#I swear that’s gonna be my last straw this week ugh

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My new job needs to give me some hours already so I can preorder the Maka pop up parade figure FHSJSJSKSM

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Ignition | Danny Wagner X f!Reader X Jake Kiszka | Part 5

Have you read Part 4?

Warnings: Minors ABSOLUTELY DNI! (18+), SOAKED PANTIES/ UNDERWEAR ALERT, intense sexual tension, unprotected sex, oral f. receiving, teasing, foreplay, fingering, fluff, brief mentions of feelings of inadequacy, graphic descriptions of sex. (YOU AND DANNY FINALLY FAWK).

Word Count: 9,741K

A/N: This might be some of my favorite writing I've done in a while, ESPECIALLY the smut. I tried my best to make this smut seem as realistic as possible to how I think Danny would behave...take that as you will. 😈

Here’s a link to the song mentioned in the fic: Mr. Forgettable—David Kushner

Here’s a link to the Spotify Ignition Playlist: Ignition

“Kenn, I think we might…you know–” you told one of your close friends through facetime.

“Oh?” She asked, taking a sip of her iced latte through the camera. “This is Danny, right? Not Jake?”

“Definitely not Jake,” you insisted. “We haven’t really been talking lately.”

“Oh. What happened?” She asked disappointedly, having been left out of the loop since the last phone call. 

“Well, I finally told him how I felt, and things didn’t really go well. He completely ghosted me for like two weeks until I confronted him at rehearsal, and even now things are really weird. I don’t know,” you shrugged, trying to blow off the hurt that you most definitely still felt. “We haven’t talked,” you shrugged.

“Wait, so you told him you liked him, and he just disappeared?” She asked, slurping loudly through her straw. 

“Yeah,” you said simply, plopping your head down into your covers before lifting it again. 

“Maybe it freaked him out,” Kenn replied. “I don’t know. But that’s weird that he acted like that. Did he tell you if he had feelings or not?”

“He said he didn’t love me like that. He said he’d always be there for me and then literally disappeared off the face of the planet.”

“Damn,” she sighed. “I’m really sorry, Y/n,” She apologized gently. “I really wish I could be there with you. We’d have a sleepover and we’d do the whole ‘eat Ben & Jerry’s and cry’ thing.”

You shrugged, chuckling softly. “Honestly, I think I’m past all that. Danny and I are kind of a thing, now,” you explained. “I don’t know where it’s gonna go, and things are still new, but he’s such a good guy, and he makes me feel–I don’t know,” you blushed. 

“Sexy? Like you’re floating?” She asked, grinning widely. 

“All of the above. And more,” You answered. “Jake will come around eventually, and if he doesn’t, I’ll be sad, but I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Kenn asked. “You guys are so close, Y/n. I can’t imagine you and Jake just not being a package deal, you know?” 

Her bringing up the obvious made you uncomfortable. She’d asked the questions you’d avoided for weeks. “I miss him, and I’m fucking angry. I never thought he’d act like this, even if he didn’t like me–and now, I just don’t get it.” 

“He hasn’t tried to talk to you? Not at all?” 

You shook your head. “Nope. I yelled at him at rehearsal last week though,” you explained. Kenn snorted. 

“Oh my God. Hell hath no fury like Y/n when she’s pissed off,” She continued. “What did you say?”

“He kept giving me all of these excuses as to why he couldn’t or wouldn’t reach out to me first…that I should have been the first one to reach back out to him knowing I had already put myself out there and got rejected by him. Who does that to their best friend?” 

Kenn shook her head. “A jackass. But like–remember when we were talking, and all the signs were adding up? I swore that he had feelings,” she explained with a confused expression. “Jake wasn’t hard for me to read at all. Every single thing that you told me sounded like he had feelings.” She took another sip of her beverage before shaking the empty cup of ice.  “I had no doubt.”

“Ugh, why are boys so fucking difficult to figure out?!” You groaned, covering your face with your pillow. “Like why did God make me straight? This is sick!”

Kenn chuckled. “All men, I swear, have rocks in their heads.” 

“You’re telling me!” You agreed, your attention moving elsewhere when you felt your phone vibrate as you began receiving a call. It was Danny. 

“Speaking of men, I’ve got a good one calling.”

“I love you, bestie. Keep me updated on Danny. Let me know if I need to kick his ass, too, and I’ll make the trip ASAP.”

“I will, I promise.” 

You hung up with her promptly before switching over the call. 

“Hi,” you said with a smile. 

“Hi gorgeous,” he said through the phone with a delightful tone. “What are you up to?” He asked. 

“Nothing really, just got off the phone with Kenn.” 

“That’s nice, did you guys have a good call?” You nodded, though he couldn’t see you. 

“Yeah, we only get to talk like once or twice a month, so it was nice to catch up.” 

He was quiet for a moment. “Are you in bed yet?” He asked, hope laced into the question. 

“Not even close,” you told him. “Why?” 

“If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone,” he said flirtatiously. 

“I’m sworn to secrecy. Signed by a notary,” you answered playfully. 

“Wow, that’s really official. Truth be told, I have a craving.” 

“A craving?” You asked, grinning. 

“Yup. I figured I’d ask you if you had a craving too, and then, if you would like to possibly fix that craving, maybe perhaps we could carpool to a convenience store…” he said, obviously beating around the bush. 

“Let me see,” you replied. “Oh yeah, you know, I could totally go for a Reese’s right now. I’m fresh out.”

“Oh man, that sucks! But, guess what? I just so happen to have a car!”

“Danny, you know I have a car, too, right?” You chuckled. 

“I had no idea women could drive!” He joked. 

“You deserve to be punched for that,” you told him, raising an eyebrow. 

“Be careful, I like women who are hands on.”

“You’re a loser,” You answered, getting up from the bed, smoothing out your clothes. 

“Your loser, I hope,” he suggested. 

“My loser,” you agreed. 

“I’ll be over in ten then, loser,” he replied quickly, hanging up before you could protest. Soon, you heard his car pull up, his engine purring loudly outside of your window.

“You were just looking for an excuse to see me, weren’t you?” You asked him as you stepped down your front stairs, being careful to not trip over them in the dark. 

“No, of course not! I was just craving some sweet chili Doritos, but was scared to go to the store alone,” he answered, feigning innocence. “Figured I’d call up a buddy.”

“Is that what I am to you, Daniel Wagner?” You asked, ducking down to peer at him through his passenger window. You crossed your arms across your chest. “I’m your buddy?” You lifted your eyebrows skeptically with the question. 

“I have a secret,” he said quietly, pulling his finger upward in a ‘come here’ gesture. 

“What?” You asked. 

“Get in and I'll tell you,” he said with a grin. You eyed him with suspicion, but opened the car door, sinking down into the seat beside him. As soon as you were settled inside, he lifted his hand to tilt your face, leaning his body over the center console to deliver a breathtaking kiss, his fingertips caressing your jaw and the curve of your neck just like before. This kiss was different though, because now, his touch was comfortable and confident. His fingertips knitted into your hair, and yours lifted upward to rest on his shoulder and chest, bunching his shirt in your hands as you deepened the kiss. Adjusting in your seat, you turned your body to him, moving as best you could in such a small space. “Why’d you have to kiss me like that in this tiny fucking car?” You asked breathlessly. 

“Because I like the challenge,” Danny said, licking his lips as he sat back in his seat, his chest heaving. “Plus I’m a glutton for punishment. Oh and I lied about what I was craving,” he added, looking over at you, a glimmer in his eye. 

“Oh?” You answered simply. 

“Yeah. You just fixed it.” At that, your cheeks flamed embarrassingly pink, your skin heating up to the point of almost being feverish.  

“Where did you learn to be so fucking smooth?” You chuckled. He grinned like he had just won something. 

“I’ve got quick wit, Y/n,” he said cleverly. “Also I had to put a lot of practice into impressing you,” he said, flashing his white teeth in a broad smile. 

“You’re such a dork ,” you grinned widely, still feeling the pressure of his lips against yours. Really, you wanted him to go even further, testing your boundaries. 

“Stay over tonight,” you said, laying your head back against the headrest, turning to look at him. “Stay with me,” you told him again, relaxing your expression into one of seriousness. “Please,” you added, placing your opened palm on the center console, waiting for his answer. 

“How’d you feel coming over to my place?” He asked you. “Since we’re still parked in your driveway,” he grinned, looking outside and then back at you. “No pressure, of course.”

“I think I’d like that,” You agreed. “Still up for snacks?” You asked him.

“Nah, not really. It was all a ploy to get you here with me,” he grinned. 

“You know you could have just asked to hang out like a normal person.” You told him with an enthused expression. 

“What would be the fun in that, though? I like to keep you on your toes.” 

You rolled your eyes and reached for the door handle. “Give me five minutes to grab some things,” you told him. The smile that you got in return from him filled you with eagerness and excitement. You practically skipped up the stairs inside your house to pack an overnight bag, a smile embedded in your expression the entire time. 

***

It’s interesting how ceiling fans always become one of the most cliché details in sad, miserable stories,  Jake thought, repetitively tossing one of Danny’s GVF golf balls in the air. He had spent most of the evening lying in place, still dressed in the clothes he wore earlier that day. As he lay, his mind wandered to the image of you and Danny kissing at your house. Once he let himself reimagine it, he’d inserted himself into your arms, imagining if it was him kissing you, him laughing with you, and him sharing his feelings with you. He’d fucked it all up so severely that it was too late to go back now. If he wanted you, he’d have to make a mess, and though Jake hadn’t been one to start drama, losing you wasn’t something he was willing to do. 

“Are you gonna get up and actually do something?” Josh asked, stepping into the room, turning on the light. 

“Ugh!” Jake groaned, rolling over in bed. “Why the fuck are you in my house?” He asked. 

“Because you won’t answer my texts and calls, and quite frankly, it hurt my feelings,” Josh said mostly out of sarcasm. “What’s the problem?”

Jake looked over at his brother, considering if he had the energy to pour out his heart to Josh. Instead, he sighed and looked back up at the spinning fan and continued to toss the ball into the air. 

“Come on,” Josh said. “I can only handle so much brooding before I begin to get jealous from you stealing the limelight.” Jake scoffed with a small grin. 

“You’re an asshat,” he said. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Tell me what’s going on. I know who it’s about, at least,” Josh admitted. 

“What do you mean?” Jake said, catching the ball one last time, turning to face his brother. 

“Oh give me a break,” Josh said, coming to sit in the deep papasan chair in Jake’s room, leaning back in it and folding his legs underneath his body. “It’s Y/n. Everyone knows, Jake.” 

“What exactly do they know?” Jake said, reaching his hand back with the ball, spurring Josh to open his hands in preparation to catch the ball. Carefully they tossed it back and forth as they spoke. 

“That you’re an idiot,” Josh began. “Why did you tell her you didn’t have feelings for her? Like, what kind of bullshit was that?” He continued. “You and I both know you’ve been crazy about her since you met her.”

Jake caught the ball and sighed deeply before tossing it back. “I don’t know. I panicked in the moment,” he said. “Nothing ever ends well for me. She’s my best friend. Everyone says don’t fall in love with your best friend, and when she told me she had feelings for me, I just wanted to run away, I–” He shook his head, fumbling for the ball and missing it, watching as it hit the wall with a loud thwack. 

“Shit,” He said, inspecting the wall for damage. 

“Come in the kitchen for shots,” Josh suggested. “I’ll steal your casamigos,” he grinned. “Let’s talk.” 

“I don’t feel like talking,” Jake argued. 

“Well, that’s what you’ve been doing, Jackass. Now get off your ass and talk to me, or I’ll become your worst nightmare.”

“You’ve been that way since we were born,” Jake grinned slightly, rolling off of his bed. 

“And I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, either,” Josh finished. “Come on.” 

***

“Got everything you need?” Danny asked as you placed your bag on the floor board. He reached his hand over to squeeze your thigh. You nodded with a gentle smile. 

“I think so,” You said, buckling your seatbelt, and offering Danny a gentle smile.   

“Still feel like coming over?” He asked you. “No pressure.”

“Danny, I promise. I want to,” you assured him, reaching over and kissing him on the lips. “I want to stay with you.” 

“Okay,” he said in a low murmur, grinning softly. “Okay.” 

The drive to his house was quiet, but content, his right hand clasped with yours as you rested it on your thigh. You looked out at the night lights as Danny’s music played softly through the car. Danny lived on the other side of town, but much closer to downtown than you’d remembered. Since the boys moved to Nashville, you hadn’t really spent time at his house. Usually, band meetings, rehearsals and get-togethers would take place at Jake’s or Josh’s depending on who was feeling like hosting at the time. Coming here to Danny’s felt like an exciting new adventure. 

“You’re quiet over there,” he said after a while, pulling you from your thoughts. 

“Oh, I was just thinking,” You told him, squeezing his hand and offering him a small smile. 

“Everything alright?” He asked, stealing quick glances at you. 

“Yeah, It’s just–I can’t remember when I was at your house last. I don’t know if I’ve even been inside,” you said honestly. 

“Well, I can guarantee you, it looks just like a house on the inside,” He winked at you. “I’ve got a couch, a fridge–ooh and even a bed, if that surprises you,” he winked, turning into his neighborhood. 

“You better watch it,” You told him. “I’ll start holding it against you,” you grinned. “And you don’t want me to do that.”

“I don’t?” He grinned, raising an eyebrow. “And what exactly would my punishment entail?” Danny asked. 

“I’ll spank you,” you warned him, narrowing your eyes with determination. 

“You’re gonna spank me?” He asked through a chuckle, pulling into his driveway. 

“Don’t tempt me, Wagner. Your height, stature and masculinity means nothing to me.”

“Be careful what you say in tight spaces, sweetheart.”

“Why’s that?” You asked, feigning innocence. 

“Because you just might get more than you bargained for.”

“Is that a challenge?” You asked, reaching for the door handle. 

“It’s a promise,” he said, stepping out of his car and coming around to you, swiftly reaching up underneath you, pulling you upward.

“Danny!” You practically squealed. 

“Up you go!” He said playfully, letting you dangle over his shoulder. Figuring you needed to even the score, you reached back and slapped his ass as hard as you could as he marched up his driveway. 

“Ow!” he yelped, stepping up to his porch. 

“And eye for an eye!” You told him with a chuckle. 

After the playful moment, he carefully swung you back down on your feet and reached for his keys in his pocket, unlocking the door, and opening it for you. “Come on in,” he said, letting you walk past him into the dimly lit foyer of the house. It was decorated with modern taste, with beautiful wood floors installed throughout the entire house. It was an open concept, breathing life into the space, with thoughtful decorations that were most definitely hand picked by Danny throughout the time of being in Nashville. 

In the corner, you saw his golf bag, the clubs sticking out of it at different angles, like he had recently played. 

“I should take you some time,” he grinned, following your gaze. “I’d love to see your form,” He said. “Think you could keep up?” 

“No, I’d be absolutely awful at it,” you admitted, looking up at him. “But, you know what I would be really good at?”

“Mm, what’s that?” He asked. 

“I’d be wonderful at sitting on the golf cart, giving you a big ol’ clap when you make a good shot, and then handing you a fresh beer every now and then.” 

“That’s because you’re dependable, sweetheart,” He said, bending to kiss you on the top of your head. The flirtatious conversation had left you fighting a swarm of butterflies, the pet names making your heart practically swell in your chest. 

“Are we gonna spend the entire evening doing this?” You asked, the corner of your mouth quirking up with playfulness. 

“Doing what?” He asked, stepping into the kitchen and reaching into his refrigerator for a cold bottle of wine. You watched his arms muscles flex as he reached up into the cabinets to retrieve two wine glasses. 

“Flirting with me constantly with no end in sight?” You asked, stepping toward him.

“Is it a crime to flirt with a beautiful woman?” He asked, pouring a glass of wine.

“It is when it drives me fucking crazy,” you said matter of factly, watching as he casually shook the curls from his head. 

“Well in that case,” he said, setting down the full glass, pushing it back on the counter. “Let me make it worse,” he said as he took the last step forward, his hands finding their way to your hips. His face hovering just above yours, and his eyes floated over the curve of your lips, his nose resting perfectly alongside yours. “How about now?” He asked again, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“I think you should kiss me, Danny Wagner,” you told him. “Now.” 

“I like it when you get annoyed with me. This is new,” he grinned. Leaning in slowly, he placed his lips on yours and delivered a delicate kiss, but it wasn’t enough. You wanted more of him. You pressed yourself firmly against him, feeling him reciprocate with stronger urgency, his lips folding in time with yours as you inhaled his scent, knotting your fingers into his curls and tugging. He groaned softly into the kiss, his hands moving downward to grab at your ass as he turned around with you, walking you back against the counter. You felt his hot breath expel against your skin, his slick lips beginning to wander from your mouth, down to the hollow of your neck. He took your earlobe in between his teeth and pressed down, pulling away just enough to elicit a soft hiss from you. He chuckled sexily, his curls tickling your face as he leaned into the crook of your neck, touching his lips to what he thought was the perfect spot. You felt his teeth, then felt the vacuum from him sucking on your skin, leaving a hickey for the next day. “So everyone knows that you belong to someone. To me.” It was bliss to be wrapped up with Danny, and he ensured that you’d feel like the only woman he could see. You felt the small welt pulse 

“Danny, take me to bed,” you whispered as he kissed you. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, pulling away from you to look into your eyes. 

“Let’s just lay together,” you decided to say, knowing you most definitely wanted more, but not sure if it was the right moment or not. 

“Okay,” he said gently with a smile, reaching for your hand. You walked through the house as he led you to his bedroom, having completely forgotten about the wine. He would need no liquid courage tonight. He was already becoming drunk off of you. 

***

“Show me your favorites,” Danny asked in bed with you cuddling him, your head resting on his chest. He’d been swiping through several of his Spotify playlists, playing snippets of several different songs, but never fully committing to playing the whole song through—you’d assume he’d tried to avoid the opportunity for awkwardness. It was amusing to you how he could be so effortlessly effervescent one moment, and then so reserved and bashful the next.

“Play me a full song that you love,” you redirected. “One that you know I won’t know,” you said, turning your head to look up at him. “I just wanna listen. Can be anything.” His fingertips paused. 

“Alright,” he agreed softly, scrolling through his music before stopping at one song called ‘Mr. Forgettable,’ by David Kushner. You watched his thumb hover over the song, hesitating before swiping away. 

“No wait,” you stopped him by touching his arm. “Play me that one.”

“Oh. Okay,” he said, his tone rising lightly with hesitation. You watched as he pressed play, sitting the phone on his belly and laying back. In the low light of his bedroom, you closed your eyes and listened. 

I know that you're waiting for me like a dog But have some patience for the part of me that's lost There's been a hundred times When I don't recognize Any of you that love me I try to memorize and identify But it's all getting foggy My head is in the clouds right now Just pray I come around, around Hello, hello, are you lonely? I'm sorry, it's just the chemicals Hello, hello, do you know me? I'm called Mr. Forgettable  Mr. Forgettable

You listened quietly as you rested on his chest, finding it just so that his heart thumped to the beat of the song. Every now and then, you’d feel a vibration against your ear as he hummed his favorite parts. It was a sad song with a cheerful beat, which you found quite ironic considering its content. Once it was over, you let the silence linger for a few moments before tilting your head to look up at him. 

“Do you feel like that?” You asked him softly, your throat aching. His eyes drifted from the phone screen to your eyes, then your lips and then back up again. He swallowed once.

“Sometimes,” he answered honestly. 

“You feel like you’re forgettable?” You pushed further, propping yourself up on your elbow. 

“It’s okay, really,” he said with a gentle smile, though he wouldn’t look you in the eye. “I’ve felt like that most of my life,” he sighed.

“Danny…” you started, watching as his cheeks pinkened with embarrassment. “You’ll never be forgettable to me.” You placed your hand on his chest and his eyes softened as he looked down at you, his lips pulling into a flat line as his expression grew more serious. “Let me prove to you that you’re becoming everything to me,” You said, lifting your hand to his cheek, watching as his eyes lowered to your mouth. You moved closer to him, your bodies fitting together perfectly as he rolled into you, kissing you tentatively at first, as if testing your boundaries. “It’s okay,” you whispered into the space between you. 

Danny moved to press himself against you, his weight adding a welcome sense of comfort as his hands moved around your body, his fingertips pressing into your skin. “More,” you huffed against his lips. “I trust you.” 

“You do?” He asked, pausing for just a moment.

 “I want more of you, Danny. Please.” His hands move reflexively for the hem of your shirt, and you lifted your arms over your head as he pulled it off of you, tossing it to the side. His hand snaked up your bare skin, his fingertips dipping under the cup of your bra as he kissed you. You felt his touch as he moved his hand around your body, his teeth nipping and tugging at your bottom lip as his tongue danced expertly with yours. Slowly, he released his nervous and patient apprehension, gladly appeasing your request. You reached your hand down where he had paused, pulling his hand upward to hold your breast, guiding him with your hand on top of his. His grip tightened around your breast, his thumb grazing your swelling nipple, a soft, breathy chuckle escaping from his nose as he moved over the bud again, igniting a layer of goosebumps all over your body. Softly, you moaned into his mouth, reaching your hands down to cup his clothed cock, finally realizing how well-endowed he was. You walked your fingertips upward and unzipped his pants, nimbly unfastening the button closure with two fingers, reaching just inside and immediately felt the heat emanating from him. 

Slowly, you walked your fingers down his lower belly and smoothed them over his bulge. His length hardened beneath your touch, and you could feel him tense and then release. You felt his grip tighten around your breast in response as he moved to flip you so that you were on top of him. Rising from him, you moved your hair out of the way to one side and lowered yourself back down, kissing him deeply. Closing your eyes, you intentionally ground your hips against his firm cock, feeling your own muscles begin to contract and release as they silently begged for his attention. 

“You’re such a tease,” he breathed through a sexy smirk, reaching up to unclasp your bra. 

“I’ve said it before, Danny. I’m full of surprises,” you murmured under your breath, your tone heavy with desire. “I’m not always the innocent girl you think I am,” you told him. 

“Then drag me to hell.” He let your bra slip off of your skin, falling onto his belly. He tossed it to the end of the bed before bringing his eyes up to your chest. 

“Jesus,” he groaned again, and you smirked down at him, watching as his eyes widened for a moment before slipping into a lustful expression, his hands moving to squeeze them firmly in his hands, his thumbs moving instantly to rub over your nipples, biting at his bottom lip when they swelled to their full, aroused state. 

“Like what you see?” You asked him, resting your hands on his sides. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Y/n. How could you not know how incredibly gorgeous you are?” He asked, moving his fingertips to smooth over your bare sides and belly. 

“I could say the same thing about you,” you admitted. “I’ve wanted you for a while, Danny.”

“I’ve wanted you for years,” he added. “I have to admit,” he started, but paused. 

“What?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. 

“I’ve imagined what it would be like to be with you,” he explained. You watched as his cheeks flushed. 

“You have?” You asked him, beginning to grind your hips against him slowly as he spoke. You watched his expression shift slightly as you felt his cock press against your ass through his unzipped pants. 

“So many times,” he admitted quietly, reaching his hands to your hips. He pulled you down further against himself, lifting his hips to grind against your ass. 

“You’ve definitely been on my mind too,” you told him. 

“Oh?” He asked. 

“Mmhmm. Usually late at night when I can’t sleep,” you continued. “My thoughts wander…”

“And what do they come up with?” He asked, whispering his fingertips over your belly, making you shiver from his ghosting touch. 

“Usually they’re thoughts of you,” you explained. “Naked.” 

“And what exactly am I doing in these thoughts?” He asked, the corner of his mouth tilting with interest. 

“You’re with me,” you answered, echoing his touch, walking your fingertips up his belly, taking note of the dark wisps of hair that adorned his chest. Not too much, not too little, just right. He was masculine, but sensitive and understanding, and that duality had the power to drive you absolutely insane. 

“Why’s it so hard for you to say, Y/n?” Danny asked, bringing his hand down to meet yours, interlacing your fingers together. “What were we doing?” His confidence, though so understated and reserved before now settled into a presence that was simultaneously charming and incredibly sexy.

“We were—you know,” you responded sheepishly, looking up into his eyes. 

“Fucking?” He asked quietly, his brown dilating with interest. You nodded yes, but the images in your mind were racing: you bouncing on his cock, your hair falling loose and wild over your breasts, your mouth dropped open in ecstasy as he railed into you. “You’re imagining it right now, aren’t you?” He asked, his lips drawing upward in a crooked line. 

You didn’t answer him. The heat in your face and averted gaze told him everything you needed to know. He chuckled softly, “look at me,” he commanded, and you did, turning your gaze downward. “I would be lying if I said I haven’t imagined the same thing,” he admitted. 

The space between you and him was thick with need and anticipation. “Danny…” you said after a moment. “Are we moving too fast?” You asked him. 

“Do you think we are?” He turned the question around. “Listen,” he said gently. “ I’ve waited for you for over two years. I can wait as long as you need.” You smiled down at him, biting your bottom lip as you took notice of how sexy it felt to have a man so considerate and understanding as your own. Slowly, you moved off of his lap, laying down and cuddling against him, lying in the crook of his arm. 

“I really, really like you Danny. 

“And I really, really, really like you, Y/n,” he responded with a smirk, looking down at you as you tilted to look up at him. 

You echoed his expression. “Kiss me,” you told him. With his free hand, he tilted your head upward by your chin and leaned slightly to place his supple lips on your own. He was so gentle and tender, taking his time as he kissed you. “Let’s slow things down a bit,” he said, smiling against your lips. “Hm?”

“Mmhmm,” you breathed against his kiss, lifting your hand to rest on his cheek, your fingertips dancing upon the curls that dance upon the curve of his ear. His tongue looped around yours, hot puffs of breath exchanging between your mouths. You kicked at the sheets and covers bunched around your legs, and wrapped one around Danny as you lay with him. In his arms, you felt infinitely beautiful, and more importantly, you felt important and valuable. 

***

“Thank you,” you said after a long while. 

“For what?” He chuckled softly. 

“Just for being you. For being just…incredible,” you told him, feeling your pulse thumping through your chest. “For being my person.” 

“You’re my person,” he said, taking your hand in his, kissing it. “And I have a question for you,” he continued. 

“What is it?” 

You watched his Adam's apple bob up and down for a moment before he finally spoke. “Will you be my girlfriend?” He asked, squeezing your hand softly. 

You paused for a moment, a bright smirk growing on your face. “Do you think you can handle me full-time?” You asked him expectantly. 

“Honey, I crave it,” he told you. “All of you. Every day. The silly things, the important things…the happiest things and the saddest ones too. So yes, I think I can handle you. Should I ask you the same question?” 

“Danny, you’re probably the lowest-maintenance man I’ve ever dated,” you explained with a soft grin. “You’re just so– easy.” you landed on the word, and it felt right because it was true. “I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about what you’re thinking or feeling. So yes, Danny. I think I can definitely handle you. I want you–full time,” you smirked. 

 ***

You’d both let the evening settle, resting on Danny’s chest until, when it became too hot, you’d turned in the other direction, fluffing Danny’s pillows and settling yourself back to sleep. You’d been restless, tossing and turning in bed. It wasn’t Danny’s fault; ever since you were young, you were plagued with being a hot sleeper, ending up kicking off the tangle of sheets and covers toward the end of the bed. Once you’d fallen asleep, images of Danny filled your mind, just like they had before, of him touching you and making love to you after you’d given your body to him completely. In your drowsiness, you’d grown increasingly annoyed with the layer of sweat that had begun to stick to your body, pasting the bottom sheet to your underside. As you rolled around, you uttered sleepy ‘sorries’ to Danny, who moved sleepily to touch you and kiss you before turning over again. You drifted between dreams for the next few hours until you’d roused yourself fully awake again, unable to coax yourself back to sleep. Rubbing at your burning eyes, you rolled out of bed as quietly as possible, trying your best to not bother Danny asleep beside you. He lay fast asleep as you watched him for a moment, tiptoeing around the bed as you moved toward the door. 

The house was dark, save for a small lamp in the living room and the recessed LEDs underneath the cabinets in the kitchen. Opening the cabinets, you searched for the glasses, finding one and stepping toward the fridge, using the water dispenser to fill up the cup. You moved to ice next, hoping that it wouldn’t create much noise, but you were so wrong. Several pieces of ice tumbled out, hitting the sides of your glass and knocking out of the freezer tumbling to the floor.

“Shit,” you said to yourself, bending to pick up the ice cubes, kicking the few strays that you couldn’t reach under the freezer, smiling to yourself while imagining Danny’s grin if you had confessed that you were one of those people. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” 

You jolted, almost dropping your glass of water when you heard his voice. Turning around, you saw Danny stepping into the kitchen, his eyes heavy-lidded, dressed in nothing but thin, black boxers. God-fucking-damn, you thought to yourself, feeling your core activate with need. You squeezed your thighs closer together, clearing your throat.

“Oh,” you began. “Yeah, sorry. I got really hot and couldn’t sleep.” Danny stepped closer to you, his bare chest and shoulders illuminated in the low light as he stopped to lean against the counter beside you, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“Don’t apologize,” he said softly. “Truth be told, I couldn’t sleep, either.”

“You’re such a liar,” you said with a grin. “You were gone when I got up. Didn’t even move.”

“That’s because I was pretending,” he grinned. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, looking at him skeptically. 

“I was thinking about you,” he admitted.

You could have cursed him for having such a sultry gaze in the moment, coming up with something smart or clever to say in response, but this time he had entranced you, moving you to silence. He watched you for a long moment as you swallowed and set down your glass of water. 

“You okay?” He asked you. 

“I’m fine,” you answered him, deciding in the moment that you wanted him in every meaning of the word. You stepped closer to him. “Danny.”

“Y/n.” He answered, his hands uncrossing to fall at your sides, caressing your hips as you stepped into his space. “I think,” you began, mustering the courage and honesty to finally say “I want you to take me to bed–and I don’t mean to sleep.”

He paused for a moment, raising his eyebrows, nodding slowly. “Are you sure?” he asked. 

“I’m sure,” you answered, reaching down for his hands. “Please. I want to know every part of you,” you alluded. “Take me to bed, Danny.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said quietly, leaning forward to place one delicate, but tender kiss on your lips. Squatting slightly, his hands moved behind you, reaching behind your knees to hike you up easily, carrying you silently through the house and into his bedroom. With your arms around him, you felt safe and secure. The moment filled you with excitement and nervousness too, and you no longer felt the insecurities from earlier in the evening. As he moved with you through the threshold of the bedroom, Danny skillfully swung the door shut with his foot and stepped toward the end of the bed where the covers lay unkempt and tangled. Holding you securely with one hand, he pulled the sheets and comforter off of the bed, letting it fall to the floor. Gently, he leaned forward and laid you on your back, staying close for a moment. “If at any time,” he murmured gently, “you feel uncomfortable or you want to stop, you tell me, okay?” You watched as his gaze swept between your eyes, waiting for you to respond. “It’s just us, together. I want it to be perfect,” he explained, bringing his thumb upward to caress your cheek. 

“Me too,” you nodded. “Danny please,” you continued. You appreciated how sweet he was, but the heat and stimulation in between your thighs was starting to become unbearable. 

“Don’t worry,” he said with a flirtatious wink before lowering off of you, reaching underneath your oversized sleep shirt to pull at the waistband of your panties, rolling them down off of you. You watched as his head lowered, and his dark curls swept over your lower belly, tickling your skin. Gently, he placed a soft, velvety kiss on the lines from the waistband that had dug impressions into your skin. Glancing up at you through dark lashes with an eager grin, he rolled your underwear down further, exposing your last vestige of privacy–and yet, beneath his heavy gaze, you felt inexplicably radiant. He looked at you like exquisite, cherished art–like something to behold and to protect–or like how a well-learned sculptor gazes at a monolithe of marble, his mind chipping away the extra pieces to reveal the masterpiece beneath it all. 

“I’ll never get tired of that,” you smiled down at him. 

“Of what?” He asked. 

“The way you look at me.” 

He smiled gently, the apples of his cheeks rising. His arms moved to hook around your legs as he repositioned you, spreading them slightly so he could place more soft kisses on your tender, warm skin. 

“Danny,” you half-whined, feeling restless as he continued to litter your skin with tender kisses. 

“I will,” he answered, predicting your thoughts. “It may be three A.M., but I’m perfectly fine with taking my time with you.” With that, he shut you up and you laid back tossing your hair around you as you watched him take charge below. 

“Just relax,” he told you, adjusting himself between your legs one last time before unhooking one of his hands from around you to part your folds. You should have been embarrassed by the mess you’d already made. You should have fought to keep your legs closed so that he didn’t see how wet you were, but you didn’t. You lifted your head slightly to watch him, his eyes brightening with lust as he saw your open pussy for the first time. “Oh my God,” he murmured almost inaudibly, sliding his thumb into your slick, applying soft pressure to your skin as he touched you for the first time. You felt yourself humming softly, perhaps to break the slight awkwardness you felt, but you stopped as soon as he moved to your clit, pressing the meat of his thumb over the rise, puffing a soft chuckle through his nose in response to your body’s reaction. His fingers had to have been dripping from how turned on he’d made you, yet he made no mention of it. He was silent and focused as his fingers rubbed into you. 

“Still good?” He asked you quietly, and you nodded down at him. 

“More,” you huffed through a whisper, and you watched with great anticipation as he answered your request by ducking his head down, introducing the wet warmth of his tongue as he tasted you for the first time. You felt the gentle puffs of his breath against your thighs, adding to the heat against your skin. And there he was, all over you at once, his tongue lapping at your folds with learner’s curiosity as he traveled the expanse of your pussy, the flat of his tongue dragging along your most sensitive areas just once before moving elsewhere. “Fuck,” you murmured softly, bringing your hands to your breasts, squeezing them through the thin cotton of your tshirt. In response, Danny pressed his face firmly against you, the curvature of his nose pressing into your skin, igniting even more pleasure. Moments later, he began to shake his head back and forth, creating a feeling of undulation against your swollen clit. “Fuck me–oh my god, Danny,” you groaned, reaching down to take a fistful of his hair, pulling him against you and then away when you became overstimulated. Coming up for air with a heavy gasp, you caught a glimpse of his face in the low light of the room, pinkened with exertion and friction. “Come here,” you commanded breathlessly. 

He rose from in between your legs and laid down on top of you, dropping one of his hands back down to your pussy as he leaned in to kiss you, his lips and tongue laced with your own taste. The kiss was fiery and passionate, his lips pressing and pulling at your own as you moaned in response to the movement of his fingers. His face was slick, both with your slick and his perspiration. You could feel his hardness against your belly, your core thumping with anticipation for what was to come. 

“Let’s get this thing off of you,” he grinned, pulling away to tug at the hem of your shirt, lifting his body long enough to slip it off over your head and toss it in the room. He returned to your naked body, his hands smoothing over your breasts and erect nipples. As if he couldn’t resist, he lowered his head, lolling his tongue in loose, wet circles around each swollen bud, suckling and pulling on them. You lifted your hands to his bare shoulders, running your fingertips over the expanse of his back. His skin was so soft, yet his muscles so incredibly strong. 

“Please,” you groaned louder, lifting his face with your hands. “Danny please,” you looked into his deep, chocolate eyes. 

“Please what?” He had the nerve to tease, his breath wisping against your face. “Please what, Y/n?” He asked, his tone looping sugar-sweet into your ears. 

“Please–fuck me,” you finally begged, telling him the words he wanted to hear. “I need you inside of me, now. I need you–” he placed his pointer finger against your lips. 

“You won’t ever have to beg me to fuck you,” he murmured, pulling stray pieces of hair from your face and setting them to the side. In the darkness of the room, his features were cast in a natural blue hue, the sharp lines of his face exaggerated in the contrasting, dark shadows of the evening. He began to move, placing more kisses on each breast, down your sternum and belly before moving off of you. “Do you want to take these off?” Danny asked quietly, standing from the bed. As you sat up, you saw how obvious his erection had become through the crotch of his boxers. 

“Do I turn you on, Danny?” You asked him, looking up from below. He didn’t respond, only gazed down at you with an intensity that needed no further explanation. Hooking your fingers into the waistband of his underwear, you rolled them down slowly, taking notice of his prominent happy trail, which led lower and lower as you revealed more of him. Exhilaration rippled over your body as his skin grew paler, another sign of private vanity that you were becoming introduced to. Slowly, you pulled his boxers down, revealing inch by inch his length, springing free. You let his underwear drop to the ground and let him step out of them, kicking them to the side. Taking his cock in your hand, you felt his incredible warmth as you began to stroke it slowly. He heaved a relieved sigh, blood rushing downward as he swelled to full erectness.

“I’ve imagined this for so long,” he murmured. “But this is so much better,” he chuckled softly. You grinned up at him and began to move faster, stroking up and down along the length of his cock, enjoying when he tilted his hips forward in response, silently asking for more. He didn’t indulge, though. “Let me take care of you,” he said quietly, taking his cock in his own hand, backing away from you. “Lay down, sweetheart.” 

You moved toward the end of the bed, resuming a similar position as before, and waited for him to take over. You felt the mattress depress gently as he crawled onto the bed, his hands lifting to spread your legs once more. Reaching up over your head, he grabbed a pillow. “Lift up,” he said gently, and when you did, he slid a pillow under your head. 

“You’re literally perfect,” you chuckled. He smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead. 

“Far from it,” he admitted. “But I wanted this to be,” he finished. Somehow he always knew what to say that would send you further into arousal. He parted your legs again and walked on his knees as he positioned himself just in front of your heat. You looped one of your legs around him as he stroked himself firm once more before guiding his hips forward, pressing his pink tip against your pussy with his tumblr, sliding his length against your clit by rocking his hips slowly back and forth. His hardness felt incredible, stimulating your body to respond by lurching your hips upward in an effort to take more pleasure from him. He did this for a few more passes before pausing to collect your wetness on the tip of his cock. “Are you ready?” he asked in a quiet, sultry tone. 

You nodded quickly, widening your legs. “Yes, Danny please.” Placing his right hand on the mattress at your side to ground himself, he used his dominant hand to guide himself into your entrance, pressing his hips forward to penetrate you for the first time. You gasped quietly, biting down on your bottom lip as your brows furrowed from the slight discomfort of adjusting to his girth. “Fuck,” he uttered, shaking the messy curls out of his face, pressing himself deeper inside of you. You squeezed your core muscles on him, beginning to enjoy the feeling of him filling you up and stretching you further. 

“Come here,” you murmured, reaching for his arms to pull him down. His face had slackened, his features working through a variety of sensations. He moved lower, snaking his arms underneath you as he pulled you in for a passionate kiss, rocking his hips back and forth as he slid deeper inside. His breath was heavy, expelling into your open mouth as you closed your eyes and let your head fall back against the pillow. Your hands reached for his shoulders, squeezing them before smoothing down his back. You pressed your fingertips into his skin, mimicking the rhythm he’d assumed before. Though the sensations felt wonderful, you needed him to go faster. “Faster,” you whispered. He looked down at you unblinking as he repositioned himself for a moment before quickening his pace, your breasts bouncing freely as your body popped off of his thighs. After a moment, he walked himself off of you and sat up, taking hold of your hips. With this angle, he’d have the leverage to give you exactly what you had asked for. Using your weight, he pulled your hips forward and popped himself forward, jutting his cock deep inside of you, causing a breathless moan to escape from your lips, your eyes rolling back involuntarily as your body ignited inside and out. “Oh my God,” you groaned deeply, taking hold of your breasts and squeezing them while he continued to buck himself into you, listening to the rhythmic clap of your thighs making contact over and over. 

“Better than I could have ever,” he breathed, reaching up to wipe at his sweaty face, “ever imagined.” His smile was infectious, his gaze fully attentive and loving. You reached up to touch his face, your thumb caressing his cheek in the darkness. He tilted his head to kiss your palm, walking his hand down in between your thighs, fingering your clit. “Oh–shit!” you practically shouted, arching your back off of the bed, squeezing as tightly as you could on his cock. “Danny!” 

His slammed himself into you in response to your moans, hot beads of sweat rolling down his face, nose and down his chest. “You’re perfect, Y/n,” he mewled, reaching forward to squeeze your breast. “Perfect tits, perfect ass, perfect fucking pussy,” he grunted, tweaking and pulling on your nipple as he slowed his thrust momentarily, backing himself almost all the way out of you before letting his weight send him back forward again, filling you up completely. “I feel you all around me, baby,” he said in a low, lustful tone. You responded by tensing around him once more, getting closer and closer to climax with each successive thrust. 

“Danny, I’m getting close–” you told him, your voice rising higher and higher, heavy with exertion.

“I know you are, sweetheart,” he responded. “Come here,” he said, reaching for your hands. He pulled you upward and wrapped his arms around you so that you were now in his lap with your legs wrapped around him. “I want you to bounce,” he explained. “And I want to feel you cum all over my cock,” he whispered into the curve of your ear. “Don’t be afraid to lose control. I’m here with you. We’re together, just like we should be.” His skin stuck to yours as you began to move. In any other circumstance you would have been miserable being this hot, but in this case, you welcomed it, wanting to be covered in Danny in any and every way imaginable. You wanted to be his in word and in action. As you worked on his cock, his hands moved to your ass, kneading and spreading it as he pulled you flush against his cock, his entire length buried deep inside of you. Disembodied moans and grunts escaped from your throat as your muscles trembled around him. You threw your hands around him, your fingertips combing through his dark ringlets, tugging at them, while your other hand moved along the expanse of his back, your fingers digging carelessly into his perfect skin. 

He hissed in reaction, tilting his head downward to see if he could find the hickey he had left earlier in the evening. When he couldn’t find it in the darkness, he decided he didn’t care to leave only one. He sucked harshly into your skin, his teeth nipping and pulling as he fucked himself up into you, the room thickening with the entrancing odor of sex. 

“Ah!” you yelped loudly, throwing your head upward. He took the narrow, well-timed moment to strike his cock into you as deep as he could. Before you could control yourself, a blast of white light fielded your vision, pulling you upright in a rigid stasis, your floor muscles tightening around him as firmly as you could. Your body quivered intensely as you seized for several silent, agonizing seconds. His arms pulled around you as he left himself anchored inside of you, his hips swinging slowly back and forth. His length pushed against the furthest boundary between ecstasy and agony, sending your hips whipping forward unconsciously. He was rock-hard inside of you, though you could hear him breathing erratically against you. 

“Let go, Y/n. Let go completely,” he urged you, tilting your head to the side so he could kiss you. “I’m not afraid of messes,” he said casually. “We’ll handle it later in the shower,” he said, pressing his lips to yours. “So, let go.” You closed your eyes and relaxed, letting him slowly begin to fuck into you again. This time, he strokes were excruciatingly slow, unsheathing himself almost completely before sending himself forward. “Do it again. Cum with me,” he spoke after a few moments, his voice shifting into one of more urgency. “Let’s cum together.” 

You nodded quickly. “Fuck me hard, Danny. Please.” Your whimpers filled the quiet room, and he obeyed immediately, lifting you up by your hips and slamming  you back down on his cock as he used what little leverage he had to pop himself up into you. 

“Squeeze,” he ordered, firmly slapping your ass. You moaned from the sharp pain, but sank further into ecstasy as you followed his command, tightening your core muscles around his length and resisted from letting go. 

“Fuck!” he groaned. “That’s fucking perfect,” he grunted. “I’m so close,” he told you. You nodded and moved with him. But decided to change positions slightly, pushing on his chest. 

“Lay back,” you told him, and he did, letting go of you. He laid back against the bed, and rested with his hands behind his head. Holding on to his sides, you moved to rest on your knees, undulating your hips against his, swiveling them and dragging yourself up and down against his length. 

“Oh my fucking God,” he groaned, watching you as you worked on him, feeling the all-too-familiar sensation swelling in your core. You would have grinned down at him, but your body reserved all resources to focus on the frenzy that claimed your body. 

“Danny,” you moaned his name, pressing down on his belly as you ground your hips against him. 

“I know, baby,” he spoke. “Come here,” he said, reaching for your hands. You lay on top of him, prepared to continue your movement, but he gave one last direction. “Squat on my cock, and lay your head on my shoulder.”

“I’m not that flexible,” you told him in the moment. 

“Just trust me,” he said, moving his hands to your sides, bending your legs. You moved to appease his request, situating yourself into a squat, and then laid your upper body back down, resting your head on his shoulder. You knew that your thighs would burn as a consequence, but he felt so good that it was all worth it. Before you could question further, Danny used the spring of the mattress and his strong hands on your hips to drive his cock into you as quickly as possible, gaining more depth with the open space between himself and your opening. “Take it,” he grunted. “Take all of it.” His voice was clipped, heavy with exhaustion, and you knew he was close. Your inner thighs quivered from the proximity of the incoming orgasm. 

Your jaw fell slack, opening as you began to let yourself finally lose control again. Danny’s face was streaked with perspiration as he began to lapse in momentum. “I’m close–” he blurted after a few moments. “I’m gonna cum,” he said again, increasing his pace. You squeezed and squeezed harder, unsure if you were going to be able to reach orgasm again. In the last moment of insecurity, your body got you there, sending heat exploding through your body. “I’m gonna–” he repeated again and again like a vigil before finally, himself, letting go, moaning loudly and hissing through his teeth as the same agonizing pleasure ripped through his own body. You lowered yourself to him as your core exploded, and pressed your body to his, wrapping your arms and legs around him as he pumped his hot seed into you, his hot breath looping around your ears and down your neck as you tensed around him for the last few times. 

You lay there with him, your chests heaving simultaneously. He kissed you deeply, his tongue folding softly with yours as he held you, still mounted inside of you. After a moment, you lifted your head to look at him, and he did the same. You couldn’t help the grin that grew at the corners of your lips. A belly laugh escaped your mouth as you laid back down beside him. 

“What?” He asked with a smirk, rolling on his side. 

“That was fucking incredible,” you admitted. “I never realized that when people talked about witching hour, they meant this…” you grinned, plopping against the pillows. 

“Witching hour doesn’t exist. Those moans everyone talks about? Those aren’t witches. They’re people fucking,” Danny grinned, his white teeth glowing in the darkness. 

“Agh, shut up!” You laughed, reaching for a pillow and slamming it into him. 

“I’m just telling the truth!” he teased, stealing the pillow. 

Stepping off of the bed, he reached his hand downward silently toward you. You looked at it then back up at him. 

“What?” You asked. 

“Let me take care of you. Properly,” he said, wiggling his fingers. “You deserve to go to bed squeaky clean and comfy.” 

You smiled, reaching to take his hand, except you pulled him back down to bed. “No,” you answered decisively. “I don’t want to wash you off,” you admitted, looking him in the eye. “I want to feel like this, to smell like you, to be full of you,” you told him. “So come to bed.” 

You watched as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple rising and falling before he finally answered. “Gladly.”

--

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[lux-et-astra]

The Sink Session Six Transcript

Session Six: When We Don’t Come Back

#INTRO

[MUSIC]

VOICE OVER: Welcome to Sink Systems. If you are new to the service, make sure you start at the beginning. This is not the beginning. A warning. This session contains swearing, psychological difficulty, burning, burning, burning. For safety, we recommend you wear headphones from this point on.

[MUSIC]

[SFX: DISTORTION]

WOMAN 1: (DISTORTED) It’s an easy game.

[SFX: DISTORTION]

WOMAN 2: The scarecrow closes its hot, little button eyes, and puts its straw arms out like a nice big shape and it starts to count down. And the birds fly away, into the trees. The scarecrow opens its very warm, button eyes, and starts looking. And when it finds a bird, it –

WOMAN 1: They get to scare you.

WOMAN 2: You can’t stop, until all the little birds are scared.

MAN: I think we called it… Birdman.

WOMAN 2: The last bird to get scared is scared so much it isn’t a bird anymore, and it stretches out its arms, the new scarecrow, and it starts to count.

WOMAN 1: And then you start again. And then you start again. And then you start – start – start again.

[SFX: BBC SOUNDS JINGLE]

VOICE OVER: BBC Sounds. Music, radio, pod– podcasts.

NARRATOR: Welcome to your final session of The Sink. You’re finally here. You’ve finally ripped it back to where it all started. In the final session, there’s only one thing left to do. You just have to remember what happened. You have to do it all over again. The dreams might try to get in. They want to hide it, they want to protect you, but don’t let them, alright? This isn't about them. This is about what happened. You have to remember it, or you’ll never be free. You're here. You’re finally back! There's nothing left to do but do it. Don’t worry! I’ll be here, the whole time.

[MUSIC STOPS]

[SFX: RUSTLING]

NARRATOR: Go!

#SCENE ONE - FOREST

[SFX: ZIPPING, FOREST NOISES]

WOMAN: Hello! Ugh, okay! Think – that’s everything, so… if we sleep by the lake, tonight, we can set off properly in the morning, yeah? We can tell everyone in like a week, or whatever. When they’re fucking worried! Not that it really matters. (SHOUTED) Bye, everyone! See ya fuckin’ never! (SPOKEN) Alright, put some music on –

[SFX: HEAVY BREATHING]

WOMAN: Nice. They are gonna be so surprised when we don’t come back! (PAUSES) Ugh, cold. Okay, bored now. Let’s play a game, okay? C’mon! It’ll warm us up. Just for a bit, ‘til it gets… until it gets dark. I’m glad you’re here, you know? People don’t… they just don’t –

NARRATOR: Properly understand.

WOMAN: I’ll be scarecrow? Only one bird, but that’s fine, cause you are the best one anyway.

NARRATOR: Please.

WOMAN: It’ll warm us up? Nice and warm? Okay. I’m gonna count down, and you go.

WOMAN & NARRATOR: Three… two… one… go.

[SFX: SLAMMING]

[SFX: RUSTLING, HEAVY BREATHING]

NARRATOR: Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Good. You ran, remember? You started again, and you ran. Then what? What did you do? Your dreams will want to slip in. They want to forget this all over again, but you’ve come so far, don’t go back to the start! Go go go go! Whoo!

MAN (SONIC THE HOG): Help! Help!

NARRATOR: No, he’s not real, he’s not what happened. Fight it.

MAN: (FAINT) Can you take your headphones off?

NARRATOR: Fight it.

MAN: (FAINT) D’you mind? My foot, my – my red foot! It’s a lovely red boot! And my hands – I can’t get my hands out of the – I can’t make a fist, they’re both just stuck in a thumbs up! It’s the character!

NARRATOR: Leave him, he’s just a distraction. Remember what happened, run. Run!

[SFX: HEAVY BREATHING, RUNNING FOOTSTEPS]

MAN: (FAINT) Just the character! For the fun run, everyone was! Sonic, the… I’m Sonic the Hog!

NARRATOR: Ignore him! Keep going, you ran, then what. Concentrate, hold onto it. Keep a grip on it, keep a grip.

MAN (BALANCED FOR EGGS): (OVERLAPPING) Keep a grip on it!

NARRATOR: Careful.

MAN: Keep a grip on it!

NARRATOR: You’re letting them in!

MAN: A grip on the eggs, I mean!

NARRATOR: (DISTORTED) You were running.

MAN: The spoon, you see, it’s uh – it’s balanced for eggs!

NARRATOR: If you let them in –

MAN: Oh, you’re going quite quickly now, aren’t you –

NARRATOR: You’ll need to find your own way.

MAN: My father boiled a chicken once. In an egg.

NARRATOR: Your own way back.

MAN: The chick, it had been boiled in the egg. She was all boiled up. The feathers were white and boiled. Sometimes they’re just born too hot, there’s nothing you can do! If you’re born all boiled up like that. You can’t change it. When people are born all boiled up, all hot, or just different, you know, it’s not your fault, but if you don’t stay away, well –

NARRATOR: Run!

[SFX: HEAVY BREATHING]

MAN: (FAINT) If you don’t stay away, whatever happens, that's – that’s up to you! (INDISTINCT) Have you ever been to Milton Keynes shopping centre? They’ve got an animatronic frog! It burps disgusting bubbles!

[SFX: HEAVY BREATHING, FOOTSTEPS SLOW]

NARRATOR: Good! You’re back. The woods remember, that’s where it happened. Leave the sand. (DISTORTED) It’s not real. Ignore it.

WOMAN (SAND SELLER): Hello darling, can I stop you for one minute? Do you sort your bills, darling? No problem, darling, not gonna cause you any grief today, can see you’re in a bit of a hurry – but do you mind my asking, who does your sand? Friend’s in the living room, got lots of sand, suddenly she’s gone, uh oh! Where’s she gone? Follow the footprints, little dark footprints, all the sand, top of the roof more sand, and she’s just having a little dance with herself! Lovely stuff, no one needs to call the police. Not until it becomes clear that someone’s gone missing. Uh oh, where’s she gone? Uh oh! Where’d you last see her? Cause they’re gonna start asking lots of questions, aren’t they?

[SFX: DOOR, HEAVY BREATHING]

WOMAN: They’re going to ask you – they’re going to ask you if you could have done anything to stop it.

[SFX: DOOR, HEAVY BREATHING]

MUM (FEATHERS): Love, are you in there? You going out then, are you? I don’t want you to just be… doing things because… other girls have told you to do it. Alright? Don’t do anything… just because someone’s telling you. Alright?

[SFX: WATER RUNNING]

MUM: Just because… that girl is telling you to. Sweetheart, just… these little swimming trips, and camping trips, and little… obviously it’s lovely that you’ve – that you’ve got a friend.

[SFX: WATER DRAINING, DOOR]

MUM: But sweetheart… I don’t know about that girl. It’s nice she gets out, obviously boring for her, just… just with her grandma and grandad, but… people say things, darling. Her little games. Little stories. What happened in the swimming pool, it’s just… it’s nice you like her, but she’s… she’s not quite right, is she love? It’s best not to annoy her. Alright love? It’s best not to annoy her.

[SFX: WATER DRAINING]

MUM: Oh, the poor pipes… your dad did say.

[SFX: CLATTERING, SPLASH]

[SFX: UNDERWATER TRYING TO BREATHE, UNDERWATER SCREAMS]

[SFX: GASP]

MAN: We need everyone out please, quickly. Out of the pool please, orderly as you can. We’ve had an incident. Any lost items we collect can be fetched as – main items. Excuse me, out you get please. I’m afraid we cannot take the risk of anyone trying to dig. No place, this, for something like that. She said she needed it all to be dry, do you know anything about that? Dry for the fire. Excuse me. Very important you tell us the truth, okay? This is for her sake as much as anyone else. (FAINT) Excuse me, do you understand? Do you want a towel, for your body?

MECHANIC: It’s all looking good, she’s a much better colour, and her heart beep’s strong. She has been asking for you, demanding… obviously when she came in, we weren’t… we weren’t, uh, sure what we were dealing with, but, but she’s… powerful. She’s very determined to, to live. You’re the only one she wants! Not quite right, is she!

MUM: Not quite right, is she, love.

MECHANIC: She said something about, um, a game?

MUM: Little games, her little stories.

MECHANIC: What did she say – she said, um – she said –

MUM: Best not to annoy her.

MECHANIC: She said, at this point in the maze…

MUM: All things considered…

MECHANIC: At this point, there is a fire.

[SFX: RUSTLING]

DAD (BEARINGS): Right, get our bearings.

SIMON: I know it’s been stressful, this gala, those fucking pumas… honestly, a lot of them deserve what’s coming to them.

DAD: Two fields off from the scarecrow…

SIMON: But some monster –

DAD: One field off from the scarecrow…

SIMON: Is not coming –

[SFX: SYNTH]

DAD: In the tent with the scarecrow!

SIMON: To get me!

NARRATOR: Yes! That’s right. You’re back!

WOMAN (CAT ASHES): Um… I’ve got a story.

NARRATOR: I found you.

MAN (CHILDREN IN THERE): I’ve got a story.

NARRATOR: And when I find you…

MAN (HUFF AND PUFF): I’ve got a story.

NARRATOR: I get…

WOMAN (SHERBET): I’ve got a story.

NARRATOR: To scare you.

[SFX: SYNTH]

WOMAN (FOREST): Stop! Stop. Got you. Got you.

[SFX: HEAVY BREATHING]

NARRATOR: I’ve got a story.

WOMAN: I’ve got a story. Okay? That’s gonna be your scare. You just have to listen to the story. To the end, that’s all. Okay? And then it’s finished. And we go back. Okay?

[SFX: FLICKING LIGHTER]

WOMAN: Once, there were two people who… met each other in the world, and they knew that the world was all wet. They could see it was, it was dripping cold, all of it, and that all their clothes and bodies were heavy and their sleeves dragged along the road dripping off all the wetness everywhere they went and they were the only ones who could f– feel it. It was all wet and covering everything, and it made all… everything cold, and heavy, and dark. And even though they – they tried, they tried to make it dry, every time they tried to help, everyone else would stop them. They’d come and put water in their mouths and, and water them all out until they were even heavier and full and it couldn’t work. And they tried so hard, but it just – it couldn’t work. So one day, they ran away. Sloshing around in all their clothes and dripping their footprints on the ground and they ran! And they got away. 

[SFX: RUSTLING, LIGHTER FLICKING]

WOMAN: They found the woods! And they built a house, a dry house, and they built it out of straw. See? They could get rid of the dark heavy clothes, everything and all the water out of their mouths, and be dry! But, there was a problem. The problem was, it was still all dark and wet inside their skin. Sloshing around all their pipes so they couldn’t just get rid of the clothes, they couldn’t just stop there. 

[SFX: SOUNDS OF A FIRE BEING STARTED]

WOMAN: They wanted to, but that’s not what happens, in the story. No no, it’s okay, it’s okay, listen, listen, don’t… don’t move. So they couldn’t just get rid of the outside clothes. And they were so tired of being cold and heavy and dark. And they wanted to be dry and warm, all the way through, so they built the house out of straw. And they knew all they needed to do to be dry, and warm, forever was just to huff, and puff, and burn the house down. Wait, it’s not – it’s not finished, wait. Just – let’s – let’s put some music on. You have your headphones? C’mon. One for you, one for me.

[MUSIC]

WOMAN: Ugh, it’s the best song in the world. So. So, they knew, it would – it would hurt, for a minute. It would hurt for a little min– minute, but then, they would be so warm and dry to their bones forever. And they knew that the wet ones would look for them, but they were together, and they knew that sometimes, it’s better when people don’t come back. And they knew that it would feel – it would – you’re not, hah, you’re not listening to the – wait, stop – you’re not listening, to the end. We can only finish the game if you listen to the end, so you have to stop. They knew it would feel hot, just for a minute, for a little bit, but then they would feel so clean and dry, and then – no one would ever come – stop! – no listen, you have to – wait, stop! – you have to finish the scare, otherwise it won’t be finished. You’re the little bird – no! Come back, you have to – come back! Wait! Ah, fuck! Fuck!

[MUSIC & SINGING]

WOMAN: Help me! No, come on – (INDISTINCT) Wait, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Just stay! Stay here! Stay here! No, wait – lie down, come back! It’ll be so much better if we don’t come back! Wait! Don’t leave me!

[SFX: SPLASH]

WOMAN: Ah, ah! (SCREAM) No! Come back!

[MUSIC & SINGING]

WOMAN (SHERBET): She says, this is the best song in the world. And… it is. And you look at each other, and you just think… oh no. And right now, with her eyes looking in you, is the last moment you'll – sort of – be alive.

MAN (CHILDREN IN THERE): The sky was looking quite red by now, red and black and white all over.

WOMAN (CAT ASHES): I’ll never forget that night as long as I live. I would have done anything. Some people, just… have that way about them. You know? It’s just… some people, you just… you just can’t help it. Some people, you just can’t help it.

[MUSIC & SINGING]

[SFX: CRACKLING, HEAVY BREATHING]

[SFX: SLAMMING]

JOHN: Bloody hell!

JIM: Are you alright? What’s happened? Jesus – Christ, are you burnt?

JOHN: Look, Jim! Look! Out there!

JIM: Oh my God, oh my God, what’s happened? Come on, love, sit down.

JOHN: Oh – fire!

JIM: Come and sit down. Do you want some water?

JOHN: Fire! Someone! The– them woods out back!

JIM: Jesus! Love – are you burnt?

JOHN: Can someone get some help, please, can someone please get some help?

JIM: Can you talk? Love? Listen to me, are you alright? Love? Are you alright?

JOHN: Was there anyone else, love? Is there anyone else in there? Can you hear me?

JIM: Just breathe in, okay? Breathe in, breathe out. It’s alright. You’re safe. Breathe in, love, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. That’s better. Breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

[SFX: MEASURED BREATHING]

WOMAN (FOREST): Breathe in, breathe out. You’ve done so well. You’ve done it. You’ve done it all. And the last little bird to get scared is scared so much it isn’t a bird anymore. All its feathers get hot and dry and they’re not feathers anymore, they’re just straw. And its eyes are small little buttons. And it all begins again. I knew I’d find you in the end. And the whole time… but –

WOMAN & NARRATOR: I found you, in the end.

NARRATOR: So warm now. So warm. So dry.

WOMAN: Close your eyes. Your small, button eyes.

NARRATOR: Stretch out your arms.

BOTH: Stretch them out, all the straw.

WOMAN: All the way out.

NARRATOR: Ready to count down?

WOMAN: Your turn now!

NARRATOR: There are new little birds to find. And when we catch them…

BOTH: We get to scare them.

WOMAN: Ready?

NARRATOR: Three…

WOMAN: Two…

NARRATOR: One…

[SFX: SOMETHING PLOPPING INTO WATER]

BOTH: Go.

[MUSIC]

#POST SESSION

VOICE OVER: The Sink is written by Natasha Hodgson, and produced and sound designed by Andy Goddard. It starred Alice Lowe as the Narrator, Natasha Hodgson as Kate, with Jason Forbes, Celeste Dring, and David Elms. The music was written by David Cumming. The executive producer was Victoria Lloyd. It was a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.

[onsunnyside]

⋆˚♡˳ Jake has a crush

𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 | Jake Wyler x bratty!cheerleader!reader

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 | Jake being an idiot (believe me, he has no filter), swearing, stereotypical college party setting, drinking, probably second-hand embarrassment

𝗪/𝗖 | 2K

𝗔/𝗡 | this is my first reader insert story and basically the first writing I've ever posted on Tumblr. I'm super nervous but also really excited to write this cute au but this isn't fully proofread!

𝐉𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫! 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋰˚ 𝐂.𝐄. & 𝐂𝐨. 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

A collective groan follows Jake's dreamy sigh. Then, he abruptly sits up straighter and dusts the shoulders of his varsity jacket, his eyes glued on your sauntering figure as you pass his lunch table. Not even a mere glance in his direction.

"Who spilt water—oh, it's just Jake's drool again." One of his friends says loudly, the rest of them laughing. Once they settle down again, they wait for Jake's signature oh shut up, Austin! But he's still staring at you two tables over.

Your legs are crossed as you intently listen to your friends. You take bites of your lunch and sips of your milkshake, your glossy lips wrapping around the straw as your cheeks hollow.

"I heard Priscilla is back in town."

Again, Jake doesn't move an inch. They assumed the mention of his ex would snap him out of whatever trance you have him under and well, they assumed wrong.

Jake's chin is propped on his hand as he admires the blue, red and white fabric on your body. Small, short, pretty, tight; Jake should probably be ashamed over how many times he's gotten red-cheeked from glimpses of the little shorts underneath the skirt.

Of course, his attraction to you isn't only stemmed from appearance, he isn't that shallow. Sometimes anyway.

You're on the spoiled side; blabbering about how your daddy cut you off for the rest of the week after going over your limit again, then gushing about how you pouted and sulked all day until he felt guilty and let you throw a party at your family's lake house because according to you, "my daddy has a soft spot for his little girl."

Jake still remembers the party to this day. Oddly enough, it was just before his crush for you was cemented.

It was a hot summer night at the end of your sophomore year. Your family's lake house was big enough for most of your year and their plus-ones from the next school over.

He's a little tipsy, but with unwavering hands, sinks the white ball into the last solo cup at the end of the table. Over the blaring music, the crowd erupts in cheers as he throws his hands up, soaking in the praise and flipping off his opponents.

"Pay up, Carter! And none of this, I forgot my wallet crap again."

"Here." Carter tosses the bills at Jake's feet, "I was just warming up!"

"Alright, and George didn't sleep with your sister last week. If we're done lying, let's raise the stakes."

Carter's head snaps to their other friend, the tall blond failing to hide behind a pillar.

Jake blinks, a shocked but amused smile on his lips. "Whoops."

"George, you dick! I'm gonna beat your ass!" The blond takes off through one of the wide-open doors with Carter hot on his tail.

"Well, anyone else up for the challenge?" Another friend of his probes, pointing to random people in the crowd. "You? How about you?"

Sitting on the table, Jake counts through his earnings from tonight. $190, $200, $210... (if Carter didn't kill him,) he'll dare George to do something stupid. Like streaking down the boardwalk or jumping off the roof and into the pool.

Like most people at school, Jake was loaded—correction, his family was loaded and he was their asshole trust-funded son. He's not as spoiled as some of his peers, some prim and proper while others were so wildly insane that they would be in jail if it weren't for their parents' deep pockets.

"Snookums, just a little kiss!"

"Ugh, get your dry lips away from me, creep!"

The commotion is loud enough to catch his attention. Over everyone's heads, he can see you shoving a boy hard enough that he stumbles backward and topples over the back of a couch.

"And take a fucking shower, you pig!"

The music is still playing, the party is still alive but all he can focus on is you. You're fuming, you're fucking pissed but you're so pretty. God, how are you so pretty and terrifying at the same time?

Your eyeshadow glimmering like the stars and your lips as sparkly as the jewels on Jake's mother's wedding gown. Your hair is styled perfectly and compliments your matching diamond earrings, rings and necklace. And your figure clad in a pale blush satin mini dress that ends just under your ass, it's backless, the straps crisscrossing down your spine.

Did time stop? Because it sure feels like it.

Jake is so caught up in you that he doesn't notice the boy climbing over the couch with his arm stretched in your direction. He quickly stuffs the cash in his pocket, bills falling to the floor as he rushes to your rescue.

Except you don't need a hero, or him, or anyone for the matter. You yank the boy's arm and bring up your knee to slam into his nose. One yelp and a nasty crunch later, the creep is thrown out the front door by other bystanders.

It must've been the alcohol because Jake's feet don't stop when they should’ve and he tackles you straight into the couch, the both of you falling over the back and bouncing on the plush cushions.

"What the hell! Get off me, scumbag!" Your ringed fists strike him and nearly get him in the eye.

He's sure you didn't know who he was before this moment.

"I'm so sorry—" Jake is starstruck once again. Being this close to you, your breath fanning over his heated cheeks and your eyes glaring at him so hard that he'd probably combust if he wasn't interrupted.

"Ex-fucking-cuse me!"

Jake is yanked off by the back of his shirt and wobbles on his two feet. You sit up, fixing your dress as your narrow gaze falls on the blonde in the fuzzy white dress.

"You little bitch!" Priscilla screeches, "I move schools and you think you could fuck my boyfriend? Ugh, I always knew you were in-love with Jake!"

"I didn't even know he existed until today!"

"Ouch." Jake doesn't know if he said that or it was the small audience watching the dramatic exchange.

"Your boyfriend jumped me, maybe blame his empty skull instead of me."

Jake pouted, still a little dazed and ultimately drunk on you more than the spiked punch, "Hey, I'm not her boyfriend. I wanna be your boyfriend."

You and Priscilla turn to him with opposite expressions. Yours is shocked with a small quirk in your lips and Priscilla has steam blowing from her ears. The blonde offendedly gasps and storms out the front door, the glass nearly shattering as it bangs shut.

You're staring at him, mouth opening a closing. "Who are you?"

He stupidly points to himself. “Me?”

You roll your eyes. "You’re lucky you aren’t ugly.” Jake perks up, but you continue, “but you are a brainless cheater who just attacks girls at parties. Get the fuck out of my house."

"What? No, wait!" He reaches to grab your hand but you slip to the side, stomping on his foot with your heel. He cries out, falling on his ass.

"Touch me again, and I'll feed you to my dogs."

He was confirmed of his crush on you the next day when he found out that you broke that creep’s nose.

"I honestly have no clue how you're in love with her after that shitshow last summer."

"Just look at her,"

"I am," Carter nods, "How could you not?" Austin mutters.

"She's so..." Jake sighs dreamily for the millionth time that day, "Wow.”

"Does she even know you?"

"Of course she knows me. We had the first game of the season last week. We were literally on the field together."

Austin laughs. "Yeah, along with the whole football team, coaches and the cheer squad, you act like there was a spotlight on the two of you when she never went near you."

Jake throws a fry at Austin, "She's the girl, I'm the guy, there isn't a chance that she doesn't know me. We're destined to be together, I'm positive."

"I think she's scared because all he does is stare at her all day." George ponders, "Poor girl, can't even drink her chocolate milkshake without being studied."

"It's actually a strawberry milkshake today, she had chocolate on Monday."

"Oh god, you're so fucking weird."

Jake frowns, "She knows who I am, watch." He stands, running a hand through his hair as he struts towards your table. He comes close enough that your friends stop talking and their gazes lock on him.

Clearing his throat, he plays it cool even though he's actually freaking out on the inside. He's close enough that he can smell your perfume.

He calls your name, “Hey! I was just wondering if you knew the homework for Mr. Chen's class? I have... the worst memory." Jake charmingly smiles, leaning on the table.

It's quiet for a beat, your friends looking between you and him with curiosity.

You tilt your head, eyelashes blinking at him. "We didn’t have any..."

Jake chuckles, feeling like a nervous little boy again. "Oh, of course. Save the trees!" He wishes he could shut up, but he can't. "You know, paper, trees—less homework means less paper, which means more trees. Not that I don't care about homework, I love homework, well not love-love. I care about it but I—”

"Are you done?" You ask, your glossed lips puckered as you sip your milkshake.

"No, I'm Jake."

He could hear the groans from his friends behind him and it only worsens the sickness in his stomach.

A few of your friends giggle, whether it's out of pity or at his stupid joke, Jake wishes he just sat on his ass at his table.

You wrinkle your nose, nodding slowly, "I know that."

Jake beams, "You do?"

"Duh, your girlfriend almost broke my door last summer."

"Ex, ex-girlfriend." Jake corrects, feeling hopeful by the second. He was right that you did know him, he wishes it was for a different reason but bottom line, he was right and he could rub it in his friends' faces now.

"Congrats, she was a bitch."

You say it so bluntly that your friends can't help but choke on their food, one of them excusing herself and leaving, her loud cackles following her out the cafeteria.

"Yeah, she cheated on me with some guy at her new school."

"You deserve that."

Jake's eyes widen, "What?"

"You attacked me that night, don't think I forgot."

"Oh, right..." Jake awkwardly scratches his chin, "You see, I was actually trying fight that creep who was annoying you. I was going to save you. Be your knight in jeans and a white t-shirt."

You narrow your gaze, biting your lip. "I didn't need your help."

He nods quickly. "You broke that dude's nose. With your knee—you've got wild knees! Not wild like out of control, I see them right there and they look pretty tame. I mean, fuck, you know what? I'm gonna go. Um, happy eating, ladies." Jake spins and speedily walks away.

"What a poet." One of your friends, Quinn murmurs.

Lena giggles into her hand. "Girl, give him a break."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Exactly! You're letting him embarrass himself—and with how much he did in that conversation, you need to be charged."

"Give him a little laugh, even one of those fake ones. Literally anything to calm his nerves."

"You're playing him, right? I think everyone on Earth is aware of his crush on you."

You hum. “It's kind of hard to ignore him when he looks like that, and I'm not really mad about the party either." You continue eating your lunch and wipe your mouth with a napkin.

Frances nudges your arm, "And you couldn't tell him that? I thought he was going to vomit."

You can't help the grin from growing on your face, you peek over your shoulder at his table. His friends are all talking at the same time, some patting his back, others poking fun. Jake has his eyes closed, dark hair messy from him undoubtedly running his hands through it.

"But, isn’t he cute when he's dumb?"

[sorry-apsalar]

Frender Week Day Three: Jealousy

I picked this prompt because they're both the jealous type and I wanted an excuse to write Fry being the jealous one for once. Initially it was gonna be a direct tie in with my 'Friends With Benefits' drabble and the conversation Fry and Leela have would've ended with them breaking up because she'd never liked him like that anyway. And then at the end with Bender, Fry would be like 'well we're both single now, wanna go out?' But writing Leela and Fry in a romantic relationship, even for a little bit made me unhappy so I changed the circumstances to this instead.

~

Bender spoke fairly often about hating humans and wanting to kill them all. Fry had never taken it seriously because had proven many times that if nothing else there were at least humans he made exceptions for, Fry being his best friend was one of them. But one thing Fry had always assumed, or would’ve if he’d ever given the matter any thought, was that Bender would never be interested in dating a human.

That was exactlywhat he was doing though. And… he was happy, very much so supposedly. He seemed enthused by Amy and she with him. Fry had gone out of his way to show nothing but support for them, what kind of jerk would he be if he hadn’t? But… he hated it. He hated seeing them together so much that the temptation to try to break them up was hard to resist at times.

Seeing Bender dating other people had kind of bothered him for a while now. But it had mostly been other robots and none of those relationships had ever lasted long. And Bender had never been so enthusiastic about any of them the way he was with Amy. It was unlike Bender to even be like that, right? He just wasn’t the type. … Fry was just making excuses, huh? There was no logic behind why he hated seeing them together so much and thus he was just searching for a reason to justify his dislike for it when he should be nothing but happy for them.

It ate him up inside, especially since it meant Bender forsook their usual evenings spent watching TV together to go to Amy’s place instead. Even when they were at work Bender chose to spend most of his time with Amy. Eventually Fry just couldn’t keep it to himself anymore, he had to tell someone.

“So you’re jealous,” Leela said matter-of-factly as soon as Fry had finished spilling his guts to her. Maybe while working wasn’t the best time for such a conversation but Bender declining to go on the delivery mission with them to spend time with Amy instead had been the last straw. Fry should’ve been happy to take such an opportunity to try to impress Leela again but was far too preoccupied with Bender to do so – which was probably for the best since it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway, nothing ever seemed to.

“No, why would I be… well, okay I guess maybe I might be a little jealous.” More like a lot. “But he’s supposed to be my best friend and he’s not spending much time with me anymore. And when we are hanging out, Amy’s always there too and I swear it’s like they’re going out of their way to rub it in my face. And I just… I just want to hang out with him again like we used to.”

“Have you tried talking to him about this?”

“No. How could I? He’s my best friend and Amy’s also my friend, and I want them to be happy, you know?” Just not while dating each other. Did thinking that make Fry a bad friend? Probably at least a little, right? But… he just wanted to hang out with Bender, just the two of them, like they’d done before all this started.

Leela didn’t even look at him. “I think you should try talking to him about it.”

“But…”

“No ‘but’s. When you get a chance to, talk to him about both this and about your feelings for him. Lord knows you’ve never had any issue telling me how you feel about me, why should he be any different? Especially since he has a far better chance of actually feeling the same way. And then if you two get together you can finally stop asking me out every other Friday.”

“I don’t ask you out every other Friday.” He’d gotten a lot better about that even if he hadn’t given up on winning her yet. “And what did you mean by…” He cut off as the full meaning of her words hit him. He took a breath to voice a protest, say he didn’t like Bender like that, they were just friends. But… he’d be lying if he tried to say he never thought about Bender like that. He’d never seriously considered it though because Bender was always ready to say he hated humans. An obvious lie given who he liked to hang out with but one that would make any logical person think that he wouldn’t want to date one. But that was apparently not a thing. So really it was Bender’s fault and Fry was officially annoyed with him over it. Also… “He’s dating Amy so I can’t talk to him about that stuff.”

“For now, yeah. I doubt it’ll last for much longer.”

“I don’t know about that. They seem pretty happy together.” Fry would know, they liked to talk about how happy they were together around him all the time. It’s almost like they wanted to make him jealous.

Leela shrugged. “I guess we’ll see once they finish up the last of the Proposition Infinity business. Now get ready go, we’re almost there. The Professor said this package is going to someone important and potentially dangerous so we should handle it with care.”

Fry groaned but at least work would provide a distraction from thoughts about what Bender and Amy might be doing together right now. They were probably on a date or kissing or maybe even having sex. Ugh! How exactly did robots even have sex? … He was going to have to google later.

***

“I’m bored and it’s not working so we should break up,” Bender said as soon as he and Amy were alone in her apartment.

“We should finish making sure Proposition Infinity passes first though,” she replied as she settled on her bed. “We’re kind of like the heads of it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. As soon as it passes though we’re through.” Even if they had ended up entangled in campaigning for it on accident it was still a good cause and would result in Bender being famous so it was definitely worth it. Keeping up the pretense of being happy with Amy grew increasingly more annoying every day though.

“That’s fine with me. But uh, we don’t know if this whole thing failed entirely. Fry could be jealous and just hiding it because he wants to be a good friend. I mean you’re jealous of how into Leela he is and you don’t show it often because they’re your friends and you want them to be happy.”

She had a point but… “I doubt it. He’s only ever really had eyes for Leela.” The fact that Leela clearly wasn’t into him was fitting because that was exactly what Bender was going through too. The best he’d been able to get out of Fry with this scheme was annoying him enough to make him leave the room by being overly lovey-dovey with Amy. Which was fun, especially since it had annoyed everyone else too but it wasn’t enough and even that was starting to get boring.

“Hmmm… maybe. But do you think Kif will really take me back after you dump me?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care.”

Amy sighed. “Yeah, I know you don’t because you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

“I’m glad were on the same page.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just hurry up and get the rest of this Proposition Infinity business done so we can finally breakup and be done with this dumb act.”

*Some days later*

“You uh… dropped Amy really fast,” Fry finally said as they strode into the apartment. He’d been dying to bring it up for hours and couldn’t wait any longer. The fact that Leela had been right about Bender and Amy breaking up soon wasn’t surprising because she was right about most things, it’s part of why Fry liked her so much. But the timing of the breakup and just how sudden it had been was still strange.

“Yep,” Bender replied nonchalantly as he settled on the couch and switched on the TV. “I was getting bored of her.”

Fry joined him on the couch, happy their evenings watching TV had been restored. But he wasn’t ready to drop it yet so… “You didn’t seem like you were getting bored of her.” If anything, it had seemed the opposite right up until he’d dumped her.

“Well, I was.”

“And you dumped her because she wanted a monogamous relationship?” It just didn’t make sense because they’d seemed pretty monogamous the whole time they’d been dating, why would that suddenly be a problem?

Bender shrugged. “I guess. I was mostly just looking for a reason to dump her. Now shut up about it, it’s not important.” He was annoyed but seemingly mostly at Fry for asking so many questions and not all that bothered by the actual breakup.

Well as weird as the whole situation was, he was no longer dating Amy and that was a good thing as far as Fry was concerned. And if he wasn’t upset about it then maybe… it was time to take Leela’s advice? She’d never steered him wrong before and the past few days he’d had plenty of time to think about it. He hadn’t really decided anything so maybe he shouldn’t say anything? Or maybe he should? Before Bender ran off and started dating someone else who he might not get bored of, thus killing Fry’s chances permanently. What though and how? Words really weren’t Fry’s strong suit. Well, no sense beating around the bush, right?

“Now that you’re single again you want to maybe go out on a date with me sometime?”

Bender froze for a few seconds before turning to look at Fry. “Are you really asking me out?”

“Uh… yeah. It’s fine if you don’t…”

“What brought this on? You’ve never showed any interest in me like that before so why are you suddenly asking me out now?”

“Well uh…” Blushing, Fry looked away. “I got kind of jealous about you dating Amy and spending so much time with her. It made me realize some things. Or more like talking to Leela about it made me realize why exactly I was so jealous and stuff. It’s fine if you say ‘no’, I’m pretty used to getting turned down and stuff so you don’t have to worry about hurting my uh…” He trailed off at Bender’s borderline evil chuckle. He seemed very satisfied by something, what though?

“Nah, I’m not saying ‘no’. We’re going on a date uh… how about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yeah, tomorrow afternoon works for me.”

“It’s a date then.”

“All right uh… cool.” Fry wasn’t one to question luck or good fortune even if it was strange. “That’s the easiest I’ve ever had convincing someone to go on a date with me.”

Bender put and arm around Fry, pulling him closer to his side. “Don’t question it.”

[haikyuu-sickfics]

Vomit warning!

I feel bad about how poorly written my first Suna centric fic was so heres attempt #2

First it was Atsumu who came down with the horrible bug.  Though, thanks to his whiny nature, the abnormality in his condition was noticed quickly by his family. The early detection of the ailment allowed for him to not leave the house and spread his illness throughout the school- or worse his team.

This plan had one weak spot though.

That weak spot had a name, and a position on the volleyball team the Miya's tried so hard to keep healthy.

Though they struck luck, in a way.  Thanks to Osamu's reserved nature, it seemed that no one on the team was at risk of contagion.

No one but the only person closer to Osamu than Atsumu.

Rintarou.

The two were practically joined at the hip, if one of them was having a bad day- they both were.  If one of them sprained their ankle, magically the other did as well.  And, obviously, if one of them got sick, the other would definately catch it.

But they didn't get sick, one of the pros of being an observer and not a engager- like Atsumu.

"If ya got me sick I swear to everything I'm gonna pummel yer head in," Osamu threatened as his dull headache throbbed on the walk to school.

"Okay lemme just," Atsumu pursed his lips and sucked in as though a straw was in his mouth.

"The fuck was that?"

"Oh I'm just sucking all the sickness out of you because appearantly I can control where that shit goes," Atsumu sassed.

His attitude dropped quickly after recieving a knock on the head by his twin.

"The hell was that for?"

"You had immunity while you were sick, I've been holding that in for so damn long."

Atsumu pouted, absentmindedly rubbing the sore spot on his head and distancing himself a bit from his walking partner.

Todays walk to school felt significantly longer and more treacherous today, the suns rays beating down harder than they ever had, enveloping Osamu into a sweaty unwanted hug and injecting grogginess into his every movement.

Atsumu didn't point out Osamu's slow movements, fear of another rutheless attack providing more than enough restraint.

The sight of the schools familiar architechture proved a very welcomed sight to the both of them.  Atsumu waved goodbye before hurrying to join his group of friends, desperate to get away from his twin.

Osamu mumbled some line about his brothers rudeness before beginning the search for Rintarou.

They usually met up outside of their shared class, but Osamu wished to talk with him earlier.  As much as he disliked falling behind in work, there was no way he would be able to make it through a full day of school.  Having the same train of thought as Osamu, Rintarou was pacing to the left of the enterance, slender eyes scanning for the formers familiar presence.

Once the two caught eye contact they quickly walked up to eachother.

"Where did you say your brother has been?" Rintarou question immediately.

"Stomach bug," Osamu replied sullenly, knowing where this conversation was headed.

"Ok and did he sleep on the couch or something?"

"Nope, he stayed in our room because the couch was 'too hot,'" he surrounded the last bit with air quotes.

"So do you think-"

"That I caught it?  Yes," Osamu knew enough about his body to know that the bubbling sensation in his stomach was a sign of some sort of ailment.

"So it's contagious," Rintarou confirmed.

"Mhm."

Rintarou groaned, burying his face in his hands.  The moment he woke up with nausea pummeling down on him, his subconsious knew what had happened.  But it took Osamu strengthening his theory to make him sure

"So... are you going to school today?  Maybe you should stay home, I could walk you and make sure you get there safe," Rintarou hid his own eagerness to skip school by masking it with Osamu's.

"Yea okay."

Smiling inwardly at this small victory, Rintarou began the familiar trek to the Miya house.  The walk was blessfully short, the cool morning air and light traffic cruising by singing a soft lullaby.  By the time the house came into view, the two were practically sleep walking.

"M' moms not home, she missed a lotta work last week," Osamu informed between yawns.

Rintarou nodded, a small part of him hoped that the eldest Miya would be present,  her presence was always comforting and her extense experience in the ways of parenthood allowed for her to always know exactly what to do next.

Honestly, Rintarou really needed her right now, he hated to admit it but she was the closest thing he had to a mother figure, and doesn't everyone want to be nurtured when they're sick?

"When's she coming back," he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Osamu shrugged, slipping his key into the lock on the door and turning it.

"Dunno, she usually gets off at like 5 but she might stay longer to catch up."

Biting his inner cheek to suffocate his dissapointment, Rintarou followed Osamu into his house.

"I'll go make soup," Rintarou offered as Osamu dissapeared down the hall.

"Ugh no!  I've had soup for the past week, just make some sandwhiches or something."

That didn't sound like the best sick-day meal, but hey, it wasn't his house.

Rintarou knew his way around the Miya's kitchen as if it were his own, allowing him to effortlessly find the ingredients for a simple fruit sandwich.

With the two snacks on a plate, Rintarou walked down the hall to the twin's room where Osamu was huddled under the blankets on his bed, back to the door.

"I have food."

"Mneh."

"Yea ok."

Rintarou gently placed the food on a dresser before sitting next to Osamu on his bed.

"How you feeling?"

"Like shit," Osamu groaned, peeking his head out of the safety of his covers, "you?"

"Tired."

Osamu scooched over, pressing himself against the wall and patting the now empty space next to him, "then sleep."

Rintarou nodded thankfully before tucking himself under the blankets and curling into a ball on his side.  The bed was hot, or was that just him?  He didn't know anymore.  All he knew was that these blankets kept every degree of body heat trapped under its fibers, sticking it to the sweat beading on the both of their body's.

"Do you have shorts and a tank I could borrow?" Rintarou asked, tugging at the collar of his uniform.

"Mhm," Osamu lightly pushed Rintarou out of the bed before pulling himself up.

He rocked in place for a moment, eyes shut and jaw clenched and relaxing periodically.

"You good?"

Osamu held a finger up, waiting for the spell to pass.  It didn't pass.  He sat down quickly on the edge of the bed, elbows braced on his knees holding his head in his hands.

"No no no, not now," Rintarou scanned to room for a bag or bucket or anything that would keep Osamu from making a mess.

The only thing he could find was Atsumu's old sport duffle.

Better than nothing.

Rintarou grabbed it, not even checking to see if it was empty before thrusting it onto Osamu's lap.

A smile flashed behind Osamu's eyes as he imagine how pissed his twin would be when he saw this.

His devious joy didn't last for long though as his barely digested breakfast came barreling up his throat.  Lips parting slightly, a light wave of disgustingly sour stomach contents splashed into Atsumu's property.

"He's gonna be," Osamu passed to stifle a burp, "pissed y'know."

Rintarou hummed, purposely staring in the opposite direction.

Before Osamu could ask of his friends wellbeing, vomit took the place of words and a thicker wave of cereal landed on top of the previous with a sickening splat.

Rintarou walked out of the room at this, his head spinning with intense nausea.  He took deep breaths, trying desperately to calm his stomach long enough for him to make it to the toilet without incident.  The smell of fruit lingering on his hands assaulted Rintarou's nose as he covered his mouth.  A quick gag tore its way out, pressing ruthlessly against his stomach as the boys legs threatened to collapse beneath him.

He tried so hard to make it.  The bathroom was right there, he could see the door knob, practically touch it.  So close to turning it and entering into the clean comfort of the cool tiled floor and porceline bowl.  He didn't make it.

Of course he didn't.

Rintarou's inner struggle forced it's way out to paint the restroom door a dark abstract splash.

"The fuck was that?" Osamu called after hearing the splash.

Rintarou groaned, wanting nothing more than to sink into the floor below him and allow dirt to hug every crevice of his body.  Maybe if he sat still enough that would happen.  Or maybe enough dust would accumilate to hide his existance from the rest of the world, just another speck of dirt on the floor.

That was unreasonable thinking.  There was no avoiding the cold hard fact about what had just happened.  Rintarou just repayed the years of hospitality from the Miya's by decorating their interior with whatever the hell he ate the last handful of hours.

A sob forced it's way out before he had a chance to stop it.

It was at this moment he realized he had outstayed his welcome.  Sinking to the floor and giving up on the idea of going to the bathroom, Rintarou curled into a ball- his mind a blur of fever and frantic thoughts.  The floor felt uncomfortably comfortable, maybe it was the knowledge that this may be the last time he would ever know the bliss of touching the floor of this house.  The last time he'll be allowed to make sandwhiches in the kitchen a short walk away.  The last time he'll be allowed to cuddle up with Osamu and stay up late watching videos without headphones, much to the chagrin of Atsumu.

More tears forced their way out, completely distracting Rintarou from the fact that he was sick at all.  The only thing he felt right now was remorse and pure sadness.  His chest heaved as breath refused to come normally.

A goldball edged with burning metal was lodged deep in his throat, attracting his stomach contents with a strong magnetic pull but refusing it to go all the way up.  He coughed desperatly, trying to rid of the horrendous feeling plaguing his upper body or at the very least dislodge the ball.  It worked, not in the way he had hoped for, but relief was provided nontheless as the cough brought up another wave of sick to splash down between his chest and knees.

The door pushed open at this moment.

"Hello?  Is anybody home?  The doors unlocked."

Rintarou's breath caught as the familiar feminine voice reached his cotton stuffed ears.  His body froze with icy terror, trying his best to stay completely still and camoflauge into the wall.

"Ma?" Osamu's voice yelled out, ""M here with Rin, I think we're sick."

Rintarou shook his head as Osamu outed him and delicate footsteps made their way closer.

"No no no no no," he whispered to himself, eyes squeezed shut as if to force himself awake.

"Oh dear," Osamu's mother commented as Rintarou's pityful sight came into view.

"'M sorry, I'll clean it, I tried to make it, I'll leave when it's clean, I can run down to the store for supplies," he began his semi rehereased spiel.

"Sweetheart, no," she made her way closer to him, eyebrows furrowed in concern as tears ebbed the edges of her eyes, "It's alright, it's not your fault you feel like this."

She rubbed his hair away from his forehead before using her soft thumb to wipe his tears away.

"Let's get you cleaned up, hm?" She gently scooped her arms under his shoulder before opening the bathroom door and lowering him onto the toilet seat. "I'll grab some clothes and water, feel free to use the paper towels to wipe yourself down.

Rintarou didn't respond, too ashamed to look her in the eyes even to thank her.  He knew he was only making the situation worse, the absolute least the mother deserved was a heartfelt thanks.

So he just sat there, frown etched deeply on his face and eyes glued to the floor as the Miya went to check on her biological son.

Osamu was much neater looking, his mess had all been contained within Atsumu's sporting bag.  Still, his face was a mess.  A deep flush decorated his sickly pale skin which was glistening with thin beads of sweat and tears of exertion.

"Oh, did ya catch what 'Tsumu had?" She asked, sitting next to him and rubbing between his shoulder blades.

He nodded with a pout, leaning onto his mother's forehead who was working on zipping up the bag and setting it on the floor.

"Do you feel a little better now?"

He nodded.

"Great, would you please help me with a couple things?  I hate to make you do stuff, but I just need to get Rintarou a new set of clothes and I would hate to rummage around your closet.

Osamu nodded once more, standing up to search for suitable clothes as his mother took the soiled bag outside.  Once it was properly disposed of (next to the door to be dealt with later) she grabbed a couple rags, some cleaning solution and a bucket.

When she arrived to the bathroom, Osamu was already there with the clothes, trying to hand them to a refusing Rintarou.

"C'mon it;'s okay, please wear them."

Rintarou refused, fresh tears streaming down his face as his lips frowned deeply.

"I don't," he sniffed, struggling to speak between rapid breaths, "I don't deserve them."

"Don't be silly!" The eldest assured, quickly standing in front of Rintarou- forcing him to look into her caring, concerned eyes, "Please put them on, as long as you're under this roof- you're a Miya and you get the Miya-family-treatment whether you like it or not!"

Rintarou clenched his jaw, appreciation and love flooding through him in a way which only these people had ever been able to make him feel.  He had longed for this all of his childhood, the caring presence of an adult who wanted nothing but the best for you.  Who didn't care about how much of a mess you made, how rude you had been.  Someone who looked past all his faults and cared- truly cared- for the person beneath it all.

"Thank you," Rintarou finally whispered, a sad happiness taking over his expression as he collected the change of clothes, "Thank you so much."

The mother hugged him close, not caring about whatever may stain her shirt at this point.

"Anytime."

[sparkkeyper]

May Prompt Fill - Bait

Fill for the Ace Omens Discord May prompts.

Summary: Set late 1700s/early 1800s. Crowley is scheduled to hang for someone else's crime, but when Aziraphale shows up the demon doesn't want a rescue.

Warnings: hanging, strangulation, fake death

Word count: 1,457

------

"So you're going by Johnathan Smith now?"

Crowley whirled to see the angel standing just outside the bars of his cell, looking far from impressed. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same." Aziraphale looked him up and down. "Rumours do fly, you know. I had to hear about this from the baker three towns over. Murder didn't sound like your usual style of work at all. How long have you been in here?"

Crowley pulled a face. "Two weeks, and let me tell you the food is terrible."

"Two weeks?!" Aziraphale glanced down the prison hallway to be sure his notice-me-not miracle was still in effect. "You could have sent me a message in that time! I don't know what's stopping you from breaking yourself out, but you're lucky the gossip reached me in time."

He raised his hand to snap but Crowley grabbed his fingers through the bars. "Stop that! I'm supposed to be here. But you don't need to be, so you can turn around and..." He made a shooing motion but Aziraphale did not shoo.

"You're scheduled for execution in an hour!"

"Yes! It's part of my plan!"

"Your plan involves getting hanged?"

"Yes!" Crowley groaned and leaned against the cell wall, hands stuffed in his pockets as Aziraphale just stood looking flabbergasted. "It's not really hanging, per se, you know we don't need to breathe. Look, there was a reason I didn't call you. I didn't want you to have to see this."

"What kind of stupid-"

"I'm behind on my quota, all right? My last several assignments have all crashed and burned. Is it my fault that humans have free will and can choose whether or not to give in to temptation no matter how good I am at it? Is it my fault the last couple targets turned out to be disgustingly virtuous? No, but Dagon doesn't want to hear about it. I need to bag this job, angel. Please don't interfere."

Aziraphale stewed for a moment, but he knew the necessity of filled quotas. "Fine," he grumbled. "Who's your assignment?"

"The judge. Hell's had their eye on him for a while now. Really, really wants him. His nephew strangled the girl and he knows it, but he'll do anything to avoid the scandal. That's what I'm counting on here. The town wants a satisfying conclusion to the murder and the judge doesn't want the messiness of being related to a convicted felon. He's been looking for a scapegoat."

Aziraphale looked him over. "And that's you, is it?"

"Few more reliable ways to end up in Hell than to knowingly execute an innocent man. I fit the description. I have no alibi. The evidence against me is easy to manufacture. That's why I'm Johnathan Smith here - I needed a moniker that can die."

Aziraphale glowered. "I want you to know I don't approve of this at all."

"Don't expect you to, that's why I didn't invite you to my hanging." Crowley rolled his eyes. "Anyway it's not like I'm planning on actually discorporating. I get sentenced, I drop, I pretend to asphyxiate, I slip out the back afterwards when nobody's looking. As far as the judge's conscience is concerned, he just ordered the death of an innocent human to protect his own reputation. We all go on our merry way."

"Yes, that's the word for it, I'm sure," Aziraphale responded dryly. "Very well, I won't interfere. But I expect you to walk out of this town with me when this is all over."

"You don't have to stay for the festivities."

"Well I'm going to, and that's final."

"Fine." Crowley sounded exasperated. "Doubt it'll be pretty. But if you insist on sticking around, do me a favour and don't let them try to bury me in the churchyard. Now get out of here, they're going to come for me any minute now."

Reluctantly, Aziraphale did.

-----

Less than an hour later saw several dozen people gathered in the courthouse square. An angel stood unobtrusively among the crowd. Sadness and wrath tugged at his senses. Many of them had known the murdered girl, he gathered, and were eager to see her killer punished. They would not tolerate a lenient sentencing, fearful that their own daughters could be future victims. He tried not to bear too much ill will towards them - to the best of their knowledge the court had convicted the right person - but it was hard when Crowley was the one being led up onto the gallows in shackles.

The demon looked uncharacteristically subdued as the executioner steered him to his place over the trap door. He shrunk in on himself, small and frightened. It was all an act, Aziraphale knew, to give the judge the rope to hang himself metaphorically speaking, but that didn't make it any easier to watch.

The noose was placed around his neck and the judge addressed him from a raised platform. "Johnathan Smith. You have been accused and found guilty of the crime of murder. It is the verdict of this court that you be sentenced to hang by the neck until dead on this, the eighth of June. Do you have any final words before you are sent to meet your Lord?"

Crowley made a show of frantically pulling against his bonds. "I haven't killed anybody! I swear I haven't! You've got to believe me, please! Please don't do this!"

The crowd buzzed angrily, drowning out the words of empty ceremony that came next. The executioner secured the noose properly. "I haven't killed anybody! You know I didn't!" Crowley began to shout his denials over the din and the courtyard filled with a cacophony of pleas and condemnation and cries for blood. Then the judge gave a signal and the trap door fell out from under him.

Aziraphale was certain Crowley already had a miracle in place to keep his corporation's neck from breaking, but he layered on another just in case. The demon was slim enough that a failure to break was believable. As he wasn't human, it wasn't necessary for him to breathe oxygen or cycle blood through veins. Even so, it was gruesome to watch him pretend to suffocate. His face went as red as his hair, then purple the more he thrashed. His eyes shut tight behind the dark glasses to hide the yellow, and any noises he might have made were lost to the jeering of the crowd. It was all Aziraphale could do not to turn away from the awful sight.

Crowley, fortunately, was not interested in drawing out the scene for longer than necessary. He struggled for less than a minute before he appeared to lose consciousness. His movements slowed to bare twitching, then finally to nothing. The executioner let the body hang there for several minutes more before checking for a pulse or breath.

It occurred to Aziraphale that Crowley could have led some other innocent human into the path of the judge instead. He tucked that knowledge away and, with the fun over and the crowd dispersing, made his way over to the cluster of town officials.

-----

It was nearly half an hour later that he pulled the blanket from over Crowley's head. "You can get up now. We're far enough from the town limits."

Crowley gave a great inhale and coughed to start his lungs again. He sat up in the back of the small wagon, brushing straw from his hair as it trundled down the path. "About bloody time. Almost thought they were gonna leave me hanging there as a cheerful summer decoration."

"They thought about it," Aziraphale admitted as Crowley climbed up to join him on the driver's bench. To his relief, a series of miracles was quickly repairing the demon's skin colour and neck bruises. "Fortunately I told them I knew a medical student who needed fresh cadavers for dissection. It turns out you're worth four whole shillings."

"Lucky me." With a snap, Crowley's clothes were immaculate again. "Ugh, glad that's over. Remind me to stay out of this area for a couple decades."

Aziraphale was quiet for a moment. "Do you pull that trick often? Playing the scapegoat?"

"Nah." Crowley settled back into the bench. "Not the first time, though. It's not a fun trick. I don't recommend adding it to your temptation repertoire."

"And I don't recommend you keeping it in yours."

"Well this ought to keep Hastur and Dagon off my back for a bit. Do I owe you for the..." He gestured vaguely to encompass the two of them and the direction of the receding town. "For the ride?"

"Oh absolutely. There's a very expensive inn we're headed to. You owe me four shillings."

[uhgoodmoni]

Our Clock is Ticking | KTH

After a post Christmas breakup with his girlfriend Taehyung is celebrating New Years alone in a hotel. The ball drops, yet 2021 doesn’t come. 

Warnings: angst and some fluff

Ao3 - Wattpad

(Taehyung POV)

I pull my lips together in a frown, glancing down at the last text I sent. 

‘Merry Christmas I guess’ 

‘Read at 1:34 am’

A deep sigh heaves from my chest. Yeah. Merry fucking Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stuck in an unfamiliar country in an unfamiliar town by my damn self. Guess we picked the perfect time to pick a fight. I bring my eyes to the clock. It’s 5:00 pm on New Year’s Eve. I could be at home with the rest of the boys but nooo. She had to drag me out to see her damn family and then pick a fight with me so I’m stuck spending the holiday alone. 

My head falls back against the couch. What the fuck am I going to do now? It’s already passed the new year in Korea, but maybe I’ll call someone. Jimin… Yoongi. I don’t know. What would I even say? Hey, Mara and I broke up yesterday, and now I’m alone on New Years. Tch. Yeah. As much as I’d love to spill my guts out to them I’ve cried so much this week I feel just like shit. At this point, I just want to fly back home.

Luckily I was able to snag a flight back to Seoul for tomorrow. Not that it didn’t cost a lot, but there’s no way I’m spending another day here to wallow in my self-pity. 

The phone screen still shines up in my eyes and I look one more time. A tiny circular picture of her sits at the top of our text. Her tongue stuck out to touch the camera when I took the photo. Silly. 

When I take that flight tomorrow, will I ever see her again? I grind my teeth together, my thumb pressing against the power button. Despite how much anger is burning inside me, I hope the answer is yes. 

‘I’ll be happier if I lived this next year without you.’ She really said that. I roll over onto my side, curling up on the cushions. She’s probably right. I honestly did make everything harder for her. She was always so understanding though. I wonder if she even meant it. 

I sniff, wiping at a stray tear I hadn’t noticed. I’d like to think that she didn’t mean it. That she was just angry and it spilled out after all the dumb shit I said. Or what maybe I didn’t say. A shaky breath leaves my body, and my eyes clench shut. Oh, why can't I stop thinking about it? 

Maybe she did mean it. I had never seen her say something with more conviction and anger, her body shook as she had screamed it at me. Her face had gone red like the wine we were drinking. I’m sure that fueled our anger too. But there had to be some backing behind her words. Even if this fight had been the last straw there were so many feelings leading up to this. Every night she spent waiting up for me. How could I not see her patience running out? Slowly but surely our clock had been ticking. Every time we greeted each other, said goodbye, kissed. Had her patience been running out then too? 

Even I knew we weren’t fine. Fuck. I should have said something. Maybe I didn’t tell her how much she means to me often enough. Probably not. Of course, she cracked for the holidays. But did she really have to be so cruel?

I glance up from the couch, feeling the vibrations of a phone call. Damnit, I was hoping to avoid talking to anyone for the whole night. Should have figured, they are probably missing me. I sigh looking at the contact. Hoba hyung, a facetime. Not even just a voice call. Internally I groan looking myself in the reflection on my screen and making sure I don’t look like the shit I feel like. 

After a deep breath, I answer the call. “Heyyy hyung…” I try and push away everything that has happened. If I tell him he’ll just be worried for no reason. 

“Taeee, Happy New Year.” I smile lightly looking at him. He looks tired cause he probably stayed up all night. 

I grin, trying to hide away the frown that was stuck on my face. “Hobaa why are you awake so early?” He raises an eyebrow and just shakes his head. 

“Just am I guess, and knew you’d be awake so I wanted to call you. How’s the holiday with the missus?”

It’s awful. I said something inconsiderate and ruined the whole thing. We were drinking and I took her defensiveness as an attack on me. Maybe it was maybe it wasn’t. Doesn’t matter. We broke up and she said she doesn’t want to spend another year of her life with me. Now I’m sad and alone on New Years’ Eve. Probably won’t even watch the ball drop. Soak up my misery. I still have that bottle of wine I bought. 

At least that’s what I wanted to tell him. And I will. Eventually. Just not today. 

“She’s with the fam they are cooking in the kitchen.” I grin and he seems satisfied with that. Hobi is always fooled by my lies. Part of me wished that Jimin or Yoongi had called. They’d be able to call out my bullshit…

“Well, I shouldn’t bother you then you better go help…” 

“Yeah… well, how was your night last night?” I say, trying to get him to stay on the call a little longer. Damn, I wish I could go home. 

“You know… the usual. Jin passed out right after midnight. Me too.” He giggles. “But the others I guess you could say partied. Not really but we had fun.” I smile at this. Wish I had been there with them. 

“Wish I had been there.” I sigh, but smile softly to him, hoping to not reveal how I really feel. 

“No, you don’t silly. Go have fun!” He winks to me, “You’ll see us in a couple days anyway.” 

“You’re right.” I nod not feeling like telling him I’ll actually be on my way back tomorrow. It stays silent for a moment as he smiles up to me. 

“Stay safe and tell Mara I say hi!” He waves and I only nod. 

“Bye.”

“Bye.” He says and hangs up. Well… I look at the clock seeing it’s only been about ten minutes since I last checked the time. It’s gonna be a long night. 

~

My palms press into my skull. Trying to nullify the ache resonating in the back of my head. Oh shit. I groan, shielding my eyes as I tentatively open them. Trying to bring myself to life I lick my lips, the taste of that wine leftover on my breath. I cringe, taking a deep breath. Did I really end up drinking last night? I thought that wasn’t the plan. I lift my head from my pillow seeing the bottle resting on the counter. Still full. I swear I could remember at least drinking at least a glass though. Except now I no longer taste the wine on my tongue. As if it had never been there in the first place. 

I exhale and plop my head back down. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Fuck. 

Again I lift my head up, searching for my phone on it’s charger. What time is it? Oh God what if I slept too late and missed my alarm. 

2:34 pm. Fuck.

I pull up my ticket on my phone. 4:30 pm. Could I make it in time? Might as well try… I read over the confirmation email. 

Thank you for your purchase… Your flight is for 1/1/2021 4:30 pm.

I toss myself from the bed, heading to my suitcase. Should I change? Do I have time? At least I should brush my teeth. I flick through the email, feeling like I’m forgetting something as I shuffle to the bathroom. 

Sent at 2:00 pm. 

I squint my eyes at this. Specifically remembering that I got this email yesterday and not today. Maybe it’s like a reminder. I shrug and wet my toothbrush.

An alarm sounds from my phone as I set it down making me jump. I scrunch up my face remembering I had a headache, but it’s not really bothering me anymore.

 I look at the alarm… a reminder I set for myself. But it was supposed to go off yesterday. It did go off yesterday. 

Reminder: flight tomorrow leave by 1:30.

I shake my head, lifting my head to the mirror. I look like shit, but I have this whole week let's be honest. Setting my toothbrush down I pull up my calendar. Did I get it wrong or something? No, my flight confirmation definitely says the first. 

I glance at the little red dot on the calendar indicating the date. 12/31/2020. Pressing my lips into each other, I raise an eyebrow staring at the screen for a minute. It has to be wrong. I almost laugh to myself. Am I crazy? 

I check the time again on my phone. 2:40 Thursday, December 31. 

Have I completely mixed up the dates? I could swear that yesterday was New Years Eve. I push my hair back, looking back into the mirror. Though I didn’t watch the ball drop so maybe I was just mistaken. 

Just to be sure, I look up the airport’s number, and give them a call. There’s no chance I’m missing the flight. After a confusing phone call they confirm my suspicions. My flight isn’t until tomorrow. Feeling very confused I finish brushing my teeth and start running the shower. How could I have mistaken yesterday for New Years Eve? I guess it happens. But I so clearly remember the date. Hoseok even called me wishing for me to have a good night. Had I imagined that as well?

After being refreshed from the heat of the shower I check my phone’s history. No call from Hoseok, which means I must have been in a daze of grief. Still, It doesn’t feel right. The call is so fresh in my mind.

I look to the clock after cleaning up my room. It was a mess. I hadn’t picked anything up and would have had to pack last minute in the morning if I left it that way. Despite wishing I was on that plane back to Seoul right now. I feel much better than I did yesterday. I should stay productive, keep my mind off things. 

Time has gone by particularly slow today. Even after cleaning up myself and packing for tomorrow. I’ve been avoiding my feelings all day. I resorted to playing on Weverse and messing with Duolingo. Despite wanting to write, I knew that I would just dig myself into a hole. 

Maybe this time around I’ll call Hoseok. I don’t want to wake him up though. It’s still early and I know he’ll want to sleep in after the late night last night. 

‘You awake?’ I text the group chat. Maybe Jin or I don’t know, anyone to save me from my thoughts will answer. Though, maybe it’s a good idea to talk about it with one of them. Maybe they could tell me what to do. Ugh, it’s so confusing. Even though Mara said she never wants to see me again I doubt that she really meant that. Right? I certainly don’t want that to be the last time we ever see one another. I swallow. She was so angry. So upset. Her hands shook as the tears streamed down her face, and she sniffed trying to hold back the storm behind her eyes. And I just stood there. Like a jackass. A deer in headlights. Didn’t cry. I couldn’t, I didn’t want to react, cause I thought she was overreacting. She shouldn’t have cared so much about what I said. It wasn’t meant to make her so upset. 

My face finds the palms of my hands. I’m so dumb. What the fuck possessed me to be such an asshole? All she wanted was for me to care and I didn’t. But I do. I really do. My cheeks form a blush as my face heats from the tears. I press into my temples willing myself not to cry. Stupid.

Feeling the buzzing of my phone, I look down. It’s Hoseok, and I huff before answering.

“Hey Tae bear!” He greets happily in my ear. I try to smile but I just want to be with him and not on this dumb call. Instead of being alone I wish I was home. 

My eyes start to water and a horrible feeling starts crawling up my throat. I know that if I try to speak I’ll just… 

“Are you there?” 

I swallow, trying to push back this feeling. But I can’t, It’s pushing back. Tears prick at my eyes, and I just want Hoseok to be here to hold me. Despite trying so hard to hold the tears in, the feeling overwhelms me and washes over me. I heave out a hard sob. Revealing a feeling I had been holding back all day. My breaths are fast and choppy as the tears roll, and I cling to the phone curling my knees into my abdomen. 

“Tae… Are you okay?” He sounds worried. I try to slow my breaths and answer him but I can’t. It just. I squeeze my fists. I hate this feeling. 

The stream of tears doesn’t stop as I hug myself closer. “Sorry…” I barely hiccup out.

“Taehyung are you okay? Are you hurt? What’s happening?” I shake my head, pressing my eyes into my knees. The tears soak at my pants and I take a deep breath, sighing out slowly to try and relax. 

“I’m sorry Hobi…” I sniffed, should have figured that would have happened. Wiping away at my face with my shirt sleeves, I start to explain. “Mara and I... it’s over.” I bite my cheek to hold my composure.

“Tae what happened?” he asks, sounding confused. Great, I shake my head. I just want to be with him. I don’t want to have to deal with this phone call. “I told her she doesn’t do enough.” I deadpan, taking in my own words myself. “I said that.” My heart twists, causing more tears to wring out from my eyes. Knowing now how it made her feel. Coming from the mouth from someone she loves. I meant it lightheartedly, but that’s no excuse now. I know her better than that. She does more than enough. God I hope she knows that. I hope that’s why she screamed at me. “What do you mean?” He practically shouts, but I can tell he’s trying to remain calm. “What happened? That doesn’t make any sense. When?”

I sigh, “Like a week ago…”

He interrupts before I can continue, “Where are you? Why didn’t you call?”

“I’m fine, I’m at a hotel and I’m flying back tomorrow.” 

He sighs, “What happened? You guys…”

“It was dumb. I said something dumb.” I groan, pushing my hair out of my face. “It just spiraled after that cause we were drinking and I thought she was overreacting cause I didn’t mean what I said.” Hobi listens as I go on, “ I could tell that it upset her but I didn’t care, cause I didn’t mean it like that. I should have immediately apologized. No. I shouldn’t have said it at all.”

“Why don’t you call her and tell her this?” 

I shake my head knowing he can’t see me. “She said she doesn’t want to be with me another year of her life.” It takes a lot to swallow that down. I really toppled the jenga tower. Instead of fixing the problem all I did was be inconsiderate and ruin everything. I’d like to blame the alcohol but it’s far too late for that. Not that she would believe me but truly it was a joke. My shoulders fall, a misunderstanding that I was too petty to reverse. 

“Oh.” He says plainly, leaving both of us in silence. Damn. Now I feel like shit. I should have waited to tell him. Now he’s just gonna worry too much. I could have waited to tell him.

“Sorry, I’m fine really I’ll be coming home tomorrow. I just want to be with you guys again.”

Hoseok sighs, “Tae don’t say you’re fine if you’re not... It’s okay, you’ve been with Mara over two years. You’re definitely not going to be fine.” A hot tear runs down my cheek, and I can tell my face is swollen. “Why don’t you stay on the phone with me and later all of the guys and us will be there for the ball drop.”

“No, no…”  I mutter, knowing that they’ll all just worry their heads off. “I’ll wait to talk to the others when I get home. I think I just want to sleep early and get this day over with.” What a hell of a way to start the year, I sigh. 

“Do you want to stay on the call?” He asks, and I really contemplate this one for a while. 

My breathing is shaky as I agree, “Just till I fall asleep, thanks hyung.” 

~

I slowly open my eyes, crusty, and still swollen from last night. The hotel room is lit up around the curtains. My alarm didn’t go off again? My hand wanders to the nightstand to pick up my phone. 

3:00 pm. My eyes widen and my heart jumps up with me in bed. Are you fucking kidding me? How in the hell did I sleep that long? Oh, God. There’s literally no way I’d make the flight. Why didn’t my alarms work? I stare at the time, wishing it would magically change to a couple hours earlier. How is it already the afternoon? Was I really that tired? 

Not even bothering to stand I press my cheek into my palm. What the fuck? My teeth grind together. Why? After all of this shit. Why now? Can’t I just have one God damn easy day? 

Is it possible to cancel my flight ticket this late? I should at least try. Maybe there will be some open tickets on a later flight. Though I highly doubt it as it’s New Year’s day and everyone is going home. God, I’ll be lucky to find a flight this week at all, I barely found this one. 

On my lap my phone pings. I look down expecting maybe Hoseok. 

Mara… Can I call you?

Immediately my stomach begins to spin. What could she have to say to me? I try to relax as I stare at the text. She’s already said the worst so it can’t be anything bad? Even if she tried apologizing I just... I fucked up. Would she forgive me?

After a moment I text her back, now anxiously awaiting her call. I hope she wants to talk it over. I hope that I can apologize. I hope she didn’t mean what she said. The phone rings, but I give it a moment before I answer. Stupid. I don’t want to seem desperate, but I am. 

“Hey this is so out of nowhere but what day is it?” She says, sounding completely normal. Like we had just been talking not that long ago. Like we had spent Christmas and this entire week together. What day is it? That’s what she's calling for?

I stifle a sigh, glancing at my phone’s calendar, “What do you mean? It’s the fi…” The phone says the same thing it did yesterday. 12/31/20. “No way…”

She gives an exhausted laugh. “I am going crazy over here… I’ve celebrated New Years’ twice, and this morning my dad asks if I’m ready for 2021. Please tell me I’m crazy.”

“Uh that's strange,” I scratch my head. Holy shit does that mean the other day I hadn’t been imagining it? That I really had already been through the 31st. Today is the third New Years’ Eve. “I… I don’t know what to say other…”

“Damn. I’m sorry Tae. I shouldn’t have called. This was dumb and I sound so stupid. I’m sorry I should leave you be…” I shake my head as if she could see, “hey, wait, wait, wait. You didn’t let me finish. Genuinely the same thing has happened to me but I thought I was just mistaken because I went to sleep early.” 

She huffs, laughing out of relief, “Ha, I thought I was still drunk from the night before…”

“Sooo, what does this even mean?” I ask knowing she doesn’t know the answer.

“Well, my parents don’t seem to notice so I don’t really know.” 

“Hoseok is the same way…” I add, wondering if he’ll call me again today. Shit does this mean I still have a flight tomorrow? If tomorrow ever comes. What the fuck.

“Sorry again, I don’t really know why I called you…” I frown at her words, “I… I guess you’re the only other person I could really ask.” Nothing makes any sense, and my head starts to pound from my thoughts jumbling in my head. 

“It’s okay, I… don’t mind.” I cringe, unsure of what else to say. She doesn’t respond right away, probably thinking the same thing. It’s a heavy moment. There’s so much to say but neither of us are speaking. Even though she isn’t saying anything I can only imagine how she looks. She’s probably curled up on the couch in her pj’s, probably making the same face I am. Just sad. Which is dumb, if we’re both sad then obviously the argument shouldn’t have happened. 

“Well, if this happens again I guess we are just fucked.” She kind of laughs, making me smile, but my face drops again as she continues, “I’ll leave you be then… Happy New Year’s Tae.”

“Mara…” The buzz of the phone line lets me know she hasn’t hung up. I close my eyes, trying to formulate my thoughts before I open my mouth. “I’m sorry.” I shake my head, feeling stupid, “You are more than enough, I…” My words get caught in my throat and I can’t finish my sentence. 

“Me too.” She mutters. 

I sniff, “Can we talk… like in person.” “I’ll try and tell my parents that talking to you is more important than the ball dropping.” She sighs, and regret washes over me. Her parents probably hate me. They had been in the house during the argument. My eyes fall to the floor. I really just fucked it up. “Where even are you?” 

“Oh, this Hilton near a movie theater I think.” 

“I shouldn’t have sent you out. I’m really sorry Tae, it’s probably not safe for you to just be in a hotel.” 

I almost laugh, at least I know she’s worried about me. “I’m a grown man…”

“Tch I know it’s just… I shouldn’t have let you leave in a city you’ve never been okay.” After another moment, “Well I’ll come later. Just text me your room number yeah?”

I hum in answer and she hangs up. That went a lot better than I expected it to go. 

~

As I step towards the door, I swipe my hands down my pant legs, hoping my hands aren’t sweaty, and hoping I don’t look nervous myself. God that shouldn’t even matter. Clearing my mind, I pull open the door to see Mara standing there awkwardly, with her hands folded together. 

“Hey.” I mumble, leaning against the wall to make room for her in the tight entrance, gesturing for her to come in. Her eyes are shielded by her hair as she walks past me, but she wasn’t looking up at me anyway. After closing the door behind us we silently walk over to the couch, each taking a seat. In my lap my hands fumble with each other, and I bite down my lip. I guess it’s a bit more awkward trying to find the right words in person. 

I nod a couple times, managing to psych myself up to start the conversation. “I… I’m really sorry Mara.” The words come out breathy as it finally feels right to say them to her. 

She lifts her pointed chin to me with a small smile, shaking her head. “I accept your apology, and I’m sorry I took it too seriously.” Her body turns towards mine as she continues, “I’m not even sure why it really got me that mad because it was a dumb joke and it just hurt my feelings.” 

“That's all that really matters, I hurt your feelings and that's a good enough reason to apologize.” I finally make eye contact, feeling comfortable talking to her again. Those eyes are just the same as they’ve always been. She’s not cruel. She has a kind heart and her eyes show that. Why am I acting a fool?

“If anyone should apologize…” She sighs looking around the room, “It’s me.” I look down at my hands still thinking. “God.” She sniffs, and I immediately bring my face up to see her crying. “That's such an awful thing to say.” She chokes out, hands covering her face. My mouth drops and I do what I would normally, scooch closer to her and wrap my arm around her. Her head continues to shake in disappointment with herself.

“Listen it’s…”

“No!” She pushes me away, looking at me, her eyes reddening already. “It’s not okay.” Her eyes squeeze shut, tears rolling down her cheek. Even if she did say it, my heart still pangs looking at her like this. “I… I didn’t mean it.” She shakes her head, frantically wiping at her face. “I can’t even believe that those words came out of my mouth.” Her face becomes hidden as she buries it away in her hands. 

I turn my head away from her, unsure of what to say. It’s not like I can say I knew she didn’t mean it, because that would be a lie. I still feel like deep down she feels like her life would be easier without me. And honestly it probably would. 

“Maybe you’re right though.” I whisper, surprised that the words came out of my mouth. I certainly didn’t mean them to, but they did. They just slipped, like the tears I hadn’t noticed forming in my eyes. I roll my eyes, wiping them away. No use in feeling pitiful. What was I to expect with this lifestyle? Maybe I’m just meant to be alone during this time. 

“No… no.” She sniffles, realizing that her words had taken hold. “Oh Tae,” She sobbed, pushing herself into my chest. “I need you in my life. I can’t express how much you mean to me. I really didn’t mean it. I can’t even believe I said that.” Her tears soak through the fabric and I barely hug her back. Even if she wants me back in her life there has to be some backing behind her words. Moments of unhappiness.

“Tae listen to me.” Her fingers grasp at my collar, bringing my attention to her. Her brows were furrowed in anger as she pressed her fists into my chest. “I love you. There’s no one like you. I…”

My eyes roll away from her, doubtful. The tears flowed smoothly now, there was no stopping them. I press my fingers into my eyes, trying to see through the tears. It just doesn’t make any sense why she would say that and not mean it. “T… there has to be a reason.” I hiccup, attempting to push her away from me. “There has to be a reason you said it.” I blubber, hiding my face in my shirt sleeve. Wishing I could stop crying. Wishing I believed her. 

I feel her wrapping herself around me, and taking my hands away from my face. Weakly I let them drop to my sides. Letting my lashes stick together by keeping my eyes closed. 

“Kim Taehyung.” Her breath is hot on my face, as her soft fingers trace under my eyes. “There’s no reason.” She sniffs, “I love you.” She leans into me, our foreheads touching. “Please don’t keep what I said in your heart.”

 My head slides away from her, resting on her collarbone, and taking heavy breaths. How can it not linger? This feeling. 

“Please forgive me Tae.” She hugs me closer. Of course I can do that. That isn’t the problem. “I want to go into this year with you… I want to spend all the years of my life with you.” She rambles on, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” I can’t respond, and so she continues, “please we can fix this…” 

I sigh, collecting myself, and taking a deep breath against her skin. “Yeah.” It’s all I can muster, still not sure how I feel. It’s not like I don’t want to be with her, it’s just… Does she really want to be with me? I couldn’t live with the fact that she didn’t want to continue this but did anyway. I’m not even sure how I could forget this. I don’t want it to stay on my mind but I don’t think I’ll be able to help it. Though as we sit here, I’m just grateful to be in her arms. 

~

“Hey” I open sticky eyes, to the someone poking my cheek softly. Mara’s swollen but soft eyes are looking into mine, us still glued to each other on the couch. We must have fallen asleep, I blink a few times, stretching my arm out from under her. She has a small smile, one that makes me melt. Speaking softly she pulls her phone around to me. “Look.” With squinted eyes from the bright screen I see that it's 11:58 pm. She sets the phone down, leaning on her hand, “We didn’t miss the ball drop. Do you maybe want to watch it?” 

I smile whispering, “I thought you didn’t want to watch it a third time.” 

She sits up shrugging, “it’s different this time.” Her eyes find mine, and then she immediately looks away, “Though I doubt this tv gets the right channels.” I shuffle up in my seat as she gets up, rolling her head over her shoulders. 

After my mind has adjusted to being awake I stand, following her as she flips the tv on, scanning through the channels, though the time has already turned to 11:59. There's some news channels but they aren't showing the countdown. 

“Dangit we are gonna miss it.” She whines, but only looking half upset. 

I huff at her pout, quickly pulling up the ball drop on youtube. “See it’s that easy.”  25. 24. 

Her teeth show in a smile as she curls around me, watching the ball fall on the tiny little screen. 19. 18. “Can we kiss?” She kinda laughs at herself after asking, her eyes falling to the floor. Though I’m shocked she asked. 

“Yeah… of course.” She still seems hesitant, until I set the phone down on the bed, turning my attention completely to her. 10. 9.

She attempts to look in my eyes, but her’s just drag down to my chest once more. “I love you Tae.” 8. 7. My hand finds her chin, pulling it up slightly so our eyes do meet. And the blush forming on her cheeks makes me blush in return. Reminding me of the first time we kissed. 6. 5. I push my forehead onto hers, rubbing circles on her temples. 4. 3. 

“I love you too.” 2. 1. And I pull her face into mine, our lips softly clashing. Making me miss her more, and never want to let go. But I do. Breathing softly onto each other’s faces, breaking into smiles. 

She looks down to my phone with a grin, pulling it up to my face. “Look! It’s 2021!” 

[ddaengyoonmin]

BTS Friends to Lovers Series (Taehyung)

Pairing: Police officer!Taehyung x Badgirl/Stoner!reader

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, small attempts for humor

Warnings: some slightly dark themes, drug dealer!Jungkook, swearing, lots of weed references, deep throating, cum swallowing, dom!Tae, face slapping with hands and with his cock (cleanse my souuul oops) assault on a cop, some abuse of power from a Pervy older cop. Getting arrested. (I think that’s all let me know if I missed any)

A/N: while this is a reader insert I put a lot of my own personal experience and life into this piece. It was also partially based on a dream I had about getting arrested by taehyung

Word count: 6k

Songs to listen to: ‘Free spirit’ - Manila Grey ‘Parking lot’ - Manila Grey ‘Play with Fire’ - Sam Tinnesz

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell my mom and dad about this. You know they’ll just go right to your parents about it.  As long as it’s the last time this happens... right?”  Taehyung turned around and cocked an eyebrow at you from the driver’s seat.

You let out a groan and rolled your eyes.  “Sure Tae, of course it’s the last time” you spoke with a hint of sarcasm in your voice.  

“I mean it y/n, you’re lucky it was me that got to you and not one of the other guys.  You’d be down at the station right now instead of sitting in my car with a milkshake” He scolded

You took a big sip on the straw of your milkshake “Yeah thanks for this by the way, I was really getting the munchies” You joked

Taehyung let out a loud sigh, taking off his police issued hat and running his fingers through his shaggy brown hair annoyed.  Then holding up the plastic bag that had the remaining weed that you hadn’t smoked yet in it.  “I’m keeping this you know that right?”

You shrugged “What for? are you gonna start smoking again Mr. Do-good?” you teased him. 

“y/n…” he spoke sternly. “Damnit, you’re so lucky we are friends.  I don’t think you realize how many times I’ve saved your ass from doing actual time over this stuff” 

“It should be legal anyways and you know it.  Besides...I knew a time when you would’ve been right there with me” you said matter of factly. 

“Well that was a long time ago y/n.  We were kids, now we are adults.  Well...I am at least” he shot you a joking glare and you pretended you didn’t see him and just took another long sip on your milkshake. 

“I’m taking you home now” he sighed and drove out of the parking lot the two of you had been sitting in. 

You had known Taehyung since the two of you were practically babies, he was a year older than you but the two of you had been best friends since as long as you can remember. 

Your mom and his mom were best friends at college and were each other's maid of honor for their weddings.  Your families were tied together like an unbreakable knot, dinners together at least twice a month and unscheduled random hangouts were just part of your life, and with it, Taehyung. 

You were there when he had his first kiss at the middle school dance, you comforted him after his first break-up with said girl that he had his first kiss with.  You both drank your first beer together, and smoked your first joint together.  Everything that you did, you had done with Taehyung.  Until he graduated highschool a few years ago, and had the grand idea that he wanted to become a police officer.  That decision put quite a damper on the shenanigans you were used to getting into with him, and you’d felt yourself grow slightly more distant from him as a result. 

But, he still looked out for you.  Times like today you were kind of grateful he had joined the police force, because he was right, if anyone else had caught you smoking a joint with a few extra grams to spare on you, sitting inside a big yellow slide on a playground thinking that no one would notice (Spoiler, they did…) They wouldn’t have just scolded you and then bought you a strawberry milkshake. 

 Taehyung pulled up to your house and walked around to open the back door of the police cruiser for you.  

“Stay out of trouble y/n.  There's only so many get out of jail free cards I can offer before someone notices you know.” he pulls you into a quick hug

You snuggle your head into his chest for the quick moment, that he hugged you. 

“Ah, Don’t make me smell” he quickly grabs your shoulders putting you arm's length from him with his nose scrunched, a disgusted look on his face. 

“Don’t act like you don’t miss that smell” you winked at him as you walked the cement path leading to your front door.  

Taehyung rolls his dark eyes and gives you a quick smile.  

He didn’t always used to be like he was now, he was the biggest stoner you knew.  Which is what always caught you off guard about his decision.  It seemed quite random, it was strange enough to you that you felt it could’ve made the news, ‘Small town Stoner Turns Good Boy Cop’  You chuckled at that thought.  

Though you missed your favorite smoke buddy. 

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

The next day when you got out of work you drove over to your dealer’s house to replace the Eighth that Taehyung had to confiscate from you. 

Your old beat up car had been running on its last leg for a while now, but it continued to get you where you needed to go, and you spent too much money on smoke to think about getting a new ride. 

Jungkook was lounging on his front porch smoking a cigarette, his eyes shut in a dreamlike state, his jet black hair falling slightly down over the closed lids.  The bright rays of the summer day blessing his sun kissed skin in an angelic manner. 

“Hows my favorite pot-head” you grinned as you approached him, catching him off guard and causing him to flinch at the sound of your voice.  

Realizing it was just you he grinned and extended out a hand for you to help him stand up from the step he was relaxed on in front of his house. 

He stood tall and smoked one last drag on his cigarette before putting it out and opening his front door with a welcoming gesture inviting you inside. 

The scent of weed burned into your nose instantly when walking into his house, you loved the smell, you loved everything about it.  

Taehyung used to too… 

He was the most knowledgeable stoner you’d ever met.  He could even tell the strain of the weed he was smoking after just smelling it.  You and your friends used to quiz him for fun and he’d always ace every test without fail. 

You wondered if sometimes when he’d pull someone over and arrest them for the exact thing he used to partake in, he’d catch a whiff and know the name of their bud. 

It all seemed pretty hypocritical to you, but you have to remind yourself you both have grown up, people change, though you haven't much, you can’t blame him for it. 

Jungkook went over to a drawer and pulled out a large glass jar, carrying it with two hands over to a wooden coffee table near his couch.  You, knowing the drill, doing this trip to Jungkook’s at least once a week, had sat down on the couch to wait for him. 

Jungkook pulled a long un lit joint from the front pocket of his red flannel and held it between his lips with his eyes focused on the jar in front of him.

He pulled out a few nugs from the jar and put them on a cheap gram scale he had on his table, weighing it out to the eighth he knew was your regular purchase. 

“Isn’t this a little early to be here, how fast did you go through your last bag?” Jungkook chuckled, placing the nugs into a ziploc bag carefully.  

“Ugh” you sighed.  “Taehyung again” 

Jungkook knew just what you meant by that.  Taehyung used to be close friends with him as well before he became a cop.  They had a big falling out when Taehyung joined the force, Jungkook hated cops with a passion and said some choice words to Taehyung that had severed their relationship permanently.  It hurt to think about how things used to be, the three of you laughing and smoking, riding around in your old car flying on cloud 9.  Literally, the strain that was your favorite at the time was called cloud 9. 

Jungkook shook his head and pulled out a lighter from the same pocket the joint came from, lighting the tip for a second before inhaling and letting the smoke glide down his lungs, then passing it to you. 

“I don’t know how you can stand to be around him anymore” Jungkook grumbled. 

“First of all, I really don’t have a choice, actually I think we are having dinner with our families together later tonight.  Secondly” you made eye contact with Jungkook “Hes really not that bad.  It could be worse.  All I got was a soft warning and a milkshake”  you passed the joint back to Jungkook. 

“Until he gets some pressure from his higher ups to be more of a hardass.  I think your days of getting off easy are short lived y/n.  Enjoy it while it lasts.  He’s sold his soul to ‘the man’ trust me” He spoke between coughs from the rough hit he’d just took.  Putting air quotes around ‘the man’. 

You didn’t like the idea of that and you shut up for a bit, sharing the rest of the joint and paying Jungkook for your bag.  

He gave you a hug and a smile on your way out.  “Be more careful out there y/n” he winked and bumped your shoulder with his fist playfully. 

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

You went straight from Jungkook’s to your parents home where you were to have dinner with Taehyung’s family.  You sat in your car and quickly sprayed a massively overpowering amount of perfume on yourself hoping to mask the weed smell.  Then putting in some eyedrops to help with your glassy eyed expression you’d seen in your car mirror.  You winced at the way that it burned but were thankful for the relief that it gave to your dry eyes. 

When you arrived through the door your mom instantly ran over to you and embraced you in her signature hug, that always included a large inhale. 

“You smell like Marijauna” her eyes narrowed at you. 

“Oh no, not the Marijauna” you feigned shock and put your hands to your cheeks a surprised expression looking like the boy from home alone. 

She glared at you, not amused.  You knew your parents didn’t care that much, your dad especially.  They didn’t smoke but you knew your dad was a hippie in his day so he had no room to judge.  Your mom was slightly more judgemental but she usually just let you off with some snide comments and rude glances before returning to her normal bubbly self.  

She ran to her room and grabbed some febreeze and started chasing you around the house with it while you laughed, tears forming in both of your eyes at how ridiculous she was being. She was mostly worried about upsetting Taehyung’s family most likely.  Not that they were the type to judge either, but it was still made for a slightly more awkward dinner if it ended up getting brought up with Taehyung’s current position in life.  No one in town really knew how to act around him.  

You thought that must be tough on him.  People that were once his peers were now all terrified of him.  No one wanted to talk to him about anything more than casual small talk, and it was always very shallow conversation.  No one wanted to open up all of their deep secrets or emotions in front of a cop.  On the surface no one would think that it bothered him much.  He was good at keeping a constant blank expression that never let anyone into what he was thinking even back in highschool.  But, knowing Taehyung the way you knew him, it must bother him.

He was the life of the party, and now he's the buzzkill who crashes the parties. 

Taehyung’s family arrived and you all sat down to eat.  Your parents asked Taehyung about his job and how it’d been going.  He said he liked it and he was actually getting close to a promotion. 

His eyes flickered your way, almost like a small apology was hidden in that look.

You knew what that meant, no more getting off easily anymore.  Jungkook was right, the idea that you had a cop friend on your side was just a fun fantasy.  Next time you got caught by him, he wouldn’t be treating you like a friend one bit.

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

The moment came sooner than you’d thought.  You and Jungkook had been going on a late night taco bell run, smoking a joint the whole way there, and you as usual were carrying a decent amount of smoke in your bag. 

You had stopped in the parking lot, parked in the back to hotbox and eat in the car.  Hotboxing was one of the funnest activities you used to do in highschool and you had mentioned to Jungkook that it’d been way too long, he was more than happy to oblige. 

You were giggling like a child over the way the word ‘Taco’ sounded if you said it slowly when you were startled by a tapping noise on the window. 

Not able to see through the smoke fogged glass who had knocked on your window, you squinted then glanced to Jungkook, who stared wide eyed at the colors of blue and red flashing to the side of the car. 

“Fuckkkkkkk” he groaned, hitting the steering wheel roughly with a flat palm.  “Fuck fuck fuck.  Y/n you’re carrying a bag aren’t you” 

Your eyes grew wide, “Y-yeah…are you?” 

Jungkook gave you a ‘what do you think’ look

Of course he was. 

You sighed and rolled your window down, a wave of smoke pouring out and flowing right into the face of the officer standing there.  Fuck, it wasn’t Taehyung. 

“How’s it going officer?” you asked sweetly.  He was less than pleased. 

“Both of you. Step out of the car” he ordered sternly. 

You did as he said, and now realized that another officer sat in a separate car.  Taehyung…

“Officer Kim, can you assist me here” The older policeman spoke Taehyung’s way. 

He got out of the car, his uniform fit him way too sinfully, you’d always though he looked more like the cop from an old porno , than one you’d ever have taken seriously.  But, the expression he currently held on his face gave you the chills, and not in a good way. 

He glared your way, shaking his head in disappointment.  Jungkook was throwing dagger eyes towards Taehyung as he started to approach him to pat him down. 

“Oh fuck off Mr. High and mighty” Jungkook scoffed, stepping back from Taehyung. 

“Kook” you pleaded at your friend to take hold of his temper. The older cop had started to pat you down as you held your arms out.  Upon finding the bag in your pocket he waved it in the air like he’d hit the jackpot.

“Look what we’ve got here Officer Kim.  Someone’s been a naughty girl” he playful spoke.  The way he said that made you nauseous, you didn’t like the way he had just started behaving one bit.  But, what could you do. 

He continued his pat down, his hands lingering on your breasts for too long.  You shot him a glare and tried to recoil away from his touch. 

“Ah ah, you’d be surprised how many ladies try to hide illegal items in their bra’s thinking I wouldn’t check there” he grinned evilly. Fucking pig. You thought. 

You turned to see how things were going with Jungkook just in time to see him winding up a fist and throwing it forward into Taehyung's face. 

Shit. 

The hit sounded out like he’d damn near broken Taehyung’s nose, and the other officer was immediately to Taehyung’s side.  Both of them tackling Jungkook and pinning his arms behind his back securing them with handcuffs.  The older cop holding him down with a knee on his back pressing his face into the parking lot’s asphalt. 

You stood shaking in realization that Jungkook had just gotten himself into some real trouble.  All because of his stupid grudge with Taehyung.  If anyone else had gotten in a small tuff like that with an ex best friend, it probably would’ve just ended with a couple bloody noses and both men walking away feeling like they got the better hit in.  But because Taehyung was what he was now...it’s most likely going to end with Jungkook doing some time.  Assaulting a cop was definitely not a minor crime. 

They had scooped Jungkook off of the ground and shoved him into the backseat of the older officers cruiser. Jungkook cussed and grumbled the whole time.  

“I’m gonna take this one down to the station,” the Officer pointed to Jungkook “You take our little lady here home.  Maybe teach her a lesson on picking a better choice in boyfriend” he winked Taehyung’s way.  

You were appalled but not surprised at the older man’s behavior.  Some cops felt like they could get away with that shit...cuz well...they could. 

You followed Taehyung to his car silently with your head low, only lifting it once to send one last glance Jungkook’s way, catching his eyes for a second and both exchanging looks of worry.  Possibly a goodbye for a little while. 

Once you were in Taehyung’s car the waterworks came.  You held your face in your hands and sobbed loudly, your body convulsing with the heaviness of your emotions. 

Taehyung was quiet, pulling a few tissues from his glovebox and holding them to his nose tilting his head back. 

The two of you sat there for a while, silence lingering between you like some delicate thing just waiting to break. 

“I’m sorry” Taehyung whispered. 

“For what? Getting Jungkook arrested or for your pervy boss and his grabby hands?” You spat out with some fire, still slightly fucked up on the drugs you’d been inhaling. 

“Both...All of it…” he muttered, staring straight ahead and avoiding your piercing gaze.

“Why’d you even do this Tae? This job doesn’t suit you, I just don’t get it.  We’re best friends.  And look at us.” You motioned to the way you were sitting.  Him in the front, and you behind glass separating the space between the two of you.  You noted on how much of a metaphor for that felt like for the distance he’d put between you, differences between you now… 

“Regular Catwoman and Batman huh?” he murmured. 

Goddamnit.  And there's the exact reason you could never hate him.  “You fucking nerd.” You sighed chuckling and falling back into the seat shaking your head. “Oh my god. You’re not allowed to make me laugh right now.” 

Taehyung sent an apologetic smile your way. 

As upset as you were, his joking really did shift the tone in the car and you decided to tease him back. 

You put your wrists together and held them to the glass near Taehyung’s head. 

“Aren’t you gonna cuff me officer?” you said flirtatiously, batting your eyelashes at him.  Expecting him to roll his eyes and groan at your joke. 

Instead you were met with a serious expression.  His eyes lingering on your wrists and then trailing over to your lips.  His tongue darted out and licked over his bottom lick slightly. 

“Holy shit did that actually turn you on or something?”  you gasped, lowering your hands from his view. 

He instantly snapped out of the state of mind he had gone into so suddenly.  “Of course not” he snapped “Don’t be ridiculous” 

“Oh my god.  It did! I didn’t realize how kinky you were Kim Taehyung.” you winked at him “Handcuffs get you going? No wonder you became a cop.  You’re going to turn into old pervy Officer whatshisname aren’t you? Gross Tae,” You started to laugh. 

“Shut the fuck up, I’m not like that.” he barked loudly.  Instantly catching you off guard and having you sit up straight and rigid. 

“Sorry” you mumbled. “Officer” you added with a bit a spite. 

“Damn right.  You think you can just get away with all of this, with no consequences and no worries.  One day you’re going to have to grow up y/n.” 

“Oh like you?” you raised an eyebrow “No thank you...sir” 

You heard what sounded like a low growl from Taehyung.  

In an instant he sped up and parked the car in the far corner of the parking lot where the lot lights weren’t reaching. In hindsight that was probably where you and Jungkook should’ve been parked. 

Taehyung got out of the car and stood by your door.  You wondered if he wanted you to get out and join him outside the car.  But the car doors of police cars are always locked from the inside unless you have the key.  So you waited, for what seemed like painfully long time. 

You glanced out the window to see Taehyung pacing back and forth outside of the car with a hand pressed to his forehead, he was stressed.  Probably from the fact that he’d basically just sent Jungkook, his former best friend, to jail. 

Taehyung turned and rested a hand on the door handle.  Was he finally going to let you out? He seemed to be hesitating.  After what felt like forever the door clicked open and Taehyung was climbing into the back seat with you. 

“Oh hello?” you spoke in surprise. 

Taehyung didn’t speak, he continued his hungry gaze from earlier, biting his lip slightly and staring at you with bedroom eyes. 

“Taehyung…” you started before you were cut off. 

“I wanted this job to protect people.  I care about those close to me.  The older I got the more I realized how important that was.  Everyone thinks that I just want to bust them for weed or partying and be the killjoy of our town.  But, that wasn’t it.  Remember that summer that girl got drugged at that party.  No one was able to find the guy.  I wanted to be the type of person that could look out for people.  That could maybe do something about things like that.  It sucks that I had to give up some of my habits that I don’t necessarily agree with the laws on.  But I follow it, I sacrificed that to keep this town safe.  To help keep you safe” he added at the end.  His expression sincere.

“I guess I hadn’t really thought of it that way.  Jungkook probably hasn’t either…” 

“Yeah Jungkook doesn’t give a shit about my reasonings.  Fuck the police and all that.” he rolled his eyes. 

“I get it” you shrugged.  “That's actually a pretty decent reason.  I miss getting to hangout with you other places than the back of your cruiser though” you teased, poking him in the shoulder. 

“Mmm then maybe you should start behaving little girl” he growled in a tone you’d never heard him take with you before. 

“Tae..” you looked at him with furrowed brows, your mouth hanging open slightly in confusion. 

Before you knew it Taehyung's hand was clutching you jaw lightly, one finger trailing over your lips. 

“I’d always thought…” he whispered.  “Maybe one day, you’d calm down with all of this stuff, and we could…” he trailed off. 

You blinked rapidly in realization of what he was saying.  Did Taehyung really just imply what you think he did? You felt your hands start to shake slightly.  Not that you were completely opposed to it, but you just couldn’t understand why he would feel that way.  You’d on and off had a crush on Taehyung your whole life.  He was your first crush when you were just in elementary school.  You weren’t even sure if he’d remembered, but one day when you were probably only 7 and he was 8 years old, tiny little Tae had run up to you on the playground with a bouquet of yellow dandelions clutched in his small hand.  

“Y/n.  Will you marry me?” he had squeaked out. 

You had chuckled and taken the dandelions from his hand “Taehyunnnng, we’re too young to get married.” 

He had pouted cutely, crossing his arms across his chest. “Fine.  Well one day you will.  And I’ll buy you a big house, with a puppy, and a big garden.” You had nodded and said “Fine. One day a lonnng time from now. Promise” and the two of you had continued to play during your recess and it was never spoken of again. 

You’d occasionally think back on it as a funny memory.  But now, looking at him here.  The way he looked at you…and those words.  ‘Maybe one day you will’ ‘Maybe one day you would…’

“Tae…” you stuttered out again.

“Maybe you just need to learn a lesson or two.  Maybe I need to teach you how to behave.” he growled, his hand trailing over your lips was now making its way to your neck.  His thumb slightly pressing down on your jugular as he eyed you dangerously. 

You whispered under his touch but didn’t try to pull back.  You couldn’t deny to yourself that this excites you, it probably shouldn’t but you’d always been a sucker for a little pain. 

“Is that was you need hm?” he asked authoritatively. 

Should you?

“Y-yes…” you stammered out.  

“That’s what I thought” he hissed out. “That handcuff comment was uncalled for.  Maybe you were the one who wanted me to tie you up hm?” He started to move to pull out the handcuffs he kept on him, twirling them around on his middle finger. 

Your heart started to beat rapidly, and your breathing was becoming so quickened at the sight of Taehyung, your best friend Taehyung...Police officer Taehyung, in front of you, uniform and all, about to handcuff you for mutual pleasure. 

You nodded innocently. 

A low groan rumbled in his chest as he leaned over to you, pushing you down onto the backseat so your back was flat against the cushions. He now hovered over you, his face mere inches from your own, and a look of pure lust gazing down at you. 

He started to grab your hands and cuffed you to a spot they had in the cruiser that made his task of securing you quite easy.  The metal bit into your skin slightly but you could tell he made sure not to put them on too tight.  Your arms were now held over your head, and any thoughts of backing out had been pushed away.  You wanted him, you craved him, you needed this. 

Taehyung’s lips crashed down on to yours sloppily and wet, instantly slipping his tongue into your mouth as he held your jaw roughly with one hand. 

“I’m gonna fuck that dirty mouth of yours.  I’m going to teach you how to respect authority little girl” he growled, now straddling your hips and unbuttoning the belt of his uniform and tossing it to the side. 

He didn’t continue to undress himself.  Instead his hands pulled on the bottom of your shirt, rolling it up over your breasts and letting it sit high up on your chest, not being able to fully take it off due to the way you were cuffed. 

He let out a lustful moan and bit his lip at the sight of you. 

Of course you weren’t wearing a bra, he thought.  It was so like you to be like this, always the tease.  Taehyung had loved you for as long as he could remember, and finally he had you here underneath him.  Strangely when he used to picture fucking you in the back of a cop car (because he totally had fantasized about that) he wasn’t the cop.  But, here you were, and here he was, grown up and still exactly the way he had always pictured.  Your tits looked so incredible, better in person.  He’d never told you but when you’d gotten your nudes leaked around the town at one point by an ex boyfriend he happened to get a copy sent to him.  He had deleted it right away...if right away meant after jacking off to them first and then deleting them…

He felt bad about that, but he loved you so much and your body was completely irresistible to him, he didn’t know how he’d managed to make it this long in life without having you for himself. 

He gave your tits a few squeezes and lowered his head down to them, biting now on your nipple grazing his teeth over your skin, and loving the way you squirmed under him at the sensation.  He sucked and bit at you, making sure to roll the neglected nipple in his fingers while he did.

You were absolutely loving it. 

Taehyung then pulled back releasing you with a pop. He now started to unbutton the black uniform pants and pull out his enormous cock. 

Your jaw dropped at the mouth watering sight. 

You’d always assumed he was big, you’d seen him get hard in some swim shorts once at a pool party when you’d shown up in a skimpy swimsuit, but now seeing it fully you realized you’d underestimated the length and girth of him greatly.  You licked your lips hungrily, wanting a taste. 

“ You like that huh baby? Dirty little slut, so weak for my cock right now?” he grinned stroking himself slowly. 

You nodded in response, your eyes fixed on the length in front of you. 

He moved to position himself so it was right in front of your face and he was leaning over you. 

“Hungry little slut” he whispered.  He smacked you hard against the side of your cheek with his heavy cock, you were surprised but mostly turned on at the fact that it actually hurt a bit.  

“Are you gonna behave for me?” he asked sternly, looking down at you with a fucked out expression.  

“Maybe?” you teased. 

Whack. He smacked you again with his cock, slightly harder this time. 

“Don’t be a brat now.  You are going to behave, or I’ll make you behave. Okay?”  he growled. 

“Okay” you whimpered, trying to pretend that you weren’t totally in love with how he was acting, trying to play into the game. 

“Okay what” he snapped. 

“Okay...sir?” 

“Thats right.” he nodded.  Then placed his hand back around your jaw, gripping you tightly.  “You’re gonna open up and take my dick, allll the way. Let me fuck this dirty mouth of yours” he ordered. “And maybe once you’ve sucked every last drop of cum out of me, you’ll think a little more before you go around acting out.” 

“Yes sir” you nodded, parting your lips showing him that you were ready to take him. 

“Fuck,” he whispered, breaking the stern voice he’d been maintaining for a quick moment, letting on to just how excited he was to be this intimite with you. 

He pushed his hips forward, his hand on his shaft and the tip of his cock now sitting on your lips. 

“You’re okay with this right?” he whispered.  Gentleman Taehyung making an appearance for a moment

“Yes sir” you purred with a grin. 

“Get ready to take me then baby girl” he growled, going back to his previous demeanor. 

He pushed his cock into your mouth all the way, slowly, getting you adjusted to how huge he was and getting a feel for how much you could take.  To his delight he slid all the way down until your nose was buried into his abdomen. 

“Fuckkkk” he hissed out. “Such a Good girl for such a bad girl.”

He quickly pulled out and repeated slowly fucking his cock all the way into your mouth and quickly pulling out again.  

“Get ready baby” he moaned.  Then started to speed up his pace, his hips rolling into your mouth quickly, causing you to gag lewdly a few times as he did which only seemed to turn him on more, causing a pleasured hiss each time. 

“I fucking love this mouth baby.  You take me so well.” Taehyung was biting at his lip and staring down at you in awe. 

You moaned around his cock, the vibrations making him stutter and throwing him off his pace for a moment. 

“So good” he whispered.  You felt like that one wasn’t meant for you to hear, but you loved knowing how good you were making him feel so your heart skipped a bit at his praise. 

Taehyung gripped your hair, steadying your head and pumping himself into your at a fast pace.  

“Thats fucking it y/n.” He panted out “Fucking. Learn. How. To. Behave.” he growled and smacked a hand to the side of your face.  

Your eyes were watering and you felt a warm pool of wet growing between your legs.  You could get used to this Taehyung. 

“I’m gonna cum in your mouth and you’re going to swallow every. Last. fucking. Drop.” he pounded into you in sync with each of those last words. 

You stared up at him with flirtatious eyes and smiled slightly. 

“Damn those eyes are dangerous” he groaned and with that you felt him tense up and his pace grow uneven.  

“Shit. Fuck. Y/n. Oh my god” he screamed out while emptying himself into your mouth.  His cock twitching wildly as he fucked into you.  You closed your lips around him as he pulled out, sucking slightly to get every last drop as he’d ordered. 

He looked down at you with pure joy as you stick out your tongue to show him his cum pooled up and gathered in your mouth before rolling it back into your mouth and swallowing with a loud gulp. 

“Wow.” he stared wide eyed at you.  “So fucking hot”  gasped out

He now went to the cuffs and pulled his key out, releasing you from your restraints. 

Taehyung rested down on top of you where you still laid.  His head on your chest. 

“You alright man?” you chuckled running your fingers through his sweat drenched hair.

“Mhm” he smiled widely with his eyes closed “That was amazing” 

This cute Taehyung that cuddled up next to you now was a Taehyung you thought you’d lost long ago.  Your heart felt full and warm seeing him this way. 

“Soooo are we returning the favor or?” you joked

His head snapped up he hovered over your face and looked at you with a playful expression.  “Nope. that’s your punishment for getting caught.” 

“For getting caught huh?”

“Well yeah.  You don’t have to stop doing what you love y/n.  For God sake, if you’re going to date a cop you can’t be that reckless with it thought.  Keep it in the house and where you’re for sure safe from anyone catching you or calling me to come check out the situation” he rolled his eyes. 

You sighed. “I guess I can manage that.  Wait...date? A cop? Wait…” you started to stutter realizing what he’d said. 

“Well you promised you’d marry me one day remember? but, I figured dating is a good place to start” he grinned with a wink. 

You felt butterflies in your stomach at his recollection of that day so long ago. 

“What an odd pair we’ll be” you chuckled. 

“Yeah… oh also I’m gonna get things with Jungkook figured out okay.  I feel like shit about it, and I’m going to make sure everyone at the station knows he didn’t mean it, and I barely got a scratch on me.” he let you know. 

You nodded, almost forgetting about Jungkook. 

“I think that’d be a good idea Tae, I think he honestly misses you, you know?” 

“Yeah I miss him too…”

You planted a small peck on Taehyung’s lips.  “You’ll get it figured out.  I know you will.” 

Taehyung smiled down at you and returned your quick peck. 

“How are you so bad and so good all at the same time” he shook his head. 

“I guess that's just what you like in a future wife” you teased. 

“I suppose so,” he replied.  Except he knew, that he meant every word.

  Love is such a funny thing.

[jimindraft]

mint choco | csb

© morethanblue

ㆍsummary; you had the biggest crush on your friend’s friend because he was the cutes... wait, did he just say mint choco is the same as toothpaste?

ㆍgenre; fluff?

ㆍword count; 1.5K.

ㆍ warnings; swearing.

ㆍtag; alternative universe, college!soobin and college!reader

17:05 pm. Crap. If I was given a dollar for everytime I was late I... maybe wouldn't even get there in time. I was late for my last class of the semester and I really promised I wouldn't be but the world loves conspiring against me and make the line in the coffee shop twice as big as it would be any other day. I didn't need coffee that desperately but I zoned out until it was almost my turn and I was already late.

Class started ten minutes before I got there, and the back door made this shrieking noise everytime it was opened so I knew that if I went inside I would interrupt everything so I opted on staying outside until my anxiety calmed down and I could think straight.

Since I was in college I knew no teacher would kill me for being ten minutes late but just the thought of everyone looking at me and my face heating up and having to find an empty seat while my heart was beating so fast… It’s the last class anyway.

I sat on the floor putting my backpack right beside me and took out my phone. Beomgyu had texted me 11 times. What a clingy kid.

16:45 omw to class pls b ther 16:47 or maybe dont lmao i dont wanna see ur face 16:51 wait i wasnt serious 16:51 girl answer me 16:52 u ded 16:53 the teacher came in i hate being alone pls get here 16:53 bitch wya 16:54 if your getting coffee istg 16:54 this is literally the last class 16:54 you had one (1) job 16:55 fuck you

As I was gonna text him back I looked up to see a group of boys walking in silence.

I first recognized Felix and almost stood up to say hi, which made them all look at me which made me realize who was there. Choi Soobin.

My crush on him started when Felix posted an instagram story with him, the video showed Soobin laughing and I remember thinking, wow, that’s the cutest thing i’ve ever seen. I was too shy to ask who he was but I started following his account a few days after when I gathered the courage. My biggest mistake was telling Beomgyu there was someone that caught my eye, since he was obsessed with me getting a boyfriend so he could get away from me. What a child.

‘’Is he our age? What’s his name? Where did you meet him?’’ Beomgyu had gone crazy with questions.

The fact that I only knew his name and the fact that he was in one of Felix’s classes felt kind of pathetic when I told my best friend but he promised he would find more information on Soobin. Before I could tell him I wasn’t even that into him, things had escalated too quickly and five months later I found myself more interested in the tall boy.

I had never actually talked to him, I don’t even think I had seen him this close.

‘’Why aren’t you in class?’’ Felix questioned me and I was too flustered to think of something.

I stood up to look at them from… well, they are taller than me so even standing up I still have to look up to see their faces. I don’t think I could look at Soobin, though. I might die trying.

‘’I… I’m just waiting for Beomgyu’’ You were, in fact, waiting for him, so it wasn’t completely a lie.

‘’Right. They’re dating.’’ Felix said looking to his right, where Soobin was.

I panicked. I really didn’t want him thinking I’m dating my best friend. God, no. I looked at him and saw a tall boy with his big curious eyes looking at me shyly. His hands were in front of him, his fingers intertwined. Do you see why I’m so whipped? He's too cute.

‘’I’m just kidding!’’ Felix said as he saw how altered I was. ‘’Ah, by the way, we’re hanging out at Cracker’s later. You should come.’’

I dared to look once more in Soobin’s direction. Shit. This was the first time he’d ever seen me and I didn’t make the best first impression. I mean, I could’ve done better. Our eyes met and I felt like dying from embarrassment.

As soon as they left I saw the class door open and the first one to run out of the room was obviously my crackhead friend Beomgyu.

‘’You fucking bitch.’’ he continued to curse me all the way back to the dorms where we stayed.

‘’By the way, Felix invited me to hang out later. He said to invite you’’

His eyes showed interest and his gaze turned into a playful one.

‘’We should totally go, you know who might come.’’ He said and giggled. I barely had energy to roll my eyes.

I mean, yes I wanted to see his bunny face as much as possible but I didn’t know if I could handle being near him for too much, and I was afraid that purely my existence would be too embarrassing.

‘’Yeah, he was with him earlier’’ I sounded distressed and was even more ashamed when my best friend asked me what I had said to him. ‘’Nothing? I mean there wasn’t anything I could say to him, right? Was I supposed to?’’

He sighed. ‘’You’re so stupid. I honestly can’t stand you.’’ You hit his arm with all your strength and he winced in pain, exaggerating of course since you had noodles as arms.

-

Your heart pounded on your chest as Beomgyu opened the door to Cracker’s without hesitating. You suddenly felt like running away or at least clinging into his arm but decided against it, since it may have been weird to see you both entering like that. Everyone already suspected you were a couple but you honestly could never see each other that way. You loved him of course, since he was great and you would never deny he’s really good looking but he just really wasn’t your type.

You looked around to find Felix but your best friend found him faster and dragged you to the table where he was sitting. Alone.

‘’Where’s everyone?’’ You asked trying to hide your disappointment.

‘’They’re asses. Everyone was busy apparently’’ he said pouting and Beomgyu went to his side of the booth and sat next to him while fake crying trying to comfort the guy. You loved seeing them joke that way with each other.

You sat alone in front of Felix and shamelessly grabbed his milkshake to try it. As the strong flavor hit you, you noticed a black jacket on your side that was way too big to be Felix’s. As you were about to ask him, a tall figure approached your table leaving you frozen with the straw on your lips.

‘’Oh, Soobin, hi!’’ Beomgyu said cheerfully, as always and with your best effort you gave him a small smile.

‘’Hi!’’ he said back cutely and you noticed a pink milkshake in his hand. He seemed to think for a moment and ended up sitting next to you, since there was no space next to Beomgyu and Felix. Was this place always so small?

You felt so small next to him, and his arm was only a couple centimeters away from yours so you could feel his warmth and that made your heart flutter. Ok, maybe your crush on the boy was really strong. You didn't even feel so nervous when you had your first kiss or last week when you had to give a presentation in front of your class.

‘’... and what do you want?’’ Beomgyu asked you which made you realize you were completely absorbed in your thoughts and he didn’t miss the opportunity to tease you. ‘’Are you okay? Your face is a little flushed. Are you hot? Oh, but it’s winter…’’ You were gonna kill him.

‘’A mint chocolate milkshake, you ass’’ You told him with a cold glare and murmuring the last part.

What caught your attention next was a noise wight next to you. An ‘’ugh’’ had left Soobin’s lips and you looked at him in disbelief.

‘’Please don’t tell me you’re a mint chocolate hater too.’’ you sighed, leaving almost all nervousness behind. ‘’ You and Taehyun, god, what did the poor flavor do to you?’’

‘’I can’t believe you out of all people would like it. Ugh, it’s just not good’’ Before you could say something he kept going. ‘’Beomgyu bring her toothpaste in a glass, it’s the same thing.’’ You both looked in front of you and were shocked to see you were left alone.

You crossed your arms in front of you and looked at the tall boy do the exact same and look at you defyingly. Your heart did something right there in that moment.

__

did i hear part two? nah, must’ve been the wind.

[indigopurple]

Basically a review of OP episode 503 ig

Currently rewatching post-war arc (in the dub so I don't have any screenshots for u guys sry) and theres a few things id like to point out.

During a conversation Dadan once had with Garp, they were talking about Roger. Garp said that even if they were facing powerful enemies, he would never run away because he wouldnt dare leaving his comrads behind; it wasnt an option for him. Obviously we see this in Ace. But ALSO, isnt this what he did with Katakuri? It was a little different cuz of the setting mostly, but he separated himself from his crew to fight off katakuri, and lied to them about being okay so they didn't worry (he was already getting his ass kicked by then, so he just made that stupid smile and told them not to worry (or smth like that, I can remember the exact line) (that smile was so gross and fake cuz he fucking sucks at lying). Also he said roger destroyed a buncha soldiers cuz they mouthed off his men. That's what Ace tried to do but instead he died. :(

"The pain he went through just made him hold on tighter to the ones he loved" -Garp, about Roger. "Despite his flaws and his bad reputation, his crew still trusted him completely." -also Garp, about Roger. These both sound a lot like Luffy AND Ace.

When Dogra got home and told everyone about Sabo's ship being shit down and him dying (which we all know didnt happen, thank fuck), (by the way the absolutely lost looks on Ace's and Luffy's faces with the sudden silence hurt like a bitch), Luffy started crying and said "WE SHOULDNT'A LET HIM GO, IT'S ALL OUR FAULT". Which fucking says something about him (thinking of episodes 913-915 when he goes fucking berserk, but before that he learns that Kaido probably killed Tama and he says "I should've escorted them..!" (*ugly cries*)). Ace also reacted pretty similarly-- "Sabo...why didn't we go back into town and bring him back here?! We're so stupid!" And he gets mad and asks where he could find the bastard that killed him (obviously not getting a good answer since it was a fucking celestial dragon ugh). That is what Luffy does, in present time. He results to anger first, not sadness. Not sure when he learned to do that but I'm 99 percent sure it was from Ace. Also the blaming himself thing? High chance thats ALSO from Ace. Who else would teach him that self hating behaviour?!

Dadan pins Ace down to stop him from going after the Celestial Dragon to calm him down, telling him he cant do anything, he's not big or strong enough to do anything and he'll be killed as soon as he tries anything, especially since it was the whole country -the whole WORLD- that killed Sabo. He can't do anything. And then they tied him to a tree outside to let him cool off. Oh yeah then he also told luffy to stop crying like a little girl or else he'll- (and he didn't finish the sentence). ...Ok maybe thats why luffy started being more angry than sad.

This is where things get a little more :( . Ace reads the letter Sabo sent them before he died. As he reads, he walks to the end of the forest, to a cliff overlooking the ocean. And starts fucking bawling (btw the voice actor who had Ace's childhood part did not do a very good job, no where near as in character and real as Coleen Clickenberg did with all of Luffy's crying scenes. She was spot on.) ...do you see where im going with that? He isolated himself before letting himself feel sad. It was all rage and then calm beforehand. Y-you see where im going with that. Dont make me say it.

"How's Luffy doing, is he any better?" "Well...he hasnt been eating much, but he still eats twice as much as we do". Oh look, That's what happened after Ace died too. There's a behavioral pattern that hasnt gone away. Not sure why it wouldve tho.

Luffy is mopeing, lying on the ground in a similar setting ace was at when he cried. Hes thinking about some of the things Sabo said, like how theyre gonna sail the seas together, and he clenches his hands into tight, shaking fists. After Ace shows up and hits him, and talking abt some other stuff I don't feel like relaying, Luffy tightens his grip on the straw hat and tells ace, whimpering, he wants to get stronger (and stronger, and stronger, and stronger and stronger and....) And he wants to be the strongest in the world. "And then, I'll protect everyone. I won't lose anyone I care about". He gets stronger mainly to protect the people he loves. And then he asks ace to promise he won't die. To which he hits Luffy again and tells him he should be more worried about himself dying first. And then the famous line that hurts like a bitch- "I'm NEVER going to DIE!" And then this hopeful music comes on (fucking damnit funimation, u gotta do this? Really??) Also he says he wont die as long as he has a wussy little brother to protect. ...FUCK. Ok, the fist clenching is a thing he does all the fucking time, usually when he gets mad. This was different because he wasnt mad, he was sad. He clenched his fist because thinking about it hurt. Which, huh, sounds a lot like his whole episode after waking up from his 2 week coma on the polar tang. To try and stop the mental pain of those horrendous memories, he resulted to physically pain. He hurt himself. So, He clenches his fists in times like these to fight off the mental pain and the urge to cause himself physical pain. Guys, our boy is bad at emotions, help him. ....ok this paragraph is longer than I anticipated so ill dumb down the rest of it ig. Next part, him asking ace to promise he wont die. The music, the body language, the over change in mood- this comforts him. He stopped hiding his face and silently sobbing after ace said this. OH YEAH! didn't he tell jinbe not to die when they parted ways in Totto Land? And then, hes missing still in Wano and we see Luffy is worried....but convinced Jinbe will show up. Again, this comforts him. Hes nervous cuz someone KOFF KOFF ACE broke that promise once. But jinbe is his crew mate so he trusts him, thank god.

"-But whoever did it, they must be opposed to freedom." The whole freedom thing? That runs through Luffy's blood and spirit.His brothers fought for it, his dad is the man who strives to give everyone freedom basically, and Luffy himself has seen enough of the OPPOSITE of freedom to be so, so much more than just against it. Hence why he of course was so eager to free the slaves in Sabaody, the kids in punk hazard, the toys in dressrosa, the country of Wano from Kaido's tyrany. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree huh.

I dont think Luffy would remember his promise with Shanks if it werent for his brothers putting feul to his dream. It was a stupid bet at first; he just wanted to beat Shanks, right then. But after meeting Sabo and Ace, he found the opposite of freedom and human rights. And then he wanted, REALLY wanted, to become the free-est man in the world; the pirate king.

Last one i promise ok? This one is less connected to whats going on in the episode at this point, but something I noticed (its so obvious everyone has seen this ok) was when luffy cries, his posture is always open. He doesn't curl in on himself like many people would do (I know I would, lol). He doesnt hug himself, protect himself. He's just, opened up to whoever is watching, literally. This has a little more to do with something I haven't talked about much in this post yet; his self-destruction issues. I said he tried to hurt himself when he felt mental pain, which is definitely similar. But he cries and doesnt try to protect or comfort himself, like he doesn't have that programmed into his mind. Reminder that he only wants to live because of his dream, and if he doesnt have his dream, he wants to die. (Whoa.). Ok, so no self preservation mechanism at all rlly. Hes basically ride or die. So, when things hurt so much that he cries, he has no hope left. He just kinda...dies inside. So this was mildly different after sabo died. Yes we saw him just standing there, sobbing. But the next day he's still crying, and instead he's laying on the ground. I saw that and the voice in the back of my head told me he wanted to be a part of that lifeless dirt beneath him. Then, Ace walked over. And his words made him feel the hope that I told you about earlier, and he sat up into a sitting position. And HUGGED HIS LEGS TO HIS CHEST. There's some self preservation! Some hope! Some will to exist, to live! Something we saw none of as he sat in front of his brothers corpse, shutting down. He sat there, open to his enemies, incapable of protecting himself. Practically anyone couldve killed him right then and there. I think he mightve liked that, at that moment. Like thank god he has that stupidly good luck cuz if he didn't I swear someone couldve thrown and axe or FUCKING ANYTHING AT THAT MOMENT and hed be dead becuase he never physically or mentally prepared himself. On purpose.

Our poor boy needs some fucking attention and therapists. (Insert my rant post about how jinbe is on the crew primarily for anger management and therapy, not just being a helmsman.) Ugh, smh ugly cries

Aaaaand thats about the end of the episode. Theres so many little tics and peesonality traits that you notive thru this episode, and I only noticed them cuz im rewatching this part of the show for like the third time. I don't react as much as the first time of course but some things are definitely sadder after knowing what's going on and what will happen later on.

Moral of the story (post)? I think luffy is almost equally as alike -if not, more similar to roger as ace is. Also, high key genuinely think Luffy met like NO ONE but Garp before he met Shanks and his crew. What the fuck was his first like 5 years of being alive like? (He wantd to be a pirate cuz Garp didnt want that. Rebellious baby asshole. And then shanks made things worse, in a good way for luffy. And then ace and sabo made that worse thing worse for a good reason. Luffy lives...for those influences. And that is fucking it. Why.

Oh thanks tumblr for moving my picture to the bottom of the post u fucking idiot

[suneatersupportsquad]

lime st.

summary :: you and colby got together a little while before colby left for LA. it’s only been a few months, but colby hears a song that reminds him of you and he rushes to finish everything he’s doing today so he can get home and call you.

song :: neck deep - lime st.

pairing :: Colby Brock x reader

WARNINGS :: long distance relationship, slight sadness

find more fics at my new blog @trapboysbunny

It’s been a few days since I saw you last And there’s a few thing that I have to ask

Colby had been waiting outside LAX for 20 minutes and he couldn’t help but be a little upset to be back; he was here and Y/N was stuck back in Kansas. Every time he would visit, both of them would have long conversations about Y/N moving out to LA with him but, right now, it just wasn’t a possibility. Y/N had been working hard to put themselves through college - they were almost finished, too! It would have all been a waste if they were to drop out now. Colby couldn’t help but miss them.

And so the first is, do I hold you back? And did I fuck up too many times?

Colby had been staring up into the darkness for a few hours, tossing and turning until he finally gave up. Reaching for his phone, he dialed Y/N’s number without even looking and pressed the device to his ear. It rang a few times before they answered. “Hey, baby. Can’t sleep?” The sound of their voice instantly relaxed him, the tension fleeing from his muscles.

“Nope,” he answered, already smiling fondly into the nothingness. “What’re you doing up? I didn’t expect you to answer...”

His date mate huffed a little on the other side, clearly frustrated with their schoolwork. “I’m actually studying for art history; have a test later this week.”

“Okay, baby. Sorry to bother you, I’ll let you go-”

“Don’t hang up,” they cut him off and Colby could almost hear them laying themselves across the desk they were using. “I needed a break anyways; my eyes hurt. Talk to me.”

Colby frowned a little; he could almost hear the i miss you that teased the tip of his lover’s tongue. “Okay, love.”

“How was your day?” they asked through a yawn.

Colby closed his eyes and imagined Y/N. A vivid image of them danced across the backs of his eyelids. He could almost see them leaning across their dorm room desk, cheek resting on their arm as their sweater-covered free hand rubbed the end of their nose. “It was good,” he replied, raising his eyebrows to remind himself to stay awake ((he was suddenly tired)) but keeping his eyes closed. “Busy, helping everyone film their videos.”

“Yeah?” Y/N asked softly, amused. Colby hummed in response. “How is everyone?”

“Good. Everyone’s good,” the brunette boy mumbled in return.

“Good.” Colby could hear their smile, small but full of energy he could feel even over the phone. “Have you been drinking water?”

“Yes.”

“And eating regularly?”

“Yes, baby.”

“And sleeping?”

Colby inhaled sharply, scrunching up his nose. “...Yes.”

“Cole!” Y/N whispered in playful disappointment. “Baby, you have to sleep!”

“I know, I know. Just too many projects to get done right now.”

Y/N hummed into the microphone of their device, their eyelids growing heavy as they continued to lean over the desk.

“Baby, I have a question,” Colby blurted, eyes opening suddenly, only to be greeted with darkness.

“Yeah, what’s up?” his partner replied, blinking hard and lifting their head.

“Is this long-distance relationship thing working?”

Y/N laughed, the sound of it almost disturbing in the quiet that had filled the gaps in their conversation. “Of course it is. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be talking on the phone with you right now.” There was silence on the line as Colby searched for the right words. “Cole Robert Brock, you are not about to break up with me over the phone at one in the fucking morning.”

“No, of course not!” Colby found himself saying suddenly. “I mean... I don’t hold you back, do I?”

Y/N snorted, and Colby could hear them slap their hand over their mouth. “No! If you held me back, I wouldn’t be finishing college right now. Holding me back would be moving me out to LA with you without asking what I wanted. Holding me back would be you telling me I’m not allowed to go out without you. You are most definitely not holding me back.”

Colby chewed on his lip for a moment before speaking again. “One more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Did I fuck up too many times?”

They busted out laughing and he could hear Y/N’s roommate in the background, sleepily telling them to ‘shut the hell up.’ “Oh man, baby, we’re gonna be here for a while.” They were joking, clearly, and the LA boy couldn’t help but smile a little.

We’ve fallen out of place But I pray to God we don’t lose connection Just need to see you smile or maybe stay awhile Before we lose all sense of direction

It was a Tuesday. The day hadn’t started off very well and Colby could feel his mood dropping with every passing hour. Fuck, he missed them. He was on his way to a meeting when he decided he needed to call Y/N. He hadn’t thought to check whether or not they were in a class first but, thankfully, they weren’t. “Hey, love,” Y/N answered, the sound of a bustling coffee shop in the background.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted in return, smiling at the sound of their voice. He was already feeling better.

“How’s your day going?”

Colby sighed. “It’s going, that’s for sure.”

He could almost hear your frown. “Shit. I’m sorry, babe.”

“It’s fine.” He paused. “Hey, I’m thinking about coming to visit. What’s your schedule looking like?”

Y/N’s hand met their thigh loudly, the sound of the slap dulled out by the material of their jeans. “Midterms are coming up...” Both of them slumped a little in their seats. “Sorry, baby. I really wish-”

“Don’t say sorry; it’s fine,” Colby assured them, drumming on the steering wheel. “We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

They hummed on the other line, chewing on their straw as they tried to find a solution, or at least a compromise. “I could send you a picture?” they suggested.

“If that’s all I can get right now, I’ll take it,” Colby agreed jokingly, but deep down his heart hurt. He really did miss Y/N.

“I’ll be sending a kiss your way, so be expecting it,” they added sweetly, and he could hear them blowing the ‘kiss’ from their palm in the direction of California.

“Thank you, baby,” he said sweetly and found himself smiling fondly. “I’ll let you go now. I love you.”

“I love you too. Have a nice day!” Y/N said happily into the microphone before the call ended. A few minutes later, a text came in: it was a picture and a link to a playlist. good songs for bad days ((for my lovely boy)). The picture was of Y/N, smiling. They sat at their usual table in the tiny, cramped coffee shop a few minutes from the dorms on campus. Colby was well aware that they didn’t live in the dorms anymore - that they weren’t allowed to, but that they kept going because they’d been going since freshman year. They were almost drowning in the too-big gray sweatshirt that Colby had left with them last visit and their hand rested over their heart. It was their sign; it meant i love you.

And I haven’t seen you smile this whole time It bums out and make me wonder what I can’t do right And I’m trying my best, I promise And I want this as long as you want it

Colby had come to visit for a few days. Him and Y/N were lying on Y/N’s bed, their head resting on Colby’s chest as Colby played with their hair. The TV played in the background, but Y/N wasn’t watching it. They were simply staring at the wall, listening to Colby mindlessly talking about nothing, Y/N’s eyelids growing heavier by the second. They had gone out to eat earlier, but Y/N was so mentally exhausted from midterms that they couldn’t bring themself to actually show any emotion. Of course they loved the fuck out of Colby, but their brain literally hurt from taking so many exams - all they wanted was to sleep. So now that they were in a space to do so, they were fighting their fatigue; it was either spending time with their boyfriend who lived half way across the country, or sleeping.

“You okay, baby?” Colby asked, noticing how uncharacteristically quiet you had been.

Y/N hummed and nodded, tapping their fingers on his stomach. “’m fine, love.”

There was more silence between them before Colby spoke again. “Is everything okay with us? Did I do something wrong?”

The other groaned into the LA boy’s shirt. “Ugh. Fuck you.”

“What?” Colby was confused, panicking a little as Y/N clutched the material of his shirt and pressed it to their face.

“Stop fucking doing this shit. Every time - babe, everything is fine. Just take a nap with me. I love you.”

“...but this is still what you want, right?”

They turned onto their back and glared up at their boyfriend through the hair that tickled their eyelashes. “Would I be here if I didn’t want this?”

Colby chuckled, rubbing circles into their back with the palm of his hand. “I guess not.”

“Good. This is progress.” Y/N nodded once. “Now shut the fuck up and take a nap with me.”

“I love you too, by the way.”

Y/N simply hummed in return.

You asked me where we could meet I found you there at Lime Street One cig left in the packet Stood shy in your dad’s jacket A moment I’ll always keep Oh, take me back to Lime Street I swear to God you saved me Oh, I swear to God you saved me

September 2014. Y/N Colby had known each other for a few months and were just beginning to grow close. Almost at close at him and Sam, Y/N would pride themself in saying. Fall had just reached its peak and the two of them had decided, since the heat had died down, that they would start spending more time together. It was kind of a given with how overbearing Y/N’s parents were, that they weren’t really allowed to go running around with strange boys, especially in the dark.

That night, Colby had called the landline claiming that he needed help with his math homework. Y/N’s (parent/legal guardian) had been skeptical at first but, after the boy had rambled on for a good few minutes about parabolas and logarithm graphs, the adult had forfeited the device to Y/N. “Where can I meet you?” Colby asked. This was the first time either of them had done this, and Y/N could almost hear the excitement in the other’s voice.

Y/N could barely keep themself from giggling in excitement. “Meet me on Beverly and 157th.”

“Okay. See you in a bit.” Both of them hung up quickly after that. Y/N had told their (parents/legal guardians) that, after such a long day at school, they were going to head to bed a little early. Heading upstairs, they stole one of their dad’s old jackets from the hallways closet before heading into their room, setting up their bed to look like they were actually asleep, and climbing out the window. The fall air was chilled their knees and fingertips and they came to the realization that maybe they shouldn’t have worn shorts out tonight. Oh well.

An hour later, Colby found them on the corner of Beverly and 157th smoking an old cigarette as they sat on the curb. “Where’d you get that?”

“Must’ve been my dad’s,” Y/N shrugged, raising it to their lips again as they brushed a few stray hairs out of their eyes. After one more puff, they ground the butt of the cancer stick into the pavement. “You ready?”

Colby nodded. They ran wild on the streets of Stanley, Kansas that night. They conquered the town, and it was theirs until the sun came up again. They had never felt so free.

Is it too late to say, too late to say That I’m sorry for the things I do? I’m missing you like shit today And as the world spins on its axis Seems like it’s brought me back here To say, “Oh God, not this again”

Colby had been running around Los Angeles - his wonderful City of Angels - when it hit him like a brick wall. It was a dull, heavy pain on his heart that instantly made him slump a little. He ignore it, though, at least until they sat down to eat dinner. He missed Y/N, and he missed them bad. Somehow, he had managed to stay put until him and Brennen ordered their food. Then Brennen called him on it. “Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“I, um,” Colby started, but stopped himself. He couldn’t understand why he was choking up. “I really miss them, Brennen.”

The raven-haired boy’s expression softened at that. “You really love them, don’t you?” Colby nodded. “You can go call them, dude. You don’t have to wait for me to give you the green light or anything.”

“Thank you, dude!” Colby said in an outward breath as if it were the best news he had received all day. After giving Brennen a thankful pat on the shoulder, he quickly made his way outside and dialed your number.

“Hi, baby. What’s up?” Y/N’s voice was music to his ears, instantly putting a smile on his face.

“Hi! I’m so sorry that you constantly have to keep putting up with my shit, baby. I love you so much. I know the world is gonna keep spinning no matter how much I miss you but - fuck - mine just stopped. I miss you so fucking much. I can’t wait to see you again, I-” Colby kept rambling, feeling tears leak from the corners of his eyes and he leaned his forehead against the wall outside the restaurant. He rambled until he ran out of air and found himself gasping in another breath before going again, rambled soliloquies about your hands and sonnets about your eyes, rambled until you spoke over him loud enough to pull him out of his thoughts.

“Wait - calm down, baby. Are you okay?”

“No. I fucking miss you so bad, Y/N. All I wanna do is hug you and you’re two-fucking-thousand miles away from me,” he was kind of sobbing at this point, muscles tense as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Are you sure about that?” he heard them ask cheekily on their end, the sounds of a busy, bustling city in the background.

“Yes, I’m fucking sure about that. What’s that supposed to-”

“Can you turn around for me, baby?” Y/N asked cheekily.

Colby swung around faster than he had ever moved before to find Y/N and Brennen standing behind him, cheesy smiles plastered across their faces. He ran to Y/N so fast he had almost toppled the both of them over. “Fuck you!” he exclaimed, sounding almost offended before pulling them into his chest and crying into their hair. “I missed you so much! How did you do this?”

They simply chuckled into the material of his shirt, arms snaking around his waist. “I had the week off and decided to come visit, but I wanted to surprise you. So I had Brennen take you out for the day.” They shrugged nonchalantly as if it were no big deal, slyly sneaking a high-five from Brennen.

“Really?” Colby asked, seeming touched as he lifted his head to look you in the eyes.

Y/N nodded, removing one hand from his waist and wiping a stray tear with their thumb. “Really.”

Colby surprised them both when he suddenly pressed his lips to theirs. “I love you.”

Y/N chuckled fondly, leaning their forehead against his. “I love you too.”

[patton-croc-agenda]

Claws and Effect Ch.1

A/N: I’ve been planning this fic for a while now, so I’m super excited to share it aHH! Updates might be slow until Coral and Crowns is finished, but I finished this about a week ago and have lost all patience. This chapter is pretty slow, but things will pick up real soon, promise!

Next: Chapter 2

Summary: Becoming the superhero Morality wasn’t exactly Patton’s first choice of career, but he liked to think he’d been handling it well enough- balancing his alter ego and regular day job at his cousin’s cafe. That is, until a familiar face walks into Sanders Delights, and a mysterious new villain appears soon after.

Pairings: Romantic logicality, Platonic Sleepality

Words:  3,703

Warnings: None

Cross his heart and seal it with a pinkie promise, Patton was not falling asleep on the job. No sir, not he! He was just...trying to very slowly blink the dryness out of them.

“Patton?” Patton’s head snapped up and he turned to face Thomas, who was wiping one of the counters with a quirked brow.

“Stay up too late watching Parks and Rec again?” Thomas laughed. Patton laughed along with him, refilling the napkin dispenser.

“You know me, Thomas,” Patton said brightly, feeling the amusement rolling off Thomas in steady, soft waves. Patton hated lying, but he technically didn’t. Lie, that is. Thomas did know him. He just happened to be wrong about Patton’s nightly pastimes. His ribs still ached dully from where an unruly gang member had decided to kick him.

“Sure do, Pat,” Thomas’s gaze flicked up at the sound of the bell above the door jinggling merrily. “Though, I think someone knows you even better.” He gestured towards the man who had just walked in, decked in a leather jacket, messenger bag, and dark sunglasses- an iced coffee dangling losely from one hand.

“REM!” Patton shouted, suddenly very awake. He launched himself over the counter- a shock to Thomas apparently- and threw himself in his arms. Remy chuckled warmly, contentedness, affection, and love bubbling around Patton.

“What’re you doin here, kiddo?” Patton asked, walking over to let himself back behind the counter, inviting Remy along as well. “I doubt it’s more coffee, as you said the aesthetic of Starbucks outranks even the actually good tasting stuff we make at Sanders Delights.”

“Mmmm, yeah, you’re right as always Patty,” Remy took a sip of the coffee he did have, placing it on the counter, “I came for two reasons. The first: I need a job.” Patton blinked, feeling Thomas’s confusion as well.

“Why? What happened with your last job I thought you loved it,” Patton said, worry churning in his gut. Remy offered him a soft chuckle, ruffling his carmel curls.

“I did, kinda. I got fired for ahem,” Remy made air quotes, “‘misusing and tampering with dangerous equipment.’” He scoffed, crossing his arms, “Like, if you didn’t want me using the equipment, then don’t make it so easily accessible. So, yeah, you got a job opening or two?” he turned to Thomas who thought.

“Well, we are always open to hiring family. Wait...why two?” Remy shrugged nonchalantly.

“My buddy Helen quit, a little before I got fired actually. She’s been lookin’ for a job. She’d have most of the same qualifications as me, y’know?” Thomas bit his lip, thinking.

“Well a couple kids won’t be working here much longer since they’re graduating so I suppose...”

“Awesome, thanks TomTom, love ya! I’m stealing my lil bro now though, bye-bye,” Remy, grabbed Patton by the arm and started to drag him away.

“Wh- Remy, I have opening shift starting in ten minutes. You can’t just take the only other person working!” Thomas protested. Patton pulled his arm away with a laugh.

“Yeah, sorry Rem. I’m actually currently employed.”

“Wow, okay, first, I’m wounded. Second: can I at least take you into the back? I need to show you something, like right now. Or I will die. And then you’d lose me. Which would suck, Patton.” Patton giggled, feeling the light teasing bounce across his skin.

“That sounds fine, right Thomathy?” Patton turned to Thomas. He sighed, equally dramatic, and leaned against the wall.

“I suppose I can live without my best barista/cashier for five minutes,” he said, throwing a wink at the two. Patton laughed and Remy saluted, dragging Patton into the back room. It was small and cramped- clearly not meant for being more than a storage room. Despite this fact, a rickety old card table and a couple beanbags were tossed on the floor for employees who wanted a quick break between rushes. Remy threw himself down into one of the beanbags and rifled through his bag.

“So, what is so so important you had to show me right now?” Patton asked, plopping down in the beanbag across from his brother. Remy grinned sharply, excitement and mischief sparking and poking at Patton as Remy pulled out what appeared to be a strip of fabric.

“Tada! It’s a new mask,” Remy tossed it to Patton, who caught it with one hand.

“What’s wrong with my old mask?” Patton asked, looking for eyeholes and finding none. Remy scoffed, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Patty Patt, you got real noticeable eyes. We’re lucky no one has caught a closeup view of you on camera yet. Plus, with this one you can’t skimp out on putting in contacts, and I think that’ll help with your glasses budget” Patton blushed, studying the mask again.

“So...how am I supposed to see out of this?” Patton asked. Smugness danced across his skin as Remy leaned forward, removing Patton’s glasses and tying the mask around his face like a blindfold. Somehow, Patton could still see through (well, see as well as he could without glasses or contacts), with only a slightly dark tint to everything blocking his vision.

“Woah, how did you manage this?” Patton asked, flexing his fingers. Even though the fabric was light, the clarity of what he was seeing was still quite impressive. Remy shrugged, but that smugness was still there.

“Lotsa coffee and a couple late nights. You’re welcome,” Remy pulled a notepad out of his bag and made a few checks, “Only 36 left.”

“Oh no, how will I live when you run out of owed favors,” Patton deadpanned, taking the mask off and shoving it in his apron pocket  while he slid his glasses back on. The prodding teasing was back as Remy slung an arm across Patton’s shoulders.

“You won’t. I’m going to kill you,” Remy pinched Patton in the side, causing him to squeal, “zap zap you’ve been tased.”

“No tasing allowed! Sanders Delights is a safe zone,” Remy playfully smacked his forehead.

“Ah, how could I forget?”

“That’s one extra favor- you’re back to 37.”

“What? Boo!” Remy shoved Patton’s shoulder as they exited the back room. Patton froze, the air around him crackling. His skin began to crawl and itch and prickle and tingle and burn and freeze. He looked up slowly to see the cafe already had a large amount of patrons present.

“There you are!” Thomas said, making a latte, “we got really busy the second you left and- Patton are you alright?” Patton shook his head, attempting to clear the cobweb feeling of emotions clinging at him.

“Y-yeah. Just gimmie a sec,” Patton had to mentally shove away the worry gnawing at him coming from Remy’s direction as he breathed in through his nose. He breathed out slowly, focusing on himself- his ears to be specific. When switching to his enhanced hearing, it always felt like his ears popped. The sound seemed to go from muffled to unbearably loud. The sudden cacophony was almost as bad as the sticking, itching, burning, freezing feeling of emotions all around, but as Patton found a target of focus, the difference was immeasurable.

“Journalism just ain’t working huh?” he let his focus be on a couple of girls on the opposite end of the cafe, the other sounds muffling in comparison.

“Ugh, it’s just so dishonest. I swear if I have to do one more phony story I’m gonna lose it,” the woman stabbed her straw into her drink. Patton closed his eyes and let his hearing slowly trickle back into empathy, trading sounds for emotions. The feeling was much less intense now that he was expecting it. The whole ordeal felt to him like it took an obnoxiously long amount of time, but considering everyone just went along with it, he assumed it was in actuality much closer to thirty seconds.

“Okay, sorry about that!” Patton trotted over to Thomas, who simply shrugged, and kept making his order. He and Patton fell into a steady rhythm for a few minutes before Thomas spoke up again.

“Wanna train your brother? Since we’re hiring him and all that,” Thomas scribbled a name on the cup in his hands while Patton bagged a doughnut- subtly trying and failing to lick the glaze off his fingers without being caught.

“Sure!” he said, turning to Remy and bumping shoulders with him. Remy snickered and menacingly reached his fingers out to brush Patton’s sides. Patton squirmed and stifled his giggles with a half-hearted glare before diving in.

Another few minutes, and the rush had died down notably. Remy seemed to quite easily get the hang of making coffee and bagging pastries, so Patton let him genuinely help out a little with Thomas’s okay. It wasn’t the most thrilling job, but Patton figured if Remy wanted excitement he should’ve cared more about keeping his previous job.

Patton, lost in his thoughts to help fight off the monotony of his job, startled at the bell above the door announcing a new arrival. The cup he’d been holding jumped from his grasp and tumbled onto the floor, rolling away from him. If Patton were the type to swear, he would’ve just then as he got down on his hands and knees to chase after the darned thing.

He was so focused, he hardly heard the customer’s smooth, monotone voice as he ordered from Thomas. Patton paused a second, swearing it was a voice he’d heard before. He shrugged it off, however, because it wasn’t uncommon for people to come in multiple times, even if they weren’t regulars. Patton finally succeeded in retrieving the cup, making a victorious sound in the back of his throat.

“And your name?” Thomas asked.

“Logan,” the man said. Patton jolted up suddenly, slamming his head on the counter and letting out a strangled hiss. He looked up, rubbing the back of his head, and saw Remy pull his shades down a hair.

“Hooooooly sh-” Patton pinched Remy’s leg, making him yelp. “I was gonna say holy, uh, sharks. Yup,” Remy said, popping the p before he took his shades off the rest of the way, green eyes like fire, “Logan Lehrer?”

“That would be correct. Do I know you?” Patton definitely recognized Logan now, as he could sense the strange, muffled buzzing against his skin. Patton never could figure out how his emotions were so dulled down to the point he could hardly pick them up, a factor that had drawn him to the other time and again during high school. He couldn’t dwell on his newfound wonder, however, because Remy was looking down at Patton, a wolfish grin on his face as he slid his sunglasses back up his nose. Patton shook his head wildly.

“Ohhh my God, gurl, you don’t remember?” Patton knew Remy was probably fluttering his lashes as mischief began poking at Patton once more, “I was the annoying one who asked you way too many personal questions that one time you had a project with my brother!” This was the first time Patton was hearing about this and he glared up at his brother from where he was still crouched, vowing revenge and a very lengthy lecture on privacy.

“Oh. Remy,” Patton felt clear annoyance break through the dull buzz, scratching down his arms. He winced, but was glad it wasn’t as extreme as it was when he felt it from other people, “Of course you work here.”

“Nah, I don’t quite yet,” Remy started making Logan’s order, dodging around Patton as he did so, “this is free labor, baby.”

“Right,” Remy set the drink down and put his elbows on the counter, raising his eyebrows. “Speaking of your brother, though, how is Patton?” Patton’s legs were getting tired from being crouched for so long, and Thomas was giving him questioning glances from where he was standing.

“Well,” Remy’s hand landed at the base of Patton’s neck, bunching the fabric of his shirt in a fist, “why not ask him yourself?” Remy yanked up, and for the five seconds before Patton was still blissfully hidden he managed a tiny internal mantra of please don’t still be hot, please don’t still be hot, please don’t still be hot.

Gosh. Darnit.

Logan blinked his warm, golden brown eyes in shock that was like sudden static against Patton’s skin as he adjusted his glasses.The shock melted back, but Patton could hardly care as his internal functions were all screaming abort abort, still hot! Still hot!

“Patton? What were you doing under the counter?” Logan asked. Patton coughed, holding out the styrofoam cup he had been chasing after when Logan first entered.

“Dropped this!”  Good start, good start, Now, play it cool, Sanders, “Soooo. We have the same glasses?” Nailed it.

Logan gave another surprised blink before narrowing his eyes at Patton.

“You would be correct. Odd, did you have those frames back in high school?”

“Uhhhh,” Patton looked to his brother for assistance, who shook his head slightly, “No?” Patton had never hated not being able to feel Logan’s emotions clearly more than he did in that moment, as Logan arched one of his stupid, perfect eyebrows and leaned against the counter.

“You sound unsure. Do you honestly not recall if you’ve bought new frames since then?” Logan asked. Patton opened his mouth then paused. Because he suddenly remembered-

“This is my fifth pair in the last month. I lose track.”

“What? Patton, how do you break five pairs of glasses in a month?”

Don’t say beating up bad guys, don’t say beating up bad guys, don’t say-

“I am just. So, clumsy,” Patton put his palms flat against the counter, staring at it in mild horror. Remy sympathetically patted his back and slurped the last of his coffee loudly.

Patton was saved from further embarrassment when the bell rang again and Remy let out a loud gasp, soft, featheriness coming from him as he darted around Patton and threw himself into the arms of the man who just walked in. Said man looked extremely done despite having only just arrived as he curled his arms around Remy, who planted a loud, obnoxious kiss on his cheek.

“Hey Ethey-pooh,” it was slightly mocking, but fond. The man rolled his eyes.

“I despise you.”

“Love you too! Come to see me at work? You’re the bestest,” Remy climbed out of his boyfriend’s arms, and Patton watched him warily. Ethan Serpent was a notorious liar, and known to occasionally swipe small objects. Patton didn’t really like him (which was saying something- he liked everyone), but he made Remy happy, so he kept his complaints to a minimum.

Ethan lounged against the counter, ignoring everyone as Patton focused his gaze back on Logan. He was looking above Patton’s head, brows furrowed. Patton turned to see Logan was watching the television they kept above the counter for people to watch if they wanted. The audio was off, but subtitles were on. A reporter (Patton thought it might be one of the women he saw earlier, actually) was shown, her lips moving slightly off from the words at the bottom of the screen.

“In recent news, the hero dubbed Morality has recently aided in taking down the gang the…” the woman squinted “babbling baboons? Police and Scientists still marvel at the strength, speed, and abilities of flight this superhero displays.”

“Fascinating,” Logan breathed, another precious emotion breaking through the cloud and washing across Patton. Wonder, pure and clean. Patton was probably sweating, so he ducked his head and scrubbed a little more aggressively than necessary at the counter.

“Oh. Him. That’s no big deal,” Patton let out a hysterical little laugh, “guy showed up a few months ago and beat up some criminal who was trying to rob a couple. It just so happened the boyfriend of the lady he assaulted was a vlogger or something so, uh. Yeah. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him yet.”

“Oh, I moved out of state for college. I only came back because a job offer was given to me about a month or so ago, and the local news has not exactly been my top priority.”

“Nor social interaction, if you haven’t heard any gossip about Mr. Morality,” Remy called from where he was running his hands across the chest of Ethan’s yellow sweater.

“Stop having eye sex in my cafe,” Thomas said, carrying a sack of sugar out from the back. Remy pouted, folding his arms and scrunching his nose.

“So. A real life superhero, huh? I wonder how his powers came to be. Also, where did he get the costume? And why is it cat themed- that seems rather silly.”

“Hey! That costume is awesome, excuse you,” Remy said, leaning against Ethan, who looped an arm across his shoulders.

“You have excellent tastes,” Ethan informed Logan. Remy beamed.

“See? Ethan agrees with me,” Remy curled a hand around the back of his neck and tilted his head down to kiss him.

“You two are repulsive,” Logan deadpanned, turning back to Patton. Remy huffed.

“You won’t be saying that when you get a boyfriend, Logan,” Remy said. Logan ignored him.

“Well, I best be off then. It was a pleasure to see you again, Patton. Can not say the same for your brother.” Patton laughed, and, in a moment of impulsiveness Patton was quite well known for, he stopped Logan from leaving by reaching over the counter and hooking onto his arm.

“W-wait!” Logan turned, and Patton turned pick as he raised one of his stupid perfect eyebrows again. “I, uh, want my phone number?” Logan blinked, a softness growing around the edges of his emotional buzz.

“I would not be opposed to that.” Patton scribbled his number on Logan’s coffee cup, handing him a small bag with a doughnut in it.

“For luck, y’know?” Logan’s smile was soft.

“Thank you, Patton.”

~~~

Patton really, really needed to lay off the sweets. He grunted as he struggled to yank on one of his boots. One would think running around 6 out of 7 nights a week would help him lose weight, but apparently not.

He really hated how thick his calves were, especially now. He didn’t want to wear his crocs either, because he was pretty sure they would fall off if he needed to fly at all. Along with that, Remy had informed him he was probably one of the last people on earth who wore them because they were a, quote, “fashion disaster”. Plus, his pair had cute little jibbitz that looked like cookies, cats, dogs, and rainbows, so someone would probably find it suspicious if the renowned hero Morality had the same crocs as the culinary arts major who worked at the little cafe in the heart of the city.

Grunting, Patton finally managed to get the dumb thing on, only to realize he had yet to put on the other one. He sighed, wedging his foot into it after much trial and error. He stood up, walking in small circles to adjust, before heading over to the mirror in front of his door. He ran a hand through his curls, trying to tame them somewhat before he pulled up his hood. He couldn’t suppress a giggle as he fiddled with the ears on the top. Of all the costume designs to get stuck as his brand, Patton was glad it was the cat. He tied on his mask, looking at himself one last time. Remy was right, he looked way different when his eyes weren’t visible.

Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked to the window, slowly opening it and looking around. No one in sight. Good. Patton pulled himself up onto the window sill, nearly purring as the wind whipped around his face, making his cape flap around him. He leapt into the air, feeling his flight take effect as he floated up and landed lightly on top of one of the buildings.

Patton stared out across the city. There was something about being a hero that Patton loved, even when he wasn’t helping people in the moment. Just the rush of knowing what was to come. It made Patton feel just a little bit braver.

With a grin, Patton thundered across the roof and leapt into the air. His stomach dropped, and it felt like the world was going in slow motion even as his heart rate increased. Then, the moment was over as his feet made contact with the top of the next building. Call him an adrenaline junkie, but there were worse things to get high on.

He landed in a crouch after a couple more rooftops, taking a moment to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he stood up straight to wipe it off. He looked up, seeing the tallest building in town a little ways ahead. Patton flew up towards it, landing on the top and gripping the lightning rod, hanging over the edge and scanning the town. This was his favorite place to perch and look for trouble, as it gave him a great overhead view. Patton did wish one of his powers was super vision, but he guessed his ears would have to do.

Patton let his super hearing take over, scanning across town. A group of teenagers here, a few drunk guys there (he’d keep an ear on them), but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. Patton sometimes wished there was more interesting stuff happening, but he would immediately scold himself and remind himself that boring was good. Boring meant no one was getting hurt.

Patton was just about to give up and start just doing his regular patrol, when there was an explosion from the outskirts of the city. He jolted, the sound rattled around in his skull, making his head throb painfully. He couldn’t even tell if it had really been loud, or if his super hearing just made it seem that way. Maybe both? Either way it was still more excitement then he’d seen in months.

Despite the guilt and worry gnawing at his heart, he couldn’t help the tiniest smile from curling on his lips.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

General Writing Taglist:  @angeliclogan @pattons-constellations@amuthefunperson@tatergator27@honeycoloredcorduroy@1esor2 @that-royal-ravenclaw@sardonicsanders@iridescentroyalty@sheeparecutest @pathos-logical @virge-of-a-breakdown@doodlesxkiwi @hungry-red-panda

[prettyfunkyunorganized]

Daughter Series - Soldier 76 pt. 2

Ta-da! Finally getting this up. Sorry it took so long, and thank you to the lovely nonny who requested part 2. You got my butt in gear :)

Ended up really liking this bit. Hope you do too. A bit over 3,100 words. 

Warning: Hints toward torture and abuse, but nothing graphic. 76 kicks some lady’s ass, too. Bad guys are girls, too, ya know. She’ll be fine though, don’t worry. 

More Daughter Series:  Hanzo, McCree, Reaper, Soldier 76, Genji, Roadhog

Soldier 76 installments: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3

masterlist

It had been three days since Natalia had run off, and Soldier 76 was still camped out in London, hoping to hear from her. No such luck. He hadn’t even heard from Angela. As he sat behind a gritty old hotel, hiding in the shadows, his thumb hovered over the comm’s ‘call’ button for the tenth time today.

“Give her time,” he whispered to himself. “I need to give her time. Angela will give Natalia a way to contact me, and Natalia will get ahold of me when she’s ready. I can wait. I can do this.”

He felt like he was losing it. After months of trying not to think about his daughter, now she was the only thing on 76’s mind. He played out conversations with her in his head every waking moment – how he would apologize, how he would explain himself, how he would beg for forgiveness if she was still mad, how he would promise to do better if given another chance.

The soldier hardly knew Talia, but somehow he missed her. Desperately.

Just as he was about to cave in and call Angela for an update, his earpiece beeped at him. He jolted and answered.

“Hello,” he said frantically.

“Soldier 76?”

“Doc,” the greyed man sighed. “Thank god.”

“Don’t say that yet, 76.” Her voice was strained and low.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, getting to his feet.

“76, we – we can’t find her,” she choked out. Dr. Ziegler was not one to allow people to see her cry, but it sounded as if she’d been sobbing.

“What do you mean you can’t find her?” His fingers graced over his rifle nervously.

“Natalia hasn’t checked in since she ran off and her locator isn’t working properly. We have no idea where she is,” Angela explained shakily.

“Could she have disrupted it on her own? To keep you off her trail? She was pretty pissed at us,” the soldier said, grasping at straws.

“No, no. Talia’s not like that. She loves this team, and she wouldn’t just jump off the radar without some sort of explanation or message. I know she’s angry with us, but she wouldn’t worry the rest of her friends like this. I think . . . I think something’s happened to her.”

Judging by the ache in Angela’s voice, she felt just as guilty as Soldier 76 did. “Doc,” he said quietly, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have made you hide anything from her. I screwed this up. I screwed everything up.”

He heard the blonde on the other end take a deep breath and steady herself. “Apologies aren’t going to help anything. We have to find her and soon. Lena and Reinhardt are looking for her too, but . . .”

“They were never the best at that kind of work,” he grumbled. “Too hasty. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Don’t bother,” she said quickly. “I’ll give you the latest coordinates from her locator and you can go look for her. I’ll stay here and monitor you, Lena, and Reinhardt. Between the four of us maybe we’ll get lucky.”

The aging man looked over the map in his mask’s display. He was relatively close. “I’m on my way, Angela, I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thank you, Jack. If I see anything on this end, I’ll let you know.”

“Ang,” he said tentatively, “can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are your sensors still showing her vitals?”

“Yes, but – Yes.”

His knees nearly buckled, and he gripped the wall in fear. “But what, Angela?”

“I’m hoping the systems are just faulty – like the locator – but if not, Natalia wasn’t doing well last night. Not well at all.”

He shuddered. “Angela,” he begged, “please tell me I didn’t get my daughter killed. Please.”

The doctor was quiet for far too long. “If something happened to her, it's our fault, but just find her, Jack. We won’t know anything until we find her.”

“I will, and God help anyone that’s hurt her,” the soldier growled.

It seemed to take ages to get to Talia’s last location, and the site greeting 76 had him worried. It looked much too normal: a simple manufacturing building covered in logos for a popular canned beverage. The place wasn’t even that big.

“If this is a damn glitch in Overwatch’s new system I’m going to find Winston and pummel him,” 76 grumped. Nonetheless, the scared up old man crept toward the back door and broke the latch open with an old tool from his back pocket. “Kids these days,” he chuckled, “so worried about digital security they don’t bother to check the locks.”

As soon as the thick metal door swung open Soldier 76 knew he was in the right place. Gun racks lined both sides of the hallway before him. “Well shit,” he muttered.

“Oh fuck,” a buff woman stuffing her face with a sandwich said as she noticed 76. The older man smirked, running over to her, shoving the snack down her throat as an improvised gag, and pulling her into a side room. He looked around the small break room and saw no one else. Time for a little interrogation.

With a swift and brutal kick, the soldier kicked the woman’s knees out, making her scream out in muffled pain. She was dressed just like the mercenaries that had attacked 76 and Overwatch a few days earlier.  He aimed his rifle at her as she glared up at him.

“Disarm,” he demanded.

She woman spat out her food and coughed a few times before hacking out a rough, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“A man with very little patience and absolutely no time for your questions. Now disarm before I break your ribs,” he snapped.

She snorted and laughed, “Oh really, silver fox, you’re gonna take me on?”

The old man heard one-liners like this a lot these days. No, he was not a young man anymore and no, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Especially not tonight. With one swift kick to her chest, his captive was sputtering and gasping for air. “Still feel like testing me,” he snarled once she caught her breath.

“Christ, old timer, point taken,” she gulped.

“Disarm,” he said again. This time she begrudgingly obeyed.

“That’s the last of it,” she said laying a third knife on the ground next to two handguns. He didn’t believe her, but she was moving much more slowly after that kick, so 76 knew he could take her if need be, no matter the size of her. Woman must have been six and a half feet tall.

“I’m looking for someone,” he said simply. “Red hair, slim, tall, pale. Where is she?”

“Couldn’t tell you,” she huffed, “Try asking the coppers, yet? We aren’t in the business finding people, more interested in making them disappear.” Her smirk was cold and mocking, but not intimidating. Soldier 76 had been at this a long time, and he’d seen much more imposing women. More experienced, too. This girl seemed young and much too eager to prove herself as a ‘badass.' She wasn’t succeeding.

“Look, kid,” he said taking a step closer and raising his rifle from her chest to her head, “I’m not in the mood for this right now. It’s been a long week, and I’ve just about had it. Tell me what I want to know, and I won’t give you any brain damage.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him, “I’m not telling you shit.”

He let out a long, disappointed breath. Every second that passed was another second he left Natalia waiting. “I asked nicely,” he muttered, spinning his gun around and smacking the butt of it into her head. She hit the ground with a yelp, clutching her sides. Guess he had actually broken a rib or two. He placed a boot on top of her folded arms, pinning them in place but also putting pressure on her aching torso. All the strength left her face as she writhed in agony.

“I know your kind,” 76 said slowly, “you’re only here for the money and fame. You’re not loyal. Tell me where my girl is, and I’ll let you go. This troupe of hired killers isn’t worth all this pain and you know it.”

“Basement,” she gasped. “There’s a stairwell that leads to her just across the hall. We’ve only got one guy guarding her right now. Everyone else is in a meeting with our boss to get new orders, but they’ll be back soon. That’s all I know, I swear! Please let me go!”

The woman looked like she was about to black out, but 76 didn’t let her go. Not yet. Just a moment longer. This girl and her compatriots had kidnapped his daughter. He wasn’t about to let that go.

In the end, he released her and the dark-clad woman curled into a ball instantly. “Get up, leave this warehouse, and fix your life. If I ever see you at the end of my muzzle again, I won’t hesitate, got it?”

She nodded but didn’t move. Maybe the angry old man had gone a bit too far, but he didn’t have time to regret it. The soldier headed back to the hallway, checking to make sure it was clear. Sure enough, there was another door across the way and to the right. It opened onto a sparsely lit set of stairs that smelled of mildew and blood. He moved as silently as he could, but the guard was looking right at him as he reached the bottom of the steps. Natalia was tied up to a chair next to the man, slumped over and still. Soldier 76 let loose a burst of pulse rounds, killing the man looming over his daughter.

“76?” The shots made Natalia raise her head, revealing one of the worst black eyes the old man had ever seen.

“Natalia,” he said dropping to his knees in front of her. “Thank God you’re alive.” She leaned into his hand as it pressed into her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I shouldn’t have run off. Everyone’s probably freaking the out, aren’t they? Ugh, I’m going to get so much shit for this.”

He shushed her gently as he cut the ties around her wrists and ankles. “Everyone’s just worried,” he assured her, “and if anyone gives you a hard time I’ll personally kick their ass – this is my fault, not yours.”

As her body was freed from its bindings, she fell forward into him, flopping into his arms. He held her gently, careful not to squeeze too hard on her battered figure. “Let’s get you out of here,” he said softly.

“I don’t know if I can walk,” she said trying to stand. Her side was bleeding, her limbs were dotted with burns, and her one of her legs was trembling. The other was still and twisted at an odd angle. Soldier 76 gently slung her arm over his shoulders and let the young woman put her weight on him. They slowly gimped up the stairs and into an alleyway, Natalia’s pained noises growing louder. By the time he eased her onto the ground a few blocks away, she was panting.

“Just hold on, alright? I’m going to call Angela and get you some help,” the soldier said reaching for his earpiece. Talia nodded, taking in slow, staggered breaths.

“Jack, what have you – ” the blonde doctor began.

“I found her,” 76 interjected, “get here now. She’s hurt, badly. Sending our location now.”

“Are you in danger,” Angela asked.

“No, we’re close to where she was being kept, but I don’t think they’ll find us here. We’re holed up behind a strip mall, by a few dumpsters.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she replied, “keep her awake for me.”

“I will.” The line went dead, and 76’s focus went back to Natalia. She was slumped over to the side, eyes bleary. “Hey, come one, kiddo, stay with me.”

She blinked a few times and straightened. “I’m up, I promise.”

Solder 76 sat next to her, resting against the wall. “I’d put down a biotic field, but I don’t want to draw attention,” he said rubbing his forehead.

“I understand,” she said gracing her hand over her eye and flinching.

“That looks really bad,” he said cringing.

“I’ve been hit in the face before, but this is different. My entire left side is throbbing,” she groaned.

“Natalia,” he said gingerly, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to hide from you, and I shouldn’t have told Angela to keep things from you.”

She looked over to him, face bruised with only one eye open and dried blood smatters under her cut lip. He’d never seen a more gut-wrenching sight. “When I was down there,” she began, “I kept thinking about how my first and maybe last conversation with you was going to be full of anger and hurt. It really scared me. I didn’t want it to end like that between us. All my life I’ve wished I could meet you, talk to you, but. . .” She turned away and looked at the dimming sky. “When the impossible happened, and I actually had the chance to meet my dad, instead of the happy, award introduction I’d always hoped for, I found out that you didn’t want me – that you’d been pretending I didn’t exist.”

“That’s not what I was trying to do,” he said moving to sit in front of her. “Natalia, I swear, I wasn’t hiding because I didn’t want you.”

A dirty look crossed her face. “Were you pretending I didn’t exist, then?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but after a moment just deflated, arms in his lap. Talia bit her lips as she began to tear up.

“Please let me explain,” he pleaded, reaching out to her, but she pulled away.

“What’s there to explain,” she whispered shakily.

He sighed and thought a moment. All his earlier planning didn’t seem to be doing him any good – guessing what Natalia might say and watching her sniffle in front of him were two very different things. “Kid, I may have tried to move on like you weren’t out in there in the world, but I couldn’t. I thought about you every single day. I wondered what you were doing, how you were feeling, if you liked being in Overwatch, if they were protecting you, if you got a room with a good view or if you were stuck staring at the hangar bay. Natalia, every free moment I had I was daydreaming about you. I don’t know if it’s possible to miss someone you’ve never met, but somehow I managed. I missed you so much, even before that mission when you patched up my arm, and then after I saw you for the first time things only got worse. Every time I saw someone with red hair, I hoped that somehow it was you, not that I had any idea what to say to you, but I still wanted it to be you. Just so I could see you. Make sure you were ok.”

Natalia was silent a long time, staring at a bleeding blister by her elbow. “You mean that,” she said meekly.

“Yeah, kiddo. Every word.”

“Then why didn’t you contact me? Why keep me in the dark?”

He sighed heavily. “I was scared. I was afraid I was too much of a mess, and you wouldn’t want me around, or that I’d say the wrong thing and you’d end up hating me. Every time I almost asked Ang about you I’d think about doing something wrong and having you pushing me away.”

She smirked the tiniest bit. “Or run away?”

A thin smile crossed his lips, “Yeah. I guess by trying to avoid screwing things up, I ended up making one giant mistake.”

“Well,” she said massaging her shoulder, “just so you know, I don’t hate you. I was hurt and overwhelmed and confused, but I don’t hate you. I don’t think I could.”

A massive amount of tension dissipated from 76’s body. “I’m really glad to hear that. More than you know.”

“I’m really glad you’re not going to run off again,” she sighed. “You aren’t going to do that, right?”

“No,” he chuckled. “There is no way I’m going anywhere now. Before long you’re going to get sick of me.”

She tried to laugh and gasped when the action only brought pain. It looked as if she might pass out.

Soldier 76 slid a bit closer and put a hand on her back. “I’m sure Angela’s close, just hold on.” She nodded slowly. “Can I tell you something,” he asked softly.

“Please,” she grumbled, “I would love a distraction.”

“I’m really proud of you, Natalia.” Her head twitched to him in surprise.

“You’re . . . proud of me,” she repeated.

He took a deep breath and took off his mask, laying it on the ground next to him. He wanted her to see how happy he was to be with her. He wanted her to know that he trusted her with his deepest secret. He wanted her to know she mattered more than hiding his identity.

“Yes. Incredibly proud. I couldn’t stop replaying what you said to me in that basement. I should have told you right then and there how amazing you are, but I was a coward. Even if you didn’t want to live this life, you’re a hell of an agent and a fantastic medic. You’re clearly doing your best, and it shows. I couldn’t be more proud of you if I tried. But at the same time, I’m sorry if you ever felt like you had a legacy to live up to. I know that sort of pressure, and it’s daunting. I just want you to be happy, Natalia, more than I want anything else in the world.”

“Shit,” she said blinking back tears and smiling, “you’re gonna make me all sappy, 76.”

“I know what you mean,” he said clearing his throat with a dry laugh. It had been a long time since he’d gotten choked up.

“Come sit with me again,” she said gently patting the cobblestones next to her. He ambled over, leaving a bit of room between them, but she scooted closer. Her head rested on his shoulder, and nothing had ever felt so wonderful to the old man.

“I missed you, too,” she said peacefully. “All my life. I didn’t know you, but I missed you. I can still hardly believe you’re really here.”

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting for long,” he said placing his head on hers.

“Just promise me we’ll get to spend some time together now.”

“I promise.”

“And promise me you aren’t going to go and die again anytime soon.”

He snorted and grinned, “I’ll do my best.”

“You’re damn lucky I’m a medic.” The feisty spark was back in her voice. It made the soldier supremely happy.

“I am a very lucky man,” he agreed.

tags: @watch-your-grammer @winchester-sonsandcastiel

[blumenwrites]

Erejean Week 2k17-Apocalypse

so usually I don’t join in for these ship weeks but the erejean tag is so dead nowadays and I haven’t written nearly enough for these two a03 link should be up later when the site is working again :(( nevertheless I actually???? met???? a deadline???? wild

Out of the many things Eren missed one of them was the birds. Growing up in the countryside had meant that every morning he would wake to their screeching as they prattled about the trees right next to Eren's window. Even in the evening they would carry on shrieking as if they weren't already being annoying enough. Once, a bird had miraculously flow into his room (to this day he still had no clue how since all the windows were sealed shut) and he had yell at it and direct it towards the open window with pool noodles before it took the hint. At least there aren't any pigeons Jean had said and added besides aren't birds chirping supposed to be sweet? before moving on to complain about how he didn't appreciate Shiganshina for the great place it was and why city life was objectively The Worst. Although he still didn't quite see the charm in those flappy fucks, whilst lying in bed with only the static air to keep him company he had to admit that maybe there was a novelty in the twittering and tweeting of sparrows in the morning.

Eren shifted his head when he heard the door open to reveal Jean walking over towards the bed with a plate of scrambled eggs and a crooked grin.

“Get back in bed,” Eren groaned through a slow yawn, holding open the duvet in invitation and really, how was Jean to resist? He placed the plate on the bedside table and pulled Eren by the waist closer to place a kiss on his forehead. Eren mourned the loss of Jean's stubble from last night but appreciated the scent of lemon soap lingering on his throat and chin. He ran a hand through Jean's thick hair and hummed.

“You need to cut your hair,” Eren mumbled, voice still thick with sleep.

“Hm, only if you do it for me,” Jean replied. “Come on, Eren, you need to get up,” he coaxed as he played with the straps of Eren's tank-top that needed washing. Later. Everything could wait until later.

“No,” Eren whined as if he were a petulant child, burying his head into Jean's shoulder.

“I milked the cows for you but the stables aren't gonna clean themselves.”

“You're not selling this very well.”

“Eren. Get up.”

Eren burrowed himself under the sheets, encasing himself in a protective cocoon. That was until Jean cruelling ripped the covers away, exposing him to the comparatively frigid temperature of the room.

“Ugh, fine! By the way, I'm breaking up with you,” Eren scowled, ripping off his pajamas to change into his usual flannel shirt and jeans.

“Love you too,” Jean beamed and god, Eren hated how cheesy it felt to say it, but it felt like stepping into the sun for the first time after a long winter.

Staggering into their shared bathroom, Eren frowned at the flecks of shaving foam that Jean hadn't cleaned off the mirror and the toothpaste growing crusty in the sink. He never was particularly fussy about cleanliness but then he had met Levi and ever since even seeing a speck of dust made him recoil. Unfortunately, Levi's wrath hadn't had the same effect on Jean, meaning their bedroom floor was normally scattered with yesterday's clothes before Eren could pick them up, leading to a lot of raised eyebrows and muffled laughter from their friends.

Although Eren missed commercial toothpaste their own-brand baking soda concoction did the job well enough. It wouldn't be uncommon for them to just forego a typical cleanliness regime but basic hygiene was one of the few things keeping Eren on the borderline of sanity. Plus, morning breath was something no one wanted to deal with.

Eren finished his plate that Jean had prepared and made a mental note to thank him once his fury at that morning's betrayal had simmered down. He trudged down the aching stairs and cursed the sun that blinded him the moment he stepped outside. It was an irritatingly bright, cheerful day and Eren just wanted to crawl back to bed.

“Afternoon, Eren,” Armin greeted with a wide smile.

“I've just woken up, therefore, it's morning,” Eren grumbled, feeling far too much like an old man for someone who was only twenty-five. “Do you need any help?” Eren nudged his head towards the weeds Armin was pulling up.

“Don't worry, I've got this for now. Some of the carrots are already prepared for harvest though so if you could get around to that later that'd be great.”

“Okay, I'll do it soon.”

They departed with mutual waves and continued to their respective jobs. When Eren wandered into the stables he spotted Jean brushing off the amounting dust on Julius' flank, face sour but his shoulders relaxed. Eren picked up a stray comb and began picking out straw from his mane.

“This little shit, honestly, I swear he was rolling in his hay for the fun of it. And he knocked over his water on purpose too,” Jean grumbled, brows creasing in a way that never ceased to make Eren snigger.

“I understand where he's coming from. Pissing you off is incredibly fun,” Eren laughed as he tugged at a particularly intricate knot.

“I hate you both,” Jean scowled like a wet cat. Eren blew a kiss that was not received kindly.

Even so, they worked comfortably in silence for the rest of the afternoon, tending to the stables, checking the water supply, harvesting early food, and salting the meat for storage. When the sundial indicated that it was nearing seven, Eren and Jean walked down together towards the perimeter to greet a tired looking Mikasa and Annie. Eren's nose twitched at the scent of decay and ash.

“One zombie in the morning neared the fence and we burned the body as protocol,” Annie explained as Mikasa swung off her crossbow to hand it to Eren. “Other than that, no activity like normal. There's six arrows and two rounds left for the rifle.”

“Anything else to report?” Jean prompted whilst positioning himself on his usual branch of the thick oak tree that was probably older than earth itself.

“No. As always, be careful,” Mikasa said before turning to join the others for dinner. Eren would be bitter he was missing roast night but he had already made Mikasa take his shift the night before so it was only fair.

Staying on watch was a painfully dreary job that included a whole lot of doing nothing but they had learned to appreciate the quiet after months of running from shack to shack with danger waiting to pounce around every corner. Making it to Armin's grandfather's farmhouse had been a massive risk and yes, they complained and about the back-breaking upkeep but everyday Eren was grateful for their safe haven in what would otherwise be hell on earth.

“Eren, look!” Jean stage-whispered, jerking his head over the fence. Eren searched the green but empty terrain beyond and located what Jean was staring at. What looked to be a small ball of fluff that could easily fit within one's hand was sniffing around, padding around to twitch its nose at the strands of overgrown grass.

“Wow, when was the last time we saw an animal outside the gates?” Eren mused aloud. Even without the buzzing of the electric wired fence and the scavenged barricade of rusted materials and pikes to ward off predators, most animals had been infected or eaten at this point.

“It must have been a year ago with the dear Connie spotted,” Jean answered. Eren had felt guilty for having to shoot it but it had provided a week's worth of food for the entire group. Besides, even if they had let it go, eventually it would have been bitten but this, a small, harmless rabbit, this they could appreciate.

“Mikasa and I used to have a rabbit when we were younger,” Eren reminisced, the sudden memory of begging his mother to allow him to get a pet gracing a smile to his lips.

“What was its name?” Jean asked, beaming at Eren in a way he never would've imagined anyone to look at him. The sun caught the flecks of gold in his eyes and Eren was momentarily stunned.

“She was called Flopsy,” Eren replied, turning his head slightly to hide his blush. Jean snorted, causing Eren to chuck a pebble at him.

“I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to be so predictable. What else, did you have a black and white dog called Oreo?” Jean snickered.

“God, I want Oreos again,” Eren groaned. They shared a moment of silence for all the junk food that was no longer a ten-minute walk away. At least they would never have to relive that month on canned runner beans again. Now even looking at peas made him flinch.

“I think Sasha was mentioning that she was working on a doughnut recipe,” Jean offered in reassurance.

“If this ever blows over the first thing I'm doing is going to McDonalds and ordering six Big Macs, five Oreo McFlurry's, and three chocolate milkshakes to go with it.”

“Eren, don't; we haven't eaten yet.”

“What would you go for?”

“I'd go to Krispy Kreme and eat an entire Premium Dozen for myself and no one could stop me.”

“Same. Sometimes it's just the pointless shit I miss, you know? Family and security in knowing I have the next day in front of me aside sometimes I just miss ordering Dominos at 11 p.m. for my hangover the next day.”

“Yeah.”

The sun was beginning to sink and the rabbit had gone. Eren glanced at Jean and smiled softly with a gentle sigh, taking his offered palm in his, stroking his fingers along the callouses and scrapes.

“When society gets its shit back together again we're gonna go on one of those food tours around America and eat twice our weight in greasy food,” Jean promised with a grin that made Eren's heartbeat stutter.

Eren squeezed his palm and leaned against his bony yet comforting shoulder.

“I'd like that.”

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 12

"Did they find Belle, yet?" Sherry asked in a weakened tone as she attempted to sit up from her hospital bed, David paced around uncomfortably before speaking, "Trevor said 'e was taken home... Alex s'posedly left ta try to negotiate somethin', but from Trevor's tone, it doesn't sound likely.". The two sat in silence, as if mourning the lose of a close friend; the woman slowly laid back down, signaling for the part timer to leave. A few minutes passed as Sherry began to doze off, before someone else walked into the room, locking the door behind them, then slowly approaching the bedside. The woman rolled over to face the person, but a towering, shadowy figure with massive, black claws and glowing yellow eyes loomed over her instead. "You should have kept running..." The distorted voiced being suddenly broke into a fit of excited laughter as it raised one of its dense, clawed hands over the bed. Sherry jolted up right before it could crash down on her, effectively making the nurse next to her jump as she woke up. "S-sorry, hon. Didn't mean ta wake ya." The small nurse apologized as she finished tidying up the bedside desk, quickly leaving the room afterwards. The boss sighed, sneaking a peek at her heavily bandaged up leg, {Heh, they insisted that I just cut myself up on some scrap metal while lookin' f'r Belle, but that monster's crooked face won't escape my mind THAT easily. Guess it's best to play along though, don't really need folks callin' me crazy...} Sherry reassured herself as she stared out the window from her bed. {...I hope he's okay...} The woman thought as the boy's wellbeing crossed her mind, causing her to reminisce on what felt like a month of knowing him, when in reality, it was barely even a week. "Hello, Sherry Autumn." The doctor's voice snapped her out of her momentary trance, "You're good to leave at anytime, just finish taking your antibiotics, and you'll be good as new in no time." he laid a short stack of papers down, along with a partially filled pill bottle on the bedside desk, before exiting the room.                                                 ●●● Sherry opened her unlocked door to see Jerald tidying up the kitchen, "Hey David, you want ta start on the livin' room, Sherry should be gettin' released from the hospital soon." the volunteer worker called out as he continued to scrub the various stains off of her counter. The boss looked around the messy living room, the neatly stacked pillow and blankets on the couch catching her eye, as well as Belle's duffle bag of clothes sitting near the entryway. "The livin' room's fine, thanks f'r cleanin' the kitchen-" "Sh-Sherry!? Hey! Hi..." Jerald gave a sympathetic stare as she walked into her freshy cleaned kitchen. "I... I'll just leave you ta, eh... I'll go an' check on the shelter now." The volunteer worker nervously left the house, leaving Sherry in her tidied kitchen; she eventually decided to finish cleaning the rest of her house. The boss tossed her bedding in the wash, cleaned the upstairs mirror and windows, then vacuumed the whole house, effectively relaxing her mind as she cleaned. At some point she reached the dilemma of cleaning the living room, unable to move anything of Belle's, she ultimately decided that she was done cleaning, and started making a few necessary calls for her new shelter. "Yes, y'ill have ta be VERY hands on with the animals, so if ya don't like 'em, this probably isn't f'r ya..." "Yeah... yeah... oh, part time's fine! What days can ya come in?... No, no, that's great. Our other part timer can't make it in f'r several week days at a time, so that's perfect." "Our  new shelter COULD really use a vet, but we're not housin' any horses at the-... hello?... hello!?" "Full time?... Sorry, our facility isn't really ready f'r that yet." "Yeah! Come in a couple days from now, and we'll getcha set up as our receptionist.". After a few hours of phone conferences, Sherry grabbed her bag in preparation to go out, when she suddenly heard Belle's phone vibrate, but she decided to leave it be.                                                 ●●● After getting some fast food, the boss steadily drove back to her home, listening to some slow music on the radio as she drove in the dark. A figure abruptly darted in front of her, barely giving her enough time to brake without hitting it; {Mirage!?} she quickly grabbing her gun, jumping out of her vehicle to face it. "WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!" A young teen shouted in terror as Sherry pointed her firearm at the cyclist, "I-I'm sorry if I cut ya off!! I swear!" the teen quickly hopped back on her bike, speeding away as fast as she could, leaving Sherry to her own embarrassment. "Idiot!" She snapped at herself in a hushed voice as she got back into her truck, slowly driving away, {I need ta calm down...} the woman solemnly thought as she continued her drive home. {I'm actin' a fool, I only knew the kid a week!} She thought as she grew increasing annoyed at herself, "First thing I'm doin' when I get home... I'm gonna clean up Belle's mess!" she proclaimed.                                               ●●● Sherry woke up early afternoon, slowly walking down her stairs and through the untouched living room to her kitchen, jumping slightly as Belle's phone buzzed when she passed. The woman stared for awhile, before picking it up, and tossing it on the living room couch, making herself some coffee afterwards.                                                  ●●● "Ye're hired; Welcome 'board." Sherry congratulated her new employee with a handshake, then ordered Jerald to give the young woman a tour of the facility. "Excuse me, Ms. Autumn?" Another new employee nervously waved the boss over to the main phone, "A senator of Wyoming is on the phone!" she reported in a startled tone. "Tch. It's just a scam caller, don't give it any information." "Okay... but 'e saids he knows ya..." "Just a scammer-" "His name is Trevor?" Sherry's eyes widened, "That's not a scammer, thank ya f'r yer help, Chelsea.". "Hey Sherry..." He started uncomfortably, "I was just calling about some of Belle's belongings, well... one of them, at least." "Which one? He left everything o' his when he left." Sherry commented solemnly as she paced around the front desk. "His phone. I was just wondering if you had it, and if it's been ringing at all." "It has actually, but I can't really think o'-" "Okay, thank you." Trevor seemed pleased, and before Sherry could ask anything, he abruptly hung up.                                               ●●● Sherry closed her front door, locking it before setting her handbag down on the kitchen table, shortly before hearing the small flip phone vibrating on the couch. She sighed hesitantly, then finally answered it, "This is Sherry Autumn, right?" she heard Alex's voice ask, "Yeah..." "Good. So you-" "Why are ya callin' Belle's phone tryin' ta contact me!?" "Because Trygve tasked me with answering any questions you may have pertaining to the night you were attacked by Eirik, but he DID NOT give me your phone number to do so.". The woman stood silent for a few moments, "Trygve?" "Ugh... 'Trevor', as you people call him-" "What do ya mean 'you people'?" "Humans!" Sherry shuttered as he shouted that, "Hello?" "Y-yeah. Sorry, I f'rgot ya guys weren't really human, heh." "Excellent. So I do not have to attempt to explain that to you-" "I don't even know WHAT ya are! Mind explainin' that!?". Sherry heard nothing but ambiance, until Alex finally sighed, "I can not tell you that just yet, nor can I say where our kind is from, but I am allowed to say that we are not human, and that Belle was taken back to our palace home by Eirik, our queen's deadliest henchman." the woman sat down on the couch, stunned. "Well!? Is there anyway ta get 'im back!?" She shouted in a sudden stir of frustration, "That is highly unlikely, but... there MIGHT be a way to go see him... Ehh..." "How!?" Sherry quickly lightened up. "Three days from now, call Trygve- Ugh, 'Trevor'. He will tell you where to go from there, but be prepared for a large amount of traveling." Sherry thanked the man, then ended the call, shortly before dialing up an old number on her own phone. "Hello?" A gruff, stern voice answered in an already impatient tone, "Hey, Charles-" "Sherry!? Wow! We haven't talked since... well. But how have ya been!?" "Listen, I need ta go somewhere soon, and I would like it if ya stayed at our old house f'r awhile-" "Is this 'bout that 'Belle' character Sam was talkin' 'bout?" "Y-yeah, he went somewhere, and I wanted ta talk to 'im one last time.". "Mmmm... well, who am I ta stop ya, but... I really have missed ya." "Heh, I've missed ya too, ya lug.".                                                ●●● Sherry leaned against her red truck, sipping on a frosted lemonade and looking around at Fort Worth, her first and final rest stop before Galveston, the designated meet up location. After a straight five hour drive, the woman needed to rest before a drive nearly equal in length, and after that drive, the three would travel by boat until they reached Belle's homeland. The boss heard her straw start to gurgle as she finished her drink, signaling that it was almost time to hit the road again, she sighed as she tossed the empty cup into a nearby trashcan, switching the navigation on her phone back on as she started her truck up.                                                 ●●● Sherry noticed a sleek, blue car sitting at the entrance to Galveston, with Trevor and Alex standing next to it; she quickly pulled over near the two. "Hey!" Sherry greeted as she walked over, "Glad to see you made it!" Trevor called back, gesturing Alex into the passenger seat of his car. "This island has some pretty limited parking, so I went ahead and reserved us a couple of spots near the bay. I'll lead you there!" The woman nodded, quickly heading back, and getting into her truck. The blue vehicle gently cruised back onto the road, with the red truck beginning to trail behind; Sherry stared out her window at the flat, breezy surroundings, the palm trees lining the roads, and the sharp, rolling waves barely visible in the distance. {This's it... time to see where Belle's REALLY from.} The woman pumped herself up, preparing for whatever strange, inhuman place that the two men in the slick car were leading her to. To her surprise, Trevor pulled into an inn's parking lot near an older looking boat dock, parking at the far end, then reaching out of his window and pointing at the spot next to his. "Why 're we-" "A storm's scheduled to blow over the gulf tomorrow, which means a lot less activity in the water. I got in contact with an old buddy who will take us to the end of the gulf in his crabbing boat, so you have the rest of the evening to prepare." Trevor explained while Alex carried the senator's luggage in. "I'll send Alex to fetch you tomorrow morning, just make sure you have a large meal before we leave, and just leave your belongings in your room, you won't need any of it where we're going." Sherry nodded, feeling mildly disappointed at the unexpected wait.                                                 ●●● "Thar ya go, lass!" An elderly fisherman hoisted Sherry onto his boat with a surprising amount of strength, then turned and stared at the two standing behind him. "Been awhile, Trygve. Last time I saw ya in person, ya had climbed outta the waters and onta muh boat! Now ya say yer a senator!? HEH!" The fisherman gave Trevor a hardy handshake, then returned to the boat's steering wheel. "So... ya know Trevor?" The woman asked as the other two untied the boat from the dock, "Ever since 'e got muh boat outta ragin' waters!" the older man chuckled to himself as he seemed to reminisce. "I was inna smaller boat at the time, an' as I thought she was gonna bite it, a HUGE shadow swam under the vessel, an' kept 'er afloat 'til the shore came back inta view! Once I tied 'er up ta the closest dock, I 'eard somethin' splash up onta muh deck, back then, Trygve wore dark, ridged garbs, so I didn't recognize 'im as a human at first, but after I took 'im down into my sleepin' quarters an' gave 'im some spare clothes, 'e explained what 'e REALLY was.". "And what is that?" Sherry asked, glancing back at Trevor and Alex, who were peacefully relaxing near the back of the boat, "They 'aven't told ya? Aren't ya goin' ta see thar palace!?" "Yeah, but they seem hesitant ta say anythin'." The fisherman shook his head with a grin. "So, what're ya goin' ta the palace f'r?" "We're visitin' the prince-" "Belethor!?" The old man exclaimed, "How do ya know 'im?" "Hmm... when Trygve left the palace, 'e left quite 'n impression, that's why 'e can never return ta 'is home. When that happened, 'e made a rough guess on who would follow 'is example an' travel to the surface world, so f'r 'e's been right with every guess, including the prince.". Sherry nodded, then glanced back to Trevor, who was staring at the bottomless waters swirling behind the boat with a longing gaze, "Hmm, their kind sure do love the waters, but 'e vowed never ta leave 'is human form unless absolutely necessary, a real shame too, 'is kind 're terrible at swimmin' with our form. It's quite a spectacle ta see, though!" The man chuckled to himself. "And why doesn't 'e want ta take his true form?" "'is kind 'as a keen sense o' smell, as well as perfected ocean navigation; 'e made a lot o' enemies, including their queen, if he went inta ocean water without a disguise, they'd find 'im." "...What's yer name?" The woman asked, seemingly catching the old fisherman off guard. He suddenly started to chuckle, "Ya 'ave two mighty bein's behind ya, an' ya want ta know 'bout me!" he chuckled some more, before turning and smiling at the woman with his crooked teeth, "The name's Matthews!".