#10 minutes before the plane in pennsylvania went down

[xena-wolfgang]

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[kiridune]

On Hallowed Ground

Sat, Sep. 07, 2002 Miami Herald

By DAVE BARRY (http://davebarry.com/misccol/hallowedground.htm)

On a humid July day in Pennsylvania, hundreds of tourists, as millions have before them, are drifting among the simple gravestones and timeworn monuments of the national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Several thousand soldiers are buried here. A few graves are decorated with flowers, suggesting some of the dead have relatives who still come here. There's a sign at the entrance, reminding people that this is a cemetery. It says: "SILENCE AND RESPECT."

Most of the tourists are being reasonably respectful, for tourists, although many, apparently without noticing, walk on the graves, stand on the bones of the soldiers. Hardly anybody is silent. Perky tour guides are telling well-practiced stories and jokes; parents are yelling at children; children are yelling at each other. A tour group of maybe two dozen teen-agers are paying zero attention to anything but each other, flirting, laughing, wrapped in the happy self-absorbed obliviousness of Teen-agerLand.

A few yards away, gazing somberly toward the teen-agers, is a bust of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address here 139 years ago, when the gentle rolling landscape, now green and manicured, was still raw and battle-scarred, the earth recently soaked with the blood of the 8,000 who died, and the tens of thousands more who were wounded, when two armies, 160,000 men, fought a terrible battle on July 1, 2 and 3 that determined the outcome of the Civil War.

Nobody planned for the battle to happen here. Neither army set out for Gettysburg. But this is where it happened. This is where, out of randomness, out of chance, a thousand variables conspired to bring the two mighty armies together. And so this quiet little town, because it happened to be here, became historic, significant, a symbol, its identity indelibly defined by this one overwhelming event. This is where these soldiers - soldiers from Minnesota, soldiers from Kentucky, soldiers who had never heard of Gettysburg before they came here to die - will lie forever.

This is hallowed ground.

On the same July day, a few hours' drive to the west, near the small Pennsylvania town of Shanksville, Wally Miller, coroner of Somerset County, Pa., walks slowly through the tall grass covering a quiet field, to a place near the edge, just before some woods.

This is the place where, on Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93, scene of a desperate airborne battle pitting passengers and crew against terrorist hijackers, came hurtling out of the sky, turning upside down and slamming into the earth at more than 500 mph.

That horrendous event transformed this quiet field into a smoking, reeking hell, a nightmare landscape of jet fuel, burning plane debris, scattered human remains.

Now, 10 months later, the field is green again. Peaceful and green.

Except where Flight 93 plunged into the ground. That one place is still barren dirt. That one place has not healed.

"Interesting that the grass won't grow right here," says Miller.

Nobody on Flight 93 was heading for Somerset County that day. The 33 passengers and seven crew were heading from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco. The four hijackers had a different destination in mind, probably Washington, D.C., possibly the White House.

Nobody on the plane meant to come here.

"I doubt that any one of them would ever set foot in Somerset County, except maybe to stop at Howard Johnson's on the turnpike," Miller says. "They have no roots here."

But this is where they are. And this is where they will stay.

No bodies were recovered here, at least not as we normally think of bodies. In the cataclysmic violence of the crash, the people on Flight 93 literally disintegrated. Searchers found fragments of bones, small pieces of flesh, a hand. But no bodies.

In the grisly accounting of a jetliner crash, it comes down to pounds: The people on Flight 93 weighed a total of about 7,500 pounds. Miller supervised an intensive effort to gather their remains, some flung hundreds of yards. In the end, just 600 pounds of remains were collected; of these, 250 pounds could be identified by DNA testing and returned to the families of the passengers and crew.

Forty families, wanting to bury their loved ones. Two hundred fifty pounds of identifiable remains.

"There were people who were getting a skull cap and a tooth in the casket," Miller says. "That was their loved ones."

The rest of the remains, the vast majority, will stay here forever, in this ground.

"For all intents and purposes, they're buried here," Miller says. "This is a cemetery."

This is also hallowed ground.

In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln was essentially trying to answer a question. The question was: How do you honor your heroes? Lincoln's answer was: You can't. No speech you give, no monument you erect, will be worthy of them, of their sacrifice. The best you can do is remember the cause they died for, finish the job they started.

Of course the passengers and crew on Flight 93, when they set out from Newark that morning, had no cause in common. They were people on a plane bound from Newark to San Francisco. Some were going home, some traveling on business, some on vacation.

People on a plane.

Which makes it all the more astonishing, what they did.

You've been on planes. Think how it feels, especially on a morning cross-country flight. You got up early; you're tired; you've been buckled in your seat for a couple of hours, with hours more to go. You're reading, or maybe dozing. You're essentially cargo: There's nowhere you can go, nothing you can do, no role you could possibly play in flying this huge, complex machine. You retreat into your passenger cocoon, passive, trusting your fate to the hands of others, confident that they'll get you down safe, because they always do.

Now imagine what that awful morning was like for the people on Flight 93. Imagine being ripped from your safe little cocoon, discovering that the plane was now controlled by killers, that your life was in their bloody hands. Imagine knowing that there was nobody to help you, except you, and the people, mostly strangers, around you.

Imagine that, and ask yourself: What would you do? Could you do anything? Could you overcome the fear clenching your stomach, the cold, paralyzing terror?

The people on Flight 93 did. With hijackers in control of the plane, with the captain and first officer most likely dead, the people on this plane got on their cell phones, and the plane's Airfones. They reached people on the ground, explained what was happening to them. They expressed their love. They said goodbye.

But they did not give up. As they were saying goodbye, they were gathering information. They learned about the World Trade Center towers. They understood that Flight 93 was on a suicide mission. They figured out what their options were.

Then they organized.

Then they fought back.

In "Among the Heroes," a riveting book about Flight 93, New York Times reporter Jere Longman reports many of the last words spoken to loved ones on the ground by people on the plane. They're not the words of people in shock, people resigned to whatever fate awaits them. They're the words of people planning an attack. Fighters.

Here, for example, are the last words of passenger Honor Elizabeth Wainio to her stepmother: "They're getting ready to break into the cockpit. I have to go. I love you. Goodbye."

Here are flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw's last words to her husband: "We're going to throw water on them and try to take the airplane back over. Phil, everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye."

And of course there are the now-famous words of Todd Beamer, who, after explaining the situation on the plane to an Airfone supervisor in Illinois, turned to somebody near him and said: "You ready? OK, let's roll."

They're getting ready to break into the cockpit.

I've got to go.

Let's roll.

We'll never know exactly what happened next. Some believe that the fighters managed to get into the cockpit, and that, in the ensuing struggle for control, the plane went down. Others believe that the hijackers, trying to knock the fighters off their feet, flew the plane erratically, and in doing so lost control. Inevitably, there is Internet-fueled speculation that the plane was secretly shot down by the U.S. government. (The government denies this.)

But whatever happened, we know two things for sure:

We know that the plane went down before it reached its target - that the hijackers failed to strike a national symbol, a populated area. They failed.

And we know that the people on the plane fought back. On a random day, on a random flight, they found themselves - unwarned, unprepared, unarmed - on the front lines of a vicious new kind of war. And somehow, in the few confusing and terrifying minutes they had, they transformed themselves from people on a plane into soldiers, and they fought back. And that made them heroes, immediately and forever, to a wounded, angry nation, a nation that desperately wanted to fight back.

And now these heroes lie here, in this field where their battle ended. This cemetery. This battlefield. This hallowed ground.

Wally Miller, coroner, has walked this ground hundreds of times. He spent endless hours among those collecting human remains and picking up plane parts. Even now, he walks with his eyes down, looking, looking. Every now and then he reaches down and picks up a tiny piece of plane - a thimble-sized piece of twisted gray metal, a bit of charred plastic, a shard of circuit board, a wire. This is what Flight 93 became: millions of tiny pieces, a vast puzzle that can never be reassembled. Despite the cleanup effort, there are still thousands of plane parts scattered for acres around the crash site, just under the new plant growth, reminders of what happened here.

The site is peaceful; no sound but birds. Miller walks from the bright field into the hemlock woods just beyond the barren spot where Flight 93 slammed into the earth. It's mid-afternoon, but the woods are in permanent dusk, the tall trees allowing only a dim, gloomy light to filter down to the lush green ferns that blanket the ground. The woods look undisturbed, except for bright "X"s painted on the trunks of dozens of hemlocks. The "X"s mark the trees that were scaled by climbers retrieving human remains, flung high and deep into woods by the force of the crash.

Some of the hemlocks, damaged by debris and fire and jet fuel, had to be cut down. These trees were supposed to be trucked away, but Miller, who, as coroner, still controls the crash site, would not allow it. Some of the trees have been ground into mulch; some lie in piles of logs and branches. But they're all still here. Miller won't let them be removed.

"This is a cemetery," he says, again. And he is determined that it will be respected as a cemetery. All of it. Even the trees.

Almost immediately after the battle of Gettysburg, people started coming to see the place where history happened. More than a century later, they're coming still.

Some are pilgrims: For them, Gettysburg is a solemn place, where the suffering and sacrifice of the soldiers still hangs heavy in the air. Some are purely tourists: For them, Gettysburg is another attraction to visit, like the Grand Canyon, or Graceland - famous, but not particularly relevant to their everyday lives. You park, you look, you take a picture, you leave.

I think that most of the visitors to Gettysburg, even today, are some mixture of pilgrim and tourist. But as the battle has receded in time, as the scars of the war have healed, tourism clearly has come to dominate the mixture. Despite the valiant efforts of many to preserve the soul of this place, to explain to the waist-pack hordes why this ground is hallowed, Gettysburg, surrounded by motels and gift shoppes, accessorized by a wax museum and a miniature-golf course, is now much more a tourist attraction than a shrine.

But soldiers are still buried here. And people still come to place flowers on graves. And the sign at the entrance to the cemetery still makes its plea: SILENCE AND RESPECT.

Immediately after Sept. 11, people started coming to see where Flight 93 went down. The site is a little tricky to find, but they found it, and they're coming still, every day, a steady stream of people who want to be near this place. They're not allowed on the site itself, which is fenced off and guarded, so they go to the temporary memorial that has been set up by the side of a two-lane rural road overlooking the crash site, a quarter-mile away.

The memorial - the word seems grandiose, when you see it - is a gravel parking area, two portable toilets, two flagpoles and a fence. The fence was erected to give people a place to hang things. Many visitors leave behind something - a cross, a hat, a medal, a patch, a T-shirt, an angel, a toy airplane, a plaque - symbols, tokens, gifts for the heroes in the ground. There are messages for the heroes, too, thousands of letters, notes, graffiti scrawls, expressing sorrow, and love, and anger, and, most often, gratitude, sometimes in yearbookish prose:

"Thanx 4 everything to the heroes of Flight 93!!"

Visitors read the messages, look at the stuff on the fence, take pictures. But mostly they stare silently across the field, toward the place where Flight 93 went down. They look like people you see at Gettysburg, staring down the sloping field where Pickett's charge was stopped, and the tide of war changed, in a few minutes of unthinkable carnage. There is nothing, really, to see on either field now, but you find it hard to pull your eyes away, knowing, imagining, what happened there.

There will be a permanent memorial for Flight 93. The temporary one is touching in its way, a heartfelt and spontaneous tribute to the heroes. But it's also haphazard, verging on tacky. Everyone agrees that something more dignified is needed. The official wheels are already turning: Congress has begun considering a bill to place the site in federal custody. Eventually land will be acquired; a commission will be appointed; a design will be approved.

Wally Miller frets about the memorial. He worries that, in the push to commemorate this as The Defining Moment In The War Against Terrorism, people will forget that it was also - maybe primarily - a personal tragedy for 40 families. He believes that, whatever is done at the site, there should be a place set aide for the Flight 93 families to grieve in private, away from the public, the tourists, the sightseers, the voyeurs, and what Miller calls "the metal-detector assholes."

Tim Lambert, who owns the woods where many of the remains were found, agrees that the paramount concern has to be the families.

"They are forced to live with this tragedy every day," he says. "The site itself is, for the most part, the final resting place for their loved ones. People need to remember and respect that."

One of the most heartrending quotes in "Among the Heroes" is from Deena Burnett, the widow of Flight 93 passenger Tom Burnett, who is believed to have played an active role in the battle on the plane. Mrs. Burnett is describing what it's like to be the widow of a hero:

"In the beginning, everyone asked, 'Aren't you proud of him? Aren't you happy that he's a hero?' I thought, my goodness, the first thing you have to understand is, I'm just trying to put one foot in front of the other. For my husband to be anyone's hero ... I'd much prefer him to be here with me."

So we need to remember this: The heroes of Flight 93 were people on a plane. Their glory is being paid for, day after day, by grief. Tom Burnett does not belong to the nation. He is, first and foremost, Deena Burnett's husband, and the father of their three daughters. Any effort we make to claim him as ours is an affront to those who loved him, those he loved.

He is not ours.

And yet ...

... and yet he is a hero to us, he and the other people on Flight 93. We want to honor them, just as we want to honor the firefighters, police officers and civilians at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon who risked, and sometimes gave, their lives to try to rescue others. We want to honor them for what they did, and for reminding us that this nation is nowhere near as soft and selfish as we had come to believe.

We want to honor them.

And so in a few years, when grass grows once again over the place where Flight 93 hit the ground, when the "X"s have faded from the hemlocks, there will be a memorial here, an official, permanent memorial to the heroes of Flight 93. It will be dedicated in a somber and dignified ceremony, and people will make speeches. Somebody - bet on it - will quote the Gettysburg Address, the part about giving the last full measure of devotion. The speeches will be moving, but they will also prove Lincoln's point, that the words of the living can add nothing to the deeds of the dead.

Thanx 4 everything to the heroes of Flight 93!!

There will be expressions of condolence to the families, and these, too, will be heartfelt. But they will not take away the grief.

I'd much prefer him to be here with me.

And then the ceremony will end, and the people will go home. And the heroes, the people on the plane, will remain here in the ground of Somerset County.

And years will pass, and more people will come here, and more, people who were not yet born when Flight 93 went down, coming to see this famous place.

Let's hope, for their sake, that the world they live in is less troubled than it is today. Let's hope they've never had to feel anything like the pain of Sept. 11, 2001.

Let's also hope that, when they stand here, they know enough to be silent, to show respect.

Let's hope they understand why this is hallowed ground.

[marvel-medigeek-fics]

“Hello?” Buck holds his phone to his face and listens intently to the other end.

“I understand.” He was laughing, and now all of his joy is in a puddle of the floor.

He sighs and plops down on the bench. He sighs again.

“What was that, Buck?” Hen asks, leaning against the lockers.

“I have to go to Pennsylvania.” He searches for a plane ticket without thinking about it.

“Why?” Chimney’s obviously has heard about what went on in Pennsylvania. He can’t contain his disgust, and it would be dramatic if it wasn’t so on the nose.

“My mom died today. In a fire.”

“Oh, Buck. I’m so sorry.” Buck leans into Hen’s touch.

“When’s the funeral?” Chimney asks quietly.

“Friday.” Chimney walks off without a word, pulling out his phone as he heads in the direction of Bobby’s office. Eddie takes a seat next to Buck, offering his sympathy without saying anything. 

What’s it going to be like, going back? Last he checked, his father was still mad about him going to LA, and his mom, well. She’s dead now. He couldn’t not go to the funeral. If for one reason only, for Maddie. She still had to tell her parents Doug was dead. And Buck, he had other things to tell them. 

Chimney returns to the three of them, who hadn’t moved. “Do you need to..?” he trails off, and looks down at his phone when it chimes and immediately back up. “Because if you do, I cleared it for you already.” Buck looks up at him and nods stiffly. 

“I should call Maddie.” Buck dials her number and is met with her sobbing profusely. 

“Yeah, Mads, I’ll be there.” He doesn’t bother to change out of his work clothes, and just grabs his bag, pulling the rest of them into a group hug. He hangs up and savors the embrace for a minute until he leaves. 

He leaves the rest of them looking at his retreating form, and Eddie’s the first one to say anything. “I have to tell Chris im going on a trip.” He walks toward Bobby’s office just like Chimney did not 10 minutes ago. 

--

When Chimney, Maddie and buck land in Hershey, there is no one waiting for them. They just go to the hotel. It was decided from the time they booked their flights that they wouldn’t be staying anywhere near the Buckley house.

But they are going to dinner that night. The three of them were dressed impeccably. Maddie is anxiously crying over introducing Chimney to her father. Chimney is comforting her, and Buck is on a phone call with Eddie. Listening to Eddie had a way of calming Buck down.

“We gotta go Buck.” Maddie’s says, her makeup flawless again. He waves to Eddie and braces himself for the train wreck that is bound to happen.

“Hello, Evan, Madeline...” the Buckley patriarch begins.

“Howie. My boyfriend.” Maddie supplies, visibly twitching. Chimney sticks his hand out and Mr. Buckley shakes it solemnly.

“So what do you do, Mr...?”

“Han. And I’m a firefighter with Bu-Evan.” Chimney replies, sitting down at the table last.

Mr. Buckley makes a tsk noise and turns to the menu. No one says anything until after they order, Buck staying uncharacteristically silent and Maddie and Chimney drinking wine like water. They are going to need a lot to get through this. Mr. Buckley has a way of making everyone tense. He isn’t even doing anything, but old wounds don’t go away with time.

“Is there anything we need to do before tomorrow?” Buck whispers, swirling his wine around in the glass.

“There wouldn’t be a tomorrow if you hadn’t run off to Los Angeles.” Mr. Buckley doesn’t blink while he burns Buck with his gaze.

“I didn’t run, as much as you shoved me out.” Buck mutters, downing the rest of his glass.

“Shoved you out?!”

“Yes. Dad, you knew what you were doing when you gave me that ultimatum.” Buck struggles to keep his voice steady.

“Can we just enjoy a meal together?” Mr. Buckley says, taking the plate from the waiter and shooting Buck yet another death glare. Maddie and a Chimney both look at their plates like they’re the most interesting thing in world.

“So, Dad, how’s work?” Maddie tries to defuse the situation, squeezing both Buck and Chimney’s hands before she takes a tense bite of her food.

“Busy. I’ve been working nonstop double shifts to avoid having to plan another funeral. God rest their souls.”

“I wish I could’ve met her.” Chimney whispers, fondly remembering Kevin, and his own mother. Maddie squeezes his hand under the table again.

“And you would’ve, if someone would’ve stayed where he belongs.” The words wouldn’t have their meaning if there wasn’t a death glare involved.

“I’m out.” Buck gets up and throws a few bills down on the table. Maddie runs after him and Chimney follows, leaving his own bundle of cash on the table. Buck is already halfway to the car by the time Maddie and Chimney make it there.

“Buck! Hey!” 

Buck doesn’t turn around until he recognizes the voice. It’s Eddie. “What’s wrong?” he says. Buck flies into his arms. “Buck, talk to me.” 

“Hey, Eddie.” Maddie and Chimney say from near the trunk. Eddie waves, but his mind is actually on Buck. He looks up to see someone striding across the parking lot. All at once, he’s running toward him with a vengeance.

Maddie pulls off her shoes and sets them on the trunk and runs after them. Chimney runs after them, Eddie specifically, while Buck looks dumbfounded.

“Lay off, Diaz!” Chimney pulls a seething Eddie back and all but drags him back to the car. Maddie is more angry than Eddie, if that’s possible. It’s probably lucky the three guys can’t hear her.

“Why’d you do that, Eds?” Buck whispers when Eddie isn’t breathing fire. Eddie looks over at him and shrugs. He bumps his shoulder against Bucks lightly.

“I got your back.”

Maddie returns and holds her hand out for her shoes. “Well. Eddie, are you sober?”

“Um. Yes?”

“Great. You can drive!” She tosses him the keys and climbs in to the car. The other three look at her in disbelief for a second and decide not to question Maddie.

“So what did you say to him?” Buck says to her.

“I just said, if you want to hurt my baby brother, you’ll have to go through me, your beloved daughter. And he just sighed. So that’s a good sign, I think, at least it was when I was 16.”

“Thanks, Mads.” She nods in reply and motions for Eddie to take a left. Maddie and Chimney head up to the room, while Buck and Eddie stay behind.

“I thought you left street fighting behind months ago.” Buck says, looking at Eddie with a smirk playing on his lips.

“That was a parking lot, not the same.”

“Same difference.” Eddie snickers in reply and lets Buck rest his head on his shoulders.

“What did he say, Buck?”

“It was nothing.”

“Yeah, okay. Tell me about your mom then.”

Buck sighs and looks back at his memories of his mom. She was a lawyer, and she was the best. She didn’t get that far without hard work. Which didn’t leave much time for him or Maddie. She was better than his dad, when she wasn’t at work. She was nice, and sweet. But she wasn’t around much, so the nice things fell to the wayside when she took on more and more and more cases.

“She was a workaholic. But she was funny. Even when she’d be working, she never miss a chance to crack a joke. She could’ve been a comedian, but she always said she was too smart for that. So she went to law school with an 8 year old, and got pregnant with me. She missed her graduation having me, and then she never made time again. Never too busy to crack a joke, but too busy for her son.”

Buck sighs again and all the tension seeps out of him. “I’ll miss talking to her. Wasn’t often, but...”

Eddie turns to hug him close and let him work his grief out, even just a little bit of it. The sun goes down over them, but they don’t move.

“Hey, you should get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Come on.”

—

The next day, the Buckley siblings, Chimney and Eddie, walk out of the lobby dressed to the 7s. They don’t speak on the way to the funeral.

“You okay?” Chimney and Eddie say to Maddie and Buck respectively.

They both nod and squeeze hands. And they walk into the church, with Eddie and Chimney following quickly behind them. They take their seats, and wait. A chain of squeezes makes its way down the group, like they are in high school again. Nostalgia has its ways of making the worst times a little more bearable.

So the chain starts again when Buck and Maddie go to say goodbye. It’s a bit weird to talk to an urn, but neither of them seem to mind. They stand shoulder to shoulder and talk.

“I wish I had a joke for you, Mom.” Maddie begins.

“What was E.T. short for?” Buck supplies, wiping a stray tear out of his eye.

“Because he had little legs.” Maddie said, while crying softly. “That was her favorite.”

“We miss you mom. Be good.”

“We love you.”

They turn around to see their father looking at them, with a mix of pride, guilt and sadness. “I’m sorry. For giving you the ultimatum.”

“I forgave you a long time ago.”

“Then why didn’t you come home?”

“My home is in LA, Dad. With Maddie and Chimney. And Eddie, and his son Chris. With my friends. With the family I chose.”

“You chose them? Over me.”

“You chose work over me. Over us.” Buck gestures to him and Maddie.

“You’re right.” He sighs. And sighs again. And walks out to the car. He leaves the four of them and the funeral attendant in the church, not exactly reeling or stunned, but off kilter.

“Let’s go.” The four of them grab hands and walk out, heads down low.

—

“Why did you come all the way here?” Buck asks Eddie, back at the hotels parking lot underneath the setting sun once again.

“I didn’t want you to be alone.” Eddie replies.

“That’s..” Buck turns one corner of his lips up. “Really sweet. Thank you.”

“You did it for me. I’m only returning the favor.” Eddie half smiles back.

“Do you miss Shannon?” Buck says after a second.

“Everyday.”

Buck squeezes Eddie’s hand a little and they just barely move to smile at each other.

“I used to be angry at her, because she asked for a divorce. And then she died.” He scoffs. “And then I moved my anger to you. Worst time of my life, being angry at you.”

“Thank you for forgiving me.”

“I can’t stay mad at you.” 

The stars twinkle and both of them watch them, the only sound the rhythm of their breathing.

“Make a wish.” Buck points to a shooting star and shuts his eyes, whispering a wish.

“I already have everything I ever wanted.” Eddie squeezes Buck to him and pecks him on the cheek.

“Me too.”

[parksbornfics]

Blood and Coconut Water

So uhh... Vampire!Harry

TW: Blood

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Summary: Harry gets bitten by a vampire and less than pleasant hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 16,236

Date of Completion: Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry woke up with a vague remembering of what happened the night before along with an aching neck. He had been on an actual business trip to Pennsylvania for budgeting. The night before was his last night there so he thought why not tour around the streets. He had been walking for a while when a figure had attacked him in an alleyway. What exactly happened? He wasn’t really sure.

He felt fine other than the pain in his neck and his groggy memory. He actually felt better than fine, like he could take on a pro wrestler and win. His alarm went off, signaling that he had to get ready for his flight. He stood up and stretched. It was… weird. He felt so awake, so prepared for the day. He walked over towards the drawer and stopped at the sight of himself in the mirror. There were holes in his neck, like those traditional ‘bitten by a vampire’ holes. He examined them for a moment, feeling a rush of shock and confusion before he shook his head. He could worry about that later. He has a flight to catch.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

As the plane landed he still felt surprisingly energized. He stepped out of the airport into the bright light, he felt the heat burn alarmingly hot. He immediately took a few steps backward back into the building, before looking at his arm which was now throbbing lightly. It looked like it was sunburnt. A sunburn in winter with the sun barely shining. He was sweating in the airplane and he was still feeling hot, but he as he tried again to step out into the sun again he felt the same burning.

“Fuck it. I’m sweating.” Harry mumbled to himself as he pulled his jacket back on. He walked out into the sun and felt his face heat up. Taking a breath, Harry made a dash to the car waiting for him.

Bernie got out and opened the door for Harry. He got in and thanked Bernie, who took his bags to the trunk. Harry sat in the middle, the sun streaming in slightly from all sides. He stared at it, feeling mild discomfort. “What the hell?” He muttered.

He rubbed his neck where the two holes were. They had healed over completely which almost confused him even more. He looked down at his phone and began typing, but stopped when he realized what he was looking up. “No way what the hell am I doing…” He looked at the search bar. He was half-way through typing, ‘are vampires real’.

He turned his phone off and rested his head in his hands when he heard the car door shut. He looked up to see Bernie. “Where would you like to go, Harry?” He asked. 

“Home. I’m spent.” He replied, shaking his head. In truth, he wasn’t even tired, more so confused. 

The car took off and Harry closed his eyes and tried to think of a logical explanation for what was going on. Vampires weren’t real so that couldn’t be it, even though it made so much sense. Maybe it was just something he ate that was bad.

He opened his phone again, deciding that it was worth a shot. As soon as he hit search a bunch of joke articles. Then there was one that looked sorta serious. It had a .gov thing so it had to hold some truth to it. He began reading it, taking in every detail and comparing, before feeling chills run down his back. “Fuck.” He whispered aloud. 

In short, the document talked about a man named Dracula who was a real-life Vampire, and he was on SHIELD’s hit list. Guess where he resided. That’s right, Pennsylvania. The page strongly suggested not going out alone at night. Guess what Harry did. 

The car stopped and Bernie happened the door and Harry took another breath before running to the shade of his looming building. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bernie asked, handing Harry his bags. 

“Yeah, just really tired,” Harry assured him. He took the bags and entered. He bee-lined to the elevator and hit his floor. He went back to check the article.

Natasha had written about the symptoms of what happens when one turns into a vampire, which was lucky for him. He read through them and felt his stomach drop even further with every similarity. Memory loss, two puncture wounds in the neck, intolerance to sunlight, enhanced healing. Then there were the ones he doesn't bear similarity too. Enhanced speed, enhanced strength, iris color changing to red, feeling cold, fangs, and the one that concerned him the most, bloodlust. He felt a chill run down his spine before he shook his head. "No, no fucking way, this can't be real." He began before stumbling back and taking a deep breath. I gotta do more research…

The elevator’s door opened and Harry stepped out. Immediately he made his way to his computer. 

He spent hours upon hours researching what to do to cure his sickness. Killing the vampire that did this to him was out of the question. Without the memory of who did this, he didn’t want to go back to Pennsylvania and just start stabbing.

The other ways were mostly useful if he lived in a movie or book series. Maybe there was a scientific way that he could cure himself. If he could get in contact with Natasha then maybe she could help. But if he did, SHIELD could try to do something to him. Not that they’re known for experiments, but the only case they had of a vampire was Natasha.

At least he found out that coconut water would be able to hold him over. He just had to steer clear of blood at all times so that his instincts wouldn’t take over. He swallowed thickly and leaned back in the chair, his head throbbing. He stood up and began pacing as he ordered some coconut water and some English blood sausage. He couldn't just order straight blood, so foods that contain blood would be his next best option. He stared at his phone for a moment, not entirely sure what else to do, when he got a notification from Peter. He smiled fondly. It was a selfie of Peter on his bed, hair messy, eyes glowing bright green, and his retractable fangs out in a toothy smile. The caption read "just woke up and the pearly whites were out in my sleep". He chuckled fondly before replying with, "The flight got delayed a couple of days. I'll be back Wednesday." He felt guilty for lying. He hated lying to Peter, but he wanted to try to figure this out before he faced Peter. His phone dinged, with another selfie from Peter who was pouting, along with the caption, "You'll be back for Friday night date night right?" 

Harry felt his blood run cold. He had forgotten about date night. Last Friday he'd had to cancel because of the conference. If he were to cancel again he’d feel like a huge jerk. He was already lying about being back so the least he could do was actually go through with the date night.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Harry sent back. Now he had to figure this out before Friday night. Peter replied with a simple selfie of him smiling happily, and Harry screenshotted the image. He shut his phone off and looked at his computer. He was on a really tight schedule now. He sat down, his hands hovering over the keys for a moment, before getting to work. 

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The pass week Harry was able to get a good hold of his newfound strength and weaknesses. He was able to find a way to hide the most skin without looking sketchy and also that vampires have venom that turns people into vampires, so if he were to drink from a human then they wouldn’t turn into a vampire unless he really wanted them to. That and he learned how to properly cook a blood sausage by himself. Also, coconut water sucks ass. 

His fangs had appeared two days after being bitten. Whenever he ate some meat or something hard they would sharpen and grow slightly. 

He hadn’t even realized that Friday had come around until he got a text from Peter. “I’m so excited to see you tonight!” He flinched at the text before letting out a sad sigh. He refused to skip the date, but he still worried. He stood up and pulled a light blue sweater over his head. He watched and let out a silent sigh of relief that the date was happening at night. He smiled at the idea of seeing Peter face to face again. He pulled his shoes on and stepped over to the computer, searching for any last-minute cures he may have missed. He let out a sigh, knowing he wouldn't find anything. He bit his lip before sighing and shooting a text back. "Neither can I! It's been so long since I've seen you ❤"

He forced a smile on his face and decided he could last one night. It was Peter, after all, he could never hurt him.

He called Bernie while getting into the elevator, asking him to bring the car to the front. In the elevator, he took notice of how his reflection was somewhat faded. Another thing he’d have to avoid at Peter’s.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Harry stepped out and made his way to the glass door, seeing Bernie through them. Bernie saw him and went to open the glass doors for him.

“Good evening Harry, you feeling alright?” He asked as Harry stepped out into the evening air.

“Good evening, and yes I feel fine. Why do you ask?” Harry began walking to the car with Bernie by his side.

“You just look pale. I don’t want you kicking the can in the back while I drive.” This is why Harry likes Bernie, he was afraid to joke around with him. 

Harry laughed while Bernie opened the car door. “I assure you I’m fine.” 

Harry made himself comfortable in the back seat before pulling out his phone. They were planning on picking up Peter outside of his house and going to the restaurant from there. He was excited to see Peter, to say the least. It had been a full 10 days since he last saw Peter and he missed him a lot, but he was still worried about his newfound vampire powers. He hummed softly as he thought about his enhanced strength. When it first occurred he had broken 4 glasses by just holding them before realizing how much stronger his grip had become. He stopped when he realized Peter must’ve gone through something similar when he first gained his powers. Not to mention Peter didn’t have a website to learn what to expect. It all must’ve been new and alarming to him. He felt his stomach drop for a moment, before feeling the car came to a stop. 

He looked up to realize they were in front of Peter’s house. He felt his smile grow as Bernie opened the door for him. “Thanks, Bernie.” He said as he dusted his shirt off.

Bernie smiled. “Go blow his socks off.”

Harry nodded and let out a nervous huff, before strutting up to the door. His hand hovered away from the wood for a moment before he took a deep breath and knocked. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. He felt almost as nervous as he did on their first date.

Almost immediately after the door, open Peter had tackled him in a hug, not enough to knock him over but enough to have him stumble back. 

“Woah! What was that about?” Harry laughed, hugging Peter back. He did so carefully, knowing he could potentially accidentally snap him in half.

“I haven’t seen you in days!” Peter responded, looking up. “Plus, I felt like it.”

“We can talk more in the car, we don’t want to lose our seats.” Harry grabbed Peter’s hand and lead him to the car.

“Are we going to a fancy place?” Peter’s voice conveyed slight panic. Harry turned and got a good look at him, the only reason he’d be worried about a fancy place is if he wasn’t dressed nicely. In Harry’s opinion, Peter was never not dressed nicely. He was wearing one of Harry’s old sweaters. It was a little big on him but it looked really good on him.

“No, it’s just always packed. Heard it was really good.” Harry kissed Peter’s forehead before opening the car door for him.

Peter blushed and smiled, before sliding into the car. “Why thank you, Mr. Osborn.” He teased.

Harry laughed. “Anything for you, Mr. Parker.” He replied. 

He walked to the other side and jumped in, smiling happily at Peter, who immediately leaned in for a kiss. Harry happily obliged, kissing him back and grabbing his hand. “I really missed you.”

Peter smiled. “I missed you too, Harry.” 

Harry grinned and pulled Peter’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. I light pink dusted his cheeks but he laughed and leaned over to kiss Harry’s cheek. “Dork.” He teased softly. 

The car started up and took off. Bernie turned up the music enough so he couldn’t hear the two in the back talking. He fully accepted their relationship and all, but sometimes they seemed to forget someone else in the car.

“So how were those extra days in Pennsylvania?” Peter asked. 

Harry took a moment to answer. “Boring. I was stuck in an uneventful area most of the time.”

Peter sighed. “Must’ve sucked, huh?” He asked gently.

“Oh, you can say that again.” Harry lied. He pulled his hand away so Peter couldn’t feel his pulse speed up. 

Harry saw Peter’s face fall at the lack of contact and immediately felt a rush of guilt before grabbing both of his hands. “I love you.” He murmured. 

Peter flushed bright red at that, before smiling. “I love you too.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Harry’s lips who happily kissed back. 

Finally, after a few moments, he pulled away and gave him a look. “What the heck Harry you’re freezing.”

He stiffened, knowing he was probably unnaturally cold. “O-oh, I am?” He questioned, looking down. 

Peter nodded. “This coming from the one who can’t thermoregulate, so that’s saying something. Are you okay?”

“I took an ice bath.” Harry blurted. Peter gave him a look. “I wanted to try it and I would never do it again.”

Peter slowly started laughing “That is probably as stupid as the hammock thing I did.” 

Harry laughed, feeling some of the stress leave him. This was honestly going better than he thought. He thought for sure that Peter would have figured it out by now or half of it. 

The car came to a stop in a busy parking lot. Bernie turned to the two love birds in the back. “You two have fun, not too much fun though. Last time I brought Peter home with a bruised neck I thought that Ms. Parker was going to kill me.”

Harry laughed. “We will Bernie,” Harry promised as he stepped out of the car. 

He jogged to Peter’s side to meet him as he stepped out. Peter had a nervous look on his face at the restaurant. “This place looks pretty upper-class, Harry.” He mumbled worriedly.

Harry smiled and moved hair gently out of Peter’s face. “Don’t worry, Pete. You look amazing right now.” He promised gently.

Peter blushed slightly, before nodding. “I’ll take your word for it.” He sighed. 

Harry began to lead Peter into the building, squeezing his hand carefully as to not use his newfound powers but to still show his affection. 

They stepped in and Peter felt slightly out of place. The music was classical and the waiters looked like they had yachts. Harry gave him an assuring look before walking up to the waiter at the welcome table.

“I have a reservation under Osborn,” Harry said kindly. The waiter nodded after looking through a book. He led them to the far corner of the restaurant where there was barely anyone. Peter and Harry liked having peace on date nights.

“Jessica will be right with you.” The man said before walking back to his post.

Peter winced slightly. “This place feels reeeaaaallly upper class, Harry.” He mumbled worriedly.

Harry sighed and grabbed his hands. “Pete, it’s just us, alright? Nobody’s judging us.” He promised kindly.

Peter cast him a worried glance before nodding. “If you say so.” He mumbled.

Harry nodded. “Its okay hon.” 

After a few moments of silence, a woman stepped over. “Hello, I’m Jessica.” She placed down two menus for them. “Can I get you two something to drink?” 

Peter smiled. “I’ll take a sweet tea with lemon please if you have any.” 

Harry winced before sighing. “Do you guys have coconut water?”

Jessica nodded. “Yep! Sweet tea with lemon, and coconut water. I’ll be back with your drinks in just a few minutes!” She chirped and left.

“Coconut water? Really Har?” Peter teased lightly.

Harry laughed. “H-Hey! It’s good!” 

“Did your newfound love for coconut water form over in Pennsylvania?” Peter teased more.

“I said it was good, not that I loved it.” Harry smiles as Peter laughed slightly.

“Whatever you say, Coconut boy.” Peter then looked down at his menu. Harry did the same, desperately looking for something that had blood in the title. He didn’t know why but a sudden wave of hunger had come over him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was surrounded by people now. He did sorta isolate himself after he had figured out what was going on.

He bit his lip slightly when he realized that there were no blood-related options. He decided to go for the next best option, steak, and hoped that along with the coconut water, it would be enough to hold him over. He took a slow breath and leaned back. Peter seemed to notice his distress

when he looked up from his menu. “Hey, Har, are you okay? Did something happen in Pennsylvania?” He asked worriedly.

Harry smiled fondly. Peter always knew when something was wrong, but now wasn’t the best time for him to make the connection. “No hon, nothing happened. I’m fine.” He lied, hoping his airy laughter would be enough to settle Peter down.

Peter winced before sniffing lightly and leaning forward. “You know you can talk to me if anything happens, right?”

Harry smiled a reassuring look. “I know, bug. I’m okay, I promise.” He said.

“Okay.” Peter gave up on pushing for answers for now. Harry was as stubborn as him when it came secrets, Peter knew that. To have a fight about a secret now was pointless and against the rules. Date nights meant no fighting.

The waitress came back with the drinks. “Are you two ready to order?” She asked, her voice still chirpy. 

Peter smiled and nodded. “Uh, Harry you order first, lemme look one more time real quick,” 

Harry nodded. “Alright. I have the steak, rare please, and I’ll get a fruit salad.” 

Jessica nodded and smiled, writing the order down. “And you?” She asked, turning to Peter. 

“I’ll get the everything burger and some fish sticks please.” He asked.

Jessica smiled and looked up. “Do you want any tartar sauce for your fish sticks?”

Peter nodded. “Yes please.”

Jessica wrote down the orders and took the menus. “Your meals will be out shortly!” She replied cheerily.

“Thank you!” Peter called as she walked away.

Harry laughed fondly. “You’re adorable.”

Peter blushed slightly. “Shush.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m just stating facts.”

Peter let out a whine that got Harry to laugh. They ended up having a back and forth of who was cuter or more attractive. That slowly just got them to talking about random stuff until their food arrived.

“Here’s steak with the fruit for you.” Jessica put the plate in front of Harry. “And the everything burger with the fish sticks.” She then placed the burger in front of Peter. “Let me know if you need anything else.” 

Peter smiled. “We will!”

He was quick to attempt to take a bite when half of the burger fell out the other side. Harry began to laugh as Peter coughed. “Thank fuck they gave me a fork.” Peter murmured, grabbing it and stabbing at the fallen lettuce and tomato.

Harry chuckled as Peter shoveled it into his mouth. He took a sip of his tea before taking another bite as Harry began cutting into the steak. The two began eating in comfortable silence, feeling a rush of ease come over them. It was peaceful and quiet as they ate.

After thirty minutes of comfortable silence, Jessica came back with the check. She placed it in front of Harry and then left with a smile. Peter went to reach for it but Harry pulled it away fast.

“Nuh-uh.” Harry smiled. “She put it in front of me, I’m paying.” Instead of seeing Peter’s usual frown when he didn’t get to pay, Harry saw that he was surprised.

“That was fast.” Peter got out.

Harry realized how quickly he must’ve moved to obtain the check before Peter did. He put on a faux smile and replied, “I guess being a vigilante is improving my reaction time.”

Peter narrowed his eyes suspiciously and sniffed. Harry could tell that Peter knew something was up. He put on a gentle smile. “I’m okay, Pete.” He lied.

Peter nodded. His suspicious look still remained though. He stood up at watched carefully as Harry pulled out his wallet, signed the check, and left $50 in cash. “That’s a huge tip.” Peter snorted.

“It’s the usual 15% and I added some since she was nice,” Harry replied.

Peter laughed. “Alright then,” He watched quietly as Harry organized himself and drank what was left of the coconut water. Something was definitely wrong with him. Not only was he acting weird, but he smelled different. Your natural smell is not something you can change, and Peter knew Harry’s scent better than he knew his own.

“How about we continue date night at my house? A movie maybe?” Peter asked. He wanted to see if Harry was really was okay. Extra time with Harry was also a plus in all this.

Harry stiffen slightly. Was he really going to risk a night with Peter? If he did he could put Peter in danger the whole night. If he didn’t then he’d be giving Peter a reason to be suspicious.

“S-Sure!” Harry was barely able to hide his slight hesitation from Peter, but somehow he managed to.

Peter smiled happily and did a small fist pump. Harry laughed, his worry fading slightly. He could never hurt Peter. He stepped to the smaller boy and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Let’s go.” He sighed, pulling out his phone.

Peter nudged his hand away lightly. “Harry, we can take the subway. Let him have the night off.”

Harry hesitated slightly. The subway always put him on edge and god knows what it would do to him with his newfound vampire powers. “Alright.” He replied, pushing his anxiety aside.

Peter took Harry’s hand and walked out of the restaurant. The walk was quiet considering it was a New York street. Once they were underground Harry felt his anxiety coming back. 

“It smells,” Harry commented.

“It always smells.” Peter retorted getting Harry to nod in response. The train came into the station and Harry and Peter stepped on.

Harry stiffened at the sight of an old man on the back of the subway, who was silently eating a jar of pickles. He mentally cringed as Peter pulled him away. “Don’t make eye contact, I’m willing to bet he's on drugs.”

Harry turned to Peter, feeling disgusted. “How often do you see shit like this?” He whispered.

Peter laughed. “On a daily basis. It's just like that on subways.”

Harry looked between them. “I don’t like that.”

Peter led Harry to the far end of the car, away from the pickle man. The ride was thankfully uneventful, the guy just stayed eating pickles on his side and Harry and Peter stayed in their side.

The train came to a slow stop and Peter stood. Harry stood up quickly with Peter, wanting to get off of the smelly train and just be at Peter’s house already. Peter laughed gently and touched his arm as he led Harry off the train. “Relax Har, I doubt he’d do anything. If he does, I can protect us.” He promised, kissing Harry’s jawline gently.

Harry shifted and nodded. “Hmm.. okay.” He mumbled. 

He followed Peter quietly off the train and followed him out of the subway, into the cold winter air. He smiled as Peter squeezed his hand lightly and began swinging their arms. Harry smiled and squeezed his hand back. Peter made a face and chuckled lightly. “I really underestimate how much stronger you’ve gotten since you’ve become a vigilante.”

Harry glanced at him. “Huh?” 

“Your grip, it's a lot stronger now,” Peter replied, a smile on his face. 

Harry loosened his grip. “S-sorry.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “That was a compliment, Har. It’s good that you’re getting stronger, you’ll be able to fight better.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Harry stuttered. He couldn’t hide that one.

“Are you sure that everything is okay?” Peter felt Harry’s forehead, still felt cold. 

“I’m fine, just didn’t expect to be called strong today.” Harry smiled. It was a long shot but it seemed to work.

“You’re always strong, hon.” Peter rested his head on Harry’s shoulder and the two continued to walk.

The rest of the walk was silent, with Peter occasionally slowing to kiss Harry’s cheek. Finally, they got to Peter’s house. Peter fished the key from his pockets, before opening the door and letting Harry in. He closed the door carefully and locked it, turning to Harry with a grin. Harry smiled back before Peter looked around. “May?” He whisper-shouted, as he snuck out into the living room.

It was silent as he looked briefly, before turning to the kitchen. He entered, turning on the light, and looked around before seeing a note in red sharpie on the counter.

‘Peter, I got called to the hospital to work the night shift. I’ll be home at about 6 in the morning, you stay safe. Call me if you need anything. -May’

He smiled lightly at the note before turning to Harry. “Looks like we got the house to ourselves, Har!” Peter called.

Harry smiled as Peter stepped over to him, pressing a kiss to his lips. Peter rested his hands on Harry’s shoulders as Harry pulled him closer by the waist. Slowly the kiss began to heat up as it deepened. Peter wanted to try something new. He prodded his tongue against Harry’s lips. It was surprising for Harry, but who was he to not give it a try? Harry’s hands moved up to the back of Peter’s head and Peter moved his arms so that they were draped over Harry’s shoulders. Harry had a grip on Peter’s hair, pushing Peter into the kiss even more. Peter gasped slightly only for it to be hushed.

It was exciting. Well, that was until Harry accidentally bit Peter’s tongue. The taste of blood exploded in his mouth, but it wasn’t disgusting to him. Peter’s blood tasted better than the blood sausage or the coconut water. He couldn’t describe what was so wonderful about it but all he knew was that he wanted more. He needed more. He-

“Harry?” Peter’s voice was soft. He didn’t even realize that Peter had pulled away from his lips. Then Harry realized what he was thinking. He knew that he was wrong to think these things, but half of him was assuring him this was right. That he needed to get more of Peter’s blood.

“Was that too much?” Peter asked, trying to get Harry to speak to him. Peter noticed something in Harry’s eyes. Primal fighting against the usual confident yet soft look in them.

He knew the look too well, fighting against your own instincts, he’s seen it in Miles’ eyes, and he’d felt it himself in the past. He took a step back. “H-Harry?” 

Harry took a step back and gasped, shaking and clutching his head. Harry straightened after a few seconds. Peter felt his eyes widen as Harry looked up. His eyes were darker than usual. Peter immediately turned to run when his spidey sense screamed, but Harry was already on top of him. He felt his heart pound in his chest as he felt Harry’s hot breath on his neck. He felt teeth dig into his neck and he let out a strangled and furious hiss as he began to attempt to kick Harry off. Peter immediately pushed on Harry’s chest, getting enough room to squeeze out.

Immediately after squeezing out, Peter got up and tried to get to the door. His neck stung and he could feel the blood flowing down, but right now he was on a survival high. Harry was on him again, this time slamming Peter to the wall.

“Harry, please! Get off!” Peter begged as he tried to push against Harry again. The scariest thing about this is how quiet Harry was. 

Harry caught both of Peter’s arms and pinned them to the wall, his right arm higher than his left. Harry went down to his neck again. The blood covered the left side of his neck. It was too messy to see the original bite marks. Peter felt his tongue press against his neck and it moved up. He couldn’t help but gasp and shudder as Harry pressed fangs back into the original holes and Peter screamed. Unlike last time the fangs felt like they were serrated and had hooked into his throat. 

His head began to spin as Harry kept him pinned. He kicked and hissed, but Harry was heavier than him and much stronger than usual, and even despite the circumstances, he didn’t want to hurt him. His head continued to spin as he struggled when dark spots appeared in his vision and he felt light-headed. He gave one more futile attempt to kick Harry off when he felt his limbs drop involuntarily, and he was out. Peter’s head fell to the side, giving Harry more room.

Harry kept drinking until he felt full. Even when he was full he almost continued, his blood tasted that good, until he realized what the hell he was doing. He gasped and let go of Peter as he took a step back. Peter slid down the wall. His head hung forward and his arms laid limply at his sides. Immediately a rush of panic overtook him when he saw Peter’s limp form. He ran forward, his hands hovering away from him. “Peter!? Peter- oh my god- Peter!” 

He lifted Peter’s head to look at his face. His lips were parted slightly and his eyes were closed, way too relaxed. It looked like Peter was asleep or… He grabbed Peter’s arm in a panic and searched for a pulse. He nearly collapsed when he felt one. “Oh thank god-” He wheezed. He picked Peter up and carried him to his room, his heart rate never slowing down. He scrambled around the room, searching for the first aid kit Peter kept around for his rough patrols. He found it under his desk. He ran to the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel and wetted it, before returning to Peter’s room. He quickly began cleaning the blood which had poured down Peter’s neck and felt a rush of disgust when he realized how much he wanted to continue drinking. He threw the cloth aside to prevent himself from sticking it in his mouth, and wrapped Peter’s neck carefully, praying Peter’s powers would be able to keep him alive.

He felt his heart drop as he realized that he did this. He barely held back tears when he looked over Peter’s figure. The sweater he’d been wearing was now dark and bloodstained, his hands were covered in blood from when he tried covering his neck, the gauze on his neck had been turning red quickly but seemed to slow. He prayed silently that the wound was small enough for Peter’s body to take care of, as he pulled away. 

As much as he thought it would be best if he left, he just couldn’t. Peter deserved to know what was going on after all of this. So he sat in Peter’s office chair and waited. He didn’t deserve to be in his room or anywhere near Peter, but he had to see him wake up. 

While he waited, his brain brought him back to Peter’s blood and the bite. He hated that he was thinking about it and enjoying it. It was all fuzzy but he could hear Peter’s begs and screams. He could smell Peter’s blood and natural scent. He felt Peter go weak under him. And he wanted to do it again.

Why had this affected him so much? He had had blood sausage, shouldn’t that have stopped him from going nuts? Maybe it had to do with getting blood from a source that was still alive. Harry didn’t need an explanation to know that he was to blame for this. He should have been more controlled than this. Tears began to stream down his face as he realized what could've happened. What if he'd killed Peter? What if he lost control again? What if he killed someone else? Tears were cascading down his face as he curled into himself. 

He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but soon, Peter began to stir. He shot up, and grabbed a water bottle, rushing to Peter's side. "Pete? Are you okay?" He whispered breathlessly. 

Peter made a small noise as Harry handed him the water bottle. "Here." 

Peter glanced at the water bottle, seeming almost confused, before opening it and gulping the entire thing down. He pulled away and coughed, shaking his head, before groaning softly. "Wha... What happened?" He mumbled out, looking up at Harry. 

Harry took a breath to explain, when suddenly Peter's eyes changed, beginning to glow bright green as he hissed and moved backward, his hand flying to his throat. He pressed himself into the corner and wavered, his eyes squeezing shut as a wave of nausea came over him. He quickly recovered and hissed at Harry. "What the hell Harry!” He snarled. 

“I lost control. That explains my actions but doesn’t excuse them.” Harry stated. “Something did happen in Pennsylvania, Peter. I know that I should have told you earlier but I didn’t think that you’d believe me. I got bit and became a-“ 

“Vampire.” Peter finished for him. “We’ve literally fought werewolves together, Harry. Were you starving yourself?” 

“No. Well from actual blood yes.” Harry sighed. “I just didn’t know what to do.”

“You could have told me. The Avengers have a vampire protocol!” Peter yelled.

“Clearly I didn’t know that.” Harry snapped, his eyes darkening and teeth sharpening for a moment until he saw Peter’s scared face. Harry covered his mouth and took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Harry gave his apology from behind his hand.

“You really don’t have any control over that, do you?” Peter asked, scooting a little closer.

Harry shook his head silently while frowning. A sad look crossed Peter's face before he straightened up slightly. "Can you hold yourself over for tonight?" Peter asked gently. 

Harry thought quietly for a moment. Could he? After a few moments, he decidedly nodded. "Yeah." 

Peter nodded before reaching down and grabbing the gauze and applying a second layer onto his neck. He stood up and changed his shirt, throwing the bloody sweater aside and pulled a clean one, also one of Harry’s, over his head, before taking off his jeans and pulling on sweatpants. Harry stared at the floor guiltily as Peter sat on the bed. There was a moment of silence before Peter sighed. "Come here."

Harry looked up. Peter had made a space for him on the bed and he had a soft smile on his face. Harry hesitated, before standing up and sitting on the bed. "Harry, get over here," Peter repeated, pulling Harry close. 

He yelped slightly as Peter hugged him. He stayed still for a moment, before squeezing his eyes shut and moving closer to Peter. Peter felt him begin to shake. "I'm sorry Peter, I'm so sorry... I-I didn't mean to- I didn't want to- I didn't want to hurt you I just-"

“Ssssh, it’s okay. We just need to work on control.” Peter hushed, running his fingers through his hair. “If you need a drink again, ask.” 

Harry pulled away to look at Peter. “Really?”

“Yeah, only on the arm though.” Peter gave an airy laugh. “I’ll be your human juice box until we get this fixed.”

Harry visibly cringed at that. "Don't call yourself that. I feel guilty enough." He mumbled. 

Peter let out a weak laugh. "Alright. Could you go get me some water, god knows how much blood you got from me and I gotta stay hydrated if I'm caring for you too now." 

Harry immediately nodded and ran downstairs. He grabbed the largest water bottle he could find and filled it up, before refilling the water purifier. His mind wandered for a moment as he put the container back into the fridge. He really didn't deserve Peter. After what he just put him through, he's willing to do this for him. It wasn't something he took for granted. He dropped a couple of ice cubes into the water before closing the top and taking it upstairs. "Here." He said, handing the bottle to Peter as soon as he entered the room. 

Peter smiled and thanked him before chugging a bit more. After a moment, Peter laughed. "What?" Harry asked. 

"I guess this is payback for all the times I've bitten you." He snorted. 

Harry felt his face turn red before raising an eyebrow. "First of all, those were consensual. Second of all, I enjoyed those. Third of all, I did the same to you."

Peter snickered before bearing his own fangs. "Yeah but you've never had fangs before." He teased. "How's it feel?" 

"Awful." Harry groaned. “They’re way too big and the sharpen randomly.” 

Peter started laughing but interrupted himself with a gasp. “It’s Fanged Friday!” Peter laughed at the face Harry made. Slowly Harry found himself laughing at it. 

“I guess it is.” Harry sighed. “Now drink, I don’t want you dehydrating on me.” 

Peter rolled his eyes. "God I've just given you an unlimited juice box and you're already taking me for granted."

Peter watched as Harry violently cringed at that. "Stop." 

Peter chuckled. "Harry I'm fine. I can only chug so much at once." He replied gently. 

Harry hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath. “I don’t.” He finally said.

“Hm?” Peter questioned.

“I-I don’t take you for granted I mean. I love you so much and I’m sorry for hurting you.” He murmured.

Peter smiled. “It’s okay, Harry.” He replied gently. “I know you don’t.”

Harry let a small smile appear his face. “Are you tired?”

“Sorta, just let me finish this water and I’ll sleep,” Peter answered before taking another sip. “Are you tired?”

Harry focused on himself. He wasn’t tired, but he hadn’t really slept all week. He had tried taking a nap but it didn’t work. “No, not really.”

Peter hummed softly and took another sip, before closing the bottle. “I think that's about as much as I can get down for now.” He said, setting the bottle on his bedside table.

Harry nodded. “Okay, do you want anything to eat?” He asked.

Peter immediately perked up at the mention of food. “Under my bed, I’ve got a candy stash.” He chirped, leaning over the side and pulling out a shoebox. 

Harry watched curiously as Peter opened it. He pulled out a few candy bars. “Do you still eat regular food?” Peter asked, giving him a curious look.

Harry shrugged. “I dunno.”

“What have you been surviving on?” People gave Harry a concerned look.

“Coconut water and English blood sausage,” Harry responded quickly. Peter shouldn’t have to worry anymore.

“Well do you want to try and eat something else?” Peter held out a granola bar. Harry hesitated in taking it, he wasn’t sure what could happen if he tried to eat it.

Shrugging, Harry took the granola bar and took a bite. After a few chews, it tasted like ash, and Harry gagged. 

“Nope, nuh-uh.” Harry stood up quickly and ran to Peter’s trash can and spat it out.

Peter cringed lightly. “Sorry.” He mumbled, stuffing a Snickers bar into his mouth. 

Harry smiled softly. “It’s okay.” He promised while wiping his mouth. 

He walked over and sat down beside Peter, who smiled at him. Peter closed the box and tossed it haphazardly aside and yawned. Harry chuckled lightly and poked his nose. “You’re adorable.”

Peter smacked his hand away and rolled his eyes. “Hush. Naptime.” He decided aloud. 

Harry nodded as Peter fell back and nestled under the covers. “Come on, Har.” He mumbled, getting comfortable.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think-”

Peter grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down. “Even if you don’t need sleep, you should at least rest.”

Harry hesitated for a moment, before hesitantly wrapping his arms around Peter, who smiled gently. He placed his head on Harry’s chest. His heartbeat was slower than he thought it would be. Considering that Harry was now a vampire it shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did, but it upset him slightly. Usually, Harry’s heartbeat would put him to sleep easily. With the new slower one it took longer.

Peter managed to fall asleep with his slower heartbeat. Harry stared quietly at Peter. He felt so small in his arms, and he couldn’t help but feel another rush of guilt. This was his fault. He should’ve just told Peter what had happened, not waited until he nearly killed him. He sniffed and tightened his grip on Peter. He needs to control himself better, which is something he’ll start to work on. He closed his eyes. He may not be able to fall asleep, but he can at least pretend and relax.

He stayed like that for a long time. He heard Peter began to purr at some point that interrupted his thoughts for a moment. 

At some point, Harry felt his face burning. He did his best to ignore it at first, but it began to hurt like hell. He opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by the sun. He began hissing and he pushed Peter off of him quickly and rolled off the bed to the shade.

“Harry?” Peter asked groggily, leaning over him. 

“I’m okay, just the sun.” Harry groaned, rubbing his eyes and the slight burn.

Peter cursed and sat up, closing the blinds. “I’m sorry I should’ve closed them! Are you okay?” He asked, looking worried.

Harry looked at his reddened skin and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

Peter was at his side almost immediately, checking the burns carefully. “How do you feel?” He asked gently.

Harry shook his head. “Okay.” He murmured.

Peter watched quietly before sniffing him lightly. “Okay, don’t hurt yourself.” He mumbled.

Peter held his head until Harry could open his eyes. Harry blinked a few times before being able to keep his eyes open. 

“You wouldn’t believe how many times that happened during this week.” He laughed lightly. Harry held his hand over one of Peter’s after catching his worried expression. “I’m fine. Just no sun.” 

“Okay.” Peter relaxed and stood up. His neck stung slightly when he looked around. He didn’t say anything about it to Harry because he didn’t want to have him feel any more guilty. 

He took a deep breath and began walking towards the door. “We should probably call the Avengers, they can help.” He said.

Harry nodded. “Will… will they…”

“They won’t hurt you, I’ll make sure of that,” Peter said firmly, a protective look crossing his face.

Harry smiled softly before he nodded. “Alright.”

He stood up, careful to avoid the light, and followed Peter downstairs. Peter closed the blinds and looked around carefully for a moment. “May should be home by now but since she had the night shift she’ll probably be asleep for a while. We have a couple of hours.” 

Peter went into the kitchen and got himself a bowl of cereal. Harry waited for him in the doorway, not trusting the curtains in there to protect him. Peter came back out into the living room and sat on the couch with Harry following him like a lost puppy.

“Does it still hurt?” Harry asked, now looking at Peter’s neck. 

“Eh, I’ve been through way worse pain than this. I’m fine, just sore.” Peter acted like that was a completely normal response. It was for him, but Harry still cringed, thinking about how much pain Peter has been through. 

Peter turned on the TV. It already had an opening card for a movie. He had a habit of leaving discs in the DVR. Peter let the movie continue and began to eat his cereal happily. Harry laughed when he realized it was Back to the Future. “Why do you have Back to the Future on DVD?” He questioned playfully.

Peter shrugged. “Ask Aunt May. I found it yesterday and started watching it before you showed up.”

The two sat quietly, enjoying the movie when Peter stretched out over Harry. He looked down to see Peter lying comfortably on his stomach, his head in Harry’s lap. He was on his phone, presumably texting Kamala. Peter wrapped one arm around Harry’s back and supported his phone with it and had his other arm under his chin as he typed one-handed.

“So, she said that we could meet up at night.” Peter piped, shutting his phone off. “We don’t want them to see a crisp Harry Osborn now do we?” 

Harry gave him a smile and patted his head. “That we do not. Are you really okay with me staying the whole day? I don’t have any coconut water.” 

“I’m perfectly fine with you staying here, just tell me when you’re hungry,” Peter responded sweetly.

Harry smiled softly, before beginning to comb his fingers through Peter's hair. It was quiet as the movie played, with occasional laughter and small talk, but for the most part, the couple remained silent. As the movie ended, Peter glanced at the movie case. "What do you wanna watch now?" He asked, looking over the backs of the movies as he examined them. 

Harry leaned forward. "What do you have?" 

Peter shrugged. "A lot."

“Okay, I’ll look,” Harry said, trying to stand. Peter wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist as he stood up. 

“I’m not letting go.” Peter looked up with a smug look.

“Well, I’m not stopping.” Harry then went to the DVR, Peter still wrapped around his waist. He had assumed Peter had gotten up and followed him. 

“So what movie-“ Harry looked and saw that Peter was still halfway on the couch. “Peter.”

“What?” His voice was laced with a laugh.

Harry began laughing at the ridiculousness of his position. "Peter- Peter get off the couch."

Peter began laughing while trying to keep his arms firm around Harry's waist. "No." 

Harry grabbed his face and pushed him gently. "Release me!" He shouted playfully, attempting to shove Peter off. 

Peter screamed and clutched Harry's shirt. "NO!"

Peter kept his grip tight as Harry tried to pry the fingers off his shirt. “You’re going to fall.”

“I’ll fall when I say I will.” Peter laughed. 

“You two are just the definition of clingy.” May laughed. She was already dressed in the scrubs.

Peter screamed, not having heard her enter, and his legs slipped off the couch. He squeezed Harry's abdomen, making Harry yelp. "Peter!" He shouted.

Peter still didn't release despite now laying on the floor. "Morning Aunt May." He called to her. 

She laughed. "Hello boys, how was your date last night?" She asked happily. 

Peter hesitated for a moment. "U-hmm it was good! Yeah, it went great!" He lied, his voice cracking slightly.

May didn't seem to pick up on it as she nodded. "I'm glad to hear that." She walked up to the front door and picked up her purse. “I got another shift so I’ll see you night around 1 am. Love ya.”

“Have fun! Love you too!” Peter called as May walked out the door. 

“Please let go,” Harry asked. 

“Why?” Peter questioned before he felt it. That led to a smile then a laugh. “Oh.”

“Shut it!” Harry snapped half-heartedly with a flushed face.

Peter released him, but still looked playful. "You know, we are home alone now, and we don't have anything to do until tonight." He replied with a grin. 

Harry was flustered but sighed. "I don't want to accidentally hurt you." He mumbled. He looked slightly upset that he had to decline. 

Peter rolled his eyes and stopped to think, as he approached the movie case. “What about a muzzle?”

“Peter!” Harry was so red that he looked like he was about to explode. 

“Alright alright.” Peter surrendered, now pulling out some movies. "Hey, we got Twilight.”

“We are not watching that.” Harry gave Peter a playful glare. “It stupid.”

“Maybe we can learn more about vampires by-“ 

“I don’t glitter in the moonlight. I get hyperactive.” Harry stopped Peter, who was snickering.

“Okay, no Twilight.” Peter smiled.

He continued sifting through. “We have Harry Potter.” He offered.

Harry sighed. “It’s that or something stupid, isn’t it?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah pretty much.”

Harry huffed. “Alright let’s binge-watch them I guess.” He chuckled. 

Peter places the first movie in and stood, lending Harry a hand to get up. Harry took it, not that he needed help up but because he wanted to hold his hand.

The two went and sat down on the couch. Peter pulled his legs onto the couch while Harry kept his on the floor. The movie screen card popped up and Peter pressed play. Halfway through the movie, Harry heard Peter hum a song. He looked down, recognizing the tune. He smiled and sang softly along.

“And if you have a minute, why don’t we go,

Talk about it somewhere only we know, 

This could be the end of everything

So why don’t we go somewhere only we know”

Peter jumped at Harry’s voice when he began singing. “Shit you heard that?” 

Harry laughed and nodded. “Yep, I got enhanced hearing too now hon.”

Peter visibly cringed backward. “Mmmm, don’t like that.”

“Why? Are there things you don’t want me to hear?” Harry asked, half teasingly and half concerned. 

“I think I’ll just start snapping in your ear whenever I mumbled to myself,” Peter responded. He was dodging the question so that was a yes.

“You better not. I almost blew out my eardrum Wednesday.” Harry muttered the last part.

Peter snickered lightly. “Now you understand.”

“I didn’t realize earbuds would be so painful!” 

Peter recoiled. “Yeah you learn to either A, have them at the lowest volume, or B, headphones at, again, a low volume.” 

Harry nodded. “Yeah yeah I got the message. Don’t wear earbuds or keep the volume down.”

Peter chortled at Harry’s irritation, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t worry hon, you won’t have to deal with that for much longer.”

“Can’t wait for that.” Harry let out a long sigh. 

They continued to finish up the first movie and Peter went to put in the second when something felt off. Harry had pulled away when Peter stood up instead of taking his revenge on Peter from earlier. He looked at Harry and saw that he was blocking his mouth with his hand. He could see Harry clenching his fist. Peter frowned and moved towards him. "Are you hungry?" He asked gently. 

Harry shifted and avoided his gaze, but nodded. Peter sat beside him and grabbed his free hand hesitantly, before offering his arm up. Harry stopped and watched him with a worried gaze, still covering up his mouth. 

“Are you sure?” Harry’s voice was muffled by his hand. 

Peter nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m offering Harry.”

Harry looked down at Peter’s arm and sighed. “Stop me if I’m taking too much.” He said, taking his hand away from his mouth.

“I will.” Peter smiled. Harry took Peter’s arm into his free hand. After taking a deep breath, Harry lowered his head and Peter felt the familiar sting in his arm that he felt last night in his neck.

He winced and turned his head away. Harry was careful to drink slowly, so Peter would be able to tell him to stop if he took too much. The taste of Peter's blood was somehow the best and worst thing he's ever tasted. He knew that the only reason he was upset about the taste was because of how much he cared for Peter and it almost disgusted him how much he was enjoying the taste. 

After a few minutes, Harry felt Peter squeeze his hand slightly harder. Harry pulled away and saw that Peter had dropped a few shades but he was still smiling at Harry.

“Are you feeling better?” Peter asked.

Harry released his arm. "Y- I'm sorry, are- are you okay?" 

Peter swallowed. "Yeah I'm okay, I just need water." 

Harry felt a slight rush of guilt. "Alright, okay yeah I'll go get some." He stood up quickly and made his way to the kitchen, careful to avoid the patches of sunlight, before reaching into the fridge and grabbing a water bottle and running back to Peter's side. 

He gave Peter the bottle, who was quick to chug it. “Do you mind changing the movie?” 

“Of course not, just a sec.” Harry quickly ran into his boyfriend’s room and picked up the first aid kit. He scaled back to Peter’s side immediately and started to clean up the blood.

Peter smiled fondly. “Harry, I’m okay.” He reassured gently, an amused look crossing his face. 

Harry didn’t reply, focused on cleaning the blood and wrapping the wound that now graced Peter’s forearm. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, still cleaning.

Peter rolled his eyes. “It’s okay Harry, I let you do this.” He promised.

Harry didn't reply but continued to clean the bite marks. Peter smiled fondly as Harry sealed the tape. "I love you." Peter murmured.

Harry smiled back. "I love you too, Peter.”

When he was satisfied with his bandaging job, Harry went to put the second movie in, kissing Peter’s forehead before doing so. He came back to Peter’s side quickly. Once he sat down Peter pressed into him.

Peter pressed play on the remote and the familiar music filled the room. He leaned comfortably into Harry and felt himself wander in and out of consciousness. Harry felt Peter begin to purr against his side as he began to drift asleep. Harry smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to Peter’s forehead. “Sleep tight, hon.” He murmured softly.

Peter shifted in his sleep and let out a long, relaxed sigh. Harry couldn’t help but fawn over his tiny boyfriend. 

~~~

“Peter? Peter?” Harry cooed, shaking the sleeping teen. Peter let out a whine and looked up. He was right on Harry’s chest. 

“Hm?” Peter muttered softly, nuzzling his chin into his chest.

“We should start getting ready to leave,” Harry whispered, running his fingers through his hair.

Peter let out another pitiful whine before a shiver ran down his spine and he attempted to get up. Harry chuckled as the small boy wobbled his way to his feet. “You’re adorable.” He laughed playfully, as Peter stood. 

Peter hissed lightly at him before wrapping his arms around his body. “God it’s cold.” He whimpered.

Harry stood up and approached him, touching his shoulder lightly, before Peter flinched back. “You’re cold too. No more cuddles until you are normal temperature.” He growled teasingly, before making his way upstairs, shivering lightly.

Harry laughed to himself, knowing full well that Peter would cave before him. He waited at the bottom of the stairs. He could hear Peter’s footsteps coming down. 

“Are you putting on the mask?” Harry asked seeing Peter’s bag.

“Nah, they know and I was upset for two weeks.” Peter nudged Harry in a joking manner.

Harry nodded hesitantly before a more confident look crossed his face and he nodded. “Alright.” He replied.

Peter looked around, before grabbing a few granola bars and eating them casually. “The sun still needs a couple of minutes to fully set, but we can be off pretty soon.”

Harry nodded. “Alright.”

“Any last-minute requests? Are… are you hungry? You’ve only… eaten, once today.” 

“No,” Harry replied quickly. “We don’t need you passed out on the subway.” 

“Mmm, good point.” Peter smiled, heading to the door. “Don’t go starving yourself though.”

“I don’t want to drink any more blood.” 

Peter nodded understandingly. “Alright, hon.” 

Peter chugged a few more glasses of water, and scarfed down one more granola bar and a hard-boiled egg, before trotting towards the door. “Let’s go, it’s dark enough now.”

Harry nodded and followed Peter out of the door. Peter locked it and pocketed the key, before turning and walking towards the nearest bus stop.

Harry was next to him and Peter looked him up and down and started laughing slightly. He took Harry’s hand and pulled him down slightly. “Look down.” 

Harry did so and realized that he was levitating an inch off the ground. As he realized he fell slightly down meeting the ground.

“Ooooo, flying Harry. Are you going to go to the moon?” Peter was doing his stupid voice.

“Please stop, I’m begging you.” 

“Gonna go to the moon, space boy?” Peter's voice turned into a laugh.

“Hush!” He snapped playfully.

“Make me!” Peter threatened.

Harry leaned forward and kissed Peter on the lips, making the boy lean back slightly before the boy pulled away and ducked under Harry’s second attempt at kissing him. “Come at me!” He shouted, before turning and running down the walkway.

Harry began laughing and chasing after Peter quickly. Peter glanced over his shoulder to see Harry much closer than he anticipated. He let out a playful cry of alarm and sped up, running close to top speed with Harry keeping up well. He felt arms wrap around him and he screamed playfully as Harry tackled him, toppling them both in a ball of flailing laughter. Peter kicked Harry off of him and bared his fangs impishly, and Harry did so as well. Peter recoiled and hissed before the two began laughing softly. 

They collected themselves before the bus came. The driver didn’t seem to give two shits about what was going on. A few other people were already on the bus, most on their phones.

Peter took a seat in the only open chair and scooched so that Harry had some room. Harry sat down next to him and the two made themselves comfortable. Peter pulled out his phone and two pairs of Bluetooth earbuds and handed one to Harry. “I got an idea.” He said.

Harry raised an eyebrow, but turned on the earbuds and connected to Peter’s phone. Peter began hiding what he was searching for as a devilish grin crossed his face. Harry narrowed his eyes at him before Peter began giggling, and he turned the phone to Harry. He had turned on Vampire Diaries. 

“Why are you like this?” Harry glared at Peter.

“I’ve learned to joke about things.” Peter smiled.

“Can you turn it off?” Harry begged.

“No.” Peter gave Harry big innocent eyes. Harry let out a groan. “This isn’t even the first episode so you’ll never know what’s going on.”

“Torture.” Harry groaned again.

Peter laughed softly at his boyfriends’ distress, before turning to the phone and leaning into him. Despite Harry’s mock-hatred of the show, he leaned back into Peter and found himself enjoying the moment. Less so because of the show, but because he was here. Out and about with Peter. Just how he loves it. And despite the complaining, Harry became curious about the show and its plotline after a few minutes of watching Peter’s intense gaze on the phone. He hummed quietly, and that’s how it was in the ensuing 20 minutes before the bus came to a halt. “We’ll have to take the subway from here,” Peter replied.

“If there’s another guy eating pickles I will cry.” Harry and Peter stood and walked off the bus. The closest subway was another twenty minutes away. 

“There probably will be.” Peter laughed as Harry’s face turned into disgust. “Or maybe a naked man.” 

“What?” Harry blurted, caught off guard. Peter nodded. “Fuck.”

Harry cringed as Peter snorted. “You haven’t even seen the worst of it Harry. One time on the way to school there were literally people having sex, it was horrifying.”

Harry gagged at that. “Stop- stop it- Peter-” 

Peter began laughing loudly. “Welcome to New York City, hon.”

Harry gagged again, his face changing to absolute horror. “Peter, if people are having sex, I will shamelessly end their life.”

Peter laughed loudly and shoved him lightly. “Stop that! I understand where you’re coming from but murder is a no!”

“Public indecency is a no too but they don’t seem to care so why should I?” Harry gave Peter a devilish smile as Peter shoved him lightly again.

“No. The cops can take care of both of those things.” Peter scolded lightly.

“Did you call the cops when it happened?” Peter stayed quiet. “Point proven. I’ll become the vigilante that subway needs.”

Peter laughed at the comment. “Alright, subway-man.” He teased before his eyes widened. “ALRIGHT JARRED-”

“STOP.”

Peter began laughing loudly and had to stop for a moment as Harry glared at him. “You are a bad person, Peter.” He scowled. 

Peter only continued to laugh as they walked. Harry couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto his face. Peter’s laugh was just enough to do that, no matter how stupid the joke was or stressful the situation.

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?” Harry asked and Peter shook his head. 

Harry shook his head, unable to force an angry face. “God- you!” He yelled playfully, before breaking off into laughter.

Peter snickered before burying his face in the crook of Harry’s neck. Harry sighed fondly and intertwined their fingers, before glaring at him playfully and continuing to walk in peaceful silence. The silence, however, was soon interrupted when Peter nudged him lightly. Harry looked down at him, and Peter kissed his cheek. “Look forward.” He murmured.

Harry obeyed curiously before Peter whispered quietly to him. “Someone’s following us- don’t turn around. They’ve been following us for the past three blocks.”

Harry looked over his shoulder and sure enough, there was someone there. Head down and hands in their pockets. He wrapped his arm around Peter and held him close.

“If they try anything, I’m going to bite,” Harry whispered.

Immediately, Peter glared at him. “Don’t kill him.” He warned.

Harry nodded and sped up lightly. After a moment, he felt Peter gasp beside him and his eyes widened as he turned to try and meet the man, who had quickly and suddenly rushed up behind him. Harry turned to attack, but the man had already grabbed Peter and was holding him in a tight headlock. Peter hissed and screamed loudly, attempting to throw the man off him, and Harry quickly rushed forward. He stopped when the man pulled out a knife and kept the blade pressed against Peter’s throat, the cold steel sending shivers down his spine. Harry was staring wide-eyed and angry as the man glared and in a raspy voice hissed, “Drop everything of value or I swear to god I will kill him right now.” 

Harry reached into his pockets and pulled out his wallet, but kept his hand in his other pocket. Peter was watching them both carefully. He could easily throw this man off his rhythm by throwing him over his head, but the knife was pushed dangerously against his neck.

Harry held out his wallet and the guy went to take it. Harry’s other hand came out of his pocket and grabbed his arm. He pulled him away from Peter, who, luckily, was not cut. The man released the wallet and attempted to use his now free hand to attack Harry. He lunged forward and gripped onto his neck and Harry snarled loudly, crushing the man's wrist in his arm and pulling him towards him to bite him. The man yelped in alarm as Harry bit through his jacket sleeve. He didn’t release his grip but loosened it enough for Harry to shake his hand off his neck, and after he released his bite from him. The man, still not giving up, began attempting to overpower Harry again. He struggled against the man but was able to overcome him with his increased strength. The man stumbled as Harry tried pinning him when he switched the knife from one hand to another and stabbed at Harry frantically. Harry felt the cold steel pierce his skin and let out a cry of pain, when Peter lunged forward, tackling the man over, causing him to drop the knife in alarm. “HARRY! ARE YOU OKAY?!” Peter cried out in alarm.

Harry felt where the stab wound was. He wasn’t bleeding heavily but he sure of hell was angry. He looked back at the man and Peter. The guy was trying to grab his knife while Peter kept him down. That angered Harry even more for some reason.

Peter was surprised to be pushed off of the man by Harry. He hadn’t pushed him hard, but enough to startle him. Harry bared his fangs and grabbed the man by the collar, yanking him upwards. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He snarled furiously in the man's face, a very dangerous calm to his voice.

The man trembled slightly before saying, “I was-” The fact that the man had the balls to even reply sent sparks of rage through Harry, and he could barely keep himself from killing the man right then and there. “I was looking for money for drugs.”

Harry hissed violently at him, his fangs sharpening. “You’re going to need a lot of those to forget this.” Harry went to bite his neck but was stopped by Peter’s hand which he bit.

“Harry, stop!” 

He looked up, somewhat alarmed to see Peter staring at him worriedly. He quickly released Peter’s hand and stepped off the man, who immediately ran as soon as he was released. Harry stared after him furiously, before turning to Peter who was holding his bleeding hand. “Why did you stop me?” His voice was a mixture of fury and concern.

Peter looked at him. “You were going to kill him- what he did wasn’t okay but you can’t kill people!” 

Harry felt his heart jump when he realized that Peter's eyes were watering. He looked just a moment or two away from crying. “You do realize that I could have killed you if I had kept going?”

“I knew you wouldn’t,” Peter responded before his face dropped. “You would have stopped, right?”

Harry gave Peter a slight glare and then shut his eyes, letting out a long sigh. “I don’t know.”

Peter shook his head. “Who are we kidding, it’s YOU, Harry. I know you would’ve stopped. Plus it’s not like I’m helpless, I could’ve thrown you off if I had to.”

Harry stared at him quietly, before murmuring, “That’s not the point, Peter.”

“The point is that I love you and I know you love me. I know you’d get control of yourself before you’d seriously hurt me. You did it before, and you’ve just done it now.” 

“If I hadn’t realized it was you, I would have popped a major artery,” Harry mumbled. He was ashamed to admit that his mind was jumping with joy at the thought.

They stood in the alley in silence for a few minutes. To passersby, it could have looked like a drug deal going on. Finally, Peter took a deep breath and moved forward to hug him. He wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him tight. “But you did, and you stopped.” He murmured softly.

Harry felt his heart squeeze and he held back tears and wrapped his arms around Peter. A few stray tears slipped out of his eyes and he squeezed him back, sniffing lightly. Harry felt himself begin to shudder as he barely refrained from sobbing out.

“We’re going now, okay?” Peter hushed. Harry nodded, wanting all of this to be over. He also didn’t want to know what this feeling was that was coming over him. 

They walked out back onto the street and continued to the subway. Once there they had to wait ten minutes for a train to pull up. They boarded the train, thankfully alone, and Peter held Harry close. He could see Harry's distress and didn't want to leave him without comfort. Harry was thankful for the contact, enjoying the feeling of Peter rubbing his back gently and quietly as he murmured soft sweet nothings as the train chugged along. "So we're gonna meet the Avengers at Avengers Tower and they'll have a cure ready for you. They said it might take an extra day or so for it to completely get rid of the vampirism and it won't be the most pleasant thing you've ever experienced, but it'll be a cure." Peter explained gently and quietly.

“Alright,” Harry mumbled. “I just want to get this all over with.” 

“It will be over soon.” Peter cooed.

The train slowed down after 20 or so minutes and they got up and left. Only one person was in the subway station was wearing a hood over their face. Harry and Peter seemed to catch their attention.

“Hey!” She called, catching their attention. Peter looked over and smiled as Harry looked over confused.

“Escorting us there, Kamala?” He teased.

The person- Kamala, shushed him sharply. "Yes, now shut up! I'm undercover."

Peter put his hands up in surrender and felt Harry shift uncomfortably beside him. He leaned gently into Harry and murmured, "It's okay, I know her. She won't do anything." 

Harry still seemed uncomfortable, as Kamala watched him curiously. "So you're the one with vampirism?" She asked, her voice lowering as she spoke.

Harry flinched but replied, "Yeah. Pete said you guys could fix this?"

“Yeah, hope you don’t mind injections.” Kamala began to walk up the stairs of the subway with Peter and Harry following behind her.

The streets were of course packed. It was a wonder how they were able to stay near them. As they passed people, Harry’s smelled increased and he began to hyperventilate. Peter intertwined their fingers gently, recognizing that Harry was beginning to have a sensory overload. "Harry, just take deep breaths. We're almost at Avengers Tower." He whispered, feeling Harry began to shake. 

Harry nodded and the three began to speed up. "Kamala is there any less crowded way we could take?" Peter asked quickly. 

Kamala turned and frowned. "Yeah, but it'll take longer to get there." She warned. 

Peter turned to Harry. "Do you wanna take the less crowded way?" Peter asked.

“I think I’ll need to.” Harry nodded. His brain was telling him to hunt and he sure as hell didn’t want to hurt anyone around here. 

“Alright, I’ll notify that we’ll be late.” Kamala sighed, pulling out her phone. After shooting a text to Bruce, she motioned for the boys to follow her.

She turned into a dimly lit alleyway, before leading them through a few more, and arriving at a much quieter road. Peter turned to Harry and frowned, seeing the pain and hunger in his eyes. "Harry, do you need to stop to eat?" He whispered gently. 

Harry flinched at the idea. When he had bitten Peter's hand and got a taste of his blood, it had made him undoubtedly hungry, but he believed he could last. He shook his head. "I-I think I can manage." He mumbled. 

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "Harry if you need to stop to drink a little, I won't mind. I won't let you drink so much that I can't keep going but it'll be enough to hold you over."

“I’m fine, really.” Harry lied. Yes, he was thirsty, but he didn’t think he’d be able to stop once he started.

“Okay.” Peter sighed, knowing that Harry was lying but decided not to push.

“Are you sure you’re not just an old married couple?” Kamala questioned.

Peter blushed slightly and glared at her playfully. "Hardy har, am I not allowed to worry about my boyfriend?"

Kamala laughed. "You're acting like Tony and Steve after a battle. You're all over each other and worrying." 

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up." 

“I bet your spider friends say the same thing.” Kamala smiled. After bickering for a bit they made it to the back entrance of Avengers Tower. Kamala pressed her hand to the door. A few seconds later it beeped and she was able to push the door open.

“Come on.” She motioned them to follow.

The lobby was dark and empty as she led them towards the elevator. She smiled and looked up. "Hey JARVIS, could you take us to the infirmary to see Bruce?"

"Of course Ms. Marvel," The elevator replied.

Peter gasped and looked up. "Oh my god, I forgot Stark had an AI!"

Kamala laughed. "You can talk to him." She said grinning at him. 

Peter went wide-eyed before he looked up. "Hi JARVIS!" He yelped excitedly. 

"Hello Mr. Parker," JARVIS greeted. 

Peter's eyes bulged and he gasped. "You know me?!"

Harry chuckled at Peter's wonder with the AI. “Of course I do.”

Harry watched as Peter’s eyes filled with wonder. If under different circumstances, Peter would be questioning JARVIS like his life depended on it.

“He’s like a child a Disneyland,” Kamala whispered as Peter started asking little questions to the AI.

“You should see him around Scat,” Harry whispered.

Kamala raised a curious eyebrow. “Who’s Scat? Isn’t that another word for… you know, poop?”

Harry chuckled softly. “Yeah, and Scat is his baby spider. He considers her his daughter and treats her as such.” He snorted. “Also wouldn’t call her a little shit. Almost lost my life the minute a brought that point into his view.”

Kamala stared at him. “He has a spider?”

“Duh.”

Kamala stared at him with a somewhat alarmed look before shrugging. “Seen weirder I guess.”

“I bet.” Harry smiled. The elevator door opened with a ding and the group stepped out. Kamala dimmed the lights, noticing Harry wince.

“Follow me.” Kamala waved them over. They walked across the tiled floor to Bruce Banner, who had tested tubes filled with a dark green liquid. He looked up from the desk and smiled.

“Hello there.” Banner stood up with his hand out for both of the boys to shake. 

Peter excitedly shook his hands. “Uh- hello Dr. Banner!” He greeted ecstatically. 

Banner chuckled as Harry approached and shook his hand as well. “U-um, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Harry said.

Banner nodded at the two, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both as well. Now, which one of you got bit?” He asked.

Peter snorted. “Both of us.” 

Harry smacked his stomach lightly and glared at him, a slight blush of embarrassment crossing his face. “Shut up, Peter.”

Peter chortled before pointing to Harry. “He did, sir.”

“Alright.” Bruce stood up and offered Harry his chair. “You’ll need to sit for the injection. I should warn you that you might pass out after.”

Harry nodded, taking a seat. “Please just get it over with.”

Bruce nodded as Peter moved to his side. “Wanna hold my hand?” He asked, only half teasing.

Harry glared at him. “No.” He said. It was a lie. He really did want to hold Peter’s hand, but his pride was getting in the way. 

He watched as the needle went into his arm, Bruce looking up at him to make sure he was okay before the dark liquid was injected. 

It felt tingly going in his arm. That feeling soon spread throughout his body and became intense. The only way to really describe it was being put to sleep for medical procedures. Harry felt his breaths become longer. His neck rolled back and he closed his eyes. 

He felt like he was falling but didn’t meet with the cold, hard, tiled floor. Instead, he shot up in a hospital bed in a pitch-black room. He looked around as his eyes adjusted. He was still in Avengers Tower’s medical wing. Harry tried moving slightly only to have his leg hit something. Looking down he saw Peter passed out with his head on the bed with his arms shielded around him. He reached down and touched Peter’s head. He immediately jerked awake, making a small ‘mrr?’ sound. Harry practically felt his heart explode at that, as Peter looked up and smiled weakly. “Hhhhi Harry…” He slurred softly.

Harry smiled. “Hi, Pete.” He murmured gently, feeling woozy from the injection.

Peter grinned as Harry opened his arms. “Cuddles.” He mumbled.

Peter’s grin grew and climbed up onto Harry, wrapping his arms around Harry’s torso. He smiled and wrapped his arms around the smaller, exhausted boy and let out a deep sigh.

“Why did you have to be so dramatic when you fell?” Peter mumbled, nuzzling Harry.

“What do you mean?” Harry laid his head back onto the bed.

“One second you were fine, the next you death dropped.” Peter giggles a little at the end. “You just completely went ragdoll.”

Harry laughed softly. “Hush, you.” He growled playfully.

Peter took a deep breath and nestled into his chest, getting comfortable quickly. “Can we nap for a minute?” He asked softly.

Harry nodded. “Sure, yeah why not.” And the two dozed off.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Early the next day, Bruce opened the door to be met with the sight of Peter fast asleep on top of Harry, snoring softly. He carefully made his way over as to not wake Harry. 

Once next to them, he shook Peter slightly. “Hey, Spidey.” He whispered.

Peter made a small noise unhappily, before looking up. He looked up to see Bruce looking at him, slightly amused. Peter mewled softly and adjusted so he could sit up without disturbing Harry under him. After a moment, he finally sat up and looked towards Bruce. “What’s up?” He asked softly, rubbing his face as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Bruce looked at Harry, then to Peter. “It’s noon right now and I didn’t think you’d want to sleep all day.” He said chuckling lightly.

“You wanna bet?” Peter said jokingly. Bruce smiled and let out a little laugh. Peter took his phone from his pocket and saw that he had multiple notifications from Miles. They were all asking where he was and why he was late. The last one stuck with Peter though.

‘Oh yeah, it was date night last night. Take your time recovering 😉’

He felt his face heat up as he nudged Harry softly. “Har, time to get up hon.” 

Harry groaned softly and opened his eyes, looking tired as he sat up slowly. “Wha? What happened?”

“You’re not a vampire anymore,” Peter replied, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to Harry’s forehead.

Harry made a small noise at the contact and leaned into Peter. “That’s good.” He said.

Peter smiled but felt his face heat again as Harry pressed a kiss to his cheek and began working down his jawline. He pushed him away gently. “Harry, Bruce is here.” He warned softly.

Harry blushed slightly. “Ask him to leave?”

“I think it’s our time to leave, Harry.” Peter smiled as he stood up.

Harry felt a rush of disappointment at the loss of Peter's warmth but still stood up and stretched. He felt his tight muscles become sore at the movement as he felt lightheaded from holding his breath for a moment too long. He grabbed onto Peter's shoulder, stabilizing himself, as Peter turned and smiled at him. "Do you wanna go to my house or should I walk you home?" He asked. 

Harry cleared his throat and nodded. "I'd like to keep napping with you." He replied, smiling at the brunet. 

Bruce laughed softly. "Let me run a few tests to make sure everything's out of your system. Don't want you going home under the assumption you're cured only to find you might not be."

Harry nodded. Bruce went to get the medical equipment of his desk. He came back with them and pulled out a needle. He looked between Harry and Peter. “Maybe you should hold his hand this time. It could calm you enough so that you don’t pass out again.” 

Harry looked away embarrassed but did sneak Peter’s hand into his own. Peter smiled and squeezed Harry's hand back happily. Harry felt his smile grow as Peter leaned into him as Bruce drew the blood. Peter moved his head to face him, effectively averting his gaze away from the needle as he took a slow breath, drinking in Harry's returning natural scent. "What do you wanna do when we get home? Other than the obvious." 

Harry blushed at the comment, knowing exactly what Peter meant. "Maybe I can take you out for lunch. Regular lunch this time."

“Before you go, let’s see how’d you react to the sun.” Bruce noted, “I mean you haven’t been hit with sunlight yet today.” 

Bruce went to open the curtains but stopped until he got a nod from Harry. The sun bathed over Harry and he was glad that he didn’t feel like he wasn’t burning.

“How are you feeling?” Peter asked, “Kwispy?”

“No.” Harry smiled. "I actually feel pretty good." 

Peter felt his heart skip for a moment as he watched Harry close his eyes and take a deep breath. He could tell he was enjoying the warmth and light. Peter chuckled softly before pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

"I just have a couple more blood tests to run which should only take a few minutes then you should be on your way. Peter, you're free to remove the bandages on your arm and neck. I'm sure the wounds are healed now what with your enhanced healing." 

Peter perked at the memory as he touched the scratchy gauze. "I honestly forgot I had these on." 

Bruce laughed good-naturedly. "Do you two want anything to eat or drink before you head out?" He offered. 

“Water.” The two said in unison. Bruce laughed lightly before leaving briefly the room. 

He came back with the water, Peter had been able to take off the bandages and throw them away before he had gotten back.

Harry took the water and chugged it. Definitely way better than drinking blood and feeling bad about it. 

Peter smiled as he took a sip of his own. He was glad that Harry was finally able to drink something other than blood. Of course, he was willing to give him his blood, he was just glad that he didn’t have to anymore. 

Harry was thankful for a liquid that wasn't blood as he pulled the bottle away from his lips. "Oh my god water has never tasted so good."

Peter laughed at the statement as he grabbed one of Harry's hands. "Well if you enjoy water that much you're gonna love juice." 

Harry stared at him wide-eyed before whispering, "Please tell me you guys have apple juice." 

Peter laughed loudly before nodding. "Of course we do, hon. Come on, let's have Bruce finish these tests then we can head home."

"I just need another minute," Bruce reassured as he stepped over to a machine in which the blood was being tested. 

Harry grinned and watched excitedly as the blood turned in the vial as Bruce tapped on a tablet. "Aaand, done. You're all clear." He said aloud.

Harry pumped his fist. "Yes! Peter, let's go!"

Peter laughed as Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the bed. Harry got out of his bed quickly and dragged Peter to the elevator. “See you around Dr. Banner!”

“Goodbye Parker.” Banner waved as the door shut.

“I’m going to eat everything in your house,” Harry said casually.

“Hear me out. We go to an all you can eat place.” Peter smiled.

“You’re a genius and I love you.” Harry kisses the top of Peter’s head and smiled.

Peter laughed happily. "Let me change first. I'm still wearing, you know, a blood-covered sweatshirt." 

Suddenly Peter stopped. "Oh my god, I STAINED YOUR SWEATSHIRT! THIS THING IS SO DRIED- IT'LL NEVER COME OUT!" He suddenly wailed, realizing the bloodstain from when Harry had been stabbed earlier and when he had bitten Peter’s hand.

Harry laughed. "Peter I have more sweatshirts," 

"THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ONE HARRY! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" He cried out again. “NOT TO MENTION THE ONE AT HOME!”

Harry grabbed Peter's face. "Peter look at me. I have so many sweatshirts. I can replace this one."

"But- but Harry-"

"No buts. I'll replace it."

Peter crosses his arms and pouted. Harry messed up his hair and got a playful smack. 

“Come on, I wanna eat a place out of business.” Harry pecked Peter’s cheek as the elevator door opened. 

Harry grabbed Peter’s arm again and ran out the back of Avengers Tower. He wasn’t a fast as he was last night but still fast.

“You’re acting like me after a long patrol.” Peter laughed.

Harry groaned. "Peter I haven't had regular food in ages. Let me eat myself into a food coma."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Still gotta take a detour to change!" He shouted. 

The two got on a subway and waited impatiently to arrive at Peter's house. Both of them were admittedly hungry, but Peter wasn't keen on going to a buffet in bloody clothing. They got some strange looks from people as they exited the subway and made their way to the bus station, but Peter didn't mind. He didn't know them and he doubted anyone would call 911, as much as that partially upset him. As the bus screeched to a halt in front of the bus stop, Peter was quick to get off and begin jogging towards his place with Harry in tow. 

"We have about 30 minutes until the next bus. If we're quick we both can sneak in a shower. I have an outfit of yours you left at my house." Peter called over his shoulder. 

“Sounds good,” Harry called back as he followed. They reached Peter’s door and Harry had to catch his breath. He had vampire speed for so long he had forgotten what it felt like to actually put effort into running.

“Does my Harr-Bear need to get a workout schedule?” Peter teased.

“Oh hush.” Harry rolled his eyes and gave Peter a playful punch. Peter stuck his tongue out while opening the door. 

“I’m going to take my shower now.” Peter decided. Before he could reach the stairs, Harry wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

“Or, and I’m just suggesting, take one together? Less time.” Harry noted.

Peter felt himself grin. “I like where you’re going with this. No funny business though, we have things to do, places to be.” He replied playfully.

Harry smirked. “Fine then.” He replied flirtatiously.

Peter rolled his eyes and ducked from under his arm, stepping up the stairs. “You get the hot water going!” He called down.

Harry nodded, quickly following and entering the bathroom at the end of the hall. He turned on the faucet and waited for warm water to begin flowing. In the meantime, he glanced around the bathroom he’d become so accustomed to. The walls were painted a light blue, with a white and green decorative shower curtain and a translucent blue plastic one inside the tub. He’d spent the night so often he had a spare toothbrush in the little red cup that was beside the sink. He turned on the fan and heard Peter step down the hallway with two piles of clothing and two towels. He watched as Peter entered the bathroom, one of his old dress shirts freshly washed along with a pair of his jeans and boxers. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay so how much of that did you steal and how much did I just leave here?"

“Only I will ever know that answer.” Peter smiled, putting down the clothes. 

Harry laughed and straightened up, stripping himself as Peter closed and locked the bathroom door. Peter smirked at him and winked playfully as Harry rolled his eyes. “You said it yourself, no funny business.” Harry retorted as he quickly stepped into the shower.

“I may or may not have redacted that statement,” Peter replied as he quickly stripped himself and joined Harry. 

Harry chortled as Peter moved in front of him and grabbed the shampoo, handing it to Harry with a small, embarrassed smile.

“Don’t use too much,” Peter warned, hinting at the last time he did. “We don’t need another hospital scare and May giving us the look.”

“I’m still blaming the bottle.” Harry hummed. He squeezed some into his hand and started with Peter’s hair. 

Peter snorted. “Of course, blame the inanimate object.”

The two fell silent as Harry massaged the shampoo into Peter’s hair, smiling at the fresh smell and the suds, as Peter began washing his body. “We have two body washes, the blue and the yellow, which one do you want?” 

“What do they smell like?” 

“Blue is fruit, yellow is vanilla.”

“Yellow,”

Peter handed the pouf to him. “Could you scrub my back?”

“Hehe, short arms.” Harry giggled.

“Shut up and help me.” Peter rolled his eyes. 

“Okay tiny baby arms.” Harry smiled as Peter swatted him.

“I’m starting to think another hospital scare would be worth it at this point.” Peter glared.

Harry sighed. “After I de-vampirize? Right before our date?! God, I thought you loved me.”

“Maybe so, maybe not.”

Harry scoffed. “I knew it, you’re just using me for my money.”

“Absolutely. Once we get married, I’m planning your mysterious disappearance.”

“Will there be an episode of cold cases about me?”

“Yep, in 50 years’ time.”

“Then it will be worth it.”

The two laughed playfully as Harry finished scrubbing him. “Alright, rinse off. Let’s switch places.”

Peter rinsed out his hair and the soap bubbles disappeared. After that they traded places, it was slightly awkward but meh, more awkward things have happened between them. Peter scrubbed Harry’s back as he washed his hair and fell into a comfortable silence. After they switched again so Harry could rinse, Peter turned off the water and grabbed the two towels. “Dry off before getting out, I don’t want to wash the carpets again.”

Harry nodded as he began drying his hair off. Peter went to use his towel before just shaking off like a dog. It was an urge that was harmless so why not. Harry covered himself with his towel to keep himself dry. After he dried off enough, he stepped out, Peter following close behind, and went to the counter. He pulled on the clothes Peter had brought, deciding to wait on the shirt until after he brushed his teeth, and waited for Peter to get dressed before opening the door to let a bit of the steam out.

“This room is like the when sims woohoo.” Peter hummed causally. Harry snorted.

“What?” Harry laughed. 

“You know when they fuck- oh excuse me, when they woohoo the bed becomes steamy,” Peter said simply.

Harry laughed at that. “Ah yes, hot showers = sex.”

“Woohoo.”

“My mistake,”

Harry started brushing his teeth as Peter scooted in beside him. “Do you always brush your teeth shirtless or are you making an exception for me?”

“Why, you like me shirtless?” Harry knew the answer was yes.

“Nippley Titties.” Peter hummed, poking Harry’s peck. Harry snickered. “Just humongous boobs.”

“Okay, I have tits now?” Harry chuckled.

“Yep, gorgeous man boobs.”

Harry laughed. “I would kiss you but I have a mouthful of foamy toothpaste so let me finish then I’ll give you smooches.”

Peter sighed and reached for his toothbrush. “Woe is me, with my lack of smooches.”

“Oh if they mean so much to you.” Harry took the toothbrush out of his mouth and tried to give Peter a kiss on the forehead. Peter, of course, backed away but Harry was being persistent. “Let me show you my love Peter!”

“Get your rabies away from me!” Peter yelped.

“I’m foaming with love!” Harry replied.

“No gross! Cooties!” Peter cried.

Harry laughed and swooped to kiss him, only to be smacked in the face by Peter. He cupped his cheek and hunched over when he heard Peter cover his mouth and laugh. “Are you okay?”

He felt Peter touch his arm and immediately straightened, grabbing Peter’s arm, tugging him forward, and pressing a sloppy kiss to Peter’s cheek, all the while Peter was screeching.

“You tricked me!” Peter swatted at him then rubbed the foam off of his cheek.

“My love is no trick my dear, it’s all real,” Harry said slyly.

“Now I got cooties,” Peter whined.

“If we’re being technical, cooties are lice. If you have lice and didn’t tell me before cuddling, we’re breaking up.”

“Do you see this fluffy hair that you washed, Harold? If this hair was home to lice, I would be in bed and depressed. We would not have gone on a date, I would be crying.”

Harry laughed for a moment. He went to rinse out his mouth while Peter did something with the shirt he had brought for Harry. Peter then left with the shirt, the sleeves of Harry’s sweater over his hands.

“Hey, I need that!” Harry called.

“No, you don’t!” Peter called back.

He scoffed, “Unbelievable,” under his breath, before spitting out what was left of the toothpaste and chasing after Peter. “Hey, I need my shirt!”

He ran after Peter, who quickly barricaded himself in his room. “Peter!”

“No shirt,” Peter whined from behind the door.

“Why?” Harry asked, still trying the doorknob.

“Because I wanna see you sparkle.” Peter hummed.

Harry laughed. “Peter, I’m not a vampire anymore.”

“But… sparkle...”

“How about this, I’ll go outside with you shirtless, but before we go to the buffet I’m putting a shirt back on. We only have ten minutes until the bus gets here, Hon.” 

“Mmm, fine.” Peter hummed, opening the door.

Harry smiled and took the shirt. “Thank you kindly.”

He pulled on his socks and shoes as Peter dressed. “Come on, we’ve only got a few minutes until the bus gets here.” He informed quickly as he made his way down the stairs.

Peter followed behind him excitedly, quietly chanting, “sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle,”

Harry walked out of the house. “See? No sparkles.”

“I can see you sparkling.” Peter smiled.

“What?” Harry was confused.

“Sparkle.” Peter smiled.

He looked down. “I’m not sparkling, Peter.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Peter, are you talking about the sun glistening on me?” Harry asked.

“Sparkly abs.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, I sparkle, now give me my shirt,” He grumbled playfully, snatching it from his hands.

Peter whined loudly as Harry buttoned it down. “Come on, let’s go.”

Peter huffed softly but was quick to follow Harry down the road to the bus stop. They got there as the bus was pulling up to let an elderly man on, and they slipped in behind him happily. Harry patted his pants, confirming he had his wallet and phone. Once he was sure, he relaxed as Peter held his hand. “Now we can have a better date,” He hummed excitedly, leaning into Harry. 

Harry wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulders. “Thank god.” He mumbled, kissing his head lightly.

Peter giggled softly and kissed his jawline. Harry smiled fondly and sighed softly. “So where do you wanna eat?”

“Not anywhere up class.”

“Well, that really narrows it down.”

“There’s this one place called Buffet Buffet in Brooklyn.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,”

Harry snorted softly. “Well, I guess we’re eating there.”

The two stayed close on the crowded bus as it pulled to a halt. Harry and Peter stepped out and Peter stopped to kiss his cheek. “Hey, Har.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you,”

“I love you too.”

[rainbowsandcoconut]

Just Saw you like getting questions, so here goes. A followup on the travel favorites. You mentioned it was difficult to narrow down. Would a top ten be easier? I always look for new inspiration LOTR being your first fandom but have you ever been into something no one else understood? 😊

HIIII! 💕 This totally made my night. I am honestly so surprised anyone would care enough to send me an ask, this is so sweet 🥰 Anyone wanting to talk or ask anything should absolutely feel free, I’d love it!

I’m gonna start with the last question since the travel one will definitely be longer 😊

I’ve been into a lot of things no one in real life understood haha. Like Supernatural back during seasons 1-3 ish when I was obsessed and my friends would get tired of me talking about it all the time (thank god for LiveJournal), or cycling (road and track) that I got super into watching one summer and ended up going all over the country to see races and do some photography for, for a few years.

Now traveling. Oh man, you’re really making me miss the days where travel was allowed and where I could afford it lol. Thanks for this question though, it’s really put me in a good mood to remember some of my trips, I hope these don’t disappoint. In case anyone hasn’t seen 3 of my fave travel memories, they’re over here. And now I’m going to spam you all with 10 more of my fave memories from trips. I had to try to go with ones I could find my pics from and I mostly managed, apart from Norway, so here we go:

1. Flying an airplane in Wanaka, New Zealand 🛩 

I got to actually fly a plane! It only fit 2 people (and a cat) and I feel like I was allowed to do waaay too much, likely because it was my instructor’s first time taking someone inexperienced up so he let me do most of take off and also fly most of the trip, and then he even offered to talk me through landing it but I’m not insane so he ended up doing that part on his own. It was super freaking cool, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.

2. Seeing the Northern Lights, Tromsø, Norway

My best friend did her master’s in Tromsø so I went to visit her for a week in November 2018. I was a bit worried it was too early in the season to see the Northern Lights but one night the whole sky was full of dancing green light! We went up the top of a mountain and stayed there until we couldn’t stand the cold any longer, and it was just an incredible night. I didn’t manage to get any good photos with my phone so I just stole this off Google but it’s pretty accurate

3. Meeting Rachel Bloom in NYC last year

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of my favourite shows, and it’s really meant a lot to me. Yes, it’s a comedy with musical numbers but it also portrays struggles with mental health more realistically than any other show I’ve seen and that’s something I’ve really both needed and appreciated. Rachel is a comedic genius, and her show has helped me through a few tough times, so being able to not only see CXG live at Radio City Music Hall but also get to talk to Rachel after the show made it an incredible night.

4. Watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The history of the Angkor temples is so fascinating, and I managed to get myself up early enough to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat several times. For anyone who may want to go, my advice would be to not elbow your way to the front of the lake, but stand a bit further back while the majority of the tourists scramble to get a good spot. About 90% of them will disappear into the temple once the sun has offically risen and it’s gotten light out, but you want to stay by the lake. The sun takes longer than you think to actually rise above the temple, and by the time it gets there, most people will have left and the area will be much quieter and more peaceful and will give you a chance to really take in the sunrise. Each time I kept thinking maybe the sun wasn’t super bright or the clouds would cover it some because it seemingly took so long, but staying is absolutely worth it.

5. Early morning Alms Giving in Luang Prabang, Laos

This almost felt like a moment I wasn’t supposed to see but the owner of the guest house I was staying at assured me I was fine to watch. I wasn’t staying in the center of the city, and I was the only tourist out to watch the long procession in this neighbourhood which made the experience feel extra special and authentic as opposed to how crowded I’ve heard it can sometimes be in the city center.

6. Going to Lawrence, Kansas in 2009

Seeing as I mentioned being very into SPN above, I’ll include my trip to Lawrence, Kansas on this list. I went solely because my friend and I thought it’d be funny to do so because of its connection to Supernatural. We got invited to lunch by the owner of a souvenir shop who was delighted to hear I was from Denmark because her husband had a friend whose dad had once been. We stayed in Kansas City, and I got lost on my way back from the post office one day. An older lady in a car stopped by the streetlight I was at and offered me a ride back to my hotel which I gratefully accepted, only I started to rethink that decision once I realized that the footwell of her car was so full of bibles, I had to step on them, and the passenger door could not be opened from the inside. Obviously I realized this after I was in the car but while I was somewhat freaked out, I still agreed with her that us going past the McDonalds Drive Thru before my hotel was a good idea so her and I could get to know each other a bit... I was way too trusting back then but hey, I didn’t die so yay?

7. Driving a moped for the first time on Phu Quoc, Vietnam

I don’t have a license for any kind of vehicle and I have never driven any either (apart from a car twice on completely deserted, straight roads) but the owners of the hostel I was staying at insisted it was the best way to get around the island. Once of them tried to show me how it worked on her own moped, then let me try for a couple of minutes and then declared that she’d rent me one for the next day even though she was too afraid to sit on the back while I was practising because my accelerating and breaking were super abrupt. So the next day off I went. I drove into a tree and a sign in the street, got a lot of concerned looks, and I probably broke any and all traffic laws but I had such a fun time and I got to see some incredibly beautiful beaches that I don’t know how I could’ve gotten to without the moped. Important note for anyone doing this: remember sun cream! I sadly don’t have any photos of the moped, but I did take this photo of one of the beaches I visited:

8. Going to Obama’s first inauguration in January 2009 in Washington DC

I’ve always been into American politics and that interest peaked around 2008, so just in time to watch Obama get elected, and I knew I had to try to go to DC when I started planning my first ever US trip for 2009. I didn’t manage to get onto The Mall as I only made my way downtown around 6 am but I got a spot on Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade. I have never been so cold in my entire life but I’ve also never experienced the kind of euphoria and excitement from a crowd that I did that day. There truly was a feeling of hope for a real change, and I talked to the absolutely friendliest, kindest people while we waited. Plus I got to see Barack and Michelle Obama wave at me (in my direction anyway) as they were walking down Penn Ave which I’ll forever remember.

9. Going to Kangaroo Island, Australia

I love kangaroos. So much. I will never get over how cool they are. And I got to bottle feed joeys (baby kangaroos) on this island, as well as pet a bunch of tame adult ones, and see sooo many wild ones. Plus I got to see lots of koalas and other wildlife, as well as the beauty of the island. My friend did technically hit a kangaroo (or wallaby) when we were driving after dark but she’s Australian and didn’t take it quite as hard as I did.

10. Seeing the Colosseum in Rome, Italy

I’ve just always loved this building. And seeing it in real life did not disappoint.

[kimmie113080]

Refusing to Yield chapter 19

This is based on real life. Just the name has been changed to protect the person identity. There is mention of all types of abuse. If that is a trig, please don’t read. Reader get into a relationship with Kim Seokjin and Min Yoongi but all BTS is in this series.

 The weekend goes by real fast it is Monday morning when we are leaving for the airport. We all arrive to the airport at 5 am for our flight at 9 am. All bags are checked in were handling to airport security. When we all get stop by airport security. I started getting scared when we security walks up to all of us. Papa m and uncle Jim our on one side of the wheelchair Jin and Yoongi are on the other side. Bryan is the one pushing the chair. Head of the airport security comes over since there is 31 people walking in our group and I am in the wheelchair. Bryan has my paperwork already for the head of security. You must be BTS? 

Yes, sir we are BTS. We are going to have everyone go through first and then we are going to have Miss Brown warded. Miss Brown are you able to stand by yourself? No, sir I can’t stand on my own. Okay you have a nurse with you correct. Yes, sir that is Bryan who is pushing me. Okay he will go through the metal detector right before we warded you and have two state troopers with you. Yes, sir one of them will push you the metal detector. You can choose which one you would like to push you through, and he will also be able to help hold you up also. I am Jason Hontz state trooper I will push Miss Brown through the metal detector and help support her.

Miss Brown are you okay with how this is going to happen? No why are you not okay with this? If you are having everyone go through before me, you didn’t tell me if everyone can wait for me or do, they must start heading towards the gate? I am sorry Miss Brown I should have made myself clear on that part. They can wait for you before heading to the gate. We have a mutual friend who filled me in the situation you have. He personally asked to work this morning so they would be no problems with you getting through security. He is waiting for my call to let him know there was no problems. My I ask who our mutual friend is? Judge Carl and he told me if I denied any request from you that he wouldn’t play golf with me for a whole year.

Wow I didn’t think he could be mean to someone he knows. He can be a little scare when he must be. Are you okay with everything now? Yes, sir I am okay with how this is going to work. Can I ask you another question? Yes, Miss Brown are all the airports going to do the same thing or are they going to do it different then here? No, Miss Brown they are going to do they same thing since Judge Carl has pull everywhere you are going to be at. Uncle Jim yes peanut we need to make sure we show Judge Carl all our tricks to stay on his good side. Papa m goes first followed by Uncle Jim, Namjoon, Hobi, Jimin, Tae, Kookie, Tim, Big B, little r, little k, Big S, little j, Big A, little c, Big C, little f, Greg, little w, Big R, Big J, Big K, little s, little f, Tom, Fred, Jin, Yoongi, Bryan, me and Jason. Bryan yes Jason how are we going to hold Ann up?

Jason you are going to stand on Ann left side and I will be on the right side. Okay Ann are you ready to stand up with our help? Yes, Bryan I am ready stand if you guys are ready. I am count of three Jason we are going to stand up. One, Two, Three lift Jason. We all get through security by 7 am.  Since our flight didn’t leave until 9 am we had about an hour to make it to our gate for the flight. I asked is there a bathroom I use? Mr. Ayers goes yes you can use the family bathroom at every airport. Thank you, so much for your help this morning and I will tell Judge Carl how nice you were to all of us.

Your welcome, Miss Brown but you don’t mind me asking why you in the wheelchair are. I have a couple different spinal conditions and one of them is affecting my legs. I can’t image what it is like to be able to use your legs and then not be able to. Believe me it is hard for me sometimes either. Like I want to shower, use the bathroom and dress my lower half. Here is the family bathroom and I will be standing out here, so no one gets the wrong message. I have another question for Mr. Ayers. Yes, Miss Brown are going to escort us to our gate? Yes, Miss Brown even through you have a team of security. While you are in this airport and every other airport head of security will escort you to your and wait with you until you board the plane.

Thank you, so much Mr. Ayers for making sure we are safe in this airport. When will all of you be returning through this airport three months today? Why do you ask Mr. Ayers because I want to make sure I am here the day all of you return? Judge Carl only knew you where flying out today but not returning. I trust some of own know security team, but your safety is my number one concern. I take it this how it is going to be in every airport? Yes, Miss Brown it is going to be the same way in every airport. Thank you, for this information Mr. Ayers. Your welcome Miss Brown now let’s get you in the bathroom okay.  I come out of the with Jin and Yoongi asking where everyone else is at.

They went to go get food. They should be back any minute now. Right then everyone else shows up carrying food. Ann, we brought you back some fruit to eat since we know you can’t travel with a full belly because you get sick sometimes. Thank you guys and we should be heading to the gate now. As we are going to the gate for our flight as one place gets done eating, they are taking turns pushing me so everyone can eat before we get to our gate. We reach our gate flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is our first stop on the tour. Papa m goes up to the attendant all our boarding tickets. The attendant doesn’t even look at to see who is handling her all the boarding tickets and she goes I am sorry but we are not checking any individuals right now because we are wanting for a group that has 32 people in it to show up. Papa m let me handle this Ann don’t do anything stupid.

I won’t papa m I promise. I go excuse me miss here are our boarding tickets. I just told the gentle in front of you we are waiting on a group of 32. I don’t understand why two of the BTS guys would want to date an ugly female so you will have to waited. I am glad you called me an ugly female to my face to. I didn’t call you ugly just the female who is traveling with BTS. Maybe you should look up instead of playing with your phone and you will know who you are talking to. I am just going to call security, and have you thrown out for not listening and being a rude person. You mean your calling to call Mr. Ayers head of security and tell him what. You are talking shit about the female in the chair right in front of you who is dating Jin and Yoongi from BTS.

You want to know something he has heard everything you said since he is standing next to me, so I guess you better look up now. I also want you supervisor here now. Miss Brown yes, Mr. Ayers I have already radio for her supervisor and other security guards to come to this gate for you. Thank you, so much Mr. Ayers for your help. You don’t have Mr. Ayers with you only comes to the gate with BTS and that ugly female around them. Okay you say I don’t have Mr. Ayers with me Page him over his walkie talkie then. I will do that to prove you wrong. Mr. Ayers you are need at gate C10 for a rude person as she starts making the announcement its echo’s right back to her and she looks up surprise. Thank you, Mr. Ayers so quick please banned this person from the airport she is rude and kept saying she was with you and BTS? Hi Mr. Ayers, you requested me to come to this gate. Yes, I did Mrs. Jones what seems to be the problems your employee seems to think looking at her phone is more important than looking up to see who is trying to check in.

Plus, she has insulted the manager of BTS who I have been standing next to for the last 10 minutes and she tried to page me to the gate when I was already here with the group. She was also rude to the own of the company when he tried to check them all in. I didn’t insult the manager of BTS that group isn’t even here yet. I beg the difference this what you said. I don’t understand why two of the BTS guys would want to date an ugly female so you will have to waited. I am glad you called me an ugly female to my face to. I didn’t call you ugly just the female who is traveling with BTS. Maybe you should look up instead of playing with your phone and you will know who you are talking to. I am just going to call security, and have you thrown out for not listening and being a rude person. You mean you’re calling to call Mr. Ayers head of security and tell him what.

You are talking shit about the female in the chair right in front of you who is dating Jin and Yoongi from BTS. At that point she looks at me with a shock look on her face. Jin and Yoongi just comes to stand by my side because they can see I was a little upset. Fred, yes Mike can you take Ann away from here for about 10 minutes while I handle this now. Take everyone except Jin and Yoongi. Please make sure she is calm. Mrs. Jones yes Mr. Ayers is there a lounge right by the gate where Miss Brown can go to relax before her flight. She has been in this airport since 5 am and I think she need to lay down for a couple of minutes before her flight. Yes, there is a lounge across from the gate please take her in there make her as comfortable has she can before the flight and on top of it you all are being put in first class do to my employee behavior. Ann are you okay?

No, Fred I don’t feel good. I feel like I am going to threw up. Bryan do you have any of Ann’s nausea treat on you. I think so Fred why. Ann feels think she might throw up and I know it puts pressure on her lower back. Ann here is your nausea treat I have it right you want me to help you. Yes, please Bryan. Okay Ann I will help take your treat.  After 10 minutes Bryan ask how am I feeling? A little better now thank you both for quick thinking.

Tim and little w come back in with Jin, Yoongi and papa m. Princess yes Yoongi are you feeling better now? Yes, Yoongi I am feeling a little better but how did you know I wasn’t feeling good. Tim and little w came out right after you told Fred you felt like throwing up. We just got everything taken care of out there so we could come be with you. What happened out there. Ann you need to stay calm because I think the added stress made you start getting nausea. Bryan yes little w it was not the stress that made Ann get nausea then what made her sick. Ann usually can not eat travels. It is more like she gets motion sickness if she eats.

That is why when we came back to you guys with food. I got Ann a small fruit cup that I knew would be lite on her stomach. Little w Ann told all of us the last time on tour she could not eat a lot before she flies but did not explain. Remember what I told you the day she told Tim how she might all of us. That Ann has a hard time voicing when something is bothering her. Yes, we remember little w. Ann, yes little w you know I am proud of you right. Why are you proud of me little w. You are starting to let everyone know when something is bothering you. Little w yes, Ann I do not realize I have been doing it.

Ann it is a good thing you are not realizing that you on doing it on you know it just mean it is becoming natural to you. Should we get out there so we can board flight to Philadelphia, Pa. We all come out at once, but I start to get nervous because there is on security at our gate now. Papa m why is there more security here now than before. The attendant who was supposed to check us in decided to get of social media tell everyone who is a BTS fan that we are in the airport and what gate we are at. Mr. Ayers thought it would be a good idea to have more security here so we could board the plane. Where is the manager who is dating Jin and Yoongi? I only see a handicap female with them. She is the manager of the group someone says. They look at me and started whispering to themselves.

I looked down at the floor as we make it across to the gate when a female came up to me. She looked at me. She looks at all the other females around she kneels to me. I looked scared not knowing what is going to happened. You don’t need to put your head down Ann just because of these jealous females. I know for a fact you make Jin and Yoongi happy. Pay no attendance to them. I can see in your eyes what kind of person you are. All the other female shut up at that point. I looked at her nodded my head and held it high like I belonged with Jin and Yoongi.

Show everyone who hurt you or did wrong to you that you are meant to be in this world. How did you know? Like I said earlier I see it in your eyes Ann. People are always going to hate but just never lower yourself to their level. Thank you for your kind words you don’t know how much what you said mean to me. I do know how much those words mean because someone told them a couple years ago. Ann, we must get on the plane okay. Can I get your number so we can stay in contact with you? Ann you will be seeing me around. Okay see you around sometime.

Peanut do you who she was? No, uncle Jim I don’t know who she was, but her words did comfort me. Peanut yes uncle Jim remember we don’t who she is, and I know what you are saying, and you are right. I just wanted her number, but she is the one who said she would be seeing me around. I know peanut, but we are going to do some digging if she shows up and again just so you know. That is okay with me uncle Jim because I know you all want to keep me safe. Is there a way that I lay comfortable next to Yoongi during the flight? Peanut I will ask the flight attendant after we take off and we can take off your seat belt. Are your legs bothering you that bad? Yes, my legs and lower back are bothering me bad.

Excuse flight attendant can I ask you a question? Yes, you can ask me a question. My niece lower back and legs are bothering her bad is there away during the flight when the seat belt sign goes off can she and her boyfriend lay down together so she can be comfortable until the seat belt sign comes back on? Sir they can lay together now. We have seat belt extenders for people who can not fit in the regular seat belt. Okay thank you so much. Yoongi lay across those two seats there. W   e can have both you and Ann lay down during the whole flight so Ann can be comfortable. They have seat belt extenders so both you and Ann can be in the same belt during the flight. The flight attendant just went to get the extenders for us.

Fred put Ann in front of Yoongi so she can lay down during the whole flight. Uncle Jim I thought we could not lay down until we are up in the air and the seat belt sign is off. Peanut they extenders for the seat belt so you and Yoongi can lay down together. Thank you, uncle Jim for asking if we could lay together during the flight. Your welcome, peanut now just try not to move to much? I will not uncle Jim. The flight attendant comes back with the extenders so Yoongi and I can be seat belt together. She brings two just in case one does not connect the seat belt together. Do want to put one around your legs during take off and landing or just one around both of your waists? Bryan you are my nurse would do you think.

Ann just have it around your guys waist well be enough. You heard want my nurse said just around your waist. After all the rest off the passengers board the flight and they going through safety measures the pilot welcome everyone on the flight the flight would last 4 ½ hours and once the seat belt sign was off people could get up and use the bathroom but if the sign came back on during the flight please make sure to put your seat belts on. Halfway during the flight Bryan and Fred got up so I could bet put on my right side for the rest of the flight. Yoongi are you okay to lay with Ann for the rest of the flight or should we have little w take over so you can sit up for a while? Let little w take over for the rest of the flight because I want to sit up and I do not think Ann’s back will handle it. Little w can you come lay down on your right side so we can put Ann on her right side for the rest of the flight? Yes, Bryan I can do that. The flight attendant came over to ask if there was anything she could help with. Bryan said no there is nothing you can help with right now. We all have been around Ann for all time now that we got this to a science getting it done. Thank you for offering you assistance to us.

Fred before I lay back down can I use the bathroom. Since Yoongi laid with me for half of the flight. Jin yes, Fred your princess needs to use the restroom? Okay I can take her to the bathroom and just get anything ready for when we come out. I am sorry but only her boyfriend can help her in the bathroom. Miss, he is also my boyfriend but what about the one you were just laying with? Miss I am dating both Yoongi and Jin. I can not get comfortable with Jin when my back is bothering me bad. Yoongi and my friend little w are the only two I can lay that with for the pain level to be around 5. I know to you that it might be weird but for us we love each other the same.

When your uncle asked if you could lay down during the flight with your boyfriend, he didn’t tell me you had two. We try to tell everyone since it is both go into the bathroom with me or if it is small one of them goes in with me. Why don’t you have a female to help you in that area? Some females are not strong enough to carry me or if I get stuck in a position, they can’t get me out of it. The flight attendant does not need to know the truth. Jin takes me to the bathroom we come out little w is all set for me to lay on my right side for the rest of the flight. Jin and Yoongi are sitting by each other. Bryan and Fred are watching the flight attendant for some reason. Jason and Tom are doing the same thing. The attendant decided she hand Yoongi a note.

I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I asked Yoongi aloud enough for her to hear me. Yoongi can you please bring me the note the attendant just gave you? Yes, princess I will bring you it now. I start reading it and I ask to speak head of the flight attendant of our flight? She comes from the back of the plane to me. Miss what can I do for you I would like the attendant who is assigned to first class put somewhere else if possible because she handed one of my boyfriend this note after him and my one friend switched spots so his back wouldn’t bother him laying down with me for the whole flight. You can read it for yourself, but I would not like her around me or anyone else in this group. Did you think it was appropriate to write this and give it to one of her boyfriends? I just thought he should be given a chance to be with someone who is crippled person that can not do stuff on their own.

At that point little w was trying to calm me down because he knows about my insecurities when it comes to another women no matter what. Tim, Greg and Jason are all around me keeping me out of everyone sight. Bryan was sitting next to us and he whispered to Tim asking what the help was. Tim whispered back Ann has insecurities when it comes to other pretty women. We are trying to protect Ann from her sight and calm Ann down. Fred overhears what is being said and decided to make a comment of his know. I can not believe people can be this shallow now days with society changing like it. I look over at Fred and he has this big smile on his face like I got your back sis. With that comment uncle Jim is coming next to Tim kneeling looking at me like he knows I am going to start crying. The flight attendant who gave Yoongi the note name is Kate.

Kate so you know my niece hasn’t always been cripple and she still does enough stuff on her know to take care of everyone in this first-class section. There maybe four things she can not do on her know but anyone of us would rather have her around us where she can not do a couple of things then someone who is conceited, self-center and shallow person you are. Please leave so we can get my niece to calm down for the rest of this flight and I will be taking that note with me. Once we land and off this plane, I will be going to a supervisor in the airport to let them know what you did during this flight to someone has been hurt by two different employees of this airline on two separate incidents. Erin if you would like to keep your job, I suggest you keep Kate out of first-class. I am taking over first-class because I feel the same way as you do that someone should not make fun of someone who has no control over what is happening. Miss is there anything I can get you? Do you have any pudding or yogurt of this flight? Ann do you need one or both treats? Both I said yes. We have chocolate pudding.

Miss Erin yes, my name is Bryan Ann’s nurse? Yes, what can I do for you. I need to talk to you for a minute if that is possible? Yes, step this way. Ann must be hurting a lot to ask if you have pudding or yogurt on this flight. Why do you say that because Ann does not like taking medicine, so we have to hidden it in pudding or yogurt? We call it her treat. Here are both bottles and you can see Ann’s name is on them. What do you need me to do? I need you just to give me the pudding so I can put her pills in, and I will take it out there so you can see what we all go through.

Ann, I have your treat right here can I help you take it? Yes, Bryan you can help me take it. Miss Erin if you have a hot towel, I would take one of those to put it across Ann’s lower back? Yes, Bryan here is the hot towel. Miss Erin picks up the phone and starts talking to someone she see me start getting nervous and slowly walks over to me and say Miss Ann do not worry I was tell the rest of the flight attendants that there is to no one near or in the first class until we are at the gate. We will be landing in about 20 minutes, so I need all of you to get back to your seats and put your seat belts back on. We had you seat belt together only at the waist or the legs two. Just the waist Bryan thought bother my back more if my legs were seat belt too. Okay Bryan I guess you know how you had them seat belted earlier so go ahead a do it again. Yes, I do know we seat belted Yoongi and Ann earlier it was just around the waist and that is how we are doing it again.

When we each the gate all the other passengers got off first then we followed. Jin and Yoongi on each side of me walking through the airport. We had the head of the airport security meet us at our gate at our gate. Uncle Jim asked head of security to speak with a manager from the airline company about the flight attendant from our flight. That was the last flight she worked has attendant on for the company. After uncle Jim showed the manager what the flight attendant had wrote to Yoongi. Head of security escorted us to the baggage claim all bags were collected and got in our ride for the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel papa m decides to check our group in the hotel. I am checking the BTS group in. We have been waiting for all of you to arrive. There is 32 people in your group correct.

Yes, there is 32 people in are group since your group is so big, we gave the top floor to all of you. I see there is a Miss. Brown listed but I don’t see a David Ott listed in your group. Is there a problem that Miss. Brown is listed but not a David? Yes, David had phone us and told me personally that Miss. Brown was not allowed to stay here unless he was with her. I started shaking in the wheelchair thinking he knows every hotel we are staying at on this tour and we are going to have this problem at all the hotels. Peanut we have your stay away order with us he will not be allowed around you okay? No, uncle Jim I am not okay why does he keep doing stuff to me? Ann honey he is doing all this to worn you out and you will go back to him. Can I have Ann’s stay away order against David, Frank, Sean and Steve to give to the manager, so he knows to not to give any information out about Ann being here. The hotel manager looks lost for words when he gets all four stay away orders.

Jim call judge Carl and tell him that we at least know David broke the order by calling the hotel and telling them Ann could only stay here if he was with her. I am on it. Tom can you call the Philadelphia Police Department and have the chief of police come here so we can tell him what is going on. I am calling now. Is there a place we can have Ann lay do in or stay in while we get this all taken care of? I will give you the room key for the suite she is stay in with Jin, Yoongi, Namjoon, Hobi, Jimin, Tae, Kookie, Fred, Bryan, Tim, Jason and little w. We have the rest of you in our other suites up on the top floor also. Everyone but Jim, Tom and I go to that suite. Ann honey try to calm down because you might have to talk to the chief of police. Papa m can’t you talk to him on my behalf?

Ann I will try but he needs to talk to you we will bring him up to you so please don’t worry about other people knowing your business okay? Yes, papa m and if we must, I will call and make other hotel arrangements that only us will know about okay honey. Yes, papa m I will try to relax and calm down. Thank you, Ann honey I will see you soon and let you know what is going on. Mike yes, Tom the chief of police is on their away here now. Good thank you for staying down here and helping us with this matter. This is the reason I and Jason came along to make sure everyone was safe and to make sure none of them got within 20 feet of all you. Mike yes, Jim just got off the phone with Judge Carl to him what David did. He is going to add more years to his sentence, and he wanted all the hotels we are staying at to send the 4 stay away orders ahead of us arriving in case they were contacted too. I feel bad for Ann because she keeps going through all this stuff.

Tom yes, Jim everything that my niece has gone through in her life at a young age has ripped my heart into pieces, but see everyone that is at this hotel with her and protecting her to their best ability has made me happy that she will not walk alone through this anymore. Jim yes, Mike with everything going with Ann. I am sorry I never asked how you are handling all of this. Mike yes, Jim all of this has worn me down, but I am trying to stay strong for Ann wellbeing. What room is Ann Brown in? I am sorry but we do not have Ann Brown listed has one of your quest. Well that is strange because I tracked her phone to here. May I ask who you are sir? I am David Ott and I remember telling someone at this hotel that she is only allowed to stay with me here? I am sorry sir, but she is not here, and you are going to have to leave. I am not leaving without Ann because I know she is here.

  Excuse David but you are under arrested for breaking the stay away order that Miss. Brown has against you. We will be sending you back to prison maximum security with no contact from the outside. You can not arrest me here since this isn’t your state that you are a trooper in, but we can. I am the chief of police of Philadelphia and you sir are under arrest for breaking the stay away order Miss. Brown as against you. That order only covers the area she lives in not here. The stay away order protects her wherever she is at. Ann is now in the lobby. I see someone running towards me but before they could get to me, they were tackled. Fred is on the floor wrestling the guy that was running at me. Peanut what are you doing in the lobby? I got a text from you asking me to come down.

Peanut I never text you come down to the lobby. Who is Fred wrestling on the ground with? Ann honey I need to stay as calm as you can right now. Ann, I came to take you home with me. Your dad and brother are waiting for you to come home also. I am just start looking like into thin air. Shit Tom call Jason and tell him to bring everyone in the lobby now. Peanut please relax your okay he can not hurt you. Fred the cops have him get to your little sister now! Little sis it’s me please come back to me he can not hurt you anymore.

Little sis I am here please come back to me? Fred I am here little sister. Are you okay? No, I said in a small voice let get you not of this area okay? Yes, please as the elevator ding, I jump not knowing who anyone was on the elevator. Fred what is going on? I will explain later right now we need to get Ann out of the lobby but not outside. Ann just started using her small voice. Princess it is Jin and Yoongi let’s take you by the pool okay? Yes, please I said in a small voice.

Little w and Tim, Mike is going want to talk to you two quick go to him. We are taking Ann by the pool. No, Tim and little w do not leave me? Ann we will not leave you, but we will send Big R and Big B in your place? No please do not send anyone. I do not feel comfortable with anyone leaving me right now. Okay Ann no one will leave you. Princess I thought your uncle wanted you in the lobby? Jim did not text Ann? Then who text Ann’s phone using her uncle’s Jim number? Right now, we are not going to talk about that but just know I tackled the asses before he could get to Ann.

Ann are you feeling better now? Yes, Fred I am feeling much better and thank you for the quick action back there. Ann you are my little sister and I will always be there to protect you.

[crayrate-blog]

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Web dating has turned into a very well known approach to meet individuals, and has in reality brought a ton of forlorn people together. In any case, only one out of every odd date turns out like an eHarmony promotion. So in recognition of Valentine's Day, we counseled perusers, companions, a couple of specialists, and various destinations (quite Craigslist Personals) to accumulate the most entertaining, weirdest, and most horrendous web based dating stories we could discover. Desolate individuals, broken hearts, false cases, dashed desires, doctored photographs, bailouts, and no-shows– it's everything part of the internet dating knowledge, and we uncovered a tad bit of everything.

"Beth" from Portland, Oregon, posted this note at a web based dating website:

Web based dating can deliver a portion of the most noticeably awful dates ever. The last person I went out with brought a sock puppet– a sock puppet– on our date and attempted to converse with me with it. To be charming, I think. Be that as it may, it cracked me out. Truly. Perhaps I'm out-dated, however no sock manikins, please.The old mid-date vanishing act has taken on an entirely different utility in the period of Internet dating. Display An originates from "Jill" in the San Francisco Bay Area, who posted the accompanying on Craigslist:

I get an advertisement from a person generally my age who has a hot bicycle, and a few pics demonstrating he's genuinely appealing. We email forward and backward a bit, he says he's certainly searching for a similar thing, lastly we consent to meet at a bistro. The main thing I perceived was the bicycle. He took after his pics the manner in which Stuart Little looks like Mickey Mouse. His teeth were dark, totally sickening, and he had a blister adjacent to one side eye. He must be 10 to 15 years more seasoned than me… . That, yet I got the unmistakable impression that he by and by knew where a couple of bodies were covered.

I couldn't resist. I expanded. At that point I couldn't take a gander at him by any means. I flipped the pages of the magazine I had gotten instance of absent and looked at him occasionally, considering how the [expletive removed] was I going to remove myself from this. So he says he will get an espresso. Also, heads inside. That was his first oversight. Leaving my espresso and magazine, and scarcely setting aside effort to grab up my satchel, I put my mobile phone to my ear like I had recently gotten a crisis call and truly pulled ass down the road to my vehicle before he returned out. Karma says I am going to pay for that. Fine.

Caroline Presno, dating master and creator of Profiling Your Date: A Smart Woman's Guide to Evaluating a Man, says online daters are now and then seen as powerless to meet individuals as it was done in the good 'ol days, as are some way or another "harmed merchandise." She relates this model:

An alluring, 30-year-old female instructor was truly anticipating her first gathering with a lawyer she had been messaging for some time. Be that as it may, on the date, before the server even brought the water, the person stated, "So how about we get down to it, what's up with you?"Jayne Hitchcock, Reverse Lookup CA  a cybercrime master from York, Maine, reveals to us she's currently connected with to a kindred she met on True.com while doing research for her book, Net Crimes and Misdemeanors. Be that as it may, she says, she needed to kiss a couple of frogs before at last discovering her ruler.

On some internet dating locales, Hitchcock says, if a part needs to express fascination for another part in the wake of perusing their profile, yet without heading off to the outrageous of sending them an email, they can send an electronic "wink." "I was immersed with winks and messages in my True inbox," Hitchcock says. "I am dead serious when I state 'immersed.' Over 2000 individuals saw my profile. Of those, at any rate half were winks." Usually, however, what the winks really mean is: "I saw your image and I believe you're hot, yet I'm too apathetic to even think about reading your profile and it costs me nothing to simply give you a wink in case you think my thinning up top head is hot, or that no doubt about it."

You'd figure the obscurity of online communication would make it simpler for folks to put on a show of being smooth and in charge. Be that as it may, the inverse is frequently the situation. That equivalent namelessness appears to give a few men a permit to be impolite degenerates. "One person came directly out in the headline of his message and let me realize he needed to meet me and do 'awful things' to me," Hitchcock reports. "Another guaranteed he was a genuine cowhand in New Mexico and needed to have intercourse with me without any protection on his pony. Oy."

From Russia With LoveLoneliness can be abused, as some desolate hearts in the United States have discovered. The Web website of the U.S. international safe haven in Moscow has some a word of wisdom for Americans who think they've met their online match in Russia, and keep running into inconvenience. From the Q&A page, here are two of the issues that can manifest in such intercontinental sentiments.

The individual I'm writing to says that s/he needs $1,000.00 to appear for "stash cash" or the carrier won't let him/her get onto the plane. Is this valid?

(The Embassy reacts that this minx from Minsk isn't required to "appear" one penny to travel.)

I think I have been misled. I have sent this individual $2,000.00 and now I discover his/her visa is a phony. How would I recover my cash?

("Intense ****," the Embassy answers, essentially.)

For some long-lasting Internet daters, the names, actualities, faces, and interests of responders to their profiles start to run together. What's more, the constrained innovativeness of many dating-site individuals doesn't improve the situation. "John" from Chicago posted this "Open Letter to Match.com Girls":

Stop. Simply stop. You're irritating me. Above all else, your screen name. Quit placing "cheeky" into your screen name. Quit placing "citygirl" into your screen name. While enlisting, in the event that you endeavored to utilize "cubfan" as your screen name and it returned revealing to you that you'd need to make due with "cubfan57836," that ought to have been your first piece of information that you have picked a disgustingly predictable name. You are not sufficiently astute to consider something great, along these lines you ought not hope to be combined with somebody who is. Talking about Cub fans, quit saying you adore sports and that you "demonstration simply like a guy."And the equivalent is valid for the men. From Jayne Hitchcock: "I began to trim the rundown somewhere near erasing those with eyebrow-raising or out and out tragic screen names, for example, minor departure from 'loverboy,' 'mr. sentimental,' 'desolate person,' 'forlorn one,' 'kiss me,' 'genuine romance MD,' 'huggy bear,' 'party man,' 'hot upndown,' etc.– I am not making these up– and titles, for example, 'Hello there Beautiful,' 'Goodness!' 'Greetings Baby Pretty,' 'Hi, cutie,' and 'Me wink; you answer.'"

The Onion's Online Dating Tips offer this recommendation: Set yourself separated by picking an enlightening client name like SocialRetard342, CuteFaceFatAss, or RohypnolLarry.

"Sarah" from New York likewise come down her online dates to a couple of particular sorts. Here's one from her Craigslist post:

No. 6: Mr. EZ-Pass (Key Phrase: "I'm only a bounce, skip, and a hop far from New York City.") He persuaded me that the separation would not be an issue, that he went to the city regularly, so I said OK with certain reservations. Getting together for date #1 was an Act of Congress; he continued endlessly about the train plans. At that point he counterbalanced on date #2. He persuaded that he lived somewhere close in Jersey like Hoboken; turns out he was in Jersey okay… the piece of Jersey that is close to the Pennsylvania border.People all things considered, sizes, and financial foundations are searching for adoration on the web. Here's a post-date story from "mysterious" at Internetdatingtales.com:

I am 40 to 50 pounds overweight, yet I spoke the truth about it. This man was 5-feet-9 and said something most likely around 300 pounds. Be that as it may, alright, my concept of a bit [overweight] and his concept of a bit may fluctuate. So I wave at him and over he comes. I felt awful that I had sat outside, in light of the fact that despite the fact that it was a gentle day and there was an umbrella, he was before long perspiring like a jackass. Furthermore, the appeal, mind, and silliness he had on the telephone was … gone.

He muttered and squirmed, however continued seeing me like I was a glass of water and he was on the last part of a long stroll through the desert. So I did it. I am so embarrassed about myself, however all things considered, what else would I be able to do? I was certain each other arranged meeting had briskly dumped him. What's more, I realized he was a decent person, just not the person for me. I purposely embarked to sicken him. I began to chuckle excessively uproarious at the unfunny things he said. And after that, and I can scarcely type this, I really put my deliver my armpit, hauled it out, and sniffed it.

Shouldn't something be said about me? Here's my own (really my just) fascinating internet dating background. I was in school. In another city, Chicago, desolate, and cold. Her name was Bonnie, and her image on Nerve.com looked charming, even dainty. After a couple of talkative email notes, we set up a gathering at an elitist lager joint in Lincoln Park. I arrived first, sat at the bar, and requested a lager. Those minutes prior to your date shows up are priceless– my brain begun hustling a bit, I could nearly hear a low drum roll. Furthermore, there she was– she strolled in, sat down, requested a brew. The tattoo on her neck wasn't noticeable in her online picture. She looked somewhat unpleasant around the edges, Bonnie did. Intense, really. She was about my tallness or somewhat taller, and she was built– and I don't mean implicit a girly way, I mean she appeared as though she could seat press about twice my weight.

She requested another brew. What's more, one more and again. Her cool, disconnected mentality before long turned riotous and forceful. She lapped me a few times brew astute, and didn't appear to see, while peppering me with inquiries concerning past connections.

After around a hour I'd seen and sufficiently heard. When I easily asked off, asserting an investigation assemble meeting, she just took a gander at me blankly– at that point, I thought, a little menacingly. "Gracious, so you will get up and leave now, huh," she said.

[billyagogo]

Even from childhood bedrooms, socially distanced students work to get out the vote

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2020/10/31/even-from-childhood-bedrooms-socially-distanced-students-work-to-get-out-the-vote/

Even from childhood bedrooms, socially distanced students work to get out the vote

When Lauren Guzowski makes calls to potential voters in this election season, sometimes she also provides a bit of live music in the background — perhaps the guitar chords of “Stairway to Heaven.”

“I’ve got a little brother who loves his electric guitar,” she said. “So sometimes I’ll be phone-banking and you’ll hear a little Led Zeppelin.”

Guzowski, 19, is a sophomore at George Washington University. Like many students her age, the COVID-19 pandemic means she’s spending this semester not in a dorm room but back home, living with her parents in Pittsburgh.

Yet on top of online coursework for her political science degree — including a “very topical” class called “The American Presidency” — Guzowski works as deputy director of campaign operations for her school’s College Democrats chapter. Amid parents walking into her room unannounced and, yes, the occasional guitar solo, she’s spending her quarantine digitally organizing “get out the vote” efforts for campaigns across the country.

“My field office is my bedroom,” she said.

Guzowski is not alone. Young people nationwide — cooped up indoors, their social lives, work, school and housing disrupted — have spent the weeks before Nov. 3 making calls, sending texts and even hand-writing letters to influence voters in what some see as a potentially generation-defining election.

Most of the young activists The Times spoke with were Democrats. This tracks with polling from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, which in mid-June found that 68% of registered voters between 18 to 29 support former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, versus 28% who support President Trump.

With his unexpected surplus of free time, 22-year-old Dylan Cohen, a recent graduate of USC, read up on politics and, working through a volunteer group called Postcards to Voters, wrote dozens of letters to Georgia voters in support of Democrat Jon Ossoff’s campaign to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue. He also applied to be a poll worker, but hadn’t yet heard back.

“If I were still a senior in college and everything was normal, and I could have chosen between spending 45 minutes to go get drinks with a friend at a bar or hand-write letters, I would have just gone to the bar and gotten beer,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s cross-continent outreach — from his parents’ house in Malibu to voters in Georgia — is standard for pandemic-era campaign work, especially among Democrats. Unlike many Republicans, Democrats generally consider in-person door-knocking a potentially deadly tactic amid the coronavirus contagion, and many campaigns have moved their efforts online — meaning that anyone, anywhere, can hop on to canvass voters virtually.

“Before, if the campaign was doing a phone bank, they would have just done it in person [and] I would not have been able to join,” said Tyler Kusma, a George Washington University senior who’s moved home to Pennsylvania. “Now it’s a Zoom call, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m from Scranton or down the road.”

That flexibility means Kusma, 22, who’s president of GW for Biden, can pick and choose online which other campaigns to help. In addition to supporting his local member of Congress, he’s texted or called voters in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana and Texas on behalf of various candidates on those states’ ballots.

With location no barrier to entry, choosing where to volunteer becomes a more strategic decision.

Agnes Mok, a senior at Pomona College who moved to Washington, D.C., after her classes went online, chose to work with the liberal super PAC Flip the West after deciding that “flipping the Senate was going to be more important … than [volunteering for] other individual candidates,” she said. David Pernick of Silver Lake said he chose “empirically” to phone-bank for Iowa Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.

“I’m like, ‘OK, what are really close races in really small states?’ Because the smaller the state, the more impact each call has, right?” said Pernick, 29, who had time to spare after his test preparation and tutoring business slowed down. “I was thinking Iowa versus Montana, and I just, flip of a coin, decided to go with Iowa.”

For other young volunteers, campaign work is a way to stay socially active. Rhea Trainson, who leads Pennsylvania college outreach for the progressive organizing group Swing Left, said digital campaign events offer a chance to connect with friends and chat with peers.

“We’ve really started advertising these as parties in their own way, and having fun themes for events,” said Trainson, 21. “I know one of my favorite events that I hosted was a Timothée Chalamet costume contest and letter-writing event.”

For some students, moving back home means sharing a roof with family members of different political persuasions. Guzowski said her father is a Republican, and family discussions can sometimes get “a little heated.”

“I think they’re really worthy discussions,” she said. “[It’s] very different than being on a college campus with a bunch of other poli-sci majors.”

While pandemic-related adjustments have in some ways made volunteering easier, voting itself can be more complicated for college and post-college young people who’ve relocated. For an extreme case, consider Iris Chen.

Chen, a sophomore at Atlanta’s Emory University, took the semester off and moved to a cousin’s house in South Lake Tahoe to work, hike and explore. In late July, she filed to receive her Georgia absentee ballot at the Tahoe house, but later discovered that the area is too rural and isolated to receive mail, as a worker at a local post office explained.

Chen’s ballot was delivered to Tahoe, then bounced back to Georgia. She requested a second ballot, and drove to Sacramento for an affidavit swearing she wouldn’t use the first one, signed it and faxed it back to Georgia. A state website showed that a second ballot was shipped to Sacramento on Oct. 7.

Chen hadn’t received it by Friday, more than three weeks later. Meanwhile, she’d bought plane tickets to fly to Atlanta for in-person early voting; Friday was the last day to do so. “It’s much more difficult [to vote] than I thought for my first election,” she said. But once she got to her polling place in Atlanta, “it went really smoothly.”

Even for students who still live in the state where they’re registered, relocations can upend voting arrangements.

Chris Wig, chair of the Democratic Party of Lane County, Ore. — home to the University of Oregon, which is primarily online through the winter — said the party is seeing “a diffusion of Democratic voters” away from the county as some students move home and re-register there. Because Lane County is safely blue, Wig said, the shift of pro-Democratic students to other areas of the state can only help the party.

Not all college towns are experiencing such changes. William Ellis, the Republican Party chairman in Monroe County, Ind., said that enough Indiana University Bloomington students have remained on campus that he hasn’t “seen any changes to the student dynamic with voting.” And Scott Grabins, Republican Party chair in Dane County, Wis., said that the College Republicans of the University of Wisconsin-Madison “continue to be engaged with campaign activities.”

But for many of America’s youngest voters, the pandemic has redefined if, how and why they engage with politics.

“I would offer a broad apology for how many phone calls people are getting, … but I think it’s really worthwhile work,” Guzowski said. “I hope that people know that, a lot of the time, it’s young people and kids who are on the other end of those phone calls, doing the best that they can.”

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[belladonnadream]

Stevie n Mick 9-11 Memorial

Stevie Nicks September 11, 2016 · September 11th, 2016

As I always say on this day~ No one needs to remind me~ of what happened in New York on September 11th, 2001. I was there~ at the Waldorf~ sleeping~ when the first plane hit the first tower. We, 7 of us, had come in from Canada that night~ landed at 2:30 in the morning~ ready to spend my day off in my favorite city. I went to bed at 7:30am... It was a beautiful day~ looking out the windows before I laid down. I was so excited to be there~ I had such hopes for that beautiful day~ and then the world stopped. The world changed. As the day went by you could not see the sun~ we put wet towels around all the windows. It was as if the world had ended.

I kept a journal all through the four days we were there. As we drove away from New York on Friday at sunset (on a bus) heading towards Atlantic City (show on Saturday had not been canceled) we looked back across the water at the fallen towers and the sad grey city. We drove slowly, taking pictures in our minds~ knowing that nothing ~ NOTHING ~ would ever be the same. And we cried. Silent grey shadowed tears of disbelief~ I think we cried all the way to Atlantic City. I don’t think any words were even spoken, and we prayed that the world would heal and get better.

It hasn’t.

Our world is dangerous. The warnings are everywhere. People are afraid. I am afraid and I hate being afraid. I want to be strong and fearless. I want anyone who reads this to do everything they can to help this world~

Please God show them the way Please God ~on this day~ Spirits all~ give them the strength Peace can come if you fight for it~ I think we’re just in time to save it Please God Give them the strength On this day Please God Please God Please God Show them the way~

These words are from a song you have yet to hear~ about this day...

I am re-posting my journal entries again for you to read~ I wrote them for all of us. Consider these words as you go through the next sixty days~

Love to All, Stevie Nicks

2001

Dearest Everyone- This is my journal entry for September 11, 2001. I wanted to share it with you, because I was in New York; because it was the heaviest thing I have ever experienced ~

Love, Stevie Nicks

Sept. 11, 2001 11:30 a.m. We got into New York via private jet at 2 o’clock this morning, coming into New York from Toronto, Canada. I have been listening to Shawn Colvin’s song, Another Plane Went Down, from her new album, A Whole New You, all the way here while trying to compose a letter to Gladys Knight about Aaliyah, her niece; about my dream. Airports, planes everywhere, music, music, tears in my eyes, Sulamith (my yorkie) was upset all the way from Canada, psychic, dreamlike, flying, flying, flying.

And now, it has happened. Two planes dove into the World Trade Center Towers ~ 4 hijackings in 3 hours. The Trade Center is gone, thousands of people are dead. The Pentagon was attacked kamikaze style, and one plane they are pretty sure, was on its way to the White House.

Everyone is pretty sure it was Osama Bin Laden, the evil high tech murderer hiding in Afghanistan...

People are walking across the Brooklyn Bridge trying to get home. I am here at the world famous Waldorf=Astoria, the hotel where the presidents stay ~

I will write as the day unfolds~

I am pretty sure Radio City will cancel; I think their offices were in the Towers...I am so sad for them...

Aircraft warships are on their way to us here in New York and to Washington... I don’t really know what we are going to do now – the airports are completely shut down-

My heart is broken.

8:42 a.m. First Tower 9:04 a.m. 2nd Tower 9:40 a.m. Pentagon 9:59 a.m. South Tower falls 10:28 a.m. North Tower falls (people jump) 11:29 a.m. United flt 99 crashes in rural Pennsylvania 5:20 p.m. #7 Tower collapses

Sept. 12, 2001 4:42 a.m. in the morning

We are a devastated city I feel I am a part of this city. We are a strong, brilliant city. We are watching a piece of history We are living through a tragedy Like no one – has ever seen...

The fire chief of New York is dead. His assistant fire chief is dead. One of my champions from Warner Brothers wife is gone. She was coming home from Boston after settling their twin daughters at a University. Their grandmother was with their Mom.

M.H. called from Toronto. He is there with the Backstreet Boys. One of their carpenters went home because his wife was having a baby. He was on one of those planes. We are a grieving city A surreal city ~ It is 5:09 a.m. in the morning We are still a dark city – But soon it will be dawn – and the dreamlike reality of yesterday will turn into the true reality of what has really happened.

I have seen grown men cry today. They seem to be having the most trouble with this. They are the protectors –

And they feel so helpless ~ They can’t stand it.

It seems that, as Don Henley so brilliantly said ~ “This is the end- of the innocence.”

5:15 a.m.

I sit here at 5:15 in the morning – in shock. The tears just don’t stop. As a writer, I am driven to write what it has been like to be 20 minutes away from the Twin Towers ~ To be here at the world famous, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, home of foreign diplomats and gathering place of politicians, in a suite where I am quite sure Heads of State have met, and discussed the problems of the world. The living room is all dark wood, ceiling to floor, and you can just imagine John Kennedy sitting at the desk. It is stunning. This hotel is where the presidents have always stayed, and this grand old hotel is in full lockdown. All but two entrances are closed, the driveway through the hotel – shut, all the cars - moved out.

I feel strangely safe here in New York now – and the city still looks awesome from my windows, still sparkly, still beautiful, almost like – from this room- Nothing ever happened- Almost...

The television news people are extraordinary – all of them. They are tired; you can see it in their changing faces, as the day has gone by. Of course, I feel like I know them all, like they are really dear friends, choking up and recovering, just like me, hour after hour... You can’t go through something like this with a city. You become attached.

You become “war buddies.” It is just so deep. It is 6:10. It is sunrise

6:38 a.m.

It was a beautiful sunrise. It has turned the white curtains pink, the room pink- I swear. The sun is one half inch over the city horizon, the sky is peacock blue, sky blue but the city is still glowing pink. If I had been sleeping since Monday and I looked out this window, I would think, “It just looks like a beautiful New York fall day, my favorite thing, let’s shop! It looks just like it did Tuesday morning when I went to bed, just before this all happened. The view is so beautiful that looking up at it, almost makes you start to feel good, and forget, and then, honestly you feel guilty, and then you feel worse and sick to your stomach. If they can’t sleep, then I’m not going to sleep either... So today is both beautiful and frightening, looking out from 36 floors up, can I tell you how unimaginable it would be if I looked up and saw a big jet flying towards me, in this country? Not possible. My question – “How could this happen?”

I am overwhelmed with how extraordinary the firemen and the policemen are. They just don’t give up. They “don’t stop.” They are awesome...and so is Mayor Guiliani. I would ALWAYS want them on my team. They are my heroes.

Well, I think I have to sleep now. In an interview from the street, a man says in tears, “You do not want to see the things I’ve seen today...I am traumatized.” “I am traumatized for life...”

That is the truth...We are all traumatized.

“I’m tired. I’m thirsty – I’m wild eyed In my misery.”

God Bless everyone that lost someone ~ And all of those ~ that are gone... I am so sorry ~

Stevie Nicks 7:06 in the morning

P .S. The room is still glowing pink – I swear...

Last Thought...September 14, 2001

Please everyone, do not blame people for this just because they are Muslim – or come from some other ethnic group. If you do, you let Osama Bin Laden win – as surely as if you helped him put those planes through those towers. You - become him. He wins. Consider this carefully...

2011

September 11, 2011 9-11 Nine Eleven 2001

It is four o’7~ 4:07 in the afternoon. It is Sunday. It is the 10th Anniversary of the attack on the great towers of New York City. The twins~ those two awesome skyscrapers who stood above our beautiful city. I say “our” because I became a New Yorker on that day.

I am not watching television, at least not yet. I do not need T.V. to jar my memory. I remember it all, as if it were yesterday. Landing in New York at 2:30 in the morning~ coming in from Canada to spend my one day off in New York. Looking forward to playing Radio City Music Hall~ one of my favorite places to play. Driving into the city from the airport~ excited~ it’s always a romantic drive for me~ like something wonderful could happen~ New York City~ just like I pictured it. Awesome. Awesome...

And awesome it was. Arriving at the world famous Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Famous people live there. Political dignitaries live there. Wallace Simpson and the ex-King of England~ lived there for 5 years in the suite with the 3 great arched windows. History oozes from its great walls. When you are there~ you are part of history. We got to our suite at about 4 in the morning~ the very grand~ all dark wood suite~ we unpacked~ the sun was coming up over the city~ the 4 windows in the living room full of pink light~ extraordinary pink~ bathing the brown Bosendorfer in light~ the sun is up~ it is 7:30. I say to the girls~ “Maybe we should just go out now and have breakfast and go shopping~ and sleep later. I was looking out one of the windows at the city that was now full of people and cars and cabs and limousines~ crazy energy~ and we laughed, realizing how tired we were after 2 shows in a row and the flight from Canada...Maybe a little sleep would help~ then we’ll hit the streets. Sulamith Wulfing and I went to bed~ dreaming of going out later~ maybe finding a little diamond something~ and off we went to sleep.

Right after the second plane hit the second tower, Karen woke me. I don’t remember exactly what she said. I just remember jumping up and running to the window where I had stood 3 1⁄2 hours before. Looking down at that same street, no cars, no cabs, and no people. Just empty. Not beautiful~ just frighteningly silent. No way out~ just fear.

Karen was on the phone with my manager Sheryl. She had been on the phone with her when the plane hit the first tower. Because of that~ we had a line out to the world. Sheryl was able to have someone call our parents and my band in Canada and let people know we were all right.

The Waldorf went into lock down. It is the presidents hotel, so lock down is something the do well. Then we waited. We turned on the big T.V. in the living room and watched ~ and watched~ and watched.

Because we were hooked up to T.V. all over the world~ we saw things that I think most people didn’t see. Spanish T.V.~ people actually jumping. That was momentary~ pulled immediately by the networks. The first newspaper with a horrid image on the front page~ not seen again. We kept the newspaper.

As the hours went by we, like everyone else in the city who wasn’t close to ground zero~we just sat and watched T.V. and cried. I never left the suite. From Tuesday afternoon to Friday night when we drove away to Atlantic City I just sat in front of the T.V. and cried. The sunsets were extra beautiful. All that dust and smoke makes sunsets and sunrises more beautiful. Like smoke on stage makes the lights more beautiful. After that, soon after that actually, I developed an allergy to dust and smoke. I don’t use smoke on my stage anymore. It shuts down my throat~ I can’t sing in it~ and it’s not beautiful.

It’s 4:58p right now~ the devastation I felt that day is starting to creep in. My throat is starting to close up~ and my eyes are starting to fill with tears.

I guess that’s how it will always be. All those people lost. All those families ruined. All those hearts broken. I was 20 minutes away. I did not lose a best friend or a child or a lover. But part of my heart went down with those towers... And that will never change...

Stevie Nicks 9-11-11

[autumn2007-blog]

08.07.2011 Grace Summit Sermon – East Asia Update with Eric Chen

I’m Eric Chen – I’m with Intervarsity at The University of Akron – I went to China for 6 weeks – We had a diverse group of students 14 students – West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania (6 states) 4 staff – Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, California One girl had never been on a plane – or a train – and we did a week in Beijing for orientation – what will daily life look like – what does it mean to share the Gospel with those from a different culture. Coming out of Beijing, we had a 24 hour train ride – Staff Team John – from LA, pastor of a large multi-ethnic church in the city – He has always had a heart for Asia – especially SE Asia – as a staff team, we arrived a day early to share with one another. Corrie – International Student Ministry at University of Kentucky – She came because her specialty is working with International students and helping Americans bridge the gap and she led some classes on Cross Cultural skills. Christy – Undergraduate Campus Staff Member at University of Michigan – Dearborn – similar to Akron as a commuter school. Neither John nor Corrie had done undergraduate ministry (working with older students) – Christy and I had a good time helping them learn about working with angsty 19 year olds – sorry – you guys aren’t angsty… Steve – ex-stateside IV staff, now on loan to the Chinese movement, our receiving staff – has been there for 7 years! What was exciting was that none of us had any foreign mission trip experience (longer than 2 weeks) ever! The funny part about this picture is that we had spent a week in China already, and the staff team was already craving burgers… – As staff, we were supposed to teach about culture integration… and here we are at the American joint. Sitting at Lakers – you see internationals (like us) wander out of the shadows and see an American Restaurant – and wander in. Global Project style – Typically, they would pair student to student to engage in intense relationship building and learning one another’s’ culture. Recently, the Chinese Government said no, IV can’t come – even though iV had been coming for years. The vice president of the university had had an impactful time with a group of Canadian Christians back in the 80s – and it had always been in his mind and he had benefited from it. In the late 90s – a guy from IV had found this university and wanted to do a partnership here – and he was the guide to lead us through the front door. He thought – How can I get IV back – if you come back, you have to change your name – and he opened the back-door for us and helped us fly under the radar. Instead of being paired at the hip like former projects, our goal was to through social activities to build friendships. We were pulling off big events to have excuses to talk with Chinese students. Steve had no clue how many to expect. We did a kickoff event – 60-70 students showed up – and that is what we did – created opportunities to have conversations with Chinese students. As we built relationships with the Chinese students, we could really only talk about religion if they first “opened the door”, so to speak. So the best way to getting there was to just throw parties and socials so our students could have excuses to talk with Chinese students Like our first night on campus, when we threw a huge party for about 60 Chinese students Or culture class, where we learned about each other’s cultures – Corrie – sharing about ‘small talk’ – one thing we talked about was GRADES – in America, we don’t talk about grades – probably because of curve-killers! – But in China – they talk about grades – “We are proud when we score well!” Or like when we threw a Christmas party in July, not only to talk about Christmas, but do a gift exchange. You get the picture; we just did stuff to meet Chinese students. If I had the luxury of time, we’d probably spend at least an hour going through stories and pictures of what God did, but for now, I want to share just three stories of what God did this summer I had about 3000 pictures that I had narrowed down to 800. This was my small group (from L to R): Gordon, Heather, Elisabeth, me, Aaron, and Rachel Enter Gordon, Heather, and Aaron, who became friends with a girl named Minnie while going to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our students were stripped of some of their basic means of communication. We have a common language – and we have texting, Facebook, cell phones. We were stripped of what we were used to. When we talk about sharing the gospel here in the states, we say if you can share with an 8 year old – you are golden. Now imagine talking to someone who can speak only about as well as an 8 year old – but can speak eloquently in their own language about politics and all kinds of things. Students had to face being stripped of most ways of relating with Chinese students Language Culture Interests Technology The challenge was to rely even more on God to make that change, and what better way to communicate our desire for that than through prayer? We prayed that God would open doors for us – put a small group together like mine – 10 o’clock at night – and we would pray – a lot. Some of the fruits of that. Put a small group of students who knew these barriers, and that prayer works, and you got a small group that started to pray and ask God to do some big things on campus. Minnie – here she is leading some of us Americans in Tai Chi. Minnie had been hanging out with her friend Bella, a Christian Chinese student at KFC with Gordon/Heather/Aaron when she started asking about religious beliefs. “I’m interested in knowing what you think!” Unless the student opens the door – you can’t just share with them. We could ask questions that might provoke deeper conversations. This was in the first week, so Gordon/Heather/Aaron were all excited to talk and have this open door, but as they talked more, it became apparent that Minnie was having trouble opening her heart because of a relationship with an Army man. If you are in the Army, you are not supposed to have any beliefs. As this happened, Gordon sensed that he should pray that a storm would rock Minnie’s life. As they walked out the door of KFC, a thunderstorm started rumbling in the distance. To this, Gordon was super excited and ran to tell our small group. “I knew something big was going to happen in Minnie’s life sometime soon” A few days later, the American team met together to pray for Chinese students right before a movie night. During that time, Aaron prayed specifically that God would break down the barrier between Minnie and Jesus, through any means possible. 30 minutes later, when the Chinese students started to arrive, Minnie arrived, and the first thing she did was going up to Aaron and tell him that she had a disagreement with her boyfriend that day on the phone, and that they broke up right then and there, and she was ready to talk about religion again! Aaron was in shock – is this really happening to me? As the summer actually went on, Minnie decided to give her life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, praise God! That was exciting to see the reaping of the harvest that had been planted beforehand. Coco and Rabbit – Aaron and Izzy At that same prayer meeting before Minnie broke up with her boyfriend, Aaron also prayed for Coco, a girl that Aaron and Izzy were both spending time with. While Aaron was just getting to know Coco, he prayed specifically that Coco would open the door for them to talk about spiritual things. Coco walks in right after Minnie and goes over to Aaron – “I was just thinking about the Afterlife today – can we talk about that?” Aaron grew up in a Christian household – as he shared with me – he never really – or struggled with the aspect of prayer – for him to experience the power of God working through prayer. Coco never made a decision to follow Christ throughout our time in China, but she ended up getting a Bible and got plugged in with long-term missionaries who were more than willing to follow up with her! We continue to pray for Coco and Rabbit – that picture is her default mode. Something God showed me – the testimony of the long-term missionaries. Softening/Tilling/Sowing/Reaping – hearing testimony from the long-termers (Moyers/Steve/Gideon) Speaking of long-term missionaries, we were encouraged to get to know of the long term work that had been going on in China and locally at our university. Gideon – IFES Associate General Secretary for Global Issues – Vice president of IFES. He is in charge of East Asia and is interested in Islamic countries and helping them to know God. Came and shared with us to get to know us, welcome us to IFES East Asia, and also cast vision for long-term work. Shared history of the Global Projects Steve would have never gotten there had it not been for Gideon. And they would have never gotten there without the local churches there. “We want people to come and share on campuses – because they will be the leaders.” In China – the best of the best apply and only about 30% get in. Part of it is the philosophy – we might do short-term work in conjunction with long-term work, but never short term for the sake of short term. The Far East project is the fruit of that. I appreciated what Gideon shared with us. It was encouraging to hear the partnership between Gideon and the house-churches. Esther – the girl on the right – was a lawyer in China – but felt led to OSU to get her Masters and PHD – she became a Christian there – and is now replacing Steve. Steve is going to Vancouver for a couple years to Regent College. Steve – ex-stateside IVCF staff (Baldwin Wallace), now doing long-term work in China. He went on a couple global projects, and after the second one was called to do long-term work there. At our university for 7 years, doing follow up and receiving short-term teams for the summer. He does a lot of follow-up – we understood that some would be in different phases of soil softening to reaping a harvest. Rhinehard is a long-term missionary teaching English at the University. It was encouraging to hear from him and his wife Cindy – and they don’t have children of their own, but these students have become like their adopted children. They have been praying for a long time that some would come to help them. He shared with us how we had been such an answer to prayer – there are people on the campus that they don’t know if they would have had the opportunity to meet, were it not for our team. It was encouraging for him and for us! Integral in long-term follow up of the work that happens Shared about how we’ve been an answer to prayer, both in softening the earth, tilling, sowing, and reaping the harvest! It used to be, 20 students paired with 20 students – but now, we had 14 students – and we listed all the students we had a good conversation with and where they are spiritually – we had 42 names on our board –and that would have never happened in previous projects. If there is anything that I would walk away with – the power of prayer that went into our work – the prayers of this church and others, Steve and Rhinehard, and us while we were there, God showed Himself to us through prayer. The challenge – we talked about reintegrating into American culture – we have this same common language and technologies that connect us – as we interact through all of that, will we lose the understanding of how God is the one who has to work through prayer? We have to choose to walk in this. That is China – Likes: 0 Viewed:

The post 08.07.2011 Grace Summit Sermon – East Asia Update with Eric Chen appeared first on Good Info.

[marvel-medigeek-fics]

On Your Twelve

Maddie had left Doug 4 days ago. 4 days. Holy hell, they felt like years. Maddie sighed from the couch of her brother’s apartment. She wasn’t going to put him in danger anymore, and that’s why she was leaving. She looked over at her single suitcase and made up her mind. She had to go. 

10 minutes later, she was on the train. 

Buck got home shortly after Maddie had left, and he came bearing food. But Maddie was long gone. And Buck realized that, after walking through the apartment 4 times. He called her a few times. She didn’t answer until the third call. 

“Buck?”

“Maddie, where are you?” 

“On a train.”

“Why are you on a train?”

“Because I can’t put my little brother in danger.”

“Maddie-”

“No, Buck. I can’t. I’m sorry.” 

She left Buck speechless when she hung up. But he composed himself, and called the only person he could think of who would listen to his crazy idea. 

“Chim? Can you do me a favor?”

--

Sometime later, Chim was driving, doing a favor for a certain Evan Buckley. When Buck called, Chim was not open to chasing after Buck’s sister. This wasn’t his typical job, he was used to being behind a desk searching for people. Not actually going to retrieve them. It was kind of degrading to say he was retrieving someone, because this was a real life person, not an animal or a package. 

But, there he was, going to find Maddie. He didn’t even know this woman, but Buck told him her story. And showed him a picture of her. And them Chimney Han was on a the freeway.

Chim didn’t ask how Buck had found Maddie, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. He didn’t want to know. He really didn’t want to know. 

--

Maddie was staying at a hotel, hidden from anyone who might come looking for her. Doug was her main fear. Had been for a while. There was a very low chance of him looking for her in a hotel in a tiny town. She paid in cash, so she couldn’t be traced through a card. Buck didn’t even know where she was, which didn’t make her feel better. No one is LA even knew she existed, so there was nothing to worry about there. She was safe here. At least for now. 

She looked down at her phone. 37 missed calls from Buck. A few with Pennsylvania numbers. A LA number. She swiped all of her notifications away, pausing slightly when she got to Buck’s calls. She didn’t mean to hurt him, but she had to keep him safe. She’d never forgive herself if he got dragged in. 

Maddie sat on the bed for a while, unable to relax even a little bit. She twirled the remote in her hands, the slight movement keeping her from going crazy. A knock on the door brought her from her trance. The remote fell through her fingers and clattered to the floor.

She took the mace from the table and went to the door warily. She steeped herself to spray whoever was knocking at her door. She opened the door as slightly as she could and saw someone she didn’t recognize.

“I’m Chimney. Are you Maddie Buckley-Kendall?”

“What are you doing here?” Maddie’s voice demanded an answer and it took both of them off guard a little bit. Maddie didn’t show it, but Chimney sure did. Maddie had no clue how this stranger knew her name and it freaked her out. A lot. 

“I work in security detail.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” Maddie shut the door in his face and leaned against the door, breathing deeply. What kind of cruel joke was this? She slid down against the door and began to cry softly. She was screwed. Maybe she should just go back to Doug. She wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder every where she dared to go.

Chimney stood on the other side of the door, staring at it blankly. Most people who were in Maddie’s situation would take a bodyguard in a heartbeat. Chimney was quickly learning that Maddie was nothing like most people. He heard her crying on the other side and he felt awful. What could he do? You can’t beg someone to let you protect them.

Chim stood there for a moment, debating whether to knock again, go back to his own room, or just go back to LA. He sighed slowly. And then he knocked again.

He heard her stop crying and then the knob turning. “I said no.”

She slammed it again, so hard the frame shook a little. And then she laid down on the perfectly made bed. She was so tired. So tired of fighting. Of hoping. 

--

Maddie hadn’t even realized she fell asleep until it was the next morning and her hair was matted to her face. She felt like she was covered in pounds of sweat and dirt and grime. She spit out the awful taste in her mouth and sat up. She had to make a plan today. 

Chimney was in his own hotel room, just down the hall from Maddie’s. He’d been thinking about her all night long. How was he going to get her to trust him and let him help her. He had to make a plan today.

Chim’s plan included knocking on her door until he could get inside. That was a terrible plan and it would be sure to end with getting pepper sprayed. He saw her container and had experience with the stuff. Not fun. So he had to come up with a new plan. 

Maddie had been thinking all day. She scoured for plane tickets to somewhere Doug would never look. Bus tickets. Train tickets. Ubers. She debated hitchhiking for a while. She was almost out of options. She couldn’t afford anything. She could barely afford the next night’s hotel cost. She was about to give up and call Doug to pay her way back to Pennsylvania. To hell. And then she heard a knock. 

She opened the door a crack and looked out. There was no one there. And then her eyes traveled to the floor and to the pint of ice cream. She looked down the hallway both ways and after determining there was no one hiding, she opened the door and grabbed the pint. She could never turn down ice cream. Taped to the top was two plastic spoons and a small piece of paper folded into a card. 

Hi, Maddie.  It’s Chim. Howie Han, if we’re being specific. I hope the ice cream makes up for me knocking at your door last night. I’m worried about you. Call me if you need anything. 

His number was scrawled delicately across the bottom and Maddie found herself placing the note on her bedside table. She pulled the top of the pint off and stuck her spoon into the slightly melted ice cream. Maybe she’d be alright. 

As she nursed her ice cream, she looked at her phone. She wasn’t surprised to see Buck’s calls, which she ignored. He’d never stop worrying about her, she was sure, but eventually, he’d stop trying to protect her. Wait. Buck sent Chimney, didn’t he? 

She dialed Buck’s number and waited for him to pick up. She knew he would. 

“Maddie? Are you okay? Where are you?” Buck asked questions in rapidfire succession. 

“Evan, I am fine. Please stop calling me. I already told you I can’t stay in LA.” 

“Why not Maddie?” 

“I will not put you in danger. Did you sent Chimney to find me?”

Buck is finally silent on the other end of the line. 

“Evan. Answer me.” Maddie has her older sister voice down pat. 

“Yes.” 

“Evan.” Maddie moaned, running her hand down her face in esasperation. 

“Maddie, you have to understand! I just want to protect you.” 

“I can take care of myself. Okay?” 

“You don’t have to. Please, Maddie.” Buck sniffled a little, and Maddie felt her heart prick a little bit. 

“I love you, little brother.” She pressed the end call button and sat there in silence for a second. Her heart, already in shambles, broke into a trillion little pieces. She stabbed her spoon into her half finished pint and stood up. She had to go. 

She went to the lobby and checked out, or tried to. She couldn’t get her money back, but really, she had bigger things on her mind. She left the hotel, no clue where her next move would take her. She made it to the bus stop and sat on the bench, looking around at the empty street. She sighed and waited for the bus. The next thing she knew there was a gun in her face and a mugger eclipsing her vision. 

“Give it up.” She threw her wallet into the grass and he let her go. She was fine. She was fine. She was not fine. She was very not fine. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number that she’d only seen once before. 

“Hey, Chimney. Can you do me a favor?” 

Chimney made it to the bus stop in 5 minutes and he went over the pleasantries: “Are you okay? What happened?” And then: “Come here.”

Maddie had stared down a gun before, but this one, this one messed with her. And before she knew it she was sobbing. Into a stranger’s arms no less. “I got you. I got you.” He whispered to her. They sat there for a moment, breathing in the stillness of the again quiet night.

 “Come on. Come back to the hotel with me.”

“I’m alright. Thanks.” She pulled herself together and dusted off her knees. She had to keep going. There was no stopping now. 

“Maddie, you’re in no condition to go off by yourself. Please, just come back to the hotel. Get some sleep.” 

She thought about his proposition for a minute, but shook her head. “I can’t.” 

“Please, Maddie.” Chimney was almost begging her to stay. She looked back at him, the sadness in his eyes. And she found herself nodding. 

--

Chimney stayed out of her way while she showered. He debated calling Buck, just to tell him his sister is okay. He settled for a text. 

Chimney: Your sister is okay. I’ll try to get her home soon.

Buck: Good luck with that.

Chimney rolled his eyes. How hard could it be to convince someone to go back to their family? Very hard, as he was about to find out.

Later that night, both Maddie and Chimney were wide awake. They would roll over and look at the clock and see it hadn’t moved more than a minute or two since they last looked.

Maddie was preoccupied with her next move. And so was Chimney. Chim, of course, wanted to go back to LA. Maddie wanted to go anywhere else.

“Maddie?” Chim said softly.

“Hmmm.” Maddie cooed back.

“Are you..?” Chim trailed off.

“Am I what? You have to be more specific.”

“Okay. Are you okay?”

“Someday I will be, Chim. What about you?”

“Yeah.”

They both trail off into their own little worlds until Maddie speaks again.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Maddie.”

They both fell asleep sometime later, at peace, safe, secure.

—

By the time Chimney got up the next morning, Maddie had all of her things packed up. “Maddie? Where’s the fire?”

“Chimney, I can’t stay. You can’t stop me, okay, no matter how hard you try.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I sure as hell cant stop you. So I’m going with you.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. Where are we going?”

She stared at him in shock and shook her head aggressively a second later. “Absolutely not. I’m not dragging you, a stranger, into my flaming crap shoot of a life!”

“If I can’t stop you, you can’t stop me.”

She sighed and all the fight seeped out of her. “Fine, lets go.” She grabbed her phone and the handle of her bag and left. Chim, luckily had all of his things gathered and left right behind her.

They were in Chimney’s car a few minutes later, Maddie driving, and Chimney fiddling with his nervous energy. “Um, where...where are we going?”

Maddie didn’t even respond, instead tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. She changed lanes, the speedometer ticking steadily upwards. “Maddie.” She steeled her eyes on the road, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

“Maddie.” She didn’t answer him, instead changing lanes again.

“Maddie.”

“What?” Maddie snapped back.

“Slow down. There’s not a time crunch.”

“There’s always a time crunch.”

“Maddie. Pull over or slow down.” She pulled over abruptly and turned to face the man in the passengers seat.

“Switch places with me.” Maddie got out of the car and was standing on the other side of Chim’s door before he even processed what she said. He sighed and crawled over the center console to let her sit.

He looked over at her and her nervous energy. “Are you going to drive or just keep staring at me like I’m a specimen?”

“Right.” Chimney looked away and pulled out onto the freeway. “Just because I’m driving doesn’t mean I don’t notice you twitching over there.”

Her hands went noticeably still. “I’m not twitching.” Right. Not twitching.

Chimney continued to drive until they had to get gas. He somehow had to get Maddie back to LA. He was waiting in the car when she got back from the bathroom. She was on the phone when she opened the door.

“This is she.” Chimney could only hear one end of the conversation. “Oh. Do I have to be there? To sign off?” She bit her lip and a few rogue tears slipped down her cheeks. “Yes. I understand.” She hung up the phone and stared at the scene blankly.

“Who was on the phone?” Maddie continued to be frozen in place at Chimneys words.

“My husband is dead.” She swiveled her head slowly to look at him. “And I have to decide what to do next.”

Without a word, Chimney pulled the car out onto the southbound freeway. Maddie didn’t protest, instead she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

It was obvious to Chimney how exhausted she was, because she didn’t wake up until they were off of the freeway. “Call your brother.”

Maddie dialed Bucks number. She didn’t have to be told twice. She told him the situation and he said something, Chim couldn’t quite catch it.

She listened to Buck talk until they pulled up to his place. When she told him where they were, he hung up abruptly. And she turned to Chimney: “thank you.” He nodded back, smiling just a little bit.

Buck appeared next to the passengers side and pulled Maddie into a hug as soon as she opened the door. They didn’t stop hugging for a long time.

When the three of them were settled in Buck’s apartment, or rather, Abby’s, and Maddie had her flight booked to Pennsylvania and Buck was doing God knows what, Maddie and Chim were alone again.

“Thanks again for everything you did.” Maddie said, sipping on her drink.

“Anytime, Maddie.” He sipped on his drink of choice, beer. “How are you handling this whole dead Doug thing?”

“I feel like I should be happy, or relieved. But honestly, I’m a little sad. I shouldn’t feel sad about my abusive husband dying, should I?”

“There’s no right or wrong way to feel.”

“Would it be wierd if I asked you to come with me?” Maddie said after a careful pause.

“Come with you where? Pennsylvania?” Chim stared at her and Maddie picked at the lint of the blanket. She nodded slowly back at him.

“Yes. Only if you want to. Or if you can. I should’ve asked.” She shook her head.

“I would go anywhere with you. For you.”

“You would?”

“Yes, Maddie, of course.”

—

••• first of all I would like to say bodyguard fics are cool and I enjoy reading them, so I hope y’all like my take on the bodyguard au. Secondly, I hope you all are doing okay. Stay safe and keep being awesome!

[cwdcshows]

Arrow - S8 E7 - Purgatory

Well this just proves my theory, I think, that Oliver isn't going to die in Crisis - I had to double check what number episode this is, because it's honestly hard to remember between all the different show, even though they air clustered together bit, some take breaks at different time. I knew this was close to the end of the run, but I figured this must be episode 9 with Crisis coming up, but it's episode 7. Depending on whether the 5 episode arc counts towards the individual episode count for a given series or not, means there are 3 episodes left after this one; which may or may not include the "Arrow contribution" to Crisis, meaning there's at least two episodes after Crisis which finish out the series and it seems implausible that Stephen Amell wouldn't be in the last two episodes.... And here, I thought half the reason they planned this out the way they did was to basically end the series with Crisis - although I couldn't quite reconcile how they were going to give the series its due with a proper finale, without it being overshadowed with the crossover event.

Wait, what fuckery is this; how was what happened in the last episode meant to teach Oliver to "work with the Monitor to save the multiverse"??  Fuck you.  Last week you said the lesson was to learn to accept your fate or whatever bullshit. And again, I repeat, this should arguably have been Barry's story.  I get that Arrow is the grand-daddy of the Arrowverse and this is its final season, but one of the reasons I feel this way is that there's something dissonant about hearing Oliver Queen talking about saving the multiverse.  Obviously exists in such a world where travel between universes and metahumans and all that shit is a thing, but this isn't his jam, it's Barry's; Oliver is ultimately just a regular guy with good aim.  Obviously he's going to play some type of role in all of this, but for a series that started out so earnestly, grounding itself more in reality, before giving in to the more surreal elements of the comics in order to pave way for the spin-offs, a cosmic journey doesn't seem like the right arc to go out on.  Yeah, do a victory lap and revisit your places your greatest hits took place in, but this shit just seems weird. Add to that, that both Oliver and Barry have spent this whole season assuming themselves to be dead men walking, it makes the two personal arcs for the two main characters of the respective shows seem redundant.   If the Monitor was going to ask anyone to go on missions for him around the universe or expose him to an alternate reality to teach him to trust the Monitor and agree to help him, it arguably should have been Barry.  I'd like to think it would have been more entertaining than the shit we've been watching for the last two months with Bloodwork, but honestly, having watched the way they played some of this shit out on Arrow, I just don't know. I don't know what that would leave for Oliver and crew, but arguably they could have taken a page from Supergirl, which has been to largely ignore that a Crisis was coming; which apart from the meandering stories they chose to tell in the interim, was largely a refreshing choice.  Who knows, maybe Barry could have fought Rama Kahn - Supergirl sure as hell didn't need both him and Lena to deal with at the same time; and the whole Rama Kahn/Leviathan thing seemed half-assed.  It's probably not done, but God I hope it is. Whether that would have meant the brat pack still arrived from the future when they did, I don't know.  It was such a deus ex machina, it really doesn't matter if it would have fit with any other story, because it didn't really fit with the story they did end up doing; and given their role in the last episode or two, it probably could have waited until it got closer to Crisis and worked it in as the early indicators of the Crisis and anti-matter wave, where the walls of time weaken. Wait, what? I swear Oliver already told them that he wasn't meant to survive Crisis.   You know what they say, showing is better than telling - with all the pointless filler bullshit we've had this season of Arrow, the least they could have done was take 5-10 minutes to give us a flashback of Lyla encountering and joining forces with the Monitor to fill int he blanks.  Her explanation of it just lacks any substance to care or believe that she made the right decision.   Plus, I don't feel like it does Harbinger's character from the original Crisis justice.  She was devoted to the Monitor for saving her life, which made her being infected by the Anti-Monitor and betraying the Monitor that much worse for her.  I don't know if they'll still have that plot line play out, but I figured I'd use spoiler tags to be safe. Oh, no, the B Team and Roy's plane is being shot down....?

"Gee, thanks." Fucking William.... "I was raised by Felicity too." Fuck you, William wasn't fucking raised by Felicity.  She was in his life for like, two year, tops; and that's cumulative, not even consecutive.  That includes Felicity tutoring him before she and Oliver got back together. Can I say how much I'm enjoying the lack of Felicity?  I don't say it enough, because it's so easy to overlook, but it is perhaps the best part of the season. Well that was the stupidest fucking thing to ever be fucking stupid.  Why the hell did the mercenaries even let Oliver draw his weapon, let alone do whatever bullshit he was doing putting his hands over his head and turning around first?  The second he reached for his own gun every single one of those mercs with a gun trained on him should have emptied their ammo in him.  Why?  SO HE CAN'T SHOOT THEM FIRST!  You know, the thing he was able to do, because they didn't fire as soon as he went for his weapon. I'm not saying I want Oliver dead, but come on; the only reason he isn't is because the writers made his opposition too fucking stupid. Huh... I hadn't necessarily forgotten that Roy lost his arm in the comics, but I hadn't really thought about them adapting that on the series.  Bold choice, maybe a little forced here, what with enemies on the way and sparks near jet fuel... could be worse, I suppose.  Kind of feel like maybe Oliver should have been the one in Diggle's position, but on the other hand (no pun intended) I'm not sure which of them, Oliver or Diggle, had the closer relationship with Roy.  I want to say Oliver, since he invariably provide his major training for a very brief period, but man, it's been a long time since Roy was part of the core group. Augh....Fucking Mia.... I'm really not looking forward to Green Arrow and the Canaries or whatever they're calling the prospective spin-off series.... So the nets they're caught up in are braided steal, but the one rope securing both of them is apparently made out of match sticks... When given the order to kill Team Arrow, why the do some of the bad guys start rushing them instead of firing the guns they all presumably have; especially when some of them do start firing and those rushing towards Team Arrow are putting themselves in the line of fire? Also, lining up like they did might look like a novel display of force, but it also seems like a tactically bad idea, seeing as if the bad guys were half-way competent they would have all started firing and mowed Team Arrow down before they could pull an arrow or do whatever they were going to do.  Here again, the heroes live only because the bad guys are too fucking stupid to kill them. Fucking William.... Why the hell didn't you check and confirm whose DNA sequence was needed to activate the weapon, before pulling Oliver (and inexplicably Diggle) from the battle?? "How much time do we have before the Crisis?" Well, it apparently starts at midnight in Central City.  Looking up where Central City is in the comics, it might be in Kansas or Pennsylvania.  Interestingly enough, there's a real Central City in Kentucky and in Colorado.  Lian Yu is in the north China sea, so spit-balling the time difference between China and Pennsylvania is 13 hours and China and Kansas is 14 hours - so around 1-2 pm.  Seriously, he's giving Rene and Dinah a farewell before talking to Mia?  That's cold, Oliver.  Especially seeing how, when he addressed "you two" I was looking away from the TV and assumed, naturally, that he was finally talking to William and Mia - you know, like how that was a plot point earlier in the episode, that he needed to do that? "Something tells me you're going to create your own stories." I half expected a scrolling promo or something to appear on screen saying, "Green Arrow and the Canaries, coming this fall!" "Lyla?" "Not anymore.  I'm not a harbinger of things to come." Fuck you writers. That was so fucking forced......

[topimagines]

Surprises...(Part one)- Josh Dun

Sorry that this probably sucks, but I’m going somewhere with it. Be patient... anyways enjoy!!!

“Mommy when is daddy gonna come home?” your 3 year old son asked you as you set his breakfast down in front of him. It broke your heart to see how much he was missing Josh.

“Yeah I wanna see daddy. Where is he today?” your 5 year old daughter asked.

“Well daddy is in a place called Allentown Pennsylvania today. He and Uncle Tyler have a show tonight there. I know you guys miss him, I do too. We’ll see him sooner than you think.” you said cheerfully in hopes to make your kids happy.

Your kids didn’t know this but you and Josh had made arrangements for you and your kids to fly out tonight to meet up with them. Then you were gonna stay on tour with them for the following 3 weeks. You were planning on not telling them until you put them to bed. It was a pretty late flight and you would be getting there around 7 in the morning.

At about 2:30 you had put a movie on in the living room and had them lay down and try to nap.

“I wanna talk to daddy, please can we.” your daughter, Lauren requested.

“Please mommy?” your son Jackson whinned.

“Okay I’ll facetime him and see if he can talk for a minute. Then you guys need to take a nap, we have a busy night.” you said pulling your phone out and calling Josh.

You sat on the couch with both children cuddling up to you while the phone rang.

“Hey guys, what’s up? I miss you.” Josh said lighting up the phone screen.

“We wanted to talk to you before they took a little rest time. Is this an okay time?” you asked.

“Of course, Tyler is just soundchecking and they don’t need me for another 10 minutes or so.”

“DADDY, HI DAD!” screamed Jackson, Lauren taking the phone out of your hands and taking control.

“Hey kids. I love you guys so much. I miss you and can’t wait to see you next.” Josh continued talking to them about stuff that little kids find funny and entertaining as you got up and went to start packing a few things.

About 10 minutes later your daughter walked in with your phone handing it to you.

“Daddy had to go play the drums, what is there a suitcase out for? Are you and daddy mad at eachother?” she asked and it sort of put you off.

“No. No Lauren, me and daddy love each other lots, I was just cleaning out the closet.” you lied not wanting to ruin the surprise. You knew it sometimes bothered your kids that Josh was gone for long periods of time sometimes. Your sister had gotten divorced last year and Lauren now thinks you and Josh were fighting when he was gone. You tried explaining that it was his job and he would be gone for a little but he would be back and the family would be together again. The concept to a 5 year old was hard but she would learn to understand.

“I know you miss him, but like I said we’ll all be back together before you know it. Now go lay down with your brother.” you said and she ran back to the living room.

After packing all your things you went out to see your kids asleep and the movie credits rolling on the screen.

You pulled out your phone and posted a few pictures of them on you instagram with the caption, @joshuadun we made some pretty adorable kids. Can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them what we’ve been planning. We love you <3.

You made your way to your son’s room and began packing his things when your phone rang.

“Hey baby, are you alone?” Josh asked.

“Yeah, they’re still passed out on the couch.”

“Good, so how are you going to tell them? God I can’t wait to see you guys.”

“Well our flight isn’t until midnight, so I was going to put them to bed like any ordinary night then wake them up when we have to leave and tell them in the car.”

“Sounds great. I love you.”

“I love you too Josh. Go enjoy tonight’s concert.” you wrapped up the conversation as you finished with your son’s packing.

You made your way back to where your kids were, now awake and playing together.

When it came to bedtime you let them stay up an extra hour and a half in hopes that would tire them out so they would sleep on the plane.

Later that night...

Once putting the last of your daughter's things in the car with all the other bags you had to go wake them up.

“Is it morning already?” your confused and tired son asked.

“No baby we have to go somewhere.” you said barely being able to hold in all your excitement.

“Where are we going?” your daughter asked as you pulled up to the airport.

“We’re going to Albany, New York to see daddy.” you said parking the car and getting out to grab the bags.

Both your kids let out a huge scream of excitement.

After boarding the plane you could finally relax a bit knowing that you were on your way to see the love of your life.

The flight went great. You all slept the whole time, which you were grateful for. Being a mom of two young children and alone in your big house, you didn’t get all that much sleep. You often laid in bed at night wishing Josh was there to hold you. Instead your kids made up for it by joining you throughout the night in your big bed.

“Mommy what color is daddy’s hair right now?” Lauren asked and you couldn’t help but chuckle. Both your kids have seen Josh’s hair a whole bunch of colors since they were born.

“It’s yellow like a highlighter. Won’t be to hard to miss.” you said as you guided your two kids toward baggage claim where you planned to meet Josh.

Your daughter was the first to see him from across the room. He was facing the other way and turned when he heard his two kids screeching with excitement as they ran towards him. He knelt down and they both flew into his arms smiling like crazy. Once you reached them Josh stood with Jackson in his arm and Lauren on his leg. He pulled you into his side and you kissed him.

“Ewww.” said Lauren “Boys have cooties mommy, now your gonna get them.” you pulled away from Josh who was laughing at his daughter’s statement.

“You’re right. You don’t kiss boys until you’re married Lauren or you’ll get cooties. That’s why mom doesn’t have them when we kiss.” Josh said as he picked up Lauren in his other arm.

“I’m so happy to have my family back together. I missed you guys.” Josh said.

After getting your bags you made it back to the bus where Josh had surprised the kids with a few new toys they could play with while on the bus.

“You’re the best Josh. I didn’t even think about toys for them, what was I thinking 3 weeks with a 3 and 5 year old on a bus with nothing to play with. I can be such a bad mother sometimes.” you said finally having a moment alone with Josh. You sat next to him on the couch as you both watched your kids play with their new toys on the ground.

“Y/N you’re an amazing mom. You take care of two kids on your own for weeks at a time. So what you forgot a few things.” he said pulling you closer to him. You stayed like that until you arrived at the arena they were playing that night. It was about a half hour drive there and you really enjoyed being next to Josh the whole time. You felt at home even though you were over 2,000 miles across the country. These 3 people were your world and you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

[noellcakes]

Lemonade

Want to hear a funny story?

I was supposed to go to Orlando this weekend. Husbands college roommate lives there. We planned for a long weekend, flying out Friday evening, arriving super late, and be there until Tuesday.

Arrangements were made with one of my lovely book friends to meet up and she and I were going to, first and foremost, finally meet (!!!), and then spend the day at Universal, enjoying all of the nerdiness that is associated with fangirling over Harry Potter, comic book heros, The Simpsons, and Minions. For the rest of the weekend, we would chill at Roomates apartment complex pool and trek to a beach for a day, and then, reluctantly, return to Pennsylvania late Tuesday night.

My story starts Thursday night. 8:09pm to be exact. We went on Delta Airlines website to check in and print our boarding passes. Something looked odd. There were no seat assignments on our boarding passes. Wtf? “Seats will be assigned at the gate or when you check your luggage.” Since we weren’t planning on checking any bags, we felt blindsided. We travel quite frequently and this was the first time we’d never had a seat assignment.

Phone call to customer service (on hold for over 40 minutes, somuchfun!) informed us that we were on a standby list. Uh, what the what??? How does this happen? How did our normal ticket transform into a standby ticket? The lady informed me that we bought “economy basic fare” which essentially translates to “lower than the cargo area” as far as priority level is concerned, and that the airlines continue to sell tickets at full “market value.” So, the people that paid more money for their tickets got to choose all of the seats on the plane, even though I bought my tickets from the Delta website in March.

Memory is a fickle thing, but I really don’t remember the website offering any explanation or warning about the plane tickets being low grade, you’ll be bumped to standby, and we’ll treat you like worthless garbage guarantees. Which, you know, would’ve been nice.

By the end of the call, the lady pretty much assured me that we were removed from the standby list and would be issued a ticket immediately upon our arrival at the airport at the gate. She wouldn’t even let me upgrade to comfort cabin or first class! I guess Delta didn’t want my money.

Husband got out of work early, and we made it to the airport by 4:00 for the 8:09pm flight. No bags to check, so we went straight through security and to the gate. The guy working at the gate looked frazzled, the waiting area at the gate was packed (apparently, it was the permenant gate for all Delta flights going to Atlanta, which was where we’d have a short layover). The flight before ours was still there and delayed. People were worried about missing connections.

I talked with the guy at the gate, explained our story, and I optimistically asked if we’d be able to bump onto the 6:30 flight since we were there earlier than expected. He laughed at me, saying the earlier flight was overbooked and delayed, there was no way we’d be getting on the earlier flight.

Long shot, I knew. So then I asked if we could get our seats assigned for our flight. He looked at our tickets and winced–actually winced! “Today has been crazy;” he said, his voice offering no reassurance, “let me get these people put of here before we even think about your flight, okay?”

This immediately angered my husband. He stalked away, tossing his bag into a chair and he went for a walk to cool down. A little while later, our flight was posted as a delay. And then another delay. And then another delay. The third delay had us arriving in Atlanta just a few minutes before our connecting flight would take off, which is impossible in Atlanta… The reason for the delays? A mechanical malfunction on the plane that was flying into Pittsburgh that would be our plane to Atlanta. Workers received word that they needed to completely change planes, unload/reload cargo and passengers. Another delay was not posted but would be coming, so we were going to miss our connecting flight.

Email ding on my phone; from Delta. “Sorry to inconvenience you, but your flight arrangements must be changed; please look at this list of options for tomorrow.” None of the options for flying Saturday got us into Orlando before 4pm…if we’d even get seats in the plane because of our apparent “stand by” status.

Because of this delay and needing to reschedule a flight, my plans for Saturday were ruined with Book Friend, and we’d only have Sunday and Monday there. Husband was on the phone with Roommate, asking him what we should do, just reschedule for another time or still go?

As I waited in line to speak with Delta rep about rescheduling our flight (and the line was long and moving incredibly slow), Husband approached me with sheer excitement in his eyes. “Want to say screw you to Delta, get a refund from them, and just go to Cancun instead? We can get on tomorrow mornings flight. We’d land at 10:30am.”

Why the hell not?

So, I ended up in Cancun this weekend instead of Orlando. Bummed that I didn’t get to meet Book Friend, and she didn’t have a passport to be able to join us. Husband and I both called our work to ask for an extra day off, because of the hoopla and basically lost a day anyway–request granted. Roommate was able to book a flight from Orlando to Cancun, we arrived at the airport at basically the same time. Called up our vacation club to make reservations at one of their newest hotels (Dreams Playa Mujeres, which was totally phenomenal!), got a special “three in a room” rate, and it was all arranged.

Spontaneous? Yes. A little crazy? Very. Worth it? You betcha.

The stress and anguish and frustration from Friday seemed to melt away Saturday AM as we drove back to the airport at 3:45am. And by 10:30, what stress? We were in a wonderful paradise.

So while this weekend didn’t exactly turn out as planned, our weekend was far from ruined. We were handed some pretty sour lemons. But that’s life, right? It all depends on what you do with those lemons. Sure, we could’ve sucked on that sourness until we cried, griped about how our plans were ruined and that we hated flight delays and everything they stood for. Instead, we turned those lemons into some of the sweetest lemonade on the planet and ended up having one of the best unexpected weekends I can remember.

Don’t wait for the storm to pass–adjust your sails.

[willswalkabout]

Hong Kong. The site only lets me use 10 photos and just whittling down to these was pretty difficult. The top 3 photos were from my first full day. The highest point in Hong Kong is Victoria Peak, known (and heavily branded) as ‘The Peak’. I’d been wanting to try out the sports photography setting on the LUMIX for a while, and I was lucky enough to come across this Saturday morning basketball training session on the way to the foot of the hike. I took about 10 photos that I really love but this is one of my favourites. There is a famous tram that goes to the summit of 'The Peak'. It used to be used by the most affluent of the British, to get to their residencies on steep private roads up the hillsides. Due to this there are still around 20 stations on the route but nowadays the tram just ferries tourists from street level to the top. You can queue over an hour for the tram and pay around £5 or the entire route can be hiked along a public path. Warned of Hong Kong’s expensiveness and not wanting to queue, the hike took about an hour and a half. It’s a leafy and fairly unused route that provides some great photo opportunities. It is this that leads to a shock if unprepared, when upon reaching the top, you emerge onto the grounds of a 6 storey shopping centre. It feels very out of place but does have enough food options to replenish calories burned aptly. It costs £2 to take the lift to the top of the viewpoint. Although it does provide a great sight and helpful map of Hong Kong island and the mainland, I was somewhat underwhelmed. I think this was however nothing to do with the view, but how intense the crowds were at the top on a fairly small viewing platform, the sense of achievement somewhat marred by knowing 80% of those alongside you got a taxi or the tram. That evening I tried and failed miserably to find the inconspicuous HK Arsenal supporters club to watch the Hull game, and so watched in an expat pub. This is where the expensive line ran true, my pint costing equivalent £7.

I spent Sunday exploring some markets. I enjoyed the bartering culture hugely. My best experience was being quoted $280HKD (£1 ~ $10HKD) for a pair of sunglasses. I had been told you should actually not pay much over a ¼ of the stated price. I therefore offered 70. I was first laughed at, then told no, then asked for 200, then 150, 100, 90, 80, and then as I walked away, grabbed by the arm, and given them for 70. I also saw some temples, which is where the penultimate photo is taken. I liked the contrast between the ornate and serene Buddhist temple amongst the brutal skyscrapers. This was also home to the fortune tellers. It is a serious business here, with the soothsayers in smart offices and suits. You see them consulting singles, couples, and sometimes families of 8 crammed into a tiny room. After this I went on my favourite hike of 3, up to Lion rock for the sunset. There’s 2 photos here but I took many, as well as a time lapse, the success of which I won’t really be able to asses till I’m home, or have access to some decent editing software. The hike was led by a group called Hong Kong Free Tours. I did the walk with 6 Taiwanese exchange students, Mike from Pennsylvania, Richard from Rio de Janeiro, and Annalise from Manchester via Chicago. The guide was worried about Richard who was in shorts and a vest top, until the Brazilian informed him that only 3 weeks previous he had been on the trans-Siberian, which in January incurs temperatures of -30'C. (It was about 18'C at about 8pm on the hike which was a glorious temperature).

Monday was my last full day. After meeting Howard, an old school friend who attended sixth form in Hong Kong, I went to Lantau island to summit Hong Kong’s second highest peak. It’s a 40 minute train costing about £3, and then an hour bus that costs 40p, though I’d have paid 20x that. The coach ride around the island’s perimeter was absolutely stunning. After looking at the ‘Big Buddha’ which is reason enough to check the island out, I started the climb. It was about 28'C and this was by far the most challenging. Standing at the foot I triple checked my map because it just didn’t seem feasible. The hike is about 600m up over 1.5km. It is mostly quite deep steps and took about 2 hours. However with less than 10 people attempting the walk the effort was well worth it. I spent about an hour at the top and then descended during the 'golden hour’ which was a joy.

On my final day I had to leave for the airport at 4. I met up with Howard again and we spent some time looking around Hong Kong’s version of LA’s walk of fame, which turns out to really be one big ode to Bruce Lee. We then got some great Dim sum, pictured, before heading our separate ways.

If it appears all I did was hike that is only partially true. Hong is expensive so given walking is free and I really enjoy it, I don't at all feel I missed out by being on a budget. I also spent time exploring the built up areas of Causeway Bay, Central, and Mong Kok, though there is less to say about them and they aren’t as photogenic! I did really enjoy Hong Kong the city, it’s very easy to navigate, helped by the fact the public transport is extensive, cheap, and efficient.

I actually managed to only spend about 70% of my budget for Hong Kong. £110 over 4 days ALL INCLUSIVE (Accomodation, food etc). I could see myself living there for a period, and will definitely return.

As I type this my plane is descending into Surat Thani on the east coast of Thailand. From here I need to find a bus to take me to the harbour, from which I will get a boat to Koh Samui, my island home for the next 4 days. I’ve just had 2 days in Bangkok, and on Monday I’ll probably post an update covering that and Koh Samui. That’s all for now.

(No, I didn’t watch the Munich game, it started at 3am, and I don’t want to discuss!)

[keywestlou]

AN ANNIVERSARY.....SELF-QUARANTINED ONE YEAR TODAY

Some people celebrate marriages, some relationships, I celebrate today my first anniversary of being self-quarantined.

Exciting, I know. Written with tongue and cheek.

In any event, 365 days ago I went into the quarantine. I am close to being out of it. Received my first vaccine shot saturday. Second is scheduled for 3/27. As I understand it, then have to wait something like 3 weeks before I can go out.

My first stop a bar and a drink. Chart Room not open yet. Hope it will be by the time I am released. I need to be near people. See and talk with them.

Tammy is back in town. She was a bartender at the Chart Room. She was one of the first to get the virus. Bad. Took her quite a while to recover. Suspect she was depressed as a result. Her attitude when she recovered was she had to get out of Dodge.

She has returned! I understand she is tending bar outside at Ocean Key.

I arrived today 2012 in Novara. Greece behind me. Tomorrow I leave for Courmayeur and Chamonix. One in Italy, the other in France. Both sit at the base of Mont Blanc.

DAY 34…..Greece the First Time

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Key West Lou

I am back in Italy!

Flew to Milan and then was driven the one hour to Novara.

Humid here in Novara. Very. I can understand why Italians run off to the mountains and sea shore in the summer months. They have no air conditioning!

No air for two reasons. The cost of electricity is one. The other is that most of the buildings are so old it would either be too expensive or too difficult to air condition.

Which means I slept with my bedroom window wide open last night. I also had the benefit of two fans. Hopefully I will be on Mont Blanc this evening where humidity will not be a problem. I have been told the fireplace may have to be used. It is that cool in the evening. Makes sense. Mount Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps and Europe.

Flew Aegean Air again. A treat! Lovely young attendants, stewardesses, hostesses helping. A great meal. Only a two hour flight. Not much more to tell, except for my chat with two of the working ladies.

They are not called attendants or stewardesses. They are hostesses. The hostesses are all young.

I explained how it all works in the U.S. They could not believe men did their work and what they were called and who performed the work was an issue of gender discrimination.

As to age discrimination, they had never heard of such a thing. They were confident that no way would a mature woman be permitted to do their job.

A different country. Different thoughts and concepts. Interesting.

One thing did not change. Clotheslines and drying clothes. They were evident everywhere on my car ride to Novara. Just as in Greece.

I chatted with some friends last night in Novara. The issue? The euro. What else!

They find this present marriage of sorts between Germany and France strange. The two nations have been fighting for years. They were referring to wars. France generally got kicked good by the Germans. They were unable to understand how the French could now be a junior partner with Germany.

The Italians are really mad at the Greeks. With a fervor that did not exist three weeks ago when I left Italy. They feel the Greeks have spent Italian euro money and did it in a wasteful fashion. I find this amusing since Italy is third from the bottom in this euro crisis. It is just a question of time before Germany starts defecating on them.

I was early to bed. A tired day traveling.

Today Mont Blanc.

Enjoy your day!

—

Watched portions of CPAC yesterday. Anxious to hear Trump.

For whatever reason, he looked older and tired. His words the same. Bullshit and lies.

His audience loved him, however.

Ted Cruz spoke. I was shocked. He is losing it. He was a rambling mad man. If I did not know better, I would say he was on something.

He closed his demonstrative talk by turning sideways, throwing one arm and one leg out and quoting William Wallace. He shouted “freedom!”

I did not recall who William Wallace was. Took only a few internet minutes to refresh my memory. William Wallace was the hero of Braveheart. Rcall at the end, he was quartered, beheaded, and hanged. Not necessarily in that order.

As he was about to be hanged, Wallace shouted out: Freedom!

No question the Republicans are losing it. Especially the CPAC ones.

A straw poll was taken to determine preference for the Republican Presidential candidate in 2024.

Two straw polls. One with Trump. The other without.

The one with Trump had Trump leading with 55 percent. Second was the surprise. Florida’s Governor DeSantis with 21. A far third was North Dakota Governor Kristi Noem with 4 percent.

DeSantis shocked me! The most incompetent governor I have seen in my lifetime. He has danced to Trump’s tune throughout the pandemic. Trump says DeSantis is the finest governor in the U.S.

The second poll was without Trump. DeSantis came in first with 43 percent. Noem 11 percent, Donald Jr. 8 percent, Pompeo and Crux each 7 percent.

As Trump progressed in his talk, I could only think of Pinocchio. Donald’s nose got longer and longer. So long, its extent ran off the screen and could not be seen.

Glen Miller was a famous bandleader and composer. He died this day 1943 at the age of 44. A Captain in the Army, he was flying from England to France to arrange a performance for the American troops there.

Somewhere over the channel his plane went down. Neither plane nor its passengers were found.

Miller “did not make it” till he was 40. He spent his earlier years looking for a “sound.” He finally found it in 1939.

His “track record” outstanding. He was the Tiger Woods of his time. The Beatles had 33 top 10 hits, Elvis Presley 38. Glen Miller in 4 short years had 59 top ten hits, which included 17 which reached #1.

Miller’s “sound” included a combination of clarinet and saxaphones.

His hits included Midnight Serenade, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Chattanooga Choo Choo, and Little Brown Jug.

The Salem Witch Hunt clearly evidences the craziness of man. In this case the craziness of woman might be a better description.

The Witch Hunt began in 1692. Adult, teen age, and young females primarily who “knew” who the witches were and pointed them out to authorities. Nineteen men and women were executed. All by hanging, except for one who was crushed.

An Abraham Lincoln quote should be warning enough: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Enjoy your day!

                      AN ANNIVERSARY…..SELF-QUARANTINED ONE YEAR TODAY was originally published on Key West Lou