#I NEED TO MEET JAY AND THE CAST AND THANK THEM ALL IN PERSON FOR CHANGING MY LIFE | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mirisss · 1 year ago

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All is Fair in Love & War

Yoon Jongwoo x afab! reader

Non-idol au

Warnings: Insulting remarks, partying, sexual innuendo (nothing too explicit), alcohol, I think that's it, let me know if I've missed anything.

Wordcount ≈ 4.9k

Thank you for the request! I hope you like it!

Third Person POV

Yoon Jongwoo, the charismatic dancer, was used to being in the spotlight. His well-chiseled physique and captivating dance moves made him the heartthrob of the university. He lived for the applause, the energy of the dance club, and the gym's intensity. Academics, however, were a distant thought.

On the other side of campus, (Y/n) was the epitome of dedication. Her world revolved around textbooks, late-night study sessions, and the pursuit of academic excellence. The little free time she had was reserved for occasional partying with her friends Jay and Kamden.

Two weeks before the midterms, Jay and Kamden managed to convince (Y/n) to attend a party, promising her a much-needed break. The pulsating music and vibrant atmosphere starkly contrasted with her usual study routine.

In the midst of the crowd, Jongwoo's eyes were drawn to (Y/n) like a moth to a flame. He felt an irresistible pull towards her, something beyond the ordinary. The powerful dancer approached her, his presence commanding attention.

"Care for a dance?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of confidence.

(Y/n), aware of Jongwoo's reputation, hesitated but decided to go along. As they danced, the rhythm of the music seemed to synchronize with the beating of their hearts. The atmosphere grew increasingly sensual, and the world around them faded away.

In that moment, a magnetic connection formed between the diligent scholar and the charismatic dancer. The music echoed their emotions, and before they knew it, their lips met in a passionate kiss on the dance floor.

The chemistry between them was undeniable, and the dance continued, each move expressing the unspoken desires that had awakened within them. As the night unfolded, Jongwoo took (Y/n) by the hand and led her upstairs to a more private space.

In that secluded room, away from the pulsating beats of the music, they discovered a different rhythm — the cadence of their hearts intertwining. Jongwoo, known for his powerful dance moves, found himself enchanted by the gracefulness of (Y/n)'s steps.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the room that was once filled with the rhythm of passion. As the night's intoxication faded, (Y/n) stirred awake, her eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings. Reality hit her like a wave, and she glanced at the clock, feeling a pang of anxiety.

"I need to go," she muttered to herself, hurriedly collecting her scattered belongings. The room, which had been a sanctuary of shared moments just hours ago, now felt like a maze of regret. Her thoughts raced as she slipped out of the room, leaving behind a whisper of the night's secrets.

Jongwoo, however, woke up to a different scene. The room, once filled with the echoes of shared laughter and intimate whispers, was now eerily silent. He blinked, trying to shake off the drowsiness, but a lingering sense of emptiness settled in. His gaze wandered around the room, realizing he was alone for the first time in a while.

Confusion etched across his face, Jongwoo sat up, scanning the room for any sign of (Y/n). The disheveled sheets and the faint scent of her perfume were the only remnants of their shared night. He couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions – a cocktail of longing and curiosity.

Meanwhile, (Y/n) rushed to meet Kamden, her mind still clouded by the events of the night before. She found solace in the familiar surroundings of the library, burying herself in textbooks and notes. The encounter with Jongwoo lingered in the back of her mind, an uncharted territory she wasn't sure how to navigate.

As Jongwoo slowly pieced together the events of the night, he couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that lingered. The heartthrob, who was accustomed to being the center of attention, was left in a room that echoed with the absence of the one person who had briefly shared his world.

Little did they know, the night's events had set in motion a series of changes that would draw them back together, forcing both Jongwoo and (Y/n) to confront not only their own desires but also the unexpected connection that had formed between them. The echoes of that night would continue to reverberate in their lives, intertwining their destinies in ways they never anticipated.

Weeks passed, and midterms approached with relentless speed. (Y/n) buried herself in her studies, the memory of the night with Jongwoo pushed to the recesses of her mind. For her, success in academics was the priority, and the whirlwind of university life demanded her complete focus.

Jongwoo, however, couldn't shake off the bitter taste left by (Y/n)'s abrupt departure. As the days unfolded, his initial infatuation transformed into frustration. The charismatic dancer, accustomed to being in control of his emotions, found himself bewildered by the intensity of his feelings.

"No one should just walks away like that," he muttered to himself, his usual confidence replaced by a simmering discontent. The more he dwelled on the night they shared, the more his emotions spiraled into a dark abyss.

Witnessing (Y/n) engrossed in her studies only fueled Jongwoo's resentment. He couldn't understand why she seemed to have forgotten their night together. The very thought of her triggered a storm of conflicting emotions within him – desire interwoven with disdain.

His attempts to distance himself from the memory of (Y/n) proved futile. Every glimpse of her on campus, every mention of her name, reignited the flickering flame of frustration within him. The heartthrob dancer, known for his charm and magnetic personality, found himself ensnared in a web of emotions he couldn't escape.

One day, as midterms loomed closer, their paths crossed again. Jongwoo, unable to contain his pent-up emotions, confronted (Y/n) with an intensity that surprised even himself. The disdain in his eyes was palpable, a stark contrast to the once-sensual dance they shared.

"What was that night to you?" he demanded, his tone cutting through the air. The question hung between them, laden with unspoken emotions and unresolved tension. The encounter, which began as a fleeting dance in the dimly lit room, now stood as a symbol of unspoken grievances and shattered expectations.

Jongwoo's confrontational words hung in the air, creating a tension that (Y/n) was ill-prepared to handle. Her mind was already consumed by the looming midterms, and the stress of the encounter only added to her overwhelming burden.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, her voice strained. With a fleeting glance, she attempted to dismiss the confrontation and hurriedly turned away, attempting to walk past Jongwoo.

His frustration reached a boiling point as he watched (Y/n) pretend ignorance. In a fit of anger and hurt pride, Jongwoo grabbed a nearby bottle of water, the cool liquid sloshing within. Without a second thought, he poured it over (Y/n), the shock of the cold water interrupting her hurried escape.

"Maybe this will jog your memory," he sneered, the apology laced with sarcasm. Jongwoo's eyes bore into hers, a mixture of hurt and anger reflecting in his gaze. The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze for a moment as the realization of what just happened settled in.

(Y/n), now drenched and flustered, clenched her fists, the pressure of her exams and Jongwoo's unexpected actions pushing her to the edge. Kamden, who had been waiting nearby, witnessed the scene unfold with a mixture of surprise and concern.

Jongwoo, satisfied with his impulsive act, turned on his heel and walked away, leaving (Y/n) standing there, wet and disoriented. The encounter had taken an unexpected turn, leaving both parties with emotions they weren't prepared to handle.

Kamden approached (Y/n) with a concerned expression. "Are you okay? What was that about?"

She shook her head, attempting to shake off the shock. "I don't even know," she muttered, a mix of frustration and confusion in her voice. The incident lingered in the back of her mind as she tried to refocus on the upcoming exams, but the unexpected encounter with Jongwoo left a mark on her, creating a distraction she couldn't easily shake off.

The aftermath of Jongwoo's impulsive act lingered in (Y/n)'s mind like a persistent storm. The shock and humiliation from that encounter haunted her, overshadowing her usually sharp focus during the midterms. As the results came in, she couldn't help but notice the impact on her grades.

Her performance, by any standards, wasn't terrible, but it fell below the standard she had set for herself. The subtle marks of distraction and stress were etched across her exam papers, a stark departure from her usual excellence. She couldn't shake the feeling that Jongwoo's actions had thrown her off course.

Fueled by frustration and resentment, (Y/n) blamed him for the disruption in her academic rhythm. The pledge to steer clear of Jongwoo solidified in her mind, convinced that avoiding the conceited dancer was the key to reclaiming her focus and peace of mind.

"I don't need someone like him in my life," she vowed to herself, burying the lingering hurt beneath a facade of determination. The once-charismatic dancer had transformed in her eyes into an arrogant and rude figure, and she wanted nothing more than to distance herself from him.

As the university continued its routine, Jongwoo remained oblivious to the impact of his actions on (Y/n). His own pride and frustration blinded him to the collateral damage caused by his impulsive behavior. Meanwhile, (Y/n) withdrew into a shell, channeling her hurt into a renewed commitment to her studies.

A few weeks later, (Y/n) was asked to show a new student around the campus, a request she couldn’t turn down as it came from her favorite teacher and she was promised some extra credit too.

As (Y/n) guided Seongmin through the bustling campus, their laughter echoed through the hallways. The new student found comfort in her friendly demeanor, and she reveled in the opportunity to share her love for the university. However, as they approached the gym hall, the atmosphere took an unexpected turn.

The rhythmic beats of music spilled out from the gym, announcing the presence of the dance club. Seongmin's eyes lit up with excitement as he expressed his interest in joining. (Y/n), despite the lingering discomfort from the previous encounter with Jongwoo, felt obligated to introduce Seongmin to the dance club's leader.

Approaching the group, (Y/n) hesitated for a moment before clearing her throat. "Hey, everyone! This is Seongmin, a new student who's interested in joining the dance crew. And this is Jongwoo, the leader."

Jongwoo glanced at Seongmin with a scrutinizing look, then shifted his gaze to (Y/n). A sly grin formed on his face as he remarked, "Well, well, (Y/n). Looks like you're not just leading people on anymore but leading them around. Maybe you've found a new hobby."

The cutting remark caught (Y/n) off guard, and she felt a surge of frustration rising within her. However, determined not to let Jongwoo's comments affect her, she met his gaze with unwavering resolve.

"I'm just helping out, Jongwoo. It's not a crime," she retorted, her tone laced with defiance. "Seongmin here is genuinely interested in joining. Can you blame him for having good taste?"

Seongmin, caught in the crossfire, nervously chuckled, sensing the tension between (Y/n) and Jongwoo. The other members of the dance crew exchanged glances, unsure how to react to the sudden clash.

Jongwoo, unfazed by (Y/n)'s comeback, maintained his arrogant demeanor. "We'll see if he's good enough to keep up," he sneered, casting a dismissive glance at Seongmin before turning away.

(Y/n), suppressing the frustration bubbling within her, shot one last defiant look at Jongwoo before turning her attention back to Seongmin. "Don't worry, Seongmin. Just ignore him. Let's get you started with the crew, and you'll show them what you've got."

As the new student joined the dance crew, the dynamic within the group shifted. The clash between Jongwoo and (Y/n) set the stage for a tension that would linger, affecting not only the dance club but also the interconnected lives of those involved. The rhythmic beats of the music continued, masking the underlying discord that simmered beneath the surface.

Seated at their usual lunch spot, (Y/n), Jay, and Kamden enjoyed a brief respite from the demands of university life. However, the encounter with Jongwoo weighed heavily on (Y/n)'s mind, and she couldn't help but vent her frustrations to her friends.

"He's insufferable, I swear," (Y/n) grumbled, poking at her food. "First that night, and now he's acting all high and mighty in front of the new guy. I can't stand him."

Jay, ever the loyal friend, nodded in agreement. "He's always been like that, (Y/n). Don't let him get to you. You're better than that."

Kamden, recalling the incident with the water, chimed in with a scowl. "I don't like the guy either. Pouring water over someone is just a douche move. And now he's giving Seongmin a hard time? Not cool."

(Y/n) appreciated the support from her friends, and together, they dissected the intricacies of Jongwoo's behavior. Jay, though he hadn't witnessed the specific interactions, sided with (Y/n) without hesitation. Kamden, on the other hand, had seen enough to form a strong opinion against the charismatic dancer.

The conversation drifted towards plans for the upcoming weekend, a welcome distraction from the tension that Jongwoo had injected into their lives. Yet, the lingering discomfort remained, a reminder that the clash with the dance club leader had left an indelible mark on (Y/n)'s university experience.

With Jay's infectious enthusiasm, the gloomy clouds of tension that surrounded the trio seemed to dissipate, if only momentarily. The promise of a big party on Friday lit up Jay's eyes as he shared the news.

"Guys, you won't believe it! We've got invites to the biggest party this Friday! It's going to be epic, and everyone's going to be there," Jay exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

Kamden, still harboring reservations about the social scene, hesitated. "I don't know, Jay. Right now, I’d rather just watch a movie at home and chill with you guys."

Jay, ever the persuasive friend, countered, "Come on, Kamden! It's just what we need to unwind and forget about all the drama. (Y/n), you're in, right?"

(Y/n), caught between the desire to let loose and the lingering distrust of her judgment at parties, contemplated for a moment. Finally, she sighed and agreed, "Fine, but under one condition. You guys don't leave my side. I don't trust myself at these things anymore, especially after the last time."

Jay chuckled, wrapping an arm around (Y/n)'s shoulder. "Deal! We'll be your loyal sidekicks, and nothing crazy is going to happen, I promise. So, Kam, you have to come, our (Y/n) needs us," Kamden pushed Jay’s shoulder, laughing at his friend before he agreed to go.

With the party plans in motion, the trio's focus shifted towards the anticipation of Friday night. As the week progressed, the promise of a carefree evening provided a welcome distraction from the challenges they faced.

The pulsating beats of the music reverberated through the crowded house as (Y/n), Jay, and Kamden navigated through the sea of people. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, laughter, and the unmistakable energy of a lively party.

Kamden, true to his promise, stuck close to (Y/n)'s side. He felt a sense of responsibility to ensure she had a good time while keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. As the trio made their way further into the chaos, Kamden couldn't help but marvel at the vivacity of the scene.

Jay, the social butterfly that he was, flitted around the party, greeting friends and acquaintances with infectious enthusiasm. However, he always found his way back to Kamden and (Y/n), seamlessly blending into their dynamic.

As the night unfolded, the trio danced and laughed, momentarily forgetting the challenges and tensions of university life. The music created a rhythmic atmosphere, and (Y/n) found herself letting loose on the dance floor, her worries momentarily cast aside.

The music pulsed through the crowded room, and (Y/n) found herself lost in the rhythm of the night, dancing with Kamden. He moved with surprising grace, his steps syncing seamlessly with hers. As they twirled and swayed, (Y/n) couldn't help but appreciate the stark contrast between Kamden's sweet demeanor and Jongwoo's lingering arrogance.

Kamden, with his kind eyes and genuine smile, provided a welcome respite from the complexities of university life. In the throes of the dance, he seemed to understand (Y/n)'s need for escapism, offering her a moment of joy in the midst of the chaotic party.

On the other side of the room, Jongwoo observed (Y/n) from a distance, his eyes fixed on the girl he couldn't forget. As he watched her laugh and dance with Kamden, a tinge of jealousy crept into his thoughts. He hated the way she had left him, the way she seemed to move on effortlessly.

A part of him longed to be the one dancing with her, holding her close, and feeling the warmth of her presence. The memory of their shared night haunted him, and in that moment, he wished for a chance to rewind time and reclaim the connection that slipped through his fingers.

Jongwoo, torn between pride and desire, found himself unable to look away. The contrast between (Y/n) and Kamden highlighted the choices he had made and the consequences he now faced.

Jongwoo, emboldened by the effects of alcohol, stumbled through the crowd to approach (Y/n). The pulsating beats of the music drowned out the growing tension as he grabbed her arm, insisting they needed to talk. (Y/n), fueled by a mix of anger and frustration, glared at him, her patience worn thin.

"What the fuck? No, Jongwoo. I don't want to talk," she retorted, attempting to pull away from his grip. When he persisted, she remembered the cup in her hand, mirroring the act he had inflicted on her weeks ago. With a swift motion, she poured the contents over his head, her expression unyielding.

Turning on her heel, (Y/n) walked away, leaving Jongwoo drenched and bewildered in the midst of the party. She found Kamden nearby, and without a word, she grabbed his hand, seeking solace in the comfort of a friend. Kamden didn’t question her, sensing that something was wrong. The two made their way through the crowd, determined to find Jay and head home.

As they located Jay, (Y/n) grabbed his hand with her free one, now leading both friends with her to leave the party. Once outside in the quiet cold night, she explained the confrontation with Jongwoo, her frustration evident in her words. Jay, ever supportive, nodded understandingly. Kamden clenched his fists, he shouldn’t have left her alone to say hello to his friend.

Outside, in the cool night air, (Y/n) felt a mix of emotions. Anger, disappointment, but also a sense of empowerment. She had stood her ground, refusing to be a victim of Jongwoo's actions.

(Y/n) and Jongwoo's encounters in the hallways of the university became tense and charged with unspoken animosity. The once-charismatic dancer and the diligent student now shared nothing but disdain in their glances. Each time their eyes locked, it felt like an unspoken challenge, a clash of conflicting emotions that reverberated through the narrow corridors.

One day, their paths collided near the entrance of the library. (Y/n), with a determined stride, held her gaze steady as she walked, making it clear she wouldn't yield to Jongwoo's presence. He, too, refused to back down, a simmering anger in his eyes.

"You really know how to ruin a good party, don't you?" Jongwoo sneered, his voice carrying a tone of bitter sarcasm.

(Y/n) shot back with a cutting remark, "Well, some people don't need help with that, do they? Pouring water over someone just because you can't get your way. Real mature, Jongwoo."

Their exchange of insults continued, the words laced with the residual bitterness of their past interactions. Onlookers couldn't help but feel the palpable tension in the air. The hallways, once a neutral space for students to traverse, became a battleground for the silent war between (Y/n) and Jongwoo.

As weeks passed, the glares and insults persisted, creating a toxic atmosphere whenever their paths crossed. Friends who witnessed these interactions couldn't help but feel the awkwardness in the air, unsure of how to navigate the rift between the two.

The university corridors, once filled with the hum of conversation and the shuffle of footsteps, now held the lingering echoes of a clash that seemed to have no resolution.

Seongmin approached Jongwoo during a break at dance practice, his curiosity piqued by the tension he sensed between Jongwoo and (Y/n). Choosing his words carefully, Seongmin broached the subject, hoping to unravel the mystery behind the animosity.

"Hey, Jongwoo. I couldn't help but notice there's some tension between you and (Y/n)," Seongmin remarked, taking a seat beside him. "I mean, you both seem like cool people. Is there something I'm missing?"

Jongwoo sighed, running a hand through his hair, a conflicted expression on his face. "It's complicated, Seongmin. We used to... have a thing, I guess. But it didn't end well, and now there's just this weird tension between us."

Seongmin, with genuine curiosity, probed further. "A thing? What happened?"

Jongwoo hesitated, grappling with the decision to share the details. "We had a night together, and she left without saying anything the next morning. It's like she wanted nothing to do with me afterward. It hurt, you know?"

Seongmin nodded, trying to understand the situation from Jongwoo's perspective. "I get that, but people change, right? Maybe it's worth talking to her, clearing the air. She seems like a nice person, and you are too."

Jongwoo pondered Seongmin's words, realizing the truth in them. The complexity of emotions and misunderstandings became apparent, and he considered the possibility of a conversation with (Y/n) to finally address the lingering tension.

"You might be right, Seongmin. But I don’t know," Jongwoo admitted, scratching his neck in shame.

Seongmin, sensing an openness in Jongwoo, continued to share his perspective, choosing his words carefully to encourage understanding between the two conflicting parties.

"Look, Jongwoo, I've gotten to know both you and (Y/n) a bit. You're both great people, but it seems like you're holding onto this grudge from the past. I get that it hurt when she left, but maybe it's time to let go of that anger. Holding onto it is only making things worse for both of you," Seongmin expressed, his tone gentle but earnest.

Jongwoo listened intently, contemplating Seongmin's words. The realization of the impact their unresolved issues were having on their lives began to dawn on him.

Seongmin continued, "We're all adults here, right? These petty fights and glares in the hallway, they're not helping anyone. Maybe it's time for both of you to grow up a bit. Life's too short for this kind of drama, and you both have so much more to offer."

Jongwoo nodded, appreciating Seongmin's honest perspective. "You might be onto something, Seongmin. It's just hard to let go sometimes."

Seongmin smiled, offering a reassuring pat on Jongwoo's shoulder. "I get it. But holding onto the past won't do you any favors. A conversation might be a good place to start. Who knows, you might find some common ground and put this behind you."

As the conversation unfolded, Seongmin's wisdom resonated with Jongwoo. The realization that it might be time to mature and let go of the past sank in.

Seongmin, with the support of Jay, orchestrated a plan to bring (Y/n) and Jongwoo together in a small study room. The atmosphere inside the room was charged with tension as Seongmin locked the door behind them, creating a space where they could no longer avoid the need for a conversation.

Jongwoo, sitting nervously in the room, glanced at (Y/n), who wore an expression of surprise and confusion. Jay, aware of the gravity of the situation, stood by the door, ensuring that the conversation wouldn't be easily avoided.

Seongmin took a deep breath, breaking the silence. "Guys, we need to talk. It's clear that there's a lot of unresolved tension between you two, and it's affecting not only your relationship but also the people around you."

(Y/n) crossed her arms defensively, her gaze flickering between Seongmin and Jongwoo. "What is this? Are you trying to play mediator or something?"

Seongmin nodded. "Something like that. Look, I care about both of you, and I hate seeing you guys act like this. It's not healthy, and it's affecting the whole dance crew and our friends."

Jongwoo sighed, feeling the weight of Seongmin's words. "He's right. We can't keep avoiding this."

(Y/n) shot a glare at Jongwoo, her frustration evident. "Avoiding what exactly? He's the one who poured water over me, to begin with!"

Jongwoo winced at the reminder, realizing the gravity of his actions. "I messed up, (Y/n), and I'm sorry. But there's more to it, and we need to talk about everything."

Seongmin encouraged them to open up, his gaze moving between the two. "Let's air out everything. You both have your sides of the story, and it's time to find common ground. Maybe you'll realize you're not that different after all."

Seongmin and Jay positioned themselves outside the locked room, serving as the reluctant guardians of the crucial conversation happening within. (Y/n) and Jongwoo faced each other, the tension palpable as they embarked on a journey into their shared past.

Jongwoo, his voice softening, asked, "Do you even remember the party we met at?"

(Y/n) furrowed her brows, trying to recall. "I've been to a lot of parties, Jongwoo. I can't keep track of all of them."

Jongwoo's eyes bore into hers as he leaned in slightly. "Maybe this will help you remember," he murmured, capturing her lips with a gentle kiss.

For a moment, (Y/n) resisted, her mind resisting the intrusion of the past. But as their lips met, a rush of memories flooded back. The taste of the night they shared, the pulsating music, and the feeling of warmth enveloping them on the dance floor.

She pulled away, her eyes wide with realization. "That night..."

Jongwoo nodded, his gaze searching hers. "Why did you leave without saying anything the next morning?"

(Y/n), a hint of regret in her eyes, explained, "I had midterms coming up, and I needed to study. It wasn't personal, Jongwoo. I didn't think it would turn into all of this."

Jongwoo sighed, a mix of frustration and understanding in his expression. "I thought you just wanted nothing to do with me. It hurt, (Y/n)."

(Y/n) looked away, guilt creeping into her features. "I never meant to hurt you, Jongwoo. It was a mistake, and I should've handled it better."

Jongwoo, his initial anger giving way to a more vulnerable side, admitted, "Maybe I overreacted. Pouring water over you in the hallway was immature. I just... I felt abandoned and hurt because, well, I really like you."

They continued to unravel the complexities of that night, sharing their perspectives, regrets, and the lingering emotions that had fueled their animosity. The locked room became a confessional, a space where truths were laid bare, and misunderstandings began to crumble.

As the weight of their past grievances lifted through the honest conversation, Jongwoo and (Y/n) found themselves at a crossroads. The air in the small study room had shifted, leaving room for a newfound understanding and a glimmer of hope.

Jongwoo, his vulnerability laid bare, hesitated before speaking. "Would you maybe want to go on a real date, (Y/n)? Explore if there's something more between us?"

(Y/n), contemplating the evolution of their conversation and the potential for a fresh start, met Jongwoo's gaze. The walls of animosity had crumbled, and in their place, the possibility of something new lingered.

A soft smile tugged at the corners of (Y/n)'s lips as she nodded. "I think I'd like that, Jongwoo. A fresh start, a real date. Let's see where it takes us."

Jongwoo, relief washing over him, mirrored her smile. "I'd like that too, (Y/n)."

With a mutual understanding and the promise of a new beginning, the two emerged from the study room, leaving behind the locked door that had served as a threshold for their reconciliation. Seongmin and Jay, the unwitting architects of this moment, exchanged approving glances as they stepped aside, allowing Jongwoo and (Y/n) to navigate the uncharted territory that lay ahead.

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artsysmadworld · 11 months ago

Text

Meeting Magic | part 1

The walking house has entered New Mexico and now into a suburban neighbourhood. Jason's neighbourhood. He remembers playing around with his friends, helping out his neighbours, going to church on Sundays, and living with his mother. But it's become an empty wasteland, for mad fungi have grown everywhere. It's now unrecognisable to Jason.

Jason feels empty, but the party keeps moving forward. They follow Jason's directions to what should be his mother's house. He's beginning to doubt, but Jason still hopes that his only family member is alive in this apocalypse. He can only imagine how his mother might be surviving through it. But once they make a turn, the house is gone.

The house is literally gone. It's not in ruins, it hasn't been taken over by the fungi. No, it's missing. What's left is an imprint of the house on the lot.

Blite: "Did you live in a bunker?"

Jason: "What? N-no! Where is my house? How is it gone?"

Blite: "You think it got up and walked away?"

Toppy: "Everybody, look!"

Blite: "...What."

Jason: "Let's follow them! My mom might need our help!"

They follow the footprints, and it's led them to the local public places, one Jason is also familiar with. The middle school Jason went to, the park his friends would often gather in, the clothing store his mother used to work at, all of them now infested with mycelium and fungi. A cruel thought popped in Jason's head. Could it be that a giant mutant has taken over the house? What if mamá has been held hostage by it? That is if she's still alive.

Blite: "Hey, you're good?"

Jason: "Huh? Oh. Yeah."

Blite: "Look, I know how you feel. Losing your friends, your family, your town. All gone from this apocalypse. As if the world just don't care about you anymore."

Jason: "...Humanity can be cruel, can it?"

Blite: "Heh, yeah… That king guy just really hates everyone. But hey, at least we're still here and breathin' together."

Jason: "...You're right. Still here, breathing together. I love that. Thank you, Blite."

Blite: "Anytime, man! Hey, we're both queers. We're kinda used to this."

Jason: Heh, I guess. But I did grow up without many prejudice."

Blite: "Does your mom know you're gay?"

Jason: "Dude, she's ace! And aromantic!"

Blite: "For real?! Wait, how did the marriage go?"

Jason: "Well she divorced my dad WAY early. I've only seen pictures of him. Never once met him."

Blite: "Geez! Your mom seems really interesting."

Jason: "Yeah. She's real friendly to everyone though. You two should really meet her."

Blite: "..."

Jason: "Don't give me that thought, Blite! You were just comforting me!"

Blite: "I'm not saying that! Look, we have a clue now. Things should be fine. Just stay positive, man."

Jason: Sigh "Right. Stay positive."

Toppy: "Sorry to bother you both, but I've spotted a convenient store near us. I suggest we stop here and scavenge."

Blite: "I am feeling a bit hungry. What do you say, Jay?"

Jason: "I guess we should. Our food's been getting scarce lately."

Blite and Jason exit the house while Toppy stays to guard it. To accommodate, Blite's been given Toppy's staff. Carrying empty bags, the two enter a convenience store. But then, they realised how empty the good aisles are. A lot of the long preserving foods have been taken. It's been scavenged.

Blite: "Great! Someone beat us to it!"

Jason: "...Blite, ever get the feeling that you're being watched?"

A shadow! But where's the person casting it? Frightened, Blite impulsively smacks the shadow with their staff, but to no avail. It moves around the walls, circling and observing the scavengers. Could this be the supernatural force of magic? What could it want?

Blite: "We need to run! Quick, before we fall prey into it."

The shadow quickly blocks the entrance.

Blite: "Damn it! Hey, what do you want?! You already got your greedy, magician hands on our food!"

Jason: "Let's calm down Blite. They could still be friendly."

Jason turns towards the shadow.

Jason: "Hey there! We've come in peace."

He brings out his left hand for a handshake.

Blite: "Jason, what are you doing?"

Jason: "I've never met a magician before. I'm sure they're just as friendly as all of us are."

The shadow shakes Jason's shadow hand. He feels as though his arm is moving on its own.

Jason: "Woah! You see that Blite? It's shaking my shadow hand!"

Blite: "It can only interact with other shadows…"

Blite sneaks past to the side of the shadow. They lift up their staff.

Blite: "Ha! Good work distracting it, Jay."

Jason: "What the- Blite!"

A thump and fallen cans can be heard from the other side of the store.

Blite: "That must be our magician."

Jason: "Oh come on Blite, they did nothing wrong."

Blite: "You never know that. It was blocking our exit. Now, time to see who's been taking our soup."

Parts in order

☆ / 2 / 3 / 4

#artsy's mad world #oc #oc lore #oc story #writing #writeblr #original writing #writers on tumblr

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j-graysonlibrary · 1 year ago

Text

The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four Chapter 21

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 118k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: In order to save the world from the continuous subjugation and potential annihilation at the hands of Tiandi, hard lines must be drawn. The Great Spirits that were imprisoned ages ago must be unsealed and awakened, no matter the consequences.

The players are divided—those who stand blindly with Tiandi, such as Xiang Merra and her disciples versus those who want to tear the system down and give the power back to the people. Even a few of the most religious Lords change their minds when they learn the truth of the world—that Tiandi is no more than a dictator with no love in his heart.

It is up to the last, real Xiang and the ill-fated Chaaya to put everything they have into tearing God from his throne and creating new possibilities for the future.

Full chapter 21 under the cut

Chapter XXI:

The large torches, lining the walls of the throne room, dimmed and swayed under the force of the wind blowing through the back window. All of the doors had been shut and both Ryu and Sampra were charged with guarding every possible entrance to the room.

That meant they would be cheated out of a proper explanation but, in order to ensure the safety and privacy of the impromptu meeting, they had to do it.

King Din Raime Cast looked as though he had aged quite a lot since the last time that Pangu had seen him. Kira noticed it as well but he suspected he was the last person with any authority to comment on another’s rapidly changing body. Between the two of them, Kira would say that he looked significantly worse off.

The King, mostly, suffered from dark circles around his eyes and a permanent frown. He had never been the most cheerful fellow they had met but he would show a little levity now and then. As they looked upon him now, it was clear that the past year of struggling under Merra’s thumb had nearly broken his spirit.

So, Pangu told him everything that he could within the allotted time they had. He skipped over the details that he deemed frivolous which resulted in him, about his own resurrection, saying, “One of the princesses in Mythos was taught necromancy and she brought me back to life. Then I found Raine again.”

Raine, then, helped to fill in the blanks where he could. He apologized for lying to his King in order to escape to Agni with Pangu but he did not bow or prostrate himself. He did not beg for his forgiveness but, instead, looked the man in the eye.

“My duty as the Xiang’s disciple trumped my duty as a soldier. But, most importantly, my loyalty to Pangu as my friend will, always, triumph over all.” Raine took a measured breath. “I understand if you cannot overlook my desertion but I do, still, have Kyrie’s best interest in mind.”

King Raime shifted on his throne and sighed. “Well, Xiang Merra certainly does not. Whatever it is you offer me—information or some plan of action, I would gladly take it from you rather than continue on her path to my eradication.” With a flick of his wrist he added, “Besides, Raine, I cannot properly punish you for choosing Pangu over me when it was my order, initially, that placed you at his side. I had intended for you to uphold the sacred duty of disciple. If you had abandoned Pangu in order to stay with me, I would have been more disappointed.”

It was a relief to hear the words spoken out. Raine finally bowed his head and sighed. “Thank you…”

Pangu allowed them their moment before returning to business. “King Raime,” he said and the man met his eyes, “We have learned much about the true nature of Tiandi and his plans for this world. You, already, oppose these plans in your heart. In order to stop Merra’s war path, we need access to the islands north of here. We believe the Great Spirit, Undine, to be sealed somewhere among them.”

“And what, exactly, is this Great Spirit?” Raime folded his hands together on his lap.

There was a moment of silence where Pangu debated just how much he wanted to tell the lord but, before he could dive into it, Kira offered, “Should I take this one?”

He nodded, grateful to have a little break.

“Is this something your new master told you?” King Raime asked with an arched brow. He had hardly looked at Kira since they walked into his throne room and he had said nothing to him, mostly due to a lack of time, but now it seemed he had some bitterness attached to his voice.

“No,” Raine answered in Kira’s stead. “This story came from one of the Heavenly Princes, actually, after he turned on his brethren in order to protect Pangu. It is also a tale passed down through the local tribes, both in remote areas of Agni and in southern Terra.”

King Raime’s expression hardly changed but his jaw set. He glanced back to Kira. “Go on.”

Kira gave an exaggerated bow. “Thank you, my liege. Anyway, back before the spirit realm, the Heavenly Princes, or even Tiandi himself, there was a Goddess of the earth and her four, elemental spirits. They protected each land and the people worshipped them and the Goddess. Presumably, the people back then could also use their respective element if their resonance was high enough.

But then Tiandi showed up, wanted this land for himself, and did what any sane, completely reasonable being would do and sealed away all of the Great Spirits and blocked the people away from their energy. The Goddess was pissed and she fought back but her despair came out in the form of, you guessed it, miasma. Thus, the battle of the ages began.”

“So,” the King pulled his beard between his fingers, “Tiandi is not actually the God of our world, is what you are telling me? He just…arrived and took over?”

“Think of what he is asking Merra to do now—is that not the same mentality?” Pangu pointed out. “He cannot stand when people are not groveling before him with complete faith. He probably left wherever he was before because people revolted against him. Then he traveled through the cosmos and found us to be gullible or weak enough for his liking.”

“That is simply speculation,” King Raime pointed out.

“Yes,” Pangu agreed, “But what is not speculation is the existence of the Great Spirits. We have already freed Sylph. That proves she and the others were forcefully imprisoned.”

“And you saw this firsthand?” his eyes cut to the side, “Raine?”

“Well, I was not there myself. This will be my first time entering the spirit realm.” His eagerness over the fact was eclipsed by the nerves surrounding King Raime’s waffling approach.

“So you need to go north, to the rocky islands that I and my fathers before me have restricted access to?”

“Yes.” Pangu replied, not skipping a beat.

King Raime shifted to lean against the other side of his throne and he looked into the distance. “You know, when I was a boy, I asked about those islands. Some of them are large enough to build on, you see, and I asked my father why we did not do something with the land. An armory, a fortress, anything…then he told me to ask one of the handmaids about it.”

“Why couldn’t he just tell you?” Kira asked.

The King chuckled and shook his head. “Too busy. Always too busy…” With a sigh, he carried on, “Alas, I asked one of the handmaids that I often spoke to and who cared for me like a mother. She told me of a story carried down through the generations about the very first Chaaya—a woman from Kyrie.”

“The nameless maiden,” Pangu recalled from his lessons.

King Raime nodded. “Exactly. Not much was known about her other than the fact she was from Kyrie and that she was defeated by the first Xiang right around where I am sitting. Castelle was founded after that fight and the nameless maiden was taken out to sea, buried in the sands of the islands. Which one, we do not know, but the rumor stands that, if she is disturbed, a misfortune will fall unto the royal house for all time.”

“Your current predicament is not misfortune enough?” Kira asked.

He chuckled. “I am inclined to agree with you, actually.”

“So,” Raine spoke up, “The islands are off limits because the first Chaaya is buried there…supposedly?”

“Yes.” The King nodded. “But, I also asked some other handmaids because the story interested me. Another version cropped up—about how the islands had always been haunted, even since before the first Xiang. All boats that were sent out to scout the area never returned or, when someone did come back, they were forever changed.

I discredited the entire thing as a silly ghost story and, when I came into power, I spoke to my advisors about doing something with the area. They all paled and begged me to leave the islands alone. I may have found it ridiculous but they were scared stiff of the mere idea of looking. I…I had too much else to do to hold onto my youthful curiosity. And so years passed me by and the thoughts left my mind as more and more important work fell into my lap.”

Pangu smiled. “Well, now is the time, is it not?”

Raime, slowly, matched his expression. “I will prepare a ship for us. Damn the nay-sayers. I am going to those islands.”

***

While the King arranged everything, they were booted outside and ordered to not leave the palace grounds. Ryu left in their place, during his break, and returned with a cart dragging behind him.

“Here,” he said and passed around warm, sweet smelling papers. Inside, there were stuffed pastries—one of the most popular street foods in Castelle. “And for Pangu, a ground vegetable pocket.”

He took it with a smile and pulled back the paper cover, allowing the steam to bellow up into the air. Raine and Kira were already halfway through their meals, not having realized until the first bite just how hungry they were. Pangu followed suit and when he bit into the pastry he was also compelled to devour the entire thing as quickly as possible.

“I have more, just in case.” Ryu pushed the cart so it was in the middle of them. As he said, it was filled with treats. “I also have some chocolate sticks, pretzels, and a tin of cookies.”

“And mixed seed bread,” Sampra noted aloud as he picked the loaf from the cart.

“That is mostly for you, love.” He looked back at him with a smile and Sampra visibly melted.

“Is it from Josen’s stall?”

Ryu nodded. “I managed to snag the last one.”

Sampra sighed wistfully and held the loaf closer to his chest. “You are the best.”

The two looked at one another with eyes filled with love but they did not move any closer or say anything else. Kira groaned. “Will you two just kiss, please? It is just us here, you do not need to be so reserved.”

“W-we are not being reserved…” Sampra tried to argue, “Usually we would not dare speak to one another like this outside of our home.”

Ryu wordlessly walked to his side and pulled his lover closer by the waist. He planted a kiss on him and gave him a short but sweet smile. “Maybe that can change,” he said and then looked toward Pangu, “Maybe it can change for all of us.”

Kira and Raine left the couple alone to talk with Pangu since they had a lot of catching up to do. Technically, the two were Pangu’s first real friends that he had made—he definitely viewed them as so and was heavily invested in their journey.

“Did you ever think they were into each other? Before Pangu came along and pointed it out?” Kira asked from his spot underneath a nearby tree. He probably was not supposed to be sitting in the little square patch of dirt and grass but Raine did not stop him or even give him a sideways look.

“Honestly?” Raine stepped closer and leaned against the tree. Some of the branches dipped down low and he took one of the blossoming buds from the closest branch and rolled it between his finger and thumb. In about a month’s time, all of the buds would open and the tree would be a bright pink spectacle. “I did not think about things like that at all. Not for myself and not for anyone.”

“No curiosity either?” Kira glanced up with a grin.

“Nope.” Raine chuckled and dropped his hand, not wanting to accidentally snap the bud off of the branch. “I assumed I would live the rest of my days alone and in service to the King.”

Kira understood that. Really, they had all been living in a similar way—at least a similar mind set. The only one of them who had any real relationship experience was Baiya and just barely. He had only taken up opportunities when they presented themselves, not gone looking for love. Before meeting each other, they had all been content in believing they would be alone for the rest of their lives.

If they kept on the topic for too long, Kira feared he would get sentimental so he changed direction. “How excited are you for this trip to the spirit realm?”

Raine pushed himself away from the tree with a big grin. “Beyond excited. I wonder what Undine will look like…”

“Probably blue,” Kira guessed and Raine laughed.

“Do you think they will be as cooperative as Sylph?” Raine asked more seriously.

“No idea.” He shrugged. “It is hard to say how a spirit that has been locked away for thousands of years will react to suddenly being free. I, personally, would be grateful but then, also pissed off. Not at the person or people who freed me but I couldn’t promise I would be able to sort my feelings out well enough to care who I hurt upon release. You know?”

Kira looked to Raine and saw a frown slowly replacing his eager grin. He cringed to himself when he realized that was his doing.

“I mean, I am sure that will not be the case,” he attempted to walk his hypothetical back, “Look, I am sure spirits have a much more…balanced…mind. Undine will probably burst out from their seal and immediately bestow their gift on you. Then, you will be able to summon them and, I suppose, use water wherever. I don’t know exactly how that part works…”

Raine gave a breathy laugh and shook his head. “I guess we will just have to wait and see, right?” He offered his hand down to Kira.

With a firm grip, Kira was helped up to his feet at the same time King Raime walked out of the palace to greet them. Kira dusted off the back of his pants and took in the odd sight of the lord dressed in ceremonial armor and existing outside of his throne room.

“Ready to depart?” he asked the group and set his hands on his hips.

#the xiang chronicles #my novel #my writing

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chibinightowl · 3 years ago

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34. jaytim

"If you keep looking at me like that, we won't make it to a bed." Jason's voice slides into a deep rumble, hardly audible as his lips brush the pale and slender line of Tim's neck. His hand drops to Tim's hip and slots a muscled thigh between those of the other man.

In response, Tim's breath hitches and he blinks open those stunning baby-blue eyes, gazing at him like he's the most precious and desirable person in the world. It won't last, it never does, not for someone like Jason, but in this moment, he's willing to believe he might just stand a chance.

Arms wrap around Jason's neck and Tim tangles his fingers in his hair as he presses closer, the already minuscule distance between them vanishing. "Who says we need a bed when there's a perfectly good wall right here?"

Jason angles his head, diving in for a kiss. Tim's lips part, ready to meet his.

"And cut!" Dick calls out as the scene ends. "That was perfect, guys. Seriously, I think the tension between the two of you can be felt all the way up to the roof."

It's one of the most difficult things Jason has ever done, but he steps away from his co-star and takes a deep breath, rolling his heavy shoulders as he collects himself. He refuses to fuck up this opportunity. He won't. He knows he'll never be considered a serious actor, not with the number of porn vids floating around on the internet, but in the indie arena like this, he at least has a chance of something.

A chance given to him by sheer dumb luck when his phone rang for a call-back from a casting call instead of someone else's. He should have been turned away when he showed up to read lines with none other than Timothy Drake, one of the most brilliant young actors of their generation. Tim had stopped the casting director from sending him away, telling him to give it a go.

The chemistry between them was instant, no one could deny that. So, reluctantly, Jason was cast as Tim's love interest from the wrong side of the tracks. It's not a huge role--in fact, his character is supposed to die, which is fuel to send Tim's character down his path of twisted and psychological revenge. He only has a few more scenes to shoot and then his part in all this is done.

What makes it all the more maddening is that with Tim, it's all too easy to ignore the lights and booms and cameras around them. When he has the chance to hold Tim in his arms, the world narrows down to just the two of them.

A bright star and a small, lonely satellite orbiting in the distance, seeking the light and only rarely having the opportunity for it to shine on him.

Released from the wall he's spent the better part of the last half hour pinned against, Tim grins at them both. "I'm just glad you finally got your staging right."

Dick, their director, laughs. "If you'd seen Jason's smolder from this side of the camera, you'd have wanted to get the best angle for it too. Flynn Rider's dream, right there."

Jason's cheeks pink because he really hadn't meant to be so intense. He's been told this more than once, especially when he's in the midst of a scene and his partner is begging to be taken care of. But that's not what this is, that's not who he is anymore.

To his surprise, Tim glances his way and offers a crooked little smirk. "I don't know, Dick. I think I might have had the best angle of them all."

The pink turns to red and wow, Jason has no idea how he's even able to blush like that anymore considering some of the things he's done and where his cock has been. "Uh, thanks?" he offers as he takes another step away from his co-star. "Really though, if you need me to tone it down--"

"No!" Tim is quick to cut him off. "I think it's perfect. Yeah, it's intense, but it feels so believable."

Dick nods in agreement. "It's going to make the audience scream when your character dies, Jay."

Jason wants to die a little actually, which he does on the inside because how can these two miss the fact that he just made a porn face at Timothy Drake?

"Are we done for the day, Dick?" Tim asks, drawing Jason's attention back to him like a moth to a flame. It's so hard not to be attracted, really. "I really want to get out of these pants."

They're practically painted on, a fact which hasn't escaped Jason's notice either. Hell, he's even worn his fair share of them in the past.

He needs a shower... Preferably freezing cold.

"Yeah, yeah, get outta here," Dick waves them off. "I'll see you in the morning."

Jason lets out a quiet sigh and nods. "Good night," he manages in Tim's general direction before making a beeline off the set, adding a few more good nights to the crew as he passes by.

He's outside and heading over to the wardrobe trailer when a hand catches hold of his shoulder.

"Wow, you walk fast," Tim says, more than a little breathless. "What's the rush?"

Jason wonders if the other man knows just how much his hair shines under the moonlight, turning almost silver in against the night around them. "I'm still trying to get used to everything," he says, undeterred from his path. "It can be a bit overwhelming."

To his credit, Tim doesn't take advantage of the opening Jason left him about his previous acting experiences. "So you're not actually trying to run away from me then?"

Stopping in his tracks, Jason stares at the shorter man. "What makes you think that?"

Tim shrugs and rocks back on his heels, hands shoved in the pockets of the jacket that belongs to Jason's character, who'd handed it over to him earlier in the scene they'd just wrapped. "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the fact that anytime we're not in front of the camera, you avoid me like the plague? I can't be that intimidating. I mean, seriously. You can probably benchpress me and not break a sweat."

"Probably," Jason agrees, refusing the opportunity to rake his eyes up and down Tim's lean frame. He's already had his body pressed against it for half the day, he doesn't need a reminder. It's already seared into his brain.

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Maybe I'm just a fan?" Jason tries, but Tim shakes his head.

"If you were just a fan, then you'd be nervous in front of the camera too." Tim's gaze grows more intense. "You're anything but when the camera's rolling. If anything, I feel like I'm the one who should be nervous."

Now Jason is just confused. "How do I make you nervous? You know I'd never hurt you."

If anything, he's more likely to defend Tim to the death, but that's a whole other story.

Tim is silent for a time and the air grows colder around them as the wind picks up. "Maybe I'm the one who's the fan," he finally says, quiet, but his eyes never waver.

Jason stiffens. That was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear out of Tim's mouth. "You've gotta be shitting me."

"I'm not." Tim's hands emerge from the jacket pockets to fiddle with the cuffs. "I've been subscribed to your PornHub channel for the last four years. When you stopped posting new content, I just figured that was it. Imagine my surprise when I saw you walk into that call-back to read lines with me."

"That's why you wanted me to read with you, isn't it?" Jason clenches his fists, utterly adrift in a sea of anger, frustration, and self-loathing. "Your favorite porn star, in the flesh."

Tim has the grace to nod. "Yeah. I can't lie about that. But Jason," he reaches out and takes hold of Jason's wrist in a strong grip that belies his lean frame. "You got this part on your own. I had nothing to do with that."

"So whaddya want from me then? A private performance?" Jason tries not to snap but it's hard. He's never going to escape his past, so why the fuck should he even bother trying if someone like Timothy Drake jerks off to his old videos?

Tim just shakes his head, somewhat sadly as he releases his hand. "What I'd like is to go out for coffee, and maybe some dinner, after we're done with wardrobe. I have a feeling that Jason the person is a hell of a lot more interesting than Jason the pornstar."

It takes a gust of icy wind to shake Jason from his stupor. Is Tim asking him to... No, that can't be right.

Can it?

"Really?"

A soft smile appears on Tim's lips, ones that he'd come so close to kissing so many times today that he'd all but memorized the shape and texture of them. "Really."

#chibinightowl writes #jaytim #jason todd #tim drake #prompt fill #yet another AU #i've never acted in my life #so if anything is inaccurate #like all of it probably #that's all on me

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americasmarauders · 4 years ago

Note

What about ....

“i’m not worthy of anybody’s love.” “that’s not true, you’re worthy of mine.” followed by the lover breaking eye-contact… + a love confession

Followed with tentative kisses in the dark

With Jason Todd x reader ❤❤❤❤❤

Lots of love xoxo

did this get completly out of hand? yes, yes it did. It was supposed to be short and sweet, but suddenly I had 12 pages of angst ready to make their way into the world.

I’m so sorry it took so long, elle, life got in my way, but now you have like, 6k+ words to make up for it. I really hope you like it.

warnings: completly unedited, sorry for the typos :))

words: 6,856

masterlist #

Aged 14, sometime in September.

Mason Anderson was the biggest dick she had ever met. He was petty and jealous and he picked on her just because. She just wanted peace, quietly resolving the homework she had spent an entire week working on. The library was empty, safe for a couple of other students when he barged in and robbed her of her papers.

He claimed he needed it more than her, he was the one almost flunking out of the class. She demanded her homework back, but he ran towards the boy’s bathroom with her work. It wasn’t the first time that sullen feeling of despair had been planted on her by Mason Anderson, it still didn’t make it any easier.

She sat in front of the boys bathroom, hugging her knees in an attempt to find comfort. She kept thinking that she could do it again, she had done it once, theoretically it would be faster to do it a second time. Light footsteps echoed through the hall, her eyes found their way to the source of the noise.

Jason Todd was a tiny kid with a big brain and an even bigger heart. He had helped her with English more times than she cared to admit. Sometimes she would see him walking towards the alley near the Academy, holding an extra package of chips to the little kid that stayed there sometimes. She liked Jason Todd, considering him the only alley she had inside the cold walls of the Gotham Academy.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked, delicately, sitting beside her. “I thought you were gonna finish Statam’s paper today.”

“Mason Anderson stole it,” her eyes were cast downwards, looking at the seams of the floor with an almost inhuman interest. “He wanted to copy it, and I wouldn’t let him so he decided to flush down the toilet instead.”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered to her, sitting next to her on the floor.

“It’s okay,” she shook her head, stretching her legs in front of her. “I just,” she sighed, trying to find the words, “I spent one week working on that, and I really needed the grade, you know? But he just didn’t care, he just thought of himself.”

Jason looked at her, softly. His eyes held a certain fire behind them, something she could never really describe what it was. It was entrancing, it calmed the pace of her heart. He didn’t say anything before getting up and marching towards the boys bathroom.

She didn’t hear anything going on inside, her mind imagining all sorts of scenarios where Jason would emerge from the bathroom beaten and defeated, Mason walking out completely victorious, with a shiny top grade Literature paper in hand. Her blood boiled at the image, more so than it did before. She got up from the ground, determined to help Jason win the fight, even if her papers were already down the plumbing.

But the door flung open, her friend walking out calmly, clutching her homework delicately. He offered her a smile, and as the door closed behind Jason she could see Mason on the ground gripping his nose in pain.

“Here,” the papers were completely dry to the touch, her confusion deepening. “He was copyin’ it.”

“I can’t believe you got this back,” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. “I thought… I thought I'd have to redo it.”

“Nah,” he smiled shyly, “I would’ve helped ya.”

“I can’t really depend on you for everything, Jason,” she replied politely. “It’s not fair.”

“I got your back,” he affirmed, “ya don’t need to worry.”

And it meant the world to her that he did.

Aged 16, October 12th.

Jason Todd and her became friends after the Mason Anderson incident. She didn’t know what Jason had said to him, what had he done, all she knew was that Mason never bothered her again after that.

It was the night of her 16th birthday. It was late, probably past 3 in the morning when Jason carefully landed on the fire escape that led to her bedroom. He carefully carried a small box, wrapped neatly with a blue bow. He had chosen the gift lovingly, his heart warm with her. Jason hadn’t expected her to be such an integral part of his life, but just as quietly as she arrived, she placed herself in his heart permanently. She was his friend, true friend, she didn’t expect anything other than his company and support, something he was glad to provide.

His knuckles lightly grazed her window, making the softest noise. Her shades were partially open, he could see her body lying comfortably on her bed. She moved slightly, her body turning towards the window. Her hands rubbed her eyes delicately, seeing Jason smile awkwardly at her. She got up and dragged her feet towards him, opening her window to him.

“What’re you doing here?” her voice was slurred, intoxicated with sleep.

“You know, you should really lock your windows,” he commented, “Gotham’s a dangerous city.”

“Jay,” she warned, “what’re you doing here? It’s…”she searched for her clock, “fuck, 3 in the morning.”

“It’s your birthday,” he responded clearly, as if it was the most obvious reason why he was on her fire escape, on a cold October night only wearing a light jacket.

She blinked at his blunt response, confused on what to say to him. “You’ll see me tomorrow, Jay, I don’t understand why’d you come all this way just to see me.”

“Because it’s you,” he shrugged, stepping into her bedroom silently. “You really thought I wouldn’t see you on your birthday?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, looking down at her feet. A soft breeze came in through the window sending shivers down her spine. Jason closed the window for her and she sent a silent thank you towards his way. “I thought you wouldn’t bother.”

“Well,” he extended the little box to her. Her fingers brushed on his softly, a shock sent on his skin at the touch, “I couldn’t not see you.”

Her hands hugged the box carefully, hesitant on what to do with what was given to her. “Open it,” he urged her.

She eyed him suspiciously, undoing carefully the blue bow that decorated the gift. Opening the box, a tiny robin pendant next to two tiny stones pendants, an opal and an onyx: her birthstone and his. “Wow,” she breathed out, her heart racing inside her chest. Suddenly, she didn’t feel sleepy anymore. “Jason, this is… You didn’t have to.”

“Of course I had,” he stated, his eyes soft and loving, lingering on her more than they should. “You mean a lot to me, darling.”

Her eyes glinted underneath the pale moonlight streaming through the half closed curtains of her room. Jason’s breath hitched quietly at the sight of her, disheveled and sleepy and yet the most perfect person to grace his life. She was at a loss for words for a few moments, opening and closing her mouth, not knowing how to react. Her eyes trailed frenetically over the pendants, trying to find meaning in those.

“Why a robin?” the inquiry startled Jason. He wasn’t expecting to explain himself, much less explain why he had given her a robin pendant. She had no clue what he did when the night fell, who Bruce actually was and he intended to keep her in the dark about that aspect of his life. She didn’t need to know anyway, and telling her would only put her in danger. That was what Bruce made her believe.

“It reminded me of you,” he answered, simply, his eyes fixated on her angelic face.

It wasn’t untrue. Robins were friendly and protected over, birds that should never be harmed. Jason made sure of that, he had her back, always, and he knew she had his. But mostly, he wanted her to have a piece of him everywhere she went. If something were to happen, he wanted to guarantee he wouldn’t be a footnote in her life. What a magnificent life that would be, he knew.

Her eyes ran on his face, looking for a hint that he wasn’t sincere, that he was just messing with her. The thought was more heartbreaking than she anticipated. She found nothing malicious in his face, in his eyes, and smiled back at him. “Thank you, Jay,” she kissed his cheek delicately, her lips barely brushing his skin. It was enough to send both of them into a frenzy of feelings, a thousand thoughts running through their heads.

“Here,” he extended his hands, his eyes clear and full of emotion for her, “I’ll put it on for you.”

She handed him the box, turning around so he could clasp the hook of the necklace. Jason was considerably smaller than her - she guessed it was because of the years of malnutrition he endured when he lived on the streets - so she sat on her bed to meet his height. His fingers brushed slightly at the back of her neck, sending goosebumps on her body.

It was when she turned to look at him again that she realized that maybe Jason wasn’t just a friend to her. Maybe the interest she had in Jason, or how her heart raced when she saw him for the first time in the day weren’t because he was her friend. Maybe it was because she had decided to love him with all her soul.

Aged 16, April 28th.

It was ironic how sunny it was in Gotham that day. It was like nothing had happened, the world hadn’t gotten the memo that it was supposed to be gloomy and sad outside, to match the pain she felt inside.

On the deep green grass of Gotham cemetery, stood her and Jason’s family, listening to a priest preach something meaningless to her. Nothing mattered to her anymore, her friend, best friend, was buried deep into the earth, 6 feet under. She would never get to see him again, hear his laugh, take in his smile. She would never have another birthday with him, give him his favorite books, tell him she loved him. Her eyes were fixed on the fresh dirt lain over his shiny coffin, her hand fidgeting on the robin pendant Jason had gifted mer months before. It wasn’t an open casket, she couldn’t even see him for the last time.

The call was the most confusing moment she had ever gone through. He didn't even tell her he was going after his mom. He didn’t even get to explain that to her. Jason just burst through her window late at night, saying he was leaving Gotham for a few weeks, anger seeping through his pores and contaminating the room. His knuckles were badly bruised, as her fingertips lightly brushed he hissed. She didn’t question him, it didn’t even go through her head. He had said he wanted to find a part of him, and she nodded, wishing him luck.

Looking back, she wished she had begged him to stay, to find that part of him in Gotham, with her away from the perils of foreign bombs. Tears sprouted in her eyes as the thought passed through her head. It wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t predict a tragedy would have happened. It had become a mantra to her, and sometimes repeating it to herself didn’t help at all.

Bruce Wayne stood next to her, stoic, his face stony. It almost didn’t look like he had lost a son. But she saw how his jaw tensed, how it was similar to when Jason was upset and didn’t want to tell her about it. She could see how broken he was inside, how angry and desperate. She felt that too.

The priest stopped talking and the four people standing on that lawn let out a stuck breath of relief. Jason’s brother approached his Father, walking away from her. She stared at the stone, cold like Jason’s body, with the engrave ‘Jason Todd, beloved son and friend’. It didn’t make justice to what Jason actually was, he was much more than just a son and a friend, but it was what they used to describe him. If Jason had decided what his epitaph would be, surely would be a dramatic quote from Shakespeare.

Her name was called out in a posh british accent and she turned toward the person. What she saw was an older gentleman, holding a black umbrella to protect his baldness from the sun. A thin mustache hung over his upper lip, molded into a sad frown. “I’m Alfred Pennyworth. Master Jason talked a lot about you,” he commented with his left hand behind his back.

“All good things, I hope?” she joked quietly, her eyes trailed to her black shoes, wet grass glued to the sides of it.

“The best things, I assure,” his voice was firm and calm, his accent oozed her security, something she was eager to cling on. He reached for the inner pocket of his blazer, pulling a crisp white card. She furrowed her eyebrows, accepting the card. On it, it had Alfred’s name, his profession underneath and a phone number. “If you ever find yourself needing anything, I’ll be happy to help.”

She nodded, her thumb lightly brushing the expensive paper on her hand. “Thank you Mister Pennyworth,” her eyes found the old man, the wrinkles around it making his stern stance seem gentler. “Thank you.”

“Would you like to come over for some tea?” he offered. “I’m sure Master Bruce wouldn’t mind having his son’s friend over.”

She wanted to, a force inside her compelled her to accept his offer. But her heart was broken, and she didn’t know if she was ready to enter what used to be Jason’s home so fast after he was buried. At the same time, maybe she didn’t have the nerve to say no to such a kind person. “I--,” she hesitated, “okay, I’ll have some tea.”

Aged 18, mid-August.

“I don’t know what to do, Alfred,” her hands fiddling with the necklace Jason had given her long ago. “It feels like I’m at a crossroads and every sign points to the direction my heart doesn’t want to go.”

The old butler poured her mint tea - her favorite, as he had learned over the weekly visits she paid him - calmly and firmly as she ranted. “What is holding you back?”

She looked at Alfred, her eyes confused at the question. She hadn’t lingered on the fact of why she didn’t want to accept the scholarship on Metropolis. Her brain told her it was only logical, she would miss her parents, her weekly meeting with Alfred, her hometown. But Alfred was always one step ahead, he had a sixth sense as she had come to learn. “You know,” she replied softly, her eyes lingering on the beautiful teacup in front of her.

He said her name, getting her attention. “Master Jason isn’t here anymore,” he stated simply, laying cookies on her plate, “you don’t have to stay behind for him.”

“I know,” she picked up the spoon and twirled it between her fingers. “But,” she hesitated, not knowing how to phrase her feelings, “Alfred, I can’t even think of it. I can’t wrap my brain around leaving him.”

“You are not leaving him,” his voice was calm and gentle, softening her panic. “You are moving on.”

She shook her head, her eyes shut close tightly. “It doesn’t feel like it,” she whispered, “I feel like I’m meant to be here, Alfred. I can’t really explain it.”

“Well, if you do decide to stay in Gotham, I hope we can continue our weekly teas,” Alfred said, a tone of hope in his voice.

She smiled at him, her eyes filled with kindness. “If I do decide to stay, I’d love to keep our weekly teas,” her smile stayed as she uttered the words. “I appreciate our time together, Alfred.”

“I’m honored,” he said to her, bringing the teacup to his lips.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her and she turned around to see who it was. Turning around, her hand bringing the teacup to her lips, she saw a disheveled Bruce Wayne walking towards her. His eyes were barely opened, prominent bags under his eyes cast a shadow on his features. His tie hung untied on his neck, his shirt over his pants, the sleeves folded up to his elbows. It was a stark contrast from the Bruce Wayne she had seen at Jason's funeral, two years back, the one she saw frequently splattered on the news front pages.

“Oh,” he stopped on his tracks, his hands falling limply to his sides. His jaw tensed and, suddenly, a mask fell on his face, the vulnerability he displayed a few seconds before gone. He wasn’t anymore Bruce, a guy who had just woken up and wanted something from the kitchen of his oversized home, he was the Bruce Wayne, now. The velocity of the transformation haunted her. “I didn’t realize we had visitors.”

She rested the teacup pack on the counter, and got up from the stool. “I’m so sorry Mr. Wayne,” she muttered, extending her hand, introducing herself. “I am, was, Jason’s friend.”

“Yes, yes,” he nodded, “I remember you.”

Alfred looked pointenly at Bruce as pulled a mug from a cabinet. He poured coffee for himself, and leaned against the counter next to Alfred. She stood there next to her stool, paralyzed in his presence. Everytime she was present in Wayne Manor, Bruce was either too busy to ever grace them with his presence, or away on some business trip she never bothered to ask what for. “We have weekly teas, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, his tone laced with something deeper than announcing their weekly traditions.

Bruce’s jaw tightened somehow and his blue eyes rested on her. Her eyes drifted to her teacup, her tea getting cold. She was itching to grab it and drink it, but she felt uncomfortable even moving a inch from her place, much less feeling the liberty to resume her previous behavior. “Really?” his eyebrows shot up, his head tilting slightly. “Please, seat, pretend I’m not here.”

She hesitated before sitting back down. Her hands hugged her teacup, the warmth of it seeping through her skin. It was hard to pretend he was not there next to her, looking at her with judging eyes. She wondered if he remembered her from the funeral, if he had thought of her when he was thinking of Jason’s legacy, what his son had left behind. Her eyes looked up at Bruce before quickly darting back down to her tea, “Yeah, I don’t really wanna go to Metropolis,” she whispered, resuming her previous conversation with Alfred. The air in the kitchen was tense and awkward, she couldn’t look any of them men in the room in the eyes.

“I’m certain Gotham U will admit you,” Alfred reassured her, “You’re a brilliant person, they’d be fools to let you go.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” her eyes were focused on the tea, like it was the most important thing in that kitchen. “They usually don’t take this long to send the letters, it’s making me nervous.”

“Gotham U, huh?” Bruce chipped in. “What’s your major?”

She looked expantly at Alfred, trying to see if he knew any of Bruce’s intentions. But she often forgot how impassive Alfred was, how in control of his emotions he was, something she lacked. He didn’t show her anything, she assumed he knew of something, like usually. “Applied physics,” she responded, quietly.

“Wow,” Bruce breathed out, “impressive.”

She offered him an awkward smile in return. It was hard to find a response to the reaction of others when they became aware of her major. It was highly uncommon, and usually those who followed that path were men. When people discovered what she wanted to do with her life, they almost always reacted like they had found an unicorn.

“Well, when you do graduate, look for me, I can help you get a job,” Bruce politely offered, his tone kind. She looked up at him for the first time, his expression almost fatherly.

“Thank you Mr. Wayne, that’s very kind of you,” she bored her head, looking down at her tea once again.

His phone rang, and he picked it up from his pocket. Her eyes trailed over to his expression, his jaw once again tense. “You’re welcome,” he replied, feigning happiness and comfort. “If you’ll excuse me,” he left the kitchen in broad steps, his shoulders tense and determined.

That was the first time she came to the conclusion that Bruce Wayne was a strange man.

Aged 22, end of May.

College was an excruciating experience, but finally she had left it all behind. With her diploma in hands, she finally felt a small semblance of freedom, something she had longed when isinde the four walls of her old dorm in Gotham U.

She stepped into the ground floor of Wayne towers, her shoes clicking nervously on the floor. She had made sure to dress properly to meet Bruce Wayne, unsure of what he’d think if she showed up dressed like a broke college student, something that she very much was. It was the mentality of fake it till you make it, aim a bit higher and maybe you’ll get there. She desperately wished she’d get there.

One of the receptionists let her in, indicating the floor in which she should go to. Her hands sweat gripping the folder with her recommendations and her resume, she gulped looking at the elevator intently. Her free hand found its way to the tiny robin gently resting on her neck. She wished Jason was there to help her, give her tips on what to say to his Father to make him glad, and what to avoid doing so that he’d hire her. She could imagine him if she closed her eyes, next to her, barely taller than her, smiling at her wishing her good luck. The elevator dinged, bringing her back to reality. Jason wasn’t next to her, and she didn’t have anyone to give her tips on what to say to her potential boss. She was alone, just like she had been for six long years.

In spite of the hundred floors of the building - quite literally - the elevator ride was fast. When the doors opened, it revealed a small greeting room, with a couple of couches and a tall window illuminating it. She eyed directly in front of her, the double doors with a tiny plaque with the name Bruce Wayne engraved on it. Her eyes lingered on it for a couple of moments, as she walked towards the lonesome couch next to the big window. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the beating heart. She wondered if Bruce was already inside the room, if he remembered what he had offered to her all those years ago, or if he had just been polite and did not plan on following with it at all.

After that strange meeting with him four years back, she had barely seen him again. A couple of times she had seen a shadow passing through the corridors while she was heading out of the Manor, someone she assumed for the sake of her mental health it was Bruce Wayne and not a ghost. The notion that he was a strange man only intensified, adding the perception that he was hiding something. She knew he was a good actor, but she could see tiny cracks and slips, an ability gained from years of loneliness. It was hard to say what it was that he was keeping a secret from everyone, but there was something there.

Her name was called and she saw Bruce Wayne standing underneath the frame of the double doors that lead to his office. She got up promptly and walked towards him, her grip on her folder tight. His hand was extended and she shook it professionally, pretending like she wasn’t panicking inside.

“I have someone I’d like for you to meet,” he stated, guiding her inside his office. The office was probably four times bigger than the small room she had stayed previously, the large windows providing a beautiful view from Gotham. You could almost pretend it was a normal city looking out from that window. “This,” he motioned to the man sitting on a cozy nook in the back of the room, “is Lucius Fox.”

The man was big and well built, his round glasses standing on the tip of his nose. He smiled at her, crinkles forming beside his eyes. His hand found his glasses, taking them off and putting them in his pocket. “Nice to meet you, Miss. mr. Wayne has talked a lot about you,” he stated, his hand extended for her to take it.

She looked back at Bruce, confused. After all, he remembered her and he remembered his offer. She turned back to Lucius and shook his hand, a determined expression on her face. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Fox.”

“Lucius Fox is the head of our R&D department, and has agreed to take you as his personal apprentice,” Bruce explained.

Shock overcame her, her eyes wide. She looked between Lucius’ kind smile and Bruce’s stoic stance, unable to believe the opportunity was real. “Really?” she uttered incredulously.

“I have some personal projects and I’d very much need the help,” Lucius explained, calmly. “Mr. Wayne has talked highly of you, I’m eager to see what you’re capable of doing.”

“I--,” she shook her head, trying to get rid of the hesitation, “thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome,” Bruce responded, a small smile gracing his lips. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Aged 24, April 26th.

The humid air of the cave made sweat drip down her face as she tinkered away with a broken gadget she had designed for Bruce’s night time activities, as she had so dearly called it.

It was a new development, the cave and the capes and the vigilantism. The two years she invested working with Lucius all served a greater purpose to Bruce. She was to be the next Lucius Fox, help provide Batman, or rather Bruce - in her head it was still confusing to assume that the guy who had given her a job was the ‘Dark Knight’ - with gadgets capable of doing everything that his physical capabilities couldn’t. Lucius was old and reaching retirement, and even if he loved his job, he was reaching his limit. She was beyond grateful for his guidance, she had learned so much. But he had left her a fucking weird job. There was no other way to describe it.

The cave was quiet, Bruce had left sometime before, she could only hear Alfred quietly talking to Bruce through the comms and the drip-drip of water falling from the ceiling and hitting the small lake underneath her. She had settled in a little abandoned nook, her tools all scattered on top of her table. She rested the screw driver she was working with on the table, lifting the magnifying lens. She rubbed her face, tired of looking towards the tiny malfunctioning screen.

Her hands remained on her face, concealing her emotions. The robin pendant always felt especially heavy on the 26th of April. It had been 8 years since she had seen Jason, and as pathetic as it sounded, she never really got over the loss of him. They always felt particularly lost, she couldn’t focus on anything other than him, running circles around any problem presented to her. Looking at the gadget, it felt nearly impossible to find a solution to it, her mind foggy with sadness and grief that she could never really shake off, even with years between her and the day he had died.

The knowledge that Bruce kept everything as Jason had left, and even made a little homage to his Robin days in a secret corner of the cave, hidden from view, was heavy in her heart. She struggled to keep her eyes trailed to her task and not at the memory of Jason. She took a sharp breath, trying desperately to sew herself together. It was truly pathetic how much it still affected her, how open the wound still was.

A sharp motor sound echoed through the walls of the cave, disturbing the few bats that hung from the ceiling. A guy built like a fucking brick wall parked his bike on the platform, taking long strides towards where Alfred stood. He adorned a cracked red helmet that glistened in the white lights that illuminated the pathway. His heavy footsteps echoed through, her eyes unable to escape from him. She approached silently, praying that that loose panel near the little stairs that lead to the main computer wouldn’t scratch underneath her weight.

“Where the fuck is Bruce?” he growled, his hands balled into fists next to him. His leather jacket was worn and old, its sleeves bunched up near his elbow, exposing his veiny forearms. The cracked part of the helmet revealed his blue eyes, sparkling in a familiar way. It tugged her heartstrings, her hand instinctively went to her robin. It couldn’t be, Jason was dead.

“He’s on patrol, Master Jason,” Alfred said calmly, his eyes trailed to the screens in front of him. Alfred acted like this man’s fits of anger were completely normal.

Her brain repeated that it wasn’t Jason, it was a mere coincidence that this man’s name was the same as her dead best friend’s. Jason was a tiny and scrawny kid, he wasn’t tall and thick like this man. Jason wasn’t bitter and prone to anger fits, even if he was angry most of the time. He was silent and kind and sweet, this man looked to be the opposite of it.

“He promised, Alfred, where is he?” he growled, his fist slamming on the table. “He fucking promised.”

“I’m sure he’ll arrive soon, if you’d like to wait,” Alfred motioned to the medical bay, the gurney sitting there on its lonesome. The man huffed, marching to the gurney, otherwise ignoring her presence a few feet away.

She approached Alfred quietly. “Who was that?” her voice laced with curiosity and fear.

Alfred looked at her serenely, knowing something she didn’t. He smiled at her, teh crinkles around his eyes appearing generously. “Why don’t you find out?,” he responded to her camly.

She took it as an order, and made her way towards the small infirmary area. Her footsteps were light and determined, her hand clutching the robbing resting on her chest tightly. Her brain ran over scenarios on how likely it was that this person had almost every physical attribute to her best friend Jason, if he had taken steroids for the past 8 years. It wasn’t likely, but in light of her new knowledge, of how close the supernatural was to her, it was very much possible.

“Do you want me to take a look?” she asked quietly, shifting the weight from her heels to the tips of her toes. She felt so small in his presence, something she didn’t feel with Bruce, oddly. Maybe it was because Bruce didn’t give off such menacing vibes when he was near her, or maybe it was because her brain was unconsciously comparing this man to her Jason, who had always been smaller than her. “At the helmet, I mean.”

He eyed her surgically, analyzing everything about her. His eyes rested on her pendants, widening slightly in recognition. It took almost everything in her to control her beating heart, to control her brain trying to say that in fact that man before her was her Jason, and it wasn’t her brain playing tricks on her.

He gently took his helmet off, revealing his crisp black hair cooly laying on his forehead. His eyes focused on the helmet, his arms extended to give it to her gently. Her eyes would leave his face, a face she had longed to see for eight excruciatingly long years. His eyes had remained the same, after all: kind and sweet. His face, however, told a story of hardships and pain, hardened by whatever he had been through all these years. She didn’t know how to feel, if she should feel betrayed he hadn't trusted her enough to say that he was alive, that he was six feet under anymore, or if she should feel elated that Jason was alive and she could finally tell him all the things she wanted to.

Her fingers brushed him slightly, as she picked up the broken helmet from his hands. His hands still felt the same, her heart noticed, picking up a beat. She looked at the crack that exposed half of his face, the electrical parts fizzling dangerously. Her eyes focused on Jason once again, her lips shut painfully. The tears that came to her eyes were inevitable, trembling fingers reaching at her robin pendant, clutching it tightly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t,” he shook his head gently, “it’s not your fault.”

She could see he wanted to touch her, but something held him back. She wouldn’t find out what until much later.

Aged 24, August 16th.

Jason had promised her he would show up, and he never broke his promises. That was what she repeated to herself, late at night. She had prepared everything for his birthday, bought a present for him and baked a cake. She had said that he was supposed to appear at seven. It was well past midnight, the cake had found its way back to the fridge, the present was back in her closet, and he hadn’t showed up yet.

A part of her kept telling her to give up, her best friend had stood her up: Jason changed fundamentally, he wasn’t the same boy he was when she met him and it was foolish to hang on to that notion; it was perfectly plausible that he had the habit of breaking promises now. But she was well aware of that, she saw it in the tiny things how much Jason was transformed, it still didn’t change the fact that she knew he valued loyalty above all else, and that included loyalty to his words. He wouldn’t break his promise to her.

She changed out of the cute dress she was wearing, feeling foolish and sad that she was about to give up most of the hope that he would show up. Her pyjamas welcomed her comfortably, a safe space to let the heartbreak settle on her. He won’t break his promise, she repeated mentally, he won’t. The mantra did little to soothe the growing dread inside her, the notion that maybe she didn’t know him as well as she did. That he didn’t tell her everything that day, that he didn’t trust her anymore. It hurt more than she anticipated.

Sleep was almost consuming her when she heard a loud clang outside her bedroom. She shook awake, throwing the covers off her instinctively. Her hand grabbed the baseball bat that rested beside her bed, bringing it up and close to her. With slow steps, she approached the window. Her fear settled when she saw the familiar red helmet staring back at her, begging to let him in. She dropped the bat on the floor, opening the window.

He got in her room awkwardly, struggling to pass his huge frame through a tiny space. She reached to help him, offering her hands. He took them, butterflies running amok on her tummy. “You’re late,” she commented, trying to mask the hurt in her voice.

“I know,” he said, taking off his helmet and dropping it on top of her bed. “I’m sorry.”

She hummed looking at him underneath the moonlight seeping through her window. She hadn’t gotten used to how big he became, and how smaller she felt in his presence. She was by no means a small woman, but his entire being could encapsulate her with a simple hug, and not the other way around like it used to be. “Why are you late?” she moved to sit on the bed, the helmet rolling off the bed delicately.

He looked at her, sitting down next to her gently. “I don’t know,” he answered, rubbing his hands together, his elbows resting on his thighs.

“Why do I feel like you’re not being honest with me?” her head tilted, looking at his beautiful profile. There was a scar connecting his right temple to the corner of his upper lip, and it made him even more beautiful than he already was. He fascinated her to no end, his brain, his looks, his entire being was what made her keep going, the light on the end of her tunnel.

His eyes trailed over her face, looking for something she guessed he wouldn’t find. “Why are you always so nice to me?”

“What do you mean, Jason,” she breathed out, confused at the inquiry. “I’m your friend, I’m supposed to be nice to you.”

“No, you’re not,” he shook his head, his hands balled into fists and his eyes closed. “You’re not supposed to be kind to me,” he got up, his back towards her.

“Stop it, Jason, you’re scaring me,” she whispered, her voice shaking a bit.

“You’re supposed to be angry at me. I abandoned you, left you alone, and when I came back I didn’t tell you, I didn’t look for you,” he continued, trying to manipulate her emotions.

“Why are you saying these things, Jason, they’re not true,” she got up, her voice no longer shaking, determined and focused.

“Because I don’t deserve it,” he turned to her, his eyes tortured and sad. “I don’t deserve your kindness and friendship. I’m not worthy of it.”

“Jay, I--” she started, but Jason interrupted her.

“Don’t, please. I’m not worthy of anyone’s love,” his voice was heavy with emotion. She discovered that Jason was often ruled by two main emotions: sadness and anger. In that moment, she could only see those in him and a part of her broke.

“That’s not true, you’re worthy of mine,” her voice was so honest and raw, it caught Jason by surprise. She didn’t know what he expected out of her at that moment, maybe to give in to his spiral of bad thoughts and self flagellation, but she refused to let him believe those awful things. “Jason, you really don't know?”

He remained in silence, his eyes wide and shocked, focused on the ground. His jaw was tense and his hands balled into fists tightly. She took a hesitant step towards him, reaching for his hands. They relaxed under her touch and she threaded her fingers through his. It wasn’t hard to notice how perfectly they fit with each other, like to halves of a whole. “I’ve loved you ever since I was 14 and you marched into the boys bathroom to get my lit homework back from Mason Anderson,” she whispered, her eyes focused on his face, while his were focused on their hands together. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, I’m so sorry it took me so long to say it, Jay. But I can’t let you believe all those horrible things you said. Not when I love you more than anything in this world.”

He stayed silent for a couple of moments, her heart beating erratically inside her chest, fearing she had screwed up their friendship for good. In a way, it was worst to know he was out there and didn't want to speak to her because she dared to tell him about her love for him. “Please say something,” she begged him quietly.

His eyes finally found hers, his hands breaking the link they formed. He rested his hands on her cheeks gently, and she dared say, lovingly. Her heart started beating excitedly, the fear slowly dissipating as his gaze got more intense.

His lips brushed against hers, her eyes fluttering closed at the contact. He kissed her gently, a love delicate and fragile, just acknowledged between them both. His grip on her was firm, his thumb grazing delicately on her cheekbones. Her hands thread through his soft hair, still slightly humid from the sweat caused by the helmet. The air was charged with want, tentative kiss toeing the line between what it was and something more.

She wished to stay like that forever. She prayed to whatever was out there in the Universe, to allow her that happiness. To stay kissing her love tentatively in the dark for as long as she could, as long as he’d let her.

Jason broke the kiss, his forehead resting on hers. His fingers found their way to the back of her head, cupping it softly. “I love you,” he whispered, his lips almost brushing with hers. She reached for his lips once again, like a magnet finding its match. “I love you so much,” he reassured.

They kissed once again, not intending to break apart any time soon.

#jason todd x reader #jason todd #red hood #red hood x reader #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x you #jason todd fic #jason todd imagine

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jerkbitchidjitassbutt · 4 years ago

Text

It Was You (Part One)

A/N: Jensen and Y/n are childhood best friends. When his agent informs him that his image could use some improvement for a role, will she help him? Or will her feelings get in the way?

A holiday (Christmas centric) Jensen x Female!Reader Best Friends to Lovers series for @spnchristmasbingo. Un-beta’d, so all mistakes are mine. Header created by me with images from Google. Chapter word count: 3371

Series Warnings: break up; angst-ish at times (if you squint), but mostly all the fluff.

I consider this an AU, as Jensen is single in this fic. This is completely a work of fiction, and I wouldn’t want his reality to be any different, this is purely for entertainment.

The slight chill of a Vancouver December morning roused you from a peaceful sleep, making you snuggle further into the down blanket and comfort of your plush bedding. It was two weeks until Christmas and the weather was supposed to be a balmy high of 32 degrees today, so you had planned to stay in, do some shopping online, and stay by your cozy fireplace with every holiday movie you could find. Willing yourself to get five more minutes of shut eye seemed like a helpless feat as the wintry cold seeped into your apartment. You opened your eyes to the gentle prisms of light floating in through the adjacent window, the sunrise indicating it was time to get up for the day.

Sitting up to perch on the side of your bed and grabbing your wide-rimmed glasses from the nightstand, you slid your chilled toes into the warm slippers waiting and shrugged on your fuzziest sweater. It may be time for that fire sooner than you thought.

Padding into your kitchen to get a much-needed caffeine fix after last night’s dinner and drinks with the rest of the cast and crew, you took your favorite mug from the cabinet and loaded the coffee maker, making an extra cup or two for you and any visitors you might have a bit later.

Jensen’s apartment was down the hall, and if you knew him, he’d still be sleeping, but he’d probably wander over at some point this morning. Cradling the mug in your hands warmed them slightly and sent a shiver down your spine. Even your warmest pajamas and the heat from the thermostat did little against the Canadian winds. Laughing slightly to yourself, you’d thought you’d be used to it after six years of winters here.

You wandered towards the windows of your living room to pull back the long curtains. It was a favorite spot to have your coffee and gaze at the sights of Vancouver. Settling on the window seat, you felt a warmth spread through you as you noticed it had snowed in the night, and from the looks of it, it was a depth of fresh, soft powder – a type that you rarely saw growing up in Texas. People were bundled up tightly as they walked the streets, but a few people, adults and kids alike, were already out playing in the thick blanket of snow.

As your coffee began to warm you through, you couldn’t help the giddy feeling of joy that rose at the sight – it made the holiday season and the spirit of it even more intense than just viewing the lights of downtown and the large decorations everywhere. For some reason, snow just sealed it all up in a nice little bow.

Sure enough, about halfway into your second cup of coffee, you heard a key in your door and Jensen shuffled in, still wearing his pj’s with tousled hair, but he had thrown on a thick sweater too.

“Good morning.” You called, still seated at the large window.

“Mornin’ sweetheart.” He replied with a quick wave as he tossed his keys on the counter and waltzed into your kitchen in search of his mug, his voice still thick and gruff with sleep.

He mixed his cream and sugar and took a long sip, letting out a contented sigh after the steaming liquid entered his body. He was notoriously grumpy without his coffee, but he always met you with a sweet greeting when he came over. Walking around your kitchen island and into your open living room, he slumped into the recliner across from you and pulled the leaver to release the footing, allowing him to lean back with his feet up. He adjusted himself to get comfortable, careful to not spill the mug in his hand.

“What time did you get in last night?” you asked, taking another sip from your own cup.

He covered his eyes with his free hand, still obviously tired. “About 2:30. You know how Jared gets when we break for hiatus, he never wants the party to end. He was still talking to me as I was shutting my door.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. Jared was the most social person you’d ever met and knowing that he wouldn’t be back to Canada and on set for a month, he would always soak up every little bit of time he had with the cast and crew. Even though Jensen was griping about it now, you knew he also didn’t mind. He’d probably be missing everyone, especially Jared, about four days into the break. You didn’t get home until about 1 a.m., and that was only because you were beginning to doze off in your cocktail.

“Tell Cliff thanks again for driving me home last night. I just couldn’t cut it.”

“Yeah, I know… Lightweight.” Jensen teased.

“Hey, you didn’t have a 5 a.m. set call yesterday like some of us.”

Jensen huffed a small laugh from his seat, still resting his hand across his closed eyes. His sweatpants hung low on his hips and his green Henley stretched across his biceps as he rested his coffee on his thigh. A slight 5 o’clock shadow and the bedhead he was sporting all combined into a handsome image. He may be your best friend, but you could still appreciate the looks the man was blessed with.

Seemingly close to falling back asleep, you called to him in a hushed voice, “Jay. If you want to go back to sleep just put your coffee mug on the table, okay?”

“Hmmmph. No, I’m up.” He fibbed, as evident from the way he blinked widely once he opened his eyes again. Forcing himself to stand, otherwise he would really fall back asleep instead of just resting his eyes, he walked towards you with his cup, dragging his feet slightly as his legs sluggishly pulled him across the room. His head was down and his shoulders were wilted, but he was trying to get his body moving.

When he reached you, you felt his chest bump your shoulder before he rested his cheek on the crown of your head, his arm dangling by his side as he slumped. He took a deep breath before rubbing his hand across your back and standing, smiling as you peered up at him with a grin.

Licking his lips, he finally peered out to the streets below and his eyes went wide, “Y/n!” he practically shouted.

You flinched, “What? What’d I do?”

“You didn’t tell me it snowed!”

Giving a huff and a giggle, you couldn’t help but be sarcastic, “I’m sorry, was I supposed to while you were falling asleep in my chair?! Besides… it’s Canada. It’s not like snow is very rare here.”

“Y/n! That’s, like, snow! The kind we used to wish for when we were kids!”

“I know, I thought that too.”

“Well, c’mon!” he said, setting his cup down on the ledge. “We gotta go!”

“What? Go where?”

Jensen was already halfway through your living room and heading for the front door but paused to turn and point a finger in your direction, “You, me, snowman. Now.”

“Jay,” You whined. “It’s cold and its early. You sure you don’t want to just watch Netflix?”

“Y/n!” he said once again, looking as excited as a 12-year-old on a snow day from school. “Snowman! Please?” he begged, waving his arms frantically as he gestured outside.

“Okay, okay. Fine. No need to use your puppy eyes on me. I’ll meet you outside in 15 minutes.”

With that, a huge grin broke out on his face and he took off down the hall, leaving you to go in search of your heaviest ski jacket.

Jensen knocked on your door soon after you shrugged into the puffy coat, dressed in thick snow pants, his own jacket, and a black beanie and gloves with a small bag in his hand. Straitening your scarf before locking your door, he barely gave you a moment to put on your knitted pom beanie before he was pulling you by your hand towards the elevator of your building and pushing you out of the revolving doors into the frigid air. Heading to the side where a large park sat adjacent to your complex, he looked around before tugging you along to a spot with a large open space. He nodded to himself, as if to say he’d found the perfect place for his snowman-building escapade. As your boots crunched beneath you, you each began gathering handfuls of snow to make a large base, then packed and sculpted two more spheres. Though you initially protested, you had to admit that it was fun, and the coldness against your cheeks wasn’t bad after a bit, particularly after seeing how happy Jensen was when his finished product towered over yours. He’d managed to gather the majority of the snow within about a six-foot radius of where his snowman stood before piling it high.

“Hey, hey… look at that. An accurate height difference!” He touted, teasing you.

“Oh, hush you. It’s not my fault that you were given the extended version of the human body.” You glared at him playfully.

He laughed as he bent to rummage in the bag he’d brought, producing two carrots. He wiggled them in his hands before handing one to you. He was just about to place it in a very telling place when you grabbed a handful of snow and threw it in his direction.

“Jensen!” You berated. “That’s not where the carrot goes! There’s kids out here!”

He stood up slowly, turning to you with a serious smirk, “Did you seriously just throw a snowball at me?”

Wiping your hand on your pantleg quickly, you gave him a mischievous grin, “Who, me? I’d never.”

“Oh, its on!” he declared as he bent to scoop up the little bit of remaining snow in his reach, that which he hadn’t used for his snowman.

Ducking behind your own, he threw and missed, sending the snow flying passed you. A quick grab from around you produced another snowball that you chucked from behind your shield, hitting him square in the chest. The fight lasted for a good while, the two of you trying your hardest to target the other as many times as possible and receiving some laughs and glances from passersby as they walked along the sidewalk. Finally, Jensen gave up and took off towards you, chasing you in circles before he tackled you into the plush ice, pinning you beneath him as he tried to bury you both.

“Jay! Oh my God, stop! Its freezing!” you yelled through your laughter.

“Truce?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in a challenge.

He was still on top of you, his nose and cheeks a bit flushed from the wintry air. He still had that devilish smirk on his face, but his green eyes were soft and something beneath them made your heart flutter slightly in your chest. He scanned your face quickly before glancing towards your lips, but you were quick to snatch another fistful of snow to smash onto his head. Scrambling out from underneath him, you ran as he said something about you being a cheater before he jumped to his feet.

After the war ended and a truce was finally declared, you both put the finishing touches on your snowmen after you found sticks for the arms and coerced Jensen to put the carrot in the right spot. He stood back proudly, admiring your handiwork.

“Hey.” He gestured to you, “C’mere.”

A bit warry that he was going to tackle you again, you came to his side as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and turned on the camera. Pulling you into him, he said, “Gotta have evidence of our masterpieces.” He reached around your waist and tugged you in close, framing both of you and your snowmen in the background. The cold air made the tip of your nose and the apples of your cheeks change in color, and there was still some snow in your hair from when Jensen wrestled you, but both of you smiled widely. Feeling the scruff of his short beard against your temple and his arms wrapped around you made you think about the way his eyes danced across your face moments ago, but the thought was quickly dismissed as he stepped away from you slightly after he made sure the picture wasn’t too blurry.

“Oh, crap. Is that what time it is?” he said, alarmed, looking at his phone screen. “I have to meet Stacy in an hour.”

Stacy was his publicist and agent, but he usually didn’t meet with her during the hiatus. “You’re meeting Stacy today? What’s up?” you asked, a bit confused.

“She wants to talk to me about this movie. Some sort of romantic drama she thought I may be good for.”

“Oh,” you replied, “that’s great! You didn’t tell me! Would you have to cut back filming the show?” While you were a bit surprised, you were genuinely happy for him.

“Stacy knows Supernatural comes first, so I hope not.”

“Well, let’s get inside so you can warm up and change. I was going to make my mom’s chili and cornbread for dinner tonight, if you want to join me after your meeting.”

The excitement on his face was palpable as his eyes lit up the moment you said it, “You know how much I love your mom’s chili. We’re just meeting for coffee near her office, so I’ll bring the beer.”

As you were walking back into the building, your phone rang. It was Stephen, your boyfriend of three months.

“Stephen, hey.” You said as you entered the elevator, not missing the slight eyeroll that Jensen gave.

“Hey, honey. How are you? I didn’t want to call too early, just in case you were still sleeping after last night.”

“I’m good, thanks. Actually, just got done building a snowman with Jensen.”

A short silence followed, until Stephen spoke up again. “Oh, that’s nice.” He said, his voice noticeably clipped. “Well, I’m going to take my lunch break soon. Would you like to meet up? I can come to your side of town.”

“Uh, sure. I’ll meet you at that café on 3rd in about a half an hour?”

“Sounds great. See you there.”

Shoving your phone back in your pocket, you ignore Jensen’s stare as the elevator climbed to your floor.

“So…” he pressed. “Stephen?”

“Yeah, Stephen. We’re going to meet up for lunch while you have your meeting.”

“Hmph.” He huffed.

“Jay, we’ve known each other our whole lives and to this day you’ve never liked a single guy I’ve ever dated. What’s wrong with Stephen?”

“I don’t know. He’s just kind of… meh.”

He wasn’t lying, if you were being truthful. Stephen was meh. He was cute and had nice eyes and dimples, but he didn’t make you laugh. He was a bit dull and your sense of humor didn’t mesh with his well. Still, you thought that it might get a bit better once you got to know each other and began to understand one another more. Your relationship was still very casual, but maybe it could go further? You weren’t really sure, honestly.

“What about you and Laura?” you asked, quickly changing the subject.

“I told you… that was nothing.” He quipped as you reached your door. “We went on like three dates.”

“Yeah, the last one being just this past week.”

“Yeah, and it just didn’t go well.”

You let out a small sigh. Discussing your dating lives wasn’t really something the two of you loved to do with each other. Maybe when you were teenagers, yeah. You’d asked each other for advice and gossiped a bit about the people in your high school, but as you grew into adults it just became a subject you both steered away from besides the occasional, hey I’ve got a date conversation. Neither of you had ever really found a person that the other approved of, each finding a reason to be picky every time.

“I’m sorry, Jay. I’m just deflecting.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I was pushing.” He said sincerely with a small smile. “Well, you enjoy lunch. My meeting’s at 1:30 across town, so I should be back by 4 at the latest. Pick out a movie for us, okay?”

“Sounds great. I will.” With that, he kissed you quickly on the side of your head and went into his apartment as you ducked into yours. You freshened up quickly and changed, grabbing a different peacoat, hat, and scarf as your others were still wet.

It was a short walk to the café, and they had good sandwiches. You were surprisingly hungry, so you were glad to see Stephen waiting outside for you. He gripped your hand tightly and gave you a quick kiss in greeting before leading you into the restaurant. You were seated and ordered quickly, knowing that he would have to return to work soon.

“So, how has your day been?” You asked as you shrugged off your coat, hanging it on the chair behind you.

“It’s been… good.” He muttered.

“Uh oh,” You said, getting his attention as he looked away from you. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, really. I was just surprised to hear that you were with Jensen today. You had mentioned you were going to stay home.”

Stephen smiled, almost in an attempt to let you know that he was trying to be lighthearted about it, but you could tell it bothered him.

“Yeah, when he saw it snowed last night, he just really wanted to make a snowman.” You laughed, trying to steer away from the subject. Stephan wasn’t overstepping, but he also wasn’t going to prevent you from spending time with Jensen. The two of you had been inseparable since, well, practically since birth. Your parents had been the best of friends, so you were pretty much raised together.

“Have you, um…” Stephen began, hesitantly. “I know you’ve been friends forever, but have you ever had feelings for him?”

His blue eyes shown with a slight jealousy as you felt a slight pang to your heart.

“No, of course not.” You managed to say with a steady voice and a smile as you picked up your napkin to place in your lap.

It was a lie, one that you’d been telling for years. At one point in your life, you were in love with Jensen. But, the past was in the past. If Jensen didn’t even know, why should Stephen?

Stephen seemed satisfied with your response for the most part, and the two of you had a pleasant lunch. When you stepped away to use the restroom, your phone chimed. Stephen tried not to even look towards your side of the table where your phone sat, but when he saw Jensen’s name, he read the text quickly before the screen dimmed.

Hey, sweetheart. Finishing up here soon and then I’ll be heading home. Do you need me to grab anything from the store?

Stephen knew the two of you were a package deal, and thought he could honestly be alright with it, but between working together and spending practically all of your time together, he was starting to wonder where he fit in in your life. He busied himself by checking his Instagram as he thought about what he should do and found that Jensen had tagged you in a photo from this morning. The caption was simple, just a few words about the filming hiatus and the first snow of the season, but the two of you were so close. Stephen found himself wishing that you could reserve a smile like that for him, but he had yet to see it.

It hurt, but he knew he couldn’t play second fiddle to Jensen. He cared about you, but perhaps it was better to bow out now.

“Hey, sorry about that.” You said brightly as you got back to the table, smiling. It still didn’t reach your eyes, though.

Stephen leaned forward on his elbows with a sigh, “Y/n, I think we should talk.”

To be continued...

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Jensen Only

@mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk

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harlowdoylepi · 3 years ago

Text

TA-418 Saga Part 10: Bigger Than Ourselves

This chapter is my personal favorite. Action, fight scenes, even a cameo from a friend in there lol. So let it begin!

Jay and Buddy darted inside J and J antiques, red-faced and breathing hard.

Jay gasped for air and flopped on an antique couch.

"My lungs are about to collapse. Need. Oxygen!"

"Jason!" Buddy called out.

Jason came in from the other room. "Hey, Buddy, hey Jay. What can I do for you? It looks like you've run a long way."

"We were over by the old building near here and -" Buddy stopped and gasped, "And we need your help. A friend of ours went inside and - then some guys came in and we think she's in trouble!"

"The old building?" Jason questioned.

"Yeah. Me and Buddy were staking it out."

"Why?"

"Because we've been seeing weird things there recently, like people loading boxes into it, and then people picking them up later, and weird meetings with people at all times of the day."

Jason frowned. "Like a cartel? Drugs or something?’

"We think so."

"Alright, in that case, I think we need to call the police." Jason picked up the phone and dialed.

Jay pumped his fist. “Oh yeah, calling in the boys in blue! Bringing in the cavalry to save the day!” He got up from the couch and glanced around. "Hey, where's your sidekick, anyway?"

Jason looked at him sideways. "My sidekick?"

"You know, Richard."

"Oh, he's upstairs, would you go get him?"

"Roger, Captain Rogers." Jay saluted him and marched up the stairs. He burst through the door.

"RICHARD 'BUCKY BARNES' MAXWELL!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Richard came around the corner. "You called?" he paused, "Wait a sec, Jay? What do you need?"

"Jason needs you downstairs. It's an emergency!"

"Ok…" Richard said uncertainly. He followed Jay down the stairs.

"Thank you, Detective, we'll be there in five." Jason set down the phone,

"We've got to go meet Detective Polehaus," he pulled out his car keys, "I'll explain on the way."

Before they walked out the door, Jason turned. "Jillian, please watch the shop!"

Jillian came from the back room. "Can’t I go with you?"

"No, the shop is still open and we need someone to watch it."

She pointed at Jay and Buddy. "Can't they do it?"

Jason cast an annoyed glance at her. "No. Age-wise, you’re the only adult here."

"Aw, man."

Jason and Richard walked out the door before Jillian could ask any more questions.

Blair had hidden away inside the storage closet for about half an hour, hoping that the men who were there would go away, so she could make a safe escape. The young women fingered the camera nervously. She had all the evidence she needed, but now she was trapped. She was so close. Her mission was almost complete. What would she do if she was caught and they found out what was on this camera? From what she’d heard and gathered, it wouldn’t be pretty. A painful death wouldn’t be unlikely. Her name would be added to the list of names she had seen.

Suddenly, she didn’t have time to guess anymore. The doorknob turned. Her jaw hardened. No. I’ve come too far to lose now. The door swung open and a guy appeared in front of her. Upon seeing her, he started and opened his mouth to say something. Blair jabbed the man in the throat, then jumped out of the closet and shoved him inside of it, deadbolting the door. It only took a few seconds for him to start shouting and pounding on the door.

Blair was already at the end of the hall, still clutching the camera. She had to get out of there quickly.

Blair rounded the corner and ran into two surly gang members. She swiftly push - kicked one in the stomach. He went crashing back, slamming hard against the wall and hitting several crates, splintering and shattering. The other guy pulled out his stun gun and made a strike at her, but she jumped back, delivering a lightning-fast hook kick, and knocking it out of his hand. She then dove desperately for the stunner.

She grabbed the stunner and stunned the man with it. He collapsed heavily to the ground.

She tore off down the next corridor, now even more desperate to get out of there.

A loud yell echoed down the hall. A young man, about 20 or so, came running down the hall. His face was red with rage, and he was charging right for her. She turned and ran full speed, but he caught up and nearly barreled into her. She jumped out of the way and stumbled, but regained her footing and assumed a fighting stance. There would be no getting out of this one.

He swung at her but she blocked the blow and countered, punching his stomach several times. He stumbled back and kicked, aiming for her side, but her arm reached down in a lower block to stop it. He shoved against her shoulders hard, they both tumbled back, and he pinned Blair against a wall with his hands to her throat. She reached, her fingers making a swipe at his eyes, but he knew what she was trying to do and jerked back. He stepped back, and punched her in the ribcage. Blair staggered and winced. The man took another step back and swiftly brought his leg down hard on her shoulder in an ax kick.

She cried out and dropped down upon impact, but as she did, she swung her leg over and knocked his feet out from under him, giving her a chance to get back up. The man recovered quickly and got up as well, now even angrier than before. Sparks flared in his eyes. Veins bulged on his forehead and neck. He let out a savage yell and swung at her, aiming for her jaw. She ducked, and took a step back, prepared herself for a powerful kick, then realized she was backed against a wall.

He came for her again, she dodged the punch and his fist met the wall. He swung at her once more, this time she blocked the blow. Counteracting his repeated strikes, she backfirsted him in the face, punched him in the stomach, (let the martial artist hear and understand) then delivered an elbow strike, making firm contact with the left side of his jaw.

He countered by punching her in the stomach, then aimed for her nose. She diverted his blow and looked away. She could see a hydraulic jack just a few feet away. If only she could get to it….

A swift right hook to the face brought Blair back to reality. She recognized the taste of blood. She was running out of energy. He grabbed her left wrist in a death grip and dragged her out a step. She set her feet, pulled her arm in and brought her right elbow down on his forearm repeatedly. She jerked her wrist out of his grip, then brought her elbow to his throat, turned to face him, then gave him an uppercut, her hand curled in a fist. She side- kicked him away from her; he stumbled back. The barrage of kicks and strikes would buy her time.

Blair took two steps to the hydraulic jack and hoped the handle was loose. She grabbed the metal handle, and it slid out easily. She turned to face him. She barely had time to think when he kicked high, aiming for her head. She quickly dropped down in a squat, then sprang back up. Before he could make his next move, she brought the crowbar hard across on his head. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Breathing hard, she dropped the pipe, and it clanged loudly. She barely noticed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. And everything seemed to be spinning. Her body began to hurt. With time, her training had taught her not to pay attention to the pain. She barely felt them when she was fighting, but once it was over, it was like a wave of soreness hit her all at once. Everything around her seemed to be knocked off balance. She had been fighting for years, but the first few moments after a spar never failed to make her head spin and her vision blur. As the adrenaline started to subside. Her left hand and wrist stung. Multiple scratches had formed from when she had torn herself from her attacker. Thin lines of blood took shape and trickled down her arm. She looked at the wall and saw a dent where his fist hit the wall. She looked down at the punk who lay still on the floor.

This guy had clearly taken some form of MMA, he was too good to be an amateur. But he had one flaw. He was angry.

“Sorry about that,” Blair whispered. Now it’s even more urgent for me to get out of here.

Remembering her still imminent danger, the adrenaline began to kick back up. She took a sharp turn and was about to head down the stairs, but then bumped into a HUGE man who resembled the Incredible Hulk. She had been so turned around she didn’t notice him approaching. She really was beginning to lose it. One look and she knew he was an opponent she would not be able to go against.

She turned to dash for it, but he grabbed her in a powerful grip, swung her over, and slammed her against a wall, drew her back then thrusted her hard against the wall again. Blair turned, and let her side and shoulders absorb the second repercussion. She felt something in her side crack upon impact. She cried out. A sharp pain stabbed in her chest. His grip released, she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor with a groan. Every breath resulted in a stabbing, tearing sensation in her chest.

Before she could form a conscious thought, her assailant picked her up as though she weighed nothing at all, and veritably threw her down the stairwell. She crashed and tumbled down the concrete stairs, the last things she heard were loud shouts from voices she didn't recognize, pain, and a sharp stabbing in her side was multiplied as it was hit by the edges of the stairs. Blair crashed down the final few steps. There were a couple of cinder blocks and random junk on the landing. She reached for them to stop herself, but her arm gave out as she hit the blocks. Something snapped, she could feel it. Her head collided with the wall - or was it the floor? A cry escaped from her mouth before her body crumpled, everything went dark, and she knew no more.

“Ok, men, approach the building carefully, and quietly. But remember, we’re just checking around.” Polehaus’s voice came over the speaker.

Richard and Jason sat in an unmarked car, listening in to the three officers on their walkie-talkies. They were parked about a hundred yards down the road, just out of sight.

Things were quiet for a couple of moments, then his voice intoned on the speaker once more.

“Alright, get ready to enter the building in three...two...one.”

Silence.

Richard and Jason sat intently, waiting for any sign of what was going on. A full minute passed, though it felt like an hour.

In the distance, toward the direction of the complex, they heard faint yells, mixed with squealing tires. The engines faded away, presumably they drove off in the opposite direction.

The speaker crackled back to life, making them jump.

“Alright.” It was Officer Henderson this time, “They panicked and left. I’m going to leave and follow them.”

“Copy that, Henderson,” Polehaus replied. “Richard, Jason, you two can come to the building to look around if you want.”

“Copy that Detective.” Answered Jason, “We’re on our way.”

The two men jumped out of the unmarked van and bolted down the dirt road toward the building.

They walked into the building tentatively.

“Detective?” Jason called.

“Over here.” The cop shouted.

The two walked through the broken-down door and down the small hallway leading into the building. The floor was concrete, although it looked like there had been tile or carpet there before. Old paint was peeling off the walls and some of the windows were cracked, some covered with cardboard, some left as they were.

"Man, what do you think this place was before it got like this?" Richard asked.

"An office complex, most likely." Was Polehaus's reply, "Though I'd have to do some looking around to confirm that."

They rounded the corner and saw him standing there, writing something down on a notepad. This part of the building was left open, possibly a reception area. In another room, you could barely see a staircase.

“Well, it appears there are more exits here than we thought.” Called out Officer Burke as he walked back into the building. “I think they got out by way of the fire escape, on the opposite end of the building."

“That makes sense.” The detective nodded. He looked at Richard and Jason, “You two can look around if you want. Jason, your experience as an agent may be helpful. You may be able to find something we miss.”

Jason nodded as he put on some blue rubber gloves given to him by Officer Burke. He handed a pair to Richard as well. “Okay, I’ll be happy to do whatever I can.” He looked at Richard and gestured to the room with the stairs, “Shall we start in there?”

“Why not?”

They started for the room.

“Be careful, and if you see or find anything suspicious, call us immediately,” Polehaus called after them. “If possible, don’t move things around.”

“Understood sir,” Richard called back.

They walked into the adjacent room, their footsteps echoing in the desolate place. It was larger than the room they came from. Along the wall, there was a flight of stairs, leading up to the second floor, then there was a landing, then there was a second staircase, leading up to the third floor. Jason walked over to a door and opened it, peeking in to see what was in there. It was too dark to make out anything clearly, so he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

“I’ll investigate here Richard, but you can go anywhere you like.”

“Sure.” He gazed at the stairs, “Maybe I’ll go look up there.” He pointed to the staircase.

“Okay.” Jason gave a thumbs-up, “Just be careful.”

Richard grinned. “What makes you think I’ll be anything else?”

“Well -”

“Strike that from the record.” He scampered halfway up the first flight, and turned around, “Don’t do anything stupid.” he shouted, “At least not till I get back.”

“How can I? You’re taking all of it with you!” Jason playfully retorted.

Richard smirked and quickly jogged up the stairs, deciding to investigate the third floor first, then down to the second.

He hopped up the last few steps and looked down the hall.

“Where shall I start first?” He mumbled to himself. Maxwell thought for a moment, then shrugged. He’d just start with the first door. He cautiously opened it and peered in.

The room appeared to be an office. There was an old desk and chair that had been shoved to the right corner of the room. He frowned as he took off the rubber gloves so he could turn on the flashlight on his phone. The sun was setting fast, and it was getting too dark to adequately see. He searched around for anything that could be a clue to what was going on. He opened the drawers on the desk and searched. Nothing but old cobwebs and dust. This office was never used.

Richard exited the room and was about to open the next door when his foot scuffed against something. He looked down and shone his light on the floor.

“A camera.” He muttered to himself. He squatted down next to it, examining it all over, looking for an identifying mark or a name, something that could give him a clue. He noted that the lens was shattered and the side was cracked. It had been dropped. Or thrown. He examined it further and found a name written on the sling strap in sharpie. Property of Blair C. Duncan

Richard’s heart nearly stopped. He was worried that Blair was involved with this and now his suspicions appeared to be confirmed.

One thing doesn’t make sense. Why is it on the floor? Maybe she was in a hurry when she dropped it? When the police arrived?

Maxwell flipped the camera over and looked around for where the memory card was. Ah-ha! He quickly slid the small compartment back; forgetting what Polehaus said, and took out the memory card and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket.

I’ll take care of this when I get back home. He walked down the hall, his mind was reeling with wonderings and theories, he rounded the corner and was so lost in thought that he nearly tripped over the body that lay on the ground.

Good grief, forget looking in the offices, everything that’s helpful is on the ground! I-

He audibly gasped when he realized just what exactly he had stumbled onto.* (*No pun intended) A young man, probably twenty or so, lay still on the ground. Maxwell swallowed hard. Was he - dead?

He knelt beside the man, trying to keep his hands from trembling as he touched his neck and felt for a pulse. It was there. In the deathly silence, he could hear the man’s barely audible breathing. It was weak but steady.

“At least he’s not dead.” He whispered with relief. He stood back up, put his hands on his hips, and shook his head. “But now this adds even more to the mystery. What happened to him? This wasn’t the cops, we’d know if that was the case.” He scanned the area around the body and saw a hollow metal pipe, probably sixteen inches long. "This looks like a handle from one of those hydraulic jack things."

They had used one at Triple J's a few days ago, and he remembered the handles could come right off if they weren't tightened on. It could be used as a weapon quite easily. He almost picked it up, but then refrained. They would use that to get fingerprints later.

He shone his flashlight on the wall and saw scuff marks and a small dent on the wall nearest to the man. He ran his fingers lightly over them. “Signs of a fight?” He said thoughtfully. It was looking more likely. Richard decided to go find Polehaus, he'd know what to do.

He rounded the corner and came to a place on the opposite end of the building. It was a room just like the one he and Jason had been in, all the way down to the stairs. He squinted. It was too dark to tell, but it looked like something was on the landing between the first and second flight of stairs. He trotted down the first flight and shone his flashlight down to the landing.

What he saw made his blood run cold. He ran down the rest of the stairs and looked closer, hardly daring to believe it.

It was Blair. She lay there, no life showing in her crumpled form.

He knelt by her and gently held her left hand. "Pulse. There's a pulse." He could see her chest rise and fall steadily. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Blair?” he whispered.

No response.

He shook her shoulder. “Blair! Wake up! Can you hear me?” he said a little louder this time.

Blair slumped back to her original position and made no sound. He saw an ugly gash on the right side of her temple. A steady stream of blood flowed from it, multiple rivulets branched off and trickled down her scratched face. Her right arm was starting to swell and was bent in an unnatural position. Deep bruises were forming on her face and arms, and her lower lip was bloody and swollen.

Richard tried to suppress the panic he felt rising inside of him. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell if she was in a coma or unconscious, and he didn’t want to move her, for fear she had broken anything, or that stirring her like that would add to her pain. He felt so helpless.

He looked at her softly and brushed the hair away from her face. "I wish I knew what to do. You would." Well, I do know one thing.

He quickly picked up his phone and punched in the number. The phone rang once, then a woman's voice on the other end answered. "Nine One One, what's your emergency?"

Jason and Richard stood by, watching the scene unfold before them. The flashing lights of the ambulance lit up the sides of the old building and the surrounding trees. Police officers were still there and arriving in cars from Connlesville. The scene around them could only be described as pure chaos.

Polehaus frowned grimly. “It’ll only be a matter of time before the media gets its mitts on this story. Then we’ll have a whole new problem of keeping them off the site.”

“That’ll be a challenge.” Jason remarked. With his experience at the agency, he knew all too well the prying eyes of the media, attempting to get the latest and greatest story. There was no such thing as good timing with most of the news crews he had seen. The Odyssey and Connelesville crews weren’t much different.

Jason looked over at his comrade. “Are you ok, Richard?”

Richard had a far away look in his eyes and he appeared to be exhausted. “I’ll be ok. I just-”

“Medics coming through!” “Look out!”

“Make way!”

Several voices called out from the door they were standing beside. Four paramedics rushed out, hustling a stretcher along with them. Richard could see Blair on the stretcher, hooked up to an oxygen mask. Her eyes were still closed.

A young paramedic broke from the group and stopped by where Detective Polehaus, Jason, and Richard were standing.

“Hi Detective: Jason.”

“Hey, Ben.” Jason answered. He knew the young paramedic. He had just finished his training and was now working as a first responder at Odyssey general hospital.

“I just had a question.” Ben pulled out a notebook. “Will the woman need to have a guard at the hospital?”

“I think so, yes. At least for a little while, unless she gets cleared. She’s still a suspect.”

He nodded. “Alright, I’ll make sure to see that gets done.”

Richard stepped out. “Do you think she’ll be alright?” He asked.

He took a deep breath. “I don’t know.” He answered truthfully. “She stopped breathing for a while, but we were able to get her back before she sustained any brain damage. We’re working to keep her stable, but she’s hurt pretty badly, and we’re still not sure how much either. She’s definitely broken some ribs and may even have internal bleeding. We really can’t tell yet. We put her on a respirator to make sure she gets sufficient oxygen, that’ll help make sure to minimize any brain damage. And- well,” Ben paused- “I think she’ll pull through, but at what cost, it’s hard to tell.” His mouth twisted in a frown. “I have to go now. Thanks for your help, detective.” The paramedic turned and walked toward the ambulance.

Richard swallowed hard. This cannot be happening. He watched helplessly as the ambulance drove away, hospital bound.

“God, please.” He looked down and let out a shaky breath. “Please let her be okay.” He wished he knew the right words, but that was all that he could think to say.

Seeing Richard’s dazed look and ashen face, Jason put his arm around him. His friend was experiencing shock, and he had to get him away for a while. Jason looked over at Detective Polehaus, who gave an understanding look, and nodded.

“Thank you for your help, guys.”

“No prob, Detective.” Jason answered quietly. Richard gave a thin smile that faded away quickly.

“Let’s get out of here.” Jason whispered. He started leading him away from the crime scene. They both ducked under the yellow tape.

“What do you make of it all?” Richard asked.

“I think that it’s confusing, if anything. I’m wondering what happened to Blair. Did she simply fall down the stairs in her hurry when the police arrived? Polehaus said Blair is a suspect until proven otherwise. I’m wondering how we’re going to prove either way. You don’t think she’s guilty, do you?” Jason had to wonder if it would be wise to ask, knowing how Richard felt about her.

Richard took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I would like to believe the best, but - you know how everything went a few days ago, and- I’m just not sure if I can trust her.”

Jason pursed his lips. He knew how it felt. “I’m sorry.” He said softly.

“But - I do have a way to know.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the memory card. “I found this in Blair’s camera in the old building. This might help us prove it, either her innocence or - her guilt.” Richard hated how this felt, but there were answers he needed to find that were contained in this card. He seemed to straighten with new resolve. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

Jason looked over at him in surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I admire your heart, but you need to eat.”

“We can get something on the way. Well, I also need to get something at the house too. My computer.”

“If you say so.”

The clock struck eleven that night.

Richard sat down in a chair in the intensive care unit waiting room and opened his laptop. Connie sat one chair over from him and Jason was standing by the door answering a phone call.

He typed in the password, pulled the memory card out of his jacket pocket, and inserted it into the card slot. He clicked the start menu on the bottom of the screen and opened the file.

He started scrolling through the photos.

Some of them were papers with names, dates, and locations on them. One of them seemed to be a profile.

Name: Myron Horowitz

Alias: none

That would explain why Jason saw Myron two days before. There was more to it, but he scrolled past and found more like it. Another said:

Name: Agent Sierra Rolland

Alias: Savannah Richardson

These guys were keeping tabs on who was working for them.

There were a lot of other things as well. Lots of forms from a place called Revolution Enterprises.

Revolution Enterprises. Why does that name sound so familiar?

He pushed that out of his mind as he continued scanning through the photos. Another photo showed lists of contacts in various places. Some were in Chicago, Odyssey, Connellsville, and even Washington D.C. He scrolled through the other photos and found several shots of some people entering the building.

Suddenly, the pieces snapped together. It all made sense now.

Blair wasn't at the building because she was working with them. She was working to expose them.

Richard ran his hand through his hair and gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I've made a mess of this, haven't I?" He muttered under his breath. It was a relief to know she wasn't involved in this racket. Not only that, but she was actively trying to bring them down.

Richard closed the computer. He rested his head in his hands. He sighed loudly and tapped his foot nervously.

"Is everything okay?" Connie looked over at him.

"No." He shook his head, "I don't think it is."

"What's wrong?"

"I looked through the photos on the memory card."

Connie leaned in slightly. "And? What did you find?"

"And it looks like she was trying to get evidence to convict the people working in the building." He said.

"Seriously?” She exclaimed, “That's amazing!"

"It is, yeah. But all this time I thought she was working with them. The last time we talked, we had a really difficult conversation."

"Oh, a lot of tension, huh?"

"Exactly. I told her I didn't know if I could trust her." he sighed, " You should have seen the look on her face. She looked so… sad - and hurt." He murmured, rubbing his eyes. His voice began to break, "And it's my fault. I've been betrayed by a lot of people in life, Connie. I was afraid it was happening again."

Connie put her arm around him. "I don't think Blair would do that. She’s not your father, Brownlow, or your mother. She's her own person."

"I know. And I should have known that earlier. When I couldn't make sense of all the pieces, I started panicking.” He sighed through his teeth. “I thought I was over it, that I was free from my old fears and past wounds, you know? But this threw me in for a loop and I never even saw it coming."

"It's entirely understandable why you didn't. And you know what? In her own way, I think Blair understands too. She probably didn't know how to explain, or if she could tell you without compromising herself. She was thrown a loop she didn’t understand either, and you two had some crossed wires in your communication."

"Maybe. Now - I just hope that conversation won't be our last."

"I don't think it will," Connie said reassuringly. "The doctors are just waiting for her to come back into consciousness. They said she isn’t hurt as bad as first believed, and they expect her to pull through just fine. Whenever she wakes up and is well enough to talk, you guys can have a little chat and get it all in the open."

He looked at her and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Connie."

"Hey, it's what friends are for."

Blair slowly woke up. A shaft of light pierced through and she opened her eyes, then promptly shut them. The light was blinding, even though it was just barely peeking out through the slightly opened curtains. Where was she? There was a weird noise, a slow, consistent, beeping, sound.

A heart-rate monitor?

Blair opened her eyes again, squinting, trying to get her bearings. Everything was blurry and dark. She rolled over and felt a stab of pain in her chest. She inhaled through clenched teeth and rolled back to her original position, and started to relax again. Everything started coming into focus as she looked around. She was in a hospital room. The young woman reached to brush her hair away with her right hand, then gasped. Her arm was in a splint.

“Wait a minute.” She said, “I remember what happened.”

“You got beat up pretty badly, that’s what happened.” A voice from the chair by the nearly drawn curtains spoke up.

“Connie?” Blair lifted her head, which hurt to do, “What are you doing here?” She whispered, suddenly hearing how hoarse her voice was.

Connie smiled radiantly even though she looked exhausted. “I’ve been here a while. Most of the night, in fact.”

“I’ve been here all night?”

“Yup, since about nine.”

Blair reached down with her free hand, groped around for a moment, and pressed a button, making the top half of the bed rise, so she could see Connie without looking up. Her vision was beginning to clear. “How did you find me?”

“Well I didn’t, Richard did. He went to that old abandoned building with Jason and the police and found you there, unconscious.”

Blair thought hard. “I think I have some memory of riding in an ambulance. And doctors. It’s all just a bunch of vague flashes.”

Connie nodded understandingly. “You were touch and go for a while, Richard was with Jason and he called me, and we’ve been here ever since.” she corrected herself, “Well, Jason left after you were stable enough to get moved out of intensive care, and into this room. That was probably about...” Connie calculated mentally, "Two in the morning?"

Something was dangling by Blair's non - cast arm and it was annoying her. She lifted her arm and realized an IV was there. “I know how I broke my arm, but what about my ribs?”

“You broke your arm, and cracked two ribs, and got fourteen stitches for that cut on your head, all of which you got when you presumably fell down that stairwell,” Connie reported. "You got a lot of nasty bruises too and pulled several muscles in your leg."

Blair’s eyes widened, as it all began to flood back to her. “I - I got into a fight with some people. And one threw me down the stairs.”

“What were you doing there, anyway?” Connie inquired, pulling Blair back to the present.

“Trying to find the truth.” Blair sighed, “But I’m afraid it all went to waste."

Connie frowned and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. Though, from what I've heard, you're pretty lucky to be alive right now. The police arrived just in time."

"Did they ever catch the guys who were there?"

"They did get a guy who was lying unconscious. He's still out though."

Blair looked sheepish. "I'm afraid that's my fault. But in my defense, he attacked me, and that jack handle was the perfect weapon."

Connie looked at her. "Oh yeah, me and Richard were both wondering about that."

"I managed to fight some of them off but he was the only one I knocked out, per se."

Connie was now thoroughly intrigued in the story. "Wait, you fought them off?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm a brown belt in tae kwon do and I've taken four years of Krav maga, so I know how to fight."

“Richard will be interested to know that," Connie grinned cheekily, "Speaking of whom…."

Blair looked confused. “Why, what did he do?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anything concerning him at the moment. Not until she had proper time to think about their talk a few days ago.

“It’s so cute. He’s barely slept, and has hardly left your side since they moved you here! He only just left a few minutes ago to go get coffee. You should have seen him!” She giggled. “Before you were moved from the ER, he was pacing the halls, and so nervous, he didn’t know what to do with himself!"

Blair gave a small smile. "He's very sweet to be so concerned."

Connie giggled again. "I’m telling you, he’s so smitten with you.”

“Wh-” Blair sat up abruptly, and immediately regretted it. “Wait, really?” She grimaced and laid back against the pillow.

“Yeah! You seriously didn’t see that?”

“I mean I had a vague suspicion…but I didn’t look into it. I’ve been a little distracted lately.” Blair mumbled. “I just assumed we were friends.”

Connie snorted. “Well, he sees you as more than that for sure.”

“Connie, please don't jump to conclusions -”.

The door creaked as it opened. Both girls immediately shut their mouths and looked at the door.

Richard walked into the room, holding a cup of coffee and looking worn out. His eyes flooded with relief upon seeing her awake. “Hey there.” he said softly, “You gave me quite a scare.”

"Sorry."

“Don’t be.” He opened the curtains, letting the morning light fill the room with its inviting presence. “You're quite a brave woman to do what you did.” Richard stood by the window, looking out over the skyline of Odyssey.

Blair shook her head, even though it hurt a lot, and made her feel dizzy. “I don’t know about that.”

“Well either way I’m proud of you. Your relentless pursuit of the truth is admirable. We need more evidence, but we have an amazing head start, thanks to you.”

The bedridden girl smiled modestly and blushed.

Taking a seat at the foot of her bed, he lowered his voice and looked her in the eyes. “And I’m sorry that I doubted you. I should have trusted you, and given you the benefit of the doubt.”

“All is forgiven.” Blair answered, “But you’re talking like I didn’t lose the camera or something. I lost it during the fight."

Connie interrupted momentarily. "Blair has taken four years of Krav maga and is a brown belt in tae kwon do." She reported.

Richard's jaw dropped. "Oh my goodness, of course, you are!” He laughed, “That's so boss! Come to think of it, it also explains the handle."

"Thanks.” This focus on her was making Blair uncomfortable. She changed the subject. “But surely they have the camera and have destroyed the evidence by now.”

Richard grinned roguishly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a memory card.

Relief crossed her face and she grinned back at him. Her mouth immediately contracted back to a straight line. Her lower lip was still swollen.

A few moments later, nurse Harrison appeared at the door. “Ms. Duncan? Two men are here to see you.”

Blair nodded. Two men walked into their room. On their shirts, they donned FBI badges. One man was very tall, with an irritated expression on his face. The other was, in fact, Robert Mitchell.

Richard looked surprised. “Hey, Mitch.”

“Good to see you again Richard.” The two men shook hands.

Connie looked between them with a befuddled expression. “Wait, you two know each other?”

“We’ve had some run-ins, yeah. He came with me when I came here from Chicago.”

“What?!” Connie squawked.

“It’s a long story, Connie.” Mitch smiled. "I'll explain later."

“We meet again, Bourland.” Blair nodded politely to the first man.

“I wish the circumstances were better, but enough of the pleasantries." He leaned forward against the foot of the bed. "You’ve really gotten yourself into it this time. You need to spill, Duncan, and I mean everything.”

“It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? I got a little banged up.”

“A little?”

She snorted. “I’ve had worse than this, you know.”

“That’s not the point. The point is, you were never supposed to get involved in this. You were being so irresponsible!”

Mitch jumped to Blair’s defense. “Bourland, ease up on her. She doesn’t know the protocol for how these things work. I was the same way and did the same things when I was working as AREM, and even in my beginning years with the FBI.”

“You’re an FBI agent?” Richard asked Blair.

“I’m not on the payroll.”

“They can’t afford her,” Mitch replied.

Blair smirked and chuckled, "That’s hardly correct. " She turned back to Bourland. “I’ve been tracking Al Seigel ever since Washington D.C. The chase finally led me down here, where I found he was working alongside a network of men and women for some boss in Chicago. I don’t understand why they chose to operate in an abandoned building, but that was not for me to find out. My mission was to expose them.” She recounted all that she was doing in the woods. “If I ever had to leave, I set up a camera and reviewed the footage when I got back. Fortunately, I didn’t need a warrant because the place was abandoned and condemned, so they did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”

“Well, you are correct about that,” Mitch admitted.

Richard looked impressed. “You do your research don’t you?”

“You better believe she does,” Mitch agreed.

“I came into the building with a camera, looking for any documents, names, places, anything that would be helpful, and took pictures of them. But after about twenty minutes, some guys came in. I think they were just some punks from Vance’s gang. I hid in a storage closet, hoping they would go away.” She paused, “They didn’t. I was caught, got into a scrap with some of the men, one was too big for me to handle. He slammed me against a wall, then threw me down a stairwell, but at the best possible timing, the police arrived.” She turned to Connie. “I assume that Jay and Buddy were the ones who alerted them?”

“Well, they alerted Jason, who alerted the police,” Connie explained.

“They’re good kids.”

Connie rolled her eyes. “Well, I might question that statement when it comes to Jay.”

“That leads us to the present.” she gestured to Richard, “He found me when they were investigating the building and the EMTs brought me here.” She looked at the agent quizzically. “Seriously, did you think I would leave this case alone?”

Bourland rolled his eyes. “No. But I didn’t think you would get this far into it either. You couldn’t leave well enough alone, just like Brad.”

Richard raised his hand as though he were a student asking a question. “Um, if I may ask this question, who is Brad?”

Blair looked down and swallowed hard. “My twin.” Her voice broke when she said this.

“Your what?!” Connie and Richard shouted at the same time.

“I had a twin brother, and he was an FBI agent. That’s how I know Mitch and Mr. Bourland. He was involved in a case involving Al Seigel. But Al -” her lip trembled, and she gripped the blanket. “ - killed him. It was almost a year ago. After the funeral, I decided to track Seigel and help bring him to justice. The chase led me here about two and a half weeks ago.” She looked at Richard, “That’s why I was there that night at the antique shop. That was him.”

“Oh, I have so many questions,” Connie muttered under her breath.

Blair looked back at Bourland, “If Brad had left it alone, we wouldn’t even have a case right now. They wouldn’t even have come close to catching him.”

“Peter, she has a point there.” Mitch noted.

“Stay out of this Mitchell! I don’t need two mavericks ganging up on me here.” he turned back to Blair, “And if he had left the case alone, you wouldn’t be here in this condition, and Brad would still be alive!” Bourland fired back.

The room fell deadly silent.

“Maybe we should go,” Connie whispered to Richard. They both stood up and were about to walk out.

“You can stay,” Blair said without looking at them.

The twosome sat down in unison.

“Brad didn’t let anything stop him from getting to the truth, Bourland.” Blair said quietly, “And neither can we. I was exercising my right to continue chasing down this case to bring Seigel to justice, and I have operated within the bounds of the law as well. Though I admit, I never thought I would get in over my head like this, but when I realized how much bigger this was, I couldn’t drop it.”

Bourland was quiet for a few moments, processing all that she had said. “Your brother left an amazing legacy and was one of our best field agents. Your work has been invaluable, Duncan, don’t get us wrong about that. So please don’t take this wrong when I say you have to get off this case for now. We’ll likely have you back in court when we try everyone involved, but for now, you’re a liability, and you need to recover. Me and the boys at the FBI will take care of this.”

Blair looked at him. “I have done what I could.”

The FBI agent looked at her like he didn’t quite believe her. “You mean it? No more chasing the bad guys and infiltrating their bases?”

“Not in this condition, I’m no idiot.”

“Alright. We’ll be in touch.” Bourland looked at Richard and Connie, “We’ll see you later. Mitchell, let’s get out of here.”

Mitch turned to follow Bourland. Before he went out the door, he turned to the trio. “Bye, all. It was good to see you guys again.”

“It was good seeing you too,” Connie replied. “Though, I’d still like an explanation for what’s going on.”

“I’ll try to tell you what I can when I get the chance.” He walked to the door and opened the door, before he went out he cocked his head in Blair’s direction, “Watch her closely, you two.”

They smiled.

“We will.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Connie assured him.

Mitch smiled and nodded. “I know it. Thanks again.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

#adventures in odyssey #adventures in odyssey fanfiction #blair duncan #eugene meltsner #my ocs stuff #richard maxwell #The TA-418 Saga

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writersblocktango · 3 years ago

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I just finished Titans season 2 and I need to talk…

Long post full of SPOILERS following. Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind.

1st off: The undisputed KING of this series is Jason Todd. Now, I am already a fan of Jason in the comics, but that’s a double edged sword. He could have been really great or really terrible, but luckily for us he is freaking phenomenal! Curran is so good. I had my doubts at first, but I think he is the only person to play Jay (short of us being allowed a time machine and a shot at young Jenson Ackles playing him). Truly, Curran gets it so right, and Jay is the only one who seems to get consistent writing on this show.

2nd: Dick Grayson has the worst friends ever. They act like somehow Dick is responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened in the entirety of the world. Some psycho goes after Hank and Dawn because they were Titans and he kills a kid. Let’s blame Dick! Aqualad gets shot protecting someone. Let’s blame Dick! Dr. Light and Deathstroke team up. Let’s blame Dick! Jericho’s dad is a psychopath who stabbed him through the chest. Let’s blame Dick! Why isn’t Dick omniscient? Why can’t Dick stop villains before they ever do anything bad? Why can’t Dick “fix” Jason? Why couldn’t Dick intuit that a dead boy that he saw die right in front of him wasn’t actually dead but is instead hiding trapped in his murderous father’s head? Why did Dick have to go and try to stop Deathstroke after he killed Garth, tried to kill Donna, and then swore to kill all of them?!?!

Now, I know Dick made a bad choice about showing up at Jericho’s meeting with Slade, but, my word, the boy just nearly lost his oldest and dearest friend to the same heartless assassin who’d callously murdered another of his friends maybe a month ago! Can we really blame Dick for not being the most level-headed in that moment, and can his friends, his family, not summon up a little grace for the person who has been shouldering this by himself all along and trying to do everything in his power to fix it? I cannot fathom how they honestly blame him for Jericho’s death. Then when he comes clean, trying to make things right, they as good as call him a murderer and storm out. They only ever call him or show up when they need their problems fixed! They could care less about Dick’s problems or feelings. The only person who stood by Dick through any of this was Gar, and thank goodness for him.

3rd: Ian Glen has to be the worst cast Batman of all time. To me, it’s just cringe inducing. He doesn’t look like Bruce, he doesn’t sound like Bruce, and his accent is dodgey AF. Also, Dick’s Alt-Bruce hallucinations were a little too trippy for me. I don’t think I’ll ever get the image of Bruce Wayne dancing between strippers out of my mind. *shivers* I will however allow that he had one of the funniest and most underrated lines in the season, when Alt-B was talking to Dick about Jason and said, “Everyone should throw their problem child off a fifteen story building. It clears the mind.” The situation was not funny at all, but the way he said it; my word, I had to pause it and play it back it was so funny.

4th: Does anyone actually like Dawn? I mean super occasionally she does something that’s kinda okay, but overall she is just the most self-righteous preening sanctimonious hussy. Her relationship with Dick is so toxic and then her relationship with Hank somehow manages to be worse! She’s constantly demanding that Dick fix this or solve that or be different or my favorite “Be Batman” and then blames, accuses, and shuns him for it. She acts like she’s so innocent and they’re all so screwed up when she’s just as damaged and addicted as they all are. I just can’t stand her!

5th: How dare they treat Jason like that, and how dare the show go to the end of the season and not even try to fix it! No wonder Jason thinks he’s worthless! Bruce dismisses him. Everyone constantly tells him he’s not good enough and that he’s annoying and an asshole. They accuse him of messing with them after he gets back from being kidnapped and TORTURED, like that would be the first thing on his mind. The kid nearly died, would have died if not for a save from Superboy, and the only person who seemed to care was Dick. Dick was the only one who noticed he was on the roof about to jump off. Dick and Gar are the only ones who ever even treat Jason like a human being. It’s disgusting and he deserves so much better.

6th: I was not prepared for how much I was going to love Conner, but he and Krypto are too precious for this world and must be protected. That is all. I will accept no criticism on this point.

7th: How dare the show runners introduce us to Aqualad only to take him from us! He was too cute in every sense of the word, and he and Donna were too perfect for just one episode. I love Drew Van Acker and I loved Garth. He brought some heart to a season that was trying too hard to be too dark. We need Garth. Please find some way to bring him back!

8th: What the hell was the death of Donna Troy?!?! That was the stupidest, most pointless death of all time. I can’t even wrap my head around it. It was just bad writing, pure and simple.

Which brings us to my 9th and final point: What was the writing this season? It was so SO uneven. The show would go all dark and edgy then it would suddenly try to be funny, but the light and the heart just weren’t there. My favorite part of season 1 was the relationships, but particularly what I refer to as the “Dick Grayson Healing Hug Factor”. Dick sees a person in trouble or a person who is sad or a person who needs a family and he immediately envelopes them in a metaphorical (sometimes literal) healing hug, and I love that most about him.

He is trying to build a family out of the abandoned fringe people who need help and saving. But instead of giving us 13 episodes of that, this season Dick was spread too thin and instead we had to watch him talk to Alt-Bruce in a very disturbing mental breakdown that was never adequately addressed either.

Then we have Kori who has gotten her memories back but somehow manages to have less personality and purpose than before.

Raven is suddenly keeping secrets from everyone including Dick who she usually tells everything to and relies on because of reasons. She brought a murderous gargoyle to life and that was glossed over. She attacked Donna and that was never addressed again. What are her powers? I’m confused and it feels like the writers were too.

Overall this season was uneven and odd, but somehow still good?? The fights were pretty great. I loved that 3-way blindfolded fight with Jay, Gar, and Raven. The costumes were SO much better! Kori no longer looked cheap and her hair this season was 10,000 times better. Joshua Orpin in that black superman t-shirt was like seeing Conner Kent pulled off the page. Deathstroke’s costume was super rad! Oh, and that Nightwing costume, it is so dope! Not gonna lie, I almost cried when I saw it. It was just *chef’s kiss*.

#Titans #dceu #dc comics #dick grayson #robin #nightwing #jason todd #red hood #starfire #raven dc #beast boy #wonder girl #aqualad #hawk and dove #deathstroke #titans season 2

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jawritter · 4 years ago

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Let’s Get Lost

Summary: Jensen takes you on a date to the local corn maze in lue of Halloween, and the fall season with every intention of getting lost.

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Warnings: Agoraphilia kink (public sex kink), Smut, outdoor sex, fluf, language, unprotected sex, dry humping? Sex on a bet. That’s pretty much it I think.

Word Count: 2743

A/N: This fic was beta’d by the lovely @miss-nerd95! Thanks so much love!! I haven’t dropped a Jensen Ackles one shot in a long time, so I figured in light of Kinktober, it seemed like the thing to do. LOL. As always please do not copy my work! Feedback is golden! I hope you guys enjoy this one!!

Want more? Check out my Masterlist, and if that’s not enough become a patreon, and get exclusive fics as well as make request!

**MASTERLIST** **BECOME A PATREON**

The night air was turning crisp as the sun sank down past the low hanging clouds, casting long shadows of the trees along the highway as you stared out of the windshield in front of you. Jensen’s free arm slung over the seat with his hand resting on your shoulder, his bowed legs that you loved so much spread in a relaxed seated position and a pair of shades resting on the bridge of his nose as he drove down the fairly empty road out of town. His fingers drum lightly on Baby’s steering wheel to the sounds of Zeppelin that filtered through the speakers.

This was by far your most favorite place in the world to be. The front seat of Baby with Jensen’s arm caging you protectively against his side, hints of the season’s change thick in the air which was blowing through the open windows.

You didn’t get to do this often in Texas, where cold days even in fall were few and far in between. Jensen’s work schedule was also part of a huge problem as far as nights out alone could go. Thankfully, even though he was somewhat of a well known celebrity in Austin, people were pretty respectful, and when they saw him out they didn’t hover too much. It was a blessing in a big way, not many people in his line of work had the freedom to do things like what you were headed to do tonight together without bringing a whole security detail.

Tonight was the night before Halloween, Jensen had wanted to go to the local corn maze in town. It was something the town did every year, and it was something that you always looked forward to. There were always hayrides, and little old classic games like horseshoes, and even an archery competition. People would come out with their kids, or just on a date like the two of you were doing now. The goal was to make it through the corn maze without getting lost… or not getting caught… depending on just what you had in mind.

“You’re quiet tonight.” Jensen observed as he pulled onto the dirt road leading to the corn maze and festivities ahead of you.

You let your head fall on his shoulder as he circled around the open field to try and find a spot to park Baby that was out of the way. She was a good bit bigger than most of your average cars, and he cared for her just as much as Dean had.

“Just enjoying the evening,” you tell him. Honestly he could have kept driving your around and you would have been content just to be with him.

“Well, we’re here, so let’s get lost,” he said, pulling the ball cap from the backseat and slipping it over his hair, wiggling his eyebrows at you playfully.

You give him a playful push on the chest in return, and laugh as his fingers slip around your waist, pulling you to him and peppering every inch of skin he could reach with little kisses.

“Jay!” you squealed, trying to wiggle your way away from his grasp as he continued his assault. “Stop!”

“Fine,” he said, releasing you with a deep chuckle. “But you better not go astray out there tonight, sweetheart. You never know what might happen in the dark.”

The mischievous, pantymelting smirk that he gave you let you know exactly what he had planned by coming out here tonight and you weren’t surprised, but you weren’t gonna give in that easy, at least while you were still in the car.

“Jensen,” you hiss as the pair of you get out of the car, and start making your way towards the that was forming at the mouth of the corn maze where people were getting their bracelets stamped and paying the admission fee. “We are NOT doing that here. There are too many people and we can get caught!”

“That’s all part of the fun, baby girl,” he said, giving you a wink and stepping up in front of the small table to pay for your admission.

You narrowed your eyes as the back of his head as he paid the lady at the table, and was handed two red paper-bracelets.

Jensen was a country boy through and through, all those years in California had done nothing to take the Texas out of the man. He was a gentleman, and a total sweetheart. He’d give the shirt off of his back if someone needed it more than him, and he had the most electric and admirable personality you had ever saw in an individual. The one thing that you never expected to discover when you first started dating was his public sex kink.

You were pretty sure it had everything to do with the thrill of almost being caught. You discovered it when he literally fucked you in the crowd at a slipknot concert. Thankfully the flashing lights and the dark arena made it hard for the crowd to see anything but the stage, and you got out of that without getting caught.

And then there was the time the two of you did it in the girls bathroom at Jared’s bar, and even in the back of the movie theater three weeks ago.

He was also the kind of guy that liked to take you home and make love with you where no one was watching. Those were when the sweet, intimate moments happened, the ones that let you know just how much he loved you, but this little kink of his was just for additional fun, and how could you deny him that?

“Okay everybody! Here are the rules!” a heavy sat man yelled at the top of the line, wearing overalls, a straw hat, and looking every bit like something that rolled out of a redneck comedy.

“No running, no booze, no wandering off of the trail, no trying to sneak into the shake in the middle of the corn maze. If anyone is caught doing any of these things you will be asked to leave! Signs are set up through the maze to let you know where you are, and there are food trucks and games set up on the other side of the corn maze! You guys have a great time!”

With that he threw open the ropes that were held up by two pools at the top of the maze, and the line started to move. Jensen’s hand laced with yours as people broke off in groups in the maze, looking around he took the path that seemed to have less people going in that direction, purposely taking the wrong way. A mischievous smirk that was put there by Satan himself to tempt any woman who saw it plastered all over his face.

“Jensen,” you said, giving him a playful shove as the two of you made your way deeper into the corn maze. “I know what you’re up to mister.”

“I am the poster child of innocence, sweetheart, you misjudge me,” he said in mock offense.

Standing up on his tiptoes Jensen got a good look at his surroundings. Even though the corn was way over your head, Jensen had a clear shot of the field around him if he stretched far enough. Damn him and those long bowed legs.

You rolled your eyes dramatically, and shook your head. Knowing that whatever Jensen Ackles wanted, he got, not that you were going to complain - much, and you could already see the well-defined bulge forming in the crotch of his dark-blue jeans that left little to the imagination as it was.

“Oh you're innocent? Yeah, then I must be Virgin Mary.”

Narrowed green eyes moved around to meet your gaze as straight, white teeth sank into his lower lip, the former shamelessly roaming your body in an almost predatory way that made you shiver.

“Oh baby, you ain’t no virgin. I made sure of that.”

You swatted his chest when he winked and walked ahead of him further up the trail, the sun sinking lower as the two of you made your way deeper into the maze.

“I’ll tell you what,” Jensen said, grabbing your waist, and pulling you close to his chest just in case listening ears were close by he couldn’t see. “You take the lead and if we end up at the end of the corn maze, we can go home and I'll have my way with you there, but if we get lost on a dead end and I win… I get to have my way with you right here.”

It was your turn to narrow your gaze at him as the excitement danced behind those forest green orbs that were staring down into your own. The excitement was almost contagious as it radiated off him.

“You already know we’re lost, you can stretch to see over the corn,” you tell him accusingly.

“Actually, we’re so deep in here that I can’t see any way out, and it’s getting dark,” he said, procuring two small flashlights out of his back pocket that you didn’t even know he had stuck there. “So it’s fair game, unless you're too chicken about getting caught if you lose.”

If there’s one thing you weren’t, it was a coward. Now you couldn’t back down from the challenge and he knew it.

“Fine, I accept,” you tell him, poking him in the chest and watching as a wicked smile spread across those lips that were just daring you to kiss them. “But if I win I also want to go on a hayride before we leave.”

You knew Jensen would want to get out of here as soon as you hit the exit if you won, his patience to get your pants off would be worn almost completely thin at that point and you wanted to drag out this victory for as long as you could.

“Lead the way, Y/N/N,” he said, giving you yet another smirk that made your knees weak. If you weren’t trying to make it at least a little hard for him you’d probably have given in already. He’d been in the mood all day, but where was the fun in that?

You thought you were making headway, you thought you were actually getting out, until you rounded the corner and found yourself standing in front of that damn shed they were talking about, and a sign that said to turn around and follow the signs for the exit.

“Dammit!” Stamping your foot you turned to see a very cocky Jensen, who was leaning against the sign biting his lip as if he had every right to stand there looking like the cat that caught the mouse.

“Looks like I won, baby girl, but I have to say, if you were going to lose, wasn't this a good place to do it?”

Pushing himself off the sign he was leaning against, Jensen stalked towards you with an almost predatory stance, closing the distance between the two of you in just two short strides. His lips collided with yours as he backed the two of you to the little shack, not stopping until you hit the wall, your flashlights long forgotten on the ground as his body dominated your own.

Your hands twisted in his hair, his ball cap on the ground next to your feet as he kicked your feet apart and nibbled on your lower lip, pressing his clothed length against your center. You gasped as his fingers started to make their way to the button on your jeans as he grinded himself down against you, creating a delicious friction that only got better as he harshly shoved your pants from your hips and kicked them out of the way before resuming his teasing.

“Jensen,” you gasp as he increased the pressure of each thrust of his hips, the denim of his pants moving the thong that you were wearing against your swollen clit in a way that already had you panting. “We’re going to get caught, they said to stay out of this place.”

“We’re not in it, we’re outside of it, and if you can’t keep quiet baby girl your gonna be pretty embarrassed when they find us here,” he said, his teeth scraping the shell of your ear as his fingers wind their way around your legs and hoist you up to put even more pressure on your center.

It was all you could do not to make any sound, your legs already shaking as he continued to drive you crazy, and he hadn’t even pulled his dick out from his pants yet.

“Come on baby, let go, all you gotta do is come, and then I’m gonna fill you up right here, you want that don’t you? Want me to fuck you right out here in the open like this, where anyone can see us, see who you belong too. Don’t you baby girl?”

You nodded furiously as he quickened his pace. He was pressing against you just right as he continued to drive you crazy.

“Then let go, baby.”

His teeth sank down on your pulse point, and that was all it took. Your orgams hit you like a wave, your walls clenched around nothing as he slowed down his ministrations. When you finally stopped shaking Jensen pressed his weight against you to hold you up and freed his cock from his confines, moving your ruined thong out of the way and shoving inside of you with ease, your walls tightening around him as soon as he was fully seated and both of you let out a groan as he stretched you.

“Fuck, so fucking wet, Y/N. Gotta keep quiet baby girl, or this party ends before it can get started.”

You nod at him and he slowly starts to pull out before slamming his hips back into yours, his hand slips between your body and rubbing harsh circles on your clit.

You held a scream in as Jensen’s cock slammed into you with mapped out accuracy, hitting that spot deep inside of you only he seemed to be able to find. Low grunts and breaths mingled as he kissed you in order to swallow the sounds you were making, your body already barreling towards its end as your walls fluttered around him.

“God, I need to feel you sweetheart, let go,” he said with a strained voice, as his own pace started to falter and your walls squeezed him as your orgasm hit you like a freight train.

Two more thrusts and he stilled inside of you, filling you up with hot ropes of cum as his body twitched and he whined into your neck. Aftershocks of your release still rocked your body as you ran your hands through his hair, waiting for him to come down from his high.

“Fuck, I needed that,” Jensen said, his breath fogging around the two of you in pants as he slowly removed his now softening length from you, and helped you stand on shaking legs. “You okay, baby?”

Nodding at him, you reached for your pants, but he was faster, helping you step into them before zipping his own, his lips finding yours in a much slower, softer kiss.

“Okay, we need to get out of here, it’s getting cold,” you tell him as he laced his fingers with yours, and led you toward the exit, stopping to shrug out of his denim shirt, which left him in his fitted black tee and handed it to you to put on.

“Okay, but first that hayride you wanted, and maybe a funnel cake,” he said, kissing your entwined hands as he led you towards the end of the very eventful corn maze.

"You really want to go on a hayride with me?" you asked him hopefully.

"Of course I do! Besides, we can always get lost again on the way back to the car."

"You're terrible, you know that," you rolled your eyes, looking up at him as you reached the exit of the corn maze. The sound of kids running and music playing invaded your little happy bubble you'd been surrounded in as you made your way back to reality.

"Yeah I know, but you love me anyway."

And you could honestly say that you, with everything in you, loved that man for all he was.

Forever tags: @deanmonandnegansbitch @hayleeharling @flamencodiva @coldmuffinbanditshoe @bxbyizzy @dirty-pan-goblin @itmejado @supernatural3002 @teresa-67 @thoughts-and-funnies @deanwanddamons @rvgrsbrns @bi-danvers0 @onethirstyunicorn @i-love-superhero @akshi8278 @lyss-dw79 @magssteenkamp @lemondropirwin @squirrelnotsam @hobby27 @spnbaby-67 @mrsjenniferwinchester @defenderrosetyler @screechingartisancashbailiff @thecreatiivecorner @aflamboyanceofgays @vicmc624 @busy-bee-angel-misska @justanotherwinchester @brilovesdeanwinchester @idksupernatural @lyarr24 @amandamdiehl @love-jackles-37-blog @miraclesoflove @Waywardsistershy @emoryhemsworth @dean-winchesters-gardian-angel @softsebastian @tatted-trina6

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patina-millers-biceps · 4 years ago

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Tell us how you would redo SMASH tell ussssss

OH HELL YEH Thanks.

OK, SO in my ideal world, Smash runs for 5 seasons. Remember that bc I’ll come back to that later. Overall Tone: I would take it all... and dial it up to 100. Remember Ellis? Now EVERY character is that fucking crazy. It’s like Glee if Glee was self-aware to how batshit crazy it was, and relished it. The problem was that Theresa Rebeck (season 1) knows what NYC theatre is like, tried to be realistic, but also make it relatable to middle America, and that Joshua Safran (season 2) does not but also tried the same things. When really they needed someone who A) knew what NYC theatre was like B) didn’t give a fuck and C) didn’t give a fuck also about if middle America found it relatable. But Sarah! What about viewings? You ask. Well, if YOU’RE the moron who’s going to write about a hyper-specific industry I think you just gotta dive in. Commit. Make everything fucking crazy and completely unrelatable to literally everyone. Riverdale that shit but make it good writing. Ultimately, it’s why season 1 worked better. Because at least my girl Theresa knew how to write drama without resorting to burying her gays. I think she should have taken it up higher though. Like, when Uma Thurman’s character got an allergic reaction? I think Karen and Ivy should have teamed up to poison her. I said what I said. As for the Team Ivy vs. Team Karen? We’re balancing a tricky line here bc it has to be dramatic but also not misogynistic. (that season 1 Ivy character assassination? Bad.) Ideally, these two would go from hating each others GUTS to reluctantly teaming up against movie star Rebecca (Uma Thurman would thus have to appear earlier and stay longer), deciding that they are in love actually like each other, and cheering on their successes and hating on the MEN who force them against each other. (But while we’re on the subject... #TeamIvy). That Out Of The Way: Season 1: The Bombshell Workshop Phase Season 1 would ONLY follow the workshop phases of season 1. Which is most of it. Here we have Ivy and Karen’s strangers to enemies to reluctant teammates to friends to lovers arc. This is the emotional core of the show. Rebecca Uma Thurman has to show up around the midway point. Julia’s adoption arc? Throw it out. Sorry Ms. Rebeck i stan you but it sucks. Focus on her and Tom’s friendship as the secondary emotional standpoint. They’ve worked with with other for years!! That dynamic is awesome!! But they were fighting the whole ass show??? Nah. Pit them against Derek. I would change nothing with Eileen. Oh I also don’t give a shit about Karen’s shitty boyfriend. Season 2: The Bombshell Out of Town Tryout/ Enter Hit List The first half of season two is the out of town tryout with #TeamIvyKaren against #TeamRebecca coming to a head through rehearsals and the first few previews. Like, I’m talking some Phantom of the Opera level fuckery these two are doing. Falling set pieces, costume malfunction, Ivy actually fucking putting the peanuts in her smoothie. It’s seen as OK bc in this version of Smash Rebecca is a terrible person who has no respect for the ~~**~Theatre~~**~~ The creative team still choose Karen as Marilyn (why?) but she doesn’t get good reviews!! This causes Karen to freak out if the theatre life is really right for her when she meets Jimmy and Kyle. Karen jumps ship to Hit List, Ivy rises to her rightful place as Marilyn in Bombshell. Rehearsals begin to reshape the show for Broadway, Hit List lands its Off-Broadway run. Season 3: Broadway Here I Come/ It’s Tony Time Babey!! Bombshell opens on Broadway, Hit List opens Off-Broadway and KYLE DOESN’T FUCKING DIE (He still gets hit by a car, everyone thinks he died at first, but he’s just in a coma for a few episodes wherein he has weird out-of-body experiences.) Hit List transfers to Broadway. BUT WE HAVE SOME DRAMA because Movie Star Rebecca has landed the role of Maggie in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! We have some cross-show hate bt Bombshell/ Hit List/ and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof because they’re all on 45th street. There’s drama bt Julia and Kyle bc of Kyle’s fling with Tom! But will it last? No! Kyle ends up really hitting it off with Wesley Taylor’s ensemble member character when he visits Tom backstage at Bombshell! Eileen threw one too many drink in her ex husbands face and he’s legally blind now also she’s producing Bombshell AND Hit List! I’m fucking crapping that shit with Ana getting booted from Hit List and Derek being a perv. Karen and ivy still really hate Rebecca (??? it’s Smash it doesn’t have to make sense!) so they stage a coup and replace her in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Jennifer Hudson’s character! The Tonys happen! I liked how they worked out in the show, so i’ll keep that. Jimmy still goes to prison! Tom gets back together with Sam! Season 4: That’s How We Keep 8 Shows A Week Fresh Y’all Basically what it sounds like. We go back and forth between Hit List and Bombshell and the absolute CHAOS of backstage on Fake Broadway. There’s a snowstorm that shuts down the city, people hooking up backstage. Derek has an actual redemption arc. Ivy does not get knocked up bc she knows how to use birth control. The Big Story is how bc Eileen is involved with some illegal shit if it’s going to all come crashing down on the unsuspecting actors and writers. Tom and Julia start writing their Great Gatsby Musical. Fictional Lin-Manuel Miranda is there. Jimmy gets out of prison and rejoins the cast. This season takes up about 2 years of time and will be dubbed the weakest one by critics and fans alike. Season 5: Big Finish! Bombshell and Hit List have been running for about 3 years total by now. Eileen’s illegal shit comes out. Bombshell and Hit List have to close! It’s a really long that takes up the whole season. All the camp of the previous seasons is gone now and it actually is really beautiful and sad. Some real “What I Did For Love” shit. At the end, Hit List is able to transfer back Off-Broadway a la Jersey Boys and Avenue Q with a new producer, Bombshell dies but goes out strong and is recorded for PBS and eventual DVD. Ivy now finds out she’s pregnant and also joins the workshop of The Great Gatsby The Musical as Daisy, Ana is Jordan Baker, Sam is Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway is played Nick Jonas’s character who no one has seen since season 1. Derek is the director. Another Op’ning Another Show yall. Karen and Ivy reunite to sing “Big Finish” End of Series. You’re welcome everyone, even though literally only 1 person asked for this.

#smash nbc #andy mientus #jeremy jordan #christian borle #megan hilty #katherine mcphee #leslie odom junior #debra messing #angelica houston #my stuff

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one-boring-person · 4 years ago

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Bro, I hope I got this right and that you like it, I'm kinda worried that it's not that great😅 I've never really shown much interest in the 50s, but the research I did looked pretty cool, so I hope this is decent!

Requested by: my good friend @jawline-of-steel 😊💛

What Do You Know About Vampires?

The Lost Boys x reader (set in the 1950s)

Warnings: none

Masterlist

"Why must you always meet with him so late, (Y/n)? Why can't you just have a normal date in the day, like the rest of us?" Kiera complains as we walk down to the Boardwalk, our skirts blowing gently in the cool seabreeze that flows through the town, our neatly styled hair loosening a little from the heat of the warm summer night.

At her question, I roll my eyes, shaking my head at her unwillingness, as well as at her ignorance of the fact that it's not just a "him", but more like a "them".

"Because they have to work during the day, Kiera. Not everyone is as privileged as your Jay is." I remind her, referring to her wealthy husband, Jay, a man everyone knows for his money, rather than his personality.

"Oh, yes, you've told me this before." She rolls her eyes in turn, "What is his job, anyway? You've never said anything about that."

I think for a minute, my brow burrowing as we arrive at our destination, the attraction only just starting to fill up as the sun drops below the horizon, casting the town into twilight, the sky turning a beautiful deep blue. They mentioned it once, when I first met them; I remember being surprised to find out that they all work in the same place, but being unsurprised when they told me what the job actually entailed.

"I think they work as mechanics, somewhere on the outskirts of town." I frown slightly, "I don't remember the name of the workshop, though. All I know is that they bought their motorcycles from the place next door (Note that these are not the same as they are in the movie, but are more decade-appropriate)."

"You keep saying "they". Don't you mean "he"?" Kiera queries, eyeing me suspiciously when I chuckle nervously.

"Well, I mean what I say. It's not a "he", it's a "they"." I clarify, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear as I try not to blush too much, knowing my irrational embarrassment is entirely visible on my face.

She stops abruptly, a hand on my arm as she looks at me in horror.

"You mean...you are in a relationship...With two men?!" She exclaims, blue eyes wide.

I struggle for words for a moment, not entirely sure how to put what I need to say, knowing that she'll find it even more outlandish than what she now thinks.

"Not two people..." I start, thinking through my words.

"Not two? So you're in a relationship with one? And you call him "they"?"

"No, no. What I mean to say, is that I'm in a relationship with four men."

There is silence between us as she stares me down, her mouth falling agape momentarily before she regains her composure, straightening her back as she falls back into step with me, brushing off her skirt as she goes.

"Four?!" Is all she can say, the word hissed out at me as we make our way to the base of the Ferris wheel, walking in and out of the homebound workers in overalls, and their smartly dressed comrades as they filter through the popular summer attraction. A tall man greets us as we move past, the top buttons of his work shirt undone to reveal a patch of tanned skin beneath, the bulging muscles on his arms implying that he works in the construction industry, his dusty overclothes appearing bleached and completely soiled. Beside me, Kiera smiles and laughs flirtatiously as he speaks, her sweet demeanour putting a broad smile on the roughly spoken man's face.

"Yes, I'm in a relationship with four men, who I love dearly, and who love me just as dearly. You know, just the other day one of them told me that they had something very important to ask me." I pause for dramatic effect, "I think they may ask me to marry them!"

"What?! But how?! And what do your parents think?"

At this, I pull a face and look away slightly, a little annoyed that she isn't happy for me.

"In the same manner that everyone gets married, Kiera, it is no unusual affair. And as for my parents," I roll my eyes, knowing exactly what they'll say when they find out, "I value their opinions, but they are sometimes old fashioned in their attitudes. They will hopefully come around quickly once they have met them."

Kiera doesn't reply immediately, an uneasy frown on her face as we reach our destination, the two of us stopping by the great struts of the Ferris wheel in silence.

"I'm happy for you, (Y/n), I really am, but I'm not sure I can quite understand how you manage to maintain a relationship with four men. I find that one is quite enough." She laughs dryly, referring to the hardships she often faces with Jay.

"It works well, thank you." I decide to leave the conversation there, unwilling to keep going, "Is Jay meeting us here, too?"

"Yeah, he should be here in a few minutes." She looks around at the crowd, "He's coming straight from one of his car competitions."

"Oh? Where is it this time?"

"I don't know, he told me earlier, but the names all sound the same to me, so I easily forgot it."

We laugh at this, knowing it to be true.

"You two ladies having fun there?" A familiar, smooth voice interrupts us, the tone teasing as it always is.

Together, Kiera and I turn around to face the newcomers, a smile quickly spreading over my face as I see the four bikers standing there, the lapels of their jackets and shirts turned up against the breeze, their usually neat hair dishevelled from the ride over.

"Oh, plenty, thank you. And you boys?" I reply playfully, letting my eyes roam over their masculine figures, very much enjoying the sight of them.

"All the more that we are here now." David smirks, stepping forwards to kiss my cheek in greeting, letting his lips linger a second or so longer than necessary as I breathe in the brief wave of motor oil and sweat, as well as leather and cologne.

"I'm glad." I smile, letting the other boys do the same as I turn around to face Kiera again, "Kiera, I'd like you to meet David, Dwayne, Marko and Paul."

In turn, each of the boys smirks and gives a wave of their own, Kiera politely greeting them as she struggles to process what she's seeing.

Thankfully, Jay chooses this moment to arrive, the short man running up to us with a call of our names, smiling widely as he takes Kiera around the waist and kisses her, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks as she reciprocates it. Upon seeing this, Paul steps forwards and places an arm around my waist, pulling me against his body as Marko steps up and does the same on the other side, David and Dwayne moving to stand beside their comrades, smiling genially.

Jay eventually pulls away from Kiera, only to double-take when he sees the five of us as we are, a variety of emotions flitting over his features before he settles on a neutral one.

"Hey, (Y/n), how are you?" The young man eventually manages.

"I'm good, Jay. How about you?"

"Good, good, thank you." He responds, staring at the bikers behind me, taking in the grease-stained leather jackets and rolled up trouser legs, enviously eyeing their boots as he compares them with his own smart shoes, evidently wishing he'd dressed differently.

"Jay, this is David, Dwayne, Marko and...Paul, was it?" Kiera steps in, looping her arm through her husband's, watching as he tenses slightly, almost as if shying away from her touch.

The four bikers smile and shake hands with Jay, each of them standing a good head taller than the refined man, a triumphant smirk creeping onto Marko's face when he realises this.

"Well, what's the plan?" I ask them, open to any ideas of how to spend the night.

"I want to go on the Ferris wheel, because it looks very romantic. I think you could benefit from that, Jay." Kiera interjects, smiling playfully up at her husband, though he only grunts and rolls his eyes.

"The Ferris wheel it is. Let's go!" Dwayne chips in, pushing Mark and Paul out of the way as he takes my arm and gently leads me over to the queue to get on, where he carefully wraps his arm around my smaller body, pulling me against him. The others are quick to join us, Paul pouting as he watches Dwayne hold me, David only laughing as he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket, sticking it behind his ear as he searches for his lighter, moving it from his blonde hair before he lights it.

"You got a spare?" Jay asks quickly, leaning forwards a bit as he waits for David's response.

"Sure." The blonde confirms, shrugging as he finds another cigarette and lights it for him, handing it over when it starts to smoke.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The queue moves slowly, but the boys manage to keep us entertained as we wait, making the time feel much shorter as we laugh our way through the snaking line of people. When we finally manage to get on, we find that we have to split up into five separate pairs, plus one of us who will remain alone, so Paul, Marko and David choose to stay at the bottom, watching ad Dwayne and I settle into a seat together, the brunette throwing his arm around my shoulders as we go. Before we leave the ground, I just about catch the other three discussing something, though I only hear a couple of sentences.

"Are you going to tell her tonight?" Marko asks David, voice sounding curious.

"I think so." Is the reply, before Dwayne and I are too high to hear any more.

Two hours pass, the seven of us having a relatively good time together, despite the awkwardness between Jay and the boys, before Kiera and the former decide to call it a night, leaving the rest of us to keep ourselves entertained. By now, the Boardwalk is a little less busy than it usually is, meaning we can walk pretty much unhindered around the different stalls lining the road misreading towards their parked bikes. Already, they have offered to give me a ride home, though I have declined, knowing my parents' distrust of boys and men around me, willing to walk home in any case. Of course, they can't let this happen, and have insisted that they at least give me a ride to the end of the road I live on, but not before they tell me something important.

Curious, I let them lead me onto the beach, David keeping an arm wrapped around my waist as he guides me onto the sand, the pressure feeling reassuring but unfamiliar, as if he's trying to keep me calm. We go a few steps away from the edge of the Boardwalk, making sure that we are out of earshot but still within the light, coming to a stop just on the edge of it.

"What is it that you want to tell me?" I ask, frowning slightly as the others crowd around me, as if trying to stop me from going somewhere.

"Well, (Y/n), we think that you've earned our trust, so we think that we can tell you our deepest, darkest secret. But before I tell you what it is, I need you to swear yourself to secrecy. No one can know about what I'm going to tell you. No one." David starts, giving me a serious look instead of his usual teasing one, blue eyes cold in the harsh light.

"I swear?" I say, looking at him in confusion. What could he possibly need to tell me, that's so secret?

"No, you need to mean it. Swear you won't tell a soul." He almost growls, shaking his head.

"Ok, I swear I won't tell anyone what you're about to tell me." I repeat, trying not to roll my eyes.

"Ok that will do." He pauses briefly, exchanging a look with the others, "What do you know about vampires, (Y/n)?"

Shocked and confused, I frown as I regard the blonde in front of me, wondering if he's maybe inhaled a few too many fumes at work today.

"Vampires?"

"Yes, vampires. What do you know about them?"

It takes me a few seconds to reply, needing to collect my thoughts.

"I know that they don't exist." I say with conviction, eyeing him carefully. Surprisingly, the four of them chuckle quietly, obviously expecting the answer from me.

"And that, my dear (Y/n), is where you are wrong."

#the lost boys #joel schumacher #vampire #david(thelostboys)#kiefer sutherland #paul(the lost boys)#dwayne(the lost boys)#santa carla #marko(the lost boys)#star(the lost boys)

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drimareuniverse · 4 years ago

Text

Looking for a creative writer/storyteller

Hello! I'm Jay, I'm a non-binary artist and I'm looking for a creative writer that can help me write stories for my pet project Drimare Universe! Particularly my Webcomic and Visual Novel.

More details below, all help and sharing is appreciated!

The Drimare Universe is a world located within the dreams of humans, and the Drimare are its main inhabitants spread through various different regions.

It's composed of smaller stories focused on specific groups of characters (Like how Marvel has Spider-man stories, Iron-man stories, etc.) The general tone is a fun modern fantasy slice of life type.

I've been working on the project on my own for the past 10 years, and although I have a lot of lore and character info written down, when it comes to writing stories themselves, my skills are lacklustre. I finally accepted that I need someone that could help me with that, so here I am!

I keep most of the character info and lore archived on its wiki here if you're curious to learn more about it.

My current two projects that I'm looking for help on are a Webcomic and a Visual Novel, both of which are on hiatus because of my difficulty and general dissatisfaction with my own writing :(

I basically have loose plot points, certain scenarios, conversations and ideas, and I need someone that can tie those things together in a satisfying narrative way.

You don't have to work on the comic AND visual novel, but I am looking for help in at least one of those projects.

General requirements

Be over 18 years old. I'm 23 and not comfortable working with minors.

Be LGBTQ+ friendly! A LOT of the cast is LGBTQ in some way and certain characters focus a lot on topics of gender and sexuality so the more you know about the topic, the better :)

Have the patience to learn about my characters and world's quirks and lore lol! I'll try to explain things as best as I can! Bonus points if you have weird ideas yourself.

Basically, you write, I give my input, and then we use the finished script for the comic and/or visual novel.

You will be credited!

As for rates, my budget is small so let me know how much you charge! I'm somewhat of a writer myself and I don't feel comfortable having someone work for free, but I also have no idea what people usually charge for stuff like this. I can also offer my art in exchange if the person is interested/comfortable with that! Examples are on my DeviantArt as well as other links found on my profile.

I'm looking for someone I can work with for the long term so expect me to be a returning client if I enjoy your work! :) Ideally, I'd like to make a team eventually, but a writer is the priority atm.

I don't really have a set deadline so don't worry about having to finish things by specific dates.

It's my first time trying to commission someone for writing so I apologize if my etiquette is off, I'm only experienced in art commissions. I have no idea how I'm supposed to commission writing so I'll just describe what I'm looking to get below.

For the webcomic

Drimare Universe is the first official webcomic series based around the world of Drimare Universe, focusing on the origin story of the two siblings Zelly and Blade, as well as other characters they meet throughout their journey. It's set roughly around 10 years before the current timeline.

Available to read on Tapas here

It's an origin story for two siblings, followed by episodic stories of them meeting other characters from the cast and learning about the world around them. It's sort of built like a cartoon show, with more serious episodes, others more light-hearted, some important one, etc.

There are only 13 pages in the first episode so far, but I'm unhappy with the current script for the rest of the story and need help with it.

I'd like for someone who is actually good at writing and having better ideas to give it a look and either suggest things that could work better or straight-up rewrite it from scratch but better

The other episodes only have the general main plot points written down, with further episodes still being in a draft phase (I got so caught up with my writer's block with trying to figure the first two episodes, that I haven't been able to focus on the following ones)

***

For the visual novel

Drimare Universe Friendsim, is an ongoing Visual Novel project that will feature various characters from the Drimare Universe series, it is currently being developed on Ren'Py and free to download on the DU Friendsim itch.io page.

It is heavily inspired by games like Hiveswap Friendship Simulator as it follows a similar concept of a Human protagonist meeting various cast characters in order to form friendships with them.

The series will be released in various volumes, each one focusing on a specific character, with the events changing depending on the player's choices.

Available to download for free on Itch.io

It's about a human dreamer character who wakes up in the dream world and meets respective Drimare characters.

If you've played Hiveswap Friendsim or Pesterquest, it's the exact same concept. YCH protag meets characters in a very Isekai inspired scenario. It's like a dating sim, but friendship focused instead.

Unlike the webcomic, which takes place in the past, this visual novel takes place in the current timeline. Also unlike the comic, the visual novel is not canon.

Each volume is focused on MC (Who is referred to as "Dreamer") meeting a specific character, with other secondary characters making appearances as well.

There are two volumes available so far, each composed of one short story.

The tone is playful and comedic, I guess "quirky" could be a word to describe it. But still capable of having its serious moments,

Each volume has three endings. A short bad ending, a neutral ending, and a good/true ending. (The length and amount of endings can be flexible)

You don't have to know how to program visual novels or anything like that, I just need help with the stories. I'll be in charge of adding the writing to the game, animating the sprites accordingly, etc etc.

Apologies for the long text, I just want to be sure people understand exactly what I'm looking for! Ideally, I'd love to find someone that could share my passion for creating content for this project, but for now, I'll just settle for just finding someone at all lol

You can contact me through PMs here, though I also accept messages through Twitter DMs or Discord!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NE0Nbandit

Discord - Jay 🌸🌊#9625

Thank you for taking the time to read this! <3

#commissions #comic #webcomic #visual novel #vn #writing #creative writing #storytelling #how many more annoying tags can I think of #Drimare Universe Webcomic #DU Friendsim #Announcement

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calypsoff · 4 years ago

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Eighty Five.

Meetings after meetings, studio after studio. New York is busy for me to say the least, and now I am onto meeting number three and this is with Jay Brown, he wants an update on the plan of action. Before we leave tonight to go back to California where I pretty much take my sound engineer and team with me to California to finish my album off, like this whole thing with Chris has inspired me a lot, I think the songs that are coming from me are going to be songs that people love, I have been testing different genres and I think I am pushing myself for this album but it’s hard, I have my private life on show too, I have people that need me. Meaning my daughter, I have a lot on and then building my own team, Fenty Corp, now I was thinking of getting Chris on board until he annoyed my life with his stupidity but it’s a lot, I could have done with him helping me with this. I am building an empire for my daughter, for my family. I rise, so does all my family. I want my kids, kids, kids to be rich and it starts with me but I will deal, I will get on with it and deal. I want to build my empire, this is something I’ve always wanted to do so I am excited but I need to get this album out “Miss Fenty, Jay Brown is ready to see you” breaking my daydream there, Jen and I both got up from the seat “you have been so quiet” Jen said at the side of me “planning my next move, doesn’t help when my voice is going so I am trying to be quiet” I chuckled “oh yeah, I mean it should just disappear, just have the break today and then tomorrow, by then you will feel better” nodding my head as I made my way inside the meeting room “Rihanna!” Jay Brown spat with his arms open, walking into the hug “long time boo” wrapping my arm behind his back “where is the mini Rihanna?” He said looking around me, I chuckled “she is plotting on her next milk feed, she is with her father” moving back from the hug and made my way around the table “oh he’s taking care of her? In a cast” he added “yeah, Rorrey is with him. She’s only Five months, not like she can walk away from him” he’s not incapable of taking care of her.

The meeting is underway and honestly my mind is drifting, drifting back to the meeting and then to my future, to my life but I am just thinking how Chris had to get hurt in this, I didn’t want that. It’s been a few days and I haven’t really spoken to him or even Rorrey until I said pick up Rylee to take care of her “for the album rollout we are thinking of going in partnership with Samsung and do a little fun thing for the fans but I also want to add we need you to use their phones too for a while, but we want to do something for the fans so they are involved” nodding my head “that is fine, I am here for all that and I am doing this album for my fans, this is who I am doing it for and they deserve it. I want to make sure I do the most for them, are we announcing the tour straight away after the release?” Jay nodded his head “indeed we are, and then of course after all that it will be your own personal ventures until you are ready to do another” all I can think about is missing out on my daughter “I wanted to ask actually, what happened to Chris?” I knew that was coming “erm, he had a fight. With Drake” I added, I came out with it, I am not holding back on it because he is a snake “Drake? He hasn’t said anything about it” Jay looks taken a back “because he is in the wrong, he used my husband. Manipulated him, Chris is new to this game, he’s come out of Jail, not knowing what things happened between him and I, I assumed he was just being friends with him, genuine. But then it escalated to the point where he was making out I am some Hollywood whore, kept feeding him shit, Chris is none the wiser because he thinks this nigga is being a friend to him, that Drake cares when he doesn’t, I’ve had enough and it ended up being an argument and it was like he was a good guy when he wasn’t so yeah it all blew up, and that happens” Jay is in shock, he wasn’t expecting that “that is so sly, this is over you?” I snorted laughing “shocking right” he waved me off laughing “it’s dramatic but not shocking, he’s had a thing for you, you just didn’t see it for him” he got that right, Drake is not my type at all “tell Chris he needs to be careful out there, nobody is really your friend in the business” Jay said and he is right.

Left the meeting feeling positive to say the least, stressed a little but we move on “busy, busy, busy. You’re actually going to take the world by storm, I am so excited for you” I cooed out “thank you Jen” I mumbled “you seem a little deflated though, how come?” Taking in a deep breath “a lot has gone on, I think before I even start my album rollout I would hope my private life is dealt with, it’s hard when it’s left in the balance and I’m having to hear how he is through Rorrey, I don’t ring, and he doesn’t ring me and I think it could be more because of him feeling bad about what happened you know? But I just want my marriage to be secure, I want to know when I go on tour that he’s ok, I really want to take Rylee with me, she’s my daughter and I want her to be close but also want to know my marriage is ok. Just worried, it’s ok I’m here building this when my marriage is falling. It’s a lot, I feel like a hypocrite too at times” Jen is so understanding, she is married herself “marriage is hard Robyn, I think what happened with Chris would have happened. He’s new to the game, he needs to learn and understand. He will grow and you both will be fine, why are you worried?” Turning to Jen “with Fenty Corp. I wanted him to overlook my business, I wanted him to be that person because I trust him, but I feel I don’t, and it’s annoying me. I didn’t want him to be just my husband, I wanted him to be clothing brand owner and also Vice President of Fenty. I wanted that but he trips up and I’m like I can’t have this? I wouldn’t have it with anyone else, I just don’t know” I have a lot of decisions to make, and he doesn’t understand that “like I need a decision now? You know, who is my team, that is it really. It’s just a mess” waving my hand.

Placing my bag on the countertop “oh and what are you doing back?” I said seeing Rorrey on my couch “I came to back of my stuff, Chris said come. I have done anyways, so erm, not to sound awkward but is Chris coming with us?” Rorrey laughed “oh and that is Chris’ dirty clothes” Jahleel sniggered “right, erm yes. He will be coming; I haven’t really spoken to you since. How is he?” making my way to the couch “good, I mean we have just been playing the console all day really, but he is good company, just watching movies after movies, so yeah. He is good, I think he is a little stressed because he can’t do anything” looking around the room “my daughter?” I asked “with her dad” pulling a face “right, go back and help him stupid. Just tell him to come with you, with my daughter thank you too. She better be fed too” he is so dumb “they were asleep, I just text him” the nigga has a cast on so of course he needs help and here he is, legs up “I am going back, don’t worry” Rorrey mumbled “I will see you all the jet then” sitting down on the couch, I am just thinking so hard on everything, I need to make that decision before I leave who will be doing what for my company, and my step forward was Chris being in it. By the time my album and tour is done, this will be ready and waiting for me, my baby.

“Spill, you’re thinking” Mel said, my people all gathered around “my team, who I want with me for this journey. Mel you said you want to break away, you want to do your own thing. Ciarra will chief creatively officer, Melissa is going to be my design director and Philippa creative director. Chris was going to be my vice, but I don’t know” I mumbled “Jahleel, don’t give me that face I barely know you” he gasped “right, I didn’t know that was your plan but go with your heart” Mel said “the same guy that royally fucks up every time, I just. I am scared and worried because he does it a lot, you know?” Jen is thinking, I can tell “what is it? Speak to me Jen” she has something on mind “how about Chris and I do it together, he messed up then I am the safety net?” furrowing my eyebrows “this is a big deal, I am talking a big scale. I can’t have half assed shit with him, but what do you mean? You’re with me? I got Tina to help you” I said “I need to step back from that, I need something where I can work from home, less travelling also. My other half and I are trying for a baby, and I need to be home more” letting out an oh “so I am asking, because you are the boss. I don’t want to leave you; I want to be around you forever. I love you so much, all of you but if I need to have an interview for this then I will but if you want me to do it alongside Chris, I can be a silent person on side” licking my top lip “well with Chris he isn’t getting paid for it, he is my husband. We will prosper together, but. Mhmm” I said thinking “no, I will make you Vice, Chris will be the silent person. Maybe he will be annoyed with that, it’s unfair to hide a title from you. That is it, you are president, and he is vice, that is how we will need to do it, it has to be. This is where you two can work, I am going to keep it as that” I am actually upset about Jen.

I don’t want to seem selfish, but Jen is actually leaving me, and I am so sad, I will discuss it on the jet, once it sets off. We are waiting for Chris, Rorrey and my daughter. They are taking a while, but I think it’s more to do with Chris, trying to get him in and out and stuff. Now his leg is in a cast, I hope my brother is staying behind because if he isn’t then I will have to go back home because I can’t leave Chris alone, he won’t do well alone “they are here, let me go and help them. More to get my daughter then anything” I chuckled, I have dealt with Chris when he has a cast on, he isn’t the best person, he whines about everything “just going to get my daughter” I said to the attendant, she is waiting around like us. Making my way down the steps, Rorrey is of course the first person to be out “hey, how is my daughter” Rorrey is laughing, he hugged me “please tell what is funny?” he shook his head “nothing, she is on my side. She is awake, I am going to help Chris get out, maybe carry him up they jet” he better not laugh too much, Chris will refuse to go anywhere “Miss Fenty” my driver said, going around the car “oh baby” looking up and seeing Chris, he is just looking at me with low eyes, but he looked away “come on baby, you my big baby” Rorrey is very annoying, especially to a stubborn men like him now.

My brother and Chris are stupid, that is all I can say. They did more falling then anything but least he got him on the jet “everyone say back to California!” Jahleel spat “I don’t want my picture taken” Chris said because Jah is taking the selfie in front, so everyone is in it “don’t be moody?” Jah said, “I don’t want it nigga now move” frowning at Chris “Chris!” I spat “just come here Jah, leave him out of it” Jahleel kissed his teeth, Mel eyeballed me but what the hell she want me to do with that “ok look at the camera everyone” smiling as Jahleel took the picture, leaning down and pressing kiss to the top of Rylee’ head “he was rude to Jahleel” Mel said to me in a whisper “I am not his carer but I know what his problem is, or maybe I don’t but I will speak to him, maybe it’s that. I didn’t speak to him when I got Rylee out of the SUV” Mel shrugged “let me take the princess and you go and deal with that” nodding my head as Mel took Rylee from me, getting up from the seat “sit down in my seat” I said to Jah “I didn’t say anything to him” he said defending himself “I know, it’s fine just sit” making my way over to Chris “this seat free” I pointed at the empty seat across from him “yeah” Chris breathed out pointing too.

Chewing on my bottom lip, we are both quiet with each other. I honestly know why I am quiet but him, I don’t know really because he is supposed to make the effort, but I will “how you feeling with your leg?” Chris looked up from his hands “erm, it was hurt at first but it’s ok. The bruises on my side hurt more than anything, it is what it is, what can I say about this. It’s happened, my fault” he is very agitated “you need to relax, like you don’t even know Jahleel and you are snapping on him” this is bringing me back so many memories of when he was housebound and he was ever so moody about everything “if something annoys me, I am going to say it. Are you coming home?” he asked but I only know one answer “I won’t be no, I am staying with Mel and you are going to ask why but I don’t want to live with a man that thinks I was a liar, missed out on our anniversary, our first one as a married couple, first Christmas too. You can be mad all you want but you did. The effort you made because you was busy wanting to believe him, you don’t deserve me Chris. Even now, just taking care of you. Let me know when you want to see your daughter but you right, I am not coming home” getting up from the seat, he ruined these moments for and now wants me to come home because it’s all out in the open, the issue still stands. He believed another man over me.

#chrianna fanfiction #chrianna #chrianna ff #chriannaff #fanfiction #fanfic

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