#I kid you not I had like stones as large as a necklace bead

[thisismycorneroftheinternet]

On gross news, I am finally recovered from the dengue fever with no further symptoms (I think), but hoo boy are my tonsils pissed off and filled to the brim with big ass stones.

[satansapostle6]

The Man Who Sold The World | Luke Castellan

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Katherine. She was the one who started it all for Luke Castellan, the reason he did what he did.

Warnings: Mature themes/language. Violence. Smut. Oral(F receiving). Slight overstimulation.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen: A Thousand Years

Katherine and Luke knew they had to be careful about the way they recruited people. They knew they had to eventually get enough people to join their cause, but they also knew that they couldn’t make too much noise too quickly. That would only get them caught faster.

They were careful about who they considered, and how they lured them in. But Luke and Katherine played it safe, not starting off telling many campers at all. Luke had started off with the most disgruntled malcontents first; they were the least work to recruit. They were careful and methodical because they couldn’t afford any mistakes; one wrong move and their plan could be set back months, or years.

Unfortunately, they weren’t off to the best start considering the two of them had racked up a total of three fights with other campers in less than two weeks of being at the camp. As much as Luke loved having Katherine close to him at the place he called home, he knew something about it just didn’t work as well as it should’ve. And of course, not having a soul in her body, Katherine had come up with a plan to maximize their army of demigods that Luke didn’t particularly like.

Katherine had decided that, although she too liked spending time with her boyfriend and living at the camp, she worked best on the road. So, the two of them eventually agreed that she would leave the camp for about a few months or so at a time, recruiting as many other scattered and disenfranchised demigods from around the country as she could.

Luke knew it was a good plan, but that didn’t stop him from hating it. He stood outside the barrier that day, watching Katherine regretfully as she loaded all of her belongings and supplies into the old Pontiac, deciding to leave the shrunken sarcophagus with Luke at the camp. The goodbyes certainly weren’t permanent, but that still didn’t stop them from being entirely reluctant.

“I don’t want you to go,” Luke admitted in a low tone as he watched her say goodbye.

“I know,” Katherine looked up at him as she touched her hand to his chest, playing with the various necklaces wrapped around his neck.

One was his necklace from camp, decorated with a unique bead for each year he’d lived at the camp, and one was a long, silver chain with a bullet-shaped pendant on it that held one of the ones he’d dug out of Katherine’s body. He’d given it to a Hephaestus kid to turn into a piece of jewelry, hoping he could carry a piece of Katherine around with him.

She’d joked that both he and the bullet had been inside her at one point or another.

“I have something for you… Before you go,” he remembered, staring at her as he tried to engrave this moment in its entirety into his head before she left.

“You do?” she asked, not expecting a going-away present.

“Yeah. Here,” he said softly, pulling something from his pocket.

Katherine looked down at his open hand, revealing a silver necklace.

“I had it made. Just for you,” he said, holding it out as she took it. “Beckendorf, the Hephaestus kid, made it. And Claire enchanted it,” he told her.

Katherine held the dainty silver chain in her hand, examining the beautiful pendant on it. It was a beautiful, red sort of glassy stone with an ornate silver backing to it.

“What does it do?”

“It’s magic. It’s tied to my necklace,” Luke explained, touching the large bullet-shaped pendant he wore around his neck. “If you touch it, I can hear you talking, and vice versa. That way, it’ll be like we’re still here together.”

Katherine smiled up at him, turning around as he gently swept her long hair out of the way, wrapping the small necklace around her as he fastened it. She turned to look at him, eyes full of love as he felt charmed by her all over again.

“Beautiful,” he said softly, and she could tell he said it with his heart.

Katherine sighed, throwing her arms around him as she leaned in for a kiss, this one long and passionate as he desperately savored the sweet taste of her lips. Luke breathed into it softly, cupping her cheeks in his hands as they lightly traced the shape of her face. He pulled away reluctantly, staring straight into her dark eyes.

“You’re everything to me,” he reminded her.

“I’ll never leave you. Not really,” she promised him, her hand slowly brushing his chest until it stopped over his heart.

“Don’t forget about me, okay?” he teased, trying to keep a sense of humor.

“I couldn’t.”

“Hey,” he murmured, his hands on either side of her face. “Do whatever you have to to get people to join our cause. I don’t care what you have to do. If someone’s in love with you, then that’s your angle.”

“Luke,” she frowned. “I might not have a soul, but I still—”

“It’s okay,” he assured her in a comforting whisper. “I trust you.”

“I trust you too,” she promised him.

“I’ll always love you first,” he nodded.

“I’m gonna get in the car,” Katherine announced softly, slowly opening the door as she sat down in the driver’s seat.

She closed the car door, looking out at him from inside the car as she forcibly got used to the fact that there was a car between them. Seeing him through the window, she touched a hand to the red stone, smiling as she watched him.

“I love you,” she said quietly.

Luke smiled sadly, touching the pendant hanging around his own neck, knowing that would probably be the last time he’d see her at least until Christmas. It wasn’t quite September yet.

“Tell me that every day,” he replied.

“Every morning, and every night,” she whispered, backing up the car and turning to leave.

Luke stood there outside the campgrounds as he watched until minutes after her car had completely disappeared. He stood there for a moment, praying to no one in particular for her safety. Just as he was ready to turn back to the camp, he saw that someone had seen him from inside, and had crept over the boundary.

“You really love her. Don’t you?”

Annabeth Chase sometimes had the worst timing for the inescapable truth. But in that movement, the way she said that, Luke felt as if she hadn’t expected it to be true as she stood there with her Yankees cap in hand, having been invisible for the past few minutes.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that,” Luke sighed humorously, a warning smile on his face.

“Answer the question.”

He sighed in response, knowing he couldn’t deflect.

“Yeah,” he nodded, standing there as the silver bullet, usually tucked into his shirt, lay flat against his chest like a cross symbolizing faith and devotion. “I do,” he told her.

“Hmm,” she said, deep in thought.

That was all Annabeth had to say to him before she turned around and disappeared, leaving him.

*****

Almost One Year Later

Over the next nine months or so, Luke had seen his girlfriend on five different visits to the camp, each about a week or so in length. It was cruel, how seldom he was able to see his own girlfriend, but the headway they’d made in building loyalty to Kronos made up for it. The Titan was actually pleased with them.

While Luke mostly remained at Camp-Half Blood convincing other demigods to join Kronos’s army, Katherine was busy traveling the country and searching for demigods scorned by the gods of Olympus, while actually managing to get through to a few monsters along the way.

Much to Luke’s relief, he had gotten word halfway through the summer that Katherine would be able to come back to New York and visit the camp for a little while. She had told Luke to anticipate her arrival in mid-July, and so he waited anxiously for her to return for a visit, hashing out the details of a secret plan he’d been waiting to share with her.

The last time he’d seen her was in late, late May, when she had arrived some time after his nineteenth birthday. But Luke didn’t mind too much; he would’ve waited a thousand years just to see her.

In the meantime, the two of them had been making significant progress in recruiting, and were beginning to wonder how they would proceed to the next phase of their plan; turning the Olympian gods against one another and creating chaos. Luckily, together, Katherine and Luke excelled at chaos.

“Oh, baby, I’m so, so glad you’re home,” Luke moaned into the crook of Katherine’s neck as he tackled her to the bed they’d once shared.

“Home?” Katherine teased, laughing as his kisses tickled her. “I’ve been staying in motels since I left.”

“Your home is here,” he insisted, his kisses reaching her collarbone, “Because this is where I am.”

His kisses really did itch her skin, a light layer of nearly invisible stubble on his face scratching her softly.

“Baby, did you forget to shave?” Katherine wondered.

“I got too excited,” he murmured, nuzzling his head between her breasts. “Sorry, love, looks like you’re getting carpet burn tonight.”

“It’s three o’clock,” she reminded him.

“By the time I’m done with you, it’s gonna be nighttime,” he promised her, in a lovesick haze.

Katherine groaned as he suckled on he breast, taking her nipple in between his teeth as his hands squeezed her bare hips. She was naked the moment they entered the room, and he definitely wasn’t too far behind.

He lifted her legs up in one swift motion, expertly throwing her around like a rag doll. He let her bare legs rest on his shoulders, conveniently bunching her body up as he took turns sucking on each nipple while her hand was tangled in his short sandy-colored hair.

“I love you so much,” he said huskily as he focused on her neck again, making her giggle.

“I love you, baby,” she echoed.

He slowly moved down her body, his kisses moving down from her chest, to her stomach, to her navel, as he stopped with his hands squeezing the soft flesh on her hips. His grip on her thighs hardened, as he buried his face in between them, pressing a soft kiss to her clit, sending a kind of electrical surge of pleasure to her brain through the bundle of nerves.

He hadn’t seen his girlfriend in over a month and he intended to make up for lost time.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so wet,” he gasped, reveling in his work-of-art girlfriend. “I’m gonna have you dripping by the time I’m done with you… God, I’m in love!”

She gasped softly as he flicked his tongue up and down between her folds, the heat from his mouth seeming to spread all over her body. She could feel every place where his lips, and tongue, and hands had been, and it burned, aching for more.

He groped her thighs hungrily, making her legs shake and tremble as he sucked on her clit. She felt herself feeling dizzier and dizzier, wanting to scream with pleasure, like the best roller coaster in existence. Luke was absolutely a giver; he naturally loved when Katherine pleasured him, but nothing made him feel stronger than doing everything in his power to make her come over and over again.

Luke stopped for a moment, enjoying the view before him as if he were being presented with some sort of feast.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he groaned. “You’re my goddess,” he worshipped her.

Katherine looked up at him in awe, eyes lazy with pleasure as she watched him standing over him, muscular and glistening as he worked hard just to pleasure her as best as he could. She knew what he meant when he said that she looked like a god.

“You want me to fuck you, baby?” Luke mumbled, pressing lazy, affectionate kisses to her lips. “You want me to fuck your tight little pussy?”

“Do it,” she moaned into his mouth, gasping as he did the same. “Fuck me like you mean it. Show me how much you love me,” she egged him on.

“Fuck, baby, I’ll show you just how much I love you,” he rambled on and on as he pulled down his briefs, painfully hard cock springing free. “I’ll fuck you so good. My princess, my goddess.”

She laughed excitedly as he threw her legs back over her shoulders, sighing as he felt her ankles behind his head. He leaned down as he pressed more rough, loving kisses to the side of her neck, sighing at her unique sent.

“Fuck, you smell so good,” he gasped, “I fucking love that perfume.”

He kissed her over and over until the only thing she could remember was his name.

“Luke,” she whined, “Fuck…”

She sighed as he stood back up, her legs still over his shoulders as he slowly buried himself inside her, gasping at the sensation of her closing around him.

“Fuck, so tight, baby,” he moaned. “Fuck…”

It took a moment before he remembered what he was doing, slowly thrusting in and out of her as she moaned in ecstasy. Every time, she realized she’d forgotten in her absence just how huge he was. He was 6’1”, and he felt 6’1”. He slowly picked up the pace, hypnotized by the sight of her enjoying him beneath him, using him for her pleasure as she pleased.

Katherine gasped eagerly as he thrusted in and out faster than he had the entire time, fucking her so hard they both felt dizzy. He kept his hands wrapped around her thighs, squeezing them hard, almost for balance as he thrusted. He was light-headed, so lost in the sensation he wasn’t even sure if he had been breathing or not throughout the whole thing.

“I love you so much, baby,” he groaned out loud.

“I love you,” she mumbled incoherently.

Katherine’s legs trembled involuntarily as she finished with a sigh, slowly beginning to see less and less as black spots continued to enter her vision. Luke sighed as he finally came, overtaken by the feeling of her coming around his dick. He eventually stopped and flopped down beside her on the bed, looking to her to gauge how she was feeling.

Luke turned to Katherine to simply admire her as she lay beside him, but he began to feel a bit more concerned as he watched her forcing her eyes shut.

“Hey,” he breathed, sitting up beside her as he rested his hand on her shoulder, “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said quickly, still seeming dizzy, “I’m fine…”

“You don’t look okay,” he thought, frowning as he helped her to sit up.

“No, I’m okay, baby, I just need a second,” she sighed.

He said nothing, watching as she slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust.

“Here, lemme see your temperature,” he said finally, affectionately touching the back of his hand to her forehead. “Ooh. You feel a little warm there, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’ve just been stressed,” Katherine sighed. “It’s just been affecting me more often.”

“Affecting you? How?” Luke asked, concerned.

“I’ve just been getting tired a lot,” she told him, “It’s not that bad… I just get a little winded.”

“You know what, here, lemme see if you’re warm all over, maybe you’re dehydrated or something,” Luke offered, slowly touching the back of his hand to various points all over her body.

He sat there, stumped, as he touched her forehead, her arm, her chest, her stomach, and her legs, trying to discern whether something was wrong. His initial fear was that this somehow had something to do with Katherine’s missing soul.

“I mean, you feel fine, for the most part,” he thought, his hand slowly moving back up her body.

His hand moved back up to her abdomen, where he hesitated for a second.

“Oh. You feel really warm right here,” he said with concern, “Maybe we should go to the infirmary.”

Katherine gave him a look as she slowly rose to her feet, throwing some of his clothes over her body. She decided she’d listen to him, considering the part about her stomach feeling warm sounded a bit concerning.

“I mean, okay, but I feel fine,” she told him, as the both of them got dressed.

Luke carefully walked his girlfriend down to the infirmary, where a bunch of the Apollo kids helped heal wounded or sick campers.

“Hey Lee, what are you doing here?” Luke said, upon realizing one of his friends was there.

Lee Fletcher was the Head Counselor of Cabin 7, Apollo’s cabin. He was just as one would expect a child of Apollo to be, calm, laid-back, and good-humored.

“Hey, Luke. Just taking one of the younger ones to the infirmary; fell off a tree,” he explained. “Hey there, Katherine,” he realized, seeing her standing next to Luke.

“Hey,” she smiled.

“Didn’t realize you were back in town. How was your trip?”

“Not bad,” Katherine shrugged, lying about the nature of her time away from the camp.

“Hey, I don’t wanna be a bother, but do you think you could take a look at Katherine while you’re here?” he asked, hoping to have a familiar face around.

“Oh yeah, sure,” Lee nodded, looking at the cot in front of him, “Here, sit down. Dr. Lee will take a look.”

Katherine sat down as Luke sat at the edge of the cot, next to Lee.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” Lee asked humorously.

“Uh… I don’t know, I’ve just been really tired lately, but I just thought it was stress,” she explained.

“Ah. I see. Well, I could just sing a little hymn to my dad, and then you’ll be cured of whatever you got,” he offered.

“Yeah,” Katherine nodded gratefully, “Perfect. Thanks.”

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded. “Is it okay if I try and see if there’s a specific area it’s confined to? It kinda helps the healing go faster.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” she nodded as Luke watched.

Lee silently touched his hand to her body, almost as Luke had, examining her head, her arms, and her legs, looking confused as he stopped.

“Uh, I don’t know if I’m just wrong, but I don’t think there’s anything actually wrong with you,” Lee admitted with a frown.

“Are you sure?” Luke stared.

“Yeah… Weird. I can get one of the girls to take a look?” Lee Fletcher offered helpfully. “They’re better healers than I am.”

“Okay,” Katherine agreed, not sure whether she should be relieved or more worried.

Lee left for a moment, sending one of the girls who’d been cleaning over to them.

“Hey, I’m April,” a girl with brown hair, maybe about sixteen years old, smiled as she sat down next to Katherine. “Lee said you’re feeling a little tired?”

“Yeah,” Katherine nodded, “Lee said he couldn’t feel anything wrong, but Luke said my stomach felt a little off?”

“Yeah, sure, I can take a look,” she nodded kindly, her hand hovering over the area. “Is it okay if I feel?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” she nodded, as she and Luke both watched.

The healer, April, gently rested her hand on Katherine’s stomach, her brows furrowed as she hesitated, completely frozen as she tried to decide how to proceed.

“What is it?” Luke immediately started to panic. “What do you feel?”

“Uh…” April looked back up at Katherine, a very awkward expression on her face. “Well, I think I know why Lee couldn’t find anything wrong.”

“What is it?” Katherine asked her, not sure what to expect.

“Have you, uh…” April hesitated before forming her words. “Have you ever been pregnant before?”

Luke’s face went pale as Katherine’s eyes lowered. She just stared at the floor for a moment, not saying anything.

“I’m sorry,” April said immediately, “It’s none of my business—”

“I think I have,” Katherine spoke finally, as Luke’s eyes widened.

“You have?��� April asked.

“Yeah. I, uh…” it took her a moment to form the words.

She never thought she’d have to speak them out loud.

“I think I was when I was twelve… I think it was a miscarriage,” she explained quietly. “I found a clot.”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” April said softly, not knowing what to say. “It’s just… My mom had my little brother, when I was seven. I touched her tummy, and when she was at about a month or so, it kind of felt… like that,” she provided.

“Okay,” Katherine blurted out quietly, not sure how else to respond. “I think I’m, uh… I think I’m gonna go. Thanks for your help,” she said awkwardly, quickly leaving the room, her arms wrapped around herself as if she was cold.

“Thanks,” Luke said quickly.

April nodded with an apologetic smile as he ran out after Katherine, who he found standing outside the infirmary, nervously facing away from him as if waiting for nothing.

“Hey…”

He started speaking, but didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t talk about it,” Katherine said out of nowhere, trying to explain herself. “I just… saw the blood when I was twelve. Didn’t think anything of it ‘til I was fifteen. A little while before the clot, my dad… Well, you can put the pieces together,” she said uncomfortably.

“Katherine, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Luke promised, standing beside her. “It’s okay.”

She looked into his eyes, and in that moment, she knew it really was okay.

“We—” she involuntarily burst out laughing, completely in disbelief. “We’re gonna have a baby?!” she questioned, the word feeling almost foreign to her.

“We’re gonna have a baby!” he laughed along with her, deciding to feel happy about something for once as he picked her up.

He lifted her up off the ground as she gave a little squeal, laughing hysterically as he spun her around. He held her in his arms as he twirled her around in delight, still laughing as he set her back down on the ground, his hands on her arms as he looked at her.

“We’re gonna have a baby?” he questioned, as if trying out the phrase.

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, smiling as he pulled her into a protective hug, gently stroking her hair as he rested his chin atop her head. “We’re gonna have a baby!”

She squealed with joy for the first time in years. It was kind of sad, but Katherine knew she never would’ve reacted this way if she’d had a soul. ‘Soul’ Katherine never would’ve been able to accept the idea of a baby with Luke, especially at nineteen while building an army for Kronos. Happiness was something entirely exclusive to Soulless Katherine.

-

Chapter Sixteen

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 6

(Y/n)'s POV

Once I get over the fact that my brother's Latin teacher was half horse, we have a nice tour.

We pass by the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudge each other. One points to the Minotaur horn Percy is carrying. Another says, "It's them."

Most of the campers are older than me. Their satyr friends are bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I'm not normally shy, but the way they are staring at me and Percy makes me uncomfortable. I feel as though they want us to do a flip or something.

I look back at the farmhouse. It's bigger than I'd realized - four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I'm checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something catches my eyes, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I get a distinct impression that I'm being watched.

"What's up there?" I ask Chiron.

He looks to where I'm pointing and his smile fades, "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?" Percy asks.

"No," he says with finality. "Not a single living thing."

I get the feeling that he's being truthful, but I am also sure something had moved that curtain.

As we get closer, I realize how huge the forest is. It takes up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.

Chiron says, "The woods are stocked if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

"Stocked with what?" Percy asks. "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own swords and shields?"

"My own - ?" Percy is cut off.

"No," Chiron interupts. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do for you, Percy, and a size three for you, (Y/n). I'll visit the armory later."

Finally, Chiron shows us the cabins. There are twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They are arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on each side. And they are, without a doubt the most bizarre number above the door.

Except for the fact that each has a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they lock absolutely nothing alike. Number Nine has smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number Four has tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seems to be made of solid gold, which gleams so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all face a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).

In the center of the field is a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it is a warm afternoon, the hearth smolders. A girl, maybe nine years old is tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. I wave at the girl and she looks surprised, as though no one acknowledged her often, and waves back with a smile.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, look like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin One is the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmer like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seem to streak across them. Cabin Two is more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls are covered with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy guesses.

"Correct," Chiron says.

"Their cabins look empty."

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

I stop in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

It isn't high and mighty like Cabin One, but low and solid. The outer walls are of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashells and coral as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. I peek inside the open doorway and Chiron says, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before he can pull me back, I catch the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glow like abalone. There are six empty bunks with silk sheets turned down, but there is no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place feels so sad and lonely, I am glad when Chiron puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Come along, (Y/n)."

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red—a real nasty paint job as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on Percy and gives him an evil sneer.

"Oh, look," Chiron says as we approach Cabin Eleven. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blond girl I'd met at the Big House is reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven. When we reach her, she looks me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drool.

I try to see what she was reading, but I can't make out the title. Then I realize the title isn't even English. The letters look Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There are pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron says, "I have Masters' Archery class at noon. Would you take Percy and (Y/n) from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin Eleven," Chiron tells us, gesturing towards the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, Eleven looks the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. the threshold is worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway is a caduceus.

Inside, it is packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags are spread all over the floor. It looks like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.

Chiron doesn't go in. The door is too low for him. But when the campers see him, they all stand and bow respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron says. "Good luck, Percy, (Y/n). I'll see the two of you at dinner."

He gallops away towards the archery range.

Percy's POV

We stand in the doorway, looking at the kids. They aren't bowing anymore. They are staring at us, sizing us up. I know this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompts. "Go on."

So naturally, I trip coming in the door, and (Y/n) grabs my upper arm, straightening me up. There are some snickers from the campers, but none of them say anything.

Annabeth announces, "Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, meet Cabin Eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asks.

I don't know what to say, but Annabeth says, "Undetermined."

Everyone groans.

A guy who is a little older than the rest comes forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy, (Y/n). You can have those two spots on the floor, right over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looks pretty cool. He's tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wears an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance is a thick white scar that runs from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth says, and her voice sounds different somehow. I glance over and swear she's blushing, but after a moment she sees me looking, and her expression hardens again. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" (Y/n) asks, looking rather curious.

"You're undetermined," Luke explains. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I look around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they are waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.

"How long will I be here?" I ask.

"Good question," Luke replies. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laugh and (Y/n) facepalms.

"Come on," Annabeth tells us. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"We've already seen it."

"Come on."

Annabeth grabs my wrist and drags me outside. I can hear the kids of Cabin Eleven laughing behind me and (Y/n) waves good-bye shyly.

When we are a few feet away, Annabeth says, "Jackson, you have to do better than that?"

"What?"

She rolls her eyes and mumbles under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you two were the ones."

"What's your problem?" I'm getting angry now, (Y/n) watching us cautiously. "All I know is, we kill some bull guy -"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth tells me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I shake my head. "Look, if the thing we fought is really the Minotaur, the same one in the stories . . ."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So..."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"Percy," (Y/n) says calmly. "I think what Annabeth is saying, is that monsters eventually reform."

Annabeth nods and I think about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"

"The Fur...I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep," Annabeth answers and (Y/n) suppresses a laugh.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth glances nervously at the ground as if she expects it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sound whiny, even to myself, but right then I don't care. "Why do we have to stay in Cabin Eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

I point to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turns pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or...your parent."

She stares at me, waiting for me to get it.

"Our mother is Sally Jackson," (Y/n) says softly. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, (Y/n). But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead," I say simply. "We never knew him."

Annabeth sighs. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead."

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say -"

"Because I know the two of you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about us.

"No?" She raises an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How -"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

I try to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

(Y/n)'s POV

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course, the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like...you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're both half-bloods."

A half-blood.

I am reeling with so many questions I don't know where to start.

Then a husky voice yells, "Well! Two newbies!"

I look over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin is sauntering towards us. She has three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean-looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighs. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl says. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth says, which I somehow understand is Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I have a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounds. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse says, but her eye twitches. Perhaps she isn't so sure she can follow through on ht threat. She turns towards me, then she looks at Percy. "Who are these's runts?"

"Percy and (Y/n) Jackson," Annabeth says, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Aries."

Percy blinks. "Like . . . the war god?"

Clarisse sneers. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy says, seemingly recovering his 'wits'. "It explains the bad smell."

Long story short, Percy made the toilets explode.

Yeah, I said it. He made the toilets explode . . .

Word Count: 2455 words

[remmushound]

Curse of the clan Part 23! @scentedcandlecryptid @selfindulgenz

The part of the cave Raphael was brought to was hot. Extremely hot. Hot enough to smack him in the face like a solid mass the moment the large door was opened and he was shoved inside. The floor He landed on was covered in red-hot rocks, making Raphael cry out as he danced from foot to foot to try and stop the burn. Even through his thick skin, the rocks were painful! He jumped out of the center, the space filled with the burning embers, and onto the safety of a small walkway that followed the walls of the room. He sighed as the coolness of the path, no matter how temporary. The door was sealed and lined where the walls met the floor, vents started to spew steam to into the room.

“Ah— guys— I don’t really think we need the heat on in here!” Raphael called to the door, but there was no answer. “Seriously— h-how hot do you like it?!”

The only answer he got was the hiss of even more steam. It was harder to breathe now through the heat and the humidity, but that was fine. He was a turtle— he could hold his breath for a long time! But with this controlled weather, it was almost painful. Raphael looked around and, except for the heat that still scalded him, he could find no challenge.

“Uh— guys? Though I was supposed to have a challenge in here. Hello?”

A door on the opposite side of the room hissed open and some of the steam escaped through it. Raphael waited for a moment before assuming he was meant to go through it, but he only had the chance to take a few steps forward before he was proven wrong. Something else was coming through; something far bigger than he was. Four hundred pounds of reptilian muscle lumbered through the door with a slow gait. The door sealed behind the creature once the length of his tail had passed through, and though Raphael couldn’t imagine the creature could get any bigger, he did.

The reptile stranger stood up straight, his chest stuck out to show the details of hardened scales, leading down into a body that, while it was slender, was also detailed with chiseled abs. The only clothes the creature wore to keep his decency, if he even had anything exposed, was a long red loincloth decorated with yellow and blue beads dangling between his legs. Hanging on a a rope necklace over his chest were teeth— sharp teeth, jagged teeth, sickle teeth, even human teeth!— none of them seeming to be from the same creature. He was gray— no, not gray, blue! Or was it both? It was hard to tell through the steam that quickly filled the room again.

“H-hey! Don’t step on those— rocks…?” Raphael’s call of warning quickly turned to bewilderment as the massive lizard stepped over the burning coals like they were nothing. Couldn’t he feel them? Even on the walkway, Raphael could still feel their emulating heat!

At first, the wingless dragon approached him slowly, a forked blue tongue dancing in and out of his mouth to draw in Raphael’s scent. Earthy, red eyes dilated and locked onto Raphael while a massive tail, the very tip of it torn off and scarred, thrashed behind the beast. The dragon fell to all fours and charged before Raphael could do anything about it, parting a broad mouth filled with yellowed teeth ready to snap.

Raphael yelled. He caught the beast by its maw as it lunged, but the creature only gave a churring laughter at the resistance. His tongue stuck out to trace across Raphael’s face, tasting his sweat and tears.

Raphael’s veins bulged with the strain of holding the bigger creature away. He found himself missing his tonfa more than ever when tiny, but sharp, teeth finally found a hold in his bicep. Raphael screamed. The moment the great beast tasted the blood, his eyes went cloudy and he withdrew from Raphael to return to the hot rocks, licking his lips and trying remove the powerful taste of the mutagenic blood. When that didn't work, he tried to swipe it out of his mouth using his oversized hands.

Raphael ran forward, preparing himself for the burn and giving a shout as he scooped a handful of the hot coals into his hands. He angled and threw the coals at the dragon’s face. The coals hit home in his chest and his eye, and a few in his mouth. The dragon’s eyes went wide, looking down at the scorching stones cauterizing the same wounds they had caused. His mouth snapped shut upon the red stones, nose scrunching, and his left eye had closed itself from the debris of the impact.

“Ha! Take that!”

The dragon looked at Raphael with his good eye, and then closed the eye to swallow. Raphael could see the lump that followed the passage of the gulp and, for additional proof, the dragon opened his mouth to show new burns inside with the absence of the coals.

“Wait, that’s not allowed.” Raphael gulped.

The dragon gave a shrug, and then lunged into the battle once more. Raphael was ready for him this time, dodging between the giants legs and running across the stones. The dragon caught himself on the wall and pushed off of it to pursue Raphael. The snapping turtle dodged for as long as he could until the pursuing yokai had him cornered. The dragon took a moment to savor the mutants terror before he charged. Raphael could do nothing but hold his arms out in front of him to absorb the impact, slamming them into the dragons chest to hold him and his snapping jaws at bay. Jaws…

Raphael licked his own teeth, serrated edged built for ripping and tearing meat. He was a snapping turtle! When teeth are all you have left, you use them. And Raphael did. He lunged and sunk his teeth deep into the flesh of the dragon’s shoulder. He listened to what his body was telling him and shook his head in violent, jerking motions to rip further through the scales and into the soft flesh beneath.

The dragon roared. He grabbed Raphael by the shoulder and pulled him off. Raphael felt muscle and scale rip from the dragon and in his mouth as he was forced to part. He was slammed against the ground hard enough to bounce back up, and when he did he was met with a powerful lash of the titans tail that sent him flying into the opposite wall. He tried to flip over in a position ready to fight off the yokai again. He was too late.

The dragon’s mouth locked around Raphael’s throat, snapping closed. Raphael froze, squeezing his eye shut to prepare for the crushing he was sure was about to happen. But it never came. Instead, when Raphael opened his eyes, the dragon was slowly removing his mouth without leaving so much as a tooth mark in the mutant’s neck. He slammed his hand down hard on Raphael’s head to keep him in a pin, leaning down slowly to rasp in his ear.

His voice was deep and rumbling, like a living embodiment of an earthquake. “You do not have the King’s blessing…”

***

Raphael felt defeated. How could he lose— how could he fail his brothers?! He should have fought harder— fought longer! If that had been a real fight, if that komodo dragon had really wanted to kill him, Raphael would have been done for! And his family wouldn’t have even known what happened to him! His burns and bites still stung, and the rush of the air didn't help matters. He tried not to look down.

Claws were locked securely around his chest and hooked under his arms, like a tight harness. The claws belonged to the falcon Koya as she flew Raphael through the Hidden City air, mechanically produced wind buffeting her feathers and chilling Raphael to his core. He hated being cold.

Raphael tried to talk to the falcon, but his voice was lost in the wind. Even if she did hear him, Raphael doubted she would have responded. Her eyes were focused ahead of her, not paying any mind to the creature she had locked in her talons. Her wingspan was even more impressive out in the open than it had looked in the cave when Raphael first seen her; she could fly and maneuver freely here, and she was fast too! So fast that it took them only minutes to escape the main heart of the Hidden City and enter a section of city Raphael had never seen before; he used the term city loosely, however. He could see the scaffolding where buildings had undoubtedly once stood; some were still standing, becoming a breeding ground for various plants to take seed, while other buildings were completely swallowed by swampland.

“Sorry kid.” Was all Koya said to him as she dropped him off on a half-sunken building. Raphael opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but by then she had already gone, and Raphael was alone.

Slowly, meticulously, Raphael made his way down to what used to be the sidewalk but now, like everything else in the section of city, it was lost to a whole host of strange plant life. Raphael sank up to his ankle in mud, wincing and struggling to pull his feet out of the squishy, grossly warm suction.

“What is this place…?”

He gave a startled yelp and fell back against one of the more stable buildings when he heard a low, reverberating bellow. Searching for an enemy, his eyes found only a frog. Its color was an odd shade, more blue than green, with one eye drooping while the other seemed mostly normal. The frog itself was impossibly gaunt, skin seeming to melt off of the defined bone. Raphael felt immediately sad for the creature. When he moved close to it, the frog didn't seem to care. Even as he picked the creature up, the frog only stared, the occasional bellow the only proof it was still living.

“Hey little guy… you look hungry.”

Raphael couldn’t imagine why! Only a few feet away was a massive swarm of buzzing insects! How could this creature be starving when there was so much food around? Still, he carried the frog over to the swarm and held him up to it hoping the creature would at least try to eat! But the frog only stared at the swarm for an uncomfortably long time before Raphael finally realized he was wasting his time. He placed the frog gently in the shallow water, but the frog made no attempt to swim. Simply… floating. Raphael figured it might have been sick, and leaving it behind almost broke his heart.

“I gotta figure out here I am.” Something weird was dancing in Raphael’s chest. Normally by now, the solitude would have driven him to his black-out state, but he felt nothing. None of the normal, preceding signs of tightness or suffocation or sickness. He felt just… fine. Following the sidewalk, he came across an intersection where all but one of the street signs were covered with black grafiti. The one sign that wasn’t completely blacked out still had the initial street name covered, but had a new one stamped over it; the letters were pressed together so closely they were hard to read, but Raphael did his best.

“The Fog Lands…?” Raphael read outloud. He looked around at the fog and nodded; that seemed about right. He didn’t notice the R pressed between the F and O.

Further down the road, trying to find a way out of the dismal swamp, Raphael yawned. His fight with King had left him exhausted! And it had only been two days, he told himself, so he had enough time to rest! His brothers could wait anyway; he deserved a break! He started off looking for someplace comfortable to rest his head, but his muscles began to weigh so heavy on him that the sidewalk seemed the perfect place to lay down and rest, just for a few hours...

[for-a-muse-of-fire]

tame your demons

the wench and the witcher

"tame your demons”

Fandom: The Witcher (2019)

Paring: Geralt of Rivia x Fem!POC Reader.

Summary: Geralt keeps pieces of himself locked away and sheathed in ice. Sooner or later, the ice does have to melt.

Warnings: Possibly hard teen - we get a little smexy towards the end of this one, but nothing graphic. We are definitely getting into some angst now, kids.

A/N: I have a lot of feelings about these two. Basically, Hozier’s quote about “trying to love a damaged person” stuck with me and I refuse to give it up. Lyrics and title for this one come from “Arsonist’s Lullaby”, which was actually one of the first Hozier songs I ever fell in love with.

@coconutxraikage - @onyour-right - @ly–canthrope - @kianya-loves - @c-s-stars - @gczanetti1 - @alwaysnatz - @agniavateira - @witchernonsense - @owillofthewisps - @hina-chans-stuff - @yespolkadotkitty​

When I was a man, I thought it ended When I knew love's perfect ache But my peace has always depended On all the ashes in my wake

Gods, you should be used to the cold by now. For his kindness and warmth, your Witcher is capable of it. Biting cold, harsh as freezing rain. You try to insulate yourself against it, hoping that you can somehow bear the winter of his moods when they roll through, but it never seems to get any easier. You brace against the ice-cold of his silences and the way he draws himself away from you – steel your spine, try to smile when the flint in his eyes chips away at you.

Geralt can drop the temperature of a room without so much as a word. It’s remarkable.

And it fucking hurts.

He won’t look at you as you carefully clean the blood from his split knuckles. You kneel at the edge of the tub he soaks in, focused on the task at hand and swallowing back what feel like chips of ice caught in your throat. Even with the hearth fire at your back and the slight humidity from the steaming water, you feel like you’ve been thrown in a damned snow drift. It aches down into your bones.

The hunt had gone badly. Some alderman and his cronies unwilling to pay up for services rendered – and speaking up would have meant leaving town on the end of a rope. Geralt had blown in two weeks ago with an arctic cold around him, frosted over too thick for even you to break through, and then…

And then, there were those backwater pricks from Hagge.

You’d tried to be firm, but polite at first. The Witcher was your guest, and you didn’t take kindly to anyone speaking ill of the people under your roof, but they’d turned their drunken cruelty on you without so much as a second thought. Nothing new, there. You bore the insults when they came without flinching; it was just how it worked. They were the sort of men that didn’t much like being told what to do by the likes of you. A woman – stupid tavern wench.

‘The Butcher’s Bitch’, they’d called you.

And in all the time you’ve known him, you don’t think you’ve ever seen Geralt so furious.

You’d managed to pull him away before it devolved to a full-on tavern brawl and crushed aside the hurt when the Witcher had ripped his arm from your grasp. The instigators were summarily banned from the premises; the rest of the night had drawn to a close without incident, save for the fact that you’d practically had to snarl at Geralt to let you tend to his wounds.

“You’re lucky you didn’t break a finger,” you mutter.

Silence. The cold of it sinks in deep. You bite your tongue, standing and letting go of Geralt’s hand in favor of packing your healer’s kit up once more. The bottles clack together with a little more force that necessary as you grit your teeth; under the sting of your ego, you can feel your own anger bubbling just under the surface. Gods, you want to shake him – shout him down, throttle him around his stupid, thick head.

‘Let me in’, you want to scream.

“I’ll be downstairs,” you tell him instead, tone short and hoarse. “Need to settle the accounts for the week.”

He doesn’t stop you until you try to skirt past the tub. One big, scarred hand reaches up from the water and grips at your wrist, halting you in your tracks. His palm burns on your skin.

“Do you know why they call me that?” he growls out.

“No,” you snap. “And I don’t fucking care – “

“Well, you should.”

Geralt looks at you. Finally – finally – meets your gaze and you’re shocked to see those bright eyes have lost the ice behind them. He just looks tired; tired, and angry, with something that could be sorrow hidden just underneath. The firelight dances over his wet skin, reflects off the hammered copper of the tub to give the Witcher a gilded look about him. Pale and broad, tinged with gold. You study him, taking in the fall of his damp hair around his face. He looks so much younger.

You turn your wrist in his grip, shift to lace your fingers with his, and kneel at his side again. He stares at you and nearly seems to lose his nerve, shifting his gaze to the surface of the water. “Do you know of the Curse of the Black Sun?” he mumbles.

His other hand spins lazily over the bathwater, rippling it with a soft noise against the edge of the tub. “Heard it was shit,” you tell him. “Gave a lot of men the excuse to hurt a lot of young girls.”

The Witcher’s soft mouth twitches up, just for a moment – barely a smirk. The line of his jaw goes tense, same as it does when he’s biting his tongue. “Renfri… she was one of those girls,” he says after a moment. “I met her in Blaviken.”

It feels like the bits of ice at the back of your throat have started to melt and you find you can swallow again. Geralt’s hand is warm over yours, both from his own body heat and the steaming water. He’s silent for a long stretch, the quiet broken only by the quiet whisper of the water and the occasional crackle of the logs on the fire. His gaze stays where it is, but he finally begins to speak again.

You learn about Renfri and her men. How she called them off when they were ready to hang Geralt in the woods outside Blaviken. He tells you of Stregebor, and you can hear the sneer in his voice when he mentions the sorcerer by name. How the old man told him that Renfri was a monster, something mad and deadly that needed to be put down. He tells you Renfri’s story. He tells you about the marketplace.

Renfri’s death.

The stoning.

The Butcher of Blaviken tells you his story in a low, even, almost monotone voice. He doesn’t glance at you, not once. But neither does he push you away.

“That’s where the name comes from,” he says at the last of it, and it’s so quiet you’re not sure if he’s meant to say it out loud. “And with good reason.”

You inhale slow, taking in a breath that you didn’t realize you were holding. It catches in the back of your throat. You half expect him to shrug away, but when you lean against the edge of the tub – when you grip his hand tight and press your lips against his temple – Geralt seems to relax into the contact. He smells of your soap, and oiled leather. You nuzzle softly into his damp hair.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper to him. “I’m so sorry you had to make that choice, dear heart.”

The Witcher lets out a slow breath, shoulders sinking further into the warm water surrounding him. He lets you take gentle hold of his chin, lets you turn his face until he’s meeting your eyes. You study him, carefully, taking in the sharp cheekbones and the slope of his nose. Your thumb brushes gently over the stubble at his jaw. He leans into your hand, just for a moment.

“You are not the Butcher here,” you tell him, and your tone is fiercely gentle. “You were never the Butcher here, not to me. You are just Geralt – my Geralt.”

Pretty gold eyes flash back at you. There’s a curiosity behind them, something sharp that makes your stomach drop towards your knees because you realize the implication of what you’ve just told him. Shit – shit. Your face goes warm. You bite your lip, but don’t drop the Witcher’s gaze, and you see his soft lips tilt up at one corner. “Yours, hm?” he mumbles.

Your face feels too hot, but you nod regardless. “Aye.”

He stares. Studious, intense, and the heat in your face flushes downward, prickles over your skin until you feel sweat begin to bead at the back of your neck. You duck your head. The Witcher lets you break the spell, lets you escape and stand to grab the large bath sheet hanging by the hearth. You hear water slosh when he stands and steps out of the bath; you feel oddly shy when you hand him the warmed fabric, chewing at your bottom lip as Geralt rubs the water from his pale skin. Shadow and firelight play over the cut of his torso – you watch a bead of water slick its way down the side of his thick neck before it catches on the dip of his collarbone.

All the while, he watches you. You try not to fidget and fail. Gods, you can’t stand it when he looks at you like that – it’s curious heat and shameless, open desire. It makes you feel like you’ve laced your bodice too tight and you clear your very dry throat.

“Are you hungry?” you ask weakly.

The Witcher shakes his head. He stalks towards you – for that’s the only way to describe the movement – dropping the bath sheet as he closes the distance, all pale, naked skin and solid muscle. You can feel the beat of your pulse in your throat when he crowds close and he cups your face in his scarred hands before slanting his mouth over yours. The kiss is deep, but unhurried. Geralt licks your gasp out from behind your teeth, growling in return when your hands grip the solid plane of his back. He kisses you until you feel dizzy, until your heart thunders hard against your ribs and your legs go weak.

“Are you mine, then?” the Witcher growls, low and ominous as summer thunder. He keeps one hand at your jaw; the other trails sweetly down your neck. His fingertips skate over the smooth, polished wolf’s tooth of your necklace. He tugs the laces at the top of your bodice.

“Hm? Does that make you mine, sweet girl?”

The lacing whispers free of its grommets and though the tension on your bodice goes slack, you still find it difficult to catch your breath. You can barely remember how to fucking nod, but you do it. “Yes,” you whisper.

Geralt kisses you again. The heat of it scorches.

[nekokoaa]

Wolves Among Us - Bakugo x Reader (XV)

Wolves Among Us – Bakugo x Reader

Series Warning: Fantasy AU, Fluff, NSFW

Chapter Warning: Slight nsfw

(Chapter XV/??) All chapters in AO3 and masterlist

Wow, a few more chapter left of season 1, huh? Can’t believe it XD Enjoy, loves!! I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter!

Taglist:

@freedom-for-bum@reallyfuckingangrylatina@risarisarisaa @ashherssss@mels-heart@xa-dia@shanty-lol@amkxh@chims-kookies@fantasticapple@thalia-luna-hawthorn​@skzero-99@marvelobsessedteen@thenezuko@icythotsenpai

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

XV: Deep in Heat

There was only one week left until the wedding and like all brides, you were growing anxious each day. The pack was bustling with energy despite them not liking who their future leader was marrying. The wedding ceremony was something they were all looking forward to because you have learned from Mina that the wolves loved to party regardless of the circumstances. Mina had been the one to tell you about the pack, allowing you to break out of your shell around them. She would always bring you along whenever she went to talk with some of her friends. They weren’t fond of you at first but with Mina’s encouragement, they began asking you random questions, mostly about human lifestyles. And of course, you were delighted to answer.

That night you had dinner with her family was a lovely one. It felt as if you two had been friends for a long time and had been reunited. She joked and laughed about silly things, was affectionate not only in words but physically as well. She was a wonderful mother and wife who cared deeply about her family and those around her, if just one person was feeling down, she would do everything in her power for that person to be right again. If that wasn’t an amazing person, you didn’t know what else would fit that description.

Katsuki had hung out with Eijirou and someone else named Hanta that night. He had black hair that stopped at his chin. He was tall, lanky and whenever he smiled, his teeth looked incredibly straight without any flaws. He seemed like a nice man. He treated you kindly and expressed his happiness for Katsuki for finding a woman like you to marry. Katsuki went back to normal after the moment you shared by the river. It was like he never had that moment of weakness and he also never brought it up again. You assumed it was still difficult for him to talk about it, so you left the topic alone for another day.

You looked in the tiny mirror that was attached to the cave wall and you dipped your finger in a jar before bringing it to your lips to paint them red. It completed your look from the blush on your cheeks to the kohl liner around your eyes.

“Oooo~ you’re looking sooooo beautiful,” Mina gushed, tail swaying as she suddenly appeared on your right. She was hunched over your shoulder peering into the mirror to gaze at your reflection. “Katsuki isn’t gonna let you walk in the morning!”

You flushed at her words and she laughed. You began to take her in, eyes roaming her figure. She was wearing the shortest skirt you’ve ever seen with a fitted cropped shirt that exposed her muscled stomach. The skirt at least flowed with her movement and wasn’t skin tight, but it accentuated her figure, giving her the illusion that she had larger hips. The color of it had clashed with her skin tone but in a good way, purple and turquoise in a camouflage like pattern drew the attention of her flushed skin. Large beads hung around her neck and jingled when she moved. She even has some around her hips and wrist.

Your clothes weren’t as revealing hers, but it was a burgundy dress that stopped slightly above your mid-thigh and hugged at your form. Your legs that were usually covered by your long skirt was now exposed. Your neck and collarbones were shown as the collar of your dress shaped around your breasts and plunged into a heart shape. Your neck was also decorated with the golden necklace Katsuki gave you and golden bangles jingled on your wrists to match it. You borrowed it all from Mina for tonight’s celebration and you couldn’t be more grateful to her.

The wolves always held a celebration the week before a wedding. It was a tradition but, honestly, you just thought it was an excuse for them to have more parties. So, you were getting ready at Mina and Eijirou’s cave. You could already hear the music blasting, drums being beaten, tambourines jingling, flutes sounding and other instruments you couldn’t quite name. It sounded like it was right outside their cave, but it was really in the courtyard where the wolves had already gathered in the late evening.

“You guys are going to kill all the men who look at you,” Ochako said, grinning from the corner of the room. She was already done, wearing a pink dress that was fitted to her form at the top but blew out at the bottom. Lately, you haven’t been seeing Ochako around. She’s been sneaking out these past last couple of weeks, not telling anyone where she’s been going so you were happy to hang out with her tonight. You wanted to catch up.

“All of us! We’re gonna make them faint!” Mina started checking herself out in the mirror, twisting and twirling around as she posed. Her reflection was being blocked by your body, yet she still pretended she could see her entire body.

“Careful, Mina, wouldn’t want baby number four to happen,” Ochako laughed and Mina shrugged.

“Wouldn’t mind it!”

“So how long is the party going to last?” You began fixing your hair, trying to decide whether to leave it down or put it up.

“How long? Pfft! We’re partying until dawn, ____!” Mina shot a finger in the air. She was a little too excited for this.

“You sure you aren’t drunk already?” Ochako placed her hands on her hips.

“No! But I seriously need a drink. I’m ready to party! Eiji’s gonna take care of the kids tonight so Kiri and I are basically free! Do you know how much free time you get when you have kids? None! Zero!”

You decided to leave it down, brushing your hair for a bit before you fluffed it to add volume.

“And yet you want to have a fourth one?”

“I said I wouldn’t mind, wouldn’t mind!”

“Okay guys, I’m ready,” you stood up and Mina whistled when she looked you over, ogling you in a way that would’ve made you uncomfortable if she was an older man.

“You sure you wanna wait till the wedding night? Cause Katsuki gonna pounce on you when he sees you.”

You laughed, “It’s not up for discussion. We already decided to wait and we’re both okay with that.”

“Gooosh, I couldn’t wait. You’re strong, ____,” you didn’t know if that considered you were strong on the account of you never experienced the feeling of sex. Maybe it was easier for you because you were in the unknown about it. Mina went on with expressing how excited she was about this party. You were just as excited as the last time you’ve been at a party. It was in your village during a festival. You remember the smells of food and the sounds of music, people dancing and having fun. You went with Izuku and his mother and it was the most fun you ever had. You were hoping it would be the same this time. Yes, the pack was still against the marriage but because of Mina, you had some women who tolerated you and actually spoke with you. This party was an opportunity to get to know them even more.

You followed Mina and Ochako out of the cave, saying your goodbyes to Eiji, Minato, and Mie as you passed by them. The sound of beating drums grew extremely loud the closer you came to the courtyard. The sun had completely set and the deep blue carpet with twinkling lights unraveled above you. The moon hung off the middle with half of it shrouded in dark. It was a mild night, not too cold and not too warm, which could only mean that winter was nearing its end. The snow had nearly melted from the surface, revealing the mountain’s stone flooring that clacked whenever your heel met with it. There was a path being lit up by totems on each side that led into the courtyard and the closer you got, the more excited Mina became while Ochako seemed to be looking around for something.

And when you reached the courtyard, your eyes widened in awe. There were so many wolves around, chatting, dancing, eating. There were tables set up that were occupied by some of them. Men were the ones at the drums, taiko drums, to be specific, and they pounded at them with bachi sticks, releasing a powerful sound that echoed into the air. Flutes were also being played flamboyantly, the players dancing to their own beat as they entertained the crowd dancing along with them. You assumed in the middle in front of the instrument players was the dancing area because wolves of all ages and genders were jumping, stomping, some clapping their hands, shaking their hips, hands in the air like they just didn’t care. These wolves know how to have fun!

“Oh! The bride is here!” You heard a booming voice. The music had stopped at once and soon all eyes were on you.

You gulped, not liking the attention.

But in place of drums were the wolves clapping, some howling at your presence. Mina and Ochako also began to howl as a signal of your arrival. You felt… touched. Even if some wolves did ignore you and continued what they were doing, most had greeted you with either an applause or a howl. And then the music returned, and the wolves resumed with their partying. It wasn’t long until you spotted Katsuki. He was sitting at the table in the center of all the tables, just staring at you. Eijirou was the one waving towards you which had Mina bolting over. Hanta was also there and a few other faces you haven’t seen before. But Katsuki stayed staring like he was a statue. You frowned. Was he… not impressed?

Katsuki’s brain stopped working the moment he saw you. Fuck! Damn! Shit! And all the curse words he could thought of was the only thing his brain managed do. Was he not impressed? Oh, he most definitely was impressed. He knew you were a beautiful woman but seeing you in these clothes? Hot damn. It was making him sweat. He downed the drink in his hands, giving his head a quick shake to spell the burning feel away. He watched as you made your way to him and watched how your hips swayed. Fuck! You were a Goddess. He was already praying for Fenrir to calm his heart… and his loins.

“Hey Katsuki…” you looked shy, shoulders erect, when you greeted him. A whistle sounded from one of the men at the table.

“And this is the bride I’m hearing so much about! Now I know why Katsuki’s marrying you!” He stood up, reaching over the table to hold out his hand towards you, nearly knocking over some drinks but Hanta was quick to move them. “Denki! Pack leader of the Kaminari clan. We’re allies with your pack!”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, slapping his hand away before you could take ahold of it. Denki yelped, rubbing his hand as it grew red from the abuse.

“What the hell, man, can’t greet your wife?”

“Just sit the fuck down,” Katsuki growled. Eijirou and Hanta snickered. Mina then plopped herself on Eijirou’s lap and kissed him deeply to greet him. Katsuki wondered if you would do the same but you stood there, awkwardly like you weren’t comfortable in your own skin. He wasn’t expecting anything of the sorts, he knew you weren’t comfortable doing such things in front of people. Ochako just looked like she was looking for someone, but she was the least of his worries.

“Come sit,” he pulled you by the arm and into the space next to him. He was still holding onto your arm, looking you over faster than you could notice. Goddamn. Those thighs. “Dress suits you,” he really wanted to say you were fucking hot, but he’ll save it for later.

He watched you flush, relaxing slightly, eyes fluttering around to make sure no one was watching. “Thanks. You look good too.” Katsuki took pride in how you took him in, eyes lingering longer on his exposed chest. Since it was milder tonight, he decided to go without a shirt and wore his black cargo pants and white boots. He still wore fur but only around his shoulders as the rest of his cape was a red battered cloth. Several necklaces hung at his neck, like painted fangs of predators he had hunted turned into decorations for his neck. And part of his arms was covered by orange and black arm warmers, leaving his upper arm and hands exposed.

“Heh, thanks.” Katsuki smirked, wolf ears flickering, then he poured himself a drink. “Ever drank before?”

You shook your head. “First time.”

“I’m taking a lot of your firsts, huh?” Your blush spread as your eyes widened at his daring words. Thankfully he said it under his breath for only you to hear. He passed you a cup before you could say anything more. “Drink it fast.”

He watched you with his head against his knuckles. You stared down at the cup. There was only a small amount of alcohol in there compared to the size of the cup and you had glanced at Mina, watching her knock her head back to down the alcohol, shivering slightly before she laughed at something Hanta and Denki said. Ochako had already disappeared so she wasn’t present to watch you drink. You then watched Katsuki and he did the same thing this time without wincing after and after staring at the cup for god knows how long you drank it, attempting to knock your head back. But the alcohol still didn’t fall as fast and you tasted the bitter flavor on your tongue before it burned and went down your throat. You started coughing, spitting up some as your eyes began to water. Katsuki was quick. He already gave you a tissue and rubbed his hand on your back.

“That was… disgusting. How do you drink this stuff?” You spoke through your coughs and wiped your mouth clean of saliva. The bitter flavor still lingered on your tongue and you grabbed a piece of bread off the table and shoved it in your mouth to rid of the taste.

“You get used to it.” Katsuki was already on his third drink and he didn’t seem like he would be getting drunk any time soon.

Mina drank another shot before she asked you to dance.

“We’ll be here. Go have your fun!” Eijirou said before he gave Mina another sloppy kiss. You told Katsuki you would be back and gave his arm a squeeze. He waved at you, wishing he had kissed you instead.

Mina pulled you into the dance area. Just before she started dancing she asked you where Ochako went but you had no clue, so she shrugged and began to move her hips rhythm of the drums. She grabbed your hands, wanting you to join her in her dance. You weren’t much of a dancer, but the beat of the drums and the sound of the flute was doing something to you internally that you were already tapping your feet as soon as you had touched the dance floor. You decided to let go, moving your arms, feet, and hips to the beat.

“Yeah, ____! Shake that ass!” You could barely hear Mina over the drums but her large smile told you she was enjoying this. The wolves were dancing so close together that you were getting touched all around, but you didn’t seem bothered by it and neither did the wolves. They were too concerned with getting lost in the music, some of them too drunk to where all they could do was dance and not be bothered that you were next to them. They pushed against you, rubbed against you, as well as Mina’s body. You didn’t want to admit it but maybe that one drink loosened you up. You weren’t exactly drunk, but you were definitely feeling a little buzz within you and it was enough to make you forget your worries.

Katsuki watched you in the middle of the courtyard. Sometimes he would lose sight of you because the crowd was overwhelming at times but when you would appear again, he would watch you shake your body. Your hips, your waist, your everything. You moved like it was your last night alive, like Fenrir’s spirit had took ahold of you and made you wild. He liked this side of you. It was different from the tamed girl he came to know you as. He was happy to know that even humans had a wild side.

“Your wife, Kacchan, damn.”

A vein popped across his forehead when he heard Denki and he growled lowly. “If you don’t stop looking at my woman… and don’t fucking call me ‘Kacchan’”

“I know, I know, gosh, you’re forgetting I’m happily married,” Denki had a cocky grin on his face while he flashed his necklace. Katsuki didn’t know why. There was nothing to be cocky about. He was getting married next week.

“That don’t mean shit.”

“Yes, it does… besides…” he drank from his cup, gold eyes up and still well on your body. “Nothing wrong with lookin’”

Katsuki slammed his fist down on the table and it caused all the cups and plates to jump on impact. His snarl was nasty, lingering until he couldn’t hold his breath any longer. His crimson eyes as sharp as his baring fangs. “Unless you wanna fucking go home blind, then I suggest you get your eyes off of my woman!”

“Relax, child!” He slammed a second fist down when a hand slapped the side of his head. He turned to look behind him already prepared to claw up whoever dared to attack him. He wasn’t surprised to see his mother and it didn’t lessen the anger he was feeling. “Don’t go threatening our allies, especially for something so minuscule as looking at your woman.”

“Don’t fucking touch me! Shit! Why are you even here?!”

“Someone has to stay sober and watch over the celebration. You can never be too careful. As future leader, you should know these things but instead you’re sitting here yelling at our allies.”

“Then go watch over the celebration somewhere else! I’m trying to enjoy my night!”

Mitsuki’s face crinkled up. “You ungrateful child! You dare speak to your mother that way!?”

“Shit, if you don’t like it then go somewhere!” Katsuki downed another cup. “Fuck, I gotta go use the bathroom.” He then got up and brushed past his growling mother, heading straight for the bathrooms. There was a cave designated for it somewhere around the courtyard. He relieved himself and as he was making his way back, he stumbled upon something that made him confused as hell.

You and Mina danced until you couldn’t dance no more. You needed a break and something to eat. So, Mina suggested to hang out with her friends. You’ve met them before. Momo and Tsuyu, but a new woman that you’ve never seen before was sitting with them at a table not too far from Katsuki’s. You couldn’t help but glance at his table while you passed by but saw that he wasn’t there. You were soon distracted by the warm faces of Mina’s friends to wonder why Katsuki wasn’t at his table. They were weary of you when you first met them but within time, they warmed up to you with Mina’s help.

“Momo! Tsu! Kyoka!” Mina gave all of them hugs and you greeted them with a wave. Kyoka looked scary from afar. She wore all black, had dark purple hair and gave off this don’t-talk-to-me vibe but the moment you greeted, she looked warm, smiling softly along with Momo and Tsuyu. It wasn’t long until you found out she was the wife of Denki, second leader of the Kaminari pack. Which surprised you at first because of how energetic he was but as you got to know Kyoka, you realized out how great they matched each other.

Together as a group, you moved to the food table, grabbing a plate and looking to see what to take. Your mouth was already salivating from the aroma and you began filling your plate with different proteins like chicken, rabbit, deer, and a bowl of rice. Lastly, you grabbed utensils which had a large pile of them left. Most wolves do without them and eat with their hands.

Mina already had her plate full of food in one hand and a large bottle of alcohol in the other. She was really trying to get drunk tonight.

Back at the table, you ate together, and they talked about random things that had happened to them in their daily lives. Mina talked about her children and how fast they were growing each day. Tsuyu talked about her interest in frogs. Apparently, she had a slight obsession with them, love to go out and study them. Momo was discussing about her recent find in tea leaves during her walks in the forest and Kyoka talked about a new song she was writing and couldn’t wait to sing. And you talked about your interest in pack which led to the girls asking about your first meeting with Katsuki.

You explained, feeling a little giddy. You haven’t told anyone about how you two met and just talking about it was making you relive some memories. You explained everything from when Katsuki chased you and then spared you and healed your wounds to you bringing him some food to help him to when you two got attacked by the hunters and chose to protect Katsuki ultimately getting you exiled from your village.

“That’s so romantic…! You guys belong together!” Mina started to slur, and her cheeks were pinker than normal. She might be already drunk.

“It’s truly a wonderful story, though I can’t help but wonder why Katsuki decided to heal you instead of… well, he was hunting you, yes?” Momo held her chin in thought.

“It does seem odd,” Tsuyu looked up with a finger to her chin, probably thinking the same thing.

“It’s love at first sight, I tell ya!! Love at first sight!!” Mina yowled, making a heart shape with her hands.

“I asked him why he did when we met the second time, but he never gave a straight answer,” Mina passed you a cup and you stared at it, contemplating if you should drink it.

“Yeah, typical Katsuki, never giving straight answers, just yelling,” Kyoka downed her drink. She looked a bit flushed as well. You assumed she was drunk, thankfully not the rowdy type like Mina.

“____! Drink! Drink!” Mina urged you when she noticed that you were taking too long to drink from your cup. You glanced down at it. Should you try it again, or should you ban yourself from tasting something so disgusting ever again? You looked back at Mina and she was making an upward motion with her hand before she began to pout, wolf ears falling down and tail drooping. She was so dramatic even when she was drunk. You downed your drink as fast as you could, shivering after at the taste and burn. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, that’s for sure.

Mina instantly refilled your cup and you waited for the burn to settle before downing that one.

Katsuki kind of didn’t know what he saw as he just saw a glimpse of it, but it looked like Ochako was hooking up with some guy in a shadowy corner of the courtyard, away from the party. He didn’t take her to be the type and he doesn’t remember whether she drank or not. Well, he didn’t care for long. He stumbled out of nowhere, there was nothing around him to make him to do so except for his past actions. Was he already drunk? Fuck, maybe he had one too many drinks. He wasn’t planning on being totally wasted tonight because he didn’t want to wake up feeling sluggish.

By the time Katsuki came back, his mother had already vanished, and he felt relieved.

“Katsukiiiii, welcome back…!” Hanta was already drunk and he was still drinking. He had an arm around Denki’s shoulders who also was bright red in the face. They were swaying together, big idiot smiles on their faces and hands full of their cups. They started singing and Katsuki could’ve sworn his hangover came early.

“Dude, they’re gone,” Eijirou laughed, no doubt feeling the buzz from his drinks because he began bobbing his head to their voices like it was actual good music coming from them. Katsuki sighed heavily at them and emptied his cup, cheeks hot from the alcohol rushing in his veins. The world began to spin in front of him and he closed his eyes to stop it. His eyebrows furrowed as if he were in pain, but it was because there were too many sounds happening at once. He didn’t know what to focus on. The voices all around him? The drums? Or the flutes? Or the pathetic singing of Hanta and Denki?

He opened his eyes. Everything looked fuzzy. He saw double of everything including the cup in his hands that Denki just refilled. He didn’t hesitate to drink it, humming at the warmness and mistaking it for the burn that simmered down his throat and chest. He felt something heavy fall on his lap and its weight pressed against his chest as something touched his shoulders. Denki, Hanta, and Eijirou all looked at him like he had two heads.

It took Katsuki a moment to realized that ‘something’ was you. You had plopped on his lap the same way Mina did to Eijirou and your arms were resting on his shoulders while your fingers lightly twirled in his hair. You were staring at him dead in his face with a distinct flush blossomed on your cheeks. Damn, were you drunk?

“Hey Katsuki…” you purred, pressing a wet kiss that had too much tongue on the corner of his mouth. Yup, you were drunk. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing this in front of his friends, you probably wouldn’t even being doing this if you two were alone.

“Hey baby, what’sh… going on with you…?” Katsuki’s words were slurred and you cut him off with a heavy kiss to his lips, smacking your smiling lips against his. It was sloppy, loud, and tasted of bitter alcohol.

“Nothin’… I just missed you…” You breathed, and his hand moved to stroke your exposed thigh. Your dress has been riding up since you sat in his lap.

“Ya… same,” a sharp inhale of breath sounded from the both of you before your lips collided, tongues already in each other’s mouth, swallowing each other’s breath and saliva. A heavy moan left him, finally achieving what he wanted to do the moment he saw you. Katsuki squeezed a part of your thigh before he had his hand slip up your dress, daring to tread on areas he hadn’t felt before. And all in front of his friends.

“Hey, get a room!” Eijirou frowned, not wanting to see his best friend doing things that should be in the privacy of his cave.

“Nah, lemme enjoy the show…!” Denki waved him off, pushing him even. His grin grew wider and wider the longer his eyes roamed. Katsuki noticed and he immediately grew frustrated, breaking the kiss with a loud wet smack and growling in Denki’s direction.

“What the fuck did I say?!” You nearly fell off his lap when he suddenly sat forward but he wrapped an arm around your waist in both to save you and to flaunt his possession.

But all Denki did was laugh, not a hint of fear in his eyes when Katsuki bared his fangs.

You suddenly got off of him, pulling your dress down before you grabbed his hand and tugged his arm. “Come on...” you stared down at him, blush deepening to the point where it couldn’t just be the alcohol. Katsuki stared, almost dumbfoundedly. He then stood up immediately, the fight with Denki forgotten as he followed you away from the party. The tail behind him shaking excitedly.

Katsuki growled playfully when he thrown you against the wall, arms pinned to it as his lips instantly slobbered around your neck, alternating to your right side then left side with such haste you shivered and quaked under his hold. You gasped and felt the weakness in your knees, melting against the wall and his body as his arm around your waist held you up. One of your hands were dug into his side, desperately clinging on to anything you could feel. Katsuki kissed you to quench his hunger but it never was fulfilled. The more he felt your lips, the more he wanted it, drinking your moans, groaning and growling, grinding against your body as if to fuse with it.

His hands circled your hips, loving the feel of your smooth skin under his fingertips. He slid his right hand around your hip to your thigh, eventually placed it under your knee and lifted your leg to hold it around his hip. You continued kissing him regardless of his bold act, a hand buried in his hair while the other moved from his side to caress his muscled stomach, each individual ab a rocky hill to his clenched terrain. You continued moving north and palmed his pecs, his nipple rubbing against your hand no doubt erect cause of the pleasure brewing in him. He responded with his own knead of your breasts, engulfing one of them in his hands and giving it a firm squeeze.

He grunted softly and pulled away from your lips with a wet suck. His crimson gaze as fiery as the sun, beaming heavy with lust as they scanned your face. He loved all of your expressions, but this had got to be his all-time favorite one. You looked absolutely needy. Your skin was heavily flushed from the alcohol and the relentless assault he had on your lips. Your lips were apart, and your eyes looked hazy with the certainty that you were undeniably, incontestably, indisputably horny.

And if you would let him, he would be more than willing to help you to quell the ache between your legs.

You were convinced. Alcohol was the devil. It talked for you, thought for you, moved for you without making you realize any repercussions of your actions. It eliminated all amounts of your super ego and purely motivated your id. So of course, when Katsuki lifted your dress and pulled your underwear to the side, you pulled him closer, looking down when his fingers tread lightly on the lips of your vagina, and although you couldn’t see well because you were in a dark corner, somewhere against the mountainside near the caves, you surely felt it. You also felt that this was something you shouldn’t be doing. It went against all of your morals, having a man touch you before he even claims you, but you were too intoxicated to care, too obsessed with exploring this desire. You revisited that moment of when Katsuki first touched you when he licked your wound. That shiver you felt. The very thing that made you all too curious.

“Nn…” you bit your lip, feeling his fingers go between your folds and soon becoming slick with secretion when he neared your entrance.

“Already this fucking wet for me…” he said huskily, a smirk on his own face with reddened cheeks. But he did nothing except tease you with his words, mumbling about what he was going to do to you and how you were going to take it. It felt like he was rambling to himself, sounding nonsensical as his fingers moved slightly north in search for something. And when he found it, it had your legs trembling, the one being held up by his hand squeezed against him like you wanted to close them, toes curling in your shoes. You gritted your teeth and watched as Katsuki rubbed his fingers on your clit in a motion that was not too gentle.

He saw you watching, and he uttered out, “see this?” You looked up into his eyes. “I’mma fuck you this rough. Right here. Right now.”

“Nnngh… Ahn…” and when you dug your nails into his arm, it made him quicken his pace. Your eyes rolled, and you bit your bottom lip and started to move your hips to his rhythm, like it was his own beat of his drum. A low growl sounded, and he pressed his lips to your neck, groaning heavy with a salty after taste on his tongue.

“You’ll like that…?” He stopped to whisper, lips moving hot against your ear. You couldn’t even answer, just a string of incoherent, jumbled words that were slurred out in between gasps and moans was all you could muster out and Katsuki took that as a yes.

“Lookin’ so sexy in that goddamn dress. Fuck…”

He continued holding up your leg but with his other hand he began fumbling with the zipper of his pants. His bulge, outrageous in shape, that you thought most of it was an illusion caused by the shadows. He was so clumsy with his hand that it took him ages to zip down his pants and reveal his fuzzy blonde pubes.

“F-F-Future leader…!” The both of you froze, hearing a woman’s yell before she gasped. Katsuki didn’t even turn around, his next words came out in a roar.

“Whaaaat?!”

“I-I’m sorry to interrupt but-but… there’re a few drunk men causing a scene and they might fight,” you could see the woman behind Katsuki’s head. She stayed a good distance away but anyone in their right mind would’ve known what was happening between you two by one glance. The blush on her face was a good indicator that she knew exactly what.

“Then get the old hag—I’m busy!!”

“We can’t find her. We assumed she retired for the night,” Katsuki resumed pressing kisses on your neck and jaw, fingers on your clit moving yet again, earning a purr of his name from you. The woman gulped, not knowing whether to walk away or to try again. She was feeling ballsy tonight.

“F-Future leader…?”

“Just give me a damn minute!!” A delayed gasp left you when Katsuki’s hand left and suddenly slammed his fist on the wall next to your head. He then fumbled with the zipper of his pants, his fuzzy pubes disappearing behind the waistband. “I’ll be back for that sweet ass. Just wait for me in our cave…” he husked with a smirk so wide and handsome that your clit throbbed without a single touch. But what was more criminally was when he brought his fingers that was coated with your wetness into his mouth, licking and sucking on it, gaze held strong against your own as he commented how delicious you were. You nearly died.

He then turned around a little too fast to where he almost lost his balance, but he regained it just as quickly before murmuring to the woman:

“Now show me the way so I can knock those idiots out.”

As the Katsuki and the woman left, you saw that she glanced back at you with eyes of slight envy and adoration. You soon straightened your underwear and pulled your dress down, licking your swollen lips. You remained on the wall, in a daze as the world around you felt like it was underwater. The sound of drums and people voices were merely a muffle to your ears. The sight before you spun when you pushed yourself off the wall and swayed with every step made.

You didn’t even recognize your surroundings and wobbled into the first cave you saw. Going down the narrow curve of the hallway that was only dimly lit by the wall lanterns, you felt a stirring in your stomach with a dull ache. Your inner cheeks became lathered with saliva building up and a gag that heaved your body forward was suppressed by your hands that slapped over your mouth. Ugh. You wanted to vomit. But you swallowed back whatever nearly came up and held onto the wall before moving. The first cloth makeshift door you felt out was immediately enter by you with no warning, no notice, just an idea that you thought it was your cave you were entering in.

So of course, when you stumbled upon the sight of a nude Ochako bouncing on the lap of your childhood friend, Izuku, the alcohol in your system was enough to have you shrieking.

Ochako hurled herself off of him with a scream and Izuku yelped as his dick flung out of her. He quickly gathered the sheep wool covers, first covering Ochako and then himself with his own clothes. Just what the hell were you seeing?

They both stared at you with wide, glossy eyes in what made seconds of silence feel like hours. And when they couldn’t handle the pressure of being stared at, they both stammered out, frantically.

“I-It was my idea!”

“I invited Izuku!”

You didn’t stay for them to explain further. You ran out, stunned at what you saw but was too drunk to comprehend it, you just knew you walked into something you shouldn’t have.

You followed the walls out of the cave and the urge to gag returned, feeling the saliva building again and you suddenly hunch over, and vomit surged from within you and splattered on the floor. Ugh, it’s brown with chunks. You wiped your mouth with a grimace.

“Hey, you okay?” You then felt a hand on your back. “Is this your first time drinking? And that bonehead son of mine left you alone?”

It was Mitsuki, bending slightly and peering into your face as she began to rub your back. She looked concerned, but you saw her knitted eyebrows and frowns as ripples like you were staring at her reflection in the water and then you threw up again.

“Come on, let’s get you to your cave,” Mitsuki wrapped her arm around your body to hold you up when you were done and slowly guided you in the right direction.

Katsuki was practically growling as he settled those rowdy wolves who were trying to fight each other. He didn’t even know what the issue was about. Once that woman pointed him to the right direction, Katsuki punched them square in the face and they fell to the ground, holding their cheeks. He yelled at them until they ran with their tails between their legs.

He was furious. He was seconds away from being buried between your thighs and out of all times, the pack needed his help. What kind of bullshit was that?

He bared his teeth to the starry skies, snarls stuttering through gritted teeth. Whatever. At least he could look forward to you waiting in his cave, legs sprawled and hopefully as needy as he left you. He waddled in his steps, swaying on his wobbly legs. He was moving as fast as he could, but it felt like he was traveling through the forest to get there.

When he finally entered the cave, thrusting through the hanging cloth with so much gusto that it nearly tore off, it wasn’t a surprise to find you in bed but what he wasn’t expecting was for you to be sleeping, deeply, snoring lightly with your arms and legs sprawled out and it definitely wasn’t in the way he initially thought of it.

“Fuck… are you serious?”  It felt like he missed the moment of a lifetime. You actually changed your mind and wanted to have sex. Although you were drunk and probably weren’t in the right state of mind to answer, Katsuki, being in that same boat, also just wanted to purely act on his desires. Looking so hot in that dress had awakened something in him and he knew that this final week before the wedding was going to be a cruel one.

He sighed softly, shrugged his cape from his shoulders and kicked off his boots. He pulled his pants until he was down to his underwear and joined you in bed. He slipped his arms around you and couldn’t resist kissing your neck lightly when you snuggled close to him. You mumbled something, but it wasn’t a sign that you were going to wake up. He growled lowly. He would just have to be patient. One week left. Just one week.

At dawn, a skull-splitting headache was there to greet you and it made you sensitive to everything around you, the candle lights, your slight movements, even Katsuki’s voice that sounded low, not really knowing what he said but knew it was full of concern for you.

The memories of last night came to you in bits and pieces. The first one being you discovering Izuku and Ochako’s relationship and the very last one being Katsuki fondling you against the wall. If you weren’t too busy dealing with this throbbing pain, you probably would’ve thrown yourself out of Katsuki’s arms and ran out the room in embarrassment.

After promising yourself to subdue these emotions until the wedding night, you nearly failed and allowed Katsuki to do such naughty things to you. You buried your face in your hands and he took that as you trying to get closer to him and slid his hand under your knee, pulling your leg until it hooked around his waist. You hope this wasn’t going to become a habit for him. Sure, you were pretty bold last night but you didn’t know if your heart could take feeling so exposed to him.

“I guess it’s true. Humans get these so called ‘hangovers’ after drinking,” Katsuki was softly stroking the back of your head.

“Ughhhh…. I’m never drinking again…” you whined, and he laughed, hand moving south to tread along your back.  

[psychosistr]

Green-Eyed Monsters- Chapter 2

Summary: Dominic and Steelbeak successfully sneak into the soiree and identify their target, but personal feelings and a pair of lovely ladies from SHUSH might throw a wrench into their plans.

Notes: Behold, the first OC’s outside of Domino to be featured in this series- @starlightmoth ‘s SHUSH OC Xaviera, and my double-agent OC Maravilla! These two are very sweet together and I was super excited to include them, so I hope you guys will enjoy them too x3 Also, I slipped a few references to my previous stories in this chapter- see if you can guess them before reaching the end ;3

-First Chapter-

Steelbeak’s flashy gold-painted Lincoln Continental drove up the winding driveway leading to the duo’s destination for the evening. In any other situation, the car would stand out like a purebred show-dog at a junkyard. For tonight, however, it was just another gaudy and over-decorated transport lining the absurdly long path to a building larger and more brightly lit than any skyscraper in Saint Canard could ever HOPE to be.

Choosing to park his car rather than leave it in the hands of the valet (no one touched that car without his permission- forget about actually driving it), Steelbeak pulled into a parking space further away from the main driveway but closer to the back entrance. The location would make it easier to sneak in and out unnoticed, though it would also be a more suspicious location if security noticed the vehicle; they’d have to get in and out as quickly as possible.

When they exited the vehicle, the chief officer and his partner were dressed in outfits far different from their usual attire: Dominic had left behind his iconic coat and hat, instead donning a simple white button up shirt with a turn down collar beneath a more elaborate black tailcoat with thin vertical white stripes, black buttons, and bright red lapels with a matching red boater flat top hat that had a white hat band with a black buckle, giving it the vague semblance of a domino- the whole outfit accessorized simply with a dark red tie, a domino-shaped tie pin, and a black diamond-studded Crowlex hidden beneath the cuff of his sleeve. Never one to be outdone by his partner, Steelbeak had also left his usual white suit behind in favor of a far more expensive tuxedo featuring a white pleated button up shirt with a turn down collar and clear gemstone-style button studs, a black tuxedo jacket with a shimmering silver shawl collar and another pair of clear gemstone-style buttons, matching black pants, black pleated cummerbund, and a pair of freshly shined black patent leather cap toe shoes- all accessorized with the equally flashy additions of a black pointed-style bowtie, diamond cufflinks, a four-peak folded white silk pocket square, and a shiny silver watch emblazoned with diamonds. While a far cry from their usual style, the high-class suits would do a better job of camouflaging them with the high-society crowd mingling within the walls of their target’s billion dollar mansion.

Their target for the night was the owner of the lavish mansion before them, Emelia Malton- more specifically, they were after a pair of very valuable items that she had on her. According to FOWL’s intel, Emelia’s family was repeatedly ranked as the richest family in the world due to their cumulative net-worth amassed after years of running one of the most successful chain-stores on the planet. Despite her parents passing away a few months ago, the company had flourished under the young heiress and was now celebrating its ranking as the top-grossing chain-store in the world by hosting an extravagant party at her family’s home. Everyone on the guest list was considered the richest and/or most influential in their respective fields of business, so it was the perfect way for the wealthy woman to flaunt her affluence over her peers.

And what better way to do so than to show off her family’s prized possessions- the “Goddess’ Eyes”.

These “eyes” were the deadly duo’s target: A pair of nearly-impossible to acquire naturally green diamonds that could easily be priced at thirty-million dollars each. In addition to being ludicrously valuable, the gemstones were also the perfect conductors for FOWL’s newest thermonuclear based weapon for mass larceny and extortion on a global scale. They needed at least one of the incredibly rare diamonds for the device to function properly- preferably both so they could construct a second if the tests proved fruitful.

The only obstacle to obtaining the jewels was the mansion’s high-ranking security that was efficient enough to give the secret service a run for their money. Most of the time, the mansion’s security was so tight that even an army couldn’t breach their defenses. The only time the security was marginally lowered was for grand events- hence the required presence of the chief officer and his partner at the evening’s soiree.

Tonight would be the only chance for quite some time for FOWL to get their hands on the “Goddess’ Eyes” and they could NOT let it slip away.

With this goal in mind, Dominic and Steelbeak carefully made their way around the house to the garden and back-patio that had been converted into a slightly less-crowded outdoor lounge area for those seeking a reprieve from the bright lights and loud music indoors. Avoiding the cameras and creeping under the windows to avoid detection, the pair of fowls managed to sneak unnoticed into the outdoor crowd before seamlessly slipping through the wide open back doors to join the larger crowd within the mansion’s main ballroom.

Steelbeak gave a low, impressed whistle once they were inside, looking around at the myriad of (likely over-priced) paintings, statues, and crystal adorned light fixtures. “Wow, this is some shindig, eh, Dom?”

“More like an excuse for people who’ve never known a hard day’s work in their lives to show off how much money they have in an attempt to feel superior to everyone else in the room.” The (truthful) observation was accompanied by a slight scowl when an older woman in a satin dress wearing more jewelry than her plastic-surgery altered body should have been able to support without falling over passed by the two less ostentatiously dressed fowls.

Steelbeak gave a quiet snicker at his partner’s cynical view as they weaved their way through the crowd in an attempt to find a less heavily clustered spot with a better view of their surroundings. “Can’t argue with ya there, short fuse. I’m fightin’ my instincts REAL’ hard right now- I used t’ swipe rocks an’ cash offa chumps like these all the time when I was a kid…pick a few pockets here an’ we’d be set for life…”

“Focus on the rocks we’re after first, then you can have your fun on the way out.” Reaching one of the multiple full bars setup along the sides of the room, Dominic took a moment to properly observe his surroundings. It was hard to pick out any particular faces in such a large crowd, but, as red eyes caught sight of the grand bifurcated marble staircase draped in red carpet and ornate black handrails, a thought occurred to him: What better place to lord your wealth over a room full of billionaires than the highest point where they’d all have to literally look up to you? “Up there.”

Grey eyes soon followed the darker fowl’s gaze up the split stairs to where they met again on the next floor to form a small balcony overlooking the ballroom before branching out to the rest of the upper level. Leaning against the railing to look down on the party below was a tall, statuesque pearl white marble fox with long silver hair that fell past her shoulders in elegant waves. She was dressed in a classy black strapless evening gown with a beaded sweetheart-cut top in a snug mermaid cut that left very little to the imagination about her rather curvy figure and long legs, even with the gown reaching the floor beneath her. Like many other women attending the grand gala, she was bedecked with an arrangement of jewels such as a silver cocktail ring with a sizeable emerald at its center surrounded by much smaller white diamonds, a set of bangles encrusted with green garnets, a three-strand choker necklace of shimmering green stones with silver chains and white diamond accents, and, most noticeably of all, the pair of very large and very flashy drop-pendant earrings hanging from the base of each of her black-spotted ears with a plethora of small white diamonds around both the connecting points on her ears and around the sizeable brilliant-cut green diamonds in the center that perfectly matched the fox’s own sparkling green eyes. Everything about the woman screamed elegance and superiority compared to nearly everyone else in attendance.

Even without seeing her picture during High Command’s earlier briefing, the woman would be unmistakable as the party’s hostess, Emelia Malton. While Dominic knew she would be showing off her family’s most valuable possessions, he hadn’t expected her to have the “Goddess’ Eyes” turned into such readily visible trinkets. Then again, he mused, having them fashioned into a pair of earrings certainly made a statement that was impossible to ignore and, admittedly, would be harder to swipe than something like a necklace or ring. The woman was also no fool, it seemed, for while her security had been lowered enough for two uninvited guests to sneak in, Emelia herself (and likely most of the other valuables on the upper floor), were being diligently guarded by several large men in basic black suits spread out across the length of the staircase. Keen red eyes noted that each man was carrying at least one concealed firearm, and that there were a few more guards scattered about the lower floor near all of the doorways.

This definitely ruled out the chance of sneaking up on the fox since the security would see them coming from a mile away. A simple swiping was off the table as well, even if they could get close to her, as there was no way they’d be able to remove the earrings undetected. And, to top it all off, even if they DID somehow manage to get the diamonds off of her person, they’d be forced to fight their way through a small battalion of heavily armed guards and a crowd of frightened party-goers. Somehow, they needed to not only get on the same level as Emelia, but also draw her away from her security detail if they were to have any chance of-

“Dang, now that’s what I call a sweet pair.”

Dominic could swear he heard the bones in his neck pop from the speed and intensity with which he turned his head to stare incredulously at his partner. The expression soon hardened into a stern glare as the loon crossed his arms over his chest. “You are talking about the earrings, RIGHT?”

Steelbeak seemed completely unphased by the chilling amount of ice that the darker bird addressed him with- he seemed far too preoccupied examining the heiress with a look that was far too appreciative for the aquatic avian’s liking. “I’m talkin’ ‘bout alotta things, red eyes…” He gave another impressed whistle before (finally) tearing his eyes away from the woman on the upper floor to look down at his (clearly agitated) partner. “Why didn’t ya warn me she was such a knockout?”

“I wouldn’t know, she’s not exactly my type.” The loon huffed and rolled his eyes with a displeased scowl. “Now, if you’re done drooling over her, can we please get back to figuring out a way to get what we came here for?”

Steelbeak was either too distracted looking at the foxy woman above him or was just plain feigning ignorance of the other man’s soured mood, and, honestly, Dominic wasn’t sure which would have angered him more at this point. “Oh, don’t think for a sec’ that I can’t do both- I’m a pretty good multitasker.” Dark grey eyes drifted back up to admire the lady of the manor while the gleaming beak below them had a smirk that spoke volumes’ worth of its owner’s intentions.

Before Dominic could decide between hitting the taller fowl in the back of the head to forcefully change his focus or the equally tempting option of grabbing an unattended drink from the nearby bar-top and dumping it on the rooster to help him cool his head off, a female voice surprised them both.

“Well, well…if it isn’t Chief Officer Steelbeak. Long time no see~” The deadly duo turned their heads just in time to see a lady in a sleeveless red gown with a semi-sweetheart neckline, an asymmetrical cut that ended at one knee before diagonally ending an inch below the other, and a rather provocative slit cut into the shorter side above her black-stocking covered legs was holding a half-full glass of red wine in her purple hand while regarding them with an amused expression. The woman appeared to be a purplish jay, judging by the plumage on her exposed arms and her purple beak accentuated with black lipstick that matched her eyeliner (which was only a few shades darker than the black feathers of her face). Her black hair was tied back in a simple but elegant bun with a few stray locks left out to frame her face, the bun itself held in place with a decorative golden hair-comb that made it look like she had several gleaming marigolds holding her hair back. Marigolds, Dominic quickly noted, seemed to be a theme among the woman’s accessories, as she also had one made of black onyx on a golden chain around her neck, a matching stone on her golden cocktail ring, and the pair of spiraled golden bracelets styled like leaf vines that covered her wrists and forearms with small golden marigolds placed sporadically across the intricate golden loops; even her shoes, which at first glance appeared to be a simple pair of black suede t-strap shoes with a tall, thick golden heel, secretly contained a small red marigold locked away in their see-through midsection.

Steelbeak, who seemed unphased by the woman’s knowledge of his name, simply smirked down at the jaybird knowingly. “Well, look what the cat dragged in…ain’t seen you in a while, Mara- was beginnin’ t’ think ya ditched us for a cushy desk job under ol’ grizzle-face.”

The marigold-bedecked lady gave a dry chuckle as she swirled the wine in her glass. “And miss out on the chance to see you make a fool of yourself for thinking you actually know how to talk to a woman? Not on your life~”

Rather than looking offended, Steelbeak just laughed his usual nasally, clipped laughter and shook his head. “Hey, I know how t’ talk t’ women- just not women like you.”

“Of course not.” The purpled fowl said before taking a sip of her wine. “After all, you never were very good at handling women you had no chance with.” Looking up from the depths of her drink, she found a pair of eyes in an even more intense shade of red boring into her. “I don’t believe we’ve met. You are…?”

“I’m his partner- agent Domino.” Dominic gave the brightly dressed jay a once over, but still couldn’t shake the sense of unease and agitation this woman’s presence seemed to bring him. The feeling bothered him so much that he completely missed the slightly disappointed look in the chief officer’s eyes before he buried whatever feeling had surfaced in the back of his mind again. “High Command didn’t say anything about dispatching any other agents for this mission…”

Black lipstick curled upwards ever so slightly as the purple beak gained a small smirk to it. “That’s because I’m not here with FOWL……I’m here with SHUSH.”

Steelbeak must have anticipated his partner’s reaction, because no sooner had Dominic started reaching for his concealed weapons than the lighter fowl’s hand had positioned itself in front of the loon’s chest to stop any potential altercations. “Agent Maravilla here’s one of the best double agents we’ve got: She’s been spyin’ on SHUSH for years now an’ helps us take ‘em down from the inside.”

Dominic’s stance relaxed just enough that he no longer looked like he was going to shoot the double agent…for now… “Why is SHUSH here?”

“Oh, there’s a few targets of interest here.” Maravilla’s dark eyes glanced up towards the party’s hostess, a knowing look clear behind the playful smirk on her face. “SHUSH may have also gotten a tip that FOWL would be making a move tonight…though I have no idea who they would have heard that from~”

Red eyes narrowed suspiciously at the purplish jay. “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t…”

Steelbeak, once again sensing his partner’s growing tension and ire, chose to redirect the conversation while keeping his attention on the femme fatale. “If ya know why we’re here, then ya wanna lend a hand? We could use a distraction for the guards t’ shoot at.”

“That does sound like a good time…” The jay’s dark eyes went back to Steelbeak, looking seriously like she was contemplating the offer, but ultimately decided against it. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline this time.” With a sigh, she tilted the remnants of her wine within its glass at a sharp angle, the movement indicating something behind her. “Gryzlikoff doesn’t trust me on my own in the field anymore, so he’s started giving me babysitters..”

The pair of fiendish fowls followed the angle of the red liquid with their eyes to one of the other bars set up across the room on the other side of the dance floor. While there were several people crowded around the high-dollar booze, there was one person in particular who seemed to be purposefully avoiding looking in their direction…or rather, avoiding looking directly at them- they were subtly keeping an eye on the FOWL trio’s exchange using the reflection of their half-full glass on the bar-top (it looked like a simple shirley temple, judging by the clear soda and cherries, a far cry from the champagne and various hard liquors of the other barflies). A sneaky little trick that only someone as cunning and secretive as a spy or special agent would think to utilize.

The person in question appeared to be a vulture with feathers in a multitude of shades ranging from white on her head, to slightly darker shades of grey, yellow, brown, and even black the lower down one looked on the exposed parts of her plumage, with the feathers on her hand and the ends of her tail feathers both being the darkest points. Her hair was…interesting, to say the least- it appeared to have been shaved away along the sides to a peak in the center before being allowed to grow freely and flow down to the middle of her back, almost like a long Mohawk but without the necessary and excessive amounts of hair gel. A pair of rectangular-rimmed glasses rested on her beak as she kept a vigilant eye on her fellow SHUSH agent, the makeup around them kept simple with black wingtip eyeliner and a modest amount of golden eyeshadow. The eye shadow matched both the sheer golden shawl draped over her shoulders that kept her right arm hidden from view, the golden goddess-style sandals that peeked out from the hem of her dress whenever she moved her long legs, and the glittering golden pattern of vertical lines along the bottom of her green sleeveless floor-length halter-top gown.

Steelbeak gave the agent a subtle once-over before looking back down at Maravilla. “She don’t look that tough…want us t’ help ya get a little more breathin’ room without your nanny there watchin’ ya like a hawk?”

The double agent was quick to shake her head, but kept her expression calm and impassive. “It would be best not to. If anything happens to her, you’ll have more SHUSH agents swarming this party than you’d care to deal with- the only reason she hasn’t called them in already is because I told her you’d probably escape in the chaos.” The corner of her purple beak quirked up in an amused smirk. “Besides…this one’s fun, I think I’ll keep her around for a while~”

The larger bird shrugged his shoulders. “If ya say so, Mara.” Dark grey eyes went back up to the party’s hostess. “Guess we’ve just got one more obstacle between us an’ that pretty little thing up there.”

Maravilla looked up towards the balcony as well, her expression briefly mirroring Steelbeak’s earlier appreciative glances before she looked back to the man in question with a mischievous gleam in her dark eyes. “You know…we could do what we did back in Rio…”

Steelbeak let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “Ya mean when ya left ME holdin’ the bomb? No thanks, doll- a little fun with you ain’t worth THAT much trouble.”

A giggle born of dark amusement was barely covered up by the jaybird’s purple fingertips. “Aw, it wasn’t that bad, was it? It did work, after all~” She leaned in closer to the metal mouthed fowl, two fingers from her free hand slowly walking up his chest as she spoke. “Besides…you know you enjoyed it…even if I did come out on top in the end~”

Dominic could feel the already frayed thread holding his last bit of patience beginning to snap. A much darker hand blocked the purple one’s path and, once the multicolored bird stepped away just enough, he placed himself solidly between his partner and the infuriating femme fatale- red eyes glaring down with more venom than even his heavily-laced voice could muster. “I think we’ll be just fine thinking of a plan without you.”

The lady in red seemed momentarily taken aback by the loon’s defensiveness, but it didn’t last more than a second before her face had resumed its seemingly natural state of amusement. “Very well, if you insist.” She turned to leave, but not before looking at the chief officer over her shoulder with a wink that was either flirty, conspiratorial, or both. “If you change your mind, you know what to do~” And with that, she vanished into the vibrant crowd.

Dominic glared after her with a rather noticeable scowl on his face, even after she was long gone from his sight. If she tried that sort of thing again, he’d-

“Wow, didn’t know you were the jealous type, short fuse.” An amused voice teased him from behind.

“I am not jealous.” Looking over his shoulder, Dominic was not at all surprised to see the taller man smirking down at him. “I just don’t trust agents like her..” Moles, infiltrators, spies, double agents- whatever name they went by, Dominic had a VERY negative outlook on them in general after the fall of his base up north.

“Uh huh.” One of the lighter fowl’s eyebrows was quirked in a way that matched his sarcastic tone perfectly. “An’ I’m sure Mara puttin’ her hands on me had nothin’ t’ do with it, right?”

The loon felt his face heat up, but kept his stern scowl firmly in place. “I was just making sure she didn’t try anything. She IS working for SHUSH right now- they could order her to attack at any moment, and I don’t believe for a second she’d have a problem following that command. Looking out for your safety is part of my job- I’m your partner.” If called out for it, he would have vehemently denied any accusations regarding the possessive tone that had slipped into his voice on that last statement.

Dark grey eyes rolled slightly as the rooster huffed. “Yeah, so ya keep sayin’…”

That…actually gave the darker fowl pause. Steelbeak sounded almost…offended? Disappointed? Frustrated? “What d-”

Before he could get his question out- or even figure out what it was going to be- Steelbeak had slipped out from behind him and was venturing into the crowd in a different direction than Maravilla had gone. “Forget it- I’m takin’ Mara up on her offer. Just stand by an’ watch my back, partner.”

Dominic was so taken aback by his partner’s attitude that he just stood there- frustrated, confused, and wondering what else could possibly go wrong tonight…

____________________________________________________________

Across the room, Maravilla had returned to the vacant seat next to her fellow SHUSH agent- said agent looking less than thrilled with her antics. “Have you lost your mind? Do you know who that is?!” While she tried to look stern, it was clear that the taller bird was more worried than angry.

Maravilla took her seat and looked up at the vulture with a calm expression. “Yes, I know who he is. More importantly, he knows me from work.” She set her now-empty glass down on the bar-top. “If he saw me and I didn’t say anything to him first, it would look suspicious- I have to maintain my cover, Xaviera.”

Xaviera’s previous look lost its façade of sternness, leaving just the concern. “I…suppose you have a point there…” She quickly shook her head, giving the purplish jay a pleading look. “But you have to be more careful from now on. If Steelbeak or that other one find out you’re here with SHUSH, things could get dangerous.”

Instead of looking scared or worried by her fellow agent’s (very accurate and completely valid) warning, an almost daydreamy smile found its way to Maravilla’s face. “Oooh, I hope it does~” A purple fingertip began idly tracing the rim of her empty glass as she stared off into space, apparently fantasizing over the possibilities. “His partner looked like he wanted to shoot me- do you think he would? He certainly seems the type~ Maybe they’ll try using me as a living shield so they can escape~ I wonder if they have a helicopter waiting to pick them up- do you think they’d throw me out of-?”

“Mari, please.” The blond bird placed her hand over one of Maravilla’s with a sincere, worried look easily visible in her eyes. “I know this is all fun and games to you, but it worries me when you put yourself in danger like that. Please promise me- no getting shot at, no drinking poison, no crashing through windows, and no jumping out of helicopters. Please…for me…?”

Maravilla looked up into the taller woman’s eyes and, after a moment, gave a soft sigh. “Fine…for you, mi cielo.” She then turned her hand over so that their fingers were now entwined before lifting both of their hands up so she could place a light kiss to the darker fingers laced between her own. “You’re lucky I can’t say ‘no’ to such a lovely lady~”

Xaviera’s face instantly flushed red all the way down to her neck, her demeanor changing instantly from concerned to flustered. “I-I..uh..that is..I-I just..!” Her attempts to find the proper words were completely dashed when the jaybird winked at her, causing the vulture to (somehow) turn even redder. The only thing that came out of her beak after that was a chirp before she gave up and pressed her overheated forehead against the cool bar-top in front of her.

In doing so, the golden shawl that had been draped around her shoulders came loose, revealing the rest of her previously hidden right arm. The arm ended just before the area where her elbow should have been, the feathers a bit darker around the end of the limb and some scar tissue visible within her plumage at the very bottom of the stump. A few of the more nosy and gossip-loving individuals nearby took notice and started to whisper amongst themselves.

When a stern, almost threatening pair of purple eyeshadow rimmed eyes looked at each of them, however, they suddenly found better things to entertain themselves with and either walked away or simply averted their attention before the vulture even lifted her head to notice their presence. “Getting back to the matter at hand,” Maravilla said while gently readjusting the taller woman’s shawl back to its previous position. “I think I have a way for us to get access to Ms.Malton’s personal files.”

That seemed to snap the bespectacled bird out of her embarrassment. Quickly sitting back up, she looked down at the darker fowl with intrigue. “Really? How?” When the double agent’s eyes flicked briefly in the direction she’d come from earlier, Xaviera instantly shook her head. “You just said-”

“I won’t do anything dangerous, I promise.” Maravilla gave the darker hand still held in hers a reassuring squeeze before continuing. “Those two are after the ‘Goddess’ Eyes’ on Ms.Malton’s earrings, so they’ll try to get her alone. If our data is right, the best place to do that will be in her room. We’ll use them as bait to lure her away from the party, then I can slip in behind them and get my hands on the information Gryzlikoff and Hooter asked for. I’ll be in and out before those two figure out I’ve played them.”

“And if they do figure it out?” Xaviera asked with a mix of skepticism and concern.

Maravilla just smiled coyly up at the taller woman. “Then I’ll have you nearby to bail me out, mi cielo~” While her companion clearly had more to say on the matter, a change in the style of music the band was playing caught the purple fowl’s attention. “Ah, looks like Steelbeak’s taking me up on my offer.” She stood up, removed her flowery hair-comb, and placed it in the vulture’s hand with a wink. “Hold onto this for me, Xavi~” And with that she shook her hair out, allowing the natural waves to cascade down to her lower back and reveal the vibrant purple undertone that had previously been hidden while it was pinned, and made her way towards the dance floor- leaving behind a very confused (and flustered) Xaviera.

<--Previous Chapter Next Chapter-->

End Notes: Okay, so, here are all of the references I packed into this chapter-

Steelbeak’s suit is brand new because he followed through on his promise to himself to burn the suit he wore on his first failed dinner-date with Domino.

Domino is wearing the watch that Steelbeak gifted him way back in the first chapter of the series x3

Steelbeak’s cuff-links are the same as the ones he gave Domino as a gift during their first failed dinner-date.

Also, not related to the rest of the series, but I based Emelia’s family off of the Walton’s- the absurdly wealthy family that founded Wal~Mart.

[a-world-in-grey]

*Kicks in door* I need to tell you about Sola and Libertus, or in other words the SAPPIESTS SAPS TO EVER SAP.

-So when Sola and Libertus finally start dating (which is a whole ‘nother story because Lib is Dense and the glaives are Suffering) the two are tooth-rotting levels of Sweet.

-Lib puts his braiding skills to use and makes flower crowns for Sola, which honestly Sola loves more than any jewelry Lib might buy, because the flowers are gorgeous and Lib made them for her, even learning the Lucian Flower Language. The gifts have meaning. It’s a thoughtful gift and Sola wears the crowns until the flowers wilt and Lib makes her another one.

-(Then Lib finds a place that sells quality silk flowers and learns to make crowns and hair pieces with those, and Sola starts wearing flowers with pretty much every outfit based on what she wants to ‘say’.)

-Dates between them are low-key, usually hanging around Little Galahd. The Galahdians don’t gawk at Sola for being a princess and Lib loves showing Sola around what little slice of home he’s still got, and teaching her Galahdian culture.

-One of the few exceptions is when Lib and Sola dress up (not super fancy, but fancier than they usually wear around Little Galahd) and Lib takes Sola dancing on the roof of the Old Cathedral during one of the firework festivals, and Lib carries Sola up all four flights of stairs because Lib maybe didn’t tell Sola exactly where they were going and Sola wore a pretty pair of heels that she’s not keen on climbing stairs in. And sure, they could warp up them, but it gives Lib the excuse to carry her princess-style.

-Sola throws herself into learning Galahdian Culture the same way she does anything else - completely and enthusiastically. She learns how to do Libertus’ braids (and the first time she asks Libertus if she can leaves him breathless with emotion), listens to the stories and tales and learns about all the things that Lib and Nyx and all the Galahdians did growing up.

-Sola tries Galahdian Cuisine. It doesn’t go well. This woman is fierce yes, but oh boy do her taste buds not agree with galahdian levels of spice. Sola pouts good naturedly even as the rest of the glaives tease her for her Delicate Lucian Palate and Lib gets her a glass of milk to damp the heat in her mouth. 

-Sola being Sola, she doesn’t let that stop her from trying Every Single Dish despite it ending the same way every single time. Sola would accuse Tredd of being an asshole and adding more spice on purpose, but the other glaives eat it just fine so Sola just takes the glass of milk and one of Yamachang’s milder versions of said dish.

-Lib loves picking up Sola. Sola tolerates being carried around with fond exasperation, though she won’t admit to anyone but Lib that she actually likes just how far she can see when she’s sitting on Lib’s shoulders.

-the Galahdian kids LOVE Sola, because this woman is Big Sister All The Way, and has no qualms making time to play or chat with them when she’s off duty and down in Little Galahd, and Lib just Melts whenever he sees Sola with the kids, face light up with pure happiness.

-Sola and Lib are very casually affectionate with each other. Holding hands, quick kisses on the lips or cheeks or forehead, Sola sitting in Lib’s lap or Lib laying down with his head in Sola’s lap, lots of hugs - full hugs, side hugs, ALL THE HUGS - and just casual lingering touches. Little quick displays of affection.

-Sola actually moves out of the Citadel and gets an apartment with Crowe in Little Galahd. Mostly because she likes being in Little Galahd - the living conditions are shit compared to the rest of Insomnia yeah, but it’s the people Sola moved for and frankly she’s lived in worse conditions out on glaive missions - but also to bring her father’s attention to just how bad it is in the slums.

-Even though Sola has her own place with Crowe, she spends half her time at Lib and Nyx’s. When she’s at her place, Lib is also typically with her and both Nyx and Crowe comment how damn domestic they are.

-Lib has woken up to find Sola in whichever apartment they spend the night at, making breakfast for him and Nyx and Crowe (the other two joining them in the morning no matter where it is) wearing Lib’s shirt. It makes him ridiculously pleased and Galahdian lax attitudes about nudity mean that Lib, Sola, Nyx, and Crowe have sat down for breakfast wearing at most two outfits between them.

-Sola goes to town on the nobles overseeing the Galahdian sector, pushing for the funding that the slums desperately need but ‘are never enough of’ when the subject is brought up. She’s seen exactly how bad it is in the slums - even for the glaives who actually have a steady income, Lib and Nyx’s apartment has a hole in the ceiling - and those are her people dammit.

-Sola also hears how the Galahdians had to stop wearing their family beads in their hair because they kept getting reported for breaking the Sumptuary Laws, simply because rich assholes couldn’t stand to see the ‘dirty foreigners’ wearing the precious stone and metal beads that were so common back on Galahd. 

-Libertus stares at Sola in Awe when she tells the glaives about getting the Sumptuary Laws stricken from the books, every inch of her Vicious Satisfaction. Said satisfaction disappears when Libertus kisses her senseless, but Sola’s okay with that. Lib’s a fantastic kisser.

-Lib starts seriously thinking about proposing to Sola, and is Determined to do things properly, because while Sola likes being able to be a normal civilian, she is a princess and Lib refuses to have anyone making disparaging comments about her. So he goes and asks Noctis first if he can marry Sola, because while Regis is Sola’s father, Noctis is the one that Sola will do almost anything for. Seventeen year old Noctis attempts to give Libertus an intimidating stare (not bad, but Lib is used to the Captain and the Prince is far too pretty-faced to pull that kind of thing off) but gives his blessing, telling him that if he breaks Sola’s heart Noctis will beat the shit out of whatever Sola decides to leave behind. Which, fair.

-Then he asks Regis, in front of Cor and Clarus, and yeah, the King, Marshal, and Shield are a hell of a lot more intimidating than Sola’s baby brother. Regis tries the whole ‘why should I’ deal, and Libertus honestly and wryly states that Sola won’t let anyone dictate who she does or does not marry, but having her father’s blessing would mean a lot to her. Clarus snorts while Cor and Regis deflate, because yeah, Sola would tell them off for trying to prevent her from marrying Libertus and then elope with Lib just to spite them.

-Cor takes Libertus ring shopping. Libertus wants to buy the rings himself, but Regis tells Libertus that wedding rings in Insomnia aren’t cheap, and Regis would rather Libertus completely ignore the price tag and focus on finding a ring Sola will love. Libertus chooses a silver ring with two thin bands connected by interspersed tiny gold flowers with tiny blue topazes in the center of each.

-Meanwhile, Sola has been talking with Nyx about How Galahdians Do Weddings. She knows she’s not getting out of a Royal Wedding, she’s the King’s eldest. But she does want to marry Lib according to HIS traditions too. Nyx DOES tell Sola that proposing to Lib means joining HIS clan, but Sola is more than fine with that. Screw the whole ‘Lucis Caelums not allowed to marry out’ bs, Regis has Noctis to carry on the bloodline and family name and Sola wants to take Libertus’ name.

-Nyx is Best Wingman, getting pretty much all the glaives he can to turn up at Yamachang’s after work without tipping off anyone’s suspicions about what is about to go down. (Part of that is Sola’s credit, but she’s just making sure Lib is too distracted to keep one eye out for Nyx Shenanigans as usual.)

-Libertus.exe stops working for about two seconds when Sola pulls out the courtship necklace and bead, before he lifts her up in a bear hug and spins her around while happily accepting. Then he promptly sets her down, kneels, and proposes with the ring he’d been carrying around trying to find the right time to propose.

-The glaives go nuts, all of Little Galahd pretty much starts partying though the Actual Wedding Celebration is planned for a later date so everyone can properly prepare for it. Sola helps Lib with the necklace and braids the bead into his hair - a large silver bead with gold inlay that stands out against Lib’s dark hair - and Lib slips the ring onto Sola’s hand.

[writerwithacat]

(So Pretty With Their) Button-Up Shirts

A/N: Title from girls by girl in red.

summary:

Alya and Marinette have a sleepover. They raid Marinette’s closet.

pairings: Alya/Marinette

warnings: None that I can think of! Let me know if I missed any.

also on ao3.

     Marinette lingered by the doorway, fidgeting with her jacket. The doorbell suddenly rang. She nearly tripped as she hurried to open the door. 

     “Alya! Come in!” 

     Alya stood outside, a large bag hanging from her shoulder. Her phone was sticking out from her jean pockets, her hand the only thing keeping it in place. 

     Alya stepped inside. “Hey girl!” She hugged Marinette. Her overstuffed bag knocked against their legs.

     “Let’s go up to my room,” Marinette said with a smile, “you can put down that Godzilla of a bag.” 

     Alya laughed. “It’s not that big! I’m just bad at packing.”

     “That doesn’t make it any better!” Marinette started up the stairs to her room. Alya stuck out her tongue and followed. 

     Marinette helped Alya pull her bag up through the trapdoor and set it beside the chaise lounge. 

     Alya sat down on the chaise lounge. “So, are you working on anything right now?”

     “Not really,” Marinette answered, nodding at her bare dress form, “but I’ve been sketching and I have some ideas that I might do something with.” 

     “Whatever you make will be amazing, as always,” Alya said. She got up and opened Marinette’s closet doors. “I mean, look! Your sense of style? Incredible.”

     “Well, you’re really pretty too!” Marinette said without thinking. She blinked. “Uh, you know… Your face— I mean, your fashion sense! It’s… Good.” She walked up to the closet and stared at one of her favourite shirts, resolutely ignoring the embarrassed heat in her cheeks without knowing why. “But thank you.”

     Alya pulled out a long wine red skirt and held it out appraisingly. “Do you think this’d look cute on me?” 

     “It would look fantastic on you.” Marinette suddenly clapped her hands together. “You should try it on!” 

     Alya slipped it on over her jeans and twirled. The skirt spread out as she spun, hitting Marinette’s legs. Marinette giggled and stepped backwards. 

     Alya dizzily came to a stop and grabbed Marinette’s arm to steady herself. Her smile was nearly as big as her bag. “Let’s have a fashion show.”

     “Like, try on my clothes?”

     “Mmhmm. It’ll be so cool!” 

     Marinette grinned and started looking through her closet. She took out a white button-up shirt. “This would look cute with that skirt.” 

     Alya pulled out a simple short-sleeved pale pink dress that reached Marinette’s knees. “This would look amazing on you!” She took the shirt from Marinette and gave her the dress. 

     Marinette slipped into the bathroom to change. When she returned, Alya had changed as well. Alongside the shirt and flowing skirt, she had found a silky red chiffon scarf. In Marinette’s opinion, she looked absolutely gorgeous. 

     “Woah, you look incredible!”

     “Girl, have you looked at yourself?” Alya said. 

     Marinette laughed, embarrassed, and stared down at her dress. Alongside the dress, she’d decided to wear the same black jacket she typically wore. 

     “What should we try on next?” Alya asked, already turning back to the closet. 

     Marinette hurried to catch up to her. “I have something that reminds me of you,” she said. She grabbed a peach dress and white belt out of the back of her closet and presented them to Alya. 

     “I love it,” Alya proclaimed, “I’m going to try them on right now.” She hugged the clothing close, the belt dangling over her arms.

     “Go change in the bathroom,” Marinette said. “I’m going to try and find something for me to wear.” 

     Alya scurried off to the bathroom while Marinette looked through the closet. She took out a short white dress before noticing a tan romper. She hesitantly put back the dress back. I wonder which Alya would think is cute, she thought.

    Marinette held the romper up against herself in front of the mirror. After a moment of deliberation, she remembered Alya would be returning soon and quickly slipped it on. 

     “Hey, Marinette?” 

     Marinette startled. She’d hadn’t noticed Alya entering. She turned to face her. “Yes?” 

     “Could you help me button up my dress? I can’t get the last couple.” 

     “Oh. Sure!”

     Alya turned around so that Marinette could see the buttons. She began to carefully do them up. She felt her skin grow warm. Her fingers were nearly brushing Alya’s back. She did up the last button. 

     “Thanks!” Alya said, stepping away. “So… What do you think?” She spun around so she was facing Marinette, grinning and playing with one of the curls that framed her hazel eyes like water flowing around stones peeking out of a river. 

     “Beautiful,” Marinette blurted. Her eyes widened and she blinked rapidly once she realized what she’d said. She wanted to run away and become a mime. “Uh— I mean, you look amazing, Alya!” 

     “You look beautiful too,” Alya said. “Have you always owned that?” 

     Marinette felt like she was going to explode. She called me beautiful. Oh my god. I’m having a crisis. Marinette tried to smile calmly. She was pretty sure she looked like a dying clown instead. “Thank you! It’s new.”

     “Kids, it’s time for dinner,” Tom Dupain-Cheng said, popping his head through the trapdoor. “Oh, have you girls been dressing up?” 

     “Yeah,” Marinette said without turning to look, “We’ll be down in a second, Papa.” She heard the sound of the trapdoor shutting. 

     “Do you want me to take this off before dinner?” Alya asked, running her fingers over the edge of the dress. 

     “No, you can wear it for now.” Marinette had to pull her gaze away from Alya. She opened the trapdoor and went downstairs. Alya followed right behind her. 

    They sat down beside each other at the table. Alya quickly launched into a ramble about the wonders of Ladybug. Marinette felt herself focusing more on Alya than the conversation. 

     Soon, their plates were empty except for a few crumbs. Their conversation continued. It was apparent to anyone listening that Alya was a huge fan of Ladybug. 

     Marinette knew she did a lot of good as Ladybug. She was a literal superhero. But it was one thing to know and another thing entirely to hear one of the most important people in the world to you say it out loud. She felt a warm feeling in her chest, a mixture of pride and embarrassment. She felt loved. 

      She wished she could tell Alya how much she did for Paris (for Ladybug, for her) with the Ladyblog. She wished she could convey how much she loved Alya back. But she knew that’s not what best friends were supposed to feel about each other, so she swallowed her words and wished that Alya could know how much she cared. 

     “Marinette and I are going to head back up to her room,” Alya said, standing up from her seat. “Thank you for the lovely dinner!”

     “Have fun, girls,” Sabine said with a smile. 

     “I’ll be up in a second,” Marinette said. She brought her and Alya’s plates to the kitchen then turned back towards the stairs. She found Alya waiting beside the ladder up to her room. 

     “Hey Marinette,” Alya said, leaning forward, “I’ve got something I want to show you.” 

     “Oh? What is it?” 

     Alya held a finger up to her own mouth in a shushing motion. “Not yet! I’ll show you when we’re in your room, okay? It’s a surprise.” 

     “Sure,” Marinette responded automatically. She climbed up the ladder on autopilot. Instead, her mind was whirring with wild scenarios and possibilities, her heart thumping in her chest with unwarranted hope. She didn’t know why her mind was set off at a couple words from one of her closest friends— excitement she could understand, but this was something that permeated through her entire body, a thrill that she only felt around her. 

     Alya led her over to her chaise lounge and motioned for her to sit down. “Close your eyes,” she said as she knelt beside her overflowing bag.

     Marinette obediently shut her eyes and waited. She could hear clothing being pushed to the floor. She focused on the rustling of Alya’s bag, trying to ignore her impatience.

     “Ta-da!”

     Marinette felt something being pushed into her hand. She opened her eyes to see a necklace dangling from her hand. 

     It was obviously homemade, mismatched beads strung onto craft store thread. The thin, cream, thread was hard to see past all of the spherical wooden beads. They were pink and red, their sizes ranging from pea to grape. A black star-shaped plastic pendant was squished in between two of the larger beads. 

     Marinette looked up to see Alya looking at her expectantly, still waiting for a response. Marinette searched for the words to describe her appreciation (she loved it, she loved her). A nervous smile adorned Alya’s face. Her red-brown waves of hair hung over the beauty mark Marinette felt tempted to trace over and over again. 

     “Alya,” Marinette said, “this is… incredible.” Nearly as incredible as you. She slipped the necklace on over her head. “Thank you so, so, much.”

     All of the quiet tension dropped away. Alya hugged Marinette like she was the last lifeboat on a sinking ship. “I’m so glad you like it.” 

      Marinette was frozen, unable to move in a way no akuma could cause. She was hyperaware of everything brushing against her skin: Alya’s soft strands of hair, the bumps of the beads, the rough fabric of her romper, the silky dress Alya wore. 

      In a moment of clarity, she realized how ridiculous she must look, practically immobile in the arms of her best friend, her mouth hanging open, and how amazingly happy she felt. 

     She closed her eyes and hugged Alya back, smiling wider than the sun. Her chest was tight and warm, as if her feelings had been transformed into a fire. 

     Maybe this wasn’t how best friends were supposed feel about each other, but maybe (she hardly dared to think; her mind was burning brighter than her chest, than her heart) Alya could be more than a best friend.

[siempre-pedro]

My Kid Punched His Kid |4|

Single Dad!Teacher!Ben Hardy x Single Mom!Reader

Summary: A playground fight between two 8-year-olds bring together 2 lonely single parents.

In This Chapter: Our favorite single parents bickering. cute ass kids! More of Ben’s son! 

Word Count: 3.3k

A/N: Here’s part 4 everybody!!! I’m so proud of this and really hope you like it. Please let me know what you think, I love your feedback!  Thank you thank you for all the nice messages i love them all. 

Y/N leaned against the wall outside the classroom, her arms crossed over chest with her fingertips tapping the sleeves of her light blue suede moto jacket. Her Y/E/C eyes scan the halls of mostly mothers waiting to pick up their kids, half of them wore basically nothing. She smirks, further presses her back to the wall.

Once the bell rings all the moms rush in probably ignoring their kids and fighting over the attention of the teacher. It was the perfect opportunity to go in and rush out before he could notice her. Peeling herself off the wall she walks in and approaches Abby’s desk. Looking down at the brightly colored name card with ‘Abagail’ written nicely in his handwriting. “How was the movie?” she asks.

Abby narrows her eyes, looking up at her mom with confusion, her brain trying to come up with how she knew. “How did you know we watched a movie?” she questions with suspicion evident in her voice. Y/N mouth opens in regret. Shit. She thinks on her feet and pouts her lips.

“I’m your mom. I know everything.” That was fair. Abby nods and agreement and continues to pack her bag in silence, her blue eyes look towards the corner of the room through the locks of curled hair. She was typically a fearless kid, sure she didn’t like the dark but she was the kid that punched another in the face without hesitation. She looks up at her mom who was trying not to look in the direction of her teacher's desk “Mom I need to ask you something?”

“What’s up, Babe?”

Abby takes a deep breath, rolls her shoulders back to stand tall “Can me and James have a playdate?” her words come out fast like she’s out of breath, happy to get it over with. She stands tall, her eyes squint to show power…she learned it from a movie and kept it in the back of her mind just in case the occasion arose. She puts on her backpack and grips the glittery straps tightly.

Y/N bends down to meet Abby’s eye line, she sighs and rubs her shoulder lovingly. It was a terrible idea. Things would be awkward; the kids wouldn’t know but they would know. “Abs, you know Mr. Jones and I don’t get along. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she reasons. Abagail narrows her eyes and huffs, looking away from her mother. 

“Mom, this isn’t about you,” she says sternly, looking back at her. Y/N’s jaw drops in shock caught off guard from the sudden anger in her child. 

“Excuse me? What happened to my 8-year-old?” she questions with nervous laughter. 

“Mom,” she growls, folding her arms. The Y/H/C haired woman closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She gets up and looks down at Abby sympathetically. She loathed the man, but breaking her daughter's heart weighed heavier on her heart than her pride.

“Fine, I’ll go talk to him,” she says as calmly as she could. She turns to the man who was preoccupied with the moms who were trying to get his attention. “Mr. Jones?” Ben’s head snaps up and grins wildly, uttering regrets to the other moms and eagerly making his way to her. She smiles slightly as the eagerness.

“Can I help you?” he smirks. Y/N’s face becomes stone cold, she furrows her eyes together and clenches a fist at her side. 

“Abagail wants to have a playdate with James.” 

Ben hums and smiles, shifting on the heels of his feet “Is this a way for you to ask me out?” he responds. 

“No,” she hisses. “This is all for her.” 

“Fine, fine. Still, think you’re lying but! We are free on Sunday’s.” 

“We go to the park every Sunday…maybe he could join us.” She hated this, she really did and what made it worse was that shit eating grin on his stupid perfect face. 

“We’ll be there, 11 ok?” 

She forces a smile “See you then,” she says through gritted teeth. Now that was worse than childbirth. Her hands stay clenched, her pride deteriorated as she walked away from, not giving the satisfaction of talking to him anymore. Abby, however, was over the moon when Y/N told her as they walked out of the school, her smile made it almost worth it. As Y/N shut the car door her jeans pocket started to vibrate, she shifts and pulls it out from her back pocket.

‘My heads fine by the way, how’s yours?’

She looks at the school and then back at her phone ‘Ben’ illuminated from the screen. How the fuck did she get his number. ‘How do I have your number?’

‘You were practically begging for it last night…amongst other things.’

‘haha very funny asshole’

‘I put it in your phone while you slept, just in case you needed something. I didn’t snoop don’t worry.’

“Mom? They’re honking at us,” Abby groans, sinking father in her seat in an attempt to hide her face from the people watching. Y/n snaps out of the trance and throws her phone in the passenger seat and quickly drives off, being lectured by the kid about using her phone.

 The days dragged on, Y/N found herself purposely trying to bury herself in her work to get her mind off of him. Every night when she looked at herself in the mirror, she would see the marks she put on her. She remembered his touch all too well. The morning of the play date, a simple towel wrapped around her body that mark on her chest on full display. The deep purple color had finally begun to fade, the beads of water glide over it. She wiped the water away and grabbed her phone from the counter. ‘so today?’ God. Him again? Again meaning since the first time he messaged her, he didn’t blow her phone up like she was expecting. She bites her lip as she contemplates responding. He knows the kids have been talking nonstop about their playdate.

‘What about it?’

‘I’m just making sure you’re not chickening out.’

‘Fuck off.’  She grumbles complaints and throws her phone on the bed, refusing to look at the expensive piece of trash. You sleep with a guy one time and he thinks he can talk to you. She laughs at her thoughts and walks to her closet. She pauses, she was searching through her closet like she was 16 going on her first date. Hastily pushing the hangs to the side to catch a quick glance at her clothes before deeming them horrible. “I need new clothes,” she whispers to herself. Settling a pair of black yeans and a long beige sweater she put on a necklace with her initial and took one last look “This is fine, I don’t want him.”

It was a relief when they got their first to the park, Y/N wanted to throw up the whole way there “Mom where are they, it’s 11?” Abby questions, scanning the large park as she zipped up her pink jacket.

“They’ll be here soon, Baby. I promise,” she responds as she sits on the large plaid blanket. Secretly hoping they got sick or something. But as if on cue James runs up to Abby with his blond curls flapping in the wind.

“So you didn’t chicken out,” Ben says amused as he stands next to her. Y/N grimaces and scans him, black t-shirt and basketball shorts. Simple.

“It’s September, 60 and you’re in shorts?”

Ben laughs and sits down, running a hand through his hair “Function over fashion…unlike you. You look nice though.”

Y/N rolls her eyes and huffs out a thank you, turning her head to cover the heat rising to her cheeks “At least I’m warm.” Ben smirks at the effect he had on her.

“Mom, can we go play?” Abby asks as she digs around the large tote bag for a ball.

“Go, have fun. Please don’t hit anyone,” Y/N pleads with a smile. Abby sticks out her tongue and tucks the soccer ball under her arm.

“James, come here please,” Ben says using his dad voice. James pouts and stomps over, tucking his hands in his pants pocket. Ben leans forward and places his hands on the boys clothed shoulders “Please be good, ok? Be nice to the other kids.”

“Ok, Dad,” James whispers, his matching green eyes shift back and forth reluctant to meet Ben’s glare. Ben sighs and smiles softly before shooing him off. Ben watches as the kids run off to the playground, he was always fearful when they came to the park. James wasn’t good with other kids, his social skills were clearly lacking. He said a silent prayer he could hurt the poor girl again.

“You ok Jones?” Y/N asks as she pulls out her tablet.

Ben breaks eye contact with them and nods, he looks down at her drawing and looks up at her serious face “What are you doing?”

“Working,” she replies shortly. He slowly moves closer to her, shoulders brushing together.

“On what?”

Y/N bites the inside of her cheek and narrows her eyes “I illustrate kids books. I’m working.” Ben nods and attempts to get closer, his head getting closer to her shoulder, she could feel his hair brush against her arm “What are you doing?”

“Let me see.” He opens his hand for the white pencil, his green eyes cutely looking into hers. Y/N hands over the pencil, praying that she saved her work. “How do I draw a happy little tree?” he asks her, causing her to giggle. Her lips form a tight line before going into a smile, her heart soared knowing he made a Bob Ross reference.  She puts her hand over his drags him over to tap on a few spots. Moving her hand she watches him try to copy one of her trees, it looked like one of their kids had drawn it but it was still cute. His tongue would poke out when he would try to concentrate.  “What do you think?” He asks excitedly looking at her with wide eyes and a proud smile.

“You did your best,” she responds, letting him down softly.

“You can tell me its shit,” he laughs and hands her back the pencil. When she takes it they lock eyes, reminiscing of how they saw each other in bed that night. Pure adoration. She opens her mouth to speak when sniffle sound flood their ears. They turn quickly to see James walk up the hill, rubbing his eyes.

“James, what happened?” Ben asks worriedly, jumping up from his seat to check to see if he had any cuts. While he was in dad mode, Y/N saved a picture of the altered drawing before erasing what he’d done to it and turning her attention to the boys.

“T-they won’t let me play,” he blubbers, covering his puffy eyes with the palms of his hand.

“Who, Bub?” Ben asks in between the sobs, leading him back to the blanket.

James turns over his shoulder and points to the group of kids play soccer. Ben closes his eyes and groans, he knew this would happen. It was rare to have an outing without something happening. It was like Arnold asking for one normal field trip with Ms. Frizzle: not going to happen. “Did you ask if you could play?” James responds with a tiny nod. Ben wasn’t fooled by his nod, he knew he was lying.

“What did you say?”

“Let me play,” his small voice came out even tinier.

“Mate you need to ask. With manners.”

James furrowed his eyebrows in irritation “I know dad,” he whines.

“I don’t think you do,” Ben retorts, his irritation showing.

Y/N puts her tablet aside and places her hand on Ben’s shoulder “Can I?” she suggests, motioning towards his son. Ben nods and sits back. “James, come here, Darling,” she speaks calmly. He calms at her soothing motherly tone and walks to her. “What are the magic words, James?” Y/N puts her hands on his shoulder, giving him loving rubs with her thumbs.

He shrugs at her “I don’t know.”

She hums “I think you do. Try it!”

“Please and thank you,” he finally answers. Y/N faces lights up and gives him a shake, making him laugh.

“There you go! I believe in you James, I want you to go back out there and ask them the right way,” she persuaded, taking a look at the other kids. She looked back at him kindly, like how she would talk to her own child. “Manners maketh the man, show them the English gentleman I know you are.” She turns him around, giving him a small squeeze of the shoulders and gently pushes him from her. They watch as the boy walks to the group of kids, James taps a tall boy on the shoulder and opens his mouth to speak. Ben started to bite on one of his nails like he was watching a suspense movie, he couldn’t handle another fight. He released the held breath when the taller boy let James into the circle and tossed him the ball.

“How the fuck did you do that?” Ben asks in shock, a surprised smile gracing his features.

Y/N shrugs and places her tablet back in her lap “Abby was the same way after Grant and I divorced. I needed to remind her about her manners and be nice about it. It takes time,” she explains. Ben grumbles and pulls out math homework from his backpack along with a red pen.

“You know he got kicked out of three nursery schools? He’s never been good with other kids.” She could sense the sadness and frustration in his tone, she wasn’t lying when she said it took time. It took 2 years for her daughter to get back to normal.

“He’s a good kid, Ben,” she says in reassurance. Ben frowns and tries to focus on his work, twirling the pen in between his fingers. he’d never really told anyone about James’ behavior, Gwil was really the only person that knew. His parents would scold him for how he was raising him, never good enough.

“You’re a good Dad. Don’t say that.”

Ben’s mouth forms a small o shape, he didn’t mean to say his thoughts “I-I didn’t mean to,” he tries to laugh it off. Y/N lowers her eyebrows and sucks in her bottom lip to show how unimpressed she was. Ben cocks his head in annoyance, narrowing his green eyes. The Y/H/C woman shrugs and returns to her work and lets him go back to his, dropping the subject… even though she was right.

It was mostly peaceful, in between her glances up at Abagail to make sure she was safe she would look over to Ben out of the corner of her eye. He would let out a light laugh when she couldn’t read the writing and would let out the occasional curse when he would cross off a wrong answer. It was comforting. “Mom!” Abby cheered as she ran up the hill, huffing when he reached the top.

“Are you having fun?” Y/N coos.

“Yeah…can we play Shoots and Ladders now?”

Ben’s ears perked up “Shoots and Ladders?” he questions.

“We play it every time we come,” Abby explains excitedly as she pulls the game from the bag. Y/N takes it from her and tells her to go get James. She nods and runs back down the hill while Y/N set the game up.

“Are you any good?” Ben taunts, laying down on his side and propping himself up with his elbow, greeting her with a smirk.

“I will destroy you,” she challenges.

With the kids gathered around the game started off as normal as possible, Abby and James frowning when their parents would get ahead of them. James’ small tongue poked out when he rolled the dice “I got a 6!” he cheered as he picked up the piece.

“Good job!” Ben clapped him on the back and smiled proudly as he moved up the board.

Y/N takes the dice in her hand and blew gently, making Ben roll his eyes at her. He was beyond annoyed that she got a ladder almost every time she rolled. She rolled gently and hummed in satisfaction “five,” she whispers moving her piece. Her elbow hits the corner of the board shifting the pieces and making the dice shift.

“That was a four,” Ben corrects, looking down at the dice.

Y/N looks up from the board “No it was a five,” she responds sternly.

Ben clenches his fist and touches her piece, moving it down the ladder “You rolled a four.”

She growls and moves it back “Seriously? Are you calling me a liar?”

“Look at the board! You rolled a fucking four!” he complains loudly, not quite a shout as he was trying to keep his cool.

“The board moved, it was a five Ben! You’re losing get the fuck over it.” she matches his tone. The kids look at each other sympathetically as their parents start to argue, their voices slowly starting to get louder with each insult. James looks around to see other people starting to look at them.

“Dad,” he says, pushing his leg to get his attention. The adults rise to their feet and start to get in each other face, their words getting louder, still talking about the board game.

“Did you rig the game Y/N? There’s no fucking possible way you got a ladder every time?” he yells.

“Oh? Not only am I liar I’m a cheater! Want to check the dice for a magnet?”

“Maybe. I. Do.”

“Fuck off! You’re a sore loser.”

“Mom! Mom?”

“What!” Y/N shouts, the pair looking down at the kids who were looking up at them with angered faces. “You guys are embarrassing.”

They pause and look around at the few pair of eyes that were on them. They look away, embarrassed of their actions “Abby, let’s go. Say goodbye,” she speaks slowly, not daring to look at him. They all gathered their things swiftly and in silence. Abby said her sad goodbye to James before running off to catch up to Y/N who had already started to walk away.

“I can’t believe you,” James huffed.

“I didn’t start it, and you had fun right?”

“Whatever, Dad.” James puts on his backpack and walks towards the parking lot leaving Ben alone in his thoughts. He pushed back his blonde curls and slung his bag over his shoulder, already rehearsing an apology.

Y/N threw the bag in her truck and slammed the door harshly, she growled when she saw Ben’s remorseful face in the dark reflection. “Came to yell at me more?” She asks, not turning to look at him.

“I came to say I’m sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

“Stop. You knew exactly what you were doing,” she holds a finger up before crossing her arms over her chest. Ben shoves his hands in his pockets and looks up briefly.

“I’m sorry, let me make it up to you…and Abby. We ruined their playdate.”

“And how do possibly expect to do that?” she sighs, leaning against the car.

Ben puts on a smile “Let me take you out.”

“On a date?” She raises an eyebrow. Unbelievable, she couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her after picking a fight in public and now asking for a date. Pathetic. She was pathetic for wanting to say yes. She knew she shouldn’t, it would be a disaster. “Ben. We shouldn’t, we can’t even get along in front of our kids without fighting,” she pointed out the obvious.

“I know! I know. Just dinner to say I’m sorry for making fools of us. You won’t regret it.”  

Y/N thinks about it for a moment, free dinner. Maybe with food stuffed in their mouths, they could actually get along. Maybe there would be alcohol, god knows they were going to need it if they went through with it.

“What’s in it for Abby?” She smiles.

“We’ll bring her back ice cream,” he smiles back at her.

“I will go out with you Ben, just dinner.”

“Sounds perfect. Friday night?”

Y/N winces “I can’t. I promised to watch Mary to pay Lucy back after that night.”

Ben blushes and ducks his head “How about Saturday?” 

“Saturday sounds perfect.”   

She watches him walk back to his car with his returned confidence, she mentally kicked herself for saying yes so easily. Seriously fuck this guy for making her feel this way. She hated the fights but she did manage to get a date out of it. Fuck. 

Taglist is open!

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[lovemesomesurveys]

when’s the last time you ate a pickle? It’s been a few years since I’ve actually eaten one, but I like to have one on the side sometimes with my sandwich cause I like to squeeze out the juice and dip my sandwich in it. It’s quite delicious. what’s that you’re listening to? An ASMR video. was the last thing you drank a coke or pepsi product? Nope. how many times is your cartilage pierced in your ears? I only have my earlobes pierced.  what are your pets names? Princess Leia.

do you need to take a smoke break right now? I don’t smoke. have you ever had a pet bird? Nope. honestly, do you think that you’re going to be an overprotective parent? I don’t plan on being a parent at all. what was the last kind of chips you ate? Probably Doritos. It’s been awhile. tell me the birthdates of everyone in your top friends. would you rather have ice cream, freeze pops, or popsicles in the summer? I like freeze pops, or Otter Pops as I call ‘em. It’s been a few years since I’ve had those or any ice cream, though. what kind of relationship do you have with the last person you kissed? We’re not on bad terms or anything, but we’re not friends either. We drifted apart. We do have each other on Facebook and Instagram, though. I’ll “like” some of the things he posts sometimes and he’ll like some of the things I post sometimes, but that’s the extent of it now. have you ever told a stranger that their barn door was open? No. what color are your toenails right now? They’re not.  when was the last time you clipped your nails? I pick/clip at my nails and the skin around them quite often. Like, a few times throughout the day. I don’t know what’s left to pick/clip at, but I do it a lot. :/ does your mouse have a wheel to scroll with? I have a track pad that’s built into the laptop. what is your biggest accomplishment in life? Blah. click on a myspace bulletin and scroll to the main bottom - what’s it say? what is one thing that you really wish you could understand, but don’t? Myself, really. I don’t know why I can’t get it together. Why I put off certain things. Why I don’t take care of myself very well. The list goes on.  what were your grades on the last report card you recieved? I got all As my last semester. what temperature do you like to keep your room at? I don’t know the temp, but I like to keep it cool. I’ve had 3 fans going all summer and even now as well because it’s still warm here. It’s starting to cool down and it feels nice at night and in the morning, but it’s still warm during the day. Still need my fans all day and we’re getting into mid October. Sigh. what’s your favorite department in lowes? I don’t go to Lowes often. Actually, last December was the first time in I don’t even know how long.  what is the brightest object you can see by just looking around the room? My lamp is bright. have you ever been tutored or tutored someone yourself? I’ve been tutored.  would you rather wear necklaces, bracelets, rings, or earrings? Bracelets. pretty, bright, fake jewelry or boring, plain, real jewelry? I used to be really into accessories and I’d wear a lot of stuff from Claire’s and Hot Topic. I liked to matching my accessories with my outfits. It was cute, but inexpensive stuff so I was able to get a lot of it. Of course, real jewelry is beautiful and I like that as well. I have some plain piece and some with stones. I don’t wear jewelry anymore for some reason, though. Well, except for recently when I started wearing beaded bracelets. I don’t know why I stopped. where did you recieve your last receipt from? Walmart. what was the last thing you said outloud (singing doesn’t count)? “It’s warm in here.” is everything you have on actually yours? Yes. when was the last time you wore a band-aid and why? A few weeks ago cause I got a cut on one of my fingers. do you like ketchup or mustard better with your corn dogs? I mix them together. do you ever just randomly drive around when you’re upset about something? I don’t drive. you look at the clock and it’s 4:44 PM, what do you do? Uh, nothing? What’s significant about that time? a trip to california, the bahamas, new york, wisconsin, utah, or canada? I’d love to visit the Bahamas, New York, and Canada.  what would you do if you discovered that you had a 7 year old kid? Well that’s impossible, so. I’m pretty sure I would know if I did, though. moon sand or play doh? Playdoh.  what was the last act of creativity you displayed? I made a few beaded bracelets recently. I don’t think that’s all that creative; though, but *shrug* do you like the way your hair looks right now? Ugh, no. do you ever find yourself just writing/typing out your feelings? That’s exactly what I do in these surveys. if so, does that make you feel better? It’s nice to have a place I can just ramble and vent. who’s house were you at last, besides your own? My aunt’s. any big plans for this summer? Summer is overrrrrrr. :D are you missing school yet? I don’t miss it. play guitar, drums, keytar, xbox, sims, sing, or take a dance class? Play The Sims, ha. what’s your favorite department in wal-mart? Apart from the food, I like looking at the decorations during Halloween and Christmastime. I used to like looking in the makeup department a lot, but I don’t wear makeup much anymore. have/would you ever run track? No. do you honestly believe that someone will waste their time reading this? Some people like reading other people’s survey answers. I do.  do you like your teeth? No. the last male that you texted just confessed his undying love for you do you still speak to him? Uh, that’s my younger brother... are you in a hurry to grow up? I was never in a hurry to grow up. I wasn’t the kid who couldn’t wait to be an adult. Even at 30 I’m still not ready, but time keeps going whether you’re ready or not. who was the last person you were in a vehicle with other than family? I haven’t been in a car with anyone other than my family in years. does piano music tend to calm you down? I don’t use that as a way to calm down, but I suppose it probably would help at least a little. It is nice to listen to. do a 180, then turn back around and tell me what you saw. Nah. do you actually pay attention to the lyrics in a song before you add it? Sometimes, but usually it’s just if I like how it sounds. Then I’ll listen to it closer.  how many people can you think of that you know named christopher? One. how far away are the people you miss most? 3 of them passed away. I don’t know where the other is. what’s something you need to get done soon? I’ve been needing to do a lot of things for a long time. what is the most repulsing smell you can ever recalling catching a whiff of? Public restrooms can smell pretty rank sometimes. :X your best friend tells you they’re moving. believe it or think it’s a joke? Uh, I’d sure hope my mom would be joking if she said that. I’d be like, “So, we’re moving?” who’s pool did you last swim in? It was a friend’s boyfriend’s pool. is your best friend awake right now? Yes. are any of your friends or family members out of town right now? Not anyone in my immediate family. I don’t know where every single person in my extended family is, I have a large family. your grandparents just died in a plane crash, what are you doing? I’d be devastated to say the least. what website did you last visit (and no, myspace doesn’t count on this one) Well that’s good cause it wasn’t Myspace. Haven’t been there in over 10 years. Anyway, apart from this one it was Google.  if i came to your house, could i find any kind of chocolate? There’s brownies. There may be chocolate ice cream bars, too. do your parents allow smoking in your house? Nope.  does everyone in your top friends really deserve to be in that place? what size bed do you have? Full. would you rather frolic through a field of daisies, sunflowers, or daffodils? “Tiptoe through the tulips...” lol. do you remember the last time that you colored a picture and what did you draw? I don’t draw, but I like color. I last colored something earlier this year. last person you left a voicemail for? I don’t like voicemails. what is the last thing you charged? My phone. who was the last person to upload a picture with you in it? My aunt. have you ever held a snake? Nooooooooooo. what did you last use tape for? I don’t remember.  what was your score last time you bowled? I don’t remember. The last time I went bowling was several years ago. do you remember your cubby hole number from kindergarten? No. Actually, I’m not completely sure they even had numbers... I feel like they had our names. Awwww that made me so nostalgic and kinda sad. I miss those days. :( do you like peas? No. is your current status update and mood accurate on what you’re doing? I haven’t posted a status on Facebook in a long time. describe to me the nearest stuffed animal to you. There’s 3 on my bed: a small dog squishmallow, which is a super soft and squishy stuffed animal, a big giraffe squishmallow, and a regular giraffe stuffed animal.  what is the last cd that you listened to in a vehicle? I don’t remember, it’s been years. do you ever wear sleep masks when you sleep or shower caps when you shower? No. I kinda want to get a cooling eye mask, though. what would you like to drink right now? I’m good with my Starbucks Doubleshot. zebrah print, cheetah print, cow print, polka dots, or stripes? Polka dots or stripes. could you tell me exactly what pets everyone in your tops friends have? when is the last time you ate pudding or yogurt? Several years ago, not a big fan of either one. do you like raisins? Yeah. do you tend to drink lemonade often? Nope. It’s been years since I’ve had lemonade.  would you rather go to a beach, and amusement park, or a water park? Beach or Disneyland/World if I got to pick the amusement park.

[yeshawrites]

4.

AGENCY, CHAPTER 4. You can find all other works of mine here. NOTES: This story is not always friendly. It contains some graphic content, brief mentions of non-sexual nudity, murder, death, and plenty of language. Please be advised before you read it. Some upsetting content is in this chapter.

Dahlia sat perched on the edge of her bathroom counter, teasing her bubblegum pink, short hair just so. Peering intently into the mirror, she dragged a finger slowly downward under her eye, poking at the skin. Bags? Oh no. That would simply not do. She turned to the left, unlatching a multi-tiered box and sliding the trays out one by one. Pots and pump bottles and lotions of all sorts sat in the bottom, eyeshadows stacked neatly on the second row and more lipsticks, mascaras, and eyeliners than were necessary piled together in the third. Teasing her favorite face cream out, she pumped a dollop onto her finger and set to massaging it in. Exactly two minutes, she reminded herself, then let sit for two minutes. That was what the sales rep said. Makeup had come so far.

Technology as a whole, she mused absently, had come even farther. How long ago was it that they were using telegrams? Now you took a picture on your phone and it was global in mere seconds. It excited her something terribly, but even her exuberance at the newness was tempered with caution. Better technology meant better cameras and heat sensors and traps and communication. She supposed even Jason Voorhees might have been stymied by kids who thought to SnapChat him. But that was where knowledge came in. As quickly as technology had sprung up, her knowledge was still a vast pool, a shark in the water. Cameras were fallible, and heat sensors could be tricked. People made mistakes. Traps sprang without their prey. It was just a matter of patience, caution, and knowledge. Dahlia inspected her skin tone and spread a light color correcting creme over her face, applying a layer of foundation after. Touching up with a hint of blush, she combed her wayward brows and plucked them to perfection. Out came her eyeliner. Oh how she loved eyeliner; back in the day she used so much that these modern sticks would never have lasted her. Now she preferred to keep it simple. She coated her eyelashes with a layer of mascara and applied her lipstick: bright, vibrant pink. Too much pink? She asked herself. No. Never too much pink. She hopped from the counter and pranced through her sunny pink-and-white bedroom, candy cane stripes on her wall and plush pillows on her bed and billowy, pink curtains drawn over long windows. Delving into her closet, Dahlia pried out a pair of jeans and a white top, throwing on a pink necklace to match her sparkly pink nails. She appraised herself in the mirror and blew herself a kiss. How she had ever thought to go out in public before makeup was a continual source of wonder and embarrassment for her. “I’m lovely.” She smiled broadly at herself and did an experimental twirl. Now for shoes. Reaching under her bed, Dahlia pulled out a steamer trunk overflowing with them. She positively, absolutely adored the things. Heels, flats, boots, platforms, wedges--anything was good by Dahlia so long as they were cute. She’d once picked a fight with a Seraph after he broke one of her favorite heels. It had not gone well for her--but it had not gone well for him either, the smug, suit-wearing bastard. Rifling through the packed case, she pulled out a pair of three inch, strappy bubblegum heels with a large stone set on the front of them. How perfect--a perfect outfit for a perfect day. She pulled on her purse and hopped down the stairs two at a time, never afraid of falling. Jangling her keys about in a hand, Dahlia stepped into her living room (also decorated mainly in pink, grey the compliment this time) and peered through the French doors into her dining room. “I’ll be back!” Wiggling her fingers in a wave, she gave a sad smile to the man duct taped to her dining room chair. His eyes were huge with horror, sweat rolling in beads down his forehead. “Now now, don’t sweat all over that chair. It’s an antique, I’ll have you know, straight from Russia. You stay put right there until I get back.” The man had no choice. He tried to say something, but it came through the tape as only a muffled mmmmmmph. “What was that? Oh, I’m sure you can tell me all about it once I come home and deal with you. Toodles!” Popping her pastel pink earbuds into her ears, she turned up her music and bounced out the door, locking it securely behind her. --- Click click click click click click click click click-- Tiffany rested her head against the window, staring directly at Jeremy, wondering when he would turn the damn blinker off. It had been on for the better part of two miles and no sign of stopping yet. Midlothian Turnpike was hell enough without the infernal noise. Click click click click click click click--He hummed something absently and she wondered if he even knew it was on. “Blinker’s on,” she announced finally. He gasped as if shot and smacked it down. “Well that’s embarrassing. I’m becoming an old man.” “You’re twenty-two.” “I’m aaaaancient.” She rocked her head back against the window and stared outside at the yellow street lights flickering by. The sky was an inky black bleeding into blue, the headlights carving a path through the deserted streets. Night shifts sucked, especially in the Midlothian area. At least there was something to look at in Richmond; up in the suburbs, there was nothing but fast food and grocery stores and banks and dentists. They passed a 7-11 converted into a pizza place and Tiffany wondered why it was that the convenience store did so poorly around here. She assumed it had something to do with all the rich people. “You aren’t mad at me or something, are you, girl?” Jeremy asked anxiously. “Huh? No. No, why?” He heaved relief. “Oh, good. You were just quiet is all. I was worried you were annoyed with me or something.” ���Over the blinker? Sure,” she joked. “But no. We’re solid. I’m just tired.” “Yeah.” Nodding sympathetically, he took a turn past the gym. “You work hard, lady. You should take a break from that restaurant every once in a while.” “Nah, ‘cause then my parents will really think I’m not doing anything.” “Oh God. Are they still hounding you about college?” “Yep,” she sighed. “I tried to tell them I wanted a year off before I committed.” “Didn’t listen?” “Nope.” “Aw. I’m sure they’ll come around. They love you no matter what.” Tiffany side-eyed Jeremy and wondered what he meant by that. His parents no longer spoke to him. Apparently accepting their daughter as a son was not possible.

“Do you want to play some music?” He offered. “Oh, come on. We never agree on music.” He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah. That’s right. I mean, maybe you’ll like The--” “--If you say ‘Decemberists’, I’ll kindly remind you we listened to that the last six times you were trying to come up with a compromise.” “Two times.” “Two times,” she admitted. “You get what I’m saying.” “Well,” he started slowly. There was a cop ahead of them. Even though their plates would come up with special privileges, Jeremy slowed on instinct. “We could just pop on the radio. It gets dull if no one is talking.” Tiffany thought about it and mentally agreed. They needed something going. Once midnight hit it would be twenty hours awake for her, and she was ready for bed. She punched the radio on and ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears filled the cab. Her laughter intersected with Jeremy’s squeal of delight. “Oh come ON. You, the hipster king, like Britney Spears?” “I don’t think you understand.” He held up a finger while taking the u-turn near the YMCA, heading right back the way they came. “This was my middle school-slash-high school jam.” “Jer, could you get more stereotypically gay right now?” “I’m pretty sure ‘Toxic’ is a baby gay rite of passage,” He joked. “Anyone who says they didn’t like ‘Toxic’ but still like it up the butt is lying to you.” “Jeremy David--!” The sensor box mounted on the dash glowed fiercely blue, warped into purple, tried to force its way back to green and began squealing. Jeremy stomped on the brakes, the Lincoln screeching to a halt the same time that the sensor outright exploded, bits of wire and plastic casing spraying them. Tiffany screamed and shielded her face, drawing her knees up protectively as Jeremy dove for cover. A moment of silence as the pieces rattled to the floor like hail, and they both surfaced tentatively to inspect the damage. “What the hell was that?” She asked shakily. “No fuckin’ clue,” Jeremy managed. Together they stared out the windows at their surroundings, nearly forgotten in their conversation. To the left, a lake on the edge of an apartment complex lapped silently at walking trails. As one, their gaze shifted slowly to the right and to the mass of trees, a parking lot to a series of pathways leading into pitch blackness under the boughs. “Not the Coal Mines?” Tiffany moaned softly. “Might be.” He reached unsteadily for the radio mounted on the dash. “I’m calling this in.”

[icantkeepquiet]

Here’s all the jewelry you grew up viewing and admiring on the women whom had the most impact in your life. Now pick out your favorite pieces. Go!

Woof. I never know what to expect with this whole experience of my Mother no longer being here. Going through a loved one’s things can be difficult, emotional, or straight up weird. Sometimes all three at once.

Earlier this week as I was cleaning out my Mom’s vanity with my Dad and said “She would just have a fit knowing we’re going through all her things.” My Mother was warm and welcoming but also an insanely private person despite having 5 children, aka constantly surrounding by people. Apart from personal care and fashion, she also had notebooks upon notebooks of her personal thoughts, prayers, and dreams.

June 8th, the day my Mother died and June 15th, the day of her funeral. Almost 260 attended her funeral. Each of my 4 siblings & I spoke. (This delicate bracelet is one of my favorites.)

The Jewelry.

My Dad, bless his heart, has been trying to get my two sisters and I all three together at his house to go through all the of jewelry my Mother had. I am going to give a few tips on how we went through everything and then show you a few pieces I got.

1. First thing we did is get everything out of the jewelry boxes and storage containers. It is much easier to go through things if you can see everything. Here is video of how much there really was. Although my Mother had a lot of jewelry, not many items were considered “precious” despite many being precious-to-us. (Some families going through jewelry may want to get certain items appraised.)

2. Next what we did was take away things we thought were not things we’d be interested at all. These were newer pieces we didn’t remember our Mom wearing very much, things that were too specific style wise, or too commercial looking. Then we put aside the items that had the most memories, we saw her wear the most, or the item just screamed “Carole Walker!”

3. After we did most of the sorting, we went back and forth about what we liked the most. I reminded my sisters, “Maybe some of this stuff isn’t our style now, but it might be one day.” I zoned in on the things that spoke to me the most regardless of what was “in” and came away with several things. I encouraged each sister to take the things they really wanted in the moment that each one was “hemming and hawing”. One sister wanted my Mother’s wedding ring and the other wanted her locket with pictures of her and my Dad.

Now I’ll share what pieces I took home.

Can you tell I love gold tone earrings? I can never say no to simple studs. The black beaded necklace was one thing that I remember being briefly “in” again when I was going through a hipster stage right after high school. So I grabbed it because it reminded me of those days when I would frequently borrow my Mom’s jewelry. The square metal and stone earrings remind me of how distinct my Mom always was with her accessories. Although I’m not a boho-chic girl, I couldn’t leave these behind. Maybe someday a daughter of my own will be and she’ll love them. The dangle chain earrings are just so me and the half oval hoops are as boho as I can pull off.

Mom wore so many shades or green and blue. Turquoise was perfect for her, I *think* I got this bracelet for her in Mexico. I could be totally wrong about the origins, but this is something I remember her frequently wearing. As I feel the cool large beads it reminds me of her warm plump hands and beautiful nails. I remember sitting at her dining room table and at tough times she would grab my hand and say “Carrie, I really think everything’s going to work out for you.” Then she would undoubtedly pray with me. And you know what? Everything did work out for me.

The funny thing about this is I found it earlier this week when I was having lunch with my Dad. I said “Oh, I thought Mom had already given this to me. I’ll have to check my jewelry box and if it’s not there I think this one is mine.” Well of course I forgot to check between then and when my sisters and I were meeting up there. I found it again as we were going through things and told my sisters the same thing. Well lo and behold, I came across another one just minutes later! Now it seemed that Mom had a plan for these heart brooches. I said “Okay, I think Mom was intending for each of us to get one of these. I’ll check my jewelry box as soon as I get home and report back to you.” Above is the picture I texted my sisters after finding this in my jewelry box. Our Mother had three of these hearts and was planning on giving one to each of us, which makes this even more special. She just gave me mine a little early.

This little ring actually fits my finger! Hooray! I couldn’t hardly believe it but there it is. I never dreamed I’d have another diamond ring anytime soon. I’d gladly trade it for it’s former owner but alas, here I am with this ring. I believe this ring is my Granny’s (grandma on my Dad’s side) from her second and most definitely happier marriage.

Lastly, this watch was handed down to my Mother from…someone older than her? Okay, I don’t really know, of course it was someone older, I just don’t know which side of the family. I remember sneaking into my Mom’s room and snooping through her dresser. I used to open this little orange bag and look through all the treasures. I marveled at the loose diamonds (we’re still looking for those) and this beautiful watch. I was always so careful to put everything back. I would sit, admire, and imagine what life would go with something so elegant. (The answer little Carrie, is whatever life you want.) I will be getting a band to secure it because unfortunately it did not come with one. My cousin works at a custom jewelry store called Johnson Jeweler in Woodbury, MN and I’m sure she’ll have some suggestions of what can be done. We will likely also get a few other things repaired and resized there.

Tomorrow, June 8th, is the one year anniversary of my Mother’s death. I’m doing pretty well but I don’t know what to expect for tomorrow. My whole family will be altogether for the first time since Christmas and viewing her newly installed headstone for the first time. As I was having a tearful moment…okay fine…complete waterworks mid-writing this post, I told my husband “This is all just stuff, it has no meaning until you assign it. I’d give it all away if I could have her back.” He reminded me, yes it’s just stuff, but having these things will give me bright moments to remember her and they’ll become even more special to share when we have kids.

I needed that reminder in my bitter moment, that someday they will carry the memories.

Do you have anything special to you from a living or passed loved one? What things do you hope to pass on to your kids or loved ones someday as a special gift?

My Mother’s Jewelry Here's all the jewelry you grew up viewing and admiring on the women whom had the most impact in your life.

[krystangreen-blog]

One of the best things to do in Hong Kong is to go shopping in its various markets, outlets, specialty stores, and luxury malls. The diverse selection suites a variety of budgets and tastes. Some Hong Kong shopping even appeals to the younger set if visiting Hong Kong with kids.

Nearly anything you forgot to pack can be sourced after arrival. I can tell you that when people came to visit us in Hong Kong with only one suitcase, they wound up buying another to cart various treasures home with them. (I’ll tell you also where to pick up inexpensive large bags and luggage if you find yourself in the same situation).

As I was writing this, more stores I love kept coming to mind. There are seriously too many fantastic places to shop in Hong Kong. So, I tried to narrow this list to include markets, malls, boutiques, shopping streets and outlets that are worthwhile if pressed for time on a short stay. Which you choose depends on your itinerary, where your Hong Kong hotel is, and personal taste.

Hong Kong Markets and Shopping Streets

Sham Shui Po (Top Pick)

Kowloon Neighborhood: Sham Shui Po MTR Station: Sham Shui Po (exits depend on which street you choose)

One could spend an entire day leisurely browsing Sham Shui Po and its various shopping streets. This working-class neighborhood was the heart of Hong Kong’s textiles industry in the 1950s and 1960s. The area is still popular with local and international designers with many vendors offering wholesale pricing.

It’s a must visit for anyone interested in crafts, sewing, toys or electronics. I know people in the fashion industry who head to these Sham Shui Po streets for inspiration and products. You will not see variety like this in such a small, walkable area anywhere else in the world.

Tip: These streets don’t get going until 10:30 a.m. or even a bit later. Come up early to skip the lines at the original Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan. That way you’re fueled up for shopping and ticked one of their legendary baked barbecue pork buns off of your to-do list.

Yu Chau Street (Bead Street)

Go here to find beads, shells, crystals, stones, ribbons, and more for making jewelry, crafts, bedazzling or whatever else your crafty self desires. This street is why I have shelves of ribbon for gift wrap.

Ki Lung Street (Button Street)

Buttons of every shape, color, and size adorn button street. You’ll also find bolts of fabric to choose from, ribbons, zippers, and other fantastic sewing and craft accessories.

Nam Cheong Street (Ribbon Street)

Buy ribbons on reels or cut what you need from the mindboggling selection on ribbon street. You’ll also find lace, iron-on patches, pom poms and other adornments. You’ll find most where Yu Chau Street meets Nam Cheong Street.

Tai Nan Street (Leather Street)

Offerings on Tai Nan Street used to be much more robust, but there are still a handful of places to buy leather and leather goods like handbags. Stop into Luen Cheong Leather Hong Kong, which has been in business since 1948, to take a peek at their vegetable tanned leather.

Yen Chow Street Temporary Hawker Bazaar

This Hong Kong gem is earmarked for demolition, but many of the vendors have been selling from these stalls for over 40 years. You’ll find loads of family-run stalls with every usable space jammed with bolts of fabric and accessories. It’s a packed outdoor market covered by a metal roof beloved by design students and the fashion industry. It’s sweltering here in summer but pop in and take a look while you can as it will be a tragic loss.

Fuk Wing (Toy Street)

Yes, plan room in your suitcase for whatever catches your kids’ eyes here. Typically, you’ll find whatever the latest craze is (fidget spinners galore) in addition to dolls, school supplies (loads of cute pens, pencils, lunchbox accessories), games, balls, pool toys and more. It’s a good place to buy kids’ party favors.

Apliu Street Flea Market (Electronics)

Get your senses ready for the enormous selection of new and second-hand electronics from clocks to phones to stereos to computer gadgets. Be mindful of your country’s voltage requirements when shopping for electronics. You’ll also find watches and other trinkets floating around.

Dragon Centre 

Dragon Centre the only real shopping mall in Sham Shui Po. It’s nine stories of mostly small specialty shops with some dining outlets and more prominent names mixed in. There is so much to see inside that you might want to make it a separate visit after walking the various nearby shopping streets. Kids (and you) will like the Apple Mall on floors 5-7 where one can find Hello Kitty, stationery, fashion and more.

Also inside is the iconic Leung So Kee umbrella company. They’ve been fixing and making umbrellas in Hong Kong since 1885 (not always at this location), a true art. Dragon Centre is at 37K Yen Chow St.

Fa Yuen Street: Sneaker Street and Market

Kowloon Neighborhood: Mongkok MTR: Mongkok, Exit D3

Like sneakers? Go to Fa Yuen Street (between Soy and Argyle Streets) to find a mindboggling selection of sneakers throughout 50 shops including foreign brands and limited edition styles. Most are authentic, and you can try to bargain a little, but beware of knock-offs.

Keep walking north, and you’ll find Fa Yuen Street Market (pictured above) which offers a random assortment of food, clothing, toys, electronics, handbags, hair accessories and much more. It’s a smaller, yet still fun, version of the Ladies Market.

Ladies Market

Kowloon Neighborhood: Mongkok MTR Station: Mongkok Station, Exit E2

Ladies Market lines Tung Choi Street and, while touristy, we always enjoy stopping here because there are bargains to be had. Like other Hong Kong street markets, bargaining is the norm. It’s also an excellent place to pick up an extra suitcase and not just for the ladies. In addition to fashion, socks, undergarments, and handbags, shoppers can find electronics, housewares, toy, food and more. There are hundreds of stalls and shops along this street which is why it’s one of the most popular Hong Kong Markets.

At the end of the street, you’ll find the Goldfish Market as well, which is a handful of stores displaying gorgeous fish in what amounts to to-go bags. And, you can continue walking to the Flower Market.

Flower Market

Kowloon Neighborhood: Mongkok MTR Station: Prince Edward, Exit B1 (Walk east along Prince Edward Road West until you reach the market)

While your need for fresh flowers on vacation might be slim, make a quick stop into the Flower Market for a look at giant chrysanthemums and flowers of all colors. I’ve also purchased party supplies, vases, and other flower arranging materials here over the years. It’s particularly beautiful during Chinese New Year when vendors display gourds, citrus trees, and other decorations.

Jade Market

Kowloon Neighborhood: Yau Ma Tei MTR Station: Yau Ma Tei, Exit C (walk toward Nathan Road, turn right on Nathan Road and then right on Kansu Street)

Over 400 stalls sell jade of all quality ranges and colors including carvings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, rings, figurines, and more. I particularly like the trivets  I’ve purchased here over the years.

The Jade Market rests at the intersection of Kansu and Battery Streets. It’s helpful to know a little bit about jade before heading in so that you are armed with knowledge before making a substantial purchase.

Truthfully, this Hong Kong shopping experience is better for inexpensive to moderate trinkets, pendants, and bracelets. For top quality jade from a reputable dealer, try Chow Tai Fook, Edward Chui (this store has moved to Landmark Prince’s, and I adore his designs), or Chinese Arts and Crafts (more on this store below).

Temple Street Night Market

Kowloon Neighborhood: Yau Ma Tei MTR Station: Yau Ma Tei, Exit C or Jordan Exit A

The Temple Street Night Market is also a very popular Hong Kong market that is touristy but fun. Go shopping for similar trinkets found in other markets like pashminas, cheap cheongsams, gadgets, handbags and souvenirs. However, this market is a little more like a festival with street performers and fortune tellers to entertain. One also goes for street food. 

The Lanes (Li Yuen Street East and Li Yuen Street West)

Island Neighborhood: Central MTR Station: Central, Exit C (walk west on Des Veoux Road) or Exit D2 (turn right in the little alleyway, then immediate left on a pedestrian street until you see Queen’s Road. Then, turn right and walk to Li Yuen Street East and start there)

Li Yuen Street East and Li Yuen Street West, known as “The Lanes,” are conveniently located just off Queens Road near the Mid Levels escalator. You’ll find knick-knacks galore, pashminas, cheongsam dresses, souvenirs, underwear, luggage (I tell people to go here for cheap extra suitcases) and more.

Walk down one lane from Queens Road, then head either left or right on Des Voeux Road (depending on which lane you start in) and continue onward in the other lane to complete both in a “u” shape. They’re not big streets but make for a nice detour when exploring this part of Central. 

Also, Pottinger Street market is across the street on Queen’s Road.

Pottinger Street Market

Island Neighborhood: Central MTR Station: Central, Exit D2 (turn right in the little alleyway with stalls, then immediate left on a pedestrian street until you see Queen’s Road. Then, turn right and cross the street when you can. You’ll see the steps leading to the market before you hit the escalator.)

From Queen’s Road, walk up the stairs to the Pottinger Street market, a mecca for costumes year-round (or walk it downhill from Wyndham Street/Hollywood Road to see it in full).

Outside of Halloween, this little market comes in handy for Rugby Sevens costumes, kids parties and whatever else you can think of. We’ve raided this street for photo booth props, which are trending where we live (like 25 feather boas and wigs for a recent birthday party).

The vendors here sell seasonal decor and props for various holidays including Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Chinese New Year.

Hollywood Road

Island Neighborhood: Between Central and Sheung Wan MTR Station: Central or Sheung Wan

Cat Street Market (Top Pick)

Island Neighborhood: Sheung Wan MTR Station: Central, Exit D2 (Turn right in the little alleyway with stalls, then immediate left on a pedestrian street until you see Queen’s Road. Then, turn right and walk to the Mid-Levels escalator. Get on the escalator and exit on Hollywood Road. Walk about 10 minutes to the market. You’ll see Man Mo Temple on the opposite side of the street.)

This is the place to go for Chinese memorabilia like propaganda posters and Little Red Book copies also mixed in with genuine Chinese antiques and inexpensive trinkets. You’ll also find jade, silk products, handicrafts, and home accents. My daughter bought a box full of jade rollers for $6 each (which are selling for $30 each at Sephora).

The street is called Upper Lascar Road and is accessible from Hollywood Road, across the street from Man Mo Temple. Pair a visit to Cat Street with a stop into the temple.

We walk to Cat Street Market down the Queen’s Road from Central hotels there are other shops to be seen. You can stop into Pottinger Street and The Lanes along the way, too.

Tai Yuen Street (Toy Street)

Island Neighborhood: Wan Chai MTR Station: Wan Chai, Exit A3 (Walk toward Johnston Road, and you’ll see it.)

This toy street on the island in Wan Chai delivers all sorts of games, school supplies, and gadgets that kids will love. It’s possible to buy in bulk and where we purchased 25 dolls that we turned into mandrakes for my daughter’s Harry Potter party. It sells many of the same goods as Fuk Wing Street so no need to visit both toy streets unless your kids insist or this one happens to be close to your hotel or other stops on your itinerary.

Jardine’s Crescent

Island Neighborhood: Causeway Bay MTR Station: Causeway Bay, Exit F (Look right after exiting the tunnel and walk a few paces to the small market entrance.)

Jardine’s Crescent is referred to as the Ladies Market of the island because you’ll find handbags, clothing, accessories. The entry is easy to miss. It’s next to a Bonjour cosmetics store. The market doesn’t look like much, but it is rather large and fun if you can take the time to walk through it. 

Stanley Market

Island Neighborhood: Stanley (south side of the island) MTR Station: None. Take a taxi or bus.

The market is around the corner from this promenade.

If there’s no MTR Station then why would you make an effort to go all the way over to Stanley Market? The answer is because you want to see the quieter side of the island. Stanley Market offers more or less the same items for sale, with more clothes though including some brand names. Favorite purchases here include some limited edition watercolors of Hong Kong that hang in our home. It’s also easy to have name chops made (your name in a Chinese character), a souvenir that kids love.

It’s easily a good half-day trip between browsing the many stalls, walking around and a bite to eat in the market or at one of the bars and restaurants. Sitting on these patios in good weather is lovely.

A taxi ride from Central takes about 45 minutes and as the roads can twist and turn those prone to motion sickness should take caution. A bus can take anywhere from 60-90 minutes depending traffic and on where you catch it. Most people catch the bus at Exchange Square.

Revitalized Historic Buildings and Boutiques

Recently, several historic buildings have been revitalized into lifestyle destinations that tourists and locals both love.

PMQ

Island Neighborhood: Sheung Wan MTR Station: Central, Exit D2 (Turn right down the little alleyway, make an immediate left on a pedestrianized street, go right on Queen’s Road, get on the Mid-Levels escalator and exit on Staunton Street. Walk a few minutes to PMQ.) or Sheung Wan, Exit E1 (Turn right to Des Voeux Road Central, then turn right to Gilman’s Bazaar. Go straight towards Queen’s Road Central. Walk along Aberdeen Street for around 7 minutes, and you’ll see PMQ.

PMQ is home to local design galleries, including outlets of popular local brands like G.O.D. and Vivienne Tam, in addition to bookstores, cafes, and offices. If you like to support local businesses and get a glimpse of up-and-coming designers during your travels, this is an excellent place for it. 

Queen’s College, an elite school where many of the country’s leaders studied (Dr. Sun Yat Sen studied, albeit he attended when it was at a different location), was built on this site in 1889. The college was destroyed during WWII. Hollywood Road Police Married Headquarters (PMQ) was built in its place to increase police recruitment. The 140 single room units and 28 double room units for the rank and file officers serving at the nearby Central Police Station are now galleries and boutiques. The buildings have been expanded as well to accommodate even more local talent.

I particularly love the homewares and gifts. On Saturdays, there is usually some sort of fun activity happening in the courtyard. Be sure to shop all sides of the complex.

Tai Kwun (Top Pick)

Island Neighborhood: Old Town Central MTR Station: Central, Exit D2 (Turn right down the little alleyway, make an immediate left on a pedestrianized street, go right on Queen’s Road, get on the Mid-Levels escalator. On the walkway above Hollywood Road, you’ll see steps leading into a large building. Take them into Tai Kwun.)

That Central Police Station referenced above in PMQ? Well, it’s also been revitalized into a fantastic centre of arts and heritage that opened in the last year. Go mostly for the culture but wedge in a stop at the boutiques and grab a bite to eat. Boutiques I like include Loveramics (neat housewares), LockCha Tea Shop and the gifts in the Visitor Center.

Other things to do at Tai Kwun include free guided tours (register on their website or via their app in advance), a self-guided scavenger hunt for kids that they can stamp along the way, walking through the former prison yard and cells, a drink al fresco in the courtyard, and more. Do check to see what exhibitions are happening at the various galleries during your visit. Be sure to grab a map as the complex is rather large.

Western Market

Island Neighborhood: Sheung Wan MTR Station: Sheung Wan, Exit B or C (Head down Connaught or Des Voeux Road and you can’t miss the building)

Wikimedia Commons: WiNG [CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Edwardian-style building is the oldest in Sheung Wan and revitalized in the early 1990s to house arts and crafts vendors. Western Market is mostly famous for its fabric vendors who were moved off of the streets and into this building.

Tip: You can pair a visit to Western Market with a walk down Dried Seafood Street which is Des Voeux Road West. While, yes, it’s a shopping street I might consider this more sightseeing than retail therapy. The same goes for Tonic Street which is a plethora of exotic Chinese medicinal ingredients on Wing Lok and Ko Shing Streets.

Gough Street

Island Neighborhood: Sheung Wan (or NoHo for north of Hollywood Road) MTR Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2 (On Wing Lok Street walk left toward Central, turn right on Man Mah and left on Bonham Street. Continue to Wellington Street, turn right on Aberdeen Street until you reach Gough Street) but you can easily walk from Central.

Boutique lovers should walk Gough Street, regarded as the coolest street in Hong Kong. It’s an eclectic mix of restaurants, cafes, hipster boutiques, old-school favorites, and housewares. It used to be a street of printers, and there are a handful of printing and stationery shops left.

Tip: If there’s no line at Kau Kee (dare to dream) get a brisket noodle soup bowl here even if you’re not hungry. They’re famous for a reason. Kids will love a Hong Kong waffle ice cream at Oddie’s.

Starstreet Precinct

Island Neighborhood: Wan Chai MTR Station: Admiralty, Exit F (Look for the Three Pacific Place Underground Link and it will take you there.)

A combination of Star Street and adjoining lanes Moon Street, Sun Street, and Wing Fung Street, Starstreet Precinct is home to art galleries, home decor and furniture stores, and cafes. This center of design and lifestyle stores is likened to London’s Covent Garden. You’ll also find various cafes. Starstreet Precinct surrounds Three Pacific Place so you can pair it with a visit to Pacific Place Mall.

Hong Kong Shopping Malls

Hong Kong is famous for its mega luxury malls, many of which are attached to hotels providing another layer of convenience for tourists. It’s hot in the summer so having an MTR station, grocery store, drug store, and more nearby without ever going outside is a significant perk.

Harbour City

Kowloon Neighborhood: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station: Tsim Sha Tsui, Exit A1 (This station is enormous. Walk right on Haiphong Road to Canton Road. Turn left, and you’ll see Harbour City. From Central or Wan Chai, it’s easier to take the Star Ferry. Facing away from the harbour, the mall is to the left after you get off the Star Ferry.)

LCX at Harbour City

We’ll start with the largest shopping mall in Hong Kong, Harbour City, conveniently located at the cruise ship terminal and steps from the Star Ferry. Over 450 retail stores offer a wide range of diversity (unlike Central malls which are mostly designer brands) from Muji to Gucci Kids.

The mall is divided up into zones for electronics, kids, sports, luxury goods, beauty and more so you will find like stores grouped together. Do download the Harbour City app or pick up a paper map. I’ve been visiting this mall for 15 years regularly and still find maps helpful. Teens and tweens should head to LCX where shops and stalls of brands that appeal to them are located.

Don’t forget to eat at one of the over 50 dining outlets. I recently enjoyed lunch at Hexa with its rare 270-degree view of Victoria Harbour (you can also see this from Harbour City’s viewing deck on the rooftop above the restaurant.

Tip: Canton Road and its hub of designer stores is right outside of Harbour City where you can shop Louis Vuitton’s largest store in Asia and Chanel’s Asia flagship store in addition to an enormous duty-free DFS Galleria.

Pacific Place

Island Neighborhood: Admiralty MTR Station: Admiralty, Exit F

Pacific Place is the luxury shopping mall that the Admiralty hotels (Island Shangri-La, Upper House, Conrad, and JW Marriott) are connected to. This provides enormous convenience for guests as there is no need to go outside to grab necessities or get to the MTR station (also inside the mall). Anchored by Lane Crawford department store, you’ll find the likes of Chanel, Tod’s, a chemist, and even an AMC movie theater. On the ground floor is a gourmet grocery store and food hall called Great. Take the escalators up to L4 (near Great), and you’ll see another set off escalators leading to Hong Kong Park.

The Landmark

Island Neighborhood: Central MTR Station: Central, Exit G

Four buildings make up the Landmark, a luxury mall over 200 shops and restaurants. These buildings have been rebranded with new names, each starting with Landmark.

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and Harvey Nichols anchor Landmark Atrium, the central hub of luxury stores ranging from Gucci to Vivienne Tam that surround a grand atrium that is home to elaborate displays during holidays and special events.

Everything Armani exists in Landmark Chater with separate stores for Armani Fiori (gorgeous flower arrangements), Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani Beauty, EA7, and more. Some locals call it the “Armani Building” or by its old name Chater House.

Landmark Prince’s (otherwise known as Prince’s Building) borders Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. Find Oliver’s gourmet grocery store, Bookazine (excellent for books and Hong Kong souvenirs), Altfield’s for antiques, and the third floor full of children’s clothing and necessities. Mothercare is a good stop if you forgot to pack baby gear.

Landmark Alexandra rests in the center of the four buildings, with walkways out to the other three. It’s mostly high-rise office space, but here you’ll find large Prada and Burberry stores in addition to Starbucks.

IFC Mall (Top Pick)

Island Neighborhood: Central MTR Station: Central, Exit A or Airport Express Station, Exit F

IFC Mall is a massive luxury shopping mall full of designer brands, young brands, cosmetic brands, gourmet food brands, a city’super grocery store, multiple restaurants, dessert shops and a Lane Crawford department store. Whether you want Chanel sneakers or a Pierre Hermé macaron (we also like the green tea and chocolate soft serve at Godiva), you’re covered. Central Station and the Airport Expresss Station are also inside. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong is adjacent to this mall as well.

Times Square

Island Neighborhood: Causeway Bay MTR Station: Causeway Bay, Exit A

This bustling and massive shopping mall has some designer brands and electronics stores but is mostly geared toward young fashion and local brands. It’s anchored by a Lane Crawford department store, Marks & Spencer and the fabulous city’super gourmet grocery store. The Causeway Bay MTR station is inside Times Square.

It’s easy to walk between here and Island Beverly in just a few minutes.

Island Beverly

Island Location: Causeway Bay MTR Station: Causeway Bay, Exit E

This shopping mall is full of boutiques for the younger crowd. Browse four floors full of local, Japanese and Korean fashion and even quirky toys and some skincare. You’ll see some knock-offs, but it can be fun to browse.

Tip: Lots of Shopping in Causeway Bay

Across the street from Island Beverly is a fantastic Japanese department store called Sogo with its food hall basement if you’re hungry. Also, Causeway Bay equals retail therapy galore. Beyond Island Beverly and Times Square you’ll find Fashion Walk, Hysan Place, Lee Gardens One and Two and Jardine’s Crescent street market. You can spend multiple days shopping here.

Hong Kong Shopping Outlets

Citygate Outlets

Lantau Island Neighborhood: Tung Chung (Near Big Buddha) MTR Station: Tung Chung, Exit C

Over 90 international brands have outlets at Citygate, Hong Kong’s first outlet mall. You can also find a movie theater, restaurants, a spa and one of the largest kinetic fountains in Asia. There are deals to be had if you find the right pair of shoes in your size, etc. A Ralph Lauren dress I’d just purchased at a store in La Jolla was 80% off. It’s a matter of getting lucky. Brands here include Tumi, Burberry, Kate Spade, Diane Von Furstenberg, Nike, Fila, Shanghai Tang and more.

This Hong Kong shopping mall rests at the base of where one catches the cable car to the Big Buddha so very easy to do both in the same day. It’s also only a few MTR stops from Sunny Bay station where you change to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Line, so we made a stop at my daughter’s insistence after a long day at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Prada Outlet – Space (Top Pick)

Island Neighborhood: South Horizons MTR Station: South Horizons, Exit A (Look left, and you’ll see it.)

Space is a Prada outlet that retails past season handbags, shoes, accessories, and clothing from Prada, Prada Sport, and Miu Miu. Men and women can both shop here (though the men’s section is much smaller). I go every time we’re in Hong Kong. What you score depends on what you’re in the market for. There are quite a few handbags and shoes in addition to last season’s clothes.

Note that larger shoe sizes for women (above a 38) are hard to come by. Only a handful of people are allowed inside at once, so a small queue often forms outside. Space is usually closed on Mondays.

Horizon Plaza

Island Neighborhood: Ap Lei Chau MTR Station: South Horizons, Exit C (walk about 15 minutes along Lee Nam Road or catch a taxi from the MTR Station)

Thanks to the new South Horizon MTR line, Horizon Plaza is really easy to get to. Inside this industrial building awaits a myriad of designers, kids and furniture outlet stores. You’ll find past season clothing and accessories at discounts of up to 90%. 

Not-to-be-missed is the Lane Crawford outlet. Lane Crawford is Hong Kong’s equivalent to Saks Fifth Avenue. You’ll need patience as clothes are sorted by color and style (all white dresses in one spot, for example) rather than brand or season but it’s very worthwhile. During our most recent visit, we also found incredible savings at Saint Laurent (really), Kate Spade and Shanghai Tang. You’ll find gear for young kids, too.

Brands that may not be familiar to you but are worth a stop include I.T. (designer fashion geared toward teens and 20s), Joyce (a retailer of high-end luxury brands), and Shiatzy Chen who makes gorgeous Chinese-inspired women’s clothing.

If you’re looking to set up a flat in Hong Kong, this is where many find furniture and accessories. You might enjoy popping into Indigo, Ovo and some of the other furniture stores to see what you can stuff into your suitcase or have shipped home.

Tip: Grab a map or take a photo of the stores you want to visit on the wall above. It’s a tall building, and the handful of elevators are slow so start on the top floors and work your way down, using the staircase instead of the elevator.

Shops Around Town to Look Out For

These fantastic stores and boutiques have outlets all around Hong Kong.

G.O.D.

I’ll take a better photo of their souvenirs and housewares next time.

G.O.D (Goods of Desire) has multiple outlets around Hong Kong. It’s a local brand with contemporary jewelry, housewares, art, clothing, and accessories that celebrates everything eclectic and cool about Hong Kong, injecting a bit of humor at times.

Over the years we’ve bought everything from panda umbrellas to neat binders here. Kids who like to shop will enjoy this store, and the price point is reasonable.

Chinese Arts & Crafts

If you’re looking for high-quality Chinese jewelry (including jade), arts and crafts go to Chinese Arts & Crafts. This accredited shop has been around since 1959 with famous patrons including celebrities and politicians. I have purchased jade jewelry here and have been quite pleased with it. You’ll find top-quality art and souvenirs, too. Even if not in the market for art or jade, stop in and have a peek.

There are several branches on the island including in Central on Des Voeux Road and Pacific Place Mall.

Shanghai Tang

Gorgeous modern Chinese designer clothes and accessories for women and men.

My very favorite Hong Kong luxury brand is Shanghai Tang. Deep down, I’m hoping that my daughter will use their Imperial Tailor for her wedding dress (I regret not doing the same for my wedding).

Go here to find colorful, contemporary Chinese fashion for mostly women with men and kids represented as well. Find china, gorgeous photo frames, decorative jars and more in the housewares section.

The flagship store is located on 1 Duddell Street in Central, but there are stores in the airport, Pacific Place, Kowloon and elsewhere. A few paces from the flagship, you’ll see the famous Duddell Street lanterns which suffered damaged in the most recent typhoon.

Sasa

Sasa is basically the Sephora of Hong Kong. These stores seemingly dot every corner. Find the latest Korean, Japanese, Chinese and European beauty masks, salves and makeup here. My tween loves it, and the price points are reasonable. 

Tip: Sasa on 88 Queen’s Road Central near the escalator is one of the rare stores that open at 9:30 a.m. (check hours during the day of your visit) which make it an excellent thing to do after landing early in Hong Kong on one of the overnight flights when not much is open.

Hong Kong Shopping Tips

Wear comfortable shoes that can survive streets, gutters, uneven pavement. Hong Kong shopping from morning until nightfall and beyond is entirely possible. It’s easiest to wear a sling bag. Backpacks can be tough in tight, crowded markets. Carry a collapsible, reusable shopping bag that you can wad up and take to the markets. Hong Kongers try to avoid handing out plastic bags if they can and retail outlets charge a minimum of HKD .50 for a plastic bag.

When shopping in markets, along Nathan Road and elsewhere in Hong Kong, you might be approached by a “tout” or person on the street who is trying to persuade you to go into a back room or shop full of fake handbags, bootlegged movies, or whatever. As tempting as a near-perfect Louis Vuitton copy might be, it’s not legal so let’s say these hidden shops are a bit shady all around. Please avoid them.

Can you bargain? Yes, in the markets. I very rarely buy from the first stall. Ask for pricing every time you see something you might want to purchase and get it from the stall which is offering the lowest price. I avoid bargaining for sport—these vendors work hard and live in an expensive city—but rather to ensure the price I’m paying is fair. 

The Hong Kong Tourism board administers a program called the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme where stores must pass rigorous assessments for transparent pricing, high standards of service and quality of products. You can shop with confidence at these accredited stores. Look for QTS signage posted on the storefront windows.

If you’re not using a Hong Kong mobile carrier, Google maps may not work well for you in certain spots. It tends to get confused in places like Causeway Bay where the buildings are tall and close to each other. I sometimes take screenshots of maps before arriving. First timers in larger shopping neighborhoods like Sham Shui Po may even want to take a paper map from the hotel concierge because it’s easy to get turned around.

Take your hotel name written in Chinese with you as there are still plenty of taxi drivers who don’t speak English. I’d also take the name of your destination in case you get turned around and need to hop into a taxi to get you there. This is a Hong Kong travel tip that can apply to anywhere you need to go.

Hong Kong Shopping Tours

You’ll be able to stop into the various smaller markets on the island in between sightseeing. However, a tour of the Kowloon markets is helpful as it’s a more efficient way to visit many shopping streets in one go that otherwise might be a little difficult for a first timer.

Kowloon Market Walking Tour

This itinerary is a good one. You’ll walk the important markets in Mongkok including Flower Market, Goldfish Market, Bird Garden, Fa Yuen Street Market, Ladies Market, and Jade Market. You’ll pass Tin Hau Temple and eat famous street snacks along the way.  

[pondlinersreviewguide-blog]

Pond Liners - 7 Reasons Why I Don't Use Them

1. Liners will eventually leak. Producers have varying warranties, ranging from 15 to 30 decades, using a 75-year life expectancy. In fact, it will definitely last so long as the warranty claims as long as you leave it at the box, and keep it on your garage.

As soon as you place it in the ground, nature's forces start a contest to see which will violate its water-tight integrity first. Vying for the title of culprit are gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats, moles, roots out of trees, weeds and plants, sharp stones, thick stones, sharp things, and moose (if you live in Alaska).

If a flow does grow, it is near impossible to find it without removing all the stones covering the lining, draining the pond, spreading out the liner on the floor, and inspecting every square inch. A tiny pin hole may lose five gallons each 24 hours.

2. Bottom drains cannot be properly used with liners. Liner advocates discount using bottom drains primarily because they would rather not, because approximately one half the resources for leaks in lining ponds are from drains. When the liner is cut to install the drain, sealants are used alongside pressure rings to create a water-tight seal. The sealants dry or break seal and down collars warp, leading to time-consuming, costly fix.

3. You cannot use out-of-pond pumps. Since liner advocates don't utilize bottom drains, they can't utilize above-ground pumps, which leave no other option except to use sump pumps. These pumps were initially designed to pump water out of sump pits in basements and cellars. They aren't meant to save energy; in actuality, they are the best consumers of electricity per horsepower of all pumps. The largest retailer/wholesaler of liners, accessories and pumps sells a sump pump that produces 4200 gallons per hour in 704 watts for $339.00. This pump has to be pulled from the pond to wash debris out of its ingestion screen. It's a possible shock hazard to fish and people and is full of oil, which has the potential of leaking out and covering the surface of the pond.

In contrast, an above-ground pump that supplies 600 gallons more per hour (4,800) for less than half of the energy price (348 watts) and prices over $100 less. Running this pump 24 hours per day will lead to a savings of more than 500 each year over the sump pump. In other words, the energy savings would pay for the above-ground pump and set an additional $270 money in your pocket the first year alone.

If this is not enough incentive, a second reason to utilize the above-ground pump is that there is never a requirement to worry about it clogging since we put in two 8" anti-vortex drains on the bottom. The only maintenance required is to occasionally remove the lid from the leaf basket on the pump and dump the debris from the catch basket. Because this is a high-efficiency pump, it is extremely quiet, and standing right next to it you can barely hear it running.

With liner ponds the sump pump is located at the outside edge of the pond, not in the middle as in professional concrete and rebar constructions. We place two 8" anti-vortex drains at the center of the pond, 24" apart. As fish waste and other suspended particles and algae spores settle to the bottom, they are drawn into the drains and taken out by the filter. An ultraviolet light is placed in series between the filter and pond return in order to kill pathogenic bacteria which can cause disease and turn the pond green.

In deeper ponds that use liners, all the waste material settles and collects on the bottom and rots, creating ammonia that is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Because a sump pump is located near the outer edge of the pond and not in the middle on the bottom, maximum efficient circulation cannot be reached. This creates toxic cloudy areas in the pond's bottom. Most liner ponds I've seen are only 24" deep, and circulation is no problem in such cases. However, koi fish aren't recommended in such ponds; koi experts recommend a depth of at least 3 feet.

4. You cannot utilize a high pressure maintenance free biofilter with a liner pond. When using a sump pump, you've got to use a gravity feed bio-falls, down-flow or upflow filter. All these are inefficient and result in high maintenance costs. They need to be cleaned regularly by eliminating all the waste-laden filter press. To say the very least, this is a dirty, stinky, messy occupation which my female customers nor the majority of my male customers expect to perform.

Aqua Ultraviolet's high pressure filter contains state-of-the-art technology allowing it to be back washed with a turn of the handle. The discharge hose can guide the fish waste and particulate debris down the drain, or it can be used to water the garden or yard. The large pressure filter is intended to manage five to ten times the volume of water a gravity flow unit or bio-falls may handle.

In addition to all this, the patented gem design of the filter allows for optimum surface area where nitrifying bacteria can reside and break down nitrites. Even the"Liner Guy" wants you to use his cluttered, filthy, stinky inefficient filter since it's his filter, and it costs very little to manufacture compared to the professional bead filter. My remarks about filters come from many years of expertise, and trying almost every one which is available on the market. I jumped on the"filter bandwagon" for a couple of years and used my own design.

As soon as I found the Aqua Ultraviolet filter advertised in many pond publications, I gave it a go. I have been using it for more than ten years without any problems whatsoever. My customers clean the filter using the aid of a deal and remain clean themselves. A fantastic side benefit to this filter is that you can have twice the amount of fish in your pond compared to when using the ineffective gravity filters. Incidentally, this is not a paid endorsement of their product!

5. Security is an issue if pond liners are utilized. After a hole is dug, a pond liner is set in the hole and after that it is full of water. Rocks are then placed around the perimeter of the pond to cover up the edge of the pond lining, and more stones are piled up on a mound of dirt covered with a different lining to make a waterfall. From my 26 decades of experience, I've learned that lots of adults are just like kids when it comes to waterfalls and ponds.

They climb on the stones of the waterfall and the pond's edge. Since the rocks are all loose, they can move, tilt or shift on the pond lining, resulting in someone falling and getting hurt or, even worse, drowning. With specialist concrete and rebar structure, all of the stones have been cemented in place, providing a secure foundation to walk or climb on.

6. Pond liners restrict pond shape and configuration. Why are most liner ponds round or oval in layout? Since pond liners are dispensed on rolls and therefore available only in square or rectangular shapes. Whether an L-shaped pond was created, you would have to bunch up an excessive quantity of pond liner into the inside corner. Not only can it be wasting pricey square feet of pond liner stuff, but it makes it hard to stack rocks on top of the bunched up lining in order to cover this up.

Oh sure,"Liner Guy" you're thinking, why not he mention that special shaped pond liners can be custom made? Alright, I'll mention it! Custom pond liners could be made to order. And today I'll say that this customized pond liner will cost you up to constructing an expert pond with rebar and concrete that will last a lifetime. There, I mentioned it!

7. Last but not least, Integrity. When I read posts written by the"Liner Guy's" disciples, bragging about the ungodly profits derived from pond liner structure, I can't help but wonder how they sleep through the night. The gain derived from one day's work -- digging a pit, dropping in a pond liner, covering its surface and perimeter with loose stone, and plugging in an energy-sucking sump pump -- equals what I created in four or five days of labour. One huge difference: their warranty is one year, if you are lucky; but one built with concrete and steel is for a lifetime!

I am the person that the previous customers of"the Liner Guy" known as two or three years down the road, requesting me to repair the flow in their stinky green liner pond. A client in Poway, California paid $6,500 for a liner pond with a necklace of rock around the perimeter and a 3 x 4 ft fiberglass waterfall in its edge. I actually had to suppress a laugh when I watched it out of respect for my customer's grief.

This pond had a bottom drain which leaked; nonetheless, the major reduction of water stemmed out of a tree root puncture. In addition, it was evident that this"Liner Guy" disciple did not possess his client's long term financial well being in your mind once I found that a cheap, 7- amp energy-sucking"Jacuzzi" pump. We replaced it with a 3.6 amp high-efficiency pump which supplied nearly twice the leak.

We pulled the lining, reconfigured the pond's oval shape to serpentine, and assembled the waterfall and pond shell using rebar (8" on center) and 3500 psi concrete with stealth fiber added. We installed two 8" floor drains, included a professional skimmer, a Venturi air supply valve, a natural stone waterfall, a turtle island that supported a 25 foot bridge spanning the pond, an"Ultima II" high pressure, back-washable filter, ultraviolet light, lighting at the pond and waterfall. And a digital AquaFill pond water leveler. All this took us eight days from start to finish and cost just $2,000 over the customer originally paid.

In conclusion: Is it any wonder why I despise the"get rich quick" scheme of pond liner structure? The"liner guy" hates hearing me refer to concrete and rebar ponds as"professional construction." They insist their liner ponds are specialist construction. And if this is so, why can they market the very same kits to do-it-yourself homeowners as to the building company people for hire?

I am proud to claim over 2,000 satisfied customers over 30 decades. Ninety-five percentage of my clientele comes from referrals by satisfied clients. I don't have to wonder why this is so.

Is there a location for liner ponds? Yes, if you are renting and expect to move in a couple of years. Or if you're establishing a temporary display. No, I'm not completely against liners. They are excellent for truck beds and cheap swimming pools! For more information click https://www.theoutdoorpond.com/pond-liners/

[creativitytoexplore]

[HR] The Devil's Confession https://ift.tt/3uUzSZV

Rain falls from a black sky. Frigid water races over the mossy stone of Saint Paul Catholic Church. Thunder rattles the stained glass depiction of the Easter Resurrection. Next to the empty tomb hovers Jesus, right above the warped double doorways that lead into the sanctuary.

Inside the church, Father Collins scuttles about emptying pots of rain water. His curved spine seizes as he bends over to grab another full pot. He stumbles into a pew, gasping from the pain and is greeted by a small swarm of mosquitos. For every one he slaps against his flabby neck, two more appear.

Father Collins groans as he contemplates his lowly existence. Years ago, he had a clear path to the Vatican, but that was before all that unpleasantness in Pittsburgh. Even though all was forgiven, they still banished him to a school for blind boys in Bolivia.

Things ran their course there. His next post was this backwater dump somewhere in the Mississippi Valley swamp where the nearest living Catholic was over a hundred miles away. However, this was considered a historic sight, so the Church required someone to be there at all times; even though the only services he had performed in the last decade were all funerals.

Before Father Collins, a friar was responsible for the upkeep of this dilapidated church. Obviously, maintenance work is more suitable for a friar, not an ordained priest. However, the leadership seemed intent on ruining his career, his reputation, and his life. Instead of dining with the Pope, he chases swamp rats away from the Communion wafers that only he partakes in.

There is a loud bang as a gust of wind tears shingles off the sagging roof, and the trickle of rain from the ceiling becomes a steady stream. Father Collins shakes a frail fist at the heavens. Forsaken by his old friends and allies, forsaken by God Himself, Father Collins forms curses on his lips, but the only words he mutters are, “Devil take me.”

The wind dies down. The rain tapers off. With a groan, Father Collins grabs the overflowing pot of rainwater and waddles towards the kitchen.

Loud rapping on the door startles the priest causing him to drop the pot. Water sprays on to the pews, soaking a hymnal and a Bible. Silently cursing God and whatever lost drunk is banging on the door at this ungodly late hour, Father Collins kicks the pot under a pew, bruising his big toe in the process.

The priest grunts, the door creaks open, and suddenly Father Collins stands before a beautiful young man wearing a crisp white suit. The stranger’s pale unblemished skin radiates in the darkness. Piercing grey eyes stare out from a seductively androgynous face. All this framed with luscious blonde locks that bounce as he shakes the rain from his hair.

Composing himself, Father Collins says, “Look at you, standing in the rain. Come in, come in, what can I do for you?”

“I’ve come to make my confession, Father Collins,” says the young man. His voice reminds the priest of a gently plucked harp.

“Have we met before?”

The young man smiles, showing off a perfectly straight row of perfectly white teeth that glimmer from some unknown light source. “We’ve met a few times in the past, but I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me.”

With a skeptical gaze, Father Collins ushers the young man in, certain he would have noticed such a beautiful creature if they had ever crossed paths. The rotary candles flare up as the young man enters the sanctuary. The priest shivers with excitement as he guides the young man to the confessional booth. What sort of delicious sins will pass through those glistening soft lips?

Father Collins closes his eyes as he sits in the confessional booth, trying to remember the words to a ritual he had not performed in years. Giddiness clouds the priest’s mind as he takes a deep breath and asks the young man how long it had been since his last confession.

“Long time, Father Collins. Very, very long time.”

Father Collins smiles, sensing an exterior motive for this young man’s visit. This is no ordinary parishioner. “What is it you wish to confess, my son.”

“Murder.”

Father Collins stiffens. “I beg your pardon, but did I hear you correctly? Did you say you murdered someone?”

“Not someone, but some people. Killed a man’s children along with all his servants. Then I drove his cattle off a cliff, and I’m talking tens of thousands of cattle.”

Perhaps this young man’s company is a gift from an old friend, a sympathetic one who knows how lonely the last few years have been for Father Collins.

Choosing his words carefully, Father Collins asks, “Is this some sort of game?”

“No, I really did that. Well, not personally, but I caused it all to happen.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” asks Father Collins in a low voice.

The young man says, “Because I made a bet with God. You should know the story, you wrote a whole sermon on it, The Righteous Suffering of Job. You first gave that sermon almost forty years ago, when you held a fancy position in Pittsburgh. Same day you called little Brain Mayfield back to your office.”

The priest’s lecherous smile vanishes. How could this stranger possibly know that?

The young man waits a few moments for the priest to respond. After receiving nothing but garbled stammering from the priest, he continues, “You must remember that sermon. You went into gruesome detail about how I killed Job’s kids, his servants, and his livestock. Well… over the last few centuries, I’ve been thinking about Job’s family, and you were right. What I did was wrong. While God has an exponentially higher body count than me, that doesn’t excuse what I did, so I would like to officially apologize for that.”

The priest’s voice trembles. “Who are you?”

Ignoring the question, the young man continues, “If I have to resort to murder to corrupt a soul, perhaps that’s a soul not worth corrupting. Besides, I’ve learned it is much easier to corrupt a soul with petty inconveniences. In fact, sometimes all it takes is a leaking roof to not only get someone to curse God, but actually invite me to take them away.”

Father Collins cries out, “Who are you!”

There is a long pause. When the young man speaks, his voice lowers a few octaves. “You know who I am, Father Collins.”

Beads of sweat trickle down the priest’s wrinkled brow. “Why… Why have you come here? You can’t even be here. It’s impossible. This is sacred ground, holy ground, no evil may enter.”

A guttural laugh engulfs the room. “Then how do you explain your presence here, priest?”

Father Collins slams his way out of the confessional booth. There is a clattering on the floor. His rosary. The necklace band had snapped.

He bends down to grab it, but the wooden crucifix sizzles in his hand. Father Collins screams, dropping the rosary.

The young man appears behind him. “Do you remember Arnie Baker?”

Scooping up the rosary, Father Collins howls through the pain and throws the rosary at the man in the white suit. The man disappears, but his laughter still echoes through the sanctuary. Thunder rumbles in the distance, then all is quiet.

Was this a dream, a vision, a hallucination? Was solitude driving him mad? Or the unthinkable? The blisters on his hand seem real enough, and if those were real than that… that thing could be a demon if not the actual Devil himself. Father Collins retreats to the bowl of holy water near the entrance of the sanctuary.

As he reaches down towards the still water, the young man appears behind him. “I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”

Father Collins freezes. This has to be a bad dream. Father Collins had served the Church for over half a century, feeding the poor, comforting the distressed, and saving souls from damnation. He had nearly been appointed as a bishop. Certainly, this is just some sort of test.

The young man continues,“But back to Arnie Baker, he lived in this very town. Had family out in Pittsburgh though. Spent a couple summers out there in the very same parish you served at.”

Father Collins plunges his right hand into the holy water to fling it at the apparition. Yet the water boils upon touch, and when he tears his hand away, large chunks of burnt flesh fall off. With a shriek, the priest falls to the floor.

Smirking down at the priest, the young man says,“Told you not to touch it. You’re mine now.”

Father Collins watches in horror as the skin peels from his hand. Then blood, muscle, and tendon ooze off the bone. A scream freezes in his throat.

The young man says, “Now you must have done something really special for Arnie Baker, because even though he never went to mass or any other church service after those summers in Pittsburgh, he wrote in his suicide note he wanted to be buried in a Catholic cemetery.”

Father Collins crawls to his feet. He hobbles to the door and tugs at the handle. Not locked, but by some demonic magic, the door refuses to budge.

The young man steps closer to the trembling priest. “In fact, he’s buried in the cemetery right behind this church.”

Father Collins shouts a jumbled Latin phrase and runs past the young who smiles at the priest skimpering into the sacristy.

The priest slams the door behind him, throwing every ounce of his flabby frame against the door. For a few moments, everything is silent. Even the wind ceases howling. The priest lets out a quiet sob as he stares at the hand which is nothing but a stump of scorched bone and pus-spewing flesh.

The young man walks out from the vestment closest. “Arnie Baker… you took him under your wing as soon as you laid eyes on him. Got him to take his first communion. Next summer you personally selected him to be an altar boy.”

Father Collins slides down the door until he is sitting on the floor. He weeps into his knees, closing his eyes, praying it all away.

The young man says, “Since Arnie Baker was a suicide, he showed up at my doorstep. Not that I had much choice in the matter. Seemed like a good kid. A damaged kid, but a good kid nonetheless. Just in the wrong parish at the wrong time, but he also wasn’t the only one you paid special attention to.”

Father Collins shrieks, “Get behind me Satan!”

All is silent. Everything is still. The priest mutters silent prayers as a gentle peace descends upon him. Maybe this was all a test. The Blood of Jesus Christ had washed him clean of those past sins. He would wake up, his hand would be fine, and no one would be there.

Composing himself, Father Collins dares to crack his right eye open. A few inches away are the hungry eyes of the Devil. Flailing his stump of an arm, the priest charges to the other end of the sacristy, wrenches the door open, and then dashes down the hall.

Shameful images of the past clog the priest’s mind as he tries to find the back door, the one he uses at least three times a day, but for some reason it is eluding him now. By some malevolent force, this small church with only four separate rooms outside of the sanctuary and only two hallways had morphed into an inescapable labrinth. As the priest races down familiar hallways that lead to unfamiliar intersections, his vision blurs with images of young Arnie Baker. The curls of his sandy blonde hair, the pale freckled face, the dimples on both sets of his pudgy cheeks, the shame in his auburn eyes.

Panting, Father Collins rounds a corner only to find himself standing face to face with the Devil.

The Devil says, “Many people erroneously believe I enjoy torturing the souls of the damned which, for the most part, could not be further from the truth. On the contrary, I am quite fond of humanity. Why else would I risk the wrath of Almighty God to free you pathetic mortals from His spiritual tyranny. I risked everything to free Eve’s mind, and lost everything in the process. It’s not like Hell is my first choice of residence.”

Numb fear is replaced by manic terror. The priest flees down the vacant hallways, throwing open doors with his one good hand but only finds more brooms and mop buckets. The futility of his efforts, the impossibility of his circumstance, brings the priest to his knees. Too exhausted to run, too terrified to fight, there is nothing to do but wait for the end.

The Devil steps out of a broom closet. He continues talking as if there had been no interruption. “So when I get a poor soul like Arnie Baker unjustly tossed into my little pit of fire, I do what little I can to make them comfortable, and if at all possible, do something special for them. You ever wonder why you were assigned to this run down parish?”

Father Collins snivels, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I asked for forgiveness, I repented, I said my Hail Marys-”

The Devil’s rumbling laughter cuts him off. “I have never understood how a few Hail Marys along with a small serving of rotten grape juice and stale crackers cleanse a soul from even the worst atrocities.”

The Devil pauses to take a deep breath, sucking all the air out of the narrow hallway. “You see, God and I made a bet about you, much like the one we made about Job, but instead of murdering your friends and family, I only asked to be allowed to play a few harmless pranks and have a say as to where you were stationed. So over the years I have caused the floorboards to creak under your desk no matter where you put it, dislodged the occasional roof tile to let a little rain in, sent swarms of bugs to torment your sleep every so often, little things just to be an annoyance. One of my favorite pranks was causing your shoelaces to snap at the most inconvenient times. Do you remember that time right before you were about to meet the Archbishop?”

Father Collins did remember, quite vividly in fact. A bishop had recently died, and while the meeting was an informal one, Father Collins hoped to impress the Archbishop in order to further his own chances of receiving that coveted position. On his way to the office, he bent down to tighten his shoelace and it snapped. Frantic, he tried adjusting the lace to shorten it only to have it snap again.

As he entered through the gold painted doors of the Archbishop’s office, the shoe slipped off causing him to tumble into a Renaissance era stained glass crucifix, a gift to the Archbishop from the Pope himself. The crucifix shattered on the floor along with Father Collins’s dream of a station at the Holy See.

That meeting with the Archbishop had been the beginning of his downward spiral. Ashamed, embarrassed, hopes dashed, Father Collins did something reckless and was reported. Which led to Bolivia, which led to even more unpleasantness, which led to this accursed swamp. Father Collins’s sense of shame collapses in a wave of self-pity and rage.

Drool foams from the priest’s mouth. “It was you! This is all your fault!”

“Not entirely my fault. For starters, I only proposed the bet, your boss is the one who accepted it, and I think you are forgetting that you wouldn’t be in this current predicament if it wasn’t for the fact that you had carnal relations with a multitude of youths that were under your charge.”

The Devil’s accusation does nothing to abate the priest’s self-pity. Anger clears away the cloud of past memories which had blurred his vision. He spots the elusive back door right behind the Devil. The priest bounds to his feet, racing past the Devil as fast as his robe will let him. He bursts through the backdoor, sprints through the flower garden, and dashes into the cemetery.

Howling wind rips crisp leaves from branches and small whirlwinds of dead foliage tear across the priest’s path. Lightning tears through a wall of rain which is cascading over the church and into the cemetery. The ground turns to a muddy swamp, clinging to the priest’s shoes. The tongues of his shoes loosen with the snapping of shoelaces. Mud sucks in the Italian leather leaving the priest to flee in silk socks.

As Father Collins stumbles through the downpour, a root wraps around his ankle. The priest crashes to the ground, and all the air is torn from his lungs.

Darkness obscures the tangle of roots trapping his foot as Father Collins tries to pull his ankle away. The roots tighten their grip, yet there are no trees nearby. Nothing but rows of headstones.

Lightning cuts through the wall of black clouds, illuminating the headstone in front of the priest. In that flash of light, Father Collins sees the name “Arnold Baker” engraved in stone.

The roots trapping his leg refuse to budge. Father Collins wiggles a few fingers between the roots and his leg, but the roots respond to his touch by tightening their grasp.

He kicks at the roots with his one free leg, but it too becomes ensnared by roots that seem to be popping out from the ground. As Father Collins tries to push himself away, he feels the roots pulling him closer to the tombstone. Arnold Baker’s tombstone.

Lightning flashes overhead, and Father Collins looks down at his feet to find them trapped, not by roots, but by skeletal hands. Father Collins screams as he thrashes his feet. He rolls to his belly, grasping at muddy clumps of grass in a futile attempt to pull himself away.

Despite the priest’s best efforts, the skeletal hands maintain their vice-like grip. Bony fingers pierce into his calves, digging through muscle and tendon until scraping against the shrieking priest’s leg bone. The skeletal hands yank, tearing through Father Collins’s soft flesh.

Wailing to a deaf god, Father Collins digs his fingers into the mud as he is pulled into the earth. First his feet disappear, then his legs crunch in unnatural angles as his body twists farther into the dirt.

A flash of lightning. The Devil stands before the priest, who is up to his neck in dirt. The Devil holds up his hand and says, “Arnie, could you give us a minute.”

The fingers wrapped around his leg bones cease their tugging. Father Collins screams hoarsely, “Please! Mercy! I’ll do anything! Anything!”

The Devil crouches over him and gives the priest’s head a sympathetic pat. “Let’s start with a question that has bothered me for thousands of years, but I’ve never gotten a satisfactory response. Can you do that for me, Father Collins?”

The priest grovels, “Please, have mercy on me, please... I’ll do anything you ask.”

The Devil smiles. “I’ll take that as a yes. One thing that has always perplexed me is why does everyone think I’m the bad guy? Not saying I’m perfect, but I killed one family and a bunch of camels, that’s the worst you got on me. God, on the other hand, is responsible for countless murders, and some of those, like the Egyptian children, were just because he wanted to show off his power. He causes droughts and plagues that kill millions each year, not me. The Old Testament is the memoirs of a mass murderer, and the Book of Revelations reads like the manifesto of a deranged serial killer.”

Tears stream down the priest's pudgy cheeks as he weeps for mercy, but the Devil ignores the blubbering man’s cries.

The Devil continues, “God even says in Revelations that Satan, me, will be helping humanity fight against this righteous slaughter of every man, woman, and child who didn’t say nice things about God, yet for some reason you humans still think I’m the enemy. So tell me, priest, as someone who has devoted their life to studying the Holy Scriptures, why do you think I’m the evil one?”

Father Collins wails, “Please… please... have mercy on me! I can change! Please... I didn’t mean any of it, just let me go!”

Giving the priest another pat on the forehead, the Devil says, “Never get a clear answer to that question. Oh well. Father Collins, it’s been a pleasure and I must express my sincerest gratitude...” He pauses as the priest whimpers with confused hope. Then the Devil continues, “without pathetic degenerates like you, I’d get no joy from this job.”

Rising to his feet, the Devil walks away as Father Collins screams for mercy. The Devil waves his hand and says, “He’s all yours, Arnie. Enjoy.”

Flesh tears as the skeletal hands pull Father Collins deeper into the earth. Worms and dirt clog the priest’s throat, drowning out his screams. His stump of an arm scrapes into the earth as his other hand stretches out to the heavens and then disappears beneath the earth. A sheet of rain washes away the claw marks in the mud as lightning flashes over the vacant cemetery.

The End

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