#I just kept going and got upset so i ate more to quench the feeling of being upset and Ive been stifling that urge so well

[neonbodyache]

actually fuckedup so bad today i cant believe it

[denimjacketkisses]

90′s Baby

Description: A series of glances into Bucky and the new Agent’s (whose got him wrapped around his finger) life.

Warning: Fluff, Mentions of Abuse, Blood?

A/N: I told you I would be back once I got access to a laptop. I’ve been writing this through my phone for months now, so hopefully, y’all enjoy. I have somewhat checked for spelling/grammar errors and it’s too long for me to actually look at it, so apologies in advance. 

He’d been used to being up at all hours of the night, the nightmares didn’t plague him as much anymore but he enjoyed the quiet. He didn’t think that a 3am drive would mean listening to you (the agent Fury assigned to Sam and him) blaring the lyrics of some song that he didn’t know. 

(Sam did though, since he kept making the same hand motion as you every time the chorus came back around.)

Bucky sighed, his head hitting the back of the passenger seat. 

“When you punch Baron ZERO in the face, can I play this song in the background?!” You laughed, yelling the chorus again, Sam and you making the hand motion once again. His eyes lulled to the side, watching your face to see if you were serious - he couldn’t tell (he never could tell with you), so he in turn replied, a hard “No”.

“But Buuuuuuuckyyyyyy” you whined. “N*Sync is a great band and ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ is a BOP” the ��p’ enunciated with a pop. “And you’d look great! Fist flying!! Your knuckle coming in contact with his dumb Hydra face!! Telling him to shut the FUCK up -“

“That’s MY line, sweet stuff.” Sam butted in. “I’m tired of listening to that lima bean’s recordings of his plans and how he is going to ‘reboot’ Scrap Metal over here into a killing machine.”

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “I don’t need theme music, y/n and as much as I’m over listening to Zemo’s ridiculous plan, I’d rather you not interrupt me smashing his face in with you telling him to shut up, Bird Brain.” 

Y/N sighed, “You are no fun, James.” Bucky’s eyebrow raising at the change in name, it makes his skin crawl slightly. “Just keep driving, I would like to get to the lookout before sunrise. Ya know, ‘cause we’re undercover.” Y/n rolls her eyes her foot pressing down on the gas, speeding up a bit more, “Whatever you say, Captain.” 

“Hey! Last time I checked, I’m the Captain around here!” Sam screeched, throwing himself between the front seats of the Super Soldier and the young agent.

—————

You could feel the burns covering your skin. The smell of slightly burning flesh and cigarette smoke filled the air and you were becoming nauseous. Your eyes lazily scanning the room again, all your previous exits had been blocked off. He’d covered them in plywood, well enough that no one could see you but not well enough that you couldn’t tell if it was day, or night. You were tired. You wanted to rest. Maybe he’d actually stand by his promises of letting you go, if you behaved well enough for him.

Nothing was ever “well enough”.

 The sun had risen, a new day, a new form of tourtue. You thought once the state took you from your abusive home that you could have a fresh start. Fresh start meant a new level of abuse. Life was cruel and it taunted you. You swallowed, trying to quench your thirst for some kind of liquid. You’d honestly drink sewage water at this point. The thought making your stomach turn once again. 

You could hear him, he was giving himself a pep talk. You closed your eyes, brushing your legs together, the feeling of cold metal rubbed against your ankles and you wondered if there was any skin left. A deep breath, holding back tears and a small sigh. You were preparing yourself for whatever was to come.

“Y/n?” You felt a soft hand on your shoulder. Your eyes were open, and you didn’t see him, so who was touching you?

“Come on, Y/n. You can break out of this. Just listen to my voice…” whoever was speaking, felt so far away and your mind felt as if it was short circuiting. You were in that house, with him, but he wasn’t talking to you and he still hadn’t left his room. You closed your eyes, trying to zoom in on the voice. That voice that sounded so familiar yet so far…

“One more deep breath, hold it. One, two, three, four -“ your head whipped to the side, your eyes shot open and in your full line of vision was Sam and Bucky. You let out the breath you don’t necessarily remember holding and let your eyes scan the room. You were on a stakeout. In Rome. With Sam and Bucky. You were - safe.

“You alright, kid?” Sam asked, his eyes filled with worry, scanning your face for any lingering signs of the trama your brain has decided to put you through. You sat up, slowly (as Sam had always advised after having a -trip-), resting your hands on your knees. 

“Yeah, I’ve been better, I’m alright though. I guess I zoned out?” You questioned, not remembering how it all happened and the last conscious decision you had made prior to your brain being hijacked was a blur.

Sam smiled softly, Bucky nodded as an answer to your question. He placed his left hand on the back of your neck, the cooling sensation allowing your body to slowly come further back into reality. 

“You were having a full conversation with us. Something about churros and how you were upset I’d never had one. Promised that when we went back home, you’d buy me a whooooole bunch.” Bucky chuckled softly at the thought. “Then you just, left us.” His thumb running up and down the base of your neck, fingers squeezing just slightly, relieving the tightness you could feel building.

Your eyes dropped, you hadn’t had an episode in awhile, you were getting better. It ate at you. How were you supposed to be a good agent if you didn’t even know your triggers? You sighed, hands wringing together.

“Sorry guys. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just - I, I don’t know what caused it.” A hand was placed on your knee and your eyes moved up to meet Sam’s. “No sorry’s. It happens. We’re just glad we could pull you out. Wanna talk about it?”

“No.” You shook your head, breathing in deeply and staring at the two men in front of you. “Is it okay if I just lay here for a bit? I feel like I’ve just tried to beat Buck over here in a marathon.” Bucky laughed, while simultaneously helping you lay down, his hand never leaving the back of your neck. 

“You rest. Bird brain and I got this.” His fingers slowly dragged themselves from underneath you, the cold sensation leaving your skin. You closed your eyes and rolled onto your side. Maybe you could get a little bit of rest before you three let hellfire rain on the goons of Hydra. 

——————-

“Last time I checked, that isn’t how you get a ladies attention.” Your fist coming into contact with the nameless man’s face. Once Hydra Goon #1 was out, it was off to find Bird Boy and Beer Can. Rounding your way around the eerily lit hallway, you found a number of bodies scattered on the floor. Separating probably wasn’t your best option, especially once you found out .2 seconds in that the lovely allies of Hydra had made the building communication proof - but too late now.

Hopscotching around the downed men you finally spotted your favourite Super Soldier, snipper at his side, and the small strands of hair that were still a bit long (thanks to his impromptu haircut) sticking at the base of his neck. “Howdy aluminum foil.”

Bucky turned to face you, a small gash covering the right side of his cheek. He raised an eyebrow as he watched your face contort itself into a pout. “You got hurt, Jaime. Which dumbass did it. I’ll kick their shins.” 

You watched as he rolled his eyes and flicked his sniper softly so it pointed to the man behind him, with a perfect bullet hole through the chest. “I don’t think kicking him in the shins is going to be necessary, dollface.” He leaned in closer to you, his flesh hand coming in contact with your left eye, “Besides, if anyone needs’ta be kicked in the shins it’s whoever left my fav agent with a shiner the size of Kentucky.”

“First off: Kentucky ISN’T that large and neither is this bruise. Secondly: I punched him in the face afterwards, his nose might now be located between his eyes.”

Bucky laughed, his hand moving off your face to fall onto your shoulder. “If you say so, kid. Come on, let’s go find the Central Park Pigeon before he loses a feather.”

[mezzomercury]

I Was Born to Love You (Rami Malek x Reader)

A/N: Just a one-shot I wrote for @ramibaby a while ago.

Word Count: 2.1k

Genre: Fluff, Mild Angst

Warnings: Mentions of Alcohol, Panic/Anxiety Attack

*****************

After a very long awards season and the overwhelming amount of success your boyfriend Rami had, things were finally starting to go back to normal, or at least as normal as they could be. Occasionally, the two of you would be spotted by fans, had selfies requested, or simply received compliments and congratulatory remarks by strangers, but you were still going to work, going grocery shopping, and other tasks that seemed relatively mundane compared to the life you had two weeks ago. Rami was back filming Mr. Robot and since you both lived in New York City, you could still see him everyday and carry on as a regular couple.

Unfortunately, this newfound attention and scrutiny would sometimes get to you and make you feel uncomfortable. Although Rami was used to public exposure and criticisms, you were still getting accustomed to dating someone who was now considered an A-List actor. While some fans were positive towards you, there were always a few who made you feel insecure. Now and then you would receive dirty looks from young women on the subway who saw you and Rami together. You could sometimes hear them say things like, “She doesn’t deserve him” or “What does he see in her? She’s not even a celebrity. What does she even do?” and while you tried to ignore it, some comments really cut you to the core. Even some of your co-workers would talk about you when you were still in earshot of them, commenting on your Oscar dress or how you kept nervously holding his hand when you two walked the red carpet. You couldn’t even escape this type of scrutiny at your own workplace, somewhere, up until recently, that you could remain a regular person and keep your privacy. Now, everything was out in the open, it seems, and you couldn’t control what people knew about you.

Days and days of this unnecessary stress went by, and it started to make you feel exhausted. You had difficulty trying to take care of yourself while Rami was filming, and you barely ate or slept, and only left your apartment to go to work or when it was absolutely necessary. Luckily, the cast and crew of Mr. Robot had an official day off from filming tomorrow, so Rami vowed that he would be yours for the entire day. “We’ll do whatever you want, baby. Just the two of us. Nothing is more important to me than you are.” he told you earlier today before he left the apartment. He was getting suspicious that all of this new fame was taking a toll on you both physically and mentally, but you hadn’t yet confessed it to him, as you were afraid your anxieties would pass onto him. He had enough on his plate already and you didn’t want to be a burden on him.

The day slowly passed, and you found yourself alone in your apartment at around 7pm, pouring yourself a glass of white wine and re-watching your favorite show on Netflix, although you weren’t paying complete attention to it. Rami wouldn’t be home until late, as he had a night shoot near Coney Island, and it would take him a while to get home after that had finished. Time seemed to pass in an utterly slow manner, but the bottle of pinot grigio that you had stored in the refrigerator seemed to have the opposite effect, as you drank all of it in less than two hours out of sheer boredom. While you were on your final glass, in a moment of self-deprecation and curiosity, you pulled out your laptop and typed in your name on Google search. Images and random articles about your relationship with Rami immediately popped up, and you slowly analyzed as many as you could without your head hurting, as you were moderately tipsy from drinking on an empty stomach. Tears involuntarily started streaming from your eyes as you read mini articles on tabloid websites with hurtful headlines like, “Y/N: Rami’s newest publicity stunt?” or “Don’t worry, Rami Malek lovers, he won’t be taken for long.” You even found yourself reading hurtful comments on your Instagram photos that you didn’t dare to look at until now. Finally, your brain had enough and you felt like something inside you snapped, as you rolled off the couch and started bawling while curled up in a fetal position. You felt so helpless and defeated, and to top it all off, your head was simultaneously spinning and aching.

That’s how Rami found you when he came home not too long after your outburst. He didn’t even lock the door behind him or put down his things when he walked in, for he saw you on the floor and immediately ran to you, kneeling to the floor, scooping you up into his arms and rocking you back and forth like a baby. You barely registered him coming in until you felt his warm touch and the gentle kisses he left on your forehead. You whimpered softly at the intimate contact between the two of you, and he responded by whispering in your ear, “I’m right here, baby doll. I’ve got you now.” He pulled back a wisp of your hair and winced when he saw a small bruise on your temple, undoubtedly caused from you falling and hitting your head when you rolled off the couch. You were too anxious and beside yourself to even process when it happened. You didn’t even feel the pain at first because you were hurting so much on the inside. Rami kissed the bruise as gently as he could before taking one of the throw blankets you tossed aside earlier and wrapped you in it, then picking you up and sitting on the couch with you in his arms, still rocking you and peppering your face with tiny kisses.

You tried to speak. You tried to explain what happened, but it took extra effort to breathe and form a coherent sentence, for every time you tried to inhale and speak, you felt these small but uncomfortable hiccup sensations in your chest. Rami noticed how difficult it was and quickly intervened, “Babe, remember those breathing exercises.” and started counting to five as you slowly inhaled and exhaled accordingly, with him starting to synchronize his breaths with yours once you started getting the hang of it. A few minutes passed, and when you were breathing normally, he stopped and waited patiently for you to say something, all while holding your hand and looking intently into your eyes.

“I-I’m starting to think…...I’m not good enough for you.” you slowly muttered, which caused Rami’s facial expression to rapidly change and his eyes to widen with even more concern. “Hey hey hey hey, what makes you think that?” he responded, trying not to upset you more, therefore compensating by pulling you into a tight hug and rubbing your back. When you began to answer him, he pulled back and looked intently at you again, but still keeping the physical contact by cupping your face with his hands. “I’ve heard people talk, and what if they’re right? What if I’m not enough for you? Hell, I’m not even someone of any importance.” you replied, to which his eyes softened and you thought he might start weeping himself. There was a moment of silence before Rami looked back at your and continued holding your face, brushing away your tears with both his thumbs, and softly confessed to you, “Y/N L/N, you are the love of my life. Everything I am, everything I have, is yours, now and forever. I cannot imagine a life without you. I want us to settle down, get married, have children that take after their beautiful mother. I want to grow old with you and want to be with you until my heart stops beating. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. They don’t see you the way that I do. I love you with every single beat of my heart, and that’s all that matters.” 

You were so overwhelmed in a very joyful way that you felt like bursting into tears again, but Rami interrupted your reaction by placing a soft kiss on your lips that increased to something extremely passionate, but still gentle, within seconds. You never experienced someone kissing you like this before, and it was the type of kiss that made your head spin, though completely unrelated from the wine you consumed and the bruise from hitting your head. When he regrettably broke this moment, he rested your forehead against yours and smiled as you sighed contently. “And guess what?” he questioned you in a playful manner, to which you replied with the obvious “What?”. “My day off has already started,” he continued, “so I’m all yours for the next….umm….thirty hours or so. What say we do the first thing that was on our list of plans?” You chuckled and nodded, starting to get excited for what that plan was.

Before you knew it, Rami pulled you up to your feet and checking that you were stable enough to stand on your own. “But first, you need some water. I can’t have the woman of my dreams dying from dehydration, now can I?” he joked before running to the kitchen and coming back with a tall glass of water. He gently guided the glass to your lips and watched carefully as you drank, feeling the cold liquid quench your thirst and made the throbbing in your head feel slightly less. When you finished, he took the glass and put it down on the coffee table, then scooping you up into his arms bridal style, which made you yelp and giggle, as he carried you to the bathroom. Once there, Rami set you down again and turned on the water in the bathtub, running his hand under the faucet to make sure that the water was warm enough before adding a small bit of lavender bubble bath soap to the tub once there was a substantial amount of water needed. You started slowly removing your clothes, that is until Rami stopped you and whispered, “Allow me.” before you gave him your consent and he started to gradually undress you. Almost any other man would see this as the perfect opportunity to ravish your body right then and there, but this was Rami Malek. He was kind and caring, and knew that you were too sensitive to even think of anything like that right now. You were his main priority, and the thought of anything more sexual happening in this moment didn’t even occur to him in the slightest.

Once Rami got you into the bathtub, he undressed and stepped in to join you, placing himself behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist while kissing your neck. Your whole body started to relax at the combination of the warm water, his soft touch, and the sound of him gently humming into your ear. You leaned back into him as he began to sensually wash every part of your body and covering it with the bubbles that seemed to endlessly multiply, being careful not to spill any on the bathroom floor. There was almost complete silence around you, save for the water splashing around the tub and Rami’s deep hums that seemed to vibrate throughout your body. You accidentally let out a moan as he started to massage the scalp of your hair with shampoo, which caused him to grin and kiss your cheek as he kept running his fingers through your hair. “Are you sure you have the entire day off tomorrow? It sounds too good to be true.” you suddenly asked him, which earned you a chuckle and another kiss to your neck. “It’s true, honey. You can thank SAG-AFTRA and their union regulations for that.” he cheekily replied as he returned to massaging your head, “I’ll do anything you want. Just add it to our list.” You grinned and playfully splashed him in response and making him laugh and pulling you closer.

“Rami, will you always love me?”

“Y/N, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. It would be a crime not to always love you.”

[ginger-and-mint]

The idea of Elliott stubbornly forcing down spicy food to "train" his system even though he knows it'll end in a killer stomach ache is just... *frantically fans self before swan diving out a glass window* Beautiful. If the mood ever strikes to write a lil drabble about that, that's something I would love to read. Please fuck up our poor grumpy little honey badger

GRUMPY LITTLE HONEY BADGER omg

There’s no way I could refuse you after that display, anon. One fucked up honey badger, coming up.

CW for nausea

“Are you crying, Vale?”

“No.” Elliott turned away from Tim’s broad grin to wipe his watering eyes on his sleeve. He silently cursed whatever unfathomable reflex it was that drove the human body to produce tears in response to a fucking flavor.

Tim laughed in his obnoxiously over-familiar way. “No, he says! You really can’t handle your spice! Even I don’t think it’s all that hot!” He slurped down another spoonful of the chili-laced stew, as if to illustrate his point.

Elliott ignored him and glanced at the clock. Ten minutes until he could leave this stupid practical session. He took a shallow breath, trying not to wince as the burning feeling in his mouth flared and the heavy ache in his stomach quivered.

“Heating spells aren’t going to be your thing, huh?” said Allison. She was smiling, but he wasn’t stupid enough to believe it was a friendly smile. “I guess we all have our weaknesses. Even you.”

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” he answered as coldly as he could with his tongue on fire.

“Well, don’t push yourself. It’s not often that everyone manages a new spell on the first day.”

That dig wasn’t even subtle. The other second-years had already seen the effects of their magic on the thermometers they were supposed to be heating. Elliott was the only one who hadn’t, and now Allison was taking her revenge for all the times he’d strolled into practical and flung out a brand-new spell it was nothing.

“The food was spicy,” said Sara mildly. She was sipping from a glass of milk, which she offered to Elliott. “Want some? It really helps.”

Elliott’s pride told him to refuse, but it was solidly overruled by the rest of him. He took the glass silently and gulped down its contents. The milk quenched the fire in his mouth a little, but only added to the curdled feeling in his stomach.

That was the worst part, he thought ten minutes later as he made his way down the back stairs. He could ignore a burning mouth, but it was hard to find his magic through that heavy unease in his guts. It was a nasty sensation, like his stomach was full of sludge, and it made him angry. Why should he feel so awful? He hadn’t even eaten very much!

Allison was obnoxious, but she was also right. Food intolerance was a weakness—a big weakness.

If there was one thing Elliott knew about weak things, it was that they could always be strengthened.

He took a detour towards the kitchens before heading back to his room.

- - -

The bowl of stew on his desk was a little more than the amount actually needed for a heating spell. There was no use in starting small, Elliott figured.

He could smell the spice rising from the bowl. It made his eyes tear up and prickled in his nose. His stomach, still half-full from earlier and less than happy about it, gurgled mournfully.

“Oh shut up,” Elliott muttered. He picked up the spoon and got to work.

It was easier here, without his obnoxious classmates staring at him. He could groan and swear as the burning sensation spread from his mouth and into his throat. He didn’t have to care when his eyes started watering and his nose began to run.

It was easier—but it was still pretty fucking difficult. He felt… nasty. There was no other word for the queasy, viscous pain that was growing inside him, incubating in the heat of his spice-filled belly like some kind of fucked-up parasite. The more he ate, the worse he felt. Still, he kept at it, forcing food into his increasingly upset stomach as though that were a completely sane thing to do.

He managed to get half the bowl down in one big push before he had to take a moment. His tongue burned—he took deep breaths through his mouth, trying to let the air cool it. He’d brought a pitcher of milk with him, but with the way his stomach was churning, he didn’t dare drink any.

A burp took him by surprise. It stuck strangely in his throat—like it wanted to tug his stomach contents up with it—and he pressed a hand against his mouth. His belly gurgled as it settled back into uneasy equilibrium.

“Ughhh, fuck,” he mumbled. Things were not going well in there, clearly. Maybe this was a bad idea….

No. This was what he needed to do. Either his body would would get used to the food or his mind would get used to the pain.

He pressed a hand against his belly and kept going.

Now he was really starting to get full. He could feel his stomach growing firm and grumbly under his fingers, and the nasty unease was maturing into a sick, swollen ache. Sweat broke out on his forehead, but he kept forcing stew down—bite after horrible bite until the bowl was finally empty.

He felt a brief flash of triumph before it was swept away by a tide of awful stomach pain.

He groaned and hunched over, one arm pressed tight into his churning, bloated belly. It hurt so much he could barely draw breath. A burp forced its way up his throat, and it was all he could do to choke back everything that wanted to come after it.

Fuck, this had been a mistake—a stupid fucking mistake—all he’d done was make himself sick! He was going to feel horrible for hours, and for what? He couldn’t cast. His thermometer was in his bag, and leaning down to get it out would cause his seething stomach to erupt, he was sure of it—

Then his gaze found the pitcher of milk and an idea germinated in his brain. In a fit of furious determination, he punched through the painful maelstrom in his belly to find the kernel of power inside him.

A tendril of steam rose from pitcher. Then the milk began to froth. The bubbles came faster and thicker until the the foam swelled up and spilled over the rim, coating his desk in steaming, frothy scum.

As the magic flowed out of Elliott, so did the fury. He sighed and slumped back in his chair, holding his cramping stomach and hiccuping as the dregs of the spell slipped away.

He had done it.

Never mind that he couldn’t stand up straight. Never mind that he nearly threw up twice just walking to his bed. He could cast heating spells—and damn good ones—and that was all the comfort he needed to curl up around his aching belly and sleep the sickness away.

[teamhook]

New Chapter!

Cover by the sweetheart @herhookedhero

Tagging @hookedonapirate at her request and the lovely @revanmeetra87

AO3 or FFN

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Un-Kissable Chapter 3:

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 High School teacher Emma Swan had been running late. It seemed she couldn't catch a break. Her beloved car had broken down and forced her to call her roommate Ruby to pick her up and give her a ride once again.

 She had been racing against time and it was a race she couldn’t possibly win. She lost miserably.  Her bug would be to blame and the comments on upgrading her vehicle were coming. After this last breakdown, it was inevitable that she would be told to retire her beloved yellow bug.

 Maybe it was a deathtrap waiting to happen.

 She had been so lost in thought she didn’t see the other body walking straight to her until she collided with a very solid body. That had been the best wake-up call she had ever received. Maybe the day was not as bad as she initially thought and finally, something was working out for her. The same nice firm body that had brought her back to reality possessed deep blue piercing eyes that met hers, dark hair, luscious lips, and an apologetic accented voice.

 He was nice and sweet. He had been a gentleman as he helped her. She really hoped he was not a student because that was trouble she didn’t need. She had felt connected to him and a sense of completion that was unexpected but fulfilling.

 They both soon excused themselves and went on their way.

 Emma finally reached her class and soon it was business as usual. In between classes she would wait outside her classroom to see her students arrive.

 Across the hall, she would wave at her fellow teacher Miss. Blanchard. They would nod and smile at each other. Sometimes they would share small talk about their favorite shows and small gossip.

 To the kids, she was only Miss. Blanchard; Home Economics teacher extraordinaire. She could be a chef at a 5 Star Michelin Restaurant if she wanted to but she preferred to be a simple educator. She loved the kids; even the rowdy ones.

 Emma smiled as her students tumbled inside the classroom. The warning bell alerted it was time to go inside.

 In a classroom not too far away, Killian arrived just before the final warning bell. He anxiously looked for a desk to sit on. He found one and rushed to it only to be stopped by another student. “This is my seat try another.” Each time he found a spot one of the kids would say it was not available.

 Killian sheepishly nodded and searched the room for another and then a friendly smile greeted him. “Hey, you can sit here.” The brown-haired boy gestured to the seat next to him. “We can share.” He pointed to the book.

 “Hello class, my name is Miss. Frost and I will be your Spanish teacher for the semester.” She smiled at the class. “I know that you are all here expecting an easy grade. Don’t let the blonde hair fool you. I’m fluent in five languages and learning number six; so please don’t expect me to be easy on you. Learning a new language can be a wonderful experience if you allow it. You will learn not only how to communicate but about the culture as well.”

 There are scattered murmurs and hisses heard throughout the room. She smiled as she gave them their lesson for the day. She sat down and reviewed her lesson plans while they worked.

 “Hi, my name is Killian. Thanks for the help.” He smiled at the young boy. “My name is Henry.” They kept making small talk as they finished their assignment.

 Killian smiled as he nodded towards Miss. Frost’s direction. “I never thought learning Spanish would be so difficult.”

 “Miss. Frost is really nice, don’t let the name fool you. She just wants her class to be taken seriously. There are some that just want an easy A without working for it.”

 Henry told him the other kids’ names. Soon he got to the group that seemed focused on making this high school experience as horrible as the previous one.

 “The tall one with the shaggy brown hair is Peter and the girl sitting in front of him, with the dark hair is his off and on again girlfriend Fiona, on the other side of Peter is Felix with the short black hair and that is his girlfriend Wendy the blonde haired sitting in front of him. The other guys in front of Wendy are her brothers Johnny and Thomas. My advice is to simply stay out of their way and you will be fine.”

That was Henry’s advice to him and Killian had a feeling he should follow it.

 Lunch was an experience in itself. He walked up the line to get his food. He placed his tray for the cafeteria lady to serve him.

 Bloody hell! His lunch consisted of a bologna sandwich, chips, and green Jell-O. This cannot be proper. He knew as the adult he truly was that there was no nutritional content in the junk food.

 He would pitch his story idea ‘What are they feeding our kids in schools today?’ to Sidney as soon as he could make a call because for the love of God the school needed to be stopped. He walked around the cafeteria with the disgusting food that passed as food at this school. He finally spotted an empty chair and headed towards it and then he is falling.

 Peter and his gang start laughing as he landed flat on his ass on the linoleum floor. The sandwich flopped to the floor and the lovely Jell-O next to it. The milk was the only healthy option he truly had and it now it covered the floor and was being absorbed by the sandwich.

 He got up slowly and suddenly he felt like the gangly kid he used to be.

 “Killian, hey, come on.” Henry grabbed him and snapped him out of his trip down memory lane. “Here let me help you pick that up and we can go get something to eat at Granny’s Diner it’s not far from here.”

They quickly picked up the mess and left. Peter and his minions laughed hysterically as Killian almost slipped because of the wet floor.

 Killian and Henry walked to Granny’s Diner. It was a nice diner. It had that classic vibe to it. They found their way to the corner back booth and placed their food order.

 Killian excused himself to make a quick call. He stepped into the little hall heading to the loo. “Sidney, Hi, I have the perfect story for you.” Sidney stopped him before he could make his story pitch. “If you are going to say something about the horrible cafeteria food I don’t want to hear it. Unless this story consists of the school mascot being caught having sex with the lunch lady in full costume.” Killian rolled his eyes. “Sidney they tried to feed me a bologna sandwich and green Jell-O there has to be a law against that somewhere.” Sidney sighed at the over dramatization. “Killian, call me when you really have something.”

 Killian defeated slowly walked back to his seat. He was upset that Sidney didn’t like the story idea.

 He rejoined Henry and they ate their deliciously cheesy grilled cheese sandwich and onion rings. The sign claimed that the sandwich was famous and after tasting it Killian agreed.

 He resumed his conversation with Henry. “Henry, have you given thought to Universities, majors, career choices?”

 “I have and I want to be a writer. I have been meaning to speak to Miss. Swan about that.”

 “Is she your guidance counselor?”

 “Nope, she is an English teacher. She is awesome and my favorite teacher.” Henry smiled excitedly. “Let me see your schedule.”

 Killian takes out his schedule from his jeaned pocket and handed it over.

 Henry’s eyes quickly scanned the paper and found what he had searched for. “Oh good, you have her last period too. You are going to love her.”

 They ate and hurried back to school. They continued with their classes.

 Killian knows beyond a doubt that being Henry’s friendship will make his new high school experience much easier.

 Emma entered the teachers’ lounge to eat her lunch. She quickly made some coffee. She looked around the lounge and spotted Elsa. She joined her on the table. Emma kept glancing at the door each time it opened.

 “Emma, are you expecting someone?”

 “Oh, no why do you ask?”

 “You keep stealing glances at the door.” Elsa pointed toward the door.

 “I do not.”

 “Just tell me what is going on.”

She cannot stop herself and looked in the direction of the door her friend had just pointed at once more to see if the cute guy arrived. She is losing hope, just her luck; the guy must be a student.

 “So you refuse to answer my question. If Mary Margaret was here you would answer.”

 “That is not true and besides Mary Margaret would hound me until I answered. I would only answer to get her to leave me alone. To quench your curiosity it’s nothing serious. I had just hoped that”

 Elsa waited for her to finish her sentence and then the bell rang to warn them it was time to return to their classes. “Saved by the bell; I guess we will talk about this later.”

 “Elsa there isn’t anything to talk about.”

 “Uh-uh, I’m not buying that. Emma, the look on your face is; not nothing. This is definitely something we need to talk about.”

 Emma’s lips pursed together as she agreed. “Fine we will talk later but there isn’t anything to talk about. Not really.”

 “Emma, por favor no me mientas.”

 “Elsa I’m not one of your students. English please.”

 “Sure, Emma please don’t lie to me but it can wait for now. Come on let's go and teach.”

 The day was finally winding down. Killian had forgotten how exhausting High School was.

 He walked into his final class English. He looked at his schedule. He hoped Miss. Swan’s class was not as draining as the other classes had proven to be.

 He spotted Henry at the back of the class who quickly raised his hand to summon him to the rear of the room.

 “Class, please, take your seats. My name is Emma Swan but you all can call me Miss. Swan and I will be your English teacher this semester.” She smiled at the class warmly.

 Killian stared at his English teacher. It was the same woman he bumped into earlier. She was utterly beautiful just as he remembered her. Her wavy blonde hair sat just above her shoulders and her smile was kind. Her eyes shined brightly like green emeralds. He was captivated by her. He had endured a difficult day but she had been the moment of calmness in the chaos the rest of his day had turned into.  

 Their eyes met and the recognition was instantaneous. Killian had hoped to see her again and his wish was granted. He smiled briefly at both his good fortune and her. Sadly Emma was not feeling as fortunate. She felt her heart drop; he really was a student and not just any student one of hers just her luck.  

[unholyhelbiglinked]

It’s Grave|Chapter Eight|2008

I could feel the sweat begin to form on my brow despite my frigid surroundings. My hands were numb; I barely felt the rough wooden object Rachel had put in my palm. My fingers had wrapped around it, clenching it hard enough to feel the splinters work its way into my skin.

"I can't," I choked out, practically due to the rancid smell of the room.

Leo Ford perked up at this, smiling as he revealed a set of yellowed canine teeth. The way he did sent a sting through my arm, I yelped and glanced down at the marking, a sharp pain danced across my skin as a slight glow came about the mark.

"You feel that?" Rachel nodded towards my hand. "It senses danger; it knows that something needs to be killed."

I couldn't pull my eyes away from Leo. It pained me to even know his name. How could I kill something that sat right in front of me and breathed the same air I did? I swallowed and flexed my fingers, they were engulfed in pain. I knew what I needed to do, but I couldn't bring myself to kill a child.

"1812," Rachel leaned against a brick wall as her glance flashed against Leo's. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. Even in the dimly lit dungeon, he looked elegant. Dirt or blood was smeared across his ashy face, as he turned to face me.

"What?" I pulled attention away from the little vampire and focused on Rachel.

"In 1812 he massacred his whole entire family." She clenched her jaw "His mother, his father, his three year old sister. Even the dog had its throat torn out. And for what?" Rachel swallowed and crossed her arms across her body. "Blood, anything to quench that thirst that ate at him."

We stood in stark silence as I began soak in the cruel reality of it all. I knew I wasn't going to be able to leave this room without driving a steak through the heart of a child. The thing Zoe filled my veins with wouldn't allow it, my new morals wouldn't allow it, and I'm pretty sure Rachel defiantly wouldn't allow it.

"I enjoyed it," Rachel and I both stood on edge as the small voice of Leo started to speak. "Every minute of it."

"He's never spoken," Rachel mumbled, dumbfounded.

"And I never will again," Leo said, his voice scratchy and tired, a thick southern accent plagued his speech. "I reckon with this one in the room, I won't be seeing the mornings light either."

I swallowed as Leo continued speaking.

"I liked the feeling of power that filled me when I was turned. It coursed through my veins, just like that stuff running through yours." He smiled, "it was fun at first. The invincible immortality of it all, but after I killed my family, I couldn't stop taking the lives of those I cared about- or even the ones I didn't." I felt my hand tighten around the weapon as my anger began to climb up the back of my neck.

"Just imagine," Leo whispered "the feeling of their blood washing over your hands and staining your lips. The sound of their screams doing nothing to stop you," he chuckled then "some of them try to bargain for their lives, but all you really want is their death."

I felt a surge of fear powered by his words as I grasped the boy's shirt. I forcefully shoved him up against the wall, hard enough to crack some of the bricks that lined the wall. Leo smiled as I stayed inches from his face. I had the end of the wooden steak pressed against his chest as it hovered over his heart.

"Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, Miss Helbig." He whispered, his sour breath filling my lungs "Even the purest of heart are drawn to it."

I let out a small grunt as I shoved the steak into his chest, the loud crunch of bone and flesh filling the small room. Warm blood covered my face as dark veins began to run their way up Leo's neck until they coated his whole face. His eyes clouded over as he slid to the ground, the steak still lodged in his brawn.

I let out a choked breath as I stumbled back, wiping the dark blood from my cheek. Tears began to fill my eyes as I tried to control my breathing. My heart pressed against my ribs. Rachel rushed to my side, keeping me on my feet.

"shh, it's okay" Rachel whispered "the first one is always the hardest."

I clenched the pillow against the side of my face, feeling my tears soak into the fabric. I hadn't left my room in a couple of hours, I kept thinking about his eyes as the life left them. Despite being confident in his words, the fear of a child that got lost at a super market filled him.

There was a soft knock at my door, I grumbled and flipped over as I kept my eyes on the bare white wall. I could feel the edge of the bed lower as someone sat down. I didn't bother to look over.

"I tried to convince Rachel to let me be there when you-"Rose's soft voice trailed off.

We sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to our steady paced breathing. "Was it hard?" I turned over as I made room on the bed for her. "Your first time?"

Rose swallowed as she lowered herself onto the mattress. She was close, I could feel her warmth as she looked up, our noses almost touched each other as she struggled to find the right words.

"No," She finally whispered, I breathed in her warm scent as she continued to talk "I-I was angry, and hurt. I hadn't known what vampires were. At the time I thought-"a tear ran down her cheek as her ginger eyes glazed over. I wanted nothing more than to reach up and wipe it away.

"I was in a play at school and my parents had promised to attend," She continued in a hushed voice. "I was angry with them. I wished them dead, and... and when I got home they were." Another tear ran down her face.

This time I placed my hand behind her ear, using my thumb to brush the tear away. Rose sniffed and continued, placing her warm hand on mine. "He was standing in the kitchen. He had my parent's blood on his teeth and lips. I froze. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have time to run, so I fought. He was stronger than me, but I wouldn't give up. Somehow we ended up on a table, and it cracked under us." She swallowed as I moved a strand of hair from her eyes. "The leg of the table had gone through him. He was dead."

"I'm sorry," I whispered to her, not knowing what else to say in my dumbfounded state. "You shouldn't have gone through that."

"It's okay," she breathed "I'm stronger because of that, I don't let anyone in." she clenched her jaw as she sniffed and gazed into my eyes.

"That's a shame," I swallowed, not breaking eye contact.

She let out a breath of air and gave me a small smile "I think I could make an exception."

I didn't know what I was doing. I had felt strong emotions towards Rose, but I didn't know what they were, or if it was due to me being upset- but the way the lights caught her dark auburn hair, the way her skin felt soft against my touch, the way she stared at me.

"Are you scrutinizing me?" the corner of her mouth turned up a little as I continued to stare.

"That depends," I murmured.

"don't." Rose scooted closer, "It's bad to overthink things,"

I blinked and quickly pushed my lips against hers, feeling a spark run through my veins as she put her hand against the back of my head and kissed me back. The smell of ginger and lemon filled my nose as I kept my eyes closed. I pulled away, as I came up for air. My forehead pressed against hers as we looked into each other's eyes.

"See," she sighed, catching her breath "thinking is bad."