#I’d tell y’all about The Light At The End of The Tunnel play list but…..

[squarefriend]

Oh and also D for the fanfic askgame

D: Do you have any songs you associate with your fics?

In short: Yes. Too many in fact.

But in long form: Listening to music is actually a huge part of my creative process!! I have a hard time focusing or getting a scene feeling right if I don’t have good mood music/ambience to go along to it! So, naturally there’s been a couple of songs that really resonated with whatever I was writing. I categorized these into three sections, and will be using Because She Died as an example!

First theres songs by assossiation. I put on the Otherside Of Paradise (The Glass Animals) whenever I’m in a particularly bad writers block or can’t focus! The lyrics remind me nothing of the story, but it’s just??? There??? In my BSD playlist??? Same with House of Gold by 21 pilots, though lyrically it’s closer.

Then there’s the songs where only part of the lyrics is similar enough that my brain goes into assossiation mode! Like The Ballad of Guiteau from the Assassins musical or parts of Nonsense Speaker (the one Juby Phonic sung) remind me of Pap and Sans respectively. Heck, even Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men reminds me of stuff coming later in the story with characters I dare not say for spoilers ;).

Finally, there are those songs that are SO lyrically and musically similar that I’m gonna make an animatic some day. Both Curses by the Crane Wives and Karma by AJR have story boards in the works. I’m in the planning stages as well for Sleep on The Floor by the Lumineers ;)

So yeah!! Sorry for the tangent! I just feel very passionately about my music haha

[kumkaniudaku]

Wild N Out

A/N: A request for the amazing and patient @queenbutterfly2018 . This was a challenge that I did not expect but had a lot of fun with. I hope you enjoy! If it isn’t what you want, let me know and we’ll take another stab at it. 

“Wild’n, wild’n...”

Chadwick stood in the hallway of the downtown Los Angeles venue, bouncing on his toes to shake some of his anxious energy away. When he got an invite to appear on the improv comedy show hosted by Nick Cannon, he allowed his wife to pressure him into accepting the invitation against his better judgment. To Chadwick, sketch comedy wasn’t his idea of a good time. He didn’t mind watching live during a date night with CoCo, or even spending hours of mindless time watch the popular television show, but participating was a different beast.

“I got somebody that’s gon’ try and take my comedy crown. You seen him be Jackie Robinson, James Brown, T’Challa and probably ya uncle. Tonight, he’s the Captain of the Black Squad. Y’all know him, Chadwick Boseman!”

Taking one last deep breath, Chadwick started a slow trot to the stage. In the short time beneath the bright lights, he noticed that the person responsible for his appearance on the show was suddenly absent from her front row seat. There was no time to process Tasha’s absence before he was pulled into a dap and hug by Nick Cannon.

“Now I know you like the Master Actor out here these days, but we've never seen you in a comedy role. You think you can hang tonight.”

Chadwick scoffed and smiled, “C’mon man. I’m me.”

“Alright, alright,” Nick laughed in the midst of the oohs and ahhs from the crown. “See, I knew you were coming, so I made sure the Red Squad was stacked. We had to bring out the big guns.”

“Hopefully it’s a ghostwriter. I’ve seen you in the wild style and it ain’t nice.”

“It’s terrible,” Emmanuel Hudson yelled from across the stage. “Worst shit I ever heard. You should throw all of your studio equipment in the middle of the ocean. Then jump in behind it. And drown.”

A chorus of laughter erupted in the building, becoming contagious as Chadwick let go of a few chuckles and some of his nerves.”

“Anyway,” Nick interrupted. “For the first time in Wild N Out history, I’m giving up my captain’s seat to somebody that I know can beat you. She told me to call her the HBIC and the B stands for Boseman. We got your lady in the house, Tashaaaa Boseman!”

With “Last Time That I Checc’d,” playing as her walk out music, CoCo confidently strolled onto the stage with a smug smile and a mischievous grin on her face. She’d been intentionally quiet about her invitation to appear being the catalyst behind her working double time to convince her husband to step out of his comfort zone.

Once Chadwick was over the shock of seeing Tasha step through the tunnel, his eyes flickered with a competitive drive.

“Hey, baby,” Tasha sultry voice spoke into the microphone. “You ready for me to whoop that ass in front of all these people?”

“I hear you talking big shit. Just don’t be surprised when I have on my championship belt in the bedroom tonight, Co.”

After sharing a friendly kiss, Chadwick and Tasha turned to join their respective teams and listen to the instructions for the first game.

“Alright, the name of the game is Got Damned,” Emmanuel started, imitating an old school referee. Even though they were on opposite teams, Chad and CoCo caught eyes and burst into giggles at the act.

A member of each team was called to the center of the stage to participate in an old fashioned game of the dozens. By the middle of the game, Chadwick was in tears from the sheer absurdity of the jokes. Tasha wanted in on the action.

“Give me Tasha! Give me Justina!”

The crowd’s cheers became lost in the background as Tasha stepped forward and grinned from ear to ear.

“Girl, if you don’t get your 'Thank you for being a friend,' Golden Girls old ass outta here,” Justina started.

“I know you ain’t talking with your big back, Clay Matthews from the Packers built ass.”

“If I’m built like Clay Matthews then you must be Spock with them gahdamn Star Trek ass ears.”

Tasha took the joke like a pro while assessing the competition. “Sis, if you don’t get your Frank Sinatra’s face, Khloe Kardashian’s old body having ass outta here!”

When Justine opened her mouth to counter, her speech faltered, causing her to stutter. The misstep garnered a reaction from the audience and the cast on the stage.

“You’re out!” Emmanuel’s declaration came with a gesture for Justine to rejoin her team a bell indicating that the red squad had received the point.

“DJ D-Wreck, who won that game, man?”

“It was close but, it looks like the Red Squad got that one!”

Tasha felt a surge of pride, knowing that she contributed to the win. Her pride matched Chadwick, who tried to keep his admiration lowkey.

If anyone were to ask him, his wife was everything light and fun in their relationship. She had the better jokes, was voted best song singer by the kids and always became the life of the party when they would have their famous monthly gatherings. If circumstances were different and they weren’t on different teams, he’d be congratulating her on her went. Unfortunately, he was forced to defeat his wife on national television. He could apologize for the beatdown later.

Nick continued to fly through games, some that neither Tasha or Chadwick felt qualified to participate. They were content to bobbing their heads along with the rap portions or adding a couple of chuckles to the mesh with the audiences’ laughter. In others, like Plead the Fifth, the Black Squad took the lead when Tasha and Chadwick were pitted against each other.

“Mrs. Boseman. I hear your nickname is CoCo. Can I call you CoCo,” Conceited asked.

“Never in your life, sweetheart, but continue.”

“Oh-kay! I just have one question. On a scale of 1 to 10… how much does Chadwick...hate working with those white people at Marvel. We’ve seen the pictures! How much does he hate it, Tasha!”

Chadwick looked at his wife’s eyes shut, and her lips become tucked into her mouth as she tried to stifle a laugh, half hoping she wouldn’t answer for a variety of reasons.

“Oh my God,” Tasha groaned while “answer him” chants grew in intensity. “I...plead the fifth.”

When the next segment was introduced, the couple made it a point to try and interact with their respective teams.

“ATL makes some noise! We back like we never left. It’s been a wild night all because of Ms. Tashaaaa.”

CoCo made sure to make an animated face in the camera before waving to the crowd.

“Damn, you just gon’ act like I ain’t playing? I mean, my team is winning.”

“Not for long! I’m coming for your ass tonight,” Tasha hollered across the stage.

“Is that a promise?” Chadwick’s suggestive comment didn’t go unnoticed by Tasha or the crowd, earning a mixed back of reactions and a subtle wink from his wife.

“Okay, okay. Sound like y’all are ready for the next game. What you got for us D-Wreck?”

“This next one is called Let Me Holla. We’ll bring a Wild N Out girl to the stage, and each team takes turns trying to holla at her. Good pick up lines get a bell; bad ones get a buzzer. Let’s get a Wild N Out girl to the stage?”

As the pretty blonde made her way into the spotlight, both Chadwick and Tasha made it a point to turn the friendly competition up a notch. Both teams went back and forth with pick-up lines varying from hilariously innocent to suggestive and downright raunchy. After B. Simone received a buzzer on the Black Squad, the scores were even, leaving the door wide open for a win.

Chico Bean was next to step to the young lady. “Hey, baby, do you have sex with men you meet the first night?”

“Uh...no?”

“Good, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tasha could feel her face getting sore from laughter that halted the moment the noise from D-Wreck’s bell turned into excited cheers from the crowd. Looking over, she was shocked to see Chadwick swagging his way to woman on stage. In a rush of adrenaline, Tasha dashed to join him on stage, sandwiching the woman between them.

Neither Tasha or Chadwick spoke. Instead, they took turns pointing between each other and the young woman while smiling. When that didn’t work, Chadwick reached across to pull Tasha into a kiss before pulling away and resuming the silent charade. Their display of affection and its not so hidden meaning made the blonde’s face flush as she bit her lip. Finally, she linked arms with both of her “suitors” and began to walk off stage, giving both teams a bell and ending the game.

Nick Cannon’s face, a mix of shock and intrigue, was priceless as he stepped on stage to mediate as Tasha and Chadwick exchanged a high five and returned to their respective teams.

“We wild’n out for real, huh? That one was too close to call, D-Wreck. Tell us who won.”

“Even with the double bell, the Red Squad had the most luck with the ladies. Give it up for them!”

“Aye, we all tied up around here, and we’re coming back to settle it the Wild Style battle. So, sit ya ass down because we’re coming right back!”

Tasha felt her stomach churn at the mention of the final battle. There was a laundry list of things she didn’t consider herself good at, and freestyle rapping was at the top. A quick break for some crowd shenanigans gave Chadwick time to break away from his group and check on CoCo.

“You good,” he asked as he handed her a bottle of water and bumped her shoulder. “Ready for this to be over as much as I am?”

“If I could end it right here and not have to rap in front of all these people, I’d gladly take my win and leave.”

“Oh, so you think you can just beat me without a fight, Cookie. Nuh uh! We play all the way through in this household.”

“But I can’t rap!”

“And I can’t do improv,” he laughed. “But I did that stupid props game and ended up winning. I got out of my comfort zone, and now it’s your turn.” A quick signal from a producer on set let the couple know that it was time to split up and wrap the taping, prompting Chadwick to end the conversation. “Get on out there Champ. If I lose, I want it to be because you beat me. Got it?”

His reassuring smile came with an extended fist which CoCo bumped to complete the gesture. “I got it. But if I suck, we never speak of it again.”

“Now you know damn well I can’t do that.”

She didn’t have time to respond before Nick was returning from the planned television break and introducing the Wild Style battle. Though nervous, CoCo tried to push all thoughts of possible humiliation from her mind and focus on coming up with rhyming words while others around her rapped. With the number of people on stage, she hoped she’d easily be looked over. Most hosts that weren’t known musicians or comedians tended to skip out on participating even if bated. Tasha hoped she could do the same.

“Aye, Tasha.” The mention of her name made her body still with fear before settling back into reality. “Bring that ass here, girl!”

CoCo’s mind pinged with all of the ways being called out by resident funny guy, DC Young Fly, could turn into a disaster. He was known for not only being outlandish in his delivery but also being good at his craft. She’d watched him completely eviscerate opponents all night and joining in on a laugh here and there. Now, she was on the receiving end and terrified of what was coming.

She didn’t move from the back of the pack under her own power. All she felt was several hands pushing her forward as she willed her facial expressions to morph into something that screamed confidence.

“Now Ms. Tasha, I know you old but I still think you groovy, so when are you gon’ stop fucking this nigga that gets his ass whooped in all his movies?”

Chadwick took the joke in stride with a cool laugh and shook his head. With the end of the game drawing closer, he didn’t care what went on as long as it was on its way to being over. Instead, he chose to give Tasha a subtle nod for encouragement.

Tasha had two options. She could laugh and return to the crowd without a rebuttal or take a stab at defending her man. CoCo chose the latter. Grabbing the mic, she took a deep breath and prepared to give her first televised freestyle a fair shot.

“DC, I’ll tell you a secret, real quick, don’t no woman want a man built like a used toothpick.”

The reaction to her response was instantaneous laughter from both teams and the audience. D-Wreck rewarded her effort with a quick bell before the battle progressed to an old school showdown between Chico and Karlous. She was excited and proud at the same time as she moved back to the side to make room in the center of the group. Chadwick was happy for her too, giving her a subtle wink and nod from across the room.

By the end of the battle, the bells and buzzers had become so mixed in everyone’s heads that no one was aware of the score until Nick called over to the DJ booth for an official tally.

“I got a feeling I get to keep my comedy belt this time, D-Wreck, but who won that game, man?”

“That battle was crazy...but the Black Squad got more bells in the end for the win!”

Chadwick smiled as he was presented with the gold plated souvenir and led to the spot beside Nick Cannon to end the show.

“You came in here, stole, and stole my belt. What you got to say to the people?” “Not much, man. Thank you for having me out here to whoop yo ass and give my lady and me something new to add to the trophy case. C’mere girl.”

Tasha smiled as Chadwick pulled her to his side and handed her the mic. “Let the record reflect that I technically won too because what’s his is mine,” she laughed.

“There it is! Let’s get to it. Everybody get out ya seats, turn your TV up and make some noise for Lil Baby!”

TAGS: 

@k-michaelis

@wakandanmoonchild

@idilly

@texasbama

@afraiddreamingandloving

@inxan-ity

@daytimeheroicsonly

@onyour-right

@sisterwifeudaku

@killmongerdispussy

@90sinspiredgirl

@willowtree77785901

@maynardqueen101

@heyauntieeee

@halfrican-heat

@purple-apricots

@lalapalooza718

@blue-ishx

@profilia

@ljstraightnochaser

@girl-wtf-lmao

@dramaqueenamby

@royallyprincesslilly

@melaninmarvel

@thiccdaddy-mbaku

@lavitabella87

@purplehairgawdess

@unholyxcumbucket

@airis-paris14

@uhlxis

@oshasimone

@maliadestiny

@drsunshine97

@zxddy-panther

@queentearra

@skysynclair19

@retro-melanin

@mermaidchansons

@misspooh

@melanisticroyalty

@babygirlofwakanda

@wakanda-4evr

@sarahboseman

@karensraisns

@wakandankings

@kaykay4454fan

@ororowrites

@awkwardlyabstract

@mixedmelanin

@brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers

@cosmicmelaninflower

@justanotherloveaffair

@jaeee-http

@iliketowrite1996

@blackpantherismyish

@soldierandawar

@msincognito67

@reignsxjackson

@yaachtynoboat711

@syreanne

@minim236

@yoyolovesbucky

@maddiestundentwritergaines

@bribrisback

[purkinje-effect]

The Purkinje Effect, 34

Table of Contents

“Christ, Geek, you’ve got thrill issues.” Hancock stared down the hole at him. “I’m not afraid of heights. There’s jumping down from someplace, and there’s falling. This is definitely falling.”

“Great, now we have to see this to completion,” ‘Choly moaned. “Angel’s hydraulic thrusters can’t handle that sudden a drop. Not that it matters since I’m not about to leave it behind, but I’m not so good for climbing.”

“I wouldn’t trust me to catch you, either,” Geek snipped with a shit-eating grin. “Guess you’re just gonna hafta double back to that first door an’ see if y’can’t put y’brains together t’break it open.”

“Aren’t you two floors under us?” Hancock continued, increasingly mad that Geek had forcibly divorced himself from the group in such a way, increasingly stressed that the vault was more labyrinthine than any of them had anticipated, and increasingly convinced this was Geek’s way of seizing some kind of control over the situation. “Something tells me there’s a good chance it doesn’t lead anywhere.”

“Well, for your sake and mine, you’d better hope it does. I’ll be fine. I did all kinda a repair work on the maintenance tunnels in 82. I can find my way around without gettin’ caught. Goin’ it alone for now, swear I’ll play it stealthy. Oh hey, there’s another terminal down here.”

“Somethin’ tells me ‘Geek’ and ‘stealth’ don’t belong in the same sentence,” ‘Choly quipped, wanting to wait around to hear what the terminal had to offer.

“Tell me about it,” Hancock agreed, starting into a cigarette and pacing.

Geek shrugged it off, and opened a confidential file paradoxically left unprotected by password. In it summarized the scope of the resident interview process, as it pertained to Vault 114′s planned social experiment. Great. He rolled his eye. Never gonna find a vault that didn’t use the folks for guinea pigs.

“Wow,” he narrated up the shaft aloud. “It wasn’t just Todd Gates. Everybody slotted t’live here was cherrypicked from the rich, the political, and the famous. This one ran an experiment on its people like all the others, but this one was psychological. They sold these rich snobs first class, but would’a sardined ‘em into coach. An’ their original Overseer was supposed to have as little leadership experience as possible, with as strong a hate for authority as possible.”

The chemist bounced his eyebrows once, deadpan.

“So you’re saying that there’s no way to predict just how poorly adjusted these residents’ descendants are.”

“Sounds like the whole tin can could’a used a lifetime supply of Jet, provided the experiment ever got off the ground,” Hancock joked. “From what I understand, though, the only thing we’ve gotta worry about is a mob of Triggermen. They’re bad enough, but also just about as predictable as it gets.”

“What do you mean, ‘from what you understand’? You know about this vault?” ‘Choly glared at the delinquent ghoul, getting to his limit with the situation himself.

“Then it wasn’t weird, that the admissions list didn’t confirm intake of any of the residents. Y’telling us the Vault never opened for use.” Geek stalled in place, everything clicking in that moment, and he slowly picked his head up to glare up in a near-rage at Hancock, who immediately shied from the top of the shaft to pace away from the pink ghoul’s line of sight. “Vault 114. You told me about this place back at the Vault-Tec office. Just how drunk was I that day, not to put it all together until now? You knew. You knew what’s down here. You’re bein’ clean cut straightforward with the two of us right. Now. We deserve it.”

“I’m starting to think both you and Bobbi had the same bad habits.” ‘Choly sniffed with a dismissive sneer. “Come on, Bobbi. Out with it. What were you two doing at a Vault-Tec office?”

“I--” Hancock flustered at the comparison and pursed his cigarette in his lips to shove his hands in his jean pockets stiffly, eyes wide. “I’d hoped you’d catch my drift a lot sooner, is all. I haven’t been lying, just... misleading. Didn’t think I’d have to spell it all out, to be fair. Don’t be too hard on yourself for not rememberin’ everything from the Vault-Tec office, Geek. It was a lot of information to take in at once. Really, I only know what Nick’s told me. It’s not like I had a key inside before now. He and Skinny have history. I think he just finally got unlucky enough to get on Skinny’s bad side.”

“...Hey, nerd.” Geek ate his cigarette filter while he eyed the stuff in the room he’d jumped down into. “That wristwatch keep good time?”

“It’s eighteenth hour,” ‘Choly replied, convinced their entourage had failed.

“Oh, good. We’re in sync.” He dropped his Pip-Boy arm to his side again. “I don’t know how your vault was set up, but I know in my gut that door at the start’s gotta be the main entrance. Gimme two hours with y’all tryin’ t’get it open quiet-like before you go an’ do anything louder, yeah?”

“We’ll give you one,” Hancock insisted, hating the idea of leaving him on his own that long.

“Ideally, we’ll get in easily,” ‘Choly agreed. “If we get in before you get out, meet us in the Overseer’s office. If there is one. Okay?”

“Into the labyrinth.” He blew Hancock a kiss and traversed deeper, down a hall, and through a pocket door around the corner.

Geek found a box of Abraxo Powder on the ground near some lockers, and he picked it up to absently crack open the corner with a jammed-in thumb. Hancock’s juryrigged fence-muzzle thwarted the attempt to pour some in his mouth and he growled to himself as the soap went everywhere but. With a huffed grunt, he tucked the box open-end-up into his jumpsuit next to his heart and zipped back up.

A glance out the window in the wall showed the first real fixture of a true vault which anyone encountered upon entry: the Atrium, a large open social area with a ceiling at least two stories high. Cafeteria bench tables and unpacked shipping crates littered the floor space at the bottom, and a balcony ran the full perimeter of the second floor. He nearly wondered if he were down here all alone after all, but overheard a one-sided conversation taking place. The pink ghoul crept around the corner hall and out onto the second story balcony, and eavesdropped on a man on the third story balcony, arguing with someone behind a porthole. That has to be the Overseer’s office. Slowly, he crept up the stairs.

“--Feelin’ hungry? Wanna snack?” The Triggerman in a black trilby jeered. The response sobered him, and he sneered. “Don’t gimme that crap, Valentine. You know nothin’, you got nothin’.” Another pause hushed him. “Three strikes...? In the black book...? But I never-- Ohh no. I gotta smooth this out, an’ fast!”

The Triggerman bolted for the stairs, and Geek reflexively jutted his foot out to trip him. With him face-down, Geek grabbed him by a fistful of hair and from behind slashed his throat with Cronus, then tossed down the body and stood back up. From inside the locked office, the sound of a brassy, gruff Chicago accent cut off the pink ghoul’s relieved sigh.

“Hey, you. I don’t know who you are, but we got three minutes before they realize muscles-for-brains ain’t comin’ back. Get this door open.”

He peered through the porthole, to find very little light and the silhouette of a figure in a trenchcoat and fedora. The terminal beside the locked door required a password, and he didn’t trust his luck. Looking for a holotape key, he patted down the Triggerman who’d kept watch on their captive, and snapped his fingers in success before returning to the terminal with it to instruct the computer to disengage the lock. The vertical pocket door slid up and down in two pieces, and Geek stood there a moment taking in the presence of the person he was bailing out. The detective lit a cigarette, but the smell didn’t mask the familiar lubricants and coolants which belied a human silhouette. He stared into the synth’s glowing golden eyes.

“Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario,” the detective quipped wryly. “Question is, why did our hero risk his life and limb for an old private eye?”

“Call... it a favor for a friend.” Geek consciously endeavored to steady his breathing, and he’d already begun to salivate. Damn my luck, that I found him before Hancock and ‘Choly did. Feeling like some kind of feral animal, he squirmed that he could only stare at the exposed armature of the detective’s right hand as it drew the cigarette up to his lips to take another hit. He swallowed his own cigarette butt and shuddered, unable to determine whether nicotine did a thing for a construct that didn’t even have lungs. Let alone that a good bit of the smoke escaped through a gap in the cheek flesh. “Y-- y’not like that other synths I’ve met.”

“One of a kind, he shined with a wink. “The name’s Nick Valentine. To whom do I owe the pleasure of my freedom?”

“I’m the Geek,” he blurted out. “An’ a certain mayor led me, another guy, and the guy’s robot down here under the hunch we’d find you here.”

“Look, I know the skin and the metal parts ain’t comforting, but it’s not important right now.” Out of jaded habit, Valentine tried to distract Geek from the jarring artificial appearance of his weathered, damaged shell leaving swaths of his armature exposed throughout the left side of his face and all down his neck. “I’ve been cooped up in here for weeks. Only so many times a body can listen to the same three holotape interviews. ...Turns out the runaway daughter I came here to find wasn’t kidnapped. She’s Skinny Malone’s new flame, and she’s got a mean streak. Like I said, though, now ain’t the time. Let’s blow this joint. Then we’ll talk.”

“G-- g-- good idea. Nnnowait. I. I. I need t’do somethin’ first.” Shakily, Geek sat at the C-shaped Overseer’s desk and browsed the terminal for a moment. He pocketed the three aforementioned holotapes from the desktop, and stood right back up in frustration. “Damn, it’s just a welcome note for the Overseer. Dunno what I expected. Damn vault never opened for residence.”

“Well that certainly explains why Skinny didn’t have to clear out the previous tenants. An empty vault. Perfect hideout.”

“When they locked you in here, they patted you down, didn’t they?” Geek asked on the way out.

“Unfortunately,” Nick replied. “Hopefully you can keep it hot enough for the both of us.”

“Well, if you’re good with a gun.” Geek handed over a box of .44 bullets and his bull barrel pistol with a sly boredom. “I negotiate with my fists, personally.”

“A pleasant surprise. Appreciate the insurance.”

“Don’t sweat it,” the ghoul grinned.

Geek let Valentine show the way, and the synth detective cut back the way Geek had come, then continued down to the bottom floor to the Atrium. Shipping crates littered the balcony and the space under the stairs, and were piled high against the Atrium walls. Suddenly, Valentine crouched and whispered,

“How do you want to play this?”

The pair peered at the five Triggermen who’d ambled out to investigate the brief commotion from before. Geek let it speak for him, to don his knuckledusters and slip out to dance. Given the element of surprise, he and Valentine dispatched them with the slightest scuff. While Geek caught his breath, he wandered the area and eyed the labels on the crates. One of them had been marked ‘Vault 111: decompression chamber coolant’ and his head tilted askew at the cryogenics warnings all over it. Three rows down, he stopped dead and stared. ‘Vault 82: hydroponics bay kit.’

“Hard and loud, huh? Well, gets the job done. Too bad for whoever cleans up the floors.”

“--Aw fuck me, Hancock owes me a nuke. I told him they never got to 82, half or all.” Geek popped off the lid and looked inside. He peered at the various parts which would have become elevated gardening trays. “Not that it does any good now.”

“Something tells me you came down here for more than little old me.”

“Guilty. If anything else labeled Vault 82 catches your eye, tell me.”

“So some wires got crossed, and shipments ended up unintended places. Not remotely surprised. In case you hadn’t noticed, construction of this place must have been overseen by the Grandchester family.”

“You’ve been to Nuka World!” Geek’s head whipped up with the childlike wonder of a toddler, and he stared at Nick. “Oh man I haven’t been since I was nine!”

“You don’t say.” Valentine clicked his tongue in affirmative. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Vault 82.”

As they continued on through the utility section of the vault, Geek felt very small and very distracted. He decided to pop a holotape into his Pip-Boy to listen to one at random. When Nick gave him the stinkeye, he turned it back off with sorry on his face.

“At least you picked the one interesting narrative among them. Got them all memorized, with them being the only thing to keep me sane locked up in the Overseer’s office. That’s the interview with the individual they selected as the Overseer. Soup Can Harry. Thought taxes paid for Illuminati free mason sex parties. Refused to wear pants. And ate soap explicitly to spite the ‘not for consumption’ label. They really picked a diamond in the rough with that one.”

“Part of the Vault-Tec experiment was to put the most infuriating and unrelenting idiot in charge of the vault. Hate to say I halfway fit the bill, if what you said describes the guy accurately. I could’a run the damn place.”

They passed the Depot and Geek detoured at the smell of more soap. The string of lockers that lined all four walls lay open and mostly empty, barring four boxes of Abraxo spilled around a skeleton which looked like its owner had crawled into the locker to eat to his heart’s content. The pink ghoul took one sealed box, but let the poor soul have the rest.

“You, too, huh?” Geek quipped, melancholy, as he shook the box. “Guess I was wrong about none of the residents ever makin’ it here.”

“Come on,” Nick hushed in agitation. “I just got the door to the stairwell open. It was malfunctioning, but we can keep moving now.”

Past the lavatories and showers, they cut to the stairs, to be met with a variety of directional arrows, which indicated to take the stairs if one so desired the residentials, laundry, cafeteria, nursery, or exit zone they sought. Nick hugged a door frame to shoot a Triggerman who’d been seated with his feet kicked up. Geek ambled up to the body to collect the comic he’d been reading, and his eyes lit up again as he skimmed through it.

“‘The Man Who Could Stop Time!’ Ohh man, this is one of the ones I never got. I used t’have a real big Astoundingly Awesome Tales collection.”

“Heh, it’s all yours, kid.”

They cut through the Residential zone, the layout of which connected rooms in such a way as to provide zero privacy and also house as many heads per room as humanly possible. Just the thought of as many as ten people being forced to live in the same tiny room together made Geek’s skin crawl, but the synth seemed to have his mind too much on escaping undetected to hypothesize how the vault experiment might have played out given the chance. A few Triggermen napped on the bunk beds, and the pair eliminated them easily before any woke to the intrusion.

“More stairs?” Nick scoffed as they took another flight. “Who built this damn vault, a fitness instructor?”

Finally, he got a laugh out of Geek, and the tension cut a bit.

Another hallway with the laundromat and storage closets yielded all manner of loot for Geek, who spent hardly any time or hesitation absconding with anything pocket-sized. He stepped into the cafeteria last, disappointed to find it was little more than a restaurant kitchen with an a la carte window. He turned the cafeteria upside-down when he didn’t find a single paste dispenser, and pocketed all the flatware he could put his hands on. Rejoining an exasperated Valentine, he patted his chests contentedly just to hear the fistfuls of utensils jangling together.

“You sure have deep pockets.”

“Deep pockets, and an appetite that won’t quit.”

“Skinny Malone and the rest of his boys are waiting for us, somewhere. The names, uh, ironic, but don’t let that fool you. He’s dangerous.”

Geek frowned. Surely they wouldn’t be ambushed by dozens of Triggermen.

They hit a dead end with another malfunctioning vertical pocket door. When Valentine announced he’d get it open with little effort, Geek inspected the various Vault-Tec shipping boxes for mailing labels which might have indicated anything further. The pink ghoul didn’t find anything but a pair of royal blue vault suits labeled on the back in large bold gold letters ‘114.’ With an eye roll he stuffed them into his jumpsuit along with the Abraxo, and flattened them down down without crushing the boxes so he could zip up. He started pacing and snacking once he no longer sufficiently felt he could distract himself.

“Okay, got it. But I head a big commotion on the other side and everything went quiet. This door was jammed, not locked, so whoever’s out there might have had the same trouble getting in as we are gettin’ out. Once we step through this door, get ready for anything.” He glanced up to catch Geek slipping table knives through the fence-muzzle gaps to swallow them, and the pink ghoul froze red-handed. “I take it the name’s not ironic.”

“I eat when I’m nervous.”

“Suppose that’s fair.”

“--Did y’say a buncha noise out there then silence?” Geek clenched his teeth. “I really hope that’s not the door I think it is.”

“Only one way to find out.”

[catsdaydreams]

Lie in the bed you made

Chapter 2 Of The Heir. Catch up here.

I am missing TRR pretty fiercely. Even though I know this Hiatus will ultimately give the writers a breather so they can regroup, I miss my King. So in the meantime. I will write. 

Requested tags of amazing people who want to see my works: @ladynonsense @decisso @marcela13mars @jayjay897 @drivenbyfantasy @umccall71 @kiwairinin @hopefullmoonobject @mfackenthal @topsyturvy-dream @madriasim    @drakelover78

      Its honestly been so long, I dont know who wants to be in the tag list and who doesnt. let me know if you want to be added to it!

Recap: Our King has returned after two and a half years on his engagement tour and invited Kendra to the UN ball to catch up. He currently has no idea of his son, and is attempting to tie loose ends by getting Kendra to sign an NDA. However the two quickly rekindled their flame and spent the night talking.

side note: Y’all may think that Liam is an ass, and he kind of is. BUT in his defense remember that he has spent the last two and a half years alone with Madeline, with no MC to cheer him up, or give him a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ per say. Give the kid a break, lmao.

My head pounded when I woke, sweat from the night clinging to my skin as I dragged my eyes open. There wasn’t any light coming through the window, and I turned to see if Liam had woken yet. I was greeted with my answer when I met his blue eyes, gazing at me softly. “Good morning.” He whispered. Despite my head pounding, I smiled. “Good morning, Liam.” I whispered back, neither of us ready to break the peaceful quiet morning.

I relaxed into the pillows, as I felt his arm snake around my waist under the covers. I turned and pushed my back into his chest, form fitting myself to him. It had been a long time since I had woken to another persons touch. He kissed my neck from behind and I smiled wider. “You always were insatiable in the morning.” I chuckled. I felt his lips smile as he tugged of the shoulder of the shirt I was wearing to spread the kisses to my shoulder. I turned my head, and captured the next kiss with my lips.

Liam smiled, “I’m glad that you came last night. I didn’t think you would, and that I’d never see you again. Or that Ymir wouldn’t get the invitation to you” He said, his kisses trailing back up to my ear. His fingertips played with the exposed skin on my hips between my waistline and my shirt. Electricity tingled in the wake of his touch, and I could feel my resolve swaying. “You’re going to make me late.” I muttered, he laughed, “Late to what?” 

“I have a job you know.” I stated, rolling over to face him. He motioned outside, “The sun isn’t even close to rising.” Liam said, his hand still leaving trails of excitement on my skin. I gave him a sad smile. “I have to go Liam.” I said, sitting up and looking around for my dress. He sighed and sat up as well, “You can’t call out, just for today?” he pleaded. “I have to leave today.” I frowned at his words. He was only in town for the party then, “Well at least this time you can leave me a phone number, or email. We can keep in touch. I have people counting on me. I can’t just bail out.” I said, and Liam pouted. He sat still for a moment, thinking, “Come with me.” He stated. 

I turned to look at him. He waited, gauging my response. I gave him a surprised laugh. “Liam I can’t just pack up and move, I have responsibilities.” I told said. He got up, the conviction in his eyes growing, “Kendra I can give you another job, and a raise. Whatever you want, just please, come with me. Let me show you my world.” I had begged to hear those words at the statue of liberty. But now I had Cadence, and I wouldn’t uproot his life, I knew Liam years ago, but I didn’t know him anymore. 

“ I can’t.” I said firmly. Liam frowned, the mood soured. I stood and began collecting my items. My dress and shoes. I spotted the NDA agreement on the floor. Picking the pages up I read the terms, the agreement was ironclad, I couldn’t breath a word of our previous time together. A section in the agreement caught my eye, he had also covered any future encounters. 

“You have all your bases covered, huh.” I said curtly, suddenly irate with his arrogance. I reached my clutch, knowing there was a pen in it. “I want an amendment made.” Liam looked at me, noticing the NDA in my hand. “Oh, right. What amendment.” Liam said, rubbing the inside of his palm, a nervous tick he always had. “I want a non contact added. Under any circumstance.” I said bluntly. 

“What?” Liam said in shock. The dazzle of the ball last night had worn off, I still had my son to think about. Liam couldn’t just waltz in here, and turn my life upside down yet again. I maintained eye contact with him, “you heard me Liam.” His composure clicked into place, replacing my Liam with someone foreign. “If that is what you wish, Kendra.” My alarm rang, startling the both of us.

It was now 6, and my dad would be leaving to drop Cadence off at daycare. I cursed internally, I had meant to stay out this late, and I was sure to hear it from my dad later. Liam moved to turn the alarm off, I moved to grab my phone before he did. “I have it, Liam.” Liam was closer, but I managed to grab it first and hit stop on the screen. The alarm closed revealing the smiling, dimpled, blonde as my background. Liam frowned at my behavior as I quickly shoved the phone into the waistband of my underwear.

Panic internally built inside of me, I had come too close to exposing Cadence. I couldn’t battle a king for custody, I’d lose. My heart hammered, all I could see was Cadence being taken. Whisked away to some foreign country, I would lose the only thing in this world I cared about.

"I don’t understand.” He asked, his voice on the verge of breaking. “You seemed to enjoy being here last night. Was that just the champagne talking?” I shook my head no.

“Why then.” He asked. I looked at him, “Liam, I don’t know you anymore. I used to know you, once upon a time, but I don’t. The last time you entered my life you completely uprooted it. Now you’re back, and that’s enough of a wave, but you’re a king, Liam.” I sighed, motioning to the phone, “I don’t need or want the public eye on me.”

There was a soft but assertive knock at the door. “Άδεια εισόδου, η μεγαλειότητά σας;” I recognized the language as that of my table guests from the night previous. “ναι” Liam responded. I shot Liam a look as I shuffled quickly back to the bed so that I could cover my bottom half. 

A tan colored man with brushed back thick black hair and a styled beard and mustache opened the door and entered quickly. The two shared a rushed exchange in the foreign language, and the man bowed his head and left as quickly as he had come. Liam rubbed his temples.

I stood and stripped out of Liam’s shirt, noticing his lack of shame as his eyes roved my body in the mirror. “You could at least pretend to be a gentleman and not look.” I said catching his eye in the mirror in front of me. He raised an eyebrow, “There is a perfectly usable bathroom connected to the room if you cared so much about privacy. That street goes both ways.” I shrugged, conceding.  I started to pull my dress back over my hips. 

“Kendra, wait a moment. Ill get you a change of clothes. You cant leave here in the same dress from last night. The press will have a field day.” Liam said clearly annoyed. He turned to pull his own phone off the night stand and I mimicked him silently as his back was turned. 

My own thoughts tumbled, Liam had almost seen the picture of Cadence but instead I was home free. He was leaving today. He would get on a plane, I could sign the NDA and we could never speak of this entire ordeal ever again. Liam wouldn't have to deal with the scandal, I wouldn’t lose my son, it was a win win situation.

My own guilt tugged at my insides, my heart knew it was wrong. I knew that there would come a day when my curly haired little boy wouldn’t be so little anymore.

He would see all the other kids with their moms and dads and wonder why Grandpa always filled in. He would one day ask, and I would have to lie or explain my cowardice. In the end the truth has a habit of coming out, and I might be able to hold this off for 20 years, maybe even 30, but eventually it would get out. 

I gave in. I had to tell Liam the truth. “Liam, when does your flight leave?” I said with defeat. He looked up from his phone, pausing to think. “Eleven, why?”

“Let me make a phone call to work. I’d like to spend some time with you before you go.” I said. Liam stared at me, “Can you make up your mind please Kendra? You’re giving me whip lash. You either like me, or you don’t. You can’t keep switching it up on me.” I sighed, “I’m sorry. It’s just, I’m word vomiting because I’m in unfamiliar territory, and most of me wants to just go home and pretend I never saw you again and that I didn’t just learn that MY Liam is a king and that I didn’t see you and immediately want to jump your bones and slap you all at the same time and-” Liam laughed and cut me off.

“Kendra, relax. I am still me, the same guy that spend a week pent up the apartment with you. I’m sorry that you got blindsided by this, I tried to get in touch with you before news broke but you had already left your old job.” I gritted my teeth. “Yeah. About that.” I said, bracing myself for Liam’s reaction.

Next