#I'm so sorry i did the stupid thing of being born i guess!

[green-mountain-goose]

.

[eufezco]

you meet joel again after the outbreak and he finds out you have a daughter

seeing joel again after the outbreak was something you thought would never happen, but there he was, twenty years later, with almost completely gray hair and beard, and looking more tired than he used to. his brown eyes shone when he saw you, thinking that you were some sort of hallucination produced by tiredness, but your arms hugging his neck felt so tight and your head against his chest felt too real to be a creation of his mind.

he gulped nervously and took a few steps backward when you took the little girl in your arms as if he was scared of the little human. you had always been very good with children so he wasn't surprised that you were now taking care of them in jackson. because that's what it was, wasn't it? you were looking after someone's child, right?

"this- this is my daughter, joel." oh shit. your face expressed concern, waiting for a reaction from the man in front of you, but his eyes were locked on the child in your arms. he should have guessed. enough time passed, you were a grown woman and life was good in jackson, probably the best place on earth right now to start a family. he softly nodded his head, trying not to show how shocked he was. the baby was sucking on her finger, cooing and doing that stupid baby sounds like she was mocking him. "congrats" was all he could say.

he was waiting for you to introduce him to the father of your daughter, but you never did, it was as if you were torturing him slowly. maria wanted to put joel and ellie in the house across the street from hers and tommy's, but you offered them to stay with you.

"oh, that place has been untouched since the outbreak, i actually think only the heat works." you cut tommy off when he was saying that it was decent. joel was gonna decline your offer but ellie, who had been tickling your daughter's belly and playing with her tiny hands until that moment, was quicker than him on saying that they'd love to.

he hated to see that baby. joel hated her chubby cheeks and her small hands trying to reach for him every time he was near. he also hated tripping over her toys around the house and how she cutely laughed when ellie played with her. he hated seeing her wrapped in a towel like a burrito after her bath and he hated to see her cheeks and nose red from the cold weather, and how she stomped when she was wearing her big coat and fell on her ass in the snow.

"so, where's the dad?" ellie asked you with her mouth full of food. joel gave her a look that would have killed her and huffed. there was truly no way this kid was shutting the fuck up. "you don't have to -" "no, it's fine." you assured joel while making sure that your daughter was liking her food. you threw a glance at joel to see his reaction and he was looking at you with his face more relaxed than usual. his brow was not furrowed and his eyebrows were arched, trying not to show how interested he was in your answer but at the same time very annoyed because of ellie being so nosy. "he left." "shit- i'm sorry." you shook your head. "it was before she was born. it's better this way, you know? if he was gonna be a shitty dad, i prefer him not to be around." "hell yeah. fuck him." ellie said while nodding her head in agreement with what you were saying. joel threw another deadly glance at ellie after she cursed in front of you and your kid. " i bet you are the coolest mom, right joel?" ellie's words made you giggle but you were also waiting for joel's answer. it was easy for him to empathize with you since you were going through the same thing he went through with sarah. he found it very easy to be a single parent. sarah was the best kid and he had you and tommy to help him. but you were alone, you lived alone, you had to go to work, and you had to take care of your daughter. he clenched his jaw. "that's right."

when you showed them your house, ellie loved it. she lay down on your couch, she opened your fridge, she sat in front of the fireplace, she turned the lights on and off multiple times, checking that they were indeed working. joel told her to stop but you assured him that it was okay, you liked seeing the girl so excited over such small things.

joel on the other hand was static next to you while ellie played around. your daughter was looking at him with her head resting on your shoulder, and joel looked at her from time to time only to find that the baby was still staring at him.

you showed them the rest of the house. ellie had her own room, which was meant to be your daughter's future room but she could have it, and you would share your room with joel. but after seeing his face, you thought it might have been a better idea to offer him the guest room.

"we also have a guest room. there's no bed but there's a couch and the heat doesn't work there but if you want-" "oh no, old joel will be great here." ellie appeared behind him, giving a few pats on his shoulder. you smiled at the girl but waited for an answer from joel. he was trying so hard to ignore the crib next to your side of the bed and how the little girl was sitting in the middle of the mattress, playing with her stupid little toys and violently sucking on her pacifier. instead of that, he decided to remember all those nights sleeping with ellie either in the woods or in the car, and the way he could hardly move when he woke up the next day because his body ached so much. but joel also remembered how good it felt being your little spoon and waking up next to you. of course, he didn't expect things to be like they used to be, but probably sleeping next to you was the only thing he had left of what once was his home. "this is okay." "great! and it's not as if we haven't slept together before, so..." you added trying to downplay the issue. "woow." ellie was so interested in this. "how is that?" "no-" "we were neighbors, and sometimes we-" "enough."

you knew why joel was so distant with your daughter. meanwhile, ellie loved to be around her, joel tried as hard as he could to keep his distance. you lived next to them and in the afternoons you helped sarah with her homework. you stayed with them for dinner and then enjoyed a movie or played some board games with them. the night the outbreak started, joel knocked on your door and told you to go inside his truck immediately. you were familiar with the relationship joel had with his daughter and you knew what a shock it had been to lose her. that's why you didn't blame him for his behavior.

"is she okay?" joel asked you half asleep and you hummed in response. "she's just hungry. i'm sorry. you can go back to sleep." you sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep of your eyes and picking her up in your arms. you mumbled something to her and kissed her forehead while you started to softly rock her in your arms. "no. how can i- how can i help?" joel sat on the bed and waited, noticing how she calmed down after you took her in your arms. the light coming from the street illuminated your silhouette and allowed Joel to appreciate your daughter's wet face. "hm- i need her bottle. it's ready in the kitchen. if you could heat it in the microwave for like a minute, that would be great." while he waited, he couldn't help but think of baby sarah in his arms. her cheeks were wet and her eyes were wide open, joel had to leave early in the morning for work but he didn't mind staying with her up all night if it was necessary. joel was trying to distract her until her bottle was ready, letting her small fingers wrap around his big one. joel had to take a few seconds before going back to the room with you, his hand pressed against his chest trying to control his breathing. once he came back with the baby's bottle, he sat by your side, handing it over to you and nodding after you thanked him. he watched as she enjoyed her meal and as you softly rocked her in your arms. your head fell on joel's shoulder and he didn't know what to do so he just stayed with you like that until you finished feeding her.

"i'm late. i'll see you at lunchtime." you couldn't be late another time, maria will literally kill you. you placed your daughter in joel's arms before you could remember how hesitant he had been with her and he had no other choice but to hold her so she wouldn't fall.

"are you okay? do you want me to take her?" ellie asked after seeing joel's shocked face. he held the little girl with outstretched arms, keeping her away from him. the baby cooed and extended her arms wanting to reach joel. she opened and closed her fist, getting really impatient and starting to make sounds of discomfort. the man frowned and had no other choice but to hold her against his chest. "shit... well done, joel. look, she even seems to like you." ellie added when the girl hid her face in joel's neck.

a few days after that he seemed to be closer to your daughter, you even caught him playing with her rattle, your daughter lying in her crib and with her arms up in the air trying to reach the toy. he was serious, not allowing himself to show how he really felt. your baby laughed with him and you decided to leave the room carefully to not interrupt the moment.

he started with small things like letting her hold his thumb between her fist every time he noticed she was staring into his soul again, and always keeping an eye on her when ellie was helping her to walk in the snow in case she fell or got tired of trying. then joel started feeding her, cutting the fruit into very small pieces, making sure that the milk wasn't too hot or too cold. at first, just sitting by your side but she was too distracted by his presence to eat so he had to start feeding her eventually.

you sighed in exhaustion once you entered your house. "i'm so tired." you sighed again and rested your head on joel's shoulder. your baby was half asleep on joel's arm, visibly comfortable by the way she cooed every now and then and by the way she rubbed her face against his arm. joel was rocking her softly. using one finger you tickled her belly to let her know that you were home. he put her in her pajamas, fed her dinner and you would even say that he had bathed her by the way her little curls were still damp. "she likes you." you said. he brought the pacifier to her mouth and with closed eyes, she quickly caught it with her lips. "she likes you more than me." "that's not true." joel spoke with a low voice, being careful not to be too rough and wake the child up. he turned his head to look at you, his eyes finally leaving your daughter to pay attention to you. you also looked at him with your head still resting on his shoulder. "you like her more than me." you pouted, trying to stay focused on his deep brown eyes and not on his lips and how close his mouth was to your face. "also not true." you smirked and moved one of your hands to play with your daughter's. she squeezed your index finger tightly between her tiny fist while joel kept looking at you. all that you had now should have been with him. your daughter, your house, your life. before the outbreak happened, one night drinking a few glasses of wine at his house after sarah went to sleep, you told him what you hoped your life would be like. you wanted to find your person and maybe even get married, you wanted to travel, moved in with them, start a family, raise your children, have movie nights. not much different from what you had with him at that time. you were almost there, touching your dreamed life with your fingertips, if you only had more time... when joel realized, your eyes were on him again and you had his chin between your thumb and index finger. your thumb brushed his lower lip, testing the waters, and his eyes slowly closed. you understood that as a green light to continue so, you leaned towards him and pressed your lips against his. just like that, no need to move them or rush things. you just missed feeling his lips against yours as much as he did. the kiss lasted ten seconds at most, but it was enough time for your breaths to mix and for joel's body to truly relax after months. you showed a little smile to him after the kiss and the soft look on his face let you know that he was satisfied. you went in for another kiss and he had his eyes closed already but then all of a sudden, your daughter on joel's arm started crying. "oh, i think someone's jealous."

[aliwritex]

welcome to my new obsession: F1

part 2

long ass thoughts about daniel x alonso!reader (daughter) im talking like 4k

for context: i was thinking like monegasque/spanish!reader, like, her mom from monaco and she was like born there or smt. this can be quite messy bc it really was just thoughts.

warnings: SMUT (oral – M and F rec–, fingering, anal fingering, PinV, danny being kinda rough) with barely any plot, danny and reader being sluts, not proof read in lazy, AGE GAP (reader is like 20) size kink

"Are you not gonna kiss me?" you asked after dancing with him for what felt like the entire night.

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to be in here"

"That's good enough"

He lowered his head to reach your lips and kissed you hungrily. It was messy and you both tasted like alcohol but you couldn't care less.

You weren't so sure of how you ended up waking up in his hotel room with your dress unzipped, bunched up around your waist and no underwear. You sat up for a second, trying to remember who you left the club with, luckily, an vcarb shirt was laid on the chair next to the bed. Considering that you had a 50/50 chance, you were pretty lucky to get it right. "Daniel?" you called from the bed.

"Good mornin" he smiled as he came out of the bathroom, still damp, hair wet and a towel around his waist.

"Not so sure it's a good morning when I don't remember what happened last night. Did we fuck?"

“You better hope not cause i don't see any condoms around here."

"Daniel, are you fucking serious right now?" you ask, before putting on the t-shirt he just threw at you.

"I'm kidding, alright?"

"Then what the fuck happened? Why aren't my panties on my body?" you asked almost angry at how calm he was about this.

"Hey, hey, no need to freak out. I just ate you out, alright? But I guess you were too drunk because you fell asleep almost instantly after you came on my tongue and told me I was 'too fucking good'

"Oh god, I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing. How can you be sure that happened? You were drunk too"

"Well, you were quite unforgivable, babe, pulling my hair and grinding on my face. That and the fact that I can handle my alcohol." he chuckled.

"Don't fucking laugh about this, s'not funny" you hit his stupid smile with a pillow. "God, my dad is gonna kill me. He was afraid I'd get with Stroll, you know, but this? This is so much worse"

“Why am I worse than Stroll?”

"Cause you're like, almost 20 years older than me. this is so messed up. How am I gonna get out of here, there are people outside." it was your home town after all, people knew you.

“I'll figure this out, okay? Just wait a second and stop freaking out."

You got up from the bed, taking the rest of your dress off before walking to the bathroom. The second you saw yourself in the mirror you started washing all that old make up off, you looked destroyed. As you looked through daniels things, trying to find a face wash or a moisturizer, you heard him on the phone

"Hey, Lan, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, mate, what's up?"

"Is your girlfriend with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think she could borrow yn some sneakers and like, training shorts or something?"

"Why on earth are you calling about yn?"

"Well, we kinda had a thing last night and now she's like, stuck in here, only in her party dress."

"Are we fucking talking the same yn mate?"

"I would think so, yeah"

"Are you taking a fucking piss?"

"Not at all"

"Oh this is so messed up. you fucked your coworkers daughter?"

"Kinda, and i don't see how this is messed up"

"Mate, how old is she?"

"She was old enough to be in the club"

"Can you just cut it? who the fuck are you telling about us?" you came out of the bathroom, done with his conversation.

"Just Lando, I'm trynna help you out here" he told you before talking back to his phone "can you just please ask your girlfriend for the clothes? Thanks, I'll be right there." he ended the call, laying his phone on the bed as you stood right in front of him. "Don't be mad at me, alright?" he pulled you closer, in between his parted legs, and kissed your love handle, over the shirt. you ran your hand through his wet curls, locking your fingers in them when he grabbed your ass. "Dan?"

"Yeah?" he looked up at you with bright brown eyes.

"Think I can make up to you for last night?"

"Would love that, yeah"

You straddled him, hands meeting his cheeks as you kissed him. His arms wrapping around your waist, making you grind down onto his towel. You could feel him growing against you as you let the texture of the towel catch your clit. You really tried to drag out the making out but after a couple of minutes his tip as aggressively poking your thigh.

“That was quick" you teased and you slid off his lap, going on your knees in front of him. You unfolded the towel that hung around his hips and almost didn't believe what you saw. "Fuck" you sighed.

"What's wrong, baby?" he teased, looking down at you and brushing your hair off your face.

"You could've given a warning" you joked before wrapping your hand around his base, leading it to your lips, you spit on the tip, using your other hand to smear it all over him, his cock so thick he fit perfectly in your fist. You started pumping slowly, looking up and holding direct eye contact with him, starting to feel hot under his stare. Your hand moved loosely around him, your palm feeling all the prominent veins of his cock before stoping at the base so you could leave a kiss on his tip.

"Stop teasing, love." he complained, slightly bucking his hips up so you took his head into your mouth. You did, gladly, sucking hardly on it before going all the way down. You couldn't quite take all of him in your mouth but you came close, the move making you slightly gag around him. You pulled away, pumping your hand while you recovered from it. You swirled your tongue on his tip, watching as he threw his head back, hands becoming fists that propped him up on the bed, you let your mouth slide down on him, always taking everything you could. Every time you had to pull away to breathe, your hands made up for it, either pressing your thumb down on his slit or running your palm against his sensitive head.

"Fuck, baby, feel so good, 'm so close" he groaned as you popped off his length with a disgustingly erotic sound, string of saliva connecting your bottom lip to his tip. "Shit"

"Want you inside me. Please?" you asked, taking your spot back on his lap.

“If someone ever says no to that question, love, they're going insane." he smiled against your neck before kissing down to your shoulder. His hand went back down to your ass, lifting the shirt you wore and spreading your cheeks apart, his long finger reaching for your opening. he circled it, spreading your wetness around before dipping into you, making you wiggle your hips till you got used to the feeling. As much as you just wanted him inside you, he barely fit in your mouth so you knew this was necessary. When he slipped the second finger in, your head fell onto his shoulder and as a gagged moan fell out of your lips you felt him smile against the skin of your neck.

“Think you're ready, baby?" he whispered in your ear and you nodded. Daniel pulled his fingers out of you, reaching for a condom on the bedside table and putting it on before lifting your hips till his tip tapped your hole. His hands on your ass started lowering you onto him, you were unbelievably tight compared to his girth and it had you squeezing him so good.

"Dan," you called, face buried in his neck, hands running through the short curls on the back of his head, "so fucking big." you sighed as you tried to make him bottom out inside you. he couldn't help but chuckle against your neck, he already knew he was too big for your petite figure but you were not giving up on taking him whole. You felt bad enough for using him the previous night, you needed to make him feel good.

"Don't need to take it all if you can't, baby" he said before laying back on his elbows, watching you struggle as you took him in, a smirk never leaving his face. When he finally watched himself bottom out in you he sat back up.

"Doing so good, didn't think you'd be able to take it." he whispered to your lips before crashing them against his.

Daniel lifted your shirt till he met your tits and started to give them attention, kissing and sucking, kneading and bitting, all of it borderline overwhelming as you were still getting used to him inside you. He had both of his arms wrapped around your waist, holding you as close as he could as you started grinding against him. He was sucking on your tits so hard, making you wetter by the second, as he moved his hips to meet yours.

"Dan, fuck, feel so good, so big" you whispered against his lips before kissing him, it being so deep and intense that you slowed down your hip movements. Daniel, however, made sure to increase his movements, fucking up into you. even though you were the one trying to make up to him, he was the one who seemed to be doing everything in his power to make you feel good.

With a particular thrust, you let a moan out into his mouth making him part the kiss and take his lips down your chest again. the attention he was paying to your boobs was driving you insane, all the kissing and sucking being almost too much. your moans becoming louder with every thrust of his as he let out groans against your skin.

"Fuck, so fucking close, cmon, baby, don't stop." he said in your ear, making you shiver. You sped up your bouncing on his lap and started clenching on purpose around him. It wasn't long before he came with a deep moan in your ear. Barely taking time to enjoy his release, he flipped you over onto the bed, one hand beside your head, holding himself up and the other right down to your clit, circling it as he thrust a few last times into you, his softening dick still making you feel full. "come for me, baby, need to make sure you're done too" he whispered.

"Só close, just a little more, please" you begged and he thrusted into you one last time, making you cum. he immediately fell on you, burring his face in the crook of your neck as you came back from your high. “‘Kay, get off, still need to get out of here."

"Yeah, okay. I'll just get dressed and I’ll get you some clothes." He flipped off you, pulling his towel to cover himself again.

"Have you seen my phone?" you asked, looking around the room. He handed it to you, along with a charger and pointed to the outlet by the bed.

You watched him get dressed as you waited for your phone to turn on, his muscles on display for you, gradually being covered by some shorts and a tshirt, leaving most of his tattoos uncovered. You couldn't help but let your eyes wander around his body, his muscles, his hair and his nose, you pressed your thighs together at the thought of riding his face and pulling his hair, having his beard scratch your legs, god, you wish you weren't so drunk the night before to remember how good he was.

"Be right back" he warned, pulling you out of your daydreaming before leaving the room. as he left, you decided to get up to take a shower, you still smelled like alcohol and daniels cologne from the night before.

While you were in the shower daniel headed to landos room, knocking on the door when he reached it. "Mornin' mate"

"Did you fucking do her again?" Lando accused as soon as he opened the door, noticing his friends smile and his flushed cheeks

"None of your business, dude." he pushed lando on the shoulder. "Thanks for the clothes, though, really saving my ass here. See you later, yeah? Still coming with me?"

"Sure, see you" he said, clearly just trying to get rid of daniel.

And he did leave, walking back to his room with the shorts and shoes in his hand. "’M back, got your clothes" he laid it on the bed before starting to collect his things from the room.

"Thanks" you said after coming out of the shower in your towel. You got dressed, annoyingly going commando since you couldn't find your underwear anywhere in his room, and started collecting your stuff too. “Think i'm good to go"

"Wait" he stopped you "here" daniel placed a cap on your head, tightening it and handing you sunglasses. "l’ll make sure you get your dress and shoes back, 'kay? Will you be in spain?"

"’Course, but only on saturday. I’ll text you the place when I get there, so, like, check your dms or something" you commented already going out the door and checking your phone to know where you'd be meeting your dad.

The next time you saw daniel was on monday afternoon.

You went to a coffee shop at the airport after saying goodbye to your dad for a week. he was walking past and stopped immediately when he saw you, approaching your table and asking if he could sit.

"Sure, go ahead" you weren't exactly happy about the situation, still afraid this would get to your dad, he wasn't opposed to you dating anyone but, this was his coworker and he was 15 years older than you.

"I got something for you. Was gonna wait to give it to you later but I thought you might be needing it." he pulled a small piece of fabric from the pocket of his jeans and bunched it inside his fist before giving it to you.

the second you realized what it was you kicked his leg under the table. "Daniel! For fucks sake, have you completely lost your mind?"

"Just thought you'd wanna be wearing this again next time you throw yourself at me at the club."

"Don't worry, won't be doing that ever again. wasn't really worth it, too much effort, not enough reward, you know?" you teased before taking a sip of your coffee.

"Right, keep telling yourself that. Listen, I gotta go, see you in like, what, three days?"

"Five" you corrected, also getting up from the table.

Your next encounter was on saturday night.

Daniel had gotten pole position on quali and as of mandatory gone partying. It was actually insane to you how he managed to end up in the same club as you in a city as big as barcelona. maybe he saw your story and found out where you were but you didn't mind to check.

You were just sitting on the bar, mindlessly flirting with some guy that didn't have a single chance when you saw him. You decided to ignore, not minding his presence while you talked to someone else, but he reached you first. He walked over to you from behind so you didn't notice till his hand was discreetly on your waist, the guy your were taking to left as soon as he realized who daniel was.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me" you said, loud enough so he could hear it, slipping out of the stool

"Hello to you too." he smiled

"What are you doing here?"

"Celebrating. Got fucking pole position" he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Are you gonna be able to maintain it drinking like this?"

"First and only" he lifted his beer bottle. "Wanna dance?"

Now Daniel wasn’t the best at dancing – though he did love to –, but when your hips caught his he knew exactly what to do, they followed yours to the rhythm of the music and his hands roamed through your body with yours on top. You danced through a few songs as Daniel tried kissing you, you denied, knowing that as soon as you kissed him, you’d want to go home with him.

“Just a kiss, c’mon” he whispered, beard scratching on your neck.

You shook your head, turning around to face him and taking his hand. “Just dance with me, yeah?” you smiled, starting to fold your knees and using his handhold as support, in seconds you were on the floor, twearking as you stared at him. You caught his lips moving as he cussed at the view, now if he didn’t go home with you tonight he would go insane. Daniel helped you up, watching you come up from the floor while swaying your hips.

“Stop playing me, we’re gonna do this or not?” he asked you with some level of dominance, something you found extremely hot on that moment. You nodded, pulling him away from the crowd by the hand, when you got out he just looked at the valet and in matter of a minute his car was by the door. Daniel helped you into the car before settling himself.

“We can go to my apartment, it’s a bit messy cause i just got there today but, no cameras.” you suggested

“Is it close?” you nodded “lead the way.”

In about 15 minutes you were inside your house, he looked around as you kissed what you reached of his neck, his hands sat on your ass cheeks. “Danny, come on” you groaned against his chest as you unbuttoned his shirt.

“Just looking for somewhere I can fuck you, baby. Think i just found it.” he picked you up from the floor, caring you over to your couch and laying you on it. Daniel easily climbed on top of you, kissing on your neck and visible parts of your chest. Your legs wrapped around hism, making your dress ride up and pool around your waist.

“Dan” you whispered in his ear, hoping it would make him act faster. It just made him quickly grind down on you before going on his knees.

“Gotta make sure you remember how good i make you feel in the morning this time, baby.” he teased as he spread your legs, placing himself between them. Daniel hooked his arms underneath your thighs, settling you to be face to face with your heat. He blew against your aching core, sending shivers down your spine making you close your knees. “love the reactions your body has to me, baby, but keep these apart, wanna make you feel good.”

You threw your head back as your hands went to his hair, you ran your fingers through the curls and pulled him closer to you.He kissed your clit through your thong, smirking as he pulled it to the side and swiped his finger between your lips, guiding it to his lips and sucking on it. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you watched him do it.

“Daniel, stop teasing. Just eat me out already, please” you cried out.

He smiled as he pulled your panties down your legs. Daniel kissed and licked your thighs, ignoring your wish, the teasing driving you insane. Two of his fingers split your lips open, your wet cunt now completely exposed to him, he kissed around it, the creases between your thighs and your middle and the bottom of your stomach before planting a kiss right on your lips, anticipation killing you by the second.

“Danny, please. Need you now” you groaned not even thinking about how desperate you sounded, when he had barely touched you.

“You talk a lot less when you’re drunker, love. Maybe I should get some more alcohol in you before fucking this pretty cunt” he whispered as his fingers circled your hole, a sigh of relief leaving your lips immediately.

He grinned at your reaction before his lips met your heat again. They kissed your hole, tongue slightly dipping into you before making its way up. His flat tongue traced from the bottom of your vulva all the way up to your clit, lapping at it. His hand made their way up your waist under your shirt, trying to reach your chest but your shirt was too tight. “Off” he mumbled against your skin.

“What?” your question made him lift his head, letting you catch a glimpse of his lips, glistening with your wetness.

“Off. Take your shirt off.”

You pulled your top over your head, throwing it to the side before your hands made their way back to his hair. His fingers tweaked your nipples between them before palming your boobs entirely. He started fucking you with his tongue, penetrating it slowly as the bridge of his nose caught your clit, giving you the lightest of pressure whenever he moved his face around. His tongue left your hole when you stopped giving him reactions, mouth now working on sucking your clit.

“Danny, please” you moaned when his lips left your clit and started teasing by sucking on your lips. Your begging made him give up the teasing.

The tip of his tongue circled your clit before liking up and down your hole, his nose hitting your sensitive nub again. A soft moan left your mouth as he moved his head side to side, using his nose to stimulate your clit but he stopped as soon as you did. You looked down at him, about to complain but you caught a challenging look in his eyes and understood what he wanted. You started grinding your hips against his face, the pressure of his nose just perfect and in a couple of seconds he had you uncontrollably humping on his face.

“Dan, ‘m so close” you sighed.

He let you use him for your release as his tongue lapped at your dripping hole, the noises his mouth was making so unholy. His pants were getting uncomfortably tighter by the second, he needed you on his cock. Gladly, you, too, were desperate to have him. You came the second he penetrated you with two fingers, ridding down your high as he curled them inside you. His head left the space between your legs and came up to face you.

“Don’t go sleepy on me this time” he joked “Wanna fuck you so bad.”

“Fuck, Dan. Let’s go to my room, please, need you.” you mumbled as he kissed your neck, hands snaking under your ass to lift you up. he effortlessly carried you inside, opening the door he guessed was the main bedroom and threw you on the bed. You giggled, watching as he unbuckled his belt and undid his pants before pushing his already unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders and taking off the tshirt he had under it. His hands looked for the zipper on your sparkly skirt and pulled it down, sliding it off your legs, leaving you completely bare in front of him. You pulled him down making him lay over you, holding his torso up with his forearms beside your head.

“Wait, wait, wait” he mumbled into the kiss, getting up again to take off his pants for good after kicking his boots away. He then laid over you again, kissing every single inch of your neck as you tried desperately to grind up onto him and feel his hardness. “so fucking impatient, you are. Have you got any condoms here?”

“Probably” you turned on your side, reaching for your bedside table and found a single one, handing it to him after checking the expiration date. You watched as he opened and put it on, mesmerized by how hot he looked in agony. Seconds later he was lowering his hips, finally penetrating you, his thick cock spreading you up and making your walls burn. “Fuck, Dan, so fucking big” your legs wrapped around his hips, driving them deeper inside of you.

Daniel groaned in your ear when he bottomed out inside you, the feeling of your cunt swallowing him being ridiculously overwhelming. His lips met yours as he started to grind onto you, hips building up the pace till he was pounding into you. All you could do was moan uncontrollably, if you saw the state you were in you’d be embarrassed but when you had his dick buried inside you it really didn’t matter.

“Daniel, please, faster” you begged, making his hips start snapping against yours. You smiled, feeling every thought slip out of your mind as he fucked your pussy, it hurt so bad but so good, you could feel the tears running down your cheeks.

When he lifted his face up from the crook of your neck he finally saw the state you were in. His hips slowed down reluctantly as he starred at your face. You were about to complain but he cut you off. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, shit, don’t stop, Daniel, please.” you kissed him to show that you were fine, making him speed his movements again. He tried carrying the kiss but your mouth started falling open in pleasure, just whining and mumbling in his ear, you needed more, apparently. So Daniel lifted his body up and threw your legs over his shoulders, shoving a pillow under your hips, you cloud feel every single inch of him as he snapped into you.

“Do you ever shut up?” he teased, annoyed with all the options you had to give on his performance. He then took his two middle fingers and pushed them past your lips. The sight of you sucking on the fingers of his tatted hand driving him crazy. Daniel felt possessive and controlling and you weren’t complaining, felt great having someone wreck you completely. His right hand traveled down from your thigh to your clit, circling it ferociously because he could see and feel how close you were. You came with a embarrassingly loud moan just after a few seconds of his fingers on you, squirting on him and yourself. It dripped down your folds wetting his cock and down the back of your thighs that stamped on his as he still snapped inside you.

“God, you’re gonna be the death of me.” he admired the view in front of him. His fingers were still in your mouth but not sucking anymore, your hands loose above your head, all your muscles shutting down as you let go of the tension that had been building up inside you. He pulled his fingers from your mouth, and his cock out of you before straightening his back “Flip” his hands each side of your hip helping with the transition.

He pushed himself inside you again, the burning sensation less intense now that he had already stretched you on his cock. His thrusts started slow, taking his time to pick up the pace and fixate his eyes on your body. Your head was laid flat on the bed as you arched your back to the maximum, he took notice of your hair splattered out on the covers, of your waist and how small it looked with his hand around it and lastly of your asshole. It was wet from your arousal and release, glistening under the lights and calling for him, he could see it clench around nothing.

Daniel moved his hand from your waist, taking it to his mouth and sucking and spitting on his thumb before folding over you, your back to his chest as he circled the finger around your hole. “Breathe” he whispered in your ear watching you nod before pulling away to watch as his thumb entered you. “Shit” he moaned, felling how tight you were around him, the overwhelming sensation of penetration making your cunt and asshole clench around him in a synchronized motion.

“Daniel, please, just cum, can’t do it anymore, too much.” you groaned against the pillow, feeling overstimulated and used. “Fuck, cum on my ass, Daniel” you whispered, knowing it would drive him insane.

“Fuck” he sighed before he pulled out and ripped the condom off of him, watching your gapping hole clench. The hand that had a finger inside you pulled you closer by the ass, making it rest against his thighs and he pumped his fist around his cock till his cum painted your back with ropes of white. “Shit, shit, shit. Don’t you fucking move” he reached for his pants and pulled out his phone, his thumb immediately making its way back to your hole so he could snap a picture. “That might be the prettiest sight of all, babygirl.”

Daniel pulled out completely, pushing your hip so you fell on your side, your body immediately curling up and shutting down on the mattress. You were a mess, spit covering half of your face, your thighs slippery with arousal and now your back covered in cum.

“Dan?” he hummed “there’s a small towel in my suitcase, right on top. Can you wet it a bit and bring it to me? Please?”

“Yeah, don’t worry i’ll clean you up. Just let me sort myself out first.” he was slightly out of breath too, you could hear it in his voice “Fuck, baby. You okay?” you nodded against the pillow. “Too week to shower right now, yeah? We can shower in the morning.” he said after seeing that your thighs were still quivering.

He got up from the edge of the bed where he was sitting and grabbed the towel from your bag before leaving the room. He came back a few minutes later with a bottle of water and the dampened towel. He dragged it against your thighs, lifting the right one so he could get to your messy middle. Being extremely careful with it he cleaned you up entirely, making sure to leave his cum for last to not spread it all over you.

“Here, got some water.” you sat up against the headboard taking the bottle from his hands. As you drank your water you watched him put his boxers back on and pick up his clothes from the floor, folding them messily and putting them on top of your dresser, his keys and wallet beside them.

“Daniel, just leave it. Turn off the light and come here. ‘M tired.”

He did what you asked and got under the covers, bringing them up to your chest as you laid with your back turned to him. He scooted closer and pulled you in easily with an arm around your waist.

“I’m a cuddler, gonna have to deal with that.” he smiled against your neck, leaving a small kiss before tucking your head right beneath his own so you were comfortably fit in his embrace.

[cheriladycl01]

So, you lied to me? - Lando Norris x Tourist! Reader

Plot: Going on a travel year you end up in Monaco, the plan wasn't too fall for the man who helped you to the British Embassy and gave you a place to stay when someone stole everything from you ...

You took a gap year before university and decided to travel you'd started off the New Year on a flight from London, to Qatar to New Zealand. You travelled around New Zealand and Australia for the majority of January, before moving on to Papa New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa.

You then travelled round the South Asian countries, like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines and Taiwan all throughout February. You then moved onto China, doing both Disney Parks while you were there and sight seeing. You did South Korea and Japan.

Coming into April, you moved onto Sri Lanka and India, and The Middle East, doing Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrian, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Afterwards, now having done 2 continents, you moved onto Africa, you spent the end of April and the majority of May travelling here, before leaving for Europe.

A nice 2 weeks island hopping around Greece, before a week travelling up the boot of Italy.

It was when you drove to Monaco in a rental car that things got difficult.

You were walking along the harbor where all the expensive yachts were docked wishing that one could be yours. You didn't have all your bags on you, the larger ones left behind in the hotel room you'd booked for the night. But you had your important stuff on you, like you passport, your drivers license and all your travel documents.

You were taking a picture on your nice Canon camera of the yachts and the street that had weird red corners rounding it that you put down to being measures to just help drivers slow down round the corners, but they were definitely an eyesore.

Every time nice cars drove by there was whistles and claps that made you look at what car it was, you could never tell what model it was but they looked nice and you guess you could say sporty.

As you were distracted taking your pictures a guy comes up to you with a small, parcel cutting knife in his hand. He slit the straps of what you thought was a really sturdy bag and the weight notifies you to the loss of the bag. You let your camera drop as you turn to see the guy now holding your bag and starting to run away with it.

"Hey! Stop" you shout before running after him.

"Aide, Aide" you shout as you continue to follow him, your minimal French not helping as people scold you for being a bustly tourist.

You aren't really looking where you going and you loose him at a busy intersection of people, you spin round looking at every possible direction he could have gone in.

"Shit!" you whisper to yourself quietly tears coming in your eyes. You spin round a little to quickly, bumping into someone who drops the bag that they were holding.

"Désolé, mon erreur" you try looking at the young gentleman you'd bumped into in a hoodie and jeans. He looks at you with a confused look, a smirk coming onto his face.

"Oh sorry, tu ne parles pas français? Maybe Italian, erm fuck scusa, parli italiano?" you ask with again the bare minimum of Italian you know.

"I speak perfectly good English" he smiles, laughing a little as your expression turns to shock.

"Oh! Oh I'm so stupid. Hello!" you smile looking at the very attractive man in front of you, you blushed a little looking up at him.

"You look panicked what's wrong?" he asks.

"I was tacking pictures of the harbor and some guy took my bag. It has everything in of mine and I don't know what to do" You say to him looking a little more panicked.

"Everything as in money ... because I can help with that" he says placing a hand on your arm.

"I don't care about the money, but he has all of my documents. My passport, my drivers license everything" you cry a little.

"Oh! Erm, I have a friend who was born here, and let me get him and he can help us file a police report. Then mmm the British Embassy is all the way in Paris and you cant get a flight so we'll have to drive there..." he starts to rant and your face turned shocked.

"We?" you ask, confused as to how this guy has just inserted himself into your life drama's.

"Oh yeah, I've gotta help you out now. You got that whole damsel in distress thing going on right now! Any way damsel, what's your name?" he jokes and you look over at him offended.

"I am not a damsel in distress! And Y/N" you retort.

"You so are, the tear stains, the wide, helpless eyes, the guppy fish face your pulling right now, the butchered French and Italian to a strange man who actually is British... Y/N" he laughs making you pout and push him a little.

"I don't even have a place to stay after 3pm today and I cant check in anywhere without ID" you say rubbing your head, looking around as if the man would randomly pop back up and hand you your bag back before saying how sorry he was.

"You can stay at my place, I have two spare bedrooms" he smiles and you look at him in shock.

"You live here, in Monaco ..." you ask.

"Yeah, I moved here a few years ago, for ...work" he offers, he phones his friend walking off for a few seconds alone before he pulls you along one of the side streets and too a quiet cafe he went to, to keep under wraps.

"Okay, Y/N this is my friend ... er Percy" he says pointing to Charles, so far you hadn't shown any signs of knowing who he is and he didn't want you to catch wind of that.

"Hello Percy, its nice to meet you" you smile and he looks at you with a vacant yet confused expression.

"Oh and whose this you are beautiful" you compliment looking at the girl behind him.

"Y/N this is my girlfriend Alex" Charles indicates to Alex behind him who smiles and pulls you in for a kind hug that you definitely needed. You could hear both of their strong accents as they introduced himself.

"Oh, I never got you name, what's your name?" you ask turning to look at Lando, who freezes for a second.

"Erm, my names Robert, but you can call me Bob" he smiles and you raise and eyebrow at him.

"Hmmm, you don't look like a Robert... or a Bob. Interesting choice" you voice your opinion making everyone awkwardly laugh.

Charles, Lando and Alex took you to the nearest police station in Monaco, Charles translated what they were saying and you answered to which he and Alex would help translate back.

Charles explained that they were escalating it because you are a tourist in need, but you picked up some words that made the sentence not sound like that at all.

You were asked if you had a place to say and Lando explained you'd be staying with him until everything was sorted out.

The Monegasque police got in contact with the Paris British Embassy for you, they explained that the police had sent over you information and if you wanted to hold off on a new passport for a few days to see if it would turn up you were more than welcome, but right now your passport was on lockdown.

And that was how you ended up spending the end of July and all of August with Lando, it was strange really. For a man who had and extremely nice collection of clothes and a very large apartment he didn't go to work often. There was one room you weren't allowed in which is where he often went, you assumed it was a man cave or gaming room where he played with his friends because you heard lots of shouting and aggressive banging.

He'd been so sweet, he took you on dates from going out to dinner, to picnics, to going swimming and lots more. It felt like more than a summer fling. Especially once he asked you to be his girlfriend, which you immediately said yes too.

But he got a lot more twitchy after he had.

Eventually, Lando or Bob as you knew him took you to Paris so you could get your passport. He explained that he travelled a lot for work and he would need to leave soon and you explained that before you bumped into him you'd been on a gap year travelling the world.

"Baby, why don't you come with me?" he asked randomly as you were both lying on the sofa, cuddling while watching a film.

"You wont even tell me what you do for work Baby! And besides I had a schedule that I'm already behind on. A week ago you said you didn't mind going our separate ways for a little bit until Christmas and then you'd come to England with me" you say playing with his curls.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest with you now... my name isn't Bob" he says shyly and you sit up at the speed of light turning to look at him.

"I knew it! So you lied to me?" you exclaim laughing.

"So, what's my boyfriends actual name?" you ask looking him dead in the eyes, he leans up on his elbows before sitting the full way up.

"Lando, I am Lando Norris" he smiles.

"Hmmmm, Lando... Lando. I could get used to that" you smile.

"You aren't mad?" he asks looking over you, brushing you hair back and tucking it behind your ear before kissing your cheek.

"I knew you weren't being completely honest when we first met... but I also knew you had your own reasons" you offer.

"I think its going to be easier if I just hand you my Instagram" he admits with a gulp as he hands you his phone. The first thing you notice is how many followers he had, there was around 10million and he had nearly 2,500 posts.

You look at the friends list, and one peeks your interest. Charles Leclerc, who looked exactly like Percy who Lando had introduced you too.

You then go back and look at his bio, that told you his actual job.

"So, I'm dating a super famous athlete?" you ask looking up at him away from the phone to see his head down in his hands. He turns to the side to sneak a look at your expression, his eyes a little glossy.

"To be specific, a Formula 1 driver" you ask again and he nods.

"You are such a muppet, my god" you laugh before pulling him into a hug.

"How aren't you upset with me?" he ask unsure.

"Well, I agreed to date you, because you are you. I doubt you change into Mr Hyde when you become a what was is Porsche race-car driver? I fell in love with you, not Bob, not Lando, you. So whether that is Bob, who kindly helped a crying lady on the street who just had her passport stolen from her, or Lando a cool and amazing race-car driver. Whoever you are is the person I love" you grin and he pulls you into a hug.

"So you want to join me for the last few races? Or you want to finish this world trip of yours?" he asks.

"Well, looking at your calendar, I can actually meet you at the rest of the races, While travelling. I'll continue to do Europe until you have the Netherlands, and ill go back to Italy, just for you. I'll miss Azerbaijan and Singapore because I did that, but I'll knock out some of South America, I'll meet you for Austin, then we can do Mexico and Brazil together, then we can do Vegas together! And by that point I can call it done with my trip!" you exclaim and he looks like he considers it for a second.

He's shocked, he cant remember the last time a girlfriend tried so hard to link up their schedules like this, and proved that they'd be able to work despite some potential scheduling issues.

"I love you. I fucking love you" he grins pulling you back down onto the sofa kissing all over your face making you giggle.

A/N: I've been doing a lot of Lando recently, I don't know if you can tell but I love writing about him, he's my fav to write about right now.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @viennakarma

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey, so you seem to be the the All Knowing in terms of twst. With Glorious Masquerade getting a rerun soon, I was looking at the cards.

So what the heck is up with Jamil's freaking hat? I'm sorry but I can't look at it without laughing. It looks so stupid. The closest thing I can think of that matches it is the combined crowns of upper and lower Egypt, but this is the equivalent of France so that can't be it.

While I’m flattered that people come to me with their questions, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that I’m just another TWST fan like you are! ^^ It’s stressful to be considered “all knowing” or a fandom authority 💦 That puts a lot of pressure on me to speak on certain subjects or to interact in a certain way (since people might put too much stock into what I say), and then that ends up detracting from my enjoyment. I’d rather not be put on such a high pedestal, please and thank you.

Now, onto the question!

According to Rollo in 1-13 of Glorious Masquerade, the costumes the NRC students were gifted are “patterned after designs that are over 500 years old.”

If we extrapolate this to real life, the implication is that these costumes have roots in Renaissance era (14th century to 17th century) French fashion. Interestingly, Rollo’s own hat is similar to a tricorne, which was primarily worn in the 18th century… so technically, his hat is more “modern” than what the NRC students wear 😂

So I browsed through records of hats from the indicated period and guess what? I couldn’t find an exact match—though I did find a lot of hat designs that I found way sillier than what the NRC boys have. Like… sorry, what is THAT 😭

Some headwear which bears a vague similarity to Jamil’s hat are the Egyptian combined/double crown (the pschent), which Anon has already mentioned, and the French hood, which was worn by women in the 15th century.

The actual closest match I came across was the mitre, a liturgical headdresses worn by Roman Catholic officials. If you look at it from the front, it doesn’t look like much, but it definitely has the height of Jamil’s hat. But then look closer and you’ll realize the mitre does not have one single flap of fabric, but rather two.

If you take the front flap of a mitre and fold it back, you would probably get something very similar to what Jamil wears. (Note that the black part of the hat is NOT his hair, but is fabric that is part of the hat.)

Considering that Noble Bell College is styled like a cathedral and that the Renaissance era from which the Masquerade Dress clothing derives is characterized by the rediscovery of classical literature, art, and philosophy… perhaps it’s not so strange to see a hat borne of religious associations.

… Why did Jamil specifically get this hat? Not sure, I’m not religious myself so don’t ask me to psychoanalyze him from that angle 😂

The golden part securing the front is unusual and does not appear in French fashion of the time (at least not from what I could tell?). It’s styled like pschent but more likely is meant to be turban-like due to Jamil’s inspiration, Jafar, having the same feather sticking up in the middle of a bulbous hat. You’ll notice Jamil had a “feather” too, albeit metal:

To summarize, I think the design of Masquerade Dress Jamil’s hat borrows from multiple inspirations and not just one/old French fashion. Yana has stated before in a March 2023 interview with the Apple App Store that the cultures of Twisted Wonderland are unique and that the clothing that appears in the game are not “reinterpretations of existing costumes”. She seems to incorporate elements from both high fashion and from a variety of cultures to arrive at the final designs. For example, there are elements of many Nordic cultures in the Apple Pom outfits, and the Pomefiore uniform has a Japanese kimono-like silhouette despite the dorm being based on the the Evil Queen (originating from a German tale). I assume something similar happened when designing the Masquerade Dresses; Yana and co. wanted to combine elements and make something of their own.

Final comment I'll make, the shape of Jamil's hat looks like a kind of dumpling... It makes me hungry.

[idiotdriftinginspace]

I offer memes for one of my favourite fics (written by @lets-try-some-writing)

I made them simply because they wer funny in my head :D

orginal photos and flat colors under cut

flat colors

and og photos

-and rambling as usual, and weird/crack ideas that I don't regret in the slightest; you have been warned XD

I saw this slav totem somewhere on tumblr and my first thought was: "Autoway, Ironhide and Springer". At the same time I knew this would be very out of character for them in the middle of war.

My excuse why I did draw it in the end? One: How could I not to XD; and Two: Since orginal circumstances were not suitable, they didn't have a chance to be young and do stupid stuff. And then it enlightend me: WHAT IF THEY COULD?! And so I present to you a glimps of "these 3 were born after the war with quintessons" timeline. I decided to shove them into either some military high school or just military, but not on the war front, after all they are still warframes.

This "alt timeline" (if I can even call it that XD) exists solely for this one meme, just me having a thought "what if they could be teenagers and annoy their sergeant (what if it was Kup >:) ) without major consequences (e.g. cleaning washracks for a month instead of having your helm blown of). And the funniest thing, I have absolutley no idea what else to do with this concept, exept maybe the RGB trio being a menace in th military (I am not downloading tiktok so terrible yt compilations must suffice, sorry <:) )

For lamborgini twins - I really wanted do do something for -back then a brand new- chapter 43, but again Auto just didn't fit in there, be it scale or how things played out in the story, and so Prowl was shoved here against his will. This is probably how Sentinel views them and why he sent Autoway there, my only excuse XD.

And Whirl is here solely for laughs, gigles and "what if he met the twins" scenario XD. If they met somwhere just before discovering the ring I'm guessing they would get along like a house on fire XD

[s-u-m-i]

JASON TODD doesn't get jealous. or at least thats what he told himself as you launched into the cave. a perfect sight really; body hugged in all the right places by the costume you had on and gorgeous hair rushing behind you. as you landed in front of him, jason couldn't help his eyes from wandering; scanning every part of the gorgeous woman in front of him.

"jeez big guy, you ever gonna say anything?" jason's face dropped as soon as he saw his brother emerge from behind the flawless silhouette. DICK GRAYSON wasn't supposed to be here. grayson made it abundantly clear that bludhaven was HIS territory, so why did he need to be in gotham.

"oh come on jace, we both know you missed me. plus i had to come see my favorite girl," dick swung a lazy arm around your shoulders, "poor things been having to spend so much time with you, i thought she could use the break." at this point jason wouldn't be surprised if he was literally smoking. your small giggle was the only thing that snapped him out of thoughts contemplating the various ways he could exterminate the nightwing infestation.

"why are you here dick?" jason's tone was stern. all week he had been looking forward to this. a patrol, just you and him. it wasn't much, but when the majority of time jason got with you was accompanied by the rest of the family, he'd savor every second he could steal.

"well i just tol-"

"cut the bullshit grayson. why are you really here?" jason couldn't miss the sly smirk on his brother's face. he may have died, but he wasn't born yesterday. dick had turned you into a competition, which jason hated. you were gorgeous, no one could deny that. so the first day you came strolling into the batcave, the brothers knew that it would be a dogfight to get you on their team.

"i told him he could come red," your voice cut through the tension, "we've been talking about those weapon shipments and think they might be coming through bludhaven first."

"thank you," grayson took a small (yet somehow extremely dramatic) bow, "see jace, i'm only here to help, so lets talk." the acrobat strolled past jason stopping only to whisper in his ear, "you can give up now if you want... no shame here."

"fuck off grayson, you're here on business. thats it." the red vigilante snapped back,

"i guess we'll find out tonight if it's just business, or at least i will." as the older walked away, every instinct that jason had told him to turn around and rip dick grayson a new one, but a soft hand on his forearm stopped him,

"please just hear him out red, i know you guys don't get along but we really need this intel," your eyes were mesmerizing, jason would've said yes to anything you could've possibly asked. however you still sweetened the deal, "i promise i'll make it up to you, anything you want and it's yours." jason tried not to drool at the thought.

"ok, fine."

JASON WAS SEETHING. plain and simple. there was no reason for him to be at this stupid fucking meeting if all grayson was going to do was hit on you. bludhaven's vigilante had spent more time leaning over your shoulder and whispering in your ear than he had looking at any sort of lead being offered up.

"sorry guys, i just have to run to the restroom quickly. i swear i'll be right back." you excused yourself quickly and rushed out of the room, leaving the brothers to catch up. it was quiet in the room, tension thick in the air. a question of who would speak first rather than if they would speak. the boys locked eyes from across the room, leading dick to spread a smile across his face,

"do you want me to tell you how she is tomorrow? nevermind, stupid question, i'm sure you'll hear us tonight." jason wanted to smack that look off his face. he could've jumped the table and pummeled his brother, but the door to the meeting room swung wide,

"hey gorgeous! welcome back," grayson quipped.

"oh, thanks? i hope i wasn't gone long, we should try to wrap this up soon." you strolled through the room back to your seat, both boys eyeing you the whole way, "so dick, if you're able to put a tracker..."

jason quickly lost interest in the inner workings of the operation, instead opting to keep a close eye on how his predecessor was acting around you. jason watched as he savored, savored every move you made, savored every word out of your mouth, every smile you gave, savored everything that should've been jason's. jason watched as dick hooked his foot at the bottom of your chair, pulled you next to him, then snaked his arm around your waist. grayson leaned into you and continued like nothing had changed.

jason liked to say that he was not a jealous man. however jason todd would never claim to be a patient man, and his brother has just crossed the line.

the large man shot out of his chair in milliseconds.

"get the fuck out of here," jason was pratically growling at this point. he watched as his the flustered man attempted to quip back, but he had heard enough of this loudmouth tonight, "you can walk out now, or i can send you back to bludhaven in a fucking bodybag grayson."

with the threat in place, the brother stood up,

"we were about done here anyways, don'tcha think?" your eyes flicked away from one brother to the next, seemingly looking for a reasoning from jason. with a blank stare from him you turned back to his brother.

"yeah, i didn't have anything more to add," you both watched the showboat walk out of the room, eyes following him the whole way. when the door snapped shut, you shot up and spoke immediately,

"jason, what the hell was that?" you were visibly irritated, taking a few strides towards the man, "i'm trying to get something on this case, and-"

"you're joking right," jason spat, "you're telling me you didn't know he was hitting on you the whole fucking time?"

"i knew he was flirting, but-"

"jesus christ, what was the fucking point of me being here? so you can flirt with my brother and rub it in my face?" jason pointed his finger at you, taking a large step towards you, "i get it! you want him, not me! just next time-"

"let me finish my damn sentence before you start jumping to conclusions," you yelled, "i knew he was flirting, but i was putting up with it so we might be able to get a lick of info about these weapons"

"oh"

"yeah, 'oh'," you smiled up at him. the proximity was going to make jason sick. you stood no more than a foot away from him, staring up at him through your eyelashes. he was firmly under your spell.

"are you jealous?" your voice was just barely above a whisper, "because if you are," your hand snuck its way up his arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake, "you don't have anything to worry about."

"i don't get jealous, sweetheart," you cocked an eyebrow at jason

"oh yeah?" he nodded quickly at you, "HEY GRAYS-"

jason's mouth quickly covered yours. his warm lips moving against yours with a sense of desperation. as his hands sank onto your hips , yours ran up the nape of his neck and into his hair, you gave a small tug to what you could reach eliciting a low, heavenly groan from jason who let his stature crumble into yours.

as you finally broke away from each other, gasping for air, jason's hands found their way to the back of your thighs, where he tapped gently. you looked up at him hesitantly.

"come on baby, i gotcha," he spoke gently, a tone you had never heard from him before. you jumped cautiously, he caught you and immediately pushed your lips back together. his kiss was heavenly, sending warmth throughout your body. his tongue lapped at your bottom lip, seeking entry, which you granted eagerly.

while your tongues intertwined, jason had sat you down on the cold conference table. his hands wandered upwards, breaking away from you, he looked for permission. at the moment of your nod, his hands began roaming your chest and his mouth trailed kisses from your jaw to where he was now pulling on the zipper of your costume.

the door to the meeting room swung open,

"did you need some- oh shit," dick grayson stood there, dumbfounded. jason, realizing who it was, dropped his head to roll his tongue around your sensitive nipples. letting out a sultry moan of jason's name, you turned your head to a very red in the face dick,

"want him to tell you about it in the morning? or are you staying to listen?"

[littlest-w01f]

Chapter Eight

Series Masterlist

CW: Mentions of blood

The sun was high up as Evelyn skipped into the forest, she couldn't believe it, the young female had managed to sneak away from her home without her father knowing. Her little rebel heart was beating wild, for breaking her father's rule.

Skipping through the lush greenery, Evelyn felt the warmth of the summer sun baking her fair skin. She looked up at the vast expanse of blue overhead as birds chirped merrily around her.

The woods held an air of enchantment, wildflowers peeked through dew-soaked grass while trees whispered secrets with every rustling leaf. Even with her busy mind racing with thoughts about getting caught sneaking out without telling her family where she went, it brought immense joy being alone with nature.

Suddenly, hearing faint sounds coming from ahead stopped her playful skipping, keeping her eyes peeled for any suspicious movement the young fae sensed an unfamiliar presence nearby. Splashing water ripples made by someone paddling through a shallow creek startled her but also curiosity piqued.

The Nagas were meant to be frightening, or so she had heard, but this one, he was a young male naga stuck between some broken boulders and trees, he was struggling under foliage, clearly hurt, completely vulnerable, didn't look scary at all.

With her instincts kicked into high gear, Evelyn rushed towards the distressed naga, her heart pounding in her chest. As she approached, she could see blood trickling down his scales, mixing with the muddy waters of the creek.

"Poor thing!" She cooed, crouching down beside him to assess the extent of his injuries. His serpentine body was entangled, making it difficult for him to free himself from the twisted vegetation. Evelyn relaxed herself with a single breath, pressing her hands flat on the ground, bringing the dead trees to life, the naga's tail flicked the second she used the tree and thorn vines to pick up the boulders off him.

"I'm here to help you," She assured him in a soothing voice the second everything was off him, her warm hands caressing his wounded scales. As she worked, she noticed the naga's slit-like snake eyes flutter open, fixated on hers with a mixture of pain and gratitude. "Just hang on, okay?"

She pressed her hand over his bleeding scales, putting pressure, the naga hissed in pain and Evelyn looked at him apologetically, "Sorry, this might hurt." She closed her eyes, and her hand glowed over his scales, threading his scales back together.

Sensing the subtle hum of magic emanating from Evelyn, the injured naga trembled slightly but trusted in her ministrations. Despite the searing sensation, he remained still as the Fae wove her delicate spellwork, gently lacing his damaged scales together again. Slowly but surely, they began knitting back into place, tissues mending, bleeding stilled, their unnatural shine slowly returning after having been obscured by gore, slightly brighter from Evelyn's healing.

Though it was clear it caused the injured reptile intense discomfort, he endured quietly, offering quiet hisses of acknowledgement. "Thank… You, High Fae" He said once she was done sealing his wounds, a simple sentence spoken low yet filled with sincere gratitude that touched Evelyn's heart despite it coming from someone so unfamiliar.

Evelyn nodded, helping him sit up, "How... How did you end up like that...?" She feared she didn't want to know the answer.

"A Bogge." The naga hissed, "I... I was thrown to it. Stupid prank."

"A prank?" Evelyn's face scrunched in genuine disgust, "Why would anyone pull such a prank?"

"Doesn't matter." The naga slithered fast, sitting up over his own coiled tail, his tail wasn't that long, a show of his young age, "He just would've been the leader of our Den if I wasn't born... I guess this was his way to get rid of the first in line."

Evelyn's expression softened as compassion filled her eyes. She reached out, gently touching the naga's scales in a comforting gesture. "That must have been terrifying for you," she said softly.

He nodded, his forked tongue darting out to wet his lips as he regarded her thoughtfully. There was something vulnerable about him now, his defences lowered due to his vulnerability. "I thought I was going to die out here," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "And then you found me. Thank you, High Fae."

Evelyn smiled warmly, her hand remaining on his scales. "Of course, my name is Evelyn, by the way," she offered, hoping to start building a connection with the injured naga. "And you are?"

With a small chuckle, the naga replied, "My name is Kaelin. And thank you, Evelyn. For saving me, and for your kindness. I will not forget it"

"Chocolate?" Evelyn asked out of nowhere, holding a little piece of the treat.

Kaelin tilted his scaly head, a little amusement in his expression, "What?"

Evelyn frowned slightly, "Wait, do your people not have cocoa? Sorry... I didn't mean to be ignorant-"

"No no," Kaelin raised his hands straight up to soothe her, "We can have cocoa, just... Why? I guess, would be a better question."

"Well, cocoa makes everything better." With the way Evelyn smiled, Kaelin couldn't help but take the treat she offered.

Kaelin hissed softly in pleasure of the sweet treat, his scales beginning to feel hot and sickly against his body, feeling healthy again. "I should probably head back to my den soon," he explained, "It's not safe for me to stay out here too long."

Evelyn sighed sympathetically, realizing that her good deed might only be a temporary relief for Kaelin. "I understand," she said gently. "But before you go, can I walk with you? Just until we reach the edge of the woods? That way, I can make sure nothing else happens to you on your way."

A look of surprise crossed Kaelin's face at her offer. "Really?" he asked, sounding genuinely grateful.

They heard a rustling behind them, and both of them froze, they knew they shouldn't turn around, the Bogge seemed to have wanted to complete the job.

"We shouldn't acknowledge it... It can't hurt us that way." Evelyn whispered, trying her best to fight the urge to look at it.

Kaelin nodded, hissing softly in agreement. "We need to keep moving," he urged, starting to slither forward cautiously, Evelyn matching his pace, her hand still resting on his scales for comfort and support.

The forest grew eerily silent around them, the usual birdsong and rustling leaves replaced by an unsettling stillness. Yet, neither of them dared to break the silence, focusing instead on putting as much distance between themselves and the unseen creature following them.

As they neared the edge of the woods, Kaelin suddenly stopped, turning to face Evelyn. "You should run," he whispered urgently, his eyes wide with fear. "Now, while you still can!"

Evelyn made the mistake of turning to face Kaelin behind her, and the Bogge stepped out from a silver slit, she had made it come out. Her body chilled with fright, "You run. Just run. I'll manage my own way." She didn't want him to be around for when the Bogge lunged at them, not when it was her fault it was able to be free to kill them. "You should leave before my father sees you and you get into more trouble."

Before Evelyn could respond, the Bogge let out a chilling screech, its presence overwhelming as it spread its long, skeletal arms wide. Kaelin had a pained look in his eyes, but his eyes widened as he couldn't help but want to follow her order, he then knew she was royalty, a child of the High Lord.

In a flash of movement, he turned and bolted, his serpentine body undulating rapidly as he vanished into the underbrush. Evelyn stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest as the Bogge began to advance towards her, its bony feet crunching through the decaying leaves. It was a choice between death and her father's punishment.

With lungs full of breath, as the Bogge rushed towards her, she screamed enough to shake the ground, "DADDY!!!"

Even before her shriek subsided, a growl was heard, but the Bogge was frozen from it, getting knocked over by the High Lord twice its size, maw ripping its neck, claws digging over and over in its chest till it stopped moving, the High Lord of Spring covered in blood looked up with fury in his eyes to meet the emerald of his daughter's.

Evelyn groaned, face pressed in her hands, "The damn Suriel! That was your plan to bring Tamlin and Feyre together? You sent Feyre after the damn Suriel?" Evelyn asked Lucien when he barged into her room.

Lucien sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Feyre wanted to ask questions, and Tamlin… Well, he needed to stop being so damn stubborn. It sounded like a good idea."

"But sending her after a Suriel?" Evelyn shook her head in disbelief. "What were you thinking?!"

"She'll survive," Lucien pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. "She'd scream if she needs us.."

"You sound so casual about it!" Evelyn exclaimed, throwing a pillow at Lucien’s face. "The fact that it was dangerous to begin with makes me nervous!"

She settled back down on her bed, hugging one of her many pillows close to her chest. "Do you really think Feyre wouldn’t panic?" she questioned Lucien sceptically. "Because last time I checked, our fearless, angry human hasn't been around faeries, especially not one like the Suriel. So now we're just supposed to hope that Feyre doesn't get herself killed?"

Lucien let out a sigh, looking a bit weary himself as he finally entered the room properly, making himself comfortable on the bed opposite hers. "Look, the girl managed to survive growing up in that hovel," he said. "Besides, Tamlin would hear with her too."

Evelyn sighed, nodding, she knew well enough the High Lords had quite the ear on them.

"When you said damsel in distress, I didn't think this is what you meant…" She started with another exasperated huff, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "If anything bad happened because of what we’ve set in motion..."

With an awkward shuffle, Lucien moved closer, laying beside her and offering a weak smile in her direction. "Eve…" He began, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "If something does happens… It won't be your fault, only mine."

"It sounds terrible, though…" she murmured, chewing on her lower lip as she looked down at the cover of her current book. Even if things worked out fine, and Feyre somehow emerged unscathed from her encounter with the dreaded Suriel, there was no denying how risky Lucien's decision truly was. The idea of something happening to Feyre was worrisome and downright scary to Evelyn.

There was silence for a moment before a whisper of a scream was heard, Feyre, the sound came from deep in the forest and Evelyn stood up in an instant, she ran in a second.

Winnowing in from where she had heard the sound, the second her bare feet touched the ground, everything froze, letting herself take the scene. Feyre was trapped under a naga, Lucien's knife lodged into the naga's chest, bleeding all over Feyre. with a wave of her hand, vines grew from the ground, gripping the naga and throwing him against a tree. "ENOUGH!" Her voice was commanding, not a hint of anything else.

"Evelyn?" She heard a hiss and turned around to find Kaelin slithering behind her, "You know this human? What is it doing on this side of the boarder!"

"Kaelin?" Evelyn whispered, catching his snake-like eyes, she hadn't seen the male in centuries. "Why are you-"

The naga beside him opened his mouth to talk but they heard a roar, Tamlin had indeed heard Feyre's scream as well, launching on the naga, his claws digging into his chest.

"No, Tamlin stop!" Evelyn said sternly, her brother looked up, the same anger in his eyes she'd seen plenty of times, in their father's eyes, but he hesitated to let him go, "Please, let him go."

With a growl, Tamlin let the naga go, and he slithered behind Kaelin, with the other injured naga, "You will not hurt the human," Evelyn spoke, no denying the dominance in her tone, "The human belongs to me, to us. She's in our protection."

The ground seemed to tremble at her words and Tamlin moved to kneel in front of a shaking Feyre, clearly unable to hide how scared she had been, Tamlin picked her up gently, letting her stand on her feet, covering her entirely from the three nagas by his body.

"It's a human, you'd protect their kind?" Kaelin hissed, slithering close to Evelyn till he was nearly at arm's distance, leaning in still. Both of them had grown plenty from the last time they had seen each other centuries ago, Evelyn's showed with her powers, and height, her face slightly mature, while Kaelin's tail was at least ten times the size, his face and humanoid part of him rough from years. "They used to hunt our kind in groups, take out scales to make their silly armours!"

"Not this single one! She's innocent. You don't get to hunt her because of what humans when she wasn't even born did." Evelyn said right back, she was never one to back down, "You can't hurt her."

Kaelin was slightly taken aback by her tone, but then smiled, "I did not know the human was protected by the your kin, Princess Spring, consider this our apology." Kaelin sighed, forked tongue slipping out as he hung his head slightly in a bow, "Leave us!" He commanded the nagas, and they slithered away fast in front of their eyes, Kaelin remained.

"I see you're the leader now." Evelyn smiled, "Thank you, for sending them away."

"Of course, anything for the lady," Kaelin hissed with a grin of his own, "And yes, I could be the leader after this young High Fae healed me back when I was little."

Evelyn turned on her heel, "Must be a really nice High Fae..." She smiled, looking at Tamlin who was looking at her with his brows raised, "We're leaving as well Tam."

Tamlin offered Feyre his hand who took it soon, and the three winnowed out from the middle of the woods. Evelyn was the last to leave, giving Kaelin a gentle smile.

Dinner was always awkward after Feyre had arrived in Spring Court, but tonight it was more so, and Evelyn sat up as Feyre entered.

"Good evening," Feyre greeted, exchanging a look with Lucien.

"I heard you three had a rather exciting afternoon, I wish I could have been there to help," Lucien leaned back into his chair, with a little softness, he added, "Well you still look lovely, regardless of your Hell-sent afternoon."

"I thought faeries couldn't lie." Feyre snorted.

Tamlin choked on his wine while Lucien smiled his signature smirk, Evelyn felt concerned for the human, she'd blindly trusted everything they had said, "Who told you that?"

"Everyone knows it." Feyre piled her plate up with food, sitting down on her seat.

"Of course, we can lie." Lucien had a feline grin on his lips, "We find lying to be an art, and we lied to those aientient mortals that we couldn't speak an untruth. How else would we get them to trust us and do our bidding?"

Evelyn couldn't help but smile, Feyre's reaction to learning their secrets was nothing short of amusing, then Tamlin told Lucien off from spilling any more secrets.

The more Evelyn observed Feyre, the more she realized just how different the human was from other beings she had encountered. Feyre's resilience, her courage, her determination, and the slight stupidity that she would jump into anything without a single thought, It was all so refreshingly unique. And yet, Evelyn also noticed the subtle signs of exhaustion, the slight tremor in Feyre's hands as she lifted her fork that she was trying to hide, the faint shadows under her eyes. Despite her strength and spirit, Feyre was still very much mortal, vulnerable in ways that the High Fae weren't.

Watching Feyre, Lucien nudged Evelyn under the table with his foot, when she looked towards him he simply motioned with his head and the two of them excused themselves from dinner before dessert.

Once outside, Evelyn grabbed Lucien's arm, pulling him away from the dining hall and towards the quiet privacy of the garden.

"Well I hope you don't pull this shit with your children and their love life." Evelyn chuckled lightly.

Lucien snorted, wrapping an arm around her, "Our child," he corrected.

"My babe will not be your first," She rolled her eyes, "That was a joke we made."

"Sure... Sure..." Lucien teased.

Evelyn playfully pushed Lucien's chest, a mischievous glint in her eye. "You're impossible sometimes," she muttered, shaking her head in amusement.

Lucien grinned, leaning in "And you love me for it," he whispered his hand holding hers.

Evelyn smiled, her heart fluttering at his touch. "Sometimes," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But most of the time, I just want to throttle you."

Lucien chuckled, "That's the spirit," he murmured,

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a small smile. "Don't push your luck," she warned, although the playful spark in her eyes suggested she was far from serious.

Lucien laughed softly, pulling her closer until she was pressed against his chest. "Wouldn't dream of it," he murmured, his voice low and warm. His fingers traced gentle patterns over the curve of her waist, drawing her further into his embrace.

"I actually forgot this thing I used to do till I saw the naga." Evelyn whispered softly, leaning into Lucien's side.

Luicen simply hummed, "What might that be?"

Evelyn closed her eyes and opened her palm flat facing the sky, and a treat appeared in her palm, "Here."

"Chocolate?" Lucien echoed, taking the piece of it.

"Chocolate makes everything better." Evelyn spoke softly with a smile.

The world around them faded away as they stood beneath the stars, enveloped in each other's warmth and comfort. Lucien's touch was soothing, and reassuring, like a balm against the worries that plagued Evelyn's mind.

But even amid the intimacy of their embrace in her gardens, the looming concern over Feyre lingered at the edges of Evelyn's consciousness the feeling that something wasn't right stuck to her gut.

{General Taglist - @nox-ceur @lilah-asteria @paleidiot @dee-writes-smut @adalia-jaycee @anarchiii @alwayshave-faith}

{Blooming Flowers Taglist - @theskyisbrighthere @mybestfriendmademe @yeonalie}

[bassettmemes]

SCREAM VI SENTENCE STARTERS ↳ spoilers will be present and are tagged as such. general horror movie trope trigger warnings apply. death/murder, mentions of blood/gore, etc.

we have to finish the movie.

who gives a fuck about the movie?!

i always wanted to stick something in you, [name]!

this is creepy, right?

he's after me! he's got a knife!

the worst part is: you teach a class about slashers, and you still walked into a dark alley. alone.

[name] wouldn't be caught dead at a frat party.

get me a drink!

we said we wouldn't use the voice modulator on each other.

it was even better than we ever even imagined.

is that why you killed her? because she gave you a c-?

come on, [name]. how long have we known each other?

why are you fucking with me?

you know what? this is stupid.

what i'm really worried about is [name].

every time i push you for specifics, you shut down.

i have trust issues.

my father was a famous serial killer. they made a movie about him.

last year i found out that my boyfriend was also a serial killer.

i stabbed him 22 times and slit his throat, and then shot him in the head. that's not why i'm here.

it felt... right.

i'm not equipped to deal with this kind of thing.

by law, i'm required to report this to the authorities.

who the fuck is [name]?!

she went to the omega kappa beta party.

i cannot speak to how heavily armed [name] is at this fraternity party.

it doesn't bother you? being at a house party after you were almost brutally murdered at a house party?

i guess i should stay close to you, then.

why don't you get your fucking hands off her?

i'm just gonna tase you in the balls real quick.

don't ever lay hands on my sister.

are you fucking kidding me?

you embarrassed me!

if i wanna hook up with an asshole, that's my decision!

you're not dealing with what happened to us!

i'm uninterested in living in the past like you are.

so you're just gonna pretend like it never happened?

i'm just trying to look out for you.

you can't do it for the rest of my life, though. you have to let me go.

i think you're really special.

did i cockblock you?

please stop saying the word cock.

i can't help but notice you're covered in cherry coke.

being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be.

the last two people who fucked with us ended up dead.

do you have alibis for earlier tonight?

i met [name] at that party. where i tased someone. unrelated.

i take a special interest in ghostface attacks...

we share a certain history...

do you think you're the reason the ghostface killer has come to the big apple?

stay away from us.

are you really still mad at me?

i heard you couldn't sell the movie rights.

you called me unstable and a born killer.

maybe you're just afraid that without ghostface in your life, you're gonna fade away.

what's a requel?

you're beautiful, sweetie. hold all questions until the end.

am i gonna die a virgin?

that was a weird overshare...

why am i on the suspect list?

the slutty roommate: a horror movie classic.

never trust the love interest.

what if the trauma you all went through made one, or more, of you snap?

that's pretty messed up.

it's like he's leaving us real-life franchise easter eggs.

it's like he's counting down to something.

forget about the movies; the movies don't matter.

did you just give us a nickname?

you can't just give yourself a nickname, dingus.

we have all been through some really fucked up stuff and we are all coping with it differently.

we're a team.

i've been sleeping with cute boy from across the hall.

i freaking knew it! i knew it, i knew it, i knew it!

yeah, she's my roommate, but you're, like, the police.

she's really freaked out.

oh, fuck, that guy's dead!

say something more positive!

you fuck with my family, you die.

sorry i punched you...

when did they start letting children into the fbi?

you look like a zygote.

i'm just really good at my job. you'll get there.

it's not just a theater, it's a shrine.

how did they get all this? isn't this evidence?

i had a crush on corey feldman...

okay. game recognize game.

when do i get to be a normal person again?

my parents suck to. you can still make your own family.

technically i did die. four minutes.

when i recovered, i got mad. i didn't want to spend the rest of my life being afraid of monsters. i wanted the monsters to be afraid of me.

bitch, last time i saw you, you were in glee club.

did you really think we were gonna steal a police car and not use the sirens?

that's a cop car! you can't steal a cop car!

spoiler alert: it never works out for the dipshit in the mask.

i'm scared.

i'll just give myself up. if this is what i have to do to keep you safe, it's worth it.

none of us would even be alive if it weren't for you.

he's gonna keep coming after us.

we want to lure him to a secure location and lure him inside.

and then we execute him. are you gonna help us?

let's kill the son of a bitch.

god damn it, i got it wrong again. what the fuck?

fuck this franchise.

don't trust anyone, remember?

you're not woodsboro. i'm sorry.

i cleared the whole place before you got here.

we turned it into a kill box.

we're safe here.

grab a weapon and clear this place yourself.

[name] has been on a downward spiral since the woodsboro murders last year.

they fired [name] two months ago for being mentally unstable. they're no longer with the fbi.

it's [name], they're the killer!

smile for the camera, motherfucker!

"dying" was a good way to get off the suspect list.

i got stu macher's mask. he was my favorite.

this is what we've been counting down to, [name].

fuck you!

i didn't commit those murders in woodsboro!

all the best lies are based on the truth.

there's the fucking killer.

we had to kill those two wannabe film students, because, well, we had to kill you first.

he was so pathetic.

looks like you're down another sibling.

always gotta shoot 'em in the head.

what's your favorite scary movie? i'm asking because you're in one now.

you're in my movie.

my father was a murderer. no matter what you think, i'm better than that.

i promise you i'm going to get so much therapy after this.

we're all part of the same fucked up family now.

did i miss the monologue again?!

[beatrixstonehill2]

Jamie walked outside where her older brother and friends were playing football in the expansive yard, as they often did on weekends, drinking and having a good time, practicing for the amateur league a bunch of towns held every year. One of the men, Casey, threw Jamie the ball. She caught it with a look of surprise, acting like she was going to play, smiling and laughing.

"Hey, why not let Jamie play?" Casey asked Jamie's brother, Vince.

"Jamie, why?" Vince said.

"Wasn't she born a guy. Come on, she can fill in for Andrew."

"What happened to Andrew?" Jamie said.

Vince folded his arms. "Welllll, Andrew was like the best player on our team. He moved to Colorado with his fiance last week."

"Shit that sucks."

"Yeah, you caught that thing really well, and I've seen you play soccer and run track, you're a good athlete."

Jamie blushed. "Oh come on! Liiiike seriously? You guys will destroy me."

"What's the issue, afraid of a few men? Rumor has it you've taken a few men at once before at the frat house."

The other guys all whistled and laughed.

"W-Well maybe I did..... but you guys'll just bully me. Since I'm a girl."

"I mean, sort of a girl," Casey said. "You used to be Vince's little brother."

"I guess......" She rolled her eyes.

Vince looked her up and down. "Well..... the prize next summer is like 10k..... Come on, Jamie, join the team. We have like six months to train you up."

"Hmmmm.... well, OK. What would you guys need me to do? Like I said I don't think I can take a tackle too well......"

"Yeah but couldn't you just start being a guy?" Casey said.

"Like what do you mean?"

"Go off that girly medicine and just take a bunch of testosterone. Wouldn't you just become like any other guy since you have a dick?"

"Yeah, I technically would just detransition and become a man, but that's kind of a big ask..... I like being a girl."

"Awww, come on, Jamie," Vince said. "Why not try it out? It'll be fun seeing you go through male puberty and bulk up like a bull. We'll help train you. I don't think mom or dad will care if you decide to be a man."

"Ummmm, you guys...." Jamie bit her lip. "I really don't know, you really want me to become a boy just to join your amateur football thing?"

"Sure, why not? Oh, one problem....."

"What?"

The men were all shirtless. "Our team is always skins, we paint a stripe over our shoulders. You'll have to go topless...."

"B-But I'm like a FF-Cup....."

Casey shrugged. "Yeah but you're still just a guy, right? Technically? Soooo, just take off your top. Doesn't matter if your daddy bought you a fancy set of implants."

Jamie took off her top and tossed it aside. "OK..... happy? Have fun looking at me 'boy-tits'....."

"Damn, they almost look like the real thing."

"Almost," Vince said. "But you're gonna have to ask dad to get rid of them, they already look kind of stupid on you now, but after you bulk up and detransition?"

"Good point," Jamie said, looking down at her round, fake boobs. "I'd imagine you're going to make sure I get really big and muscular so I can play good, right?"

"Of course, as big as possible in the next six months or so."

"Fuck.... OK. I'll ask daddy if I can get my boobs removed next week or so. Gotta get it done now so I can train, right?"

"Exactly! Good thinking, sis--oh, sorry. Little brother."

Jamie blushed, blocking her soon-to-be-removed breasts with her arms. "I guess you guys should show me the ropes? If you don't mind."

"Sure, oh but one more thing."

"What?"

Vince ran over to their gym bag, rifling through, getting out something. He prepared and cleaned a fresh syringe, running back over to Jamie. "Don't worry, most of us take the stuff just to stay competitive. Here, don't move." He pinched Jamie's hip and injected her with a large dose of T, almost with no warning.

Her tiny cock stirred in her panties. She couldn't believe this was happening so fast. She had been living as a girl for over a decade. Now in the blink of an eye she would be transformed into just another roided up muscular gym dude.... Her beautiful body would be totally transformed into a man's, her implants yanked out, no more big bouncy boobs..... And her tiny, girlish cock would become huge and thick.... She already wondered if she'd start liking fucking girls like all these other guys. No more prissy trans girl getting fucked in the ass. She'd be pounding away on thick college girls like the ones from her sorority. Her cock stiffened, picturing all their juicy breasts and asses, their meaty thighs, pot bellies, pregnant bellies, swollen, wet pussies.... all hers to have her way with. She almost greedily zoned out before Vince patted her shoulder.

"You good, Jamie?"

"Oh, of course! Thank you, Vince. I can't wait to become a guy and play with you all.... let's hope we win!"

[no-gram]

Character Profiles

Administrator/Ai

・Hello. Dear prisoners.I'm Ai, the administrator.Well...I still have a lot to learn about communication and about all of you.

・However, I am the administrator.I am responsible for managing you all. Please be my regards henceforth.

・I myself have not yet decided how I will pass judgment...You have been gathered here under the suspicion of being evil people for some wrongdoing.

・And you will be judged by me, justice or evil.I know nothing about you people yet. But I plan to close slowly.

・Let me clarify my position as an administrator, but I do not intend to be hostile.I hope we can live comfortably together. Good bye

001/Tsuguha

・Well...nice to meet you! My name is Tsuguha, I'm 12 years old. I don't really understand this situation yet...but I hope I can be friends with you all.

・I am aware of the...bad things I have done. No one would call me a murderer, though.

・Admin. I want the death penalty. You would judge me, wouldn't you?

・When did a place like this come into being...?

・I was born a bad person. You see what I mean?

002/Jun

・Name? Huh. ...... I'm Jun. I don't intend to get along with you.

・Evil people and other false accusations.This prison is more evil than the prisoners who are locked up here.

・You're in trouble, too. You don't know anything, do you? I hope you get out of here soon. For both of us.

・I'm not surprised now. No matter what kind of strange places there are in the world.

・I just want to get this over with.I don't want to go home.Other than that, there's nothing else.

003/Kizuna

・Nice to meet you! My name is Kizuna! Haha.

・Hmmm. At least we haven't done anything wrong yet, right? See, that's what everyone says!

・Hahaha. Hey, that's the administrator! How long have you been here? Long time ago?

・It's a strange place - this place! But there are scarier places, too!

・I like everyone here because they don't say bad things about me! Maybe I don't have to go out there!

004/Tsuduri

・Introducing myself, um... my name is Tuzuri. Hmmm, sorry. I can't think of anything in particular to tell you now.

・I honestly don't feel either way about justice or evil, but...Don't make stupid decisions.

・I'll give some advice to the administrator.Expecting weird things from others will make you tired, so it's better to go easy on them.

・Hmmm. The location itself doesn't surprise me. But I guess I'm wondering how they got to me.

・I don't know the date or time or anything. I wonder if there is an outside in this place.

005/Itoho

・Let's see, I'm Itoho! I've been called many names, so call me whatever you like. New nicknames are also welcome.

・Hmmm... I don't know about that, so I'll pass.

・Administrator...I'll help you as much as I can. Fighting is pointless, right.

・I think it's a good idea. People should be judged rightly, but there are some things that the law can't handle.

・I'm glad everyone seems to be having a good time. It was rough at first. Because of someone's fault.

006/Rinne

・Hi, nice to meet you, admin. I'm Rinne. I'm Rinne, and I'd like to make a deal with you.

・I am the righteous one, right? At least... more than anyone else.

・Let's manage everyone here together. Yes, I know my place. I'm under you, and they're under me. That's it.

・I'm so glad we have a place like this! I just wish we could have done it sooner.

・The people here are all failures. But it's okay. Because I'm with you.

[boygiwrites]

Harley D. Dixon 26

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📖Chapter List.

Author's Note.

We. Are. Back!!

It's been almost six months!! 😶 Motivation comes and goes, but I'm very happy to be posting again. Like I said in a comment on Ao3, this book is too special to me to ever abandon. Thank you for your patience!! 💙

When Rick kicks the stool out from under Jim's feet, there's a simple crunch sound, and then he's dead.

I watch from afar as his body dangles from the rafters like a doll filled with sand, wondering why I thought it would be louder. It feels like I can breathe again. As if I've had a noose of my own wrapped around my throat until this very moment. Jim's dead. He ain't a threat. Just dead and dangling. Silence pours out across the farm. It feels strangely comforting; a hug from somebody you thought you didn't like.

I know Dale would disagree. I don't gotta ask to know he didn't want this.

If he weren't under six feet of dirt and bugs right now, I think I'd tell him I'm sorry.

Not just for Jim having to die, but also for being angry. He knew it never did nobody any good to be angry. If I hadn't told Carl to leave that muddy walker alone, wanting it to suffer and pay for some crime weren't even its fault, then maybe Dale would still be here.

I kinda realize in this moment that I don't care if dead people don't gotta see bad things. Because Dale ain't get to see the good things anymore, either. Like books and soup. Hugs, jokes. The baby, once it's born. Neither does Momma or Sophia or Shane.

It's like Jim said. I should be dead by now. On account of all laws of nature and chance, I should be long dead.

But obviously, I ain't.

And I'd be a stupid, silly, brainless little girl to not think that makes me at least a little bit lucky.

As I fiddle with the metal buckle of my overalls, Dad and Rick carry Jim outta the shed, their hands hooked around the dead man's armpits and ankles. Carol's probably thinking something like, He's with his loved ones now. But I ain't Carol, and I don't believe in heaven, so all I'm thinking is, I hope it didn't hurt. I've never had my neck snapped before, so I wouldn't know. They shuffle over to the pile of wood and walker bodies, tossing him on top, dusting their hands off on their pants. They's gonna burn him. No graves for them that ain't family.

Good. We have enough of those, anyway.

Dad and Rick turn away from the pile, their faces largely blank.

Before they can see me, I stand from my spot near the fence and scurry away, because I know I'm not meant to be watching.

That morning, everybody gets busy doing something. Whether it's bringing supplies into the house or cleaning a grimy rifle, nobody's twiddling they thumbs. There's something about putting work into a thing that needs it that clears the mind, I guess. Stops us from thinking about Jim, anyhow. Me, I help out by going around with a basket of fresh fruit, handing them out to anybody who wants some.

The first people I swing by are Rick and T. They've begun reinforcing the fences together, using old metal sheets and planks of wood to barricade any weak points they find. They gratefully take a juicy pear each, leaning against their handiwork to bite into the sweet flesh, groaning at the taste. Something nice happens in my chest when I see them smile. It's like looking at a puppy. You just can't be sad.

"Wow, this is good," T-Dog nods, turning the fruit over in his hand. "Thanks, Harley."

Rick doesn't say nothin', but I'm just glad to see him enjoying himself. Even for just a moment.

I head over to Patricia and Carol next, who are scrubbing at some laundry over by the trees. I earn myself two more smiles when they take a couple peaches, leaving them to their own devices and making my way through everyone else. Herschel, keeping Maggie company as she hangs up some wet clothes over a line in the sun. Jacqui and Lori, tidying up camp a bit, preparing lunch. Jimmy, polishing guns.

When I give a pear to Dad, who's fixing some of his crossbow bolts, he kisses my cheek as thanks.

And Beth. I don't forget her. She sits in the bay window of her bedroom, nibbling away at a green apple.

I know eating a good piece of fruit ain't never stopped nobody from wanting to kill themselves, but everything counts.

I've only got a peach, apple, and a pear left tumbling around in my basket when I approach Glenn and Andrea. They're stood around the hood of Dale's RV, frowning into the rubber tubes and gears like there's a jigsaw puzzle in there, muttering to each other.

"You gotta tap it three times," I think he's saying, pointing at something, "And—"

"— And give her a twist," Andrea sighs, throwing her hands up. "I know, I know."

Glenn notices me out the corner of his eye. He doesn't light up exactly, but the tension leaves his shoulders. "Oh. Hey, Harley."

"Hey." I give a little smile, holding out the basket. "Y'all want some fruit?"

"Ugh. Yes, please."

They each pick one out, leaving me with the apple. I toss the basket onto the nearby folding chair and bite into its waxy skin, the sugary juices leaking down my chin. It's sweet as candy. Well, from what I remember candy tastin' like, anyway. It's delicious.

Andrea seems to agree. "God. Remind me to always become stranded on a farm with an orchard."

Glenn bites a chunk out of his peach as he takes the screwdriver from the blonde, scooting around her to stand in front of the exposed engine. "Here. Let me have a go... Dale told me that in these old vehicles, the points get corroded."

I wipe my sticky chin, watching as he pokes around with the small tool.

Dale knew everything there was to know about this RV. Whenever it broke down, he didn't even need to check beneath the hood before he knew exactly what was wrong with it. Hell, even I've picked up on its quirks by now, and I know jack about vehicles. There's all sorts of screws and bolts and duck tape crammed into the poor thing's inner workings, but it just refuses to die. Like a stubborn old mule. 

A bit like Dale. No matter how many times ya put that old man down, he'd come back ten times stronger.

"I let him down," Glenn suddenly sighs, and it's easy to know who he's talking about.

I glance over his shoulder, through the front windshield. Dale's ridiculous amount of souvenir air fresheners still hang from the mirror. Oklahoma. Illinois. Missouri. Kansas. That ain't even half of 'em. We used to tease him about them, but he always just laughed us off and recited some philosophical quote from a dead guy about how memories feed the soul, or whatever.

Nobody ever understood it when he said stuff like that, but I still know we all miss it.

"He was proud of you," Andrea tells him; then me, "Both of you."

I sheepishly look away, picking at the stem of my apple. No, he weren't. But that's nice of her to say.

"That's easy for you to say." Glenn shakes his head. "You had his back."

She doesn't know what to say for a moment.

"Well... All I know is that there's no way he didn't know how much we all cared for him, even in the end. He was too smart for that."

I got no doubts about that. He knew everything. Knew everything about the RV, about poetry, about us. He was just one of them types of people. I only wish I hadn't argued with him that day, but I argue with Dad all the time, and he still loves me. So, can't all be bad.

Glenn pulls back from the engine with a resolute, "Welp... That should do it."

When Andrea climbs inside and twists the key into the ignition, I'm proven right. This old RV just refuses to die.

"Well done, Glenn," I smile over the noise of the engine. "You did it."

He turns to me with a smile of his own, looking proud of himself.

After that, he and Dad leave the farm to search for a hearing aid. 

Maggie hands them a list of houses they can try their luck in, and then we exchange the usual goodbye hugs and kisses before waving them off. There ain't no use in sitting around, wondering if they're going to get bitten and die because of me, so I leave to find something I can distract myself with instead. Luckily, Rick and T-Dog are more than happy to let me help them out with the fences.

If we're gonna get serious about staying here at the farm, we're gonna have to make some upgrades.

I obidiently tail them as they work, lugging around a bucket filled with rusty nails to pass to them.

"You know, Harley," Rick grunts as he hammers a scrap of metal to the wooden posts, "Carl still ain't stopped chewin' my ear off about all those things you taught him the other day. If I have to hear the word 'mushroom' one more time... I'll go crazy."

I pluck a nail from the pile and hand it to T-Dog.

Just to be annoying, I say, "Mushroom, mushroom, mushroom."

"Hey. Watch it." He scolds me, but not very well. He's smiling. "Anyway. You two ain't on good terms right now, are you?"

I raise a brow. "How'd ya know?"

"Well, I figured you'd be playin' with him right now if you were. And to be honest, he's been in a bit of a mood lately."

I huff a little, silently cursing Rick's parents for making him like this. "We squabbled. That's all."

He hums thoughtfully.

"Whenever I argued with my sisters," T-Dog tells us, "They'd start messin' with me. They'd hide my Xbox controller. Eat my snacks."

Rick chuckles. "They sound nice."

"Yeah, you could say that," He chuckles along with him. "A real pair of peaches."

"Well, Carl ain't done any of that," I suppose, adjusting the bucket in my grasp, "But he did call me a stupid baby."

Rick turns to look at me. "What?"

"He snitched on me about the shed and called me a stupid baby. Then I told him I hated his guts."

As I stand there, he fixes at me with a funny, What am I going to do with you?, sort of look, until he returns his attention to the work at hand. "Well, he was right to 'snitch' on you, but I'll have a talk with him when I can. It's not okay to name-call."

"I think it's 'cause he's gonna be a brother soon." I think aloud. "He said he's gotta protect me."

T-Dog argues, "You got all of us here to protect you. Boy's got nothing to stress about."

"I know. He just likes bein' somebody's keeper."

Hammering the last nail into the metal, Rick gives the thing a bit of a shake to test its strength, pleased to see it won't budge.

"Okay, I think this one's good." He decides. "Let's move onto the next one."

As we gradually make our way down the fence line, we continue chatting away about other useless things. The weather, future plans for the farm. Something we don't talk about, though, is the baby inside Lori's belly. I don't think Rick wants to think about it, let alone talk about it. He must be mulling over all the hundreds of things that could go wrong. As the leader, that's his special talent.

By the time we reach the area around the barn, I'm not listening to the conversation anymore. It's difficult to concentrate on making out their voices for such a long time, so I just tune myself out, absentmindedly gazing past the two of them, into the field.

That's when I notice something off about the burning pile.

It's still sitting there, a boring bunch of wood and junk, but the problem is I can't seem to spot Jim's body on it.

I know they didn't move it to some other place, and it's definitely not been lit on fire yet, so it can't be that.

When Rick holds out his hand for me to pass him another nail, I leave him hanging. He frowns down at me in concern; confusion. I think he says my name, but then he follows my gaze, followed suit by T-Dog. I can tell the exact moment they catch on.

"Okay," T-Dog levels with nobody in particular, holding up his hands, "That's creepy as shit."

"Stay here," Rick wearily tells us, before jogging away to investigate.

I don't need to be told twice. Clutching the bucket to my stomach like it's a teddy bear, I huddle closer to T, letting him step in front of me as if a chupacabra is gonna pop out from under the debris and gobble us all up. We watch Rick approach the burn pile, creeping up on it, concerned he might wake it up. He peeps this way and that, the hammer held tight in his grasp, ready to strike.

Was Jim bit, I find myself wondering, Was he bit, and we just didn't notice?

No. No, that can't be right. If he was bit, he would've turned long before we had the chance to hang him.

Rick flinches backward. He gawks at his own two feet. I think he might've crossed paths with a snake, or even that chupacabra, but then a hand shoots out from behind the burn pile and we learn the thing tryna bite him ain't an animal. It's got black hair and a grubby red shirt, a pair of milky eyeballs. It's Jim. He crawls after Rick like he's tryna avenge his own death, his neck still swollen and wrong.

Once he's absorbed his own shock, Rick brings the hammer down on Jim's skull, but he's fresh, so it's not mushy like it is usually. He has to bludgeon him two, three, four more times before the bone cracks open like an egg, wet brains dribbling down his face.

We all catch our breaths. I don't think any of us were prepared to watch Jim die twice today.

"Where was the bite?" T-Dog calls out, sounding like he's about to barf all over himself.

Rick kneels to check under Jim's shirt, flip him over, roll up his pant legs, because of course he does. There has to be a bite.

But when he stands, he calls back, "I can't see one."

There's a gaping pause between us all.

"Well, it ain't on his ass cheek, is it?"

Rick raises a brow as he steps over the body. "You wanna go check, be my guest."

"Nah, thank you, man." He answers drily, eyeing the blood dripping from the head of the hammer. "Well, what the Hell happened?"

Instead of telling us he doesn't know, or offering up a theory, Rick just sighs. He tosses the hammer into the little wagon we've been pulling along with us, rubbing at the faint wrinkles on his forehead. I remain hiding behind T-Dog. I know there's no snake or chupacabra to be heard of, and now, not even a Jim. But I don't like the danger in the air. The danger of something being wrong and not knowing what it is.

Rick lowers his hand, gaze landing on me. He keeps it there for a moment.

To be a walker, you gotta get bit. I can't see one. Everyone knows that.

"Come on," He eventually mutters, reaching to take the heavy bucket from me. "Let's get back to the house."

"Rick, what's wrong?" I whine as he grabs my hand. "We ain't workin' on the fence no more? Why?"

T-Dog snatches up the handle of the wagon and hurries after us.

"Don't worry about it, honey," He soothes, giving my fingers a squeeze. "The grownups will handle it, okay?"

Rick says this, just like he always has, but all he does when we get back to camp is eat lunch and talk to Maggie about our progress on the fence. I decide it's not a big deal. I trust him. Maybe he's just waiting until me and Carl aren't around to talk with the other adults about it. Maybe Jim did somehow get bit while he was in the shed. Maybe it really was on his ass cheek. I won't pretend to know.

In any case, I dig into my scrambled eggs and buttered bread without giving it much more thought.

After lunch, the three of us go back to working on the fence, anyway.

"Hope you enjoyed the apple."

With her forehead resting against the window, Beth gazes down at the farm, like some lonely angel peering down at another world. The afternoon sun gently contours the subtle curves of her girlish face, which isn't looking nearly as dreadfully pale as it did before.

"I did," She answers sweetly, smiling as I come to sit next to her on the thin cushions. "Thanks, by the way."

I give a shrug. "Yer sister says peach and pear season's just about up, so all we's got for a while is apples, anyway."

She surprises me by giggling at me, a pretty tinkling sound that suits her. "That shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

My cheeks go warm. "Huh?"

"I saw you," She explains, a fondness in her eyes. "Chowin' down on that apple just before."

"When I was wit' Glenn and Andrea?"

She nods. "You were smiling. It was nice."

I contemplate calling her a stalker, but all that comes outta my mouth is an amused scoff, rolling my eyes and turning to look out the window. I understand why she likes it up here. I can see the whole farm. People milling about camp, chickens pecking at the ground. And off in the distance, the herd of black cows dotting the paddocks like little beetles, munching on bales of hay. And quiet. Precious quiet.

I glance at the distant treeline, thinking about the recent whispers of the horde. I brush it off quick as I can.

I steal a glance at Beth, instead.

That little smile is still pulling at her lips, a lively glint in the soft green of her eyes.

For some reason - mainly my talent for speaking without thinking - I ask her suddenly, "Do you still wanna die?"

She stiffens ever so slightly, and I only have a few short moments to feel awful about it before she meets my eyes.

"I just mean," I continue, wishing I ever knew the right thing to say. I think back to when Carl was in my exact position, asking nicely for me to not do what Beth did. He also threatened to smack me in the face, but I don't imagine that would go over too well with Beth. Neither would shouting at her like Dad. So, I just do something stupid, another one of my talents, and I improvise. "I been worried about you. Not, like, pity or nothin', but... I know how you feel. And after Dale... I realized that just 'cause people die, it don't mean I gotta die, too. It ain't a reason to wanna die. It's a reason to wanna live. 'Cause I'm just glad I ever knew Dale and Sophia and everyone else that died at all."

I feel encouraged by her glassy expression to keep talking. Not that I could stop myself if I tried.

"So that makes us lucky, y'know. Yer Momma's dead. My Momma's dead. But we loved 'em, and you can keep lovin' other people, but not if you're in a grave somewhere. Besides, it would just pass it on to them that would miss us. Not worth it, if ya ask me."

When I finish my word puke, she pins me with a tense, watery look that makes my insides cramp up.

"Maggie told me," She says, "That if I decided to keep living, that I'd find moments where I'd know I made the right decision."

She takes a deep breath, chuckling afterward.

"I think this is one of those moments," She decides.

"It is?"

I feel a weird sense of pride. I know me and my stupid apple and bad advice didn't singlehandedly solve anythin', but I was able to make her realize she don't got nothin' to regret by surviving her own mind, and that's more than enough for me.

I nod, trying not to smile, because this is supposed to be a serious moment. "Good. That's... good."

Her chuckles turn into laughter. "Why you so awkward all the darn time, Harley?"

Then I'm being wrapped up in a hug. I hate hugs. But this one ain't too terrible.

When we part, I ask her, "Are we friends?"

She seems to find that funny. "'Course."

"Well, my Dad and Glenn are gonna be gone for a few more hours," I tell her, "So, we should play something 'til then."

Beth warns me that she's seventeen years old, so she might not be able to play the same way me and Carl play, but that's okay. We don't have to play pretend or anything. We can do something she likes. Apparently, that's painting our nails. I have to try not to pull a face, but I guess I end up pulling one anyway, because she bursts into giggles and pulls me to my feet. I'm not the biggest fan of girly things. It's just not what I grew up with. I'm used to scuffing my nails while climbing trees and playing in the dirt, not painting them. But I'll give it a go.

"What's your favorite color?" She asks me, setting me down on her bed and rummaging through her desk.

"Yellow," I chirp.

"Actually," She lilts, pulling out a little bottle of yellow polish, squinting at the label. "It's Electric Spring Citrus."

I scoot over to make room for her on the bed, presenting my nails to her.

The afternoon slips away easily after that.

Nighttime paints over the orange sky.

Me and Beth have migrated downstairs by the time the sun has disappeared beneath the farm, lured in by the domestic commotion of dinner being prepared. It's soup again. I recognise the smell by now. While we wait to be served by Maggie and Patricia, the rest of us gather around the coffee table, ribbing each other as we break the rules of a card game Jacqui suggests. Carl keeps cheating by lying about what cards he has, but he's too dumb to realize he'll have to show them to us at some point. I laugh hysterically when he loses.

"You weren't listenin' to the rules, was ya?" I enjoy taunting him as he goes red. "Typical!"

He complains, "Shut up, Harley!"

"Okay, okay," Lori placates, doing a very bad job of hiding her smile behind her fan of cards. "Settle down."

I almost don't think about Dad and Glenn or Dale or Sophia or Shane or Momma for the whole game. By my standards, that makes for a good time. Carl continues losing miserably, whining even more miserably-er, while Jacqui beats us over and over again.

I'm reminded of the night we had our first dinner together - The one where Patricia made everyone feel super uncomfortable, and then I almost died. It's hard to believe this is the same house and the same people. Probably because it's filled with laughter.

We continue playing even through dinner.

When I lose for the fifth time, I take my bowl of soup and retire to one of the sofas, settling in next to Rick and quietly sipping at the warm broth. He sends me a bit of a look as if to ask me if I'm okay, probably reading my face in that weird way he got, noticing I'm thinking about Dad and Glenn. I reply with a simple nod. He doesn't seem satisfied with that response, but he can't do nothin' about it.

It's too noisy in here for him to talk to me, and neither of us know a single lick of sign language.

So, he just gives me a thumbs up and hopes it gets the point across. They'll be okay.

Eventually, even Herschel gets roped into playing.

"Hey, I actually happen to know a thing or two about this," He tells us, before proceeding to eviscerate Jacqui at her own game.

We all go awww, as she throws down her cards.

"Darn..." She sighs. "You weren't lyin', old man."

"As Jesus as my witness," He holds up a hand, "I never lie."

Lori asks, "Where'd you learn to get this good?"

"I used to spend a lot of my time in bars, young lady." He explains. "I got more than enough practice finessing card games."

"Well, I'd say it paid off."

He raises his fluffy white brows. "They used to call me Great-Hand Greene back in the day, you know."

Everybody in the room can't help but laugh.

"Now, Daddy," Maggie exclaims, "That's a lie!"

Great-Hand Greene calmly enlightens her, "It surely isn't."

This is the moment headlights turn into the driveway. Everyone turns to look. My heart squeezes. Dad and Glenn. The two lights come to a sudden stop, watching us like two eyeballs through the dark. The sound of doors slamming. I place my bowl on the coffee table and hurry out of the lounge room, followed by some other footsteps. But when I reach the foyer, the door bursts open without my doing.

Dad first, then Glenn. Both of my lungs deflating in relief, and then both of them knotting right back up again.

"That horde's headed this way," Dad wastes no time in announcing, "And it ain't stopping for nothin'."

Everybody freezes. A horde? The horde? Headed our way? Right now?

Rick pushes past everyone. "You saw it?"

"Trust me, man." He jokes dryly, shaking his head. "You can't miss this thing anymore."

"There were hundreds of them," Glenn agrees, frantic. His hair is suckered to his forehead with sweat, even though the season's turned. "We were over by Mallory Road when we caught wind of them; got us stuck for a couple hours until we could slip past."

"Not that it matters now," Dad snides.

Maggie asks, "Were you able to get the hearin' aid?"

He gives a nod, but nobody's paying attention. "Bits and pieces."

"Patricia," Herschel orders, our card game long forgotten, "Kill the lights."

We follow Rick out onto the porch. The night welcomes us with a cold gust of wind. At first, I can't see much of anythin', but then the lights blink out one by one and my stomach drops into the floorboards. On the other side of the field, leaking out from between the trees, are bodies, bodies, and bodies, so many it's not worth trying to count. They make the group on the highway look like a couple of stragglers.

As the masses of feet stumble up the driveway, I'm hit with the feeling that our fences aren't going to save us.

"I'll get the guns." Andrea mutters, and I think that feeling has hit everyone else, too.

Rick runs off in the direction of the cars. It's where we've kept our bags of emergency supplies for a time like this. Does that mean we're gonna leave? Or are we gonna fight? Is it even possible? I didn't even get to finish my soup. That feels important, somehow.

"Maybe they're just passing." Somebody stupidly guesses. "Like that herd on the highway."

"Should we go back inside?"

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about." Dad drawls, gazing out. "Horde this size will rip the house down."

I worry up at him, "Daddy, I don't want it to rip the house down."

He shushes me, putting a strong hand on the nape of my neck, squeezing reassuringly. I let it calm me. I feel a fool for panicking, but if there were ever a time to panic, it would be now. I cling to him as Andrea dumps the bag of guns on the floor. She passes them out to everyone that got two thumbs and a brain. Maggie, Glenn, Dad, Rick. Jimmy. Even Herschel. Nobody is being left out of this fight.

Not even me and Carl. A gun is pushed each of our hands. You know how to use it, I remind myself.

"This the plan, then?" Dad confirms with everyone, because it's crazy. "We take 'em all on?"

Andrea passes me a loaded mag. I don't have to count the bullets inside to know it's not enough.

"We have guns. We have cars."

"We kill as many as we can." She's on board. "We'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm."

"The burn pile," Glenn adds, "There's a bunch of kerosine and matches down there. We could lure them into the barn, set it on fire."

Rick climbs back onto the porch. "Bags are all packed. If things start to get hairy, we can leave."

"We're not leaving." Herschel argues.

"Herschel—"

"This is my farm." His voice booms as he pumps a pair of fat bullets into his shotgun's chamber, fire in his eyes. "I'll die here."

"Alright." Dad lilts over the droning rumble of death incoming, looking around for objections. "It's as good a night as any."

I get herded into Maggie's car. Dad gives my face a kiss and slams the door shut. I bump the mag up into the chamber. I know how to use it. I do. Two more slams. Glenn at the wheel, Maggie in the passenger seat. I've shot two walkers before, when I was out in the woods with Shane. I just have to do it again. And after that, again and again until they're all gone. Glenn stomps on the gas. The car screeches forward, ripping through the grass, barrelling into the night. I don't even bother buckling myself in. That's not how I would die tonight.

"You got enough ammo back there, honey?" Maggie fusses, digging through the glovebox and throwing me a spare.

"Thanks." I catch the cardboard box, trying not to shiver as Glenn rolls down all the windows. Groans and wind flood the car.

He shouts, "Start shooting!"

Just like that, gunshots erupt from all possible angles.

I grip my pistol tight, aim it out the window. You're gonna hold it like this, Shane's voice tells me, Firm. Confident. You're the one in control, here. I'm in control. My home's bein' invaded by the dead, and a horde this size might rip the house down, but I'm in control. The car spins. I lurch. It's hard to aim like this, but I gotta try. I line my eye up with the wobbling sight. I breathe in and out.

I squeeze. BANG. 

I can't even tell what I hit, or if I hit anything at all, but it don't matter. I squeeze again. BANG.

Glenn weaves us in and out, around, through the horde, never getting too close, never veering too far.

In the other car, T-Dog, Andrea, and Carl. They swerve around us, shooting down every dead bastard they can hit.

I squeeze. BANG.

BANG, and again, BANG, and again, BANG.

The jaw of a nearby walker explodes off its meaty hinges. It swings around. It trips. It slumps. I've killed it.

"How we doing back there, Harley?" Glenn calls out. "You okay?"

"I— I'm fine!" I shout back, pulling my body back into my seat to reload.

I peel open the box of ammo. A curse falls from my tongue when the little bullets go tumbling onto my feet, rolling under the seats. I quickly snatch them up, shoving them into the mag. On the other side of the car door, fireworks of gunpowder and bullets, squealing tires and breaking bones, a blazing Hellfire lighting up the sky. Orange and roaring. I notice it, then. Dad. Rick. That must be them. They've set the barn on fire. It's cracking and falling to pieces, a burning church. The walkers fight to get inside like it's the last Sunday on Earth.

An important beam succumbs to the flames, snapping in half like a broken twig, bringing the rest down with it.

I hear wood breaking, and then there are chickens running lose across the field, screaming, flapping.

I squeeze and I squeeze and I squeeze. BANG.

A rotten old man crumples to the ground. BANG.

A lady's shoulder bursts open, a pop of bone and muscle. BANG.

A girl with one of the poor birds in her mouth, choking on feathers, dead. BANG.

For every one we kill, five more are there within a heartbeat to replace it. Glenn's foot falters on the pedal, and we come to a crawl, and then a stop, unable to do much but watch as the farm is consumed. This is a losing battle. There's no other type.

Herschel said we weren't leaving tonight, but that can't be true. I guess he is a liar, after all.

"We gotta go," Maggie's shaking her head, the tears in her eyes collecting like little pearls. "We're not gonna win this. We gotta go."

As if only to prove her point, the barn collapses once and for all. I almost feel like crying.

"I'm sorry, Maggie." Glenn says weakly.

Yeah. Me, too. I gaze out at the oak tree, still standing bravely; the little wooden crosses clueless beneath it.

As Glenn drives us back into the chaos, my pistol stays in my lap. I don't got any bullets left, anyway. I just sit there, watching everything pan by. Mine and Dad's camping spot, tucked away in the distant trees, just how we liked it. The crumbled fireplace where I talked to Dale for the last time. The shed. The swing outside it me and Carl used to play on. The orchard. The patch of dirt where Sophia died.

I wish I had the power to know when things were gonna end. That way, I could've savoured my last day.

It's not as cool as the superpower's them people in Carl's comics got, but it's the one I'd want.

It was silly. Working on the fences today with Rick and T-Dog made me think we were gonna be okay.

When I look up, we're approaching the house. Jacqui's sitting on the porch steps all by herself, staring out at us.

Glenn pulls us in close, getting out and hovering around the hood of the car, waving her over. "Come on! We gotta go!"

I crawl across the seats and shove open the door. "Jacqui? Come on!"

She's not coming. Why is she not coming? The door is open. We can all leave together. When I call out her name again, she convulses ever so slightly, as if she's got a bad cough but doesn't wanna let it out. I feel my face fall all at once. Her arm gives out, slumping from her neck, into her lap. I notice the blood first, all ten gallons of it, and then the bite. Her muscles spasm again. Oh. No, no, no.

"Jacqui?" I call out uselessly, but Glenn's already back in the driver's seat and Jacqui's already dying.

"C-Close your door, Harley," He orders, slamming his own.

She's dying. We can't stay here. I know both these things, but it still takes everything in me to pull the door shut.

After that, the deaths just keep coming. We drive past Patricia as the horde pull her into their mouths, Jimmy as he stumbles from the RV, clutching at his open throat. There's nothing we can do for any of them, but we manage to reach Carol just in time. She climbs into the seat next to me, and we ask her if she's seen anybody else, but she hasn't; she hasn't seen anybody.

Turning my face to the open window, I let the wind dry my tears, seein' as my Daddy ain't here to do it for me.

The faces of the horde pass by, a sea of rats on a burning ship.

I want to go collect my things. I want to pet the cows one last time. I want to do everything we won't get to.

My body lurches all on its own, then.

A face in the crowd. It's different from the rest. I'm not good with faces or names, something my teachers used to grumble over, but I'm good with this one. That one walker, tucked in with the rest of them, wearing the Police cap. It's Shane Walsh, dead and walking.

How? How is that possible? Why are the tears back tenfold, now?

Lit by the moon and the flames, I see his broken cheekbones for the first time since that day, the way they're bulbous like apples, mishappen like clay. Everything about him is wrong. His nose is broke. Clothes all mussed up. Ribs pouring. His eyes are glossed over. He don't seem to mind his broken body, or the fire, or the smoke. He just wants what all other walkers want. To bite into something. It's him, but not.

I almost want him to look at me. I clutch my locket, wanting our eyes to meet just to make him prove it.

This just can't be true. He didn't get bit. He got shot and beaten, but he didn't get bit.

As if I've willed him to do it, he looks my way.

"Carol," I croak, watching as he noses at the air like the animal Dad always said he was, "You got any bullets left?"

I feel something being placed in my hand. It feels just like the locket, but colder. I shakily load it into the chamber; lift the gun. I believe in you, His voice is back. Now line your eye up with the sight. I stare down the barrel, carefully placing his face on top of the sights. I only have this one bullet. I can't miss. Not only because I need to put him down, but because I think I want to make him proud.

Breathe, I take a deep breath, In and out. 

Damn it. These fuckin' tears, they're messing up my aim. I smack them away and line up my shot again.

And squeeze.

BANG.

All the air rushes outta my lungs as his body hits the ground, disappearing amongst the horde.

I lower the gun.

Carol's already looking at me before I glance her way.

When we peel onto the highway, I can still see the flames burning over the tops of the trees, like some old religious painting.

Maggie breaks the silence. "What if nobody else made it?"

Nobody answers. I preferred it when the only noise in the car was the gentle humming of the engine, but I can't blame her for asking. We got no idea who else made it out alive. The four of us are all alone out here. Ain't no phone number we can just dial to ask if they're alright.

"They made it," Glenn eventually just decides, staring out at his high beams on the dark road. "They had to."

"Well, how are we going to find them?" Carol asks innocently, petting my hair as I lay my head in her lap. "They could be anywhere."

Maggie sighs. "We could circle back to that place I found y'all on the highway?"

"No," Mumbles Glenn. I can see his finger tapping against the wheel. "No, the horde came from that direction."

That's where our ideas run dry.

"Glenn?" I whine, clutching at my temple. He glances at me in the mirror, concern in his eyes. "My head. The ringing. Hurts."

He makes a troubled sound. "It must've been all those gunshots... I'm sorry."

Carol suggests, "Maybe we should just stop somewhere for the night."

There's a pause between them, but it's a short one, because it doesn't take much for Glenn to agree. He's musing to himself about how we can't drive all night. It would be a better use of gas to drive in the daylight. But really, we all know it's because he's a big softie.

He pulls us into a little nook on the side of the highway, killing the engine and turning on the ceiling light.

"I'm sorry," He says again, as if he put the ringing inside my head himself. "Maybe there's something in the supplies?"

Maggie unzippers the bag at her feet, pushing around the stuff inside it, shaking her head. "Just some water. Thirsty?"

I shake my head.

"I think we should all get some sleep." Says Carol, her voice a whisper.

Yeah. A good sleep sounds really good right about now. I think we've earnt it. Georgia will still be here when we wake up.

"Okay." He reaches up to press the ceiling button that turns on the moon, its dim white light spilling across the console in the dark. We all loosen slightly, completely exhausted. "We can just pick up again tomorrow. I'm sure the others are doing the same thing."

"Goodnight," Maggie tries to smile, reaching around her seat to stroke my shoulder.

"Goodnight," I mumble, echoed by Glenn and Carol, and then it's silent.

I close my eyes.

No eggs and buttered bread for breakfast today. Just a stale granola bar I gotta split with Carol, and a sip of water I gotta split with all three of them. After we take turns peein' in the bushes outside, we're back on the road again, and we're on it all day.

I don't know where we're going. I don't think Glenn knows, either.

I'm starting to think we might be driving all night, too, by the time we run into the others. That's right, the others. Herschel's shitty old pick-up truck is parked in a swath of brown leaves on the side of the road, right next to Dad's truck and bike, and another grey car.

When Glenn pulls on the brake, I think we're all crying happy tears, but I'm too busy crying happy tears to notice.

I climb out, grinning, running into my Dad's arms.

"Harley," He sighs in relief as he picks me up, squeezes me tight. "I knew they'd take good care of ya."

"I knew you'd take good care of you," I giggle, hooking my chin over his shoulder.

"How did you guys find each other?" Glenn marvels.

"Well, when I saw their little Toyota goin' the speed limit," He nods behind him, "Figured there just had to be a cop at the wheel."

As chuckles break out between the group, he places me back on the ground.

Maggie asks, "Where's the rest of us?"

"We're the only ones that made it so far," Rick answers, and it's now I notice just how much smaller we are now; barely ten. We're just as alone as we were when it was just me, Glenn, Maggie, and Carol. No shelter, no food, no direction. Feathers in the wind.

"Where's Andrea?"

Lori shakes her head. "She was with us at the farm, but we got separated."

"Did you see Jacqui?"

Jacqui. Poor Jacqui. Maggie, Glenn, and I share a look without even meaning to.

"It was awful, Dad," I mutter, the memory caught in my throat, "We found 'er by the house, but we had to leave her behind."

Glenn explains, "She was bit."

"They got Patricia, too." Beth says. "Took her right in front of me. I was holdin' onto her, Daddy, but they just..."

"We saw Jimmy, too." Maggie sighs as Herschel wraps her little sister in a hug. "He was in the RV. It got overrun."

"But, you guys definitely saw Andrea?"

"There— There were walkers everywhere," Lori seems sorry to say, "But, yeah. We saw her."

"Well, we have to go back for her."

Rick argues, "We don't even know if she's still there."

"She ain't." Dad butts in. "She's either somewhere else or she's dead."

"So, we're not even gonna look for her?"

"No. We gotta keep moving." Rick agrees. "There's walkers all over the place."

Maggie scoffs, "That's an understatement if I ever heard one."

"I say we head East." Dad suggests, pointing vaguely in the direction of the sinking sun, cresting through the fog. "Head East, and stay off any main roads like this one. Bigger the road, the more walkers we gon' run into. The more assholes like this one."

He lifts his hands from where he's been resting them on my back, swinging the crossbow off his shoulder.

"I got him." He grumbles, sending a bolt through the stray walker's nose.

"Well, I hate to tell you guys," T-Dog scratches at his head, "But we been riding red for the past hour."

"We can't all fit into two cars."

Rick decides, "We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning."

"Spend the night here?" Beth hisses, shivering lightly. "I'm freezin'."

"We'll build a fire." He gestures at my Dad. "You can go out lookin' for firewood, but stay close."

He raises a greasy brow. "I only got so many arrows, man. We can't just sit here with our asses hangin' out."

"Watch your mouth," He snips.

Glenn raises his hands at the group. "Everyone just stop panicking, and listen to Rick."

"Look, Glenn and I can go make a run right now," Maggie placates, "Try and scrounge up some gas so we can get back on the road."

"No." He shuts her down. "We stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

That other side of Rick is back - Someone I might as well start callin' Second Rick; Scary Rick - and everyone can tell. It's the same one that was outside the shed, telling us with no room for argument that he was going to execute Jim. He's tense. He's a rubber band pulled tight, his eyes darting from face to face, just waiting for a flash of disagreement from somebody for him to pounce on.

I make sure he don't find one on my face. I'm not keen on upsettin' him.

Glenn's a little braver than me, though, because he says incredulously, "Rick, we're stranded now."

He shakes his head. Not listening. Not accepting it. Just, No, no, no. 

"I know it looks bad," He reasons, even though we don't need to be told. "We've all been through Hell and worse. But we found each other. I wasn't sure. I really wasn't, but..." He scans our faces again, a little less coldly this time, taking us all in. "But we did it. We're together, and that's all that matters. We'll find shelter someplace. It's gotta be out there somewhere. It's gotta be."

But we had shelter already, I feel like shouting at him, I don't want another one.

"Rick, look around, okay?" Glenn's voice raises. "There's walkers everywhere. They're— They're migrating or something."

"There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up," Rick doubles down without care for what he's saying, smacking his knuckles into his palm. "But that we can fortify. Hunker down. Pull something together for ourselves. Build a life for each other."

That's what we tried to do at the farm. He should know that. He was the one fixing the fences with me.

"I know it's out there," He says angrily, as if that place he's talkin' about is hiding just to spite him. "We just have to find it."

I muster up the courage to voice my thoughts.

"But, Rick," I say, "How many those places we already been?"

He shakes his head again. "We fooled ourselves into thinking they were safe. We won't make that mistake again."

At the quarry, our mistake was being too close to the city. That was way back in the beginning when nobody had died yet, and we thought we just had to wait it out until the army came. But they didn't. And after that, our second mistake was trusting Jenner. We wanted answers, but we almost lost everything trying to get 'em. Then, the farm. I guess that was a mistake, too, now. You never know 'til after.

I don't say anything to that. It's cold, and I'm hungry, and I don't want to argue any more.

He's pleased with my silence. "Okay... We make camp tonight here; get back on the road at the break of day."

Carol murmurs something.

Whatever it was, Beth agrees with her. "What if walkers come through, or another group like Jim's?"

"Speaking of Jim," T-Dog fixes Rick with a look. "We ever gonna talk about him?"

Lori's confused. "What do you mean? What could possibly be left to talk about?"

"We saw him turn," He's happy to reveal to everyone. "Thing is, though, he wasn't bit."

"How is that possible?"

"Shane, too." I blurt. "I— I saw him when the farm went down."

Lori turns her gawking expression onto her husband. "What the Hell is going on?"

He's not looking at any of us. He's glaring at some ordinary pebble on the ground, brooding, hesitating.

Then, "We're all infected."

What?

It's so vague and profound that nobody knows what to make of it.

My Dad does us all a favor and squints at him. "How you mean?"

"At the CDC," He confesses, his voice a hoarse whisper that I can only just make out, "Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

We all carry—? The germs that make the dead ones come back? We all carry them?

He's been lyin' to us this whole time. The CDC, that was months ago.

Sometimes, lying ain't just sayin' something. It's not sayin' something. Daddy taught me that the night I told him I'd had a good day at school, and then come dinnertime, I let it slip that Ethan, the boy that sat behind me in class, had actually punched me in the belly that day at lunch. He got so mad. He ripped off my shirt. There was a purple blotch on my pale skin. Then he taught me how to punch boys back.

That's what Rick's done. He's hidden a purple blotch from us, and now we should be angry.

Carol steps forward, her silver brows pinched. "And you never said anything?"

I consider my body. I don't feel sick. Not like I did when we thought I was bitten.

Rick lamely asks, "Would it have made a difference?"

Yes, I think, but he already knows that.

Glenn accuses him, "You knew. You knew this whole time."

So, that's why Jim and Shane woke back up. You don't gotta get bit. You just gotta die and come back with enough to be able to bite.

That means even if you jumped off a bridge and all your bones were broken and you died, you would still come back.

My—

My Momma would'a still come back.

"How could I have known for sure, huh? Until we found Jim, I had no proof Jenner was even tellin' the truth. You saw how crazy that mother f—"

Glenn cuts him off. "That is not your call. Okay?"

"When Daryl found out about the walkers in the barn," Lori adds, "He told everyone as soon as he had the chance."

Rick don't care. "Well... I thought it best if people didn't know."

Glenn and Dad look right at me. Like they've both thought the same thing I have. They're the only ones here that know what happened to my Momma. I remember telling Glenn about it at the CDC. Momma. We were outta the city when it happened. It was the night the world ended twice. First when we got the call, and again when our neighbours tried to eat us. It's a lot of people's worst ever night. It's mine.

I won't ever know for sure, but I'd be kidding myself if I thought the rules didn't apply to my Momma.

At least we know that if any of us were to die, the others would make sure we didn't turn. Survivor's honor, or whatever it's called.

The silence goes on for so long that he just gives us one last look over, turns, and walks away. Nobody cares where.

Dad crouches; looks up at me. "You okay, baby?"

"Yeah," My voice wobbles, but I'm telling the truth. "I just... Don't wanna think about it."

Glenn clears his throat. "Well, it looks like we don't have much of a choice about this. We need to set up camp."

As everyone slowly breaks off to do their part, Dad takes my hand and leads me over to his motorcycle. "Got somethin' for ya."

Oh, right. The hearing aid; bits and pieces.

I'd almost forgotten.

"I hope it ain't complicated," I tell him, fiddling with my craggled ear. "Maggie said Herschel don't know about this stuff."

"We'll figure it out." He promises, before squeezing my hand and letting it go. "I ain't even sure if they work."

He opens the saddlebag, taking out a wrinkled plastic bag. He reaches in and pulls out what looks like an unusually shaped piece of skin-colored plastic with a rubber bulb on the end. And two other hearing aids, one brown and one purple, the type I'd recognise.

He stuffs the bag away and tucks some hair behind my good ear, making room to stick the first one in.

"I think it goes like that." He leans in closer, messing around with something on the back of it. "How do I—...?"

Something clicks.

All of a sudden, there are birds in the trees.

My eyes go wide, jaw dropping, gawking out at the forest like I've never seen one before.

A grin sneaks its way onto my face.

"The birds," I muse quietly, taking in the sounds of their distant chirps. "I can hear 'em, Dad."

It's not perfect. It's not as crisp as it was before. I think the batteries are low. But I don't care. It's still one of my favorite sounds.

He's smiling faintly up at me. "Good."

"Dad, your voice!"

"My voice?"

"I forgot what it's s'posed to sound like," I giggle. "It's so loud. And annoying."

He snorts, giving my butt a smack for being silly. "Well now when ya tire of my naggin', you can just pull that thing out."

As quickly as it had come to life, it makes a crackling noise, a sudden beep, and then there are no more birds.

I pluck the aid out my ear, giving it a bittersweet look. It didn't last forever, but it was nice while it did.

He mumbles something; then, louder, "We'll find some more batteries soon. Sorry, baby."

"Don't be sorry." I say. "It was perfect."

After packing them back into the saddlebag, we leave to collect firewood together. I imagine the sounds of the birds around us.

Night comes. We can't stop it.

I pretend we're camping.

We're not stranded. No, we just decided to go on a camping trip together because we thought it would be fun. That's why we're all huddled around a campfire in the dark, instead of sleeping in our beds at the farm. I'm curled up against Dad's stomach, which is better than a bed, I think. Beth's cuddled into her Dad's side, too, staring into the flames while Maggie and Glenn whisper to each other beside them.

I wish we had a deck of cards. I wish any of us would wanna play.

We got nothing but a wall of stone to protect us from the forest on the other side, but I pretend that away, too.

I just focus on the sound of an owl hooting somewhere off in the trees. I bet it ain't scared. Owls; they know the night.

Tomorrow, we're gonna have cheap steak and ketchup for breakfast, and then Merle's gonna let me sit on his shoulders just like always.

"We're not safe with him," Carol suddenly mutters, and that's not something I can pretend away. I'm back here, now, and we're stranded. No steak. No ketchup. No Merle. "Keeping something like that from us. Why do we need him? He's just gonna pull us all down."

Maybe I don't wanna be camping, anyway. It's good enough right here, surrounded by the people I care about.

"Nah." Dad's voice is a rumble in my lower back. "Rick's done alright by me and mine."

I cuddle further into him, shuddering lightly as he rubs my cold arms. His leather vest don't make a great blanket.

"You're his henchman." She reminds him. "And I'm a burden."

He scoffs. "And Harley?"

"You both deserve better," She says softly, her face pensive in the orange light.

It don't matter what we deserve, I told Shane when he said the same thing.

Unamused, Dad pries, "What do you want?"

"A man of honor."

"Rick has honor."

They leave it at that. I think they wish we had a deck of cards, too.

The owl hoots again.

Then, a branch breaks.

CRACK.

I straighten.

"What was that?" Beth murmurs worriedly. "Was it a walker?"

We all stare off into the dark, ready to fight whatever might come out of it.

"Could be anythin'," Dad mumbles as he stands, readying his bow. "Could be a racoon. Could be a possum. Could be the Easter bunny."

Carol hugs herself. "We need to leave. I mean, what are we waiting for?"

"Which way?" Glenn asks.

Maggie points at the thin trees behind T-Dog. "It came from over there."

"That's back from where we came."

"Yeah."

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark." Rick scolds us, reminding us he's here. The light from the fire washes him in flame, the dried blood on his forehead glistening with sweat. "We don't have the vehicles. No one's travelling on foot."

"Don't panic," Herschel soothes us all calmly, still clutching his shotgun.

Maggie argues, "I'm— I'm not sittin' here, waitin' for another herd to blow through. We need to move. Now."

"No one is goin' anywhere," Rick snarls.

"Do something!"

"I am doin' somethin'!" He retorts. If he really was that rubber band, this is the part where he would snap in two. "I am keepin' this group together. Alive! I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this. I shot my best friend for you people, for Christ's sakes! For you Daryl, and you, Harley. I was the one that took care of Jim. Me! Everything! Everything has been on me!"

I know I said we were supposed to be angry with him. But, actually, I think we're just scared.

Lori's holding Carl's head to her chest. Dad stands in front of me, as if he doesn't want me to see. T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie; all with their mouths sealed shut, not sure where to look, or what to say. Is this really the same Rick that comforted me at dinner?

"Maybe you people are better off without me." He shrugs, taunting us. "Sure. Go ahead."

I've never had to be a leader before. I did have to kill Shane, but Rick's done so much more for us. I'm not better off without him.

"I say there's a place for us out there, but maybe—" He's just rambling, now. "Maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe I'm— Maybe I'm fooling myself again. I'm just as much a sucker as Shane was. But, hey, why don't you go find out yourself?"

He sweeps his hand behind him, presenting us with the forest.

"Huh? Send me a postcard."

I can't hear the owl anymore. I think it flew away.

"Go on. There's the door. You think you can do better? Let's see how far you get."

I pull the leather of Dad's vest up to my face, shyly peeping over the top of it; breathing shakily. I don't want to see how far I can get. I want to stay right here with my people, whether we're starving or not; freezing or not. I think everyone else does, too.

Or at the very least, they want to stay here where there's a warm fire and guns.

"No takers?" He lilts. "Fine. But get one thing straight. If you're staying—"

He pins every single one of us with a look.

"— This isn't a democracy, anymore."

That word Dale used. The one that means things is fair.

Then he sits right back down where he was before, like he didn't just threaten to abandon us all.

Slowly, everyone else sits back down too, because there's nothing else to do. We all heard him. We can't leave. When Dad settles in behind me again, I squirrel into his chest, his arms wrapping around me. There's no sound except for the branches crackling in the fire and the heartbeat beneath his shirt. I don't know where we go from here. But I do know Dad will keep me safe, and Rick will keep the group safe. He's worked himself raw and bloody to make sure we survive. The fish fry, the CDC, the highway, Shane, the fall of the farm. All of it.

We didn't survive all that bullshit just to fall apart now. There's still something out there for us.

We just have to find it.

Author's Notes.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed 😊

I'm sad to see the farm go, but we had a nice time while we were there.

Please leave a comment! I'm anxious to hear from you all after so long :)

[velvetvexations]

because he's still super keen

on two-thousand, two-thosuand thirteen

I would presume so, yes, to avoid them.

However of course I do not know anything other than what the post said. If there are lots of things the post did not say that point to it being a lie and the blogger being a liar who is a part of a psyop, please disregard as this would be based on false assumptions. I just wanted to say something if that was the only evidence since I know that lots of people are not actually lying about thinking that, since I know people who talk about it IRL and are very serious. And I am pretty sure were born in America, although I guess spies take their work really seriously and maybe some of them could be spies? But that seems like a weird thing to think about my friends, and since I went to elementary school with one of them, I can at least say that she's 100% American and itd be really hard for her to be a spy since shes just lived a normal life and has been really really poor the whole time, and she doesnt even put politics on social media because shes scared of getting fired, so IDK if there would be a point to hiring her. Thats rambling LOL sorry. Point is I'm pretty sure they're all real people so I think real people also do that but also maybe Im surrounded by spies O__O

If the reports payed off, we can assume Tumblr looked into the situation and determined it was election interference the way they did in previous years. What seals it for me is that they were advocating voting for the "Unicorn Party" on the basis that their candidate legitimately had a chance and once elected would sign a bill to make abortion legal. It's almost impossible to be that stupid unless you're a gullible, uneducated teen being intentionally fed misinformation.

[rorywritesjunk]

!! Vent !!

I'm so sorry btw. Just needed to bring it all up.

Sometimes I just sit and think about the fact my brother was born about a month after I turned 12

(Jan. 15th and Feb. 23)

At first, it was just helping here and there. Still everyday. But I could get into bed on school nights (which instead of sleeping was me time mostly because yk)

Slowly he became my full responsibility. At like 13-14 I was accused of being on drugs. I wasn't doing 🍃 at the time.

So my mom goes through my entire room, finds nothing.

What was really going on? I was just tired. No mom, my eyes aren't red from 🍃, it's because you just woke me up. I mean, sure, I was laying on laundry in the bathroom.. But come on! Give a girl a break. I was TIRED.

when COVID hit, it was full time. 24/7. So since I was home, I was taking care of my dad's mom and my brother. While trying to keep up with school work and zoom classes. To say I did horribly..

But by the end of that school year my mom pulled me out of that school and put me in homeschooling.

So. That's great. I guess I could say I have experience in childcare. Not that I ever want to work with children.

I'm undiagnosed, I know that. With what? Probably a lot of shit.

My brother is ADHD/autistic we believe (not hard to see it) and I have to be the one watching him every day?

Who thinks it's a good idea for a holding-on-by-a-thread neurodivergent adult to take care of a equally neurodivergent child?

My mom apparently.

And she still gets pissed when I don't finish something or do something.

I'm simply just tired. So tired.

One day I know I'll get to leave, go stay with my girlfriend. Or my aunt. Whichever comes first. I know it will get better. I just have to keep going. I know I'm likely burned out but I don't have much of a choice. I still have a child who relies on me.

And you know what? My mother calls me so many different fucking names. Yells. (Which, I WILL cry whenever someone raises their voice at me.)

I'm a bitch if I get an attitude.

I'm a bully if I'm not nice to my brother.

I'm stupid and ignorant if I don't understand something. Which, I'm now too scared too ask for someone to repeat something or to ask for help. Because I should know how to do the thing already apparently.

I'm a liar when I say I don't like ground meat because of its texture. Because I've ate it before. Or, when I say I'm going to the bathroom but my brother doesn't want me to leave. And I go to the bathroom, but then I go sit in my room.

And *oh* the disappointed and disapproving look my mom has given me as she passes my room after I refused to cuddle with my brother saying "it would have only taken only ten minutes and he would have went to sleep"

context: My brother will ask to cuddle when he's tired. And if you allow him to curl up he'll likely fall asleep within 10-30mins.

More context: SA has made me VERY uncomfortable with just about anyone touching me. Sometimes I can't mentally or physically handle anyone touching me AT ALL. and it got really bad so I was turning down my brother a lot. And yeah, I feel fucking shitty. I love that kid.

But I need space sometimes.

And often these things linger in my head. It gnaws. It's always there. I randomly cry at night because of the amount of fucking shit my family has put me through.

Sometimes I feel like I'm actually a really bad person. That I am these things I'm called.

Then I remember. I video things I do sometimes. While chatting with the people I'm closest to. I talk through my process. I can stay on track. It's a lot more fun.

Also I started this really upset and um lost what I was saying. But um that's actually a lot I wrote, I'm sorry.

Peace out

—🍃🍄💫🌾

Wow.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with all that. Children shouldn't be raising children at all. I've heard and seen so many parents do that to older kids, make them in charge of their younger siblings, take care of them, see to their needs, everything. It shouldn't happen.

I'm betting your mom is around my age so I'm ready to throw down.

And please know you having boundaries with your family, especially your little brother, is fine. He needs to learn that sometimes you need your own personal time, as does your mom, because you're a human and not an in-home babysitter.

Ugh. 🧡 I'm sorry you've been dealing with this. I'm going it looks up soon for you!

[sphxremint]

(man this art is really old but im usin it anyway lol)

☆ Heya heya一it's me, Mint!

I'm the guy that does the funny draws (and music (and sometimes edits)).

Some of you have definitely heard that line way too many times before. Or some of you probably just know me as the Simple Yet Stupid guy. If you haven't seen me before, congratulations! You've successfully met "that guy" (me) for the first time!

This is my tumblr. I reblog stuff I think is neat and post art/music/stuff I like once every [unspecified time frame]. I dipped (sort of) from Twitter (ah, sorry一ECKS [X] as it's called now) like a year or two ago because some guy had too much fun ruining it. Now I'm here more often!

Right, this is an intro post. lemme get on that...

☆ cool things you should know

• I'm 20 (born July 4th, on MINT day. not whatever the hell independence day is. eugh)

• I'm aroace (certain of it now! we out here)

• I'm black (there's like no way to make this funnier it just is what it is)

☆ some other neat stuff

• I draw!

I'm definitely not consistent with it at all, but I'm trying, 'cause it's fun and I like doing it. I may be into a lot of medias too, but I'm mostly an oc artist, and it's a curse I will bear until the end of time

• I make music!

I'm also not very consistent with it, but I'm a bit less open about it... I do it for fun, really; though it's more of a personal thing compared to my art.

• My timezone is CST

...which is about UTC -05:00. if you need to know that. i know we all got varied timezones

• I'm very good at being inconsistent!

(such as basic punctuation and grammar. cause thats important. sometimes i'll actually use apostrophes and sometimes ill just completely forget mid-sentence. lmao)

☆ my 5 core interests

aka. The main things I like! I switch between the 5 of these on a whim. You can inquire me about any of these. Be ready when it happens.

• Sonic The Hedgehog (he's just THAT GUY, yknow. just a guy who loves adventure. ultimate life forms and whatnot)

• Kirby (i'd forfeit everything for him. #1 blorbo living life)

• FINAL FANTASY (esPECIALLY XIII and XIV. but it's mostly XIV. two lalas ready for Dawntrail WOOO)

• Celeste (#1 game ever. i love everything about it so much, i naturally get my friends to play it. i'm also pretty good at speedrunning. smile)

• and anything osc! (though I'm not part of the fandom "like that". just on the surface layer, yknow? bfdi, ii, boto, ppt2... funny shows go brrr)

☆ cool and awesome tags

□ #mint.txt = probably some random garbled text i spat out one night

□ #mintdraws = i sure do! and you should go look at it!

□ #mint.png = funny image included (not guaranteed)

□ #mint.mp3 = rarely use this but i still want people to know i make music

□ #mint.ask = because i get those. sometimes art, sometimes stupid funny stuff

□ #simple yet stupid = yeah its for those funny objects i talk about. i put this one here just in case

□ #mint's expoboard = i'm probably talking about one of my ocs

☆ and some extra stuff i guess

□ my sonas and stuff if you need that

□ my carrd! go read it cause most of my extra links (and contacts) are already there

□ my toyhou.se Did you know I have a toyhou.se? because I never shut up about my characters, and sometimes people just need the Repository of Information. well... here it is.

Okay. I'll update this post more as time goes on, but... that's about it. That was probably like a read and a half. oops.

Remember: if you do follow me, you are (unofficially) officially consigning yourself to my presence and any stupidity and/or brainrot that follows.

...if that's cool with you. lmao =ᴗ=)b

(big shoutouts to the old pinned i had. you will forever be missed)

last updated: 08 / 27 / 2024

[ask-the-royal-absol]

Destino: Let's begin, peasants!

@ask-guardian-gallade

*Destino takes one look at Romeo and makes a disgusted face.*

Oh great. The walking stick over here decided to make an appearance. Your face reminds me of something. A Stunky's backside. Nobody wants to see it but it keep rearing it anyway. And you lost your arm too? How did that happen? Wait, let me guess. Your battling skills were so bad that you lost it to the first Pokémon you saw? I wouldn't be surprised if you lost it to a Sunkern. I've heard how pathetic they are. Perhaps you're a Sunkern in disguise, considering how weak you look. I could probably knock you over with a single breath. Snap you like a twig too. You should probably be more careful around other Pokémon. I wouldn't want you to loose your other arm because they gently bumped into you.

@spikyegg

*Destino laughs as soon as they see Derek.* You think that ensemble looks good on you? Haha! That's probably the funniest thing I've seen all day. You look like if a Trubbish decided to take a shit and proudly display it on themselves. And that head piece? That's probably the most flattering part about you. Then again, you're not anything special to look at. Main character? Of what novel? Because I doubt anyone would want to read a book with you as the protagonist. I think you probably misunderstood your role. You're one of those character who would appear for a second and get easily forgotten because of how little impact you more than likely have in this world.

@team-pokefriends

*Destino looks at Sophie, shit-eating grin on their face.* You know, I love it when other Pokémon create impossible dreams for themselves. Like you. Dreaming of being cool looking like that? How truly inspiring. The cape certainly doesn't help. Did you really think putting that ridiculous cloth on you would suddenly make everyone think you're cool? Perhaps you should change your dream to being the world's most deluded Slowking. At least that's achievable. And you're one of two leaders of a Pokémon team? However did your team mate allow that to happen? I mean, sorry to say this but it's clearly some elaborate prank they thought of to make you look stupid. I doubt I'd ever want you to lead a team if I made one. That's sending so many red flags. I'm surprised you haven't failed miserably yet.

@nobetternamethanthat2

*Looks towards Daniel, feigning surprise * Wow. I'm speechless. I truly am. I didn't think I'd find someone so ugly but here we are. I should give you a medal for going around looking like that. And the outfit too? Oh man, I feel sorry for anyone who decides to hang around with you. Then again, I imagine they're doing it for pity. And come on. At least style your hair a bit. Put a bit of effort into your appearance. I know not everyone can look as magnificent as me but at least try to have some dignity. I would offer to make you at least look somewhat decent but I doubt even my skills could help out in that department. How could you ever make yourself look presentable when each mirror you come across cracks at the sight of you?

@neverlandfaerai

*Destino looks at Agatha with a mock surprised face* The god of creation decided to make you look like that? I wouldn't be surprised if you were one of the idea they threw away and ended up accidently being created. I imagine they regretted that decision. I mean, who would even care for a decrepit creature like you? Do you even have any friends? Family? I highly doubt it. Why would anyone want to be around some washed up old crone? And please don't speak. It makes it much easier to maintain my illusions of your intelligence that way.

@ask-suicune

*Destino takes one glance at Zantzu and smugly smiles.* Well well well. If it isn't the water type who decided a scarf would be a good thing to wear. Perhaps you should get a bigger scarf to cover more of yourself up. And what is up with those ribbons? Born with ribbons coming out of your ass? Damn, I almost feel sorry about how ridiculous you look with those. And that hair. Purple. Did you dye it that colour to make yourself look a shred bit presentable? No? You were born with it? What a disaster for you. I'm surprised you wake up everyday telling yourself you look ok. Your scent is also incredibly interesting too. Did you attack a Stunky or did one just sneeze on you? I thought water types were supposed to be clean but the whiff I got of your stench makes me doubt what I've heard.

@askpokemoncrossover

Sai. You know, you amaze me. Being some mad scientist's fucked up creation must be so hard for you. That's not the case? How on earth would you explain your looks? I have the belief that every Pokémon can be strong. Looking at you though, I can see I was wrong. Those noodly arms would barely be able to get a single hit on an opponent. I guarantee that if I used my weakest attack on you, you'd flop to the ground in an instant.

And I doubt anyone would come running over to aid you. You look like the type of Pokémon not even a mother could love. Does anyone love you? If you said yes, that'd be the funniest thing I'd have heard in a long time.

@ask-lu-two-and-mew

Now, help me out Lucario because I'm really struggling to understand how you could ever think that face mask could work. That's natural? What an absolute shame that is. Perhaps you should cover up. At least then your friends wouldn't be embarrassed being around you. And a fighting type too? I thought fighting types were supposed to be these strong looking Pokémon that could hold their own against any opponent. I doubt you could even put a dent in a geodude. I imagine everyone else probably fights your battles as they would see how pathetic your attempt at fighting was and take pity on you.

Destino: Don't worry, I'll come at the rest of you later. I know you all crave my attention. I understand. Who wouldn't?