#4909

[every-tome]

[corvianbard]

#4909

Through forgiveness, I received liberty. Yet, I cannot feel I got back my sanity.

[nosehair]

Day Four Thousand Nine Hundred Nine　4909日目

Sunny, 5.0 C Measured the length and poured water. Probably 1.1 cm long.

晴れ　5.0℃ 長さをはかり、水をやる。おそらく全長1.1cm。

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #4909:

You know what needs a remake? Good stories that got a bad film the first time round. Like POTO. I'd give an arm and leg to have a remake of POTO with actors who can sing this time.

You know what doesn't need a remake? All the stories that are getting remakes!

[en-qq]

i counted and found out that i have 8278 episodes on my to-watch list, not counting sequels and ovas, and overall i watched 4909 episodes, not counting re-watches of anything, so that's 37% done.

hm. lol

[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

Play Pretend

Jake Lockley x F!Reader • Rating: 18+ pals •Masterlist• ao3• want to be tagged? | request info • MK Bingo 2024 Masterlist • ko-fi •

Summary: Jake doesn't have much experience in more... intimate matters.

🌛For @moonknight-events MK Bingo Spring 2024 Event🌜

A/N: Okay, so I'm not super happy with this. I don't know. Anyway, I feel like I'm always saying this but my head is really bad with editing atm. I'm sure I've missed so many typos. I'm so sorry.

Warnings: set in Steven's flat (UK), swearing, loss of virginity, p in v sex, fingering, oral sex (both m and f receiving), overuse of italics, typos, railroad sentences, please let me know if I've missed a warning!

Word Count: 4909

Jake shifted a little nervously as he rested his head on your chest, despite the comforting weight of your arm around him. 

He was half laying on you as you were sitting on the sofa, his feet resting on the armrest as you both watched… something on TV. You watched, Jake just couldn’t focus. Even though he normally adored being snuggled up on the settee next to you, savoured any time you both had together. 

He moved again, trying to keep it as minimal as possible so as to not bother you. Slowly he tensed and untensed his legs, switching it so that one was over the other and then back around again.

There was a deep heat growing at the base of his spine, an ache between his legs. He swallowed. Maybe he could excuse himself to the bathroom, rub one out quickly and then come back to your embrace without getting hard like a horny teenager just because you were close. 

It was embarrassingly really. How often this happened. Sometimes you didn’t even have to physically be around, just smelling your scent lingering around the flat was enough at times. The feel of your jumper in the wardrobe when it brushed against his hand as he got dressed in the morning. The photo of you and Marc at the park on the side table. That time Steven accidentally used your shower gel instead of his own. 

He shifted again. Maybe he could-

“You okay?” 

He jumps despite the softness of your voice and turns his head quickly to look at you, a little wide-eyed. “Yeah?” He answers a fraction too quickly to be considered ‘okay’. 

You give him a bemused smile. “You sure?” 

“Hmmhmm.” 

For a moment you pause, just cocking your head to the side ever so slightly as you regard him and Jack as to practically bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from groaning out loud. Why, oh why, did you have to look so adorable when you did that? 

“You need to sneak off to the bathroom?” You ask innocently, but there’s a telltale mischief to your eyes that makes Jake’s blood run cold. 

“I, erm, what are you talking about amor?” 

You gesture with your chin to his not-so-subtle budge in Steven’s sweatpants. 

“A…” He shifts again, thinking about grabbing a pillow to place over himself for a second before realising how silly that would be. You already knew what he was hoping to hide. “Maybe.” 

You smile and kiss his cheek. “That’s okay, you can go. I’m not gonna judge you. You know I don’t want you to sit here and be all uncomfortable.” 

“Hmm.” He gives you a small smile, a light dusting of pink highlighting his cheeks and the very top of his ears. “Sorry.” 

You frown a little and speak kindly. “What are you sorry for, silly?” You lightly stroke the shell of his right ear as you talk, just brushing your fingers along the outside and tucking a few errand curls behind it. 

He shivers. You know what you’re doing. 

“For…” He gestures to his crotch and you giggle. 

“I could…” You bite your lip a little a you speak and Jake pinches his thigh to keep control of himself. “Help you out with it? If you want?” There’s a little nervousness to your words, a worry of overstepping a boundary. 

While you had been physical with Marc and Steven for a while now, the most you had done with Jake had been to kiss and hold hands. Not that you minded. Jake was his own person and you wanted to go at his pace, take your time with the more intimate side of things. Or, never have that kind of relationship with him at all. You were just happy to spend time with him. 

He didn’t really like talking about that side of your relationship, and you didn’t want to push him. 

Jake’s blush grew darker. “I… erm…”

You resisted the urge to gently tease him about his loss for words. 

“I…” He closed his eyes, blurting out his words and screwing his face up afterwards. “I’m a virgin.” 

“Oh.” You said in surprise. That certainly wasn’t what you expected him to say. 

He opened his eyes quickly, a tense look of fear pinching at his features and you quickly realised your mistake. 

“No,” you say quickly as you reach out and stroke his hands, embracing them in your warmth. “I mean ‘oh’ as in, ‘oh, I didn’t think you were gonna say that’, not ‘oh, that’s a problem’.” 

The tension in his shoulders viably relaxed slightly and he gave you a weak smile. Looking down briefly at your hands and stroking your knuckles with his fingers. 

“So… you’ve never done anything… sexual before?” 

Your own tiptoeing around the word makes you wince. 

“Just sort of kissing, I guess.” He looks up to you with his large, soft eyes. “Is that a problem?” 

“No, no, no,” you say quickly, “no at all just… yeah, surprising.”

He raises an eyebrow at you. 

“Well,” you nudge him playfully with your shoulder, “I don’t know if you know this, but you are very pretty.” 

Jake snorts, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve been told.”

You smile back at him before softly brushing his hair behind his ear again, savouring his little hiver. “You know we don’t have to do anything, right? There’s never any pressure, I want you to know that. I’m more than happy just to be with you like this. I love you, it doesn’t have to be physical.” 

He nuzzles into your hand, kissing your wrist. “I know,” he whispers, “and thank you, for saying it out loud I mean.” 

You stroke his cheek as he talks.

“It’s not that I don’t want to… and I know you’ve technically been with the body before, it’s just that…”  

You stay quiet as you caress his face, letting him take his time. 

“I don’t want to disappoint you.” 

As the last words leave his lips a little crack forms in your heart.

“You could never disappoint me, Jake.” 

He smiles but tuts. “You know what I mean… inexperienced isn’t exactly code for ‘giving their partner’s good time’, right?” 

“I’ll have a good time no matter what because I’m with you.” You give him a soft kiss and he smiles.

“That’s not what I mean Amor,” but he kisses you again. “Thank you though, it’s just…” he pauses, thinking carefully on how best to explain himself. Out of the three of them Jake is always the one who thinks most about what they say before they say it. “It’s just, I didn’t want to just… be with someone for the sake of it, I wanted it to be with… someone special, someone I care about. And now…”

“You’re still waiting for that someone special.” You nod solemnly as you tease. 

Jake glares at you playfully, ticking your side until you giggle and hold up your hands. 

“Sorry, sorry,” you mutter between laughter. 

“You should be.” He leans close and lightly nips at your neck. “Be thankful that I’m in a forgiving mood.” 

You grin and kiss his nose. 

“You are my someone special,” he continues sincerely, “and I want it to be enjoyable for you, I want you to…” he trails off and looks down for a second. You can see that hint of a blush returning. 

“You want me to…?”

He bites his lip and swallows. “I want you to look and sound like you do with Marc and Steven.”

You smile cheekily. “You watch?” 

He avoids your gaze. “Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” 

“Almost all the time.” 

“Almost?” 

“99.9%.”

“What’s wrong with the .0?” You say, pretend indignation in your voice. 

“I’m sleeping.” 

His matter of fact tone takes you by surprise and you laugh loudly. 

“Fair enough.” You stroke his cheek again. 

“You don’t mind?” 

You shake your head. “Marc might. Maybe.” You shrug. “You’d have to ask him.”

“I’m definitely not doing that.” 

“Steven won’t care.” 

Jake nods. “That’s true. Exhibitionist that one, for certain.” 

You laugh again and then pause as both of you look at each other for a long moment. 

“Why don’t we play pretend for a bit? Help you relax and get out of your head?” You ask.

He thinks for a moment before he opens his mouth, a smirk on his lips. “I think it’s called ‘role play’ amor.” 

You tut.

“All I’m saying is I shouldn’t be the one who knows more in this situation-” Jake yelps as you cut him off by tickling him this time. He jumps back from your reach and grins. “Unfair.” 

You poke your tongue out at him. 

Which he promptly returns before he smiles. “Alright, let's play pretend’.”  He sits up straight on the sofa, his hands neatly in his lap as he waits for your direction. 

You give him a brief suspicious look, Jake was never usually one to agree and behave without having some ulterior motive. 

“Alright,” you say a little suspiciously as you settle down next to him. “You can stop this at any point you want, okay?” 

Jake nods once. 

“Okay, so,” you give him a little glance and see he’s listening intently. “I’m thinking, ‘where’s Jake the most comfortable?’”

“In bed.” He interrupts cheekily. 

You snort. “No. I was going to say, driving.”

“Driving’s not very comfortable.”

“Jake-”

“Not here anyway, roads are tiny.”

“Jake-”

“And everyone’s an asshole.”

“Okay, that’s true.”

He grins. 

“But, humour me, yeah?” 

He nods. “Consider yourself humoured.” 

“Alright, driving. So, we’re in the car, you're driving.”

“I’m on the wrong side.”

“Jake.”

“I’m on your left.”

“Well, we’re in America now.” 

“How did we get here?”

“Jake.”

“Did we fly?” 

“Jake.” 

“Marc’s gonna be pissed if we don’t get some pizza, I can tell you that-”

You shut him up by kissing him deeply. While it may not always be the most convenient method of silencing him, it certainly is the most effective. 

He kisses you back desperately, sinking into your embrace and bringing up his hand to lightly caress your cheek as you lick into his mouth. 

You know why he’s talking so much. The action so unlike Jake. He’s nervous. 

He moans softly as you pull back a fraction, trying to follow your lips. 

“I should really be keeping my eyes on the road.” He teases, his voice low and wrecked. 

“Well, it’s a good job we’re on the settee then, isn’t it?” You wrap your arms around him, pulling him closer and pressing your lips back to his. 

You swallow down his softly whimpered moans and trail your hand down his chest. You keep the action slow, deliberate. So he has plenty of time to feel where you're headed, and to stop you if he wants. 

You lightly palm his erection through his jogging bottoms and he hisses in a breath, his hips bucking up towards your touch as he keeps kissing you. 

His hands wrap around you, pulling you closer as he trails his lips down to your jaw, pressing soft kisses along the bone before slipping further down to your neck. 

You press a little harder, running your hand up and down his clothed length and massaging his heavy balls. His cock twitches under your actions, warm and throbbing. 

Jake hisses in a breath, “please.” His voice is so quiet you almost can’t hear him, can distinguish his words from moans as he presses his lips to your skin and sucks lightly. 

You tangle your free hand in his hair, pulling lightly at the curls to make him whine as you hook your fingers under his waistband and pull his trousers down. 

Jake groans, squirming a little and lifting his hips quickly, grabbing hold of the material and yanking his boxers and jogging bottoms down to his knees, keeping his mouth at your neck the whole time. 

The heat coming off his skin almost burns. Even without seeing his face you know that deep blush is back, the one that spreads across his skin like ink and makes you lightheaded from desperation for him. 

Languidly you run the tip of your finger down his length, savouring the way his cock jumps and twitches under your attention. The head is ruddy and swollen, a bead of forming precum seeping out from the slit that begs you to swipe it away with your tongue. 

You wrap your fingers around his girth, a not quite firm enough grip, and pump him twice in long, slow movements.

He sucks in a breath, shivering and muffling his moans against you, his fingers tightening on your side as if you’ll move away. As if you would ever want to leave him like this, aching and needy. 

You dip your hand lower, massaging his balls again and the little sound Jake lets out is the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard. 

“Fuck,” you breathe and quickly pull away from his hold. 

Jake makes a small sound of distress for a moment, thinking you’re stopping, before he realises what you’re doing. 

You lean down, taking hold of his cock and pumping him slowly as you lick along his tip with the flat of your tongue.

Jake groans, throwing his head back against the sofa and balling his hands into fists at his sides. 

You repeat the action again, and again. Lapping at his slit and spreading his precum across your tongue. 

He gasps, his thigh muscles twitching as he fights to keep still and not buck up into your mouth. 

“This okay?” You ask between licks. 

“Yes, ah,  yes, really okay.” He whimpers, squirming a little and biting his lip. “Please don’t stop.” 

“I won’t.” You whisper and lightly suck at his head, moaning as he slips into your mouth, and swirling your tongue around him. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” his hips buck up a fraction before he catches himself and forces them back down against the cushions. “Sorry,” his words are muffled as he grits his jaw, bites his lip and tries to not completely lose it after barely thirty seconds. 

You hum, pressing your tongue flat against him and let yourself slide further down, swallowing and sucking on his greedily. 

“Oh, shi-” he catches himself, fighting every instinct to give in and chase his pleasure. He bites his bottom lip hard, drowning in pleasure and not even trying to come up for air. 

His sighs and pants echo around the flat as you move faster, sink lower, until he hits the back of your throat. 

He gasps loudly, a string of swears thumping out of his throat in a rush. 

Then suddenly, his hands are on your jaw, lightly lifting you back up and off him. “Stop, stop, stop,” he rushes the words together and you move back quickly. 

Your mouth is barely off him before he’s pulling you into a searing embrace, his tongue dancing with your own and licking his precum from your lips. 

“You, you,” he mutters, one hand pulling at your jeans and undoing the button. “You, need you,” you’re not sure if he even realises he’s speaking, his thoughts bypassing any check system and coming straight out of his mouth. 

He pushes you back against the sofa and you let him, let his strong, warm hands guide you and push your jeans and underwear down your thighs just enough so that he can touch you. 

He sighs loudly as he strokes between your legs, the sound almost as if you were the one touching him and not the other way around. 

You moan his name, pulling at his shoulders.

“Show me, show me,” he mutters into your mouth, “please.” 

You grab hold of his hand, pressing his thumb against your clit and showing him the soft circles you like. He follows your directions eagerly, his large dark eyes mesmerised as he watches. 

When you press his fore and middle finger towards your slick entrance he moans again, gently pushing inside and shivering. 

“You’re really wet.” He mutters, trying to control his breathing. Slowly he pulls his fingers out before pushing them back in, revelling in the sound your arousal makes. “Is that,” he repeats the action, his eyes flicking up to your face, “is that okay? Feel okay?” 

You nod, keeping a gentle hold on his forearm. “Just, fuck, thumb’s great, just, sort of curl your fingers a little bit and-” Your sharp moan cuts over whatever you were going to say next as pleasure runs up your spine like lightning. 

“Like that?” He whispers, his voice thick and heavy, his pupils blown wide.

You nod desperately, rolling your hips to chase the sensation of his fingers. “Like that.” 

He groans a little, pressing closer so he can lightly kiss your neck, alternating between sucking at your skin and looking up to watch your face in a blissed out rapture. 

“What made you so wet, hmm?” He mutters into your ear, rocking his hips against you so that his painfully hard cock rubs against your thigh. 

“Fuck,” you hiss as the tips of his fingers brush perfectly inside. 

“Hmm?” He asks needily, practically begging, as if he hasn’t got you at his mercy. 

“You.” You manage to stammer out.

“Me?” 

“You.” 

“You like sucking my cock that much?” He groans, having to pinch his side with his free hand to stop his eyes from rolling back in his head. 

You nod desperately, bucking up into his hand as you chase your orgasm. “Yeah.” Your voice comes out as a pathetic whine and Jake growls. 

He watches you for a few more seconds, trying to keep hitting that spot that makes you mewl under him.

Suddenly, he stops, pulling back his hand and you practically sob, tugging lightly on his wrist to try to keep him inside of you. 

“Jake,” a deep down part of you wishes you didn’t sound quite so needy, but most of you doesn’t care in the slightest.  

“Put your mouth on me again please,” he mutters, his voice rushed and breathless as he urges you down towards his cock with his hand on your upper back. 

You nod, moving quickly to lick a long stripe up the length of him that has him moaning like a whore. 

You take him back into your mouth quickly, sucking him as deep as you can and further still. Jake’s whimpers spurring you on. 

He keeps one hand on your back, nearly at the base of your neck, pressing down ever so slightly to guide your tempo. While he shoves his middle and forefinger into his mouth and groans at the taste of your arousal. 

He moans loudly, his chest vibrating with the sound. “Amor,” his voice is thick, on the verge of breaking, “fuck you taste-” he gasps as you sink lower, your own sounds of pleasure echoing along his cock. 

He bites back a sob. “Taking such good care of me, you taste so sweet,” he sucks on his fingers, desperately trying to find every single trace of your slink that he can. The wet sounds cut over your own, somehow louder in your ears than your racing heartbeat and your mouth around his hot, thick cock.

Jake’s eyebrows pinch together as the ball of pleasure starts to tighten uncontrollably in the base of his stomach, pushing him higher and higher and so close to tumbling off the edge. 

“Amor,” he whines, biting his lip and gently pulling you off his throbbing cock for the second time. 

A thin trail of salvia connects you for a brief moment. You pout a little at being coaxed away from him again, Jake savours your expression for a heartbeat before kissing your swollen lips once, twice. His hands on either side of your face, stroking your cheeks as he slips his tongue into your mouth and squirms in his seat. 

He breaks the kiss briefly to tug off his own trousers, reconnects your lips with a groan and tries to get your jeans off without moving away again. 

You chuckle lightly at his impatient scoff when it doesn’t quite go to plan. He scowls at your clothing, as if it was purposefully being difficult. Swearing lightly under his breath before looking down and tugging them off. You pull your top off at the same time, burning with need. Desperate to feel his skin against yours so keenly that it is almost to the point of pain. 

“Lay back please,” he mutters as he tugs your legs free and clambers between your thighs. His hands dig in just enough to send a shiver along your nerves, twisting deeply at your core. His stubble grazing over your skin as he places sloppy kisses on your inner knee, trailing upwards and nipping lightly. 

He moves hastily, forgoing any pretence of being able to hold himself together as he gazes at your aching pussy. He darts out his tongue, licking one long swipe through your folds and up to your clit, closing his eyes and moaning at the taste wantonly. 

“Fuck, Jake, I-”

He plunges two fingers back inside you, curling them exactly how you instructed and you all but scream. Your breath stolen from you as he flicks his tongue against your clit, circling one way and then the other before latching on and sucking it into his mouth, trying to follow directions from hazy encounters he watched quietly in the headspace. 

When you grab hold of his hair, your hips arching up into his mouth he groans, opening his eyes so that he can see the look of pleasure on your face. How you contort under his touch. 

He sobs, rutting needily against the sofa, the expression on your face almost too much to bear. 

You buck against him unthinkingly, your body taking over as you need to chase your high. His name falls from your lips in whimpered gasps, separated only but pleas and muttered praises. 

You guide the back of his head, encouraging him to lap at you in time with your hips and he follows your directions instantly, pressing closer and moaning against you so much that the sensation nearly has you screaming.

Your thighs shake as you bite your lips together, muscles tensing and waves of pleasure begin to build and build and build, threatening to drag you down over the edge in one fell sweep and-

Jake pulls back quickly, the bottom half of his face shining with his slavia and your slick. You groan in frustration as he moves, but let go of him so as to not pull at his hair. 

“Jake,” you say, a spike of irritation weaving through your words. 

He moans at your tone, his eyes glazing over ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, please,” he rubs your thighs, kneading his fingers into your skin as his own hips rock and buck against nothing but the air. 

His cock is red, leaking and almost painful looking with how hard he is. It bobs up and down with every movement, almost pleading with you to take pity. 

“Please what?” You whisper. 

Jake shuffles back into a sitting position, both feet flat on the floor. He looks at you a little uncertainly for a split second before he pushes the emotion down. “Please come and fuck yourself on my cock.” He says quietly, as if he was truly asking you for a favour and not letting you have everything you want.

You all but jump into his lap, pulling off the rest of your clothing and kissing him hard. He moans against your lips, following every movement desperately as he places his hands gently on your hips. 

With the last fragment of your rapidly disintegrating self-control, you manage to pull away from him just far enough to speak. “You sure?” 

It’s like he doesn’t hear you, too drunk on your touch for your words to make sense. He moves forward, trying to kiss you again. But you hold him back a little, pressing your hands against his cheeks softly but firmly until his eyes meet yours, his eyebrows pinched in puzzlement. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to rush you, we can-”

“Please.” He practically sobs. The break in his voice at the end of the word rings so loudly in the room that you're surprised it doesn’t echo. You’ve never heard him so needy before. 

“Please,” he repeats, “I want to, I want you. If… if you’ll have me, if you-”

You cut off any self-destructive thought that was destined to fall out of his mouth with your lips on his. 

“If I’ll fucking have you,” you mutter against him, raising up on your knees and taking him in your hand. You line him up with your entrance before you sink slowly down. 

Jake gasps, grabbing hold of you and squeezing you tight. His face pressed into your chest as you hold his shoulder, kiss his temple as you ease him inside. 

He bites his lip, trying and failing to hold back a whimper, but succeeding in keeping his hips still. 

You gently turn his face towards you by his chin as you bottom out, kissing his plump lips once, twice before you speak. “You okay?” 

He nods, completely lost in the feel of you squeezing around him. “I’m not gonna last.” 

“That’s okay,” you smile sweetly, stroking his hair.

But Jake shakes his head. “It’s not, I want you to-”

“Hey, hey,” you soothe, “I’m having a good time, okay?” You smile and gently take one of his hands and guide it between your legs to your clit. “Here, remember what I showed you?”

He nods, looking up at you like you painted the sky and quickly begins those soft circles that have you clenching around him and moaning softly. 

He lets out a choked sob. “Can feel you.” He mutters. “Feel you… squeezing, and fuck, so warm, and wet, and tight and-” he swallows his words, groaning loudly, his eyes closing as you start to slowly move, using his shoulders for leverage. 

His fingers don’t falter though. 

The stretch of him is so good it burns, pressing hard and deep inside and threatening to crack you open at any given second. 

You keep your movements steady, rising up and sinking back down, watching his every expression intently. The bob of his throat. The lines of concentration on his forehead.

His thighs shake, his lip so tightly between his teeth that it’s losing colour. 

“You want me to go faster?” You whisper and he grounds, nodding rapidly. 

You can’t help but smile as warmth runs along your veins. How much he trusts you to take care of him, how hard he’s trying to stay still. 

You kiss him hard, forcing him to stop biting his lip and let out the sweet sounds he’s been trying to hamper. He takes hold of your face with his free hand, caressing your cheek as you slide your tongue into his mouth. 

You pick up your pace, truly riding him and he moans. 

“Amor…”

“Move with me.” You mutter, rolling your hips and encouraging him to buck up and do the same. 

He whines, but nods, kissing you deeping as he fucks up into you as you set a brutal pace. 

The slide of his thick cock makes your spine bend, your body moving on autopilot as you chase your high. Your breath catches in your throat as he hits deep. Your fingers tighten around his shoulders, digging into his sweat soaked skin. 

Jake's eyes snap open, watching you intently and angling his hips to try to hit that spot again. 

“Please, please, please,” he mumbles with every thrust, not sure what he’s asking for but knowing that he’s desperate for it. 

You tense, your muscles clenching as bliss begins to burn at the edge of your vision. “Jake, Jake, fuck.”

“Yes, please, please,” he moans, obsessed with how your lips part, your eyes shut as you get close, “please.” His thumb swirls messily over your clit, slick with sweat and your wetness, he pushes you closer.

The slap of skin is nearly as long as both of your moans as you bounce relentlessly on his cock, his balls slapping against your ass cheeks. 

Stars begin to swell behind his eyes, pleasure spiralling in the base of his spine. “I can’t, I’m gonna- please!”

It’s a sobbed beg that pushes you over the edge. How desperate he is for you. How needy. How shamelessly open with what he wants. 

You swear as pleasure crackles over your skin, burns through your veins as you come. Jake groans loudly, following you a fraction of a second later and gasping as you squeeze his cock, milking him for every last drop he has to spend. 

He buries himself deep, pressing his face into your chest. For a second he’s weighty, floating somewhere high above everything, somewhere warm and safe. 

And then your hands stroke his arms, your lips kiss his sweaty forehead, and he can feel you, your warmth, your everything holding him tight and keeping him safe. 

“You okay?” You stroke his hair softly and smile when he looks up at you. 

He nods and grins, pressing his lips to yours in a long, soft kiss. “I think I like play pretend amor.” 

You snort. “Oh, do you?” 

“Hmm, we’ll have to do it again.” 

____________________________________________

Thank you for reading!

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[fuckyeahmexico]

Acapulco necesita muchísima ayuda. Tras el paso del huracán Otis, el famoso paraíso guerrerense quedó terriblemente afectado. No hace falta que salgas de la CDMX para apoyarlos. En diferentes puntos de la capital se han montado centros de acopio que estarán recibiendo productos y víveres.

Eso no es todo, aquellos animales que viven en refugios, también merecen recibir ‘una patita’ de ayuda. Aquí te decimos cómo puedes aportar y dónde.

Centros de acopio en CDMX para ayudar a Acapulco

1. La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), anunció que abrió un par de centros de acopio a partir del mediodía de hoy, jueves 26 de octubre. Están ubicados al lado de las astas bandera del Estadio Olímpico Universitario y en el Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco.

2. En horas recientes fue creado el perfil de Instagram @hazelbienxaca por la activista Saskia Niño de Rivera. La iniciativa destinada a reunir víveres tanto para personas como para mascotas damnificadas del puerto. El centro de acopio está en la calle Sierra Gorda 495, Lomas de Chapultepec, alcaldía Miguel Hidalgo. De 8:00 a.m. a 6:00 p.m.

3. El restaurante ‘Degú, cocina de casa’, también ha instalado un centro de acopio. Estarán reuniendo víveres en la calle Huichapan 25, en la Condesa, muy cerca del Parque España. Enviarán un camión a Acapulco con todo lo reunido el día 3 de noviembre. Más información en su Instagram: @degu.cocinadecasa.

4. Atma Yoga, estudio con 2 sucursales en CDMX, también se unió a Degú e instaló centros de acopio, ubicados en la calle Yucatán 69, colonia Roma Norte y calle Goldsmith 38, en Polanco.

Por su parte, la Cruz Roja Mexicana anunció que en las instalaciones de la Sede Nacional recibirán productos para los afectados. Se localiza en la calle Juan Luis Vives 200, Colonia Los Morales Polanco, alcaldía Miguel Hidalgo. Todos los días de 8:00 a.m. a 8:00 p.m.

Lee también: Huracán “Otis” afectó 80% de hoteles en Acapulco, reporta la gobernadora de Guerrero

¿Qué cosas debo llevar a los centros de acopio?

Aunque toda ayuda sirve, es recomendable primero revisar comunicados o redes sociales de los centros de acopio para tener conocimiento de los artículos que recibirán o que son de primera necesidad. En general, se está recolectando lo siguiente:

Para el hogar: escobas, cubetas, cloro, jabón en polvo, guantes de plástico, fibra, cepillo tipo plancha, limpiador para pisos, jalador, recogedor, franelas y jergas.

Alimentos: aceite, arroz, frijol, lenteja, azúcar, sal, agua embotellada, leche en polvo; enlatados como atún/sardinas, café soluble, chiles, mayonesa y mermelada; en sobres como sopas de pasta, cubos de consomé, harina para atole y chocolate en polvo.

Higiene personal: rollos de papel higiénico, jabón de barra, pasta dental, toallas femeninas, zacate, toallas húmedas, desodorante, pañales, rastrillos, peines, cepillos dentales y toallas faciales.

Artículos de primeros auxilios: gasas, vendas, suero, agua oxigenada, alcohol, desinfectantes de heridas, gel antibacterial.

Herramientas: carretillas, barretas, palas y picos.

Ropa en buen estado.

Cobijas.

Ayuda a un refugio de Animales en Acapulco

Porque los seres humanos no fueron los únicos que vivieron el devastador paso de Otis. Cientos de perros, gatos y demás animales también severamente afectados, por lo que ellos también necesitan ayuda.

La organización comunitaria ‘Patitas Felices Acapulco’ se encarga de proteger y salvaguardar a animalitos en situaciones vulnerables en su refugio temporal. Ahora, están pidiendo ayuda para poder comprar alimento para las mascotas y para poder reparar los daños de su refugio.

Si deseas ayudar, puedes hacer un donativo a las siguientes cuentas, a nombre de Elsa Cristina Salgado Gama:

Spin de Oxxo: 4217 4700 4909 3640.

Banamex: 5256 7833 6571 9690.

Clabe interbancaria: 0022 6190 3723 2878 82.

Fuente: El Universal

[depressionmeal]

Depression meal 4909

a salad consisting of only a handful of spring mix and shredded carrots with bbq sauce instead of actual salad dressing

[yesornopolls]

Can we have an asks # update?

In my inbox - 4909

Queue - 97

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

A Swallow's Symphony In Spring (18/19)

Chapter 18 - The Breezes Blow the Petals from your Hand

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Warnings: none

Word Count: 4909

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During Roman’s time in the medical wing, he had a whole host of visitors.

Emile was regular of course, bringing him meals and checking in on him a few times a day - as well as their scheduled therapy every few days. Really, it was just a couple of hours of him talking to Emile about all the awful things he had experienced whilst Emile prompted him with questions. Sometimes he gave advice, told Roman about how he might be affected by something or just let him talk. 

It wouldn’t make him fully better. Emile had been transparent about that from the start, but it would help, getting things off his chest, learning about his reactions and coping mechanisms to help with them would help him even if they wouldn’t fully solve all the problems he experienced. 

It would take a lot longer than two weeks to heal a lifetime of abuse, Emile said.

Then there was Virgil, who after that first day had stopped by regularly, bringing him gifts, sitting with him, cuddling, telling him everything that had been going on whilst he had been locked away. He couldn’t wait to see it all for himself once he finally got out of here. They slept nights in Roman’s little bed and spent days holding each other and talking things through. 

There were still some things Roman found himself hesitant about, but Virgil always did his best to appease his worries and talk things through with him until everything was okay again.

Remy came by a time or two. He usually brought snacks or puzzles or other fun little things for Roman to do. It’s not like Remy told him - it’s not like he asked - but he might have guessed Remy felt guilty for being unable to help all that much whilst Roman was locked away. The games he brought for them to play were always fun though and Remy never seemed to mind explaining the rules to him - sometimes Emile or Virgil played too. Even Janus had partaken one time (he was a sore loser it turned out).

He had met someone new. Logan Aynesworth - and he was sure he recognised that name from somewhere. Janus’ not-romantic partner and the other leader of the revolution. He was a lot colder than Janus, though he wasn’t unfriendly or rude. Simply seeming more put together and in control of his emotions. Logan had talked to him for a long time, most of it being about Virgil. At times it had felt a little like an interrogation, but Roman was pretty sure he was doing it out of care for Virgil and not malice towards him. 

He was pretty sure both Janus and Logan viewed Virgil like a son. 

Janus was next. He came every few days, a little less often than Emile. It seemed he came routinely to check on all of the patients in the medical wing, not just him - which was nice to know. Every time Roman saw him, Janus said he wasn’t ready yet - it was like they were waiting for something, but Roman couldn’t quite fathom what that might be. 

That was until someone new knocked on his door. 

At this point, Roman had come to recognise who was at his door. Virgil and Emile always announced themselves, Janus and Logan knocked similarly - though Janus’ knock was more graceful - sounding like it had a flare to it - whilst Logan’s was sharper. Remy always knocked in a pattern and said something along the lines of “hey babe!” to go with it - which was… weird, but Remy didn’t mean it in a romantic way (Roman was pretty sure he said it to everyone) so he just let it go. This knock was new, though. Out of sync - a pattern kind of like Remy but with no comment to go with it. Usually they would tell him when he was supposed to be meeting someone new.

“Who is it?” Roman called from where he sat at his desk. He had been writing something in one of his journals - something he had asked Virgil to bring down for him. He kept writing as he waited for a response, but his head shot up when the door opened before he got one. 

“Hey I- oh, you, I remember you-” Roman said, eyes widening as his gaze fell on the hooded figure closing the door behind him. He remembered this guy from the catacombs, he had been standing behind Janus in his creepy cloak - the cloak, the light, the face as he fell… “You were in the catacombs that night, right?”

The stranger drooped, almost as though he had expected Roman to say something else, but what else was there to say? ‘Wow, you look weirdly like my dead brother’?

“Yep, that’s me,” he said, his tone more jovial than Roman had expected when he spoke. “How uh- how’ve you been holding up?”

“Um, fine,” Roman said, a little confused - why would he tell a stranger anything? “Getting better I s’pose - uh, why?”

“Well, glad to hear it…” He said with what Roman could only assume was a smile underneath that hood. 

“What um-” Roman shook his head. “Excuse my rudeness, but what are you here for?”

“Janny told me I gotta talk to you before he can let you out for real,” He said, “So uh, here I am.”

“...Okay,” Roman said, frowning. “And - who are you, exactly?”

“Well um, that’s the thing Janny wanted me to talk to you about,” He said, fidgeting awkwardly with a ring on one finger - a simple silver band with jade embedded. For some reason it felt oddly familiar, but Roman couldn’t fathom why right now.

“And?” Roman asked, feeling as though he was getting a little defensive now - he really didn’t enjoy not knowing who he was talking to, let alone their intentions.

“Well you’re not gonna like it,” He said, reaching for his hood. Roman raised an eyebrow expectantly. “But uh, yeah, heya, little brother.”

Roman stared at him. 

“What.”

“Look, you try and figure out a way to tell your brother you haven’t actually been dead for seven years,” Remus said, crossing his arms. “It’s taken me like a month and a half to get to this point - just- I’m sorry, this was stupid.”

“But- you- you’re dead-” Roman said, hands clenching, “You’re dead, I watched you die - I-”

He couldn’t deny what was right in front of him. It was like looking in a distorted mirror. Remus was thinner, taller, he had facial hair and his hair was longer. Roman would say it was wilder too though he was pretty sure his own hair was a state right now. That was his brother, there was no doubt about it.

“What - I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say - I-” Roman was overwhelmed just looking at him. “I saw you die - how are you alive?”

“It’s all complicated,” Remus said, shaking his head. “I - I snuck out, found someone who was willing to fake it - you weren’t supposed to be there Ro, it was faked and I’ve been with these guys ever since.”

“You…” Roman felt tears welling up. “It looked so real.”

“I know - I know it did, that was the point - I was - I wanted a maid to find me, not - not you Ro,” Remus said, taking a step closer to him. “I never wanted you to - god, it was so fucked up of me-”

Roman stared at him as he hid his face in his hands. 

“It was s’posed to be a shock, I wanted to teach mother a lesson - I wanted to ‘die’ in the best way I could,” Remus said. “I just- I couldn’t do it anymore Ro, I needed to get out and I needed to do it in a way that would teach her a lesson.” 

“It didn’t really work out, huh?” Roman said, unable to help the deadpan in his voice. Remus wilted like a trampled flower. 

“No, guess not,” He said, “I mean - my life was better I guess but yours sure as fuck wasn’t. I ruined everything for you and - Vee mentioned your nightmares.”

Roman looked away, taking a deep breath. “Course he did.” Roman sighed. 

“Look - Ro- I don’t deserve your forgiveness, I honestly wouldn’t fault you if you never wanted to see me again,” Remus said. “but just - I need you to know I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for everything - I never meant to catch you up in all of everything - just- I wanted it to just be our parents - I tried so hard -”

“I know,” Roman said, voice quiet. “I just- I always tried to remember the good parts.”

“Me too.” Remus said, uncharacteristically quiet. 

“You really didn’t mean to involve me?” Roman asked quietly, “I wasn’t there for - for the drama or something?”

“What? Obviously not - you were s’posed to have dance lessons that afternoon, remember?” Remus said, Roman stared.

“I don’t remember much about that day other than the way you looked bleeding out on the carpet.” Roman said, maybe it was a little harsh - especially when Remus winced. 

“Yeah I - I guess I can see how you wouldn’t be thinking about much else,” Remus said, looking away sheepishly. “I kept trying to get you to go, you thought I’d been hurt and I was hiding it. I think you told me that if I’d brought in another bug from the forest I could show you.”

Roman couldn’t help but a little.

“I kept telling you to go - I even told you mother needed something,” Remus said. “But you wouldn’t go - then the guy I’d hired came and it’s not like I could say ‘hey no mr assassin sir, come back next Tuesday!’ - I really didn’t want you to see it, RoRo.”

Roman took a deep breath, scrubbing his face with his hands. “You left me behind.”

“I know,” Remus said quietly. In Roman’s memories Remus was never quiet. “And I’ve regretted it every day since.”

“I forgive you,” Roman said softly, reaching for him. “You - we were thirteen and hopeless, I - no wonder. I’m glad you chose that over throwing yourself off of the balcony.”

“Hey - I’m glad you didn’t do that either,” Remus said, shrugging and giving him a small, awkward smile.

Roman smiled back. “Yeah. Me too.” After a long moment of silence, Roman spoke again. “Why didn’t you come sooner? Were you not allowed?”

“I was… scared,” it was like it took him physical effort to say the word. “That you wouldn’t forgive me, or that you would.”

“Why would you be scared of me forgiving you?” Roman asked. 

“I’ve been fueled by guilt and spite for almost seven years,” Remus huffed, “Didn’t know what I’d do with myself when that was gone.”

“Maybe,” Roman said, “You could have fun with me again? I dunno, go out to the forest like we used to? Or sneak into the kitchens and steal snacks? You could talk to me like I’m your brother and not a source of guilt for you to keep hurting yourself with? Maybe - just maybe - I wanted you back in my life this whole time - and you just-”

Roman was fully tearing up now. Quickly Remus rushed across the room, pulling Roman into a bone-crushing hug, squeezing him so tightly he could hardly breathe.

“I missed you so much RoRo,” Remus said, voice muffled where his face was buried into Roman’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry.”

“Remus - I can’t - can’t breathe-” Roman forced out through the tight hug, Remus let him go just a little and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Neither of them let go of the other, and it didn’t seem like they would any time soon, either. “I missed you too.”

—-

It was strange to be standing in his room again.

Virgil hadn’t been staying in his room either whilst Roman was locked away, so no-one had been up here in a while. It had gotten strangely dusty. The room was strangely dark and ominous when Roman first opened the door. 

Most of his things were still there. He had let out a sigh of relief when he found the rest of his journals and the other things he had hidden from his parents and the maids over the years. Feathers and little pretty rocks he had found and painted, pressed flowers he had taken from the garden and forest - even Virgil didn’t know about half of this stuff. 

“Wow…” Virgil said quietly. “This is quite a collection.” He was sitting on Roman’s bed, slowly flicking through a large leather bound journal. It looked like his study books, but each page of this one is lined with pressed flowers and plants. It had been something he’d spent so much time doing years ago.

“You must’ve got every plant there is around here.” Virgil said softly. Roman smiled.

“I did that when I was fourteen,” Roman said, sitting down with him. “It was - part of how I coped with everything. Just something for me to do.”

“They’re all very pretty,” Virgil said, setting the book aside. “Are you ready for today?”

“Not in the slightest,” Roman sighed as got up again, going over to his wardrobe and sighing, pushing outfits aside. “I don’t want to wear any of this. I’m - surely they don’t want me to look like a prince-”

Virgil sighed, standing up to join him, he put his hand on Roman’s shoulder. Roman practically melted with the reassuring touch. “Just pick something more simple. Here, what about this?”

He picked something out, a white suit with a red sash attached at the shoulder. Most of the clothes in his wardrobe were some mix of white with purple or gold. Roman didn’t remember why he even had this particular outfit.

“Do you think it’ll be good enough?” Roman asked, gripping the soft fabric of the outfit he had probably only worn once. His parents never really liked red - maybe it was for an outing to another kingdom? He wasn’t sure.

“Yeah, it’ll be great,” Virgil said, putting his hand on Roman’s shoulder. “Red suits you anyway.”

“Is that why you kept putting me in your red cloak?” Roman asked, the tease breaking through the anxiety. Virgil’s face went pink and he laughed.

“Maybe it was,” he nudged him. “Just - put on the outfit, you’ll look great I promise.”

Roman sighed, nodding. “Thank you, my love, I appreciate it…”

“This is still bothering you, isn’t it?” Virgil said, taking Roman’s hands. “It’ll be fine, you won’t even have to speak if you don’t want to. Janus and Logan will do all the talking, and there’s gonna be guards just in case. Plus, I’ll be with you the whole time okay?”

“I know, I know,” Roman took a deep breath. “Just - what if they all hate me? I can’t - I don’t want everyone to hate me.”

“They won’t hate you,” Virgil said. “It’s so, so hard to hate you, trust me. Look, I’m not gonna lie and tell you they’ll be happy to see you at first, but once they hear everything - it’ll be okay in the end, okay?”

Roman took a few deep breaths, “Okay - right, let me change and we can go down. Thank you for coming up here with me. It… it means a lot.”

“Of course,” Virgil said softly. “I’ll wait outside.”

—-

They had to travel out to the town square with the others for that announcement that Janus had arranged. Their carriage pulled up to the dais Roman and Virgil had danced on that night at the festival. Then Janus and Logan left Roman and Virgil alone. Virgil gripped his hands as they waited for the signal Janus had warned them about - the moment they would be letting the public know that Roman was still alive and he’d have to face their anger and bitterness. He was terrified - surely Virgil could see it on his face. 

Today was a big day for announcements it seemed. It was as though half the kingdom had gathered in the plaza to hear what Janus and Logan - who were surrounded by guards - had to say. Roman himself was pretty interested too. This would involve their plans for the kingdom, of course he was interested! 

They started off with the announcement that they would be turning the kingdom into a democracy. Within the next few months a vote would be held to elect the true leaders of the kingdom, and until then Janus and Logan would be working to undo the Queen’s cruel work as they had already been doing. The kingdom would become a republic, where the people had more power than they had ever had before. 

Roman shared a look with Virgil, having the same idea. Both of them were fairly certain Janus and Logan would be staying in power for quite a while to come if the joyful shouts from the gathered citizens was anything to go by. 

The palace, they said, would remain a sanctuary. People in need would be sheltered there, anyone in need of food, a safe place to rest or even just a place to spend time with others. People would be welcome to come and go as they needed, they would be welcomed to request extra food or resources for their villages if need be. Janus promised to spare every piece of gold they could to help repair villages and feed the kingdom, re-open trade routes, form alliances, and peaceful treaties with neighbouring kingdoms. 

Roman was amazed by how much they were promising, how much they were willing to give the people. He was smiling the whole way through the speech.

“Can they really do that?” Roman asked Virgil quietly when Janus expressed that they would be redistributing the wealth of the kingdom more fairly. Virgil nodded.

“They make the rules now,” He said, putting a hand on Roman’s arm. “It’s up to them.”

A smile never left Roman’s face. Not until the topic shifted to him, anyway. Virgil squeezed his hand gently in reassurance, but it did nothing to close up the pit of dread that had opened in his stomach. 

“Now… the next item of business we must share with you all may be… controversial,” Janus began. Roman took a few deep breaths to stave off the impending panic. “The topic of Prince Roman.”

Even from inside the carriage, Roman could hear an entire crowd murmuring in confusion. 

“Although it may damage your faith in us,” Janus continued. “We believe that what we did was the right thing - we let him live.”

That was their cue. Virgil squeezed Roman’s hand one last time, before climbing out of the carriage, ever so gently pulling him behind. Roman took a shaky breath and climbed out after him. Holding tightly to Virgil's hand as he was guided up onto the makeshift stage Janus and Logan stood on. The crowd gasped as they saw him, the mutterings getting more and more hostile for the second. Roman just hung his head and pressed himself to Virgil’s side and hoped beyond everything that Janus had planned this out as well as he said he had. 

“After he was captured, both Logan and I have spent time with the Prince,” Janus continued. “We chose not to execute him on the word of Virgil Wynter, our mole, who has been with the Prince for months now. At first we didn’t believe that Roman was unlike his parents either, not until we had talked to him in person. So we wanted to introduce you all to him properly today - Virgil? You wished to speak?”

“I did,” Virgil said, not letting go of Roman, he barely even moved. “I- okay, I don’t like public speaking, or crowds, but I’m doing this for Roman, so- I have to.”

Roman tried to hide a smile where his head was ducked, he wasn’t sure if it worked.

“I started my mission back in September - it was a whole mess, but long story short I ended up his guard,” Virgil gestured to him. “I wasn’t supposed to be, but that’s how it turned out. At first like everyone else I thought he was just like them, but then he asked if we could be friends and it was… I dunno, something started changing after that, and then I realised just how much of it was an act…”

Virgil kept going. He didn’t share anything personal, nothing specific, but he told the citizens everything he had experienced, all while keeping a tight grip on Roman’s hand. By the time he was done Virgil was shaking, his eyes raking over the still unhappy crowd. Roman took a couple of deep breaths. Janus and Virgil had both assured him that he wouldn’t have to speak if he didn’t want to, but how could he not with the people of his kingdom here like this? All of them were looking at him now, clearly they wanted to hear something from him, so he raised his head to look at them all.

“I’m sorry,” he said. It wasn’t what he had meant to say, he had been running so many opening lines through his head the whole time, but when he was faced with them all now it was all he could think of. “I am so - so sorry, that I could never do anything for you all.”

“I am a pathetic excuse of a Prince,” Roman said, trying to stand firm as he looked around at the shocked faces. “I- I didn’t even know, I didn’t know how much you were all suffering at the hands of my parents - I hadn’t seen- no-one ever told me, or let me see for myself. It was - distressing, to learn how much my people were suffering. As your future king I was supposed to be someone you could rely on, but instead I was - I was locked away by my parents, unable to see you, hear you, do anything to help you no matter how much I wished I could. And now I can’t, at least - not in the way I planned. But even though I am no longer your Prince - I promise I will do everything I can to help restore this kingdom and your trust in me - I want to help, really, that’s all. I just… wish I could have been what you all needed when you needed me most.”

When Roman finished his speech he bowed his head and stepped back, half hiding behind Virgil. For a long moment, the silence stretched uncomfortably over the crowd. No-one here had seen the Prince in six and a half years. Almost no-one had ever heard him speak. Many had assumed it was out of arrogance - especially as he got older and still hadn’t been heard from. It was jarring to hear that his parents had kept him from them. It was horrifying to hear that he had been punished for caring - something Virgil had mentioned. It was… almost heartwarming to hear that he wanted to help. 

Although Roman knew that attitudes wouldn’t be settled overnight, the main feeling in the plaza seemed… hopeful. Roman felt it too. 

—-

Things only got better from there. 

By the time the election came around a month later, Janus and Logan had already done so much. Villages were being rebuilt, people who had lost everything were getting new homes, children who had lost their parents were found places to go that weren’t the cruel orphanages run by nobles for charity points. Janus put effort into finding families willing to take them in, and the number of people without a home went down drastically. 

Money was shared, nobles and old money families had much of their hoarded wealth stripped from them and redistributed around the kingdom, focusing on training a guard who would really protect the people, funding trade so that every one of their people would have the money they needed to survive. 

Just as they had promised, the castle was used as a safe place to seek help and shelter. Citizens waiting on new homes, children who were still waiting on somewhere to go, even visitors from other kingdoms who were unsure of where to go. 

Janus and Logan were, as pretty much everyone expected, selected as the kingdom’s leaders by an overwhelming majority. 

As the amount of people in need of shelter and hot food dwindled, the palace became something of a social space. 

People still came for help, of course, and help was provided as well and as quickly as possible, but many people came to the palace to talk to others, just to sit for a time and bond over a cup of tea and some freshly baked cakes. People made friends and joked and laughed and Roman thought that the palace had never felt brighter. The kingdom had never felt closer together. It really is thriving now. It felt like a dream come true. 

Roman too made good on his promise, helping when he could. He put his training to good use, once he’d learned how he put his all into going around the kingdom and helping with repairing broken down houses and building new ones. He put hours into training new knights and guards, with all of the hours of training he had done himself he had become rather good at it. It made him so happy to do all of these things for people. On top of all that… people really did start to warm up to him, even like him for the most part. He had lost his title, but he was grateful to anyone who would still allow him to help as he wished for so long. Maybe it was even better this way. 

He and Virgil had spent more and more time at Janus’ tavern - The Swallow’s Flight - as time went on. Roman enjoyed having the kingdom on his doorstep, he liked seeing all kinds of people come in and out. Janus had told them that this place had already been established as a refuge for years, so Roman saw people coming in for help even more than the Palace had. Virgil - to his surprise - liked to talk to the Patrons. Roman - also to his own surprise - enjoyed the work there, cleaning, cooking, running the bar. Once he had wrapped his head around how it all worked it had been something he had settled into quickly. 

So Janus decided that the only logical solution would be to give the two of them ownership. Virgil had been speechless when they sat down to discuss it, meanwhile Roman had almost squealed, flapping his hands up and down before crushing Virgil in a hug, making both him and Janus laugh. 

“Well I’m glad you’re both excited,” Janus chuckled when they told them that the two of them would gladly take over the tavern. Even if that meant Roman would have to live away from the palace. In fact - he was almost happier that way. The palace was a place he had been trapped all his life, any day spent elsewhere for him was a day well spent. They moved in almost immediately. 

Roman was happier than he could ever have imagined being. The people in town were starting to know him better as a barkeep than a Prince. He got to talk to people like they were all the same, he learned so much more than he ever thought was out there. He got to wake up with the love of his life every morning. He had so much that he never thought he would. Life was everything he could’ve ever dreamed. 

—-

It had been almost three years since the revolution that had changed their lives. Virgil had taken Roman to every festival since, he’d shown him how they celebrate the height of summer, the harvest. He’d experienced the Festival of the Lost - a day and night spent to remember those who had passed - and so many more traditions Roman never would have seen back in the palace. 

Of course they returned to the Spring Festival they had snuck out to before. Roman got to see it during the day too, overjoyed to see the whole kingdom so happy and joyful even if winters weren’t quite so devastating anymore. Celebrating alongside everyone was just as wonderful as it had been the first time, especially with Virgil by his side, it had always felt special. 

This year would be even moreso. They danced and celebrated like normal, Virgil and Roman and everyone else, but halfway through the night, as people danced before the lit bonfires, Virgil went down on one knee, pulling out a box in which was a beautiful ring. In an instant Roman could tell it was handmade, Virgil had been gone for a few days the week before - telling Roman that what he was doing was a surprise. Roman put a hand to his cheek and realised he was crying.

The ring itself was beautiful, with a thick band set with a piece of red jasper, cut intricately to resemble a flower - a carnation. The band itself was gold with tiny chunks of amethyst set into the metal in a detailed pattern, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Virgil’s voice was soft and full of every emotion Roman could hardly name when he uttered those four words. 

“Will you marry me?”

----

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[ao3feed-itafushi]

Feathers and Fangs

by R_redacted Fushiguro Megumi is far too young to go down into Hell, let alone leave Heaven. But he's also not one to deny an order an elder gives him, so when Satoru Gojo tells him to go find someone who is allegedly in Hell he does. Shortly after entering Hell Megumi is almost eaten by the King of Demons himself, but is saved by an equally as young demon who offers to help him find who he's looking for. ... or, itafushi demon and angel au that's been on my mind for a while now. Words: 4909, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Fushiguro Megumi, Itadori Yuuji, Gojo Satoru, Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Getou Suguru, Kenjaku | Fake Getou Suguru Relationships: Fushiguro Megumi/Itadori Yuuji Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Demon Itadori Yuuji, Angel Fushiguro Megumi, Angel Gojo Satoru, Demon Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, no beta we die like most of the JJK cast, hell is a cave, Fallen Angel Getou Suguru, tagging is so much harder than i thought it was, Blood and Injury, Mild Gore, its Hell its kinda fucked up, yuuji is refered to with it its pronouns for a little bit, he'll get his he him back eventually from AO3 works tagged 'Fushiguro Megumi/Itadori Yuuji' https://ift.tt/WyrPnhD

[weirdsatellites]

Manifest #4909 from NROL-129 (EXPERIMENTAL) 1. Kiln Observatory 2. Divine Fireflies

[nosehair]

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor, Chapter 4: Change of Address

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader (eventual). Other Characters are the usual suspects: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Spock, Christine Chapel, Scotty, Keenser, Miles O'Brien.

Word Count: 4909

Warnings: Mention of destruction of property, oblivious and a bit insecure Reader, nosy but well-meaning friends, injured Reader, Leonard being protective and becoming aware of his "feelings", Jim being his usual, charming, mischievous self

Summary: Fresh off of his divorce, Dr. McCoy receives word that he has inherited a 5,000-acre farm and home in Logan, Montana. Finally, he has an opportunity for a clean slate and to start his own clinic out west and leave his ex-wife behind. Along the way, he'll meet a cast of unique characters, each with a place in his new small-town life. But there could be trouble ahead in the form of a powerful CEO hell-bent on acquiring Leonard's property by any means necessary.

A/N: This idea was posted by @hailbop1701, with a specific list of plot points/dialog to be included. I won't put the list here, because it'll give away too much. Not sure how many parts there'll be, but I hope you like where I take the story. Also, I have intermixed AOS with NextGen to include additional characters.

A/N 2: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

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The drive to town to check out your apartment situation was a quiet one. Leonard was focused on the road, with occasional glances in your direction. At the same time, you tried to take comfort in the fact that no one, especially Mimzy, was hurt. Neither of you knew what to expect when you got there, because as Nyota had explained, the building was a total loss. Leonard was therefore determined to support you in whatever capacity you needed.

As soon as you arrived on the scene, you scanned the area for the Fire Chief. You wanted to check in with him so he could cross your name off of the list of tenants accounted for. And you wanted some answers as to how this could've happened. It was an older building, so maybe it was outdated wiring? Did a tenant burn popcorn in the microwave? Or, perhaps it was something deeper than that, like someone with an ax to grind? You shuddered at your last thought.

During the time you were speaking with the Fire Chief, Leonard waited for you, leaning against your car. Uhura checked on you first, then wandered over to stand with Jim, who had just pulled up in Leonard's truck. They talked for a while, mostly about you and Leonard. They compared notes and traded comments about how his eyes hadn't wavered from you in the slightest. He seemed on alert, ready to step in if you needed anything from him.

Finally, you heaved a weary sigh and gave the Fire Chief a tired smile as you shook his hand. "We'll keep you updated on the situation," he promised. You nodded, then thanked him and his crew for their efforts. He patted your shoulder, then walked to his truck and drove back to the station.

In the short time Leonard had known you, he had never seen you look so defeated. Usually, you could find the silver lining in most any situation, but this was different. It was not a typical situation, because you had just lost your home and most of your belongings. It was going to be difficult to see the upside right at this moment. Once the chief was gone, you shuffled over to your car and leaned against it, copying Leonard's stance. You took a deep breath. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he replied softly. "You okay, darlin'?"

As tears streamed silently down your face, you first nodded and tried to smile, then you shook your head in response. A choked sob escaped, which caused Leonard to reach out to draw you into his arms. One of his large hands splayed across your upper back, while his other one cradled the back of your head. He began to whisper soothing words in your ear to comfort you. "Shh, it's okay sweetheart. I've got you," he crooned.

After a few moments, your tears subsided, and you drew back to look at Leonard. His thumbs gently wiped away any remnants of the salty tracks from your cheeks. "Thank you, Len," you remarked, your hands curling around his wrists and thumbs massaging the area. "Sorry for breaking down like that."

"Are you kidding?" he gently chided. "No apology necessary, and completely understandable. What'd the Chief say?"

"Oh, um, nothing much," you sighed. "He says the preliminary examination shows that the fire started in my unit, possibly an electrical short in the kitchen or something," you muttered. "Should have the official report in about a couple of weeks or so."

By this time, Uhura and Jim had joined you and Leonard by your car. Both of them gave you a hug before releasing you back to Leonard, who put his arm around your shoulders. "So, you got a place to stay, sweetie?" Uhura asked you.

Jim and Leonard exchanged a meaningful glance between them, which did not go unnoticed by you and Uhura. "What?" you inquired, your eyes darting back and forth.

The staring contest between the two men continued, each one wordlessly trying to goad the other into answering you. When you asked a second time, Leonard finally responded. "You could stay at my house," he blurted out. He scowled at Jim, who wore a smug, triumphant look on his face.

It was the last thing you expected to hear, which caused you to stare first at Jim, then at Leonard in shock. Before you could answer, Jim started throwing out reasons why you should consider it. How there's more than enough room at the house and you'd never be late for work. "And you have to admit, the view of the sunset from the front porch is just about the prettiest thing you've ever seen," he declared. "Except for you, of course," he added cheekily, and which earned him a glare from Leonard.

You caught Leonard's eyes, searching his face for any sign of hesitation or that he might change his mind. "You sure you're okay with this? I wouldn't want to be a bother," you answered hesitantly.

"Oh, he's sure, all right," Jim interjected. "In fact, we talked about asking you to move in before we came out here. Isn't that right, Bones?" he added, daring his friend to contradict the statement.

"He's right, we did talk about it. And I would've asked you myself, were it not for this overgrown man-child next to me who's unable to keep his mouth shut," Leonard muttered. "But I didn't say anything because I didn't want to intrude on any plans you may have already made," he assured you.

"Unfortunately, I really hadn't thought that far ahead," you chuckled softly. "I would love to stay with you, but only if you're sure," you replied. "I promise I won't stay any longer than is necessary, and I won't let it affect my work."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "I'm not all that worried about any of that, darlin'. You are welcome to stay as long as you need or want to. There's plenty of room at the McCoy Estate," he quipped. "And you're hardly a bother. If anything, I've got the better end of the deal, with one of the best cooks in town," he grinned. "What do you say? Shall we first see if there's anything you can salvage from your place?" He held out his hand for you to take and waited patiently until you gently gripped it in your own.

"Well, I can hardly argue with any of that," you laughed for the first time since you'd heard about the fire. "Let's see what's left of my stuff, if anything."

Jim and Uhura watched as their friends headed towards your apartment to see if there was anything worth saving. "Well, well, this should be interesting," Jim remarked. "The two of them together, living under the same roof? Gonna be entertaining, that's for sure," he smirked.

"Certainly should be, with those two. Wonder how long it'll take before one or both of them cracks under the pressure. You know you have to keep me updated. So, you got some sort of plan?" Uhura asked.

Jim threw his arm around her shoulder and gave her a mischievous look. "Oh, ye of little faith," he grinned. "Of course I do, I've been working on getting those two together since they met. Let me tell you what I've got," he winked conspiratorially.

***

The transition from living in your apartment to the McCoy Estate wasn't as difficult at you thought it would be. True to his word, you had your own room, complete with a bathroom nearby that included a shower and tub. The closet was the perfect size for the batch of clothes you were able to rescue from your apartment. Mimzy settled in right away, finding the best spot for looking out of the window and which provided the best sunlight for napping.

Sure, there were challenges, though you found they were outweighed by the companionship you gained after living alone for so long. Mimzy brought you comfort, but she wasn't usually up for those late-night chats. No, it was Leonard's company you sought, his presence you craved. As the weeks went by, the more time you spent together, the more time you wanted to spend alone with him.

>>>

One night before closing the clinic, you noticed that there were no appointments for the following day. It had been steady, nearly non-stop with patients since the clinic opened, so this was a golden opportunity for a day of relaxation. You couldn't wait to tell Leonard and see the relief on his face. 

When he walked into the kitchen after his shower, Leonard was greeted with the most heavenly aromas. A large pot of chili was simmering on the stove, while a pan of freshly baked cornbread stood cooling on the counter, along with a Dutch apple pie. He was definitely looking forward to dinner tonight, though he wondered what the occasion was.

With your attention on preparing the meal, you didn't yet notice as Leonard slowly crept up to your side. Your back was turned towards the doorway, as you hummed to yourself and gently swayed from side to side, oblivious to the eyes on you. "Something smells fantastic in here," you heard from behind you.

You nearly dropped the spoon you were stirring the pot with as you whirled around in surprise. Leonard casually leaned against the counter with his arms crossed lazily over his chest. He was barefoot and wearing a pair of navy-blue lounge pants, slung low on his hips, with a gray T-shirt. His eyes danced with mischief, while a tender smile graced his lips. "Well, what do we have here?"

"It's my mama's special recipe chili, with cheddar cornbread, and a Dutch apple pie for dessert," you remarked.

"Sounds amazing. Although I don't know what I did to deserve such an elaborate meal, but whatever it was, I'll do it again," he chuckled.

"Nothing in particular, Len, I promise. It's not that elaborate, either. Weather's getting cooler, so I thought it was time to make some chili. Naturally, cornbread has to go with it," you shrugged.

"Naturally," he agreed, then chuckled as he began to set the table for two. When you told him that Jim was joining you, he rolled his eyes and grudgingly grabbed another bowl and spoon. Most evenings, it was the two of you for dinner, and truth be told, he preferred it that way. "But what about the apple pie? Something's going on. What's the occasion?"

"If you could please bring the chili to the table, I'll be happy to explain," you added mysteriously.

With a raised eyebrow, he did as you asked, while Jim rushed in and found his seat at the table. Leonard waited until you were finished serving to begin your explanation. You mentioned how you had checked the schedule for the next day, and that it was clear of appointments.

"Are you sure? I don't think that's happened since we started," he noted. "I swear, we've seen everyone in town at least once already," he joked.

"Believe me, I checked it twice, for exactly that reason," you assured him with a smile. "No appointments, no physicals, no immunizations scheduled, nada. Soooo, I'm thinking you are due for a day off, Dr. McCoy."

Leonard paused with his spoon in mid-air to consider your offer. He'd once commented to Jim that he wanted a sign that would advertise McCoy Clinic on one side and have Gone Fishin' on the other. The weather report showed the perfect conditions for a relaxing day of drowning worms, so why was he hesitating? "We can't just close, the town depends on us to be available," he countered, shaking his head as he returned his spoon to the bowl.

"Bones, when are you going to get another chance like this?" Jim groaned. "There's no rain in tomorrow's forecast, mild temperatures, and a light breeze. You haven't had any time to enjoy this 'inheritance' of yours since we moved here, and it won't be long before winter sets in." He slapped his palm on the table, pointed to his friend, and declared, "That's it. I've decided. You are going to play hooky tomorrow."

"And what if a patient needs our services?" Leonard asked.

"I've already thought of that," you responded. "I'll go in like normal. I can answer the phones, and I'm sure there's some filing or something I can do. Maybe I'll catch up on my reading list. If someone shows up, I'll give you a call. By the time you get back, they will be all checked in and waiting for you."

Can I really do this, take a day off? he silently wondered. The idea of having a day free from seeing patients made him both excited and nervous. However, you and Jim had a point, that this was a rare opportunity, and he was damned if he was going to waste it. "All right, I'll close up shop for tomorrow," he relented, grinning at the cheers and applause from you and Jim. "On one condition, though," he hastily added.

You tilted your head to the side and tapped your chin with your index finger. "Which is?"

A smug smile crept across his lips. "You have to take the day off, too. No answerin' phones, no filin' papers, nothin'. Matter of fact, I don't even want you to go into the office. You deserve a day off as much as I do, darlin'," he affirmed.

A day off? For me? you thought. It was almost a foreign concept, even though in previous jobs, you'd taken vacation days from work. Unfortunately, considering the pile of work that typically greeted you upon your return, it was almost not worth it to take the day off to begin with. Leonard ran a tight ship, was dedicated to his patients, but even he knew when to knock off for the day. "Okay, I'm in. You and Jim can go fishin' and I'll find something to do on my own."

"Wait a minute, I never agreed to--" Leonard sputtered.

"Hey, thanks Bones! I'd love to go fishin' with you, get some of that 'manly bonding' in," Jim replied with a wide grin. "We can leave early, I've already scouted out a great place along the river where we'll be sure to fill our buckets. See ya in the morning!" He dashed off down the hall, towards his room, a beaming smile still on his face.

Leonard's shoulders drooped as he hung his head in defeat. After a few seconds, he looked up at you with mournful eyes. "Why do you hate me?" he whined. You had to fight hard to keep from smiling at his pitiful question. "You told me I was due for a day off, which would imply that I was supposed to do something to relax! Now I have to spend it talking to Jim all day," he grumbled. "That's not my idea of relaxing."

A giggle escaped your lips before you could stop it. "I'm sorry, Len. Have fun with your 'manly bonding', though," you grinned, your hand on his forearm.

"Yeah, you're having way too much fun with this, and you are definitely not one little bit sorry," he shot back, trying to sound annoyed. However, you could see the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in amusement.

***

The next morning, you rose early to put together a picnic basket for Jim and Leonard, with coffee as the first order of business. While it was brewing, you packed some sandwiches, fruit, chips, and a jug of sweet tea. The finishing touch was some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you baked last night as a peace offering to Leonard for hijacking his day off.

Jim was the first to arrive in the kitchen, placing his backpack enthusiastically on the table. "This is gonna be so great! Two friends, out in nature, fishin' and shootin' the breeze," he grinned.

"As long as you keep the breeze-shootin' to a minimum, Jim. Leonard really needs this downtime to....I don't know, decompress or something. I swear, sometimes he's wound up tighter than an 8-day clock," you muttered. "Please?"

Jim put his hands on your shoulders. "You can count on me, sister. Bones will come back so relaxed, you won't even recognize him," he promised.

"I just hope....I mean, he clearly deserves more than a few hours to not have to think about work, because he's had enough other stuff to worry about. First, there's the thing with NorthStar Corp hanging over his head, not to mention the general pressure that comes from being a doctor. Then we add my troubles to the list, with the apartment fire and moving in with you guys. I'm starting to wonder if it's--if I'm too much and maybe it would be better if I wasn't here all the time," you murmured.

Leonard was about to enter the kitchen when he heard your last comments about his list of worries. He was disheartened to hear how you felt you were adding to them, and that you thought the best solution was for you to leave. No, he thought to himself. Please don't leave, sugar.

Ever since you'd moved in, this house he inherited has felt more like a home. It's been transformed by your warmth and kindness, and most importantly, your bright smile. Around nearly every corner, he could find where you'd left your imprint. He could see you in the kitchen cooking dinner or curled up on the couch watching a movie. Even with the little knick-knacks you brought over from your apartment, it was you he saw. It wasn't something he was going to let go of without a fight.

"Listen, you leaving here is not the answer," Jim started. "Bones would still be worried about those things you mentioned whether you were living here or not. 'S just how he is, and it's because he cares so much. Besides, he wouldn't have asked you to stay here if he didn't want you here. Think about that," he winked.

Leonard silently thanked Jim as he strode into the kitchen like he'd not been eavesdropping outside the door. "Coffee ready yet?" he asked. You held up a travel cup, already prepared the way he liked it. He took a sip and gave you an appreciative smile. "Hold down the fort for us, will ya, darlin'? And enjoy your day off," he remarked. Before he could talk himself out of it, he dove in to give you a quick kiss on the forehead, followed by a wink.

Jim slung his backpack over his shoulders and picked up the picnic basket full of supplies. As he passed you, he shot you a smirk that said, See? I told you so, then ran to catch up with Leonard. You shook your head and rolled your eyes as you picked up your book and began to read.

***

After a little more than an hour of blissfully uninterrupted reading, you finished the last chapter and closed your book. According to your email, the next book in the series had been released last week, so you decided to pop into town. Since the boys borrowed your car, you grabbed your wallet, sunglasses, and the keys to Leonard's truck from the hook near the door. A quick flip of the dial to some classic rock music, and you were on your way.

While you were in town, you decided to pick up the supply order from Mountain Vista Pharmacy for the clinic. You had spoken to Mr. Spock earlier in the week to let him know what was needed, and he agreed to have it ready for you. Some items had to be obtained from an outside vendor, but Mr. Spock didn't mind if you had it shipped to his pharmacy for later pickup.

The bell above the door jingled when you walked into the pharmacy and received a smile and nod from Mr. Spock. "Good afternoon, Mr. Spock! I'm here for the supply order for the clinic," you called.

"Of course, I'll be with you in a moment," he promised.

While he attended to the short line of customers at the counter, you browsed the magazines aisle, flipping through a couple of them. You paid particular attention to the ones about cooking, always on the lookout for new meal ideas. After choosing the one with the simpler recipes and everyday ingredients, you added it to your shopping basket.

It didn't take long for Mr. Spock to clear the line of customers, after which he waved you over to the counter. In addition to the cooking magazine, you added some Lemon Drop candies and Butterscotch Disks to the order. Mr. Spock regarded your choices with a raised eyebrow, then gave you a wry grin when you playfully warned him not to judge you for your sweet tooth.

"I heard about the fire at your apartment building. I am pleased to know that no one was hurt in the incident," he remarked.

"Yes, so am I. All of my neighbors were able to get out in time, with one grabbing my cat. She's definitely enjoying life at Dr. McCoy's house, though," you replied.

"So, you're living with Dr. McCoy, hmm?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "A logical decision, I believe, considering you are his assistant in the clinic."

"Oh, come on, Spock, it's more than just a 'logical decision'," chimed in his assistant, Christine Chapel. "They're well-suited for each other!"

"Whoa, wait a minute," you interjected. "It's not like that, Dr. McCoy was being a good friend by offering me someplace to stay. He doesn't think of me that way," you argued.

A look passed between Spock and Christine that showed your argument was a less than convincing one. Fortunately by this time, your clinic order was brought to the front counter. You quickly exited the pharmacy, following the young man out to the truck as he carried the box.

Along with the pharmacy order, you also had a small list of things to get at Scotty's hardware store, The Tool Box. Light bulbs, batteries, a roll of duct tape, and a package of small nails for hanging pictures were added to your basket. While you were there, you found some antique-looking drawer handles that you thought would look nice in the kitchen, so you added them to your purchases.

A similar conversation concerning your living arrangements with Leonard played out between you, Scotty, and his assistants, Miles O'Brien and Keenser. As with Spock and Ms. Chapel, you assured them that there wasn't anything romantic between you and Leonard. Before their speculation could escalate, you quickly paid for your items and added them to the rest of your purchases.

With everything nestled safely in the bed of Leonard's truck, you wandered over to Mr. Chekov's Java Station Café and Book Nook. In desperate need of new reading material, you treated yourself to one of the best varieties of coffee available at the café. In the bookstore, you made sure to grab the next book in the series you were reading, plus a second book by another of your favorite authors.

On your way back to the truck, you checked your watch and noticed it was late into the afternoon. The guys should be getting back from fishing, and when you saw Uhura from across the parking lot you waved at each other. She had just left work for the day, so the two of you stopped at the fire station to talk to the Chief. He regretfully informed you that there was no new information on your case. After making lunch plans for the weekend, you and Uhura parted ways.

Before you climbed into the truck, you noticed a wire dangling from the rear bumper. At first, you thought it was a loose connection from the license plate light. You were going to tuck it back in place, then you saw a timer, with its numbers counting in reverse. It was attached to what looked like a small homemade explosive device and was nearing zero. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as you jumped to your feet and began to scream, "OMIGOD, RUN!! RUN!! EVERYBODY RUN!!!"

Seconds later, you felt a searing blast of heat as you flew through the air and landed on your left side, with shards of glass raining down. A sharp burst of pain shot up your arm to your shoulder, followed by a cracking noise, and you knew something was broken. With a shaking hand, you reached up to where you felt something warm trickle down the side of your face. As you pulled your hand back, your fingertips were a bit sticky and covered in crimson.

Nyota rushed over to your side and you could see her lips moving, but her words sounded to you like she was speaking underwater. She tried to get you to focus on her as she shouted for medical attention from the paramedics at the fire station. Tiny black spots appeared at the edge of your vision, and you fought to keep them at bay as they began to grow. You grabbed her arm and she swung her panicked gaze back to you. "Find Leonard. Fishing with Jim," you whispered before you finally lost consciousness.

***

"Isn't this great, Bones? Two friends, communing with nature, spending a quiet afternoon together, no work in sight," Jim mused as he cast his line into the water.

"The afternoon would be quiet, if not for your running commentary. You're scarin' the fish away," Leonard grumbled. He was about to cast his own line back into the water when Jim's phone rang. He gave the man an exasperated look, which quickly morphed into concern as he listened to the conversation.

"Hello?....Wait, wait, slow down, Nyota. She WHAT? Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll tell Leonard. We'll pack up right now and meet you at the hospital in Belgrade," Jim assured her, then disconnected the call. He turned and winced when he saw the puzzled look on Leonard's face at the mention of "hospital".

"Tell me what? What happened? Who's in the hospital?" McCoy demanded.

"No time for questions, Bones, just grab everything and throw it in the trunk, we can sort it out later. I'll explain on the way," Jim promised.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, I'll drive. Just tell me what's going on," McCoy pleaded.

Jim grabbed Leonard's arms to steady his friend, and in part, himself. "Listen. There's been an accident. And once I tell you what happened and who's involved, you'll be thankful that I'm the one driving," Jim muttered.

At his friend's tone, he knew it had something serious to do with you. He nodded solemnly and hurried to pack their fishing gear plus anything else they brought with them. Once everything was stowed in the trunk, both men climbed into the car, buckled their seatbelts, and sped off towards Belgrade. "Okay, we're on the road. Now will you tell me what's going on?"

***

Twenty minutes later, Jim pulled the car into the lane just outside the Emergency Room entrance. Leonard barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before bolting out of his seat and stepping through the sliding doors to the ER. He marched up to the Nurse's Desk and demanded to be updated on your condition.

At first the nurse refused to confirm to Leonard that you were even a patient of her hospital, let alone release any status information to him. As he was still arguing with the nurse, Jim appeared at his side after parking the car.

He tried to turn on the charm, since his friend's direct approach didn't seem to be working, but the nurse was steadfast in her refusal. Fortunately, both your doctor and Uhura heard the commotion. They came out and were able to smooth things over then explain about your condition and the extent of your injuries.

Nyota looped her arm around Dr. McCoy's elbow and led him and Jim down the hall to your room. As they walked, she explained to him what had occurred, filling in the gaps in Jim's account of the situation. She asked about the fishing trip, and if they'd caught much of anything, or if it was all "manly bonding" time. Her questions drew a huff of laughter from him and, for a moment, he forgot he was at a hospital waiting to see you.

When they arrived at your room, a nurse was just leaving, after he collected your vital signs. Leonard asked to see them, and was handed the clipboard with your information. The nurse said you were still unconscious, but that it was okay to go in and sit with you. "Your girl's a fighter," he said. "Injuries like hers and all she kept asking about was if anyone else got hurt and if they were okay," he explained, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's my girl," Leonard remarked softly. He took a deep breath then slowly turned the handle to open your door. The sight of you that greeted him made his heart sink to the floor. 

There was a tube in your arm to deliver IV meds and fluids, while your other arm was in a sling. You had multiple lacerations on your face, neck, and arms from the flying glass in the explosion, and it was likely you had a concussion. Near your bedside, a machine beeped as it monitored your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. Bandages covered what was likely second-degree burns to your forearms and upper chest.

"Oh, sweetheart," he whispered. "Who did this to you?" He reached up with a shaky hand to gingerly touch the bandage on your temple. His other hand gripped yours as a few tears rolled down his face. He silently vowed that whoever was responsible, he would hold them accountable, no matter what. "If it's a war they want, I'll give them a war."

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[sexylonestar]

Nylon # 4909

[oneterabyteofkilobyteage]

original url http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4909/ last modified 2007-12-29 04:05:29