#Cougar gaming chairs

[taintedco]

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[thatndginger]

Beach Episode Tag

Thank you @pandoras-comment-box (their post here!) for the tag!

The premise: What would your ocs do in a beach episode?

I'm doing a general roundup of all the major Shapeshifter characters, because I can :P I kinda went overboard but this was a really fun tag and I couldn't help myself

Kerr - first off: sunscreen. so. much. sunscreen. he’s Irish and lives in a place that gets barely a month of sun a year, this boy is so pale he could rival the moon. he’ll spend some time wading in the water (never going deeper than knee deep), maybe play a game of volleyball or frisbee (bonus points if he gets to play as a dog), chase seagulls (also as a dog. usually). He maintains that the best way to end the day is a bonfire and beer with friends.

Warrick - what does a chaos gremlin do on the beach? chaos gremlin things, of course. this includes, but is not limited to: searching for seashells and cool bits of driftwood, harassing his friends with seaweed and dead things that have washed up on the beach, pretending he’s a hot merman and doing the Hair Flip ™ as he comes out of the water, shaking sand and saltwater onto unsuspecting sunbathers, and shifting into his cougar form for some premium catnaps in the sun. he also thinks the best way to end the day is a bonfire and a beer.

Jay - she’s the kind of person who goes to the beach just so she can lay under an umbrella and read all day. not nearly as pale as Kerr, but she still slathers on the sunscreen because sunburns are a bitch. the designated guardian of the drinks cooler, towels, shoes, and personal items. she may or may not use this time to hijack the boys' social media accounts. can be convinced to join in the occasional volleyball or frisbee game. she’s the one who remembered to bring the supplies for s’mores and other food for the bonfire.

Dean - give the man a task involving multiple people and watch the Dad Mode activate. he’s got umbrellas, beach chairs, extra towels, three kinds of sunscreen, a whole bag of sandcastle molds and shovels, a cooler full of water and juice boxes… you want it, he has it. he’s got a six year old half-fae daughter, what do you expect from him? does the dad thing where he’s got sunglasses and a baseball cap on, and a t-shirt over his swimtrunks. will be doing whatever his kid says they should do, which will at some point include a nap in which he is the pillow.

Temperance - how the hell did you even manage to get him to a beach?? don’t you know the preferred environment for an acid-tongued asshole is dank, dark alleyways or other suitably broody locales? He is going to bitch and moan the entire time from under his umbrella, and can only be placated with alcohol, the promise of getting to light the bonfire, and a decently terrible novel to critique. If he gets sunburned, you will never hear the end of it.

I will gently tag @rhikasa @revenantlore @theskeletonprior @avrablake because i desperately need to know what y'all's characters would do on a beach!

[chazz-anova]

WIP Poll Tag Results!

alright gang the results are in!! i can't see who all voted, but there were 17 votes total for my unnamed far cry 5 vampire au! i'll go ahead and tag the people originally tagged in the post so yall can see and thanks everyone for voting! 💕💐 without further ado here's 17 lines of vampy goodness (btw- v is a private detective in this)

@strangefable @socially-awkward-skeleton @inafieldofdaisies @simonxriley @alexxmason @amistrio @cassietrn @trashlord-007

Insistent rain pounded away at glass panes, each drop another plink; a precursory percussion for ragged jaws of lightning to open the sky and thunder to shudder the windows in their frames. It felt as though the gods were displeased tonight. Looking outward there was nothing to see but the deluge of the gods’ wrath- so Veronica focused her attention inside as she waited. John Seed’s ranch was decorated tastefully but without soul. As though a magazine model stripped from laminated pages of country living resided here instead of a person. There was a fireplace in the middle of the living room decorated with some impersonal photos- landscapes, big game hunting, ect.- and a great bear skin rug before it. Looking around the expansive room Veronica noticed a stuffed wolf here, a stuffed cougar there, a few deer heads on the walls. It was not her style but more power to him she supposed.  Her boots tapped on the exposed hardwood floor as she began to wander. ‘Where is this guy?’ She wondered with a small sigh. In small towns people sure liked to take their time it seemed. Behind the fireplace was a long oak meeting table scattered with some papers. “So much info to leave out..” Ronnie mused with a small smile and scanned the documents, looking for any sign of her quarry’s name. Her hand was just reaching to rifle through the pages when she heard a creak in the room adjacent to her. “Detective!” A voice intoned with unearned comradery rang out from behind Veronica, causing her to whip around. As she did she found herself a couple feet from one of her top people of interest, John Seed. He was dressed like a man who expected conformity and submission, and the air about him suggested he often got what he wanted. John was adorned in an entirely black suit fitted perfectly to the line of his body, a royal blue tie with matching sapphire cufflinks, and a Swiss Vacheron Constantin watch that Veronica bet cost more than her car. “Wonderful to finally meet you.” The smile he gave her was one that a wolf gives a rabbit, predatory, hungry, ready to pounce; but he would learn that she was no rabbit.

“A pleasure.” V replied shortly, taking a step back from the man. “I just had a couple questions and then I’ll get out of your hair, Mr. Seed.”

Dark cavernous eyes evaluated her, “Please ask away, I’m an open book.” His saccharine grin widened and he pulled out a chair for her at the table. Reluctantly Veronica took a seat and pulled out her notebook. 

“How acquainted are you with Mary May Fairgrave?” As she spoke the name of the missing bartender she studied John’s features; looking for any clue in his face. There was a spark of recognition to her name, and a quickly masked raising of eyebrows. Concern? Surprise? His poker face slipped back in place before she could decide. 

The brunet took his time with his answer, he had been a lawyer after all. He was a man who knew how to choose his words. “We are… unacquainted. I’ve spoken with her before of course, the Spread Eagle, no matter how crudely named, is the only taproom in the Valley.” 

Veronica jotted a few things down, nodding as he spoke. She waited a moment before responding to make sure he was done and tapped the pen against her bottom lip nonchalantly. “Word on the street is, you wanted to buy that ‘taproom’?” V cocked her head at him asking aimfully, she didn’t trust this guy as far as she could throw him. 

“There were talks.” John answered vaguely. His eyes wandered down her form then back to meet her gaze before he changed the subject, “Can I get you a drink? Maybe a nice glass of merlot.” His tone now deeper and almost hypnotic.

A chill ran down V’s spine and she started to feel dizzy like she was falling into the man’s deep blue eyes. She could see herself there, falling forever in the ocean of him. She forced herself to break his gaze and couldn’t help but glance at his lips before settling her line of sight on the stuffed cougar just behind him. “No, I’m good. Were these talks friendly?” 

Instead of an answer, that spellbinding voice reached back with another question, “You aren’t thirsty? You look like you could use a drink, my dear.” 

“No, I’m-”

“In fact, I think we should both drink. You look like a fine vintage that’s been casked in darkness for ages.” 

Veronica was able to close her eyes and shake her head, brushing off the almost drunk feeling she got looking at John and listening to him. “Okay that last thing, I should not have to tell you that that is an unbelievably creepy thing to say.” Ronnie sobered and looked down at her notes to steady herself. ‘I don’t know what the hell is wrong with this guy but the sooner I can get some answers here the better.’ She thought with a deep breath. 

John looked taken aback at her response, as though he hadn’t just said something out of the ordinary but instead she had. “What, does that line normally work on people?” Veronica couldn’t help asking with some sass- she was getting sick of the weird vibe and weird people in this county. 

Straightening up in his seat John adjusted his tie awkwardly. He looked like he was not one to fidget uncomfortably. After a moment he smiled politely and shook his head, “My apologies, Ms. Rook. You are… fascinatingly immune to my normal charms.” It took all of V’s strength to not ask what the hell he was talking about, thankfully for her he continued. “The talks between Ms. Fairgrave and I were far and few between. I wanted to buy the bar but alas she was uninterested in selling.”

[foulfirerebel]

Red Dead Redemption 2 things I find funny and interesting (Spoiler warning)

You can, and will, kill the KKK in this game. You get positive Honor for doing so. It also feels good to do.

There was this really annoying, eugenics spouting fellow in Saint Denis, right? At first, had Arthur diss him and he ran off. Had Arthur punch him and no one did anything to stop me or even call the sheriff. So, he shows up a third time? Shot him in the head. Aside from a few gasps at the gunfire? No police. That is intentional.

The fishing. Say whatever the heck you will about the hunting, but if you follow me on Twitch you know I've spent hours on the fishing. I just find it relaxing, especially when the sun rises or sets in game.

Running away from a gun fight because a huge, fuck off Grizzly Bear decided to barge in. Had that happen a couple times.

There's a giant Arthur and later John can talk to. Never got that to trigger.

Aliens exist. You can see their UFOs over you in two different places.

I've been kicked by my horse for forgetting what button is the mount up button before. It's funny.

Never start a fight in Van Horn, especially not in the saloon. You will end up fighting the entire town. Source: me on more than one occasion.

There's a giant snake carcass by Pleasance. Its presence is never explained or remarked upon, and there's likewise a giant snake mound. Despite this, there is no giant snake to hunt. This angers me, given you can hunt this massive alligator that tries to eat Arthur in one story mission.

Darkness is fucking scary in this game, especially when you can't see two feet in front of you when it rains/storms at night. Especially if a cougar, a pack of wolves, the Night Folk, or the Murfree Brood come after you.

Ambushes are a thing. I lost my first horse to one after they brought a gatling gun to one and couldn't recover fast enough.

The moose are massive in the game.

The treasure hunts are really annoying without a guide.

FUCK. MICAH. BELL. He shoulda died twice over and I'm glad he got shot a whole bunch in the epilogue. Fucking traitorous POS.

The Epilogue is a lot better than Red Dead 1's by virtue of giving you more to do, and also provides more of a better ending to the Van Der Linde gang.

The Mysterious Stranger appears again in the game. He has a house in the swamp. Visit it as John or late game as Arthur.

Always donate to the blind man on the side of the road.

As John, in the area where Red Dead 1 takes place, there was a house that just exploded randomly. Looking it up, it appears to be because of the boiler.

The serial killer quest.

Seriously, the serial killer quest is one of the examples of the most horrifying quests in a game like this since you see the victims are decapitated or worse. Getting to put him down was satisfying.

I played Arthur as an honest man according to my friend. Helped people where I could, spared folk instead of killing them outright, paid my dues, etc. That felt a heck of a lot better than trying to be evil.

I prefer 2 over 1 overall, but one complaint I do agree with is the idea that it's too simulator based in some areas. I prefer the duels of 1, the hunting and skinning of 1 (takes too long in 2), liar's dice in 1, and the inventory having of 1 over 2. That said, 2 is better at everything else: story, characters, character development, interaction with the world feels better, the fishing, etc.

2 made me cry harder than 1 did, especially when Arthur contracts TB.

Speaking of which, Arthur contracting TB is just one big sad fest all the way through.

The strangers you meet in 2 feel like they have more impact on me than in 1. The doc trying to show the electric chair, the serial killer, the blind man, the injured veteran, the veteran you help and get a good horse from, the nuns you can help in Saint Denis, etc.

Heck, just being able to see stories to completion: the widow who you can visit repeatedly, the scientist obsessed with creating life (who succeeds, you can find the robot), the runaway couple from the Braithwaite storyline, might be others I've forgotten.

Just...all the characters involved from Arthur to Sadie to Abagail to John to Charles, everyone gets something to do and that's awesome to me.

Heck, just the idea that this is about a family having a major break up and falling apart.

The music.

Seriously, the music. Either the vocal tracks or the instrumentals. Could listen to it for hours.

If anyone would like to add on to this, please do. I've probably only scratched the surface despite having beat it.

[kittiofdoom]

Midnight Sins Chapter 1

Series Summary: In the aftermath of the Cleansing the Deputy has a surprise visit from Joseph Seed and it sends her spiralling down a path of which there is no return.

Parings: Joseph Seed/Female Deputy (More to be added later)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Emotional Manipulation, Manipulation, Panic Attacks, Self Harm, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Drugs, Non-Consensual Drug Use (If you squint), Trauma, Joseph Seed is an entire trigger warning, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. (more to be added later)

Wordcount: 3695

AN: Far Cry 5 has a chokehold on me once more and the idea for this fic started as something else but evolved on its own. It was only supposed to be a one shot.. It’s.. not a oneshot anymore. This will be dark and messy and a hell of a ride. I hope you enjoy.

Read on A03

DROWNING.

“The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.”

                    — Proverbs 4:19

Mary had offered a room in the Spread Eagle to Ava the first night the Deputy had rolled into Fall's End in a hail of gunfire and a few well aimed explosions. It was make shift room at best, a sofa pushed up against some crates to give the illusion of privacy while they cleared some more space and opened up a few more of the run down buildings in town. It was an ongoing project, that would likely see well into the next several weeks. Ava didn't want to be a bother—she didn't want to be around that many people all the time. The reality of it was if Joseph or John or another one of those bastard Seeds were going to pick somewhere to cause trouble looking for her it was likely to be in the middle of town.

No, it was better she was as far removed as she could be when she had a target the size of Hope County on her back. They couldn't force her out of hiding if she wasn't there in the first place.

Was it better for them, or better for her she didn't really know. All she did know was it was harder to get attached to people—to their cause—if she was like a ghost. Ava would roll into town, do what needed to be done and then vanish into the dark of the night with naught but a cougar and a dog for company.

It became routine and in routine bred complacency.

Her campsite was never supposed to be a campsite. It was supposed to be a tent, a dug in firepit and a string of bells around the perimeter to keep a wandering wolverine from sneaking up on her—the faded bite in the muscle of her calf the first night she spent under the stars saw to the latter addition. As days and nights went by and Ava went undiscovered by the Peggies she soon lost the energy to pack up and set camp every single night. It was too much, she was too tired, barely having the energy to do anything but collapse into her bedroll and tend to her wounds before succumbing to the darkness of exhaustion.

So Ava set down roots, out in the woods to the south-west of the Harris estate. There was plenty of game to hunt, shelter amongst the trees. Fresh skins hung on the drying rack she'd rigged and there was at least a weeks worth of meats salted and curing in a safe location to keep the predators from sniffing her out. The rest she sold to whomever would buy. There was even a chair—that was currently straining under the weight of Peaches as she lounged and cleaned her paws.

It was nice, homely even, until it wasn't.

Ava had just settled down into her bed roll when the crunch of leaves outside her tent made her skin break out in goosebumps. It was too light for Peaches, but too heavy for Boomer. One movement. One step away. Her heart was hammering against the curve of her ribcage. Had her time come—had John finally found her? Would she have to face her sins? She wasn't ready..she'd never be ready.. There was water on her face, in her lungs. John was holding her down and she was reaching frantically for the air-

She had enough time to close her fingers around her pistol.

It was not John that had come for her.

A shot rang out in the night—the din made Ava's ears ache.

There was a hole in her tent flap, a few centimetres away from Joseph fucking Seed's head.

“Th-that was a warning shot,” Ava spat, gesturing with the business end of her pistol towards the way Joseph had appeared. It had not been a warning shot but Ava didn't know if that was because her hands were shaking or for a reason that scratched at the back of her skull that she refused to give acknowledgement. “Get out.”

Joseph had not moved from where he stood—in fact he had not moved at all, one arm still up, holding the flap open for him. In the low light cast from the lamp it was hard to make out his expression but it didn't look like he was armed or brandishing a weapon.

“Even now, when I come to you in a moment where you could take it all from me...” Joseph began, disregarding Ava's warning. He stooped down into the tent, bringing himself eye level with the furious Deputy. He moved slowly, though with confidence, as rosary beads clinked together as he bore his palms upwards towards her. “You claim warning, I say it is otherwise. God is still watching even in these twilight hours.”

It was almost like a sick mockery of that night.

It felt like a lifetime ago now, standing in Joseph's church with him standing in front of her with his hands bared proclaiming that God would not let him be taken. He had been right, whether it had been at the hand of divine intervention or meddling Peggies they had failed and it was what had caused this entire mess.

Joseph had closed the distance, the muzzle nestled against his chest. Ava could end it all right now. Just one squeeze of the trigger and she'd blow through Joseph's ribcage and then it would all be over. Finger caressed the trigger and there was silence between them. Joseph was waiting, watching through those tinted fucking aviator sunglasses of his.

But it wouldn't be over though would it? There was still the rest of the Seed family, they'd strike back in revenge, more bodies built upon the pyre. The flames of war licked at her heels like one of Jacob's Judges and Ava was sprinting ahead in a desperate attempt to outrun the desolation.

Her hands were shaking again, visibly this time, and Joseph did nothing. He merely knelt there and waited... and waited.. like he already knew what the answer was going to be.

Ava lowered the gun with a disgusted sound and the corners of Joseph's lips upturned into the ghost of a smile. His hands dropped, clasping together in front of him like he was about to pray.

“I don't want to get blood in my tent,” Ava spat as she set the gun down after flicking the safety on with her thumb. “That's all.”

Joseph raised a brow, a hum rumbling deep within his chest. They both knew she was lying, and yet this time he seemed to let it go. Kneeling turned to sitting, the pair of them almost mirroring each other in movement.

Ava was the first to speak, her voice soft, hesitant almost like she was afraid of speaking too loudly and break this quiet peace.

“Did you hurt Boomer and Peaches?” She asked, leaning to the side to try and see around his body outside but the tent flap had fallen back into place, leaving them sealed off from the rest of the world.

“No,” Joseph's response came as a surprise to her and she watched as he turned at the waist to lift the obscuring flap to reveal them quite content in where Ava had left them by the remains of a smouldering firepit. “I did nothing to your companions. I have brought no war to your doorstep, no violence. I am not the man the resistance makes me out to be.”

He let the flap fall back down, returning his gaze to her face and Ava searched for answers in the lines of Joseph's face. He seemed different, the arrogance and charisma remained but there was something softer underneath the surface. Ava might have even called him handsome but the thought was immediacy discarded as it came to her mind. She was not even going to entertain that line of thinking.

“And you are not the woman the resistance makes you out to be, either, are you Avery?”

It was the first time he'd ever said her name and Ava felt her heart skip a beat and fall straight into her stomach all at once. Rookie... Rook... Deputy.. Dep. Not Avery, not Ava. Rook was all people ever called her and it had become a mask that she would wear over and over while she carried the burdens of the entire County upon her back. She never asked for this but there was so much that she needed to do. Even now the list grew ever longer because people couldn't sort out their own problems. She was never meant to be a hero. Rook was their hero, she didn't even know who Avery was any more.

The world became smaller under the weight of her own turbulent thoughts, the edges of her vision hazy as she almost forgot to breathe—there was water in her lungs again. Ava curled her fingers into her palm, digging small crescents into the scar tissue that already marred there. Pain would keep her grounded, try to breathe, ignore the screaming in her brain, fight the spinning-

-A hand against her own, gentle, easing red tipped fingers away from the damage it was causing. Joseph was there and Ava didn't know if he was making it better or making it worse but now all that emotion was focussed solely on him.

“D-Don't!” Ava hissed, trying to yank her hand away in a fury. “Don't touch me, I don't I-” She couldn't even get the words out any more. They stumbled over each other in a mess of sounds that died on her tongue. She raised her other hand to strike him but he met her half way with a firm grasp upon her wrist. Ava didn't know how he could be so gentle and hard at the same time. He was an oxymoron, opposites wrapped up together yet somehow worked. Ava hated it. She hated him and everything he stood for.

“You're tired, are you?” Joseph asked. As he was talking he raised her hand like she wasn't trying to fight him. Lips brushed bruised knuckles, aching fingers. He turned her hand over, kissing the markings her nails had cut into her palm uncaring as blood smeared across his face. Breath was warm against her skin, the scratch of beard stinging the wounds but Ava found she didn't mind the sensation. And that made her even more angry.

“How- How dare you! Let me go!” Ava strained against him, pulling her weight backwards in an attempt to free herself but Joseph was like stone, unyielding in his hold and surprisingly calm in the face of Ava's outburst. The rosary beads pressed firm into her skin, indenting into her wrist.

“It's okay to be tired, look how far you've run.” Joseph continued in that same gentle tone, even as her nails raked across his cheek. Three red lines were left in her wake though in her frenzy she didn't know if it was her blood or Joseph's own. She was like a wild animal backed into a corner, a dangerous look in her grey eyes.

“You don't know anything about me!” She spat the words like a weapon, trying to get underneath his skin in the same way that he'd been crawling under hers with every word.

Joseph's glasses had been knocked off in the motion and green eyes were peering back at her. He shifted, still keeping a firm grip on Ava's wrists, knees took the brunt of his weight and he used the small height leverage to lean her back with a push, bending her spine enough that it had to be uncomfortable.

Ava should be fighting harder right now, he was far too close and looming above her in a way that made her feel so small and weak. And yet here she was. Here he was. Joseph leaned forward, looking up at her through his lashes.

“I know you're begging to be whole again,” Joseph murmured. “I know you're drowning Avery. The water is up to your jaw and you're straining to stop yourself from going under.”

The fight left her all at once. Flailing hands falling slack in his grip. She frowned at him, brows knitting together in a pained expression at being read so plainly. No one knew these thoughts. How could he see her pain so easily when everyone else around her was blind?

“What do you want from me?” Her voice was as small as she felt and when Joseph released her wrist it merely fell limply at her side. Joseph reached forward, cupping her cheek and letting his thumb brush the arc of her cheekbone, tracing the small scar underneath her eye.

“I want to save you.”

His hand shifted, running his fingers through Ava's short brown hair to hold the back of her head and pull her into him.

She didn't fight him this time, allowing Joseph to pull her back upright and into his space. Eyes fell shut to try and quell the beginnings of tears as they stung. Lips pressed against her forehead in gentle affection before Joseph rested his own in the space where he had kissed.

“It's okay,” he said and Ava could feel his breath on her face now, hear his voice almost reverberating around her skull. “I'm here, give me your pain.”

The first tear fell and it was like the dam broke. An ungodly sound wailed out from Ava's mouth as she threw her arms around Joseph's torso and collapsed into him. Once she started she couldn't stop, crying for all the pressure put on her, crying for void she felt in the pit of her stomach that never felt filled. She'd been empty for so long even before the mess of Hope County and it was supposed to be a fresh start. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The feelings weren't supposed to haunt her when her old self died.

Joseph had made her feel something when he'd been standing in his church staring down at her, something she'd not felt in years.

He made her feel alive.

And it frightened her.

Joseph held her as she pressed her face against the curve of his neck, gently stroking up and down her spine with the tips of his fingers. He said nothing, only making the occasional soothing sound to let Ava get it all out of her system without disruption. He was soft where she was sharp and it brought a strange sense of peace to the pair.

Ava hiccupped, clinging to Joseph tighter as her tears stained his shirt. Her whole body shook with the sobs. She didn't remember the last time she had actually cried, it was safer to keep it all bottled up but now the bottle had smashed into tiny fragments and Ava didn't know how to put the pieces back together. She was sinking and the only thing keeping her from completely under was the warm steadfast presence of Joseph keeping her upright.

Eventually the downpour became a trickle and Ava became still, listening to the sound of Joseph's breathing.

“Will you stay with me? I.... I don't want to be alone. I... I can't..” Voice was hoarse against her throat, the words scraping and tasting metallic on her tongue. Joseph inclined his head downward, pressing another kiss to her head.

“Just for tonight.”

Reluctantly Ava pulled herself away, pausing when she saw the marks she'd left on Joseph's cheek. She reached up and he let her touch his face, leaning into the bloodstained digits. Guilt welled up like a lump in her throat and for a second she felt the urge to cry once more. No tears fell. She had no more tears to shed.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered.

Joseph reached up to take her hand once more and this time Ava didn't fight him as he kissed each finger and each mark she had inflicted upon her skin. His gaze was burning into her through the gaps of her fingers.

“You are forgiven,” He spoke into her palm again, causing a shudder to work it's way up Ava's spine. He released her hand, gesturing around the small tent and what few belongings Ava actually owned. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

Ava nodded, turning to reach for her field backpack. Out came the yellow tin, passed to Joseph. She thought he was going to use it on himself, but before she'd even had a chance to put the backpack away Joseph reached for her hand again.

“This will sting, but though this pain you will find the path to salvation,” Joseph said as he opened the kit with his other hand. He was slow, methodical, as he worked brows knitting together in a thin line of concentration. He soaked cotton balls in antiseptic, dabbing at each crescent shape until it was clean.

Ava hissed air in through her teeth but fought her natural instinct to yank her hand back.

“I will heal my people and let them enjoy abundant peace and security,” He began to wrap her palm in a small bandage turning it over and over before securing it with a small piece of tape. “If you feel the need to mark your skin you should wear your sins correctly, only then will you truly begin to heal. John can help you.”

All at once the fragile peace shattered as Ava scrambled away with a shake of her head. Fear was writ all over her face. It was too much, the memories too raw. She felt like she was drowning. Joseph paused, studying her before offering an outstretched hand and a kind, patient expression.

“You're not ready,” he did not scold her as he spoke, he did not even judge her, and slowly slowly Ava edged her way back towards him like a frightened animal. He took her into his embrace, cradling her as he laid them both down on top of her bedroll.

Ava rested her head against Joseph's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as he draped an arm over her side. She felt safe here, tucked in against him like the world and the troubles outside her tent just didn't exist.

“I'm afraid,” Ava said, fingers bunching the material of his shirt.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Joseph said, stroking across Ava's ribs as he spoke. She could feel his voice rumbling against her, slow and steady and lulling her into a content sleepy warmth. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. I, too, have been afraid, filled with fear for my people and the reckoning to come. But I follow the Voice and now I walk the path with the knowledge I need to protect us all. You just need to believe.”

He pressed his lips to the hair and Ava shifted to look up at him. Noses brushed and Joseph kissed the corner of her mouth before turning his head away.

“Sleep now, your fears cannot find you while I'm here. I will protect you.”

Ava settled back against him and stopped fighting the urge to stay awake. The last thing she heard was the sound of Joseph's heartbeat with the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

---

He was gone in the morning when Ava awoke, but wrapped around her bandaged hand was Joseph's wooden rosary and a small white and gold bound book on her pillow. Ava scowled and reached for the book with the intention of.. well she didn't know any more. She should throw it in the fire, pack up her camp and be done with it.

She opened the book and written on the inside cover in a steady careful hand was a single phrase. She traced the handwriting with her finger and a strange sense of warmth overcame her body.

'When you're ready.'

----

Joseph returned to the compound early in the morning, even now his chosen flocked to greet him at the gates. A passing touch, a gentle wish. They reached for him and for a time he stopped to greet them, not singling one out but giving each and every one a single moment they could cherish.

He was only pulled away when John approached, a concerned look shadowing the smile that he so often wore.

“What did she do to you?” He asked, gesturing to Joseph's face—and the marks that he carried from the night. “I'll drag her out here kicking and screaming from that tent. How dare she lay a hand on you. She's an animal. I'll take the fingers that touched you one by one.” The more John spoke the more he worked himself up, his entire body going rigid with poorly contained wrath. Joseph exhaled heavily, closing the distance to place a hand on John's shoulder.

“You will do no such thing,” Joseph said sharply. He put the smallest amount of pressure with his thumb and forefinger, squeezing lightly. The fire in John died out, and a flicker of another emotion entirely haunted his expression. It pained Joseph to see it, but sometimes it was necessary to temper John's more sadistic tendencies.

“I have plans for our dear Deputy dear John,” Joseph changed his tone of voice, morphing it into something soft and sweet. “She is on the precipice of change and we need to give her a nudge in the right direction. You will leave her camp alone. Continue on your path and she will fall into your waiting arms. Patience. Do not let your sin prevent that. ”

John swallowed thickly, nodding and with that Joseph released him. He reached up to rub his shoulder and neck subconsciously.

“Yes Father.” John said.

“Good, now come along, we have much work to do.” Joseph beckoned for John to fall into step with him as the gates closed.

Joseph had plans for them all.

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Find the Word Game IX

(Double Feature)

tagged by: @druidx!! my words: basis, boyfriend, bedroom, breath, rack, vehicle, trust, scan tagging: @drippingmoon, @sleepy-night-child, @ashen-crest, @zmwrites, @sleepyowlwrites, @drabbleitout, @oh-no-another-idea, @pertinax--loculos, and anyone who wants to buy my books your words: weakness, despise, reach, relative, solve, arrange

basis (Meridian)—

"I get it." [Warren] sighed. "Your life is your life, now. You can do literally anything you want with it, and doing something to earn money while also fulfilling your purpose is never a bad thing. If you're looking for my blessing or something, you've got it."

"It would mean relocating," Scot said. "Possibly on a permanent basis."

"Nothing's permanent when it comes to ———." Warren smirked. "We'll see each other around. We can communicate. I'm not dumping this friendship, so we're clear."

Scot looked as if he wanted to say something, but refrained, and Warren wondered if he'd wanted to voice his exact thought at that moment—he was the only friend he had left.

Warren extended a hand, and Scot took it.

boyfriend (Rebirth)—

"I lost a lot. I'll probably never see Esther again, and my…Brayden."

Thrive propped his heels up on the desk and reclined in his two-legged chair. He slid his finger against a smooth button on the device and released it.

"—See Esther again, and my…"

Every time. He never touched the recording except for that exact moment every time without fail. He hated the impulse but he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. The instinct for Warren to refer to Brayden as his boyfriend was something Thrive in no way blamed him for, but it still stung, and for reasons he could not understand, he opted to punish himself for it on the regular.

"…And maybe I would've found a better life than the one I had before I met you, but you are the life I needed, E.T."

Thrive looked at the door again, unable to hear the murmuring anymore.

bedroom (Warpath)—

Surprised, Cascidi passed his fingers over his bottom lip. "I've rented a room for the duration of my Node stay."

"Will I get acquainted?"

Cascidi's eyes traveled down Warren and back up once more. "There's something about you I can't get over."

"Chemistry, baby," Warren purred, sidling up to him. "We doing this or what?"

Cascidi's rented room was opulent and modest all at once; reasonably sized and lusciously decorated. Half the size of the Halcyon penthouse but just as luxurious. Warren didn't even realize he'd absconded with the champagne glass entirely until his back hit the bedroom door and it slipped out of his fingers, bouncing harmlessly onto the thick carpet beneath their feet.

breath (Aurora)—

Thrive stopped in front of [Warren], cautiously pulling the hood of his cloak off his own head before reaching up to smooth his fingers across Warren's cheekbones to clear the tears he'd tried so hard to hold at bay.

"Damn," Warren muttered, embarrassed.

Genni cleared her throat between them, and she sounded far away. "Orthrive'poliea. Protector of Tey under the Oath of Caala."

"Yes," he said, voice low. He kept his eyes locked with Warren's, and he smiled warmly at Warren's flushing face.

"You are here to ceremonially bind yourself in the eyes of Consortium law to Warren Levi Cougar. This will tie you in heart, mind, and soul, and here you promise to love him with your every breath, to hold him in your power for as long as you both are alive. Say your piece."

rack (Meridian)—

"Nah, nah," Warren moved to get out of the tub, grabbing a towel from the hand-carved wooden rack beside it and throwing it around his waist. "Thrive, we agreed—"

"I know," Thrive muttered, tipping his head onto the back of the tub.

"We agreed we weren't gonna let the burden of raising the babies fall onto ———."

"It's one morning." Thrive flexed his hands, apparently in no hurry to rectify the situation. "They wanted to help us. Am I mistaken, or were you the one who kept giving me ultimatums about letting ——— take over the brunt of running this planet while I spent time with you?"

Warren slowed his rush to pull on his jeans. "Okay, yeah...but that's different."

"The difference is a whole planet versus a child."

"Look, I just…" Warren gestured to the door. "Whenever I'm home, I like waking [Thoeala] up. I like getting her breakfast ready, I like seeing that tiny alien face light up when she sees me, I like our morning routine. Sue me."

Thrive smiled, draping his arms over the edges of the tub. "This suits you."

vehicle (Rebirth)—

The resulting jolt caused one of the two graha to fall out of the open shuttle. Thrive caught them by the back of the neck and tossed them into the vehicle beside their companion, who'd been pressed into the wall by centripetal force.

He signaled to Sussa and glided into the shuttle after them, planting his feet firmly on the floor while she put a stop to the spinning. Thrive marched to the control console and checked the engines.

"Overloaded. We'll be taking the difficult way down." He turned to the cowering graha. "Where's Ysha?"

They spat obscenities at him in a graha dialect, brandishing their weapons at him and Sussa. She knocked a club out of one of their hands.

"You have a choice," Thrive said, firm, in their language and dialect without the help of the suit's translations. "Tell us where Ysha is located, or we run the shuttle into the ground. Whose side are we on today?"

The graha who lost his club began to advance toward Thrive in a burst of courage, only to be stopped short by the other graha belting him in the face hard enough to dislodge one of his large tusks. It bounced off the floor and zipped out of the shuttle.

trust (Eternal)—

"...Warren?!"

Warren looked up as Thrive's blown eyes met his, enraged and surprised and scared.

"Look," Warren stammered. "I...I can explain—"

"You...IDIOT!!"

Warren grimaced and braced himself as Thrive marched over to him, lifted him by the shirt with both fists, and shoved him against the wall. Tiny pieces of glass jammed themselves deeper into his skin.

"Why, Warren?!" Thrive growled, real hurt and shock in his voice. The rest of the crew stopped at the end of the hall to investigate the commotion. "Tell me why you refused to trust me, now out of all times, when I needed you to trust me more than I have ever needed you to trust me!"

"Because I'll follow you to the ends of the universe and back," Warren shot, blinking back the strobing white spots and his arm going numb. "Even if it means walking directly into the fires of hell, or facing the eliyi, or the Emmuli, or anything else we could possibly imagine and even things we can't. You feel this fear? This terror right here, right now that you're taking out on me"—he thumped the center of Thrive's chest with a fist to demonstrate—"that's me, too, fucker, and for once in my goddamn life I'm being selfish about it. You're gonna need me here, and honestly I don't care what you think—I'm not leaving you ever again and you're not leaving me ever again, and you can fucking deal with it!"

scan (Eternal)—

R'lis looked like a greener, more colorful version of Earth from the last time Warren had seen it. The alien world orbited a star much like Sol, with one moon that Thrive told Varussa to approach instead of the main planet.

"They take their defenses seriously," Thrive told everyone on the bridge. "Their moon acts as a security hub of sorts. Their barrier is deployed from there and nobody can shut it down without extensive verification first, including the DNA of ten individuals living in various, undisclosed parts of the galaxy. At least, that's how they operated when I lived on Slodia."

"Did you say their barrier?" Emnophene said. "They have a barrier around their planet?"

Thrive approached the navigation console and made a few keystrokes, running an infrared scan on R'lis and its moon. A sharp shimmer encapsulated the space around the planet, red laser-like light curving and warping around it, cocooning it within a defense system unseen to the naked eye.

"Whoa," Warren said. "That's...incredible."

[computerchiblog]

صندلی گیمینگ کوگر مدل Gaming Chair Cougar Argo

صندلی گیمینگ کوگر مدل Gaming Chair Cougar Argo دارای طراحی زیبایی و راحتی است که بسیار مقاوم و تحمل وزن بالایی دارد. این صندلی دارای ارتفاع حداقل 134 سانتی متر و حداکثر 142 سانتی متر است. عرض آن 70 سانتی متر و عمق آن 73 سانتی متر است. این ابعاد، به شما امکان تنظیم مطلوبیت و راحتی در طول استفاده را می ‌دهد.

ساختار آرماتور آلومینومی این صندلی، مقاومت و ��ایداری بالایی را به آن اضافه می ‌کند و پایه ‌ی فلزی نیز به پایداری کلی صندلی کمک می‌ کند. این پایه با طراحی مناسب، از لغزش و ناپایداری جلوگیری می‌ کند و تا سال ها دچار آسیبی نخواهد شد.

صندلی گیمینگ کوگر با بالشتک ‌های طبی طراحی شده است تا حمایت لازم از ناحیه ‌های مهم بدن شما را فراهم کند. بالشتک هایی بالایی برای جلوگیری از سر درد و گردن درد تعبیه شده است و بالشتک هایی پایینی این بالشتک به شما امکان تنظیم پشتی به شکلی مناسب را می‌ دهد. با تنظیم پشتی به زاویه‌ ی مورد نظر، فشار و استرس از ناحیه‌ ی کمر کاهش می ‌یابد و راحتی شما در طول استفاده افزایش می‌ یابد.

[bestfurnitures-1]

Best Gaming Chairs in India

In the world of gaming, comfort, and performance are paramount. Gamers often spend long hours seated, immersed in the digital realms of their favorite titles. To ensure an optimal gaming experience, investing in the right gaming chair is essential. In this article, we’ll explore the best gaming chairs available in India, designed to provide both comfort and performance. These chairs not only support your body during gaming marathons but also enhance your gaming performance. Let’s delve into the details and discover the perfect gaming throne for you.

Ergonomic Excellence

The first keyword is “ergonomic.” When it comes to gaming chairs, ergonomics are crucial. The Green Soul Monster Series Gaming Chair embodies this principle. Its ergonomic design supports your posture during long gaming sessions, reducing strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. Packed with features like adjustable armrests and lumbar support, it’s perfect for gamers who prioritize comfort without sacrificing performance.

Premium Comfort

For avid gamers, comfort is non-negotiable. The Ant Esports WB-8077 offers a premium gaming experience. Its high-density foam and memory foam pillows provide unparalleled comfort. This gaming chair is perfect for those who prioritize plush seating and neck and lumbar support, ensuring you can focus on your game without discomfort.

Racing-Style Aesthetics

Racing-style gaming chairs are popular for their sporty look and functionality. The Nokaxus Gaming Chair, with its racing-inspired aesthetics, adds a touch of style to your gaming setup. Its 180-degree recline and ergonomic design make it a perfect choice for gamers who appreciate both performance and aesthetics.

Sturdy Build

A sturdy gaming chair is a necessity for long-term use. The Green Soul Beast Series Gaming Chair is constructed with a sturdy metal frame and high-quality PU leather, making it a durable choice for intense gaming sessions. It provides the perfect blend of sturdiness and comfort.

Versatile Features

The Cougar Armor S Royal is the epitome of a feature-packed gaming chair. Equipped with adjustable components, memory foam cushions, and a tiltable backrest, it’s an ideal choice for gamers who value versatility. These features ensure you can personalize your chair to fit your specific gaming style and physique.

Budget-Friendly Options

Gaming chairs don’t have to break the bank. The Pulse Gaming Racing Chair offers excellent value for budget-conscious gamers. It combines affordability with essential features, including adjustable armrests and a reclining backrest, making it an excellent choice for those looking for comfort and performance without a hefty price tag.

Premium Performance

For the ultimate gaming experience, the Secretlab Omega Series is a top-tier option. Although slightly more expensive, its premium build, cold-cure foam, and 4D armrests offer unparalleled performance. It’s designed for gamers who want the very best, combining comfort, aesthetics, and exceptional support for long gaming sessions.

Conclusion

In the world of gaming, choosing the right gaming chair can significantly impact your performance and overall experience. The best gaming chairs in India are designed with ergonomic excellence, premium comfort, racing-style aesthetics, sturdy builds, versatile features, and even budget-friendly options in mind. Whether you’re a casual gamer or a professional eSports enthusiast, there’s a gaming chair that suits your preferences and requirements. Elevate your gaming experience by investing in a chair that not only supports your body but also enhances your performance.

[comkexcanada]

Cougar Poseidon GT 360 Review: Great Performance, if You Can Find It

Cougar Poseidon GT 360 Review: Great Performance, if You Can Find It

German company Cougar, founded in 2007, has a lineup that includes many peripherals, from CPU coolers to keyboards, and even gaming chairs. While companies like Noctua are known for their “plain” brown colors, Cougar is known for having orange accents in many of its products, and especially for its orange fans (although you won’t find one here).  We have Cougar’s Poseidon GT 360 on our test…

[benchbanana]

Gta 5 make visuals great again 2.0

GTA 5 MAKE VISUALS GREAT AGAIN 2.0 SERIES

We loved the first generation of this chair, and Gen 2.0 continues the tradition of quality and affordability. Whether you're gaming on a tighter budget or just want to keep it simple, the OFM ESS Collection can help out. OFM ESS Collection Generation 2.0 Best Ultra Cheap Gaming ChairĬhair Dimensions: 48.2"H x 28.1"W x 30.3"D | Ergonomics: flip up armrests, lumbar support, neck support, tilt | Max Load: 300 lbs And, we have plenty of other budget gaming chairs you can check out. Really, you aren't sacrificing much when saving on this chair. If you find that sweet spot in the recline, you can even lock it into place. Then, when you want to relax, you can lean back into a deep recline. When you're gaming, you can sit upright and dial the 3D armrests to the ideal position. Inside, the surprisingly wide seat is packed with high-density foam to support you, and it even includes some extra padding in the form of an adjustable lumbar pillow and a neck pillow for added comfort. The Cougar Explore S offers up a quilted-style PVC leather finish on top of a solid steel frame. Plus, it even has the design and durability to keep up with the cream of the crop. For under $300, you're still getting a racer-style seat with a good chunk of features often found on more expensive options. If you're on a tighter budget but want to kick back in style like the best of them, then the Cougar Explore S gaming chair is right up your alley. Seat Height: 15-17.32" | Seat Width: 25.8" | Seat Depth: 22.44" | Backrest Length: 34.3" | Backrest Width: 21.5" | Tilt: 90-155° | Ergonomics: 3D armrests, lumbar pillow, padded headrest | Max Load: 264.55 lbs Cougar Explore S Best Budget Gaming Chair Those additions on top of everything else make it hard to beat this option in terms of quality and comfort. The tops of the 4D armrests are also held in place magnetically, so you’ll have an easy time taking them off if you want to swap them out for some of the alternate toppers Secretlab has available. This makes for a stylish appearance and finer control over positioning. Secretlab has ditched straps for holding the neck pillow in place and instead opted for magnets. Where the new model changes things up is in the headrest and armrests. Plus, you still get a deep recline that locks into place for better relaxation between heated gaming sessions. That's paired with a sturdy backrest containing a sneakily added adjustable lumbar support ensuring you maintain good posture and preventing back pain. A soft, spacious, and generously padded seat is still a staple, and the material options of leatherette or fabric hold up great over time.

GTA 5 MAKE VISUALS GREAT AGAIN 2.0 SERIES

It takes what we already loved about the series and continues to refine it further with the Titan Evo 2022 Series. Secretlab continues to wow us with the Titan series. Seat Height: 17.7-20.5" | Seat Width: 18.5" | Seat Depth: 19.3" | Backrest Length: 33.5" | Backrest Width: 21" | Tilt: 85-165° | Ergonomics: 4D adjustable armrests, lumbar support, magnetic head pillow, memory foam with cooling gel | Max Load: 285 lbs Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series Best Gaming Chair TL DR – These are the Best Gaming Chairs:ġ. Take a look at our favorites below – click here to find them in the UK. Some of our picks are a bit expensive, but if you match that with quality materials, like solid steel frames and densely padded cushions, it's worth the investment. Plus, there are even some big and tall choices to ensure everyone's got a comfy place to settle down. We've included everything from rockers and recliners to the typical racing-style seats and even some more unique, ergonomic models. The amount of gaming chairs out there is overwhelming, so we've narrowed down the search to bring you the best options to fit all types of setups.

[taintedco]

Chairs 4 gaming

https://www.taintedreviewsgaming.com/2023/11/chairs-4-gaming.html 

If you are looking for a comfy chair or a sweet gaming desk that will hold everything you want or need, you should check out Chairs 4 gaming. They have all kinds of different gaming chairs that fits your needs.

 Trust me, I know how it is to sit 12+ hours streaming or playing a game and the chair that you are sitting in is starting to hurt your butt and back but you are still trying to grind and it sucks. 

The good thing about Chairs 4 gaming is that they have chairs for everyone unlike certain companies. They have chairs that can hold up to 425 lbs weight limit which is nice.

 They even have chairs that are under $300 so you don't have to break the bank to get a decent chair. 

The brand chairs that they have are Ewin, Dxracer, Techni sport, cougar gaming and Anda seat which is nice that they have more than one brand to choose from. These chairs look nice and honestly, I would get myself one if I had the money.

Ships to US and Canada only. 

Chairs, Desk, Footrest and accessories here!

[technology-x]

New Post has been published on http://www.technologyx.com/featured/cougar-armor-pro-gaming-chair/

Cougar Armor Pro Gaming Chair

Today we unveil the Armor Pro Gaming Chair. https://youtu.be/KQT4JGao6LQ Called upon as, The Throne for Gamers, we were looking forward to the build. When you’re thinking of a gaming chair, it’s easy to think of how simplistic the design appears, we just want something comfy.  But what goes into that design is what sets apart … Today we unveil the Armor Pro Gaming Chair. https://youtu.be/KQT4JGao6LQ Called upon as, The Throne for Gamers, we were looking forward to the build. When you’re thinking of a gaming chair, it’s easy to think of how simplistic the design appears, we just want something comfy.  But what goes into that design is what sets apart one chair to the next. Cougar has developed the newest line of gaming chair, Armor Pro, with a similar Breathable PVC leather, however they have redesigned the chair to a more, aesthetically appealing,  diamond design. The addition of the Orange micro-suede, bordering the full steel… Cougar Armor Pro Gaming Chair Cougar Armor Pro Gaming Chair 2019-12-21 Review Overview Assembly Design Features Comfort Price 78 Perfect Upgrade! The Armor Pro, is our choice for taking your gaming station up to the next level, Extremely comfortable and durable, the Armor Pro is a great choice! User Rating: Be the first one !

[sparkbeast20]

Get me a picture of Solomon Shirtless

“The first person who can get me a picture of Solomon shirtless, I’m officially yours.”

The room fill with sound of spilt takes, things falling, and hand slamming on the table. All the brothers turn to you, some widen eyes and others mouths open.

Lucifer asks you why would want a picture of Solomon.

Your simple answer “I want to see his pact marks” you got up and walk out the room, leaving them with “I’m dead serious”

Lucifer

· Child’s play

· He calls Solomon over to discuss “human” topics

· They were in the library with books display about pacts and effects.

· He’ll asks Solomon about his pact marks.

· But Solomon natural self, asks Lucifer to make a pact with him.

· Lucifer refuse, and ask about a certain demon he “knows” if Solomon made a pact with that demon.

· His say yes, unbutton his uniform, and points on the pact mark.

· Lucifer quickly brought out his phone and took the picture.

· But Solomon hands were in the way.

· Darn, he wasn’t quick enough.

· Solomon tells Lucifer, he’ll let him take a picture, if he says please.

· I WILL KILL YOU.

· he wants this to be over so, he took a deep breath, gives Solomon a fake smile and said please, through his teeth.

· With that, Solomon opens his uniform and let Lucifer take one photo.

· Thanking Solomon, and walks away.

· He asks you to meet him in his study.

· You came, sat on the chair right in front of his desk while sat on the opposite side.

· He brought out an envelop with the picture, and slowly bringing closer to you, but quickly taking it back.

· His ask to you to only seeing it once, you nod and he gave it to you.

· You took it out of the envelop, take a long good look of it, then tearing it in front of him.

· Shock Lucifer was about to get up, when you place a hand above his

· squishing his hand tell him.

· “You won Lucifer, I’m all yours”

Mammon

· He will get that photo at all cause.

· A loud knock at the doors of Purgatory Hall.

· Poor Luke had to get up to answer the door.

· He opens it to see Mammon with a camera that he “borrowed” from Levi or Asmo.

· He asks where’s Solomon with an aggressive tone.

· Luke tells him to go home, but Mammon just repeats the question.

· Luke just wanting to go back to bed, he points Mammon to Solomon’s room.

· Solomon making potion, heard his door kick open, he turns to see Mammon in the middle of the door frame.

· “Mammon! What are doing here- “

· “Take off your shirt”

· “What!”

· “I need a picture of your pact marks”

· “NO!”

· Mammon ran toward Solomon, he quickly dodges the demon, he grabs a potion and throw it at Mammon.

· He got hit, but for whatever he powers through the effect of the potion. (Power of love, I guess.)

· AH! It hurts but I NEED THAT PHOTO

· And he starts throwing potion, this fight took why too long.

· Early in the morning, you heard a knock on your door, you got up and walk over there.

· You open to see a tired Mammon, half of his hair colored, his shirt and pants is complete mess.

· Before you could say anything, handed over the camera with Solomon picture display on the screen.

· He drags himself to your bed and complete collapse on it.

· You called to him, he looks up to you, you’re still looking at the photo, then you look at him, with the camera screen face him.

· With one press of a button, you deleted the photo right in front of him.

· Mammon jaw drop, but you sat next to him.

· Cupping his face, rubbing your thumb on his cheek you tell him.

· “Congratulation Great Mammon, I’m all yours”

Leviathan

· He didn’t believe it at first.

· But when he saw his brothers is thinking, especially Mammon, he knew this was for real.

· Then a light bulb lit up in his head, his face grows devious smile.

· He has a plan.

· He invited Solomon over to help him with something.

· He opens the door to Levi’s room to see, a green screen and four sets of cameras all facing the center of the room.

· Levi greets Solomon, and tells him that he needs someone to model for his 3D character his making.

· Solomon agrees, but Levi say that he has to be shirtless for first part.

· Solomon asks why.

· He answers because the character has to have a default look, so he can add outfit in the future.

· With that, Levi got the photos, and proud of himself for not making things awkward.

· But he didn’t expect for Solomon to stay and watch how to make a 3D model.

· Oh I didn’t think this through.

· After a couple of hours of faking doing 3D model in a computer, the results were horrible.

· Levi feeling embarrass, he hides his face on the desk with his arms covering his head.

· Solomon tells him to find a different hobby, and leaves.

· It was the middle of the night when you heard a knock on the door.

· You told them to come in.

· The door open to revel Levi exhausted and red on the face, he raises his hand with the picture of Solomon.

· You got up, walk over to Levi.

· The two of you walk to your bed and sat down, you took the photos.

· You stared in each photo, then tear it in to pieces.

· Levi was about to scream because of your action, when lean your head on his shoulder, nuzzling it.

· Then you when near his ear and whisper.

· “Lord of shadow, I’m all your”

Satan

· He got angry a little bit about the task.

· there’s has to have a reason.

· Being cautious he messages Solomon about this.

· A laughing emoji pop up, then a text “they’re that desperate”

· Rage did begin to describe how piss of Satan was.

· Solomon had the gall to call you desperate.

· Later the evening, Solomon was in the common room of Purgatory Hall.

· Still thinking about his text with Satan, when he notices the window is crack open.

· He walks over, he was about to close it, when a hand grabs his wrist.

· Solomon looks out the window to see Satan in his demon form, mouthing “TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT”.

· At breakfast, everyone was eating and planning, when suddenly Satan walks in with a smile on his face.

· He saw you eating your breakfast, he walks over place the picture of a scare shirtless Solomon next to your plate.

· You almost choke to see it.

· While everyone else is shock and disappointed that Satan manage to get the picture.

· You grab the picture off the table, took a long good look then tear it.

· Most of the brothers were shock, and Satan was about to break something, when you gesture him to come closer.

· He leans near you, then you whisper in his ear.

· “Thank you, Satan I’m all your”

Asmodeus

· That’s easy, Solomon wouldn’t say no to him, right?

· The next day, Asmo want to Purgatory Hall to get the pictures he needed.

· But when he asks where’s Solomon, Luke said that his hiding from him and his brother.

· Oh so, he wants to this game… well challenge accepted old friend.

· Asmo use all his socials give out a message.

· “If you spot Solomon, DM me his location”

· Within the hour, Asmo knows where Solomon is.

· But every time he gets close, Solomon manages to get away.

· After 20 attempts of catching Solomon, Asmo finally cornered him, but at a cause.

· Determine, tired and anger, a messes Asmo tells Solomon to give up.

· Knowing Asmo rage can rivel Satan, Solomon gave up.

· After taking the photo, Asmo asks Solomon why he was hiding.

· Solomon simple answer “I like a challenge”

· You were in the common room, when Asmo show up with the photos.

· He was is a mess when gave you the photos.

· After giving them a good stare, you rip up the photos.

· Asmo gasp, then quickly engulf in your embrace, and tell him.

· “I’m all yours, Asmo”

Beelzebub

· He’ll just ask him, what could go wrong.

· He just when over to Purgatory Hall to get the photo.

· When he saw Luke and Simeon speed walking away from their dorm.

· Are they going out somewhere?

· The door open, Solomon welcome Beel.

· I have a bad feeling.

· Once inside, Beel when straight to the point, and asks Solomon a picture of his pact marks.

· He would gladly accept, but he has to finish his dinner all on his own.

· Sweat drip down from Beel’s forehead, he knows where this is going.

· With one final breath, Beel tells Solomon that he’ll help him with his dinner.

· Solomon smile and asks Beel to follow him in to the dining hall.

· Dizzy, Beel awakes up from a food coma.

· He saw Solomon taking picture of himself in the mirror.

· He turns to greet Beel, and hand over his phone.

· However, Beel asks him one more thing.

· “Sure, what is it?”

· “Tell me all about your pact marks, while I write the down”

· You were at the kitchen making cupcakes, when Beel comes in.

· He gave you the photos and notes about the pacts.

· You folded the note and hide it in your pocket, but the photos you tear it up.

· Beel’s jaw drop, but you place a cupcake in it, and gave him hug.

· “You did so much Beel, I’m all yours.”

Belphegor

· He thought to himself “just a picture, hm easy”

· When luck comes his way, Belphie saw Solomon at their gate.

· Solomon was about to enter woods nearby, Belphie asks what he was doing here.

· He said that, he was get some ingredients for a potion his making.

· Belphie tells Solomon, he’ll help him in exchange he wants one photo of him showing his pact marks on his torso.

· Solomon agrees, and the two when into the woods.

· The first thing they need was salamander slim.

· However, those things are slippering every time Belphie grab on to it, the Salamander slide out of his hands.

· After 5 attempts, they manage to get the slim.

· Then a certain fur from a cougar fang.

· Belphie got scratch.

· Then finally 10 seven leafs clovers

· Fuck! those things are rare, are you insane.

· After hours of looking, they found ten clovers.

· Once they got out the woods, Belphie brought out his phone and gave to Solomon.

· “Deals a deal I don’t want to see you shirtless so, take them over there”

· You were in the music room listening to favorite songs, when Belphie walks in, phone in hand.

· He sat next to you and gave you his phone with the picture.

· You look at the picture, while you took of your earphone off.

· Belphie widen eyes when he saw you delete the photo.

· You hand over his phone back, with an angry look on his face grab hold on the phone, but you didn’t let go.

· Instead, you place your other hand over his, rubbing it, he looks back to you.

· You smile and grab his hand, and tell him.

· “Wonder work Belphie, I’m all yours”

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

Epilogue

You were leaning in bed with the winner, the room was peaceful and quiet, you turn over him seeing his calm and happy.

A moment of silent was break by a sound from your D.D.D, you grab it and got out of bed, you bend over to kiss him on top of his head, and told him that you were going to the bathroom, he sleepy nod, then you walk out.

You close the door of the bathroom, and see how texted you.

Solomon

That was really daring of you to ask them that.

I told you, I’ll get you back

But I didn’t expect him to that.

I always make things hard for your “champion”

You really did, but that not what a reply to you.

Oh! What is it

I want to thank you

Thank me for what, I gave him a hard time, well hard time for him.

Exactly, he when so far to get a picture of you Shirtless.

He was confused at first but I show him that I don’t need a picture of some else.

So, Thank you, Solomon I got a Boyfriend out of it.

[back2gaming]

COUGAR Launches its First Ergonomic Chair ARGO

Cougar officially announces availability of the Argo ergonomic mesh chair. Now available in the USA and Philippines for $499 or Php24800. Available at PCHUB.

[spacetimewraithwrites-archive]

Find the Word Tag Game

(Double Feature/ROY G BIV Game)

tagged by: @sylvar-writes-fantasy & @druidx!! my words: hunt, freedom, trust, hate, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet tagging: @sleepyowlwrites, @drabbleitout, @drippingmoon, @ashen-crest, @zmwrites, @athenswrites, anyone who wants to, and the Sims 2 for being, arguably, the superior Sims game. your words: danger, dry, dive, dare, drive, dust AND/OR ROY G BIV

hunt search (Rebirth)—

"You good?"

[Warren] glanced at the man helping himself to the chair across the table and nodded. "Yeah, I’m..." He did a double-take.

He almost didn't recognize him—he wore smoky kohl blended into a rainbow of neon eyeshadow that amplified the clear blue of his eyes, and the three rows of tight braids on each side of his head. The rest of his sable hair had been teased into a pretty bouffant mohawk, and he had a scar that looked to have been old yet never fully healed, shaped like an upside-down triangle on his right temple.

The man was definitely Guetry Sympa. It was hard to miss the same mischievous air around his calm expression that existed in his dossier photo.

Those clear blue eyes looked a bit shifty as he settled into the chair and searched the surrounding atrium crowd for something. He placed his hands on his crossed legs with elegance he otherwise did not possess. His nails were, surprisingly, chewed down to the quick. "You look like you're about to pass out."

Warren noted the silver cigarette perched between two of Guetry's fingers and the long black coat with a high collar that made him look like a hitman from a movie. "I'll be fine."

freedom (Rebirth)—

"They're impressed," Thrive said, moving to the comm. "Camps all over Voka are following the lead of the Ogsh Mines, rioting and reclaiming their rightful territory and their freedom."

"Those two graha are still in the engine room," Alec said. "Where are we taking them?"

"I've actually just gotten off a call with the sanctuary a few moments ago."

"Heredes," Varussa said. "One of ours."

"I have visited before," Osillo mused. "Full of beauty and serenity the graha normally would not understand."

Thrive allowed himself a quick and curious silence. "They will now."

trust (Meridian)—

Warren glanced up from the floor of Thrive's Leviathan office, tablet laid out on his lap with his comm device in hand, tilting the screens away from the door. He'd been scheduling and taking notes for Thrive's percolating rebellion, and they wanted to keep track of who they could trust out of their friends and contacts so they could know who would be on their side.

Atoa didn't even notice the devices. He bowed low at the door. "You've received a call from the Consortium."

Warren rolled his eyes.

"What did they want?" Thrive asked from the desk.

"Veneve's star is showing signs of an impending supernova, sir."

Thrive moved around to Warren's line of sight. "...That would be infinitely worse than what's happened to Efthim."

"What? Why?" Warren looked at him, instantly realizing why. "Oh, shit...Veneve Ten."

"Should that star die," Thrive explained anyway, "it will destroy Veneve Ten, which could spread its radiation throughout a large portion of the galaxy."

hate (Rebirth)—

"Fuckin' ouch," Guetry said lightly. He visibly steeled himself as Alec barrelled through the crowd to grab him in a tight hug. "Girl, my ribs…!"

"Stupid bitch," she cried. "I hate you so much."

Guetry nodded into her shoulder. His eyes reddened and Warren could see the strength he mustered to keep his lip from quivering. "Yeah, I know."

She held on for a while before wiping a tear from her own cheek and pulling back. She booped him on the nose. "I'll keep your beat guitar warm for you."

Guetry inhaled deeply. "Thanks."

Alec sank back into the group and Guetry turned to Warren, who didn't realize until then that he was biting his cheek hard to avoid an overshow of emotions.

"I love you, Cougar. Since day one."

Warren snorted. "You're so gross." He sniffed heartily. "...But I love you too, man."

red (Aurora)—

Warren glanced around at everyone, and then at the nebula. At its crimson gaseous clouds. So red...so angry...and it crawled up the back of his neck like a spider. The sheer magnitude of the nebula, the arrogance of Torris being a rogue planet, the nerve of the Emmuli to think the universe belonged to it. The nerve of an entity dominating life to such a degree. How utterly fucking dare it.

He'd lost everything. He'd lost everything.

A black mist gathered from a shadow in the corner of the room and Warren snatched the rifle from Emnophene's hands, unloading the clip into the vaguely bipedal form until it disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Fuck you!" He shouted in the ensuing silence.

Guetry turned a pair of exasperated eyes onto the viewscreen and sighed. "Uh-oh."

A fist of smoke bashed into the window, grinding the ship to a halt and throwing everyone off their feet. The twins regained their stability first and threw shields at the Emmuli, who knocked them aside and barreled like a comet directly at Warren. He aimed the rifle and fired, kept firing until the smoke parted and funneled around the bridge into humanoid shapes launching into individual attacks on everyone else.

orange (Rebirth)—

Something around Thrive's hands caught [Warren’s] eye. A faint orange mist, barely noticeable, diffuse and wispy, swirled around them, between his fingers, caressing his knuckles. Thrive didn't seem to notice.

Hondris gasped, as if it only then fully sunk in. "———…"

"I lost them ten minutes ago," Gouna muttered from the steps. "I...I did everything I could."

"Right," Thrive said. He sounded far away, numb. "...We'll...have to put together a rite, I'll...have to send them to the Sky…"

Warren reached out and touched Thrive's arm though he was numb as well. "Turn it off for a second."

Thrive's face twisted but he remained rigid otherwise, not allowing anything else to break through his outward emotional barrier.

yellow (Eternal)—

Muffled vibrations shook the Laiori R'si as the eliyi dreadnought opened fire, and Thrive did little else but level the Headmaster with an intense stare even as a low red strobe bathed the bridge in an eerie light, indicating his own vessel was under attack. 

It was almost hypnotic; Thrive's natural form staring the Headmaster down as if he could reach into their brain from where he stood, and Warren wondered for a moment if that wasn't what he was trying to do.

More blasts of unfortunately familiar yellow energy went off against the outside of the viewscreen, deflected by a shimmering barrier protecting them. Thrive shifted his focus to the dreadnought just past the image of the eliyi spitting in their attempt to scream him into submission, and he remained the picture of calm.

green (Eternal)—

"You better eat all of this, because it's going to be impossible to feed you again for another several hours," [Guetry] said. "I was almost caught trying to bring you food once already."

"This is so stupid," Warren grunted, pulling himself to a sitting position and gratefully taking the plate. He took a bite—greens, potatoes, and something like beef, but slightly off, not quite from Earth. It still tasted amazing and Warren shoveled down as much as he could within the pause between his thoughts. "If you asked me five years before ——— if I'd ever love someone enough to stowaway on a starship for them, I'd have a direct line to the fucking police before you even finished talking."

"I know," Guetry said, already halfway to the door. "And I'm sorry. This is a mess to begin with. But it'll go by fast, I promise."

Warren rolled his eyes but said nothing else.

Mercury brought him his second and last meal before they arrived at the Ingress Gate, and Mercury informed him that they were ten hours away, which brought a deep relief to Warren he hadn't felt in a long time. At least one thing was reliable; Thrive, ever the workaholic, didn't come into their quarters once.

Except for when he did.

blue (Aurora)—

"Why would I be just as big a threat to the Emmuli…" Warren paused, mid-gesture, and his stomach lurched. "...Is this because of why I'm the Most Important Human Alive?"

"Yes."

"Wait," Warren said instantly. "Wait. I've waited ——— for this. Make the reveal as dramatic as possible."

The lights in the room shut down and a spotlight beamed on him and Thrive, a sea blue rising from under the floor. Warren heard Sussa and Guetry shifting around somewhere behind them.

"I really didn't think that would work," Warren said. More seriously, now, he turned to Thrive. "You know, don't you?"

"I have my suspicions."

"I want you to tell me."

Thrive's eyes sparkled under the harsh spotlight with a hint of cheekiness. "With the caveat that I'll be corrected if I'm wrong."

indigo (Aurora)—

"Did I miss it?"

"Yes," Gouna said, barely acknowledging Warren jogging into the lab. His nose was buried in a tablet, the other hand tapping away at the nearest console to the gestation tank, which still had the metal casing around it keeping it protected from the light. "You've just missed their entu'borah."

"Ooh," Corin piped up from his place hidden behind the tank. "We've got sarcasm today."

Thrive—also hidden behind the tank—stepped into view and, with Corin's help, removed the latches locking the casing in place. "That's extremely humorous coming from you," he grunted as the latches popped apart.

Gouna hooked his fingers into a slot in the side of the casing and pulled it off the tank, revealing the somewhat cloudy amniotic fluid and saturated indigo embryo floating inside, twitching at the sudden exposure to light.

Warren took a step closer, peering inside the tank with wide eyes. "Whoa…"

violet (Meridian)—

"Okay, this is it." Warren sat in a chair across from the chassis. "Harmony's got the code queued up and ready to send to the body."

She nodded at the computer. "Sending now."

The chassis hunched over, as if losing the strength to hold itself up, and the head twitched mechanically from one side to another, but then it went still.

Thrive moved closer to the hunched form, glancing in Harmony's direction. He waited for a couple of digital ticks, inching his fingers somewhat involuntarily toward the figure's shoulder. He inhaled as if prepared to speak, but he said nothing.

Warren thinned his eyes, unsure if he could take the anticipation much longer. His own words died in his throat upon the figure's head angling up and staring directly at Thrive.

Copper eyes blinked and neon violet swelled within the irises, swallowed by a hazy glow. They blinked again, cold, emotionless—settling on a more natural tint of purple, if that could be believed—and snapped to Warren.

[wiypt-writes]

Too Loose And You’ll Lose It

Ch7: Old Habits Die Hard

Part 1

Co-Written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Summary: The Losers head to Mexico for Pooch’s wedding but there’s something wrong with Stella…

Pairing: Jake Jensen x OFC Stella Stevenson

Warnings: Bad language and a whole heap of angst.

A/N: So this chapter is a LONG one- so it’s split into a number of parts, to be posted over the next week or so. A LOT going down, and we really hope you enjoy it as it’s our favourite one to date for these pair of dumbasses.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. We do not own any characters in this series bar Stella Stevenson and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

TLAYLI Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 6

 April 2008

Clay, Roque, Cougar and Jake arrived in Mexico on a glorious Thursday morning, two days before Pooch's wedding and wasted no time in settling into their hotel and kicking back with a few drinks, soaking up the sun and taking the chance to relax. Cougar was in his element, being in his native country and an area which he knew particularly well. That evening he took them away from the resort of Cozumel to a little village fifteen miles or so inland where they visited a few back alley bars he knew, meeting up with a couple of his friends. The Losers then found themselves roped into several games of poker, all of them losing a fairly substantial amount of money until Clay, rather sensibly, called time on the gambling to avoid Future Mrs Pooch going thermonuclear at them for gambling away any future Mini Pooches’ inheritance money. They somehow made it back to the hotel and managed to deliver Pooch safely to his intended. The man could hardly stand by the time they got back thanks to the copious amount of Tequila he had consumed, something Clay, Roque and Jensen were quick to blame on Cougar when an irate Jolene opened the door to their suite, a furious look on her face.

As it stood, the hangovers they were all suffering on Friday morning were clearly their penance for leading Pooch astray. Jake had woken up with a mouth like he had been eating sand, and had stood in a cold shower for fifteen minutes solid trying to find it in him to function like a normal human being. He headed down for breakfast ten minutes before the hotel was due to stop serving and spotted Clay, Cougar and Roque sat at a table on the outside balcony, all sporting sunglasses and looking as bad as he felt. Jensen helped himself to as much as his plate could handle from the buffet and tucked in. He was beyond thankful that the food went someway to actually settling his churning stomach as opposed to making it worse. As he downed his fourth orange juice of the morning, he felt his mobile buzzing in his pocket and he pulled it out, his lips quirking into a smile as he read the message.

"It's Stel." He announced to the table. "She says ETA about forty minutes."

"How come she isn't here already?" Roque asked and Jensen rolled his eyes.

"Agent Shit-name was working, apparently. Meant they could only fly out early this morning." He swallowed the bite of toast he had rather viciously taken at the thought of Stel’s asshat boyfriend.

"Touchy subject." Clay looked at Roque. "Pooch is still low-key pissed she missed his Batchelor party."

Roque said nothing, simply raised his eyebrows as Jensen leaned back in his chair, massaging his now full stomach. "The guy is a dick." He spat venomously.

"Yes, but there's gonna be no trouble." Cougar turned to him, tipping his hat up slightly so he could see him.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter, Cougs." Jensen grinned and Cougar gave a snort, shaking his head.

They finished breakfast and after several more coffees were eventually ushered out of the restaurant by a very harassed looking waiter. As they wandered back through the hotel lobby, Clay stopped and waved, causing Jensen to turn and look, a smile spreading across his face as he saw Stella walking through the door pulling her suitcase. He frowned at the fact asshole wasn’t carrying it for her, but as Stella approached them he realised that Evan was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s agent Shit-Name?” He blurted out by way of greeting, and Stella responded with a filthy glare, otherwise ignoring him completely. She turned instead to greet Roque and Cougar before she gave Clay a huge hug.

“Good flight, Arty?” Roque asked and she smiled at him, popping a shoulder.

“As good as it gets. But they didn’t have tomato juice. Would you believe it?”

Clay gave a huge laugh. “Since when have you drunk that stuff?”

“It’s not that bad, plus if you drink alcohol on a plane you get severe dehydration.” She replied.

“You’re making that up.” Jake looked at her and she turned her attention to him, giving him an appraising look.

“I read it in Science.” She quipped back. Jake blinked, before he burst out laughing and she grinned and shook her head. “I’m just joking. I had several gin and tonics and glass of wine. I’m good.”

Roque looked at Clay. “What just happened?”

“They do this.” Clay answered. “Have you not noticed yet?”

Roque rolled his eyes and then Cougar asked the question that all of them had been dying to know the answer to. “Where’s Evan?”

Well, all bar Jake that is as he couldn’t have cared less.

Stella shifted a little, rubbing her neck, Jake instantly spotting her discomfort. “He errr, he couldn’t make it.”

“He bailed on you?” Roque frowned at the same time Clay blurted out.

“What do you mean he couldn’t make it?”

Stella licked her lips and at that point Jensen jumped in. He could see her flustered and despite his dislike of her boyfriend, he hated seeing her like that so he offered her a way out. “Work?”

She nodded, shooting him a thankful look. “Yeah, something came up.”

“Of course it came up.” Clay grumbled loudly. Whether he had meant for Stella to hear or not, hear she did. And what was more, it was apparent he didn’t believe Evan’s excuse any more than she did. Stella swallowed, she had always trusted Clay’s judgement and it was unnerving a little to realise exactly what he thought.

She took a deep breath. “I’m gonna go check in.” As she reached for her bag, a hand softly batted hers away as Jensen grabbed the handle.

“I got it.”

As soon as the two of them were out of earshot, Cougar turned to Clay as Roque shook his head

“Bastard.” Clay spat. “He’s not come and left her to pick up the flack and explain to Pooch.”

Cougs mumbled a swear word in Spanish as Clay’s eyes flicked to Stella and Jake before he pulled out his phone.

“’m gonna make some calls. Meet you at the pool bar in a while.”

*****

As they stood in the queue for the reception desk, a bunch of people all having descended to check in at once, Jake turned to Stella and took a deep breath. “Wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

“Nothing is going on, Jake.” Stella’s tone was level but firm, an indication she didn’t want to discuss the topic.

But Jensen never had been one to take heed of warnings. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, you should.” She turned to face him, raising her brow a little. “Tell me, any Mexican chick fallen at your feet yet?”

He sighed, throwing his head back and giving a low groan. “C’mon, Stel, I thought we were past this?”

“Past what?” Her tone was innocent but Jake could tell she didn’t dare look him in the eye. Instead, she concentrated on searching for something in her purse.

“Holding out on one another.” He answered, looking at her. “You’re still my best friend.”

“Well, forgive me if I sometimes forget.” She rolled her eyes as she produced her credit card.

“Okay okay, you don’t wanna tell me then fine.” Jensen rubbed at his eye before pushing his glasses back up his nose. “Whatever.”

Stella looked at him before she gave a little sigh, and hung her head slightly. “Ev’s busy, okay? Something last minute came up and he...”

“Let me guess.” Jake rolled his eyes. “He asked you not to come without him and when you told him to fuck off you had an argument.”

“No, actually.” Stella fixed him with a glare, narrowing her eyes “He told me to come. It’s nothing like that at all.”

“Stel...”

“Jake, just drop it okay!” Her voice grew louder. “You couldn’t be further away from the truth if you tried.”

Jensen raised his hands in surrender, knowing it was time to drop the subject. “All right, all right. I really don’t wanna know.”

Before she could shoot back a response, she was called forward to the desk. Jake moved off to the side with her bag, watching her as she spoke to the guy behind the counter.

His hands dropped to his slim hips as he studied her, wracking his brains. Despite her protestations there was obviously something more going on, he knew her too well. The only thing he could think of was that for some reason they’d had an argument, a big enough one for Agent Shit-Name to leave her to come on her own. And, considering Jake knew he had told Stella to stay away from him, it must have been pretty serious for him to say he wasn’t coming.

As Jake watched Stella signing her name on the paper the guy behind the desk slid over to her, he saw her give a little smile before she tucked her hair behind her ear. He took a deep breath, shaking himself out of his thoughts and decided that he was going to make her forget about Asshole for a couple of days and enjoy herself. Being the Stel he’d always known and adored.

She nodded and said something to the receptionist before she turned towards Jake, heading over to him and he smiled. “All sorted?”

“Yeah I’m on the 4th floor

“Hey, cool! Same as me and Cougs.”

“Are you guys sharing?” She asked and he shook his head, giving a snort.

“Hell no. The Cougar is on the prowl, apparently. He’s a couple of rooms down.”

“Well I’m in 415.”

“422, Sweetheart.”

“Good to know in case I’m attacked by a spider in the middle of the night.” She grinned and Jake chuckled.

“Well, if you want I’ll do a sweep before you go in.” He looked at her seriously. “I am a highly trained killing machine after all.”

“So am I.”

“Yeah but I ain’t afraid of spiders... well, okay, not the little ones that is.”

Stella laughed. “Course not. But, that aside, I could use your help with my suitcase.”

“You don’t need to ask.” He said gently, picking it up. “I was already gonna bring it.”

She smiled and they made their way to the elevator which by some twist of luck was already on their floor. The door opens and they stepped inside, Stella turning to select their floor.

“Alright, I gotta ask.” Jake spoke and Stella turned to him as he gestured to the large case now by his feet. “You’re here for what, three nights? You bring your whole wardrobe, Stelly?”

She scoffed “I need all three nights’ outfits and daytime clothes as well. Toiletries, make up, underwear...bikinis.” At the last word she shot him a wink and Jake’s head dropped forward, his hands on his hips.

“Stop it.” He groaned playfully and she laughed.

“You don’t wanna hit the pool then, Jakey?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“Why would it be?”

“Well this feels like the part where I’m supposed to make some rude comment only I’m not sure if you’ll laugh or slap me.”

“You’d never know if you don’t say it.”

Jake looked at her, he was utterly confused now and hadn’t got a clue what was going on. He licked his lips, swallowed before he sighed and rubbed his beard. Thankfully, he was saved from responding at all as the elevator stopped, the doors sliding open as they’d reached their floor.

****

Once the slightly awkward but friendly first time introductions to the rest of the guests that the boys had met the day before, Stell felt herself really beginning to relax. She had been on edge since arriving if truth be told, not least because her friends had hit the nail on the head, there was something going on with Evan. But, she didn't want to think about it. Not now. Instead, she settled herself on a sun-lounger, peeling off her little sun-dress to reveal a yellow bikini and Jake flopped onto the one besides her, whipping off his white wife-beater. They talked and laughed and joked. It felt good, just kicking back, not a care in the world. Soft, holiday themed music was playing, the atmosphere was happy, and Stella had a constant supply of cocktails thanks to the team persistently plying her with them.

She must have fallen asleep at one point, as when she turned Jake wasn't there, but it didn't take her long to find him, his distinctive laugh ringing out over the pool area. Stella led back in the sun, glasses covering her face, no one able to see her eyes as she watched him sat on the edge of the pool, one of the bridesmaids next to him, their legs dangling in the water. His broad shoulders and back muscles twitched as he talked with his hands, as usual, emphasising whatever it was he was saying, one large arm reaching up to brush through his short hair. The girl laughed and tipped her head back and Jake grinned before he said something else and stood up. Stella shifted a little as he headed towards her.

"Stel, you want another drink?"

She pulled her glasses down, and peered over them as she smiled up at him. "No, I'm fine JJ thanks."

"Cool, just, you know, ask me if you need anything."

"I’ll be fine Jake." She insisted. "Just enjoy yourself or... whatever."

He gave her a little smile before he turned and walked away. Stella watched him go, and it didn't escape her just how many heads turned in his direction. She took a deep breath then suddenly a shadow blocked her sun. She looked up to see Cougar stood beside her, hands on his hips, bright blue swim shorts and a plain grey tank covering his toned upper body.

"Enjoying the views, Arty?"

She rolled her eyes, then smirked at him as she spotted his ever present headwear. "Even round the pool you’re wearing the hat?" She sat up slightly, nodding towards it.

"Well it keeps the top of my head cool and shelters my eyes from the sun." He shrugged. "And helps maintain my youthful complexion."

"You gonna be wearing it for the wedding?" She grinned as he perched on the lounger next to her, before he led back over the top of Jake's towel, swinging his legs up to recline a little.

"Of course I am." He looked at her like she'd asked a dumbass question. "I’m making a fashion statement, Honey!"

At that she laughed. "Well, I look forward to seeing that!"

"I'll save you a front row seat!"

As the two of them continued to chat, over at a table a little further round the pool, Roque and Clay were sat deep in conversation. Pooch made his way over, flopping down heavily into a seat, shades covering his eyes.

“All right, so someone wanna tell me what happened to Shit-Name?” There was no disguising the bitterness in his tone. He was still pissed over the whole stag-do incident as Stella hadn’t gone, and the blame for that lay firmly at Evan’s feet.  “Not that I care, in fact I’m glad not having to see him around but-“ he nodded to Stella “-well I don’t like her being upset.”

Clay took a deep breath and blew it out harshly. “So, I made some calls. Pulled some strings and…”

“What?” Roque took a pull from his beer and turned towards the Colonel. Clay simply shook his head and Roque rolled his eyes. “Spit it out, Clay.”

“The guy is not on duty this whole week.” Clay looked at him, and then to Pooch who pulled a face.

“The whole week? I thought she was flying in today because he had some work to finish before taking a couple of days off?”

“So did I.” Clay shrugged.

“So what? He’s been lying to stop her coming for more than absolutely necessary?” Roque frowned. “That is fucked up, Clay.”

“I don’t get it though.” Pooch shook his head, a puzzled expression on his face. “Why is he not here? If he’s so hell bent on keeping her away from us, well, specifically Jensen, why the fuck has he let her come on her own?”

“I don’t know.” Clay looked over at Stella before turning back. “But I don’t like it.”

“Don’t like what?”

The three of them turned to see Jensen stood by their table, pushing his shades up his nose a little.

“Your swimming trunks.” Roque was quick to quip. “Pink? Really?”

Jensen grinned “Gracie got me these! Special present for being her coolest Uncle.”

“Yeah, you see she’s six, Jensen.” Clay grinned, taking a drink of his beer. “Her taste is debatable.”

At that Pooch snorted. “And besides, man, you’re her only Uncle! Not like she has anyone else to compare you to.”

“Oh yeah?” Jensen shot Pooch a look. “Fine, watch this.” He cleared his throat and looked over the pool area towards Stella. “Yo, Stel!” She glanced at him from where she was sat with Cougar and gestured with her head for him to continue speaking. “What you think of my shorts?” He gave a grin, twirling on the spot with his hands out to his side.

Stella arched a brow as she pulled down her glasses and looked over the top of them at him. “I’ve seen you in worse.” She called before she turned back to Cougar, a slight smile on her face.

Jake grinned and looked back at the men round the table, pointing in her direction. “See, that’s a compliment.”

“Yeah, by worse she means naked.” Pooch snorted. Roque and Clay both burst out laughing and the three of them clinked their beer bottles together.  

“You can all laugh but let’s face it, none of you could pull off this colour.” Jake sniffed.

“Who says you’re pulling it off, Jensen?” Clay arched his eyebrow.

“Well, he’s gonna need to as no one else is gonna pull em off for him.” Roque sniggered.

“Well, actually, Jolene’s cousins have already asked if he was free.” Pooch raised an eyebrow.

“They blind?” Roque shot back as Jensen grinned, ignoring him.

“Really? Which ones?”

“You were sitting with one of them earlier.” Pooch informed him.

“Oh, the red headed chick?” Jensen glanced around, and his eyes once more fell on Stella who was now sat up, turned towards Cougar as they talked about something. He took a deep breath. “Yeah, she’s not really my type. In a bit fellas.” With that he slapped Pooch on the head and wandered over to join Cougar and Stella.

“We cannot tell him about Evan.” Roque stated as Jensen sat down on the sun lounger next to Stella, leaning back a little on his hands.

“Nope." Clay agreed.

“Absolutely not.” Pooch affirmed with a serious nod.

*****

Stella was in her room’s bathroom, leaning over the counter to check her mascara hadn’t left any unwelcome blotch around her eyelashes when there was a loud knock on the door followed by the two softer ones that, ever since they met all those years ago, announced Jake Jensen’s presence. She gave a last glance at her appearance on the mirror, adjusting the thin straps of her pale pink dress to her shoulders, before she went to open the door for him.

“Damn, Stel. You look amazing.”

It was all Jake could express when he recovered from the shock of seeing Stella all dolled up for the first time since what seemed like forever. Maybe the last time being when Jane and Rob got married and they were still together and waiting for their military training to be over. She looked stunning in that outfit and he couldn’t fail but to observe it was Stelly all over. Her pale pink dress was covered in delicate lace flowers and flowed down her curves, the deep v neckline doing nothing but highlighting her gorgeous breasts which Jake so damned well knew and had cherished once upon a time.

Fuck, his mouth was dry…

“Thanks JJ.” Stella chimed, making Jake blink and shake his head. “I need a quick minute…”

As she turned to go finish getting ready he followed her in, closing the door behind him.

“Hey, you’re not gonna say anything about my slacks and this fancy waistcoat I’m wearing.” He asked opening his arms for her to take in his appearance which she did when she turned, looking him up and down. She took in his dark blue plaid tweed waistcoat, matching trousers, along with his pale blue and white striped dress shirt and matching tie and she grinned.

“No jacket?”

“Fuck that shit, Stel its too hot out!” He snorted. “I’m gonna boil to death enough tomorrow in my suit.”

Stella laughed, looking him up and down again before she took a deep breath. “You could almost pass as a grown up, Jake.”

He pouted though he was slightly amused at the comment as it clearly meant her brain had also taken her to the last time they both had worn such elegant outfits, as they had been basically babies then.

“Rude, Stel. You used to like this look on me when we were.... ummm.... did you change your perfume?” Jake suddenly asked in an attempt to change topic after almost sliding dangerously down memory lane.

“No it’s the same it’s been for years.” Stella rolled her eyes at him and turned to rummage in her make up bag.

“Yes. Right….” Jensen replied somewhat awkwardly but relieved she was busy with something else. “So Cougs is coming down with us, he’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She said as she finished putting her lip-gloss on before grabbing her sandals and sitting on her bed. “So like, is there a huge group of us tonight then?”

Jake stood there, his brain having a hard registering Stella’s question, his hands on his trouser pockets as he bounced on the balls of his feet and blushed furiously because, from where he was stood,  as Stella was bent over doing her sandals up, he could see right down her dress and the line of her breasts. But when he finally did realise she’d spoken, he swallowed hard and tried to play it as cool as possible.

“I guess pretty much everyone invited who’s here already, it is a rehearsal dinner after all. Hey, did you know Clay’s chick is landing tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow morning? Stella frowned. “Cutting it a bit fine, isn’t it?” She asked standing up and readjusting her dress.

“Well, better late than never.” Jake muttered, more to himself than anything but Stella had clearly heard it as she was glaring at him.

“Don’t start.”

“Sorry, my bad.” Jensen raised the palms of his hands in surrender. But before he could continue apologizing there was another knock on the door. “That will be Cougs.” Jake took a hasty retreat as he went to open the door to Cougar who raised an eyebrow on seeing his friend’s flustered expression.

“Don’t look at me like that, Cougar.”

“What the fuck’s wrong with you, Jensen?” Cougar whispered but then his eyes landed on Stella who was coming towards them and looked at Jensen again as he mouthed. “Wow.”

On an impulse Jake dug him in the ribs with his elbow which made Cougar shove him hard on the shoulder in turn just before Stella stopped by their side and looked at them. “What the fuck are you two doing?”

“Playing tag.” Jensen blurted out.

Stella narrowed her eyes at him just as Cougar looked at him wondering what the fuck Jensen was dragging him into. Jensen gave him a look and Cougar rolled his eyes.

“I told him he’s buying the first round tonight and the jerk said he wouldn’t.” He turned to Stella, trying not to sound too eager or false.

Stella shrugged. “What else is new?”

“Hey, I’m not paying ‘cause it’s a free bar. All the rounds are on Pooch and future Mrs Pooch.” Jensen nodded lightly at Coug, rolling with it.

Stella grinned as they step out of the room and she shut the door. “Well boys, ” she linked her arms into theirs as they were at either side of her, “in that case let’s see how drunk we can go get for free.”

Jakey and Cougar both cheered loudly at the idea and she laughed heartily.

“And you’re walking into the party escorted by two of the most eligible bachelors in this resort, Sweetheart.” Jensen added cheekily.

“Yeah?” She asked as she called the lift and Jensen saw her eyes shine with mischief before speaking again. “You taking me to meet them? Are they downstairs?”

Cougar snorted but Jake wasn’t gonna let it die there. That was the playful Stella he so adored, his Stelly. They could go on at this type of banter for hours if they were in the mood.

“Face facts, I am desirable as Pooch told me before. Bridesmaids already asking for my number. How many asked for your number, Cougs?”

Cougar just smirked and tip the brim of his hat. “They only need my room number, you loser.”

At that Stella let out a huge laugh and the elevator arrived so she stepped in followed by Cougar, Jake behind them.

“Okay, yeah. I’ll give you that one.” Jensen admitted as the elevator doors closed and they headed down.

***

When they got to the big room where the rehearsal party was taking place, the bride and groom were already there greeting all their guests and Stella was immediately introduced to everyone in Jolene’s extended family who hadn’t been at the pool earlier that day. The drinks and conversations were flowing when the wedding planner, a woman with a thick Mexican accent, announced dinner was being served in a few minutes and politely asked them all to find their seats.

The Losers were set to share a table with Pooch’s brother and his girlfriend and a couple of Jolene’s bridesmaids who happened to be her cousins too. The food was delicious and by the time dessert had been served, Stel could swear her dress had shrunk in size but she was damned if she was going to say no to those sinful Tamales. The chocolate on her taste buds, together with all the tequila and cocktails they had consumed during the meal had her in good spirits. She could honestly say she was having a great time and was enjoying herself, only one thing casting a shadow over her jolly mood.

Jolene’s cousin Shanice, secretly renamed by Stella as Corpse Bridesmaid, who was sitting at Jake’s other side, insisted on flirting shamelessly with him, to the point it was embarrassing. So, when her piercing laughter at some of Jake’s shitty quips got everyone at their table startled, Stella shared a glance with Cougar who was sat at her other side and excused herself. Instead of going to the ladies restroom, she went outside, deciding some fresh air would do her good. She wandered out onto the beach a little and sat down breathing in deeply,  taking in the peacefulness of the sea in front of her.

Her head was swimming but not just from alcohol. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but it was jealousy. She was jealous of Jake and Corpse Bridesmaid when she wasn’t supposed to be. Right? She wasn’t supposed to be and she didn’t like the feeling either.

And then there was Evan. She knew he was lying about having to work. He’d just used that as an excuse not to come to cover up the real core of the issue. Although he still insisted he was stuck at the office she knew he didn’t have to be there, and that evening, when they had talked on the phone, he had been cold and curt, their conversation mainly made of void questions and monosyllabic answers. Stella breathed in shakily at the memory of that conversation and pulled her phone out for the umpteenth time that night. No messages, no missed calls. Nothing. She sighed and chucked it back on her purse hastily.

“A watched phone never rings, Arty”

She hadn’t heard him approach, absorbed as she was in her own thoughts, but she made no effort to turn around as Cougar was already sitting on the sand next to her.

“Any luck with the blonde bridesmaid, Cougs?” She asked with a soft smile. “Maybe she’s the type that calls.”

“I told you before, I don’t need her to call, just knock.” He joked before turning his head to look at her, studying her features. “What’s going on Arty?”

“Nothing Cougs, just getting a little lightheaded in there.” Stella explained as she nodded her head towards the muffled voices of the party inside.

Cougar nodded. “And I’m assuming it’s not only because of the drinks.”

Stella didn’t reply, she simply looked away not trusting herself to say anything without her voice breaking.

“You know I won’t tell anyone, right? Especially not Jensen.”

Stella sighed and lowered her head as her hands fiddled with the flowers of her dress.  “I don’t believe Ev is working. I think he was making excuses not to come.” She finally spoke, before lifting her eyes to meet Cougar’s.

“And why would he be making excuses not to come with you?” Cougar frowned. “I thought he always wanted to spend time with you. That’s why you haven’t been hanging out with us so much anymore, huh?”

Stella raised her eyebrows. “He does. We kinda had an argument about it, well, not really an argument just a discussion about him crowding me and stuff, how he acts about Jake and you guys... and he admitted he was a little full on but said it was because he loved me.”

“Oh, so he threw the big L word there. That’s good, right?” Cougar asked, looking at her confused and a bit concerned as she had looked somehow embarrassed to admit Evan had said he loved her.

Stella looked at him. “Not really Cougs, because when he said it I was paralyzed and then realized I couldn’t say it back.”

“Oh.” He grimaced. “That’s not so good.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “You don’t love him?”

Stella shrugged, feeling calmer now, almost relieved she had finally got it off her chest and shared it with someone. “I thought I was sorta getting there you know, told myself it would happen in time but we’re almost six months in now. And each week I can’t see beyond the next, there’s no long term view there for me, Cougs and…”

“That’s a hard no disguised as a not yet, Arty.” He observed when he noticed Stella was trailing off. And she didn’t reply but looked at the sand instead as there wasn’t really a suitable response to that, least of all because he was right, she knew that much.

“Come here.” Cougar sighed, waving his hand for her to get closer before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on the top of her head. “What you gonna do about it?”

“Finish it I suppose. That’s the right thing to do isn’t it?” She answered as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess it’s certainly the most sensible thing to do, anyway.”

“Well I’m a very sensible person.” Stella chuckled causing Cougar to snort.

“You spent years dating Jensen, I beg to differ.”

“Not my most sensible time.” She quipped.

Cougar laughed, shaking his head in agreement, and when he looked down to watch her he saw she was looking at the sand again, only this time she was smiling as she was clearly remembering something about the time he spent with Jake.

“He still loves you, you know? Jensen I mean.”

Stella’s eyes darted up at him and she scoffed. “You’re insane, Coug? You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Oh I know exactly what I’m saying. And more so you know it’s true.” Cougar stated as he tipped the brim of his hat and winked at her.

****

“Fuck, no, no more!” Jensen waved his hand as Roque grinned widely and held his hands up cheering loudly as Jensen grimaced. Both men had spent the last thirty five minutes doing shots while being cheered, as could not be otherwise, by Corpse Bridesmaid.

“All right, all right, you win Roque. I’m out.” Jensen admitted defeat as he turned around, scanning the dance floor. He frowned when he realized he couldn’t spot Stella, granted he was a bit drunk but he really couldn’t see her anywhere in the room. So he stood up from his seat and blinked twice as everything was a little hazy.

“Hey Clay, you seen Stel?” He asked when he finally steadied himself, brushing his hand through his hair before he pushed his glasses back up his nose. They’d gotten a little too close to falling off whilst he’d been doing those damned shots.

“Nope, it’s been a while since I last saw her.” Clay replied, glancing up at him from where he was sat on his spot at their table talking to Pooch’s brother.

“She went outside a while back. Didn’t say goodbye so I assumed she was coming back but…” Jolene, who had come searching for her cousin, offered but then someone Jensen couldn’t quite place tapped her shoulder so she turned round to talk to them and they left together a few seconds later, leaving him a little puzzled, without answers.

“Okay, I’ll go find her myself. You guys are useless.” He sniffed as he loosened his tie and turned to leave.

Clay rolled his eyes and looked at Roque who shook his head and snorted. “Whatever Jensen, just keep an eye on that tie. Too loose and you’ll lose it.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Jensen.” Clay warned him, earning a frown from Pooch’s brother and causing Jensen to stop in his tracks.

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” He asked, turning to look at Clay.

“It means you’ve drunk a lot with Roque and she’s got a boyfriend who is clearly making her upset.”

“I’m fine I…” Jensen began to protest but he immediately paused as Clay’s words registered. “Hang on, what do you mean Shit-Name is making her upset?” He frowned as Clay groaned, realizing he had said too much “Do you know something?”

“Well he’s not here, isn’t he? That should be enough.” Clay tried to brush it off.

Jensen looked at him for a moment before he turned and left the room, contemplating what Clay had just said. Despite the colonel’s attempt to brush it off as an innocent comment, he had once more raised the point that Shit-Name wasn’t here, and none of them really knew why. There was also the fact that Stella had been uncharacteristically flirty with Jake that day, more than their usual good natured quips…was it possible they had split up? But, if they had, surely she would have told him right? But then again, maybe she wouldn’t have told him, not wanting to cloud Pooch’s big weekend with her issues?

The thought was enough to make Jake grin, but the grin disappeared as fast as it had come and he couldn’t help but groan at this train of thought. Nothing would make him happier than that dick to be gone for good but he also didn’t want Stella to be upset and heartbroken. That was part of the reason that, despite his vow on New Years’ Eve to Clay in his parent’s dining room about fighting for her, he’d really tried to behave. He’d watched as her and Evan had gone from, what appeared to be, strength to strength, and, if he had to be honest, he was just grateful they were on good terms and wouldn’t want to jinx his recently fixed friendship with his Stelly for all the gold in the world. Plus, he just wanted her to be happy, she deserved that at least.  And, until now, he thought that Agent Shit-Name was making her so…

All those noisy thoughts were clouding his alcohol intoxicated head when he finally made it outside after a quick stop at the restroom. As soon as Jensen’s feet landed on the soft beach sand, he spotted Stella in the distance but she wasn’t alone as Cougar was sitting next to her on the sand with his arm round her.

“What the fuck, Cougs?” He whispered to himself, his jaw twitching a little. “Seriously, you’re going there?”

Both figures wheeled round and looked at him as he drew closer, his constant groans about tripping over on the sand alerting them to his presence. And when they did turn, Jake could see Stella had been crying.

“Stel, what’s going on?” He asked her softly.

Stella hastily wiped her tears and sniffed before speaking. “Nothing, I’m fine. It’s just….” She trailed off as she looked at Cougar with pleading eyes.

“I was telling her stories of my childhood here in Mexico.”  Cougar looked at Jake.

“Yeah…” Stella nodded eagerly. “… and it just got me thinking a bit of dad and stuff.”

Jensen glared at Cougar as he squatted beside them both, not for a minute believing the bullshit he had come up with, but then Cougar shot him a look and shook his head gently. Jensen’s frown deepened a little, before he looked at Stella who was now watching the ocean again. He knew she was lying, she had been lying about Evan and about them being fine since she had landed in Mexico that morning, but he also knew now, from Cougs, it wasn’t what his tequila mushed brain had thought some minutes earlier.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed all that to the back of his mind and fixed a smile on his face.

“Well, Stelly, I think the only thing to do here is come dance your sorrows away.” He tried to lighten the mood up a bit as he knew his Stelly had always loved dancing.

She looked at him like he was a moron before she burst out laughing and he shot her a cheeky grin.

“Yasss, come on, Sweetheart.” He pressed as he stood up, helping her up in the process and once they both were standing on their feet Jensen turned around and bent a little. “Jump up! We’re going dancing.”

“You’re not carrying me, moron!” She shook her head as he turned to look at her. “And it’s just one. I had an early morning and I need some rest.” She bent slightly, brushing the sand off her dress, giving Jensen another front row view of her cleavage line and without even looking at him, he nudged Cougar to stop him staring, sending the man sprawling over onto the sand, a string of Mexican expletives escaping his mouth.

“That’s my Stelly.” Jake grinned and she took his hand as she put her sandals back on before Jensen dipped and slung her over his shoulder.

“JJ put me down you ass!” Stella squealed.

“No can do Stel, don’t trust you not to run.” He said amidst laughter.

“Don’t mind me…” Cougar quipped as he remained sprawled on the sand.

“We won’t.” Jensen shot back as he strode up the beach to the bar with Stella over his shoulder, laughing as she slapped his back.

“Jake my boobs are gonna fall out of my dress!” She shouted, slapping his back harder once they were almost reaching the sliding doors that led to the room where the party after the dinner was now in full swing.

“I see no issue with that.”

“God, you’re a dick!” Stella scoffed and Jensen chuckled, eventually putting her down on the bar and looking at her chest. “Hey, my face is up here.”

“I was just… erm…” Jensen gave a goofy smile as he made a grabbing hand gesture in front of her boobs “…checking the twins are still in place and you’re good.”

Stella rolled her eyes at him as she rearranged her dress. “Pervert.”

All in all, and as Jensen had expected, Stella stayed for a little more than one song as she was letting herself go and forget everything. The pair of them just enjoyed themselves, and it was almost as if no time at all had passed, and they were still at some sort of crummy, homecoming or end of year dance at their school’s over decorated sports hall.

Just as they were winding down a rather energetic dance to some form of Nineties dance song, the name of which, Jensen had no idea, Pooch cut the music and stepped up to thank everyone for coming, before he started talking rather drunken and lovingly about Jolene. As Roque and Clay began to heckle, telling him to save the mushy ‘I love yous’ for tomorrow, Stella zoned out a little, thinking about what Cougar had said earlier at the beach. If she was honest, whilst she’d been able to push it away for large chunks of time as she’d been dancing, it had been in the back of her mind all night. Because Cougar had hit the nail on the head, she didn’t love Evan, she didn’t think she ever would, and she couldn’t keep fooling herself. She needed to finish it.

Almost as if he had read her mind, she felt Jake gently take her hand and give it a squeeze and that was it. It all became too much to handle again, and she turned to him giving him a shy smile.

“I’m gonna go Jake, I really am tired.”

Just as she had anticipated, he tried to get her to stay but she refused, declining his offer to walk her back up to her room. She kissed his cheek softly, gave him a smile, and headed off to say goodnight to everyone.

***** Jensen watched her go before dropping his head in defeat. He took a deep sigh, hands on his hips, before Cougar appeared at his side, thrusting a beer he hadn’t even asked for into his hand.

“Thanks.” Jensen whispered, taking a large swig as he studied Cougar. “So what really happened at the beach?”

Cougar hesitated, looking for the best way to give his friend a comforting answer without betraying Stella’s confidence, and it was proving a really difficult task. “She… umm, she told me Evan had said he loved her.” He answered a second or two later, hesitantly.

“What?” Jensen asked, swallowing hard. His beer suddenly felt a bit sandy.

“She didn’t say much more but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions how the whole thing went from how she’s been and the fact he isn’t here.” Cougar shrugged.

Jensen glared at him before taking another sip of his drink. He couldn’t think clearly, it wasn’t time for mind riddles and someone had definitely added that fucking sticky beach sand to his beer, plus, now he was pissed and his mind started spiralling.

Fucking Shit-Name dropping the fucking L word!

But then again, how could he not love her? It was impossible once you knew Stella, and he should know, he had tried it.

And what the fuck? Why hadn’t she told him when he had asked, instead of avoiding the topic all day long and then telling Cougar instead?

And yeah, Cougar could fuck off as well. With a final glare at him, he thrust his beer bottle back into Cougar’s hand and left without as much as a goodbye word.

What might seem common, rational sense to everyone else was never that common or sensible in Jake Jensen’s fucked up mind, least of all when it came down to Stella Stevenson. So, as he headed back to his room and passed hers on his way he stopped and turned back, making her way to her door. He stepped forward, ready to knock, but he dropped his knuckle when it was still mid-air and with a shake of his head and a heavy sigh he carried on.

And now he was also pissed at himself. Great.

******

Chapter 7 Part 2