your shoulders.

“Good morning,” he greeted as he turned around, spatula still in hand as he took a few steps towards you to place a soft kiss to your lips.

“What's with the t-shirt?” you questioned, pouting your lip as you wiggled your finger at him. You had gotten used to him cooking breakfast in just his underwear, or a low hanging pair of pajama pants.

“I learned my lesson after the bacon incident yesterday,” he said, chuckling slightly as he got back to cooking.

“You know I don't really need bacon with my breakfast,” you teased. You poured yourself a generous cup of coffee and put it on the kitchen table before you started to set the table for the two of you.

The two of you danced around each other in the kitchen, he was putting food on your plates as you collected some juice and fruits from the fridge. It was funny how fast you had gotten into a comfortable rhythm like this.

“So… what's on today's agenda?” Jensen asked in between bites.

“Violet has her last day of training today so I figured we’d have a little meeting and try and sort out the rosters for the next few weeks. And then I have a meeting with Wendy to hash out the last details before the wedding coming up this weekend,” you answered. “How about you? Any fun plans for the day?”

“Nah… Jared asked me to help him put together some new furniture, and since my girlfriend is constantly busy, I didn't have a good excuse to say no,” he half joked.

“I'm really sorry. I know it's been crazy these past few weeks, but hopefully it’ll slow down soon.”

“You don't have to apologize, babe. I know this is important. I just wish I could help you out.”

“I know,” you said, smiling at his kindness. “You think you can get away from Jared for like an hour around noon? We can go have lunch,” you suggested. You did want to spend more time with him, do all the normal things that couples do, have time to enjoy this honeymoon phase you were in.

“What? A full lunch?” he asked, mock shock on his face. “Like.. sit down at a table and everything?” he continued to tease you.

“You’re funny,” you said, your voice laced with sarcasm. “But yes. Lunch, served on a plate at a restaurant, with actual conversations and shit.”

“That sounds great,” he said honestly, leaning over the table to kiss you before taking both your plates and clearing them away.

**

The meeting with Wendy went as planned and you had made a list with everything you needed from your supplier. Luckily, he was local so you could always get your orders within a day. Next was the meeting with your employees. None of them had any preferences as to how they worked, so it was easy enough to lock down a plan. Violet was done with her training but you figured it would be best for all of you if she took the mid shift for the next few weeks so that she always had someone there with her.

Violet volunteered to go grab lunch for everyone after the meeting while Lexi and Sarah worked on some orders that had to go out today.

“I'm gonna send over the order for the wedding and then I'm gonna get some paperwork done. I'll be in my office if you need me,” you said.

“No!” the two of them said in unison.

“You have worked enough, you need a break,” Sarah demanded.

“Agreed. Call that handsome boyfriend of yours and tell him to come pick you up. We don't want to see you back here until tomorrow  morning,” Lexi chimed in, crossing her arms and letting you know she meant business.

“Fine…” you sighed in defeat. “I'm just gonna grab some stuff from my office and….”

“No! No work. It can wait one day, you need to take a break. Sarah and I will take care of everything here, don't worry.”

“What would I do without you guys?” you asked, a smile on your face. You really did love these girls. There was never any trouble with them, and they always went above and beyond for each other, for the customers, and for you. No doubt you would have drowned in work if it hadn't been for them.  

You picked up the phone and called Jensen.

“Hello?” Jensen's voice sounded through the phone.

“Hi, it's me. Sarah and Lexi kicked me out,” you said, scowling at the two girls behind the counter as they smiled back at you with evil grins. “Any chance you wanna come pick me up? I can help with the furniture assembly if you’d like?”

“I think Jared can manage the rest on his own now. I'll be there in fifteen.”

“Thank you. I'll just wait here then.”

Jensen shoved his phone back in his pocket and started apologizing to his friend for ditching him.

“Don't worry about it, man. You go spend some quality time with your girl,” Jared said. “How’s everything going with you two anyway?”

Jensen didn't really have an answer to that, and he felt like a dick for it. He had everything he wanted, but it still didn't feel like he did. It was like the two of you had just skipped everything that came with a new relationship and landed right in ‘old married couple’ land. He barely saw you, and when he did it was for a quick bite or a coffee to go, even when he had made you dinner you had all but inhaled the food before you had been back to work, nose buried in some papers. He wanted more. He wanted candle lit dinners, walks in the park, spontaneous kisses, lingering touches, stolen moments… all those exciting things that came with it. He felt really selfish for feeling like this though, he knew how important this was for you. Your business, that you had built from the ground, was growing and he couldn't be happier for you, but he couldn't help but feel… left out of it all. 

“It's good,” he finally answered.

“You know, for an actor you’re a really crappy liar,” Jared scolded. “Spill.”

“I don't know what to say really. She's busy, I get that. I just can't help but feel like she's keeping me at arm's length you know? And it might be because of all the work she has, but I just don't feel like she's really invested in this thing with us… it's like she doesn't trust me enough to let me in,” Jensen admitted, running a hand across his face. “It's probably just all in my head.”

“Maybe you should talk to her? Tell her what's on your mind?” Jared suggested.

“Nah.. I don't want to stress her out even more. I just hope things calm down a little before we head back to Vancouver.”

**

It was so nice to have the day with Jensen, but you weren't able to relax completely since stuff with work kept running in your brain. The two of you had lunch at this cute little hole in the wall restaurant before you headed over to Jensen's house to relax by the pool.

“What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” Jensen asked when the two of you had climbed out of the pool.

“I don't know. Do you want to go out to eat?” you asked him. Even if the two of you had had lunch at various diners and such, you hadn't gone out for dinner yet. It might be nice to get all dressed up and have a ‘real’ date night.

“We could absolutely do that,” he said, a wide smile on his face. He had wanted to take you out for a night, but since you had asked him to keep things on the down low he hadn't suggested it yet. Besides, he knew that you had a lot on your plate and he didn't want to add to your stress.

“Great.” You smiled at him as you walked over and wrapped your arms around his waist, enjoying the feel of his skin against yours. “Where do you want to go?” 

“It's secret,” he said with a mischievous smile. “Let me worry about the planning. You just go home and get ready and I'll pick you up-” he looked at his watch “-at seven?”

“Perfect,” you said, reaching up to place a soft kiss to his lips. “What should I wear? Casual or fancy?”

“Somewhere in between.”

**

You were standing in front of the mirror in your bedroom, putting on your earrings and taking a last look at yourself. You had opted for a knee-length black dress with a deep v in the back and a small belt around your waist, a pair of red heels, and a thin, red jacket to match your shoes. You had let your hair down in loose waves and you had gone light on your makeup.

Finally the two of you were gonna go out and act like a real couple. Your entire body was tingling from excitement and you felt all giddy. It wasn't far from how you felt when he had taken you to your senior prom way back when.

You couldn't help the smile that stretched across your face when the doorbell finally rang. Jensen was dressed in a black button down shirt and slacks, looking gorgeous as ever, and a massive bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“Wow… you look beautiful,” he said, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Thank you. You look really handsome,” you said honestly. Not that he could ever look… not handsome. It was annoying really.

“These are for you,” he said, handing you the flowers. “I didn't know if you would want flowers or not, since you own a flower shop and everything.”

“I love them.. Thank you.” You took the flowers and motioned to Jensen to follow you inside so that you could get them in water before you left. “It's a nice change to have a bouquet I didn't make myself,” you noted as you put them in the wase.

“Ready to go?”

**

The restaurant he had chosen was beautiful, it had a kind of rustic theme. The waiter showed you to your table that was placed outside at the back of the restaurant, there were no more than ten tables out there so it was nice and private.

Jensen pulled your chair out for you before he took a seat himself, thanking the waiter as he handed you your menus.

“This place is beautiful,” you noted, looking at the simple decorations around the little space.

“My mom recommended it to me, apparently they have great food here as well.”

The two of you took a moment to look through the menu, before the waiter came back and took your orders. You ordered pasta and Jensen ordered the black and white steak and a bottle of white wine for the two of you.

“I'm glad we got to do this,” Jensen said as the waiter left with your orders.

“Me too. I know that things have been crazy lately, and this week is probably not gonna be any better because of the wedding, but next week will probably be… not as busy,” you said.

“Are you ready for this wedding?”

The two of you fell into easy conversation. You told him about the wedding and the plans you had for it, that you would have two weeks before the next one, but then there would be weddings three weekends in a row. Luckily two of them were pretty small and that meant less work.

Jensen told you that they had received the script for their first episode of the season and that he was looking forward to start filming again. You were glad he was excited, but you couldn't help the pit that started growing in your stomach at the thought of him leaving again. You knew that things were different now, that both of you were different now, but that didn't mean that long distance would be easy. Fortunately you would be busy also, you had more than enough work to keep you occupied when he was gone.

After dinner the two of you decided to take a walk. It was a beautiful night, the stars were softly blinking in the sky and there was a warm breeze fanning over you as you walked hand in hand through a park, a comfortable silence settled between you.

Jensen led you to a fountain, taking a seat on a bench in front of it.

“Maybe we can squeeze in a few more night's like this before I leave for work?” Jensen asked, his body turned towards you, a glimmer in his eyes from the light in the fountain.

“Definitely,” you agreed.

“I'll still be home almost every weekend. So we’ll just have to make the most of the time we have then. Quality instead of quantity right?” he noted.

A thought crossed your mind that made your stomach churn. Jensen would be home every weekend, but weekends would be the most busy days for you, at least Fridays and half of Saturday, which left you with what? A day and a half before he had to go again? That didn't seem like a lot. In fact it seemed like way too little. An uneasy feeling settled in your body as you realized just how little time you would have together, and you wondered how you would ever manage to build a relationship off of that.

“What's going on in that beautiful brain of yours?” Jensen asked as he noticed the shift in your expression.

“It's nothing… work stuff,” you lied. Or… technically it wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

“Are you sure?” he pressed, his brows furrowing.

“I just don't like thinking about you leaving… that's all,” you said, offering him a small smile.

Jensen wrapped his arm around your shoulder and you immediately leaned into his side, letting him place a soft kiss to your hair. “I know. But I promise you that it won't be like last time. You’re stuck with me now.”

Truth was that he was just as worried as you, maybe even more, that things wouldn't work out with him gone. Especially since the two of you had spent so little time together, and since he felt like you weren't letting him in completely. You had told him, or yelled it at Rose, that you loved him at his party, and he had told you the same, but none of you had said it since. It was like he was scared to tell you and not have you say it back or something, but maybe it was time, maybe that would ease both of your minds a little.

Jensen stood from the bench and reached for your hand, leading you over to the fountain and made it so you were standing toe to toe.

He held your hand in his as he used the free one to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, looking into your eyes with a serious expression on his face. He dipped his head a little to capture your lips with his own in a short, soft kiss.

“I realise that a long distance relationship won't be easy, especially since we haven't had much time to lay a foundation, but I really do think we can make it,” he said, his emerald green eyes flitting between yours.

“How can you be so sure of that?” you asked, finally letting your doubts show.

“Because I can feel it,” he said simply. “I've spent so much time regretting that I let you go, and as much time imagining what it would be like to have you in my life again… But this… you and me… feels better than I could ever have imagined. It feels right.”

He didn't give you time to say anything before he wrapped both his arms around your waist and presses a bruising kiss to your lips. He tried to pour everything into that kiss, every emotion into one reassuring kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered as he pulled away from you slightly, resting his forehead against yours.

 “I… I don't know what to say.”

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[tweety-is-okay]

Jamilton x Reader: Me and You and Him

A/n: short af oneshot that was requested WEEKS ago. I hate it but whatever. Here it is. If the anon who requested it on my other account is seeing this... sorry dude. It took a while and it's bad. Warnings: none. Crappy writing I guess. *** A lot of people told you that you were good looking, but this was getting ridiculous. You had not one, but TWO men trying to earn your affections, and honestly, it was a little tiring. You liked the two men, really you did. They were both attractive and each had good qualities, but constant attention was too much. Both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were confident people, very outspoken and smart. They also hated each other, which made for some very uncomfortable situations. "Ah, (y/n)!" Thomas grinned when he saw you and walked right next to you. "Its good to see your pretty face, darlin. What about sometime you accompany me to dinner?" You looked down shyly, glancing up so that you could see where you were going. "I, ah, I dunno...." "Hey!" Alexander spotted the two of you and hurried to catch up. "Quit harassing the poor girl, Thomas!" He turned to you. "I'm sorry about HIM. He's an idiot." "Oh, no worries," you said, smiling. "He's alright, I just think I would prefer to be left alone." "See that, Jefferson? The nice girl wants to be left alone." Thomas rolled his eyes. "Then leave. Just becasue you're attractive doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want." "Wh- don't call me attractive!" Hamilton frowned. "But I suppose he's right. Do you want us to leave, (y/n)?"  "Oh, no, you don't have to!" You giggled. "I don't mind spending time with both of you!" Jefferson linked his arm with yours. "Excellent!" Hamilton took your other arm. "She said both of us, not just you, pretty boy." "Ooh, calling me pretty boy now, huh?" "Shut up." The three of you walked down the street with no real destination in mind. It was quiet at first, but before long Jefferson and Hamilton began to bicker. "Honestly, Hamilton, you walk too slow. Must me those cute lil legs of yours, they're too short to get you anywhere." "I'm sorry," Hamilton said sarcastically. "I wasn't born tall dark and handsome like you." "Small and handsome. If I held something over my head, there's no way you'd be able to reach it,"  Thomas teased. "You're such a jerk, Jefferson. It's a pity you use your intelligence for stupid things." You started to laugh. "Guys, I know you're trying to insult each other, but somehow compliments keep getting slipped in." Both men looked at you, then at each other. "Oh," was all Hamilton said.  Jefferson smirked. "Maybe I was flirting with you." "Anything to get you to stop flirting with ME," you mumbled. Not quietly enough, though; they both heard. "You don't want us to?" Hamilton said. "Why didn't you say so?" "Yes, I woulda left you alone," Jefferson added. "If my affections aren't wanted I won't give them." "Well," you said, I didn't mind having you two together so much because it was cute watching you flirt." You smiled. "So flirt with each other and just let me be the cool friend, okay?" Hamilton blushed. "O-okay..." "Aha!" Jefferson said. "So you do like me!" "Now hold on, I never said ANYTHING-" Shaking your head, you walked away. "Have fun you two, talk to me once you're officially a couple." And you turned away before you could see their reactions. Men were so strange, you thought. But these two would end up being strange together. Hopefully.

[dewittsend]

‘The Defenders’ Review [Episodes 5-8] {REPOST}

“Come as you are,” for better, and worse.

Something I neglected to fully delve into in my last review is the technical genius of episode four, easily the best episode of the series. Those color pallets I mentioned? Each of them is represented in this Chinese restaurant the foursome has escaped to. The bright neon lights both within and outside of the eatery are casting all sorts of beautiful shades onto our main characters and the colorful painted walls within, helping to create the perfect atmosphere for the delivery of some pretty A-game dialogue and performances. And the episode ends, as you might recall, with the Rolling Superstones getting ready to square off against Elektra. In fact, let’s look at that image again.

It’s a great moment. And one of the few this series has left to offer.

Well, crap.

It’s almost laughable how immediate the drop-off in quality is from the first four episodes, which are traditionally the ones screened ahead of time to critics. After the tantalizing cliffhanger of “Royal Dragon,” where we see Blink-MCU ready to take on Elektra, the fifth episode, “Take Shelter”...begins with classical music...and Madame Gao mobilizing her men...and Sowande (the “White Hat” Luke was tracking) in a van with HIS men...and oh, this dude Murakami is on the rooftop...and he jumps down and crashes into the middle of the fight, which has apparently been going on for some time.

We missed it.

It was such a sloppy way to open up an episode, and a total letdown for me, considering that throughout most of these fight scenes, the heroes are just knocking out randoms in black suits. It would’ve made a difference to see them take on a “mini-boss” like Elektra all on her own. This may seem like nitpicking but it’s merely a precursor to the other dropped balls in this second half.

Summarizing eps. 5-8 actually won’t be as hard as 1-4, because there isn’t a great deal of character or plot development. During all the chaos at the Royal Dragon, Matt of course tries to get through to Elektra, convinced that there’s still good in her because she’s hesitated on each of the multiple occasions she’s had to kill him, but she escapes before he can seal the deal. She does NOT, however, escape before Murakami can see them having a moment, and she attacks him for attempting to kill Matt, leading him to question her loyalty.

There’s an unnecessary side plot with Colleen that starts up when she gets her stomach sliced open by Bakuto (surprise! This asshole’s back!). She’s taken back to the police precinct, where all our supporting characters have been relegated for protection. After she gets patched up by Claire because I guess Iron Fist forgot he can heal people, she reveals a feeling of general uselessness to her friend. MIND YOU, she’s like a triple black belt in four Japanese martial arts and knows how to use a katana, which is kinda the same thing everyone else in this show is doing, yet she thinks she’s outclassed.

Though in Colleen’s defense, it seems that every single member of The Hand can teleport, because they all do the Batman disappearing trick, and I’m as SICK OF IT as she is.

After the skirmish at Royal, Luke captures Sowande. Now, they all try to get information out of him. Jessica Jones...punches him back INTO consciousness, which I don’t think is possible, but whatever. He taunts all of them, knowing there’s no pain they could put him through that would make him divulge any information about The Hand or their motives. “Cut off a finger,” he tells Stick, “and you can still use a hand.”

I guess HYDRA and The Hand had to flip a coin on sinister slogans at some point.

There’s a pretty great torture moment where Daredevil slings his billy club cord around Sowande’s throat and gradually tightens it, but of course, the hardcore nigh-immortal super ninja doesn’t give in. He’s actually able to escape his bonds and briefly takes Danny hostage, before Stick beheads him.

Ep. 6, “Ashes, Ashes” contains a standout in a show full of people flipping and punching each other in the face, and that is Daredevil vs. Iron Fist. Prefaced by a tense escalation of dialogue between them both, Matt and the rest try to explain that they think the best way to keep The Hand from getting to Danny is to keep him away from the fight. Essentially, he’s being grounded. Perhaps rightly so, Danny feels betrayed. His anger starts to boil, and despite efforts from Luke to keep him civil, he punches Matt right in the face. But we all know the Devil eats those for breakfast. So the fight begins, and I gotta say, I had a good time watching it! It’s well-choreographed, WELL-LIT (don’t. get. used to it.), and a bit more satisfying than Cage’s match with Blonde Ralph Macchio, if only because Murdock feels no need to hold back. And it’s interesting to see their fighting styles collide, with Matt being much more aggressive, and Danny’s wushu-inspired training favoring deflection and redirection. (((Except for the fact that he starts it.)))

*EDIT: I MADE GIFS OF THIS FIGHT SEQUENCE. ON GIPHY. AND THEY WERE REALLY NICE LOOKING, BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. KEEP READING TO SEE MY OTHER EDIT LATER ON AND GET DETAIL. SORRY.*

In the end, it takes the efforts of all the heroes to put Danny down (although again the show dodges an opportunity for a mini-boss moment, as for the majority of this fight, everyone else is just watching this happen). They tie him to a chair and try to formulate a strategy. While Jess and Matt reestablish contact with John Raymond’s family to gain information about exactly how much he knew, Stick and Luke keep watch over Danny. This allows the latter pair to try and act like they have chemistry.

Matt and Jess discover a map of the Midland Circle tower in John Raymond’s piano (after Matt...plays the theme song of the show...on the piano..?) and are on their way to bring it back when Matt senses some SHIT GOIN DOWN. Because while Luke and Danny were yuckin it up, Stick concocted some sort of sleeping inhalant. He uses it to knock out the Black man of steel and is about to kill Danny, because, of course, this is the only way he sees to completely deny The Hand. The other two hurry back, but it is actually Elektra who {somehow} finds their hideout and {somehow} is just in time to save Danny’s life by trying to kidnap him. She kills Stick before Matthew can stop her, and proceeds to knock the rest of them out one by one, managing to {S O M E H O W ?} PULL Luke Cage onto his back with some TV JUDO — I’m sorry. I am. But I have to address this.

This is another big issue. In her resurrection, Elektra is constantly referred to as the “Black Sky.” We’ve heard about these things beforehand. Apparently, they’re natural-born killers. And apparently apparently, they come with some form of enhanced strength and durability. At least, that’s what I’m forced to synthesize. Elektra is twice, two whole times, struck directly in the chest by Iron Fist’s iron fist in this show, and somehow doesn’t return with her ribs protruding through her back. Super-strong and actively remorseless Jessica Jones smacks her around numerous times, but she isn’t phased. And LEAST LOGICALLY OF ALL, she repeatedly manhandles Luke Cage, and it’s as if this dipshit forgot he shoulder-checked a van and tanked an RPG blast like two months ago! Her abilities as a Black Sky are completely ill-defined. ‘Well Justin don’t worry about it, because she’s, like, the best fighter ever probably,’ which, based on what the show demonstrates, translates into “She’s stronger than a man who can wring metal pipes like a towel, but when she punches Matthew Murdock in his de-helmeted face he’ll still {s...ome..how} keep all his teeth.”

So, whatever, Stick’s dead, and it almost means something, but then doesn’t. The only time it’s mentioned is when Matt tells Foggy in the precinct. And Charlie Cox acts the scene well because he’s phenomenal, but it doesn’t quite feel adequate.

Gee maybe if....you had made.....a little more than eight episodes.....you could’ve given some time.....to this major character’s departure....

Next, Elektra brings Iron Fist back to Alexandra. Yeah, remember her? This show sure doesn’t. Every time she shows up, it’s a surprise. To be accurate, it’s not like she totally disappears. There are scenes between her and the other Fingers of The Hand, but they’re all boring. These people have known each other since the dawn of time, but they can’t be bothered to say anything interesting to each other, or have some emotion when they find their brother with his head REMOVED from his body.

And yeah, I’ll say it — it doesn’t look good that the Black immortal was the first one to die.

After Finn Jones gives us some of his patented “I Am Vibrating With Anger!!!” acting and has brought his small face to peak punchability levels, he’s wheeled off to his episode wrap, and we get a closing moment that honestly made me shout.

Alexandra is confronting her dissident cohorts and putting her foot down about who’s in charge around here, damn it, when she gets shanked in the back with a sai.

*EDIT 2: YEAH SO I REALLY WENT INTO THE EFFORT TO USE GIPHY TO MAKE MY OWN GIFS AND I TRIED FOR HOURS BUT COULDN’T UPLOAD THEM PROPERLY OR AT ALL. I’M REAL SALTY AT TUMBLR RIGHT NOW. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO RESOLVE THAT. UNTIL THEN, ENJOY THE CRAPPY GIF OF THIS MOMENT THAT TUMBLR DID HAVE AVAILABLE.*

^Sigourney isn’t even acting in this moment. She’s legitimately confused about why her time was wasted.

Yes, Elektra kills Alexandra, and I shouted because it was a shocking twist. But that didn’t mean it was a good one. I mean for God’s sake. You hire NATIONAL TREASURE and SCI-FI ICON SIGOURNEY “GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH” WEAVER AND ALL YOU DO IS MAKE HER A POSTER-CHILD SO THE CRITICS WILL GIVE YOU A NICE SCORE ON ROTTEN TOMATOES? This GREAT actress was PIMPED OUT for four episodes and then REAMED.

What are we DOING, Marvel?

That question is in my notes several times. Let’s hurry up and finish ep. 6 so I can tell you why.

The show has a fleeting chance to get interesting again after taking out its best performer by perhaps turning Elektra into a rogue agent of chaos. Perhaps she manages to kill ALL the “fingers” and assumes her place as The Hand’s leader, a position she does hold numerous times in the comics. Or, even the vanilla option of her trying to fight Alexandra’s siblings and fleeing, wounded, to find Matthew and restore their bond, eventually standing with The Defenders against The Hand — either of these would’ve been better than what actually happens, which is that she’s turned into a nonsensical and lazily-written sociopath with zero authentic motivation to be doing any of what she does in these last two episodes.

Penultimate chapter “Fish in the Jailhouse” opens with a flashback conversation between Elektra and Stick to remind you that he mattered at one point. It’s just a retroactive and very obvious attempt to make you understand the emotional weight of the fact that she killed him given the father-daughter dynamic they’re supposed to have.

Episode six ended with a big “RUH-ROH” moment because we were shown police lights flashing over the unconscious Matthew’s face. Our heroes wake up in the precinct, where the cops, namely Misty and her captain, are understandably perplexed as to why a lawyer would be found unconscious with two superheroes and two very dead bodies. It’s a nice way to generate conflict between Matt’s dual lives, but it ultimately leads nowhere. Jessica, Luke, and Matt all break out of the precinct to go find Danny.

Meanwhile, Elektra has The Hand’s balls in a vice. Bakuto, Gao, and Murakami are all like ‘Aye maybe you should chill out trick, cuz there are three of us and we all know how to pluck a chicken, nahmsayin?’ and Elektra is all ‘Nah fam cuz we ain’t got no more of that magic sludge to bring you back if I murk your ass so try me if you want to.’ And that’s enough to get them to listen to what she has to say, which is...nothing.

Seriously, Elektra’s arc makes no sense! Alexandra was the only person she listened to or took orders from, so she kills her, but we never find out why! It wasn’t FOR the good guys, even though she says “His name is Matthew” to Alexandra when she sticks her (Weaver’s character had earlier ordered Elektra to kill Daredevil, “whoever he is.”). Maybe she just did it to prove that she could, but again, if she’s feeling that bold, why not try to murder the rest of the leadership? It’s not as if you need them for anything! Clearly you can handle all four of The Defenders on your own!

Whatever. Elektra still wants to find out what’s trapped behind the wall at the bottom of the pit underneath Midland Circle oh, crap. I haven’t explained this part.

Iron Fist is the MacGuffin of this series because his chi can open the door to a secret passage buried hundreds of feet underneath New York. The Hand have been burrowing tunnels, and finally found the spot they needed. What’s behind the door? A giant F*%$#!G dragon skeleton, the reveal shot of which is pretty sick. I’ll update with a GIF or image if I can find one. But this is all that’s left of Shao Lao the not-so-Undying, the dragon who Danny Rand had to face in order to receive his power. Although there is no, no, zero, NEGATIVE reason for this incalculably powerful dragon to be buried underneath New York!!! How does that work? Isn’t K’un-Lun in another dimension? Oh, it doesn’t matter? We only have eight episodes to resolve this? Okay. My bad.

The insinuation is that it is from within the vestiges of this dragon and others like him that the Fingers of The Hand receive the substance that revives them. And that’s the setup for the finale. But before I can move on to episode 8, I have to talk about...the World’s Worst Thing.

There is a fight scene that occurs...between the Fingers of The Hand...and the three Defenders who come to rescue Danny...and....there’s no splitting hairs about it: this scene is atrocious.

It’s heinous. It’s an affront to fight scenes everywhere. Every fight scene ever made at least tried more than this one did. In 19 years of life, a huge chunk of which has been spent watching action and martial arts movies, I’ve almost never seen a comparable mess of close-ups, cuts, and crap choreography. Never mind that the entire encounter could’ve been filmed inside an elephant’s rectum it’s so dark, but when you CAN see something, it’s Mike Colter and Krysten Ritter pushing cinder-blocks back and forth with an ancient telekinetic Chinese woman and then pretending to punch her in the face or swing a car bumper into her. And then they replace that ancient telekinetic Chinese woman’s 73-year-old actress [Wai Ching Ho] with what can only be described as a digital bean bag so it looks like she can withstand that kind of force as she’s tossed into the cement floor. Meanwhile Charlie Cox is over on the other side busting his behind to make these stunts and strikes look good against the other two bad guys, who for what it’s worth also probably trained extensively, but you can’t appreciate ANY of their hard work because you’re just watching silhouettes bop around in an arena too cramped for MICE to wrestle. It’s so, so terrible. Easily the worst sequence in the whole of the MCU.

Episode 8 is called “The Defenders,” and it’s basically just a lotta punching. Colleen steals a ton of C4, confiscated from John Rayburn’s home, from the evidence room in the precinct. She brings it to the Defenders, along with Claire, who doesn’t need to be here, except if she was gonna die! She does not, and this is also the first time she interacts with Matt in the entire show’s run. I don’t even think either of them reacts to this fact.

🎵Whaaaat are we dooooiiiiiiing, Maaarveelll???🎵

They all decide they have to blow up the building to stop The Hand permanently, so while Colleen and Claire go to set the bombs, the rest of the team heads to help Danny. God knows he needs it.

Daredevil, Jess and Luke find a secret elevator to ride down to the bottom of the pit, where they haul off on the rest of The Hand, who seem to just be sprouting up from the ground at this point. Colleen and Claire are interrupted in planting the charges by Pretty Boy Bakuto. I wanted to see this slimy, second-rate Ra’s al Ghul actin, discount yet still older Orlando Bloom lookin fool get his spine pulled out through his nose, but his actual death is just a beheading. Not quite as satisfying. In the process of the battle, Misty shows up, and loses an arm protecting Claire. This is a setup for her to receive the bionic replacement she bears in the comics, and it’s honestly not the avenue I expected Marvel to trust itself in taking. I applaud them for it, even though Misty was otherwise useless in this show.

I’m really trying to finish the summary so I can get to my conclusion. It’s not that things are complicated, it’s just that there’s so much noise to cut through here. Once Bakuto is dead, Colleen realizes that “RUH-ROH,” the timed detonator was accidentally triggered. So down below, Luke, Jess, and Dan are all like ‘Ayo Double D, we gotta double-dip on outta here!’ and Daredevil’s all ‘Nah, I can’t. Iss mah shorty, she’s actin’ wiiiilllld, she won’t let me go out. But I think I can help her remember she’s good, nahmsayin?’ And the others are like ‘Nah you’re mad weird!’ But they leave him anyway because we really, really have to make sure that our fans think we’re killing Daredevil.

Matt and Elektra have an emotional sex-fight, wailing on each other and saying nonsense lines. Again, it would mean more to me if Elektra was indeed still brainwashed for sure, but I can no longer tell what her character is, so it’s just two hot people in red kicking each other. The bomb blows up, we see them embracing and then the screen is covered by an onslaught of dust.

The wrap-up of this finale is probably the best part. I don’t mean that cheekily in that it’s close to the end, but it feels more paced and well-planned than anything else in the last few episodes. Each character gets a pretty obvious setup for the next season of their respective shows, and then, surPRIIIIIIISSSSEEE, if you're a five year old—Matt wakes up in a nunnery, bandaged and badly bruised, and the nurse tending him tells someone to ‘Get Maggie. Tell her he’s awake.’ Or something to that effect. It’s a visual callback to the Frank Miller comic Born Again, if I’m not mistaken; a beautifully written graphic novel that takes Matt Murdock out of his element. Disbarred and living on the streets, Matt is reduced to his basest instincts, his rage ever-building while Kingpin rises to influence yet again, and Daredevil’s reputation is slandered. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Sister Maggie may share the most important link with Matthew yet. If season three is going to follow that storyline, I’m definitely intrigued for what’s coming.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was Marvel’s The Defenders. And, despite my tough tone, it’s not all bad. It’s just frustrating to see the pattern throughout these shows whereby all of the effort and funding is poured into the first few episodes so critics will give it a good grade and then the next six (or in this case, four) episodes are so clearly lackluster by comparison. There are some nice moments between the supporting cast while they wait on their super loved ones in the precinct, and there’s a stellar moment between Foggy and Karen when Matt doesn’t walk through the door with the others. But, like I said, Claire Temple, who we first met in Daredevil (where Rosario gave her best performance out of all these, if you ask me) has no time at all to spend with Matt. The lack of a scene between the two of them reflecting on how this all started was jarring! Or a moment for Jessica to realize that Luke is with Claire. The foundation is being well-paced for their eventual romance, but right now it just seems like that’s because Luke is omitting the mention of his relationship with Claire. I think with just two more episodes--scratch that, even just ONE more, we could’ve had time to do these things. We would all have watched it. Your investment would not have been in vain, Marvel.

I also found myself annoyed because while I understand we may never see Jessica Jones drink space bourbon with Rocket Raccoon, or watch Luke Cage arm-wrestle with Thor, I don’t understand how any conversation about “getting help” for this massive threat to New York City doesn’t at some point have someone say: “Oh what about Tony Stark who lives literally twenty blocks away in the tallest building on Earth? Maybe we can at least try to contact him? Maybe we can at least think about trying? Danny? Billionaire to billionaire? No?” Marvel keeps shoving “THE INCIDENT” down my throat, so we know that this is indeed the same universe where aliens attacked New York, but The Avengers came out five years ago and not one of these people can even say “Hey where’s Iron Man???” The joke is RIGHT. THERE! A RICH GUY on your team has the word IRON in his NAME! JUST MAKE THE JOKE! Give me a BREAK!

What ARE WE D--forget it.

Now, for some good reactions: although she was essentially robbed, Sigourney Weaver brought her absolute best to her part. And as far as the Defenders themselves, I think Krysten Ritter and Charlie Cox were really pulling their weight the most. Their scenes together were always the most entertaining to watch, and they just both have such a good grip on their characters. Not to speak ill of Mike Colter. I think at times he falls victim to what I like calling “the Superman Syndrome”: a character is indestructible, and therefore the writers make him unrelatable. He does have a number of good moments, though, especially when paired with Ritter. Plus, he’s charming, and looks so much like the Luke Cage on printed page that I don’t even need to suspend my disbelief. This man probably really is bulletproof. The cinematography and screenplay of the first four episodes is prime. 

I can also appreciate the inverse to the threat the Avengers faced, which came from the skies above, where the Defenders are combating evil from beneath. If they even thought about it that much. And there is some really cool fighting. Aside from the end of episode seven, very little of the choreography is actually bad, it’s just that after watching people do handsprings into flip kicks for six hours your brain kind of turns it all off. The big battle in the pit at the climax of episode eight is #1. too damn dark, aGAIN, and #2. filled with more of the same we’ve seen these characters do aaalllllllll theeee tiiiime. Danny and Matt do a barrel roll. Luke and Jessica awkwardly shove folks. And, on that note, anyone remember the first time we saw Luke fight and he only needed to tap people’s foreheads to knock them out?

He was backhanding crackers into Limbo! But now he needs to cock his elbow to put someone to sleep? Just keep up with yourself, guys. Come on.

Personally, I would’ve liked more team-up super combos from them. Allow me this one childish desire to see Luke Cage and Danny Rand simultaneously pound the ground and send out a radial shockwave that puts everyone on their backs. Can you ALLOW ME THAT, WORLD?

In the end, I would still recommend this series, if only because we’ve been building to it for two years now and people should see what’s been offered to us. While it is an incomplete package, it’s still not the worst of the bunch.

However the finale doesn’t give me the impression these four people will ever team up again. And, honestly, that may not be the worst thing.

THANK YOU for reading if indeed you did read! Stay tuned for an unscheduled upload like this sometime in the indeterminate future. Keep watching, my friends. And as always, Blessings & Blexcellence!

[ecotone99]

[HR] Somewhere in the South Pacific

The humid air of the South Pacific is causing me to sweat through my clothes on this warm summer night and our boat lies still on the strangely calm water. In any other circumstance this would be an ideal situation. But as I sit writing this letter, my two best friends lay motionless on the floor. Chris on his stomach on the deck of the boat in a pool of his own blood. His blood has stopped gushing out now, but it doesn’t matter anymore I suppose, he’s dead and so will I be soon.

The moon shines a pale light on Mike’s lifeless eyes as they stare back at me from the bottom of the stairs, as if the knife sticking out of his stomach isn’t enough of a reminder of what I’ve done. This shitty candle is the only thing I’ve got to see what I’m writing. We’re too far out for anyone to find us, I haven’t seen another boat since we left the harbor. I’m not sure I’d want anyone to find me like this anyway. It’s not like they’d believe me about what happened. Two dead bodies, blood everywhere and me sat here it’s obvious what it looks like. Whoever does eventually find me will put this down to cabin fever, I can already picture the headline.

“Deranged lunatic goes crazy on boat and kills his friends” That’s why I’m writing this down, in the hopes that someone finds it and people know the truth.

Here comes the fucking shaking and screeching again, rocking the boat. It’s almost nonstop now. Whatever that thing is it must know that I don’t have a lot of time left and wants to make my last hours as miserable as possible. I should start from the beginning…

We had always wanted to sail out into the middle of the ocean, just us and no one else where we could chill for a few days. We wanted to hang out, play cards, drink beer, swim in the ocean, that kind of thing. Chris’ grandfather had recently passed away and left him a hefty amount of money which was what finally gave us the inspiration to say, ‘fuck it’ and go on this trip in the first place. We’d arranged to hire a small yacht in Peru from a harbor in Lima, we had enough food and water for a few days plus we had a few crates of beer to take with us too. The plan was to sail out as far as we could go with the fuel that we had, leaving enough to get us back.

The morning of the trip I saw a book on Mike’s nightstand. It read “Animals of the South Pacific” and I wanted to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t help but find a smile making its way across my face. He had a childlike sense of wonder about him for some things and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I flipped through the pages looking at the different entries. Penguins, killer whales, manta rays and then I found that he had marked the page with the giant squid on it and this made me uneasy. I had heard about how big those things can get and suddenly my mind started racing.

“What if one drags the boat into the water?” “If there are squid that big God knows what else there could be out there” I caught myself asking before I shut the book. I was being stupid. I laughed at the thought that I was worried about a fucking sea monster. Everything would be fine.

Mike and I stood at the front of the boat while Chris sailed it from up above. Around the back of it was a small ladder which led to what I assume was a gas pedal and a steering wheel. Underneath that was a lounge type area with a kitchen and a table and chairs. Three separate single were behind the kitchen

The water looked beautiful. It was the kind of blue you saw in a cartoon that you didn’t think possible in real life but here it was, clear as day. The sun beat down on my head and I was wondering if there was even any point to these crappy sunglasses that I bought the day before. We were about an hour off the coast at this point and Mike and I stood at opposite ends of the boat, peering into the water trying to get a look at anything we could see. We were going fast, and I could still make out different types of fish, but I didn’t recognize them. When I spied a turtle, I called Mike over to come and look. Mike put his hand in the water but before long Chris called out

“Mike! Don’t put your hand in the water man” Mike’s hand recoiled liked it was boiling. Chris could be bossy sometimes, but he had sailed boats like these before, so we weren’t gonna argue with him on this trip. We were still watching the turtle swim away when that feeling that something was off slowly crept its way back into my head.

I felt like something was watching me. You know that feeling of paranoia you sometimes get for no real reason. I whirled around, not expecting to see anything in particular, but something. Nothing. Just the other side of the boat and the ocean. That familiar cool blue that I had reveled in looking at earlier today took on a sinister unknown quality now. I was starting to get a queasy feeling in my stomach, so I decided to get a beer to try and clear my head. I felt the boat slowly come to a stop so I went back upstairs to see what was going on.

“Alex!” Chris called down to me from upstairs as I was making my way back to where I was. He had his arms outstretched in a sort of victory pose.

“What do you think man?” I looked up at him and he turned around and put his hands on his hips, regarding the view. I took a look myself. Nothing but water as far as I could see.

“Awesome!” I called back. By now the feeling of unease was gone again. Mike was running to get his swim shorts on

“No running!” Chris yelled. But I could see in the way that he was hurrying down the stairs and the stupid grin on his face that he was about to do the same. After I had finished my beer, I joined them in the ocean.

We swam in the water for quite a while. There was one snorkel between us so we took it in turns trying to see what we could find. A turtle here and there, a whale breached the surface about a hundred yards from the boat, it was amazing. We sometimes saw schools of fish off in the distance, but they never came close to us. On my last turn with the snorkel something compelled me to look straight down.

We were too far out to see the ocean floor, so I was only greeted by blue. I stared into the abyss for a while, not moving, barely thinking. I was in a trance. The sun was breaking through the surface, and light danced around me in beams as the water moved. I don’t know how long I’d been staring into the vast unknown when I saw it. A giant mass, miles beneath me moved at a rapid pace. It was huge. A lot Bigger than the boat and infinitely bigger than me. It was so far down I could only make out it’s oval like shape as it glided through the water effortlessly. It would have been little more than a shadow and I would have written it off if not for its size. I felt an icy hand seize my shoulder and I thrashed to get away from it. I fought to pull the snorkel from my face but when I readjusted myself, I only saw Chris next to me in the water.

“Dude what the fuck was that?” He asked me.

“You saw it to?” I said, answering his question with another.

“What? I’m talking about you flailing around like that. You almost hit me.” He looked at me nervously, but a smile was returning to his face. I stopped for a second, not wanting to seem crazy I answered.

“Sorry man, I must have got a little distracted”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my turn with the snorkel anyway” He held out his hand, so I gave it to him. Mike gave me a worried look but before long it was his turn with the snorkel again, then I was the last thing on his mind. I looked down again but there was no sign of what I had just witnessed so I thought I must have imagined it. I got back on the boat and caught some insults from Chris and Mike, but they joined me soon after.

It was the early evening and after we had dried off and had some dinner Chris and I played cards inside while Mike sat with a chair on the deck, trying to get a tan I assumed.

“4?” I asked

“Go fish. 8?” He asked as I picked up a card from the pile.

“Go fish. 5?” Back to me.

We quickly realized go fish is a terrible game to play with only 2 people. The smell from the burgers we had earlier lingered inside the boat in a way that warmed me. We were all a few beers in by this point and the day felt like a lazy Sunday afternoon. The sun was on its way down for the day and the sky around it had turned a strangely calming orange. I did quite fancy watching it go down with Mike. When we were outside earlier the wind was slow and warm as it brushed my legs and I wanted to feel that again.

Before I could suggest it the boat suddenly started to rumble. We were rocking from side to side, our beer bottles fell and spilled all over before I grabbed them. I shot Chris a worried look to find him giving me the same one back. We both stood up to go outside and see what was going on when, as quickly as it had come, the shaking slowed and by the time we got to Mike it had subsided completely.

“What the fuck?” I heard Chris mutter under his breath. Mike was stood up, his beer knocked over spilling as it rolled across the deck. The chair he had brought with him lay on its side. Mike stood completely still, back to us, staring at the enormous sun as it slowly sank beneath the horizon. His unbuttoned shirt flapped lightly in the wind like a flag at half-mast.

“Mike?” Chris called out. No answer.

“MIKE!” Chris tried again but again Mike did not waver.

Chris walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Mike turned around quickly like a startled animal.

“Are you okay man?” Chris asked him. I could hear the concern in his voice. I was worried about him too but all I could do was stop and stare. Chris was always the one to take control in these situations. Mike hadn’t answered when Chris spoke again.

“What the hell just happened?” Chris looked back at me more worry in his face now.

“Alex grab him some water” I left to go to the kitchen with Chris following me as we heard Mike let out a murmur. It was barely a whisper, yet we heard him still.

“I saw her” Mike said. We stopped and turned to look back at him. My blood ran cold when I heard that, and I could feel my heart getting faster until it was beating out of my chest.

“Saw who? Who’s her?” Chris asked him. Mike was turned around to face us now, his eyes never averting, like he was looking at nothing.

“She spoke to me. Came up from the water and spoke to me.” He was louder now. Still quiet but louder than he was. Chris led Mike by the hand to his room and Mike followed still letting out the odd sentence about ‘her’.

“I know what she wants me to do” I heard him say as he descended the stairs. I could only stare in disbelief.

“Alright, I’ve put him to bed” I heard Chris say and I snapped my head around to see him coming back outside. I must have lost track of time out there because the sun was gone by now and the sky was getting darker. My mind was racing.

“What the hell was he talking about?” I asked him.

“I have no idea. He didn’t say anything else after I took him in” Chris answered.

“Look man… I… I’m getting a little freaked out about this. Maybe we should head back early in the morning.” I suggested. Chris seemed to think on it for a second.

“Why don’t we see how he is in the morning? If he’s still acting weird then we’ll go back, if he’s OK, we’ll stay for the whole trip. I made him drink some water and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. He was probably just tired.” I begrudgingly agreed. I didn’t want to cut the trip short either, we had been looking forward to this for a long time.

“I’m gonna call it a night man.” Chris said

“Yeah… Yeah me too.” It had been a long day and I was extremely tired. Before I went inside, I took one last look out at the sea, when the wind started to get stronger. That thing I had seen in the water was at the front of my mind again. Had it come up to the surface? Is that what Mike saw out here? I tried to quell the thought. There was no point getting paranoid now, even if Chris wanted to, we couldn’t leave until morning. I hoped that we’d have to take Mike back and we could get away from here. I headed to my room and got in bed. Sleep came easy that night.

The next day I woke up before the others and waited anxiously in the kitchen for the others to get up. My stomach felt like a bottomless pit.

“Morning Alex” I heard Mike say, casually strolling into the kitchen. He started to make himself a cup of coffee like nothing had even happened. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Hey man. What was all that about last night?” I asked him.

“What do you mean? He answered, turning around to face me, eyebrows moving into a confused expression. I looked at him from my chair for a second.

“The shaking on the boat? You staring off into nothing? Your crazy rambling?” My questions came one after the other not giving him time to respond.

“Woah slow down. What are you talking about? I don’t remember any of this.” He looked perplexed now, like I was playing a joke on him or something.

“Really? You don’t remember anything?” I asked once more.

“No? I figured we just got wasted and went to bed. I’m gonna sit outside, you coming?”

“Uh yeah… I’ll be out in a minute” He went outside without saying another word. I pondered on the thought that maybe Mike was wasted, he always was the worst drinker out of all of us. But he didn’t seem drunk when we found him out there. He wasn’t himself. When I told Chris, he didn’t seem worried. He agreed that Mike had one too many beers and gone a little weird. Chris being so calm about the situation eased my mind.

The rest of that day went by without incident. We ate, played cards, played some dumb drinking games, sat out on the deck just doing nothing. I had forgotten about what I saw in the water yesterday and even went swimming with the guys. We didn’t see any wildlife that day. The later it became the less I worried about Mike. He was joking, laughing with us. Back to normal. I went to bed that night slightly drunk and feeling the best I had in a while.

I awoke in the night to hear shouting coming from the deck. I quickly got dressed and hurried out to find Chris shouting at Mike, and he looked pretty pissed off.

“What the hell’s going on out here?” I asked, irritated at being woken up by their shouting. Mike did nothing but stare at the floor, why was he holding a wrench? I asked myself. Chris turned around to answer me. His face was only illuminated by the deck light and the moon, but I could still see the anger in his eyes.

“This moron used up the rest of our fuel, so we’re fucked! And even if we did have any, I’ve got no fucking idea where we are!” He was pacing now, running his hands through his hair. When he stopped, he was between me and Mike again. He pondered for a second, then looked at me.

“I need to get the flare gun” He decided. But before he’d even took a step the wrench Mike was holding had collided with the side of his head. I heard a sickening crunch as Chris fell at our feet, twitching. I didn’t have time to react before Mike swung down on his head again. Chris lay still after a few more hits. What remained of Chris’ head did not resemble a head at all. It had been turned into a pile of blood, bone, brain and hair. I felt like I was going to vomit.

“That should do it” Mike muttered to himself. I was paralyzed by fear. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run but to where? My brain screamed at me to do something, but my legs stayed planted. My eyes never left Chris’ body. Hot tears stung my eyes and ran down my face as Mike slowly got closer to me. He leaned in close and whispered right in my ear.

“This is exactly where she wants us to be. Now we wait. We’re not going anywhere.” He paused for what felt like an hour when he finally continued.

“Count yourself lucky she wants us both.” He stepped over Chris and went back inside. When I knew he was gone I got to my knees and fell on Chris’s body crying. I wept over him for hours. After a while I heard Mike going to up to where the steering wheel was. Blood still dripped from the wrench in his right hand. He had the flare gun in his left. He studied it for a moment, before tossing it into the water, expression never changing. He glanced down at me and held my gaze for a second, before turning to look the other way.

I sat on my bed not knowing what to do. I couldn’t get the image of Chris twitching and the following hits out of my mind. I had scrubbed at my hands in the bathroom for God knows how long but I had to get the blood off them. Tears fell from my face and into the sink to be washed away with the blood. I got changed out of my clothes and hid them away. I knew Mike was still outside, waiting for whatever had compelled him to do all of this.

The thought of killing him flashed in my mind and for a moment I was disgusted with myself. But then I considered it again. The hopelessness of my situation began to dawn on me. There wasn’t much food or water, there was little chance of anyone finding us out here. Hell, I didn’t even know what here was. Chris might have been able to find out, but he was gone, and Mike had gone crazy. If it was just me, then I could ration the food and water long enough for someone to find me out here. I was going to have to kill Mike and fast, before he started eating the only food left on the boat.

I quietly as I could I crept into the kitchen. The deck of cards sat on the table and I was reminded of how good and simple things had been a couple of days prior. I just wanted to sit down and cry, but I knew I didn’t have time for that. Wiping away another tear I grabbed the sharpest knife I could find from the kitchen draw. I kicked over a chair making as much noise as I could to try and lure him down. I heard him hurrying around to the top of the stairs, so I hid to the right of the bottom step. He slowed when he got to the stairs. My heart was racing, it’s a wonder he couldn’t hear it. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but I tried to stay as quiet as I could, slowing my breaths and staying perfectly still.

I heard his bare feet touch the floor and he slowly descended, step by step. One by one I counted. When I saw his toes poking out from the bottom step, I waited for him to move for the floor. As soon as he did, I moved quickly as I could. I put my hand on his shoulder, turning to face him. I thrust the knife into his stomach as hard as my arms would allow. His eyes were wide now as he looked at me. I pulled the knife out and I drove it back in again. I left it in this time. I could feel him getting weaker in my arms and the blood leaking through my clothes. He looked me dead in the eyes and tried to get some words out. He could only cough blood on to my face, then it flowed out and dripped down his chin.

I lay him down on the stairs, closed my eyes and took a step back. I didn’t stop recoiling until I hit the back wall and then I sank to the floor. When I opened my eyes, Mike lay lifeless on the stairs. Everything was drenched in a red that made me vomit on the floor. The blood still poured from Mike and it was quickly spreading to the rest of the floor. His lifeless eyes had drifted towards the table. I must have passed out then.

When I woke up the boat was shaking again. The same shaking as when Chris and I found Mike in a trance outside. I did not know how long I had been unconscious for, but it was night by this point. The shaking started to get more violent and I heard what sounded like a cry of pain or sadness. Like it was for Mike. That terrible shriek rang through the boat getting louder and louder until it was deafening. I curled up into the fetal position covering my ears and scrunching up my face to cover my eyes. It went on for an eternity before it let up.

I stayed cowering for a good few minutes after it stopped. When I opened my eyes and stood up the boat was in disarray. The table and chairs were strewn about and the empty beer bottles from the previous days had scattered on the floor. Mike’s body somehow remained in the same position as before but that was the least of my concern at this point. I stepped over him, up the stairs and out on to the deck. Chris’ blood had dried by now, I noticed. I frantically looked around for what had caused the shaking and the noise, but I was only greeted by the reflection of the moon as it rocked lazily in the water. I stood for a while hoping the thing might come back and I can get a look at it. This was the ‘her’ that had driven Mike insane there was no doubt in my mind of that. After about an hour of waiting I conceded and went back inside.

That was 6 days ago. I haven’t had the heart to move Chris or Mike’s bodies so there they remain in the position they died in. Food and water ran out 3 days ago and it is taking all my strength to finish this letter. Power has been out for 4 days so I’m writing by candlelight. That God-awful screeching has only gotten more frequent but each time I go out there I cannot see her. I suppose I’m used to it now given how long it’s been going on. It’s constant at this point.

Wait. It stopped. I just heard a splashing of water outside. Maybe the starvation and dehydration are making me hallucinate or maybe, the thing that drove my friend to madness is finally ready for me to see her. Maybe it’ll do the same to me. I’m going to die anyway I might as well have a look. I’ll drag myself up those stairs just to get a glimpse of her. If anyone find this letter, know that she lurks in the deepest reaches of our ocean, preying on the unfortunate, the lost, the vulnerable. I wonder what she looks like. I guess I’m about to find out.

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