#IVE BEEN ROBBED *kneels on floor*

[blabberoo]

What we could've gotten 😩😩😩

[yourescapetofiction]

The Tides Have Turned-Part 19

A/N: This is my old work, The Tides Have Turned. It is a complete story that I am reposting on this blog so the work isn’t lost and can be found for those interested :)

Nineteen

City lights flashed past the car windows as Sam sped through the quiet Hampton’s town. We all sat awaiting the arrival to the destination the mysterious stranger gave us. After about another twenty minutes, Sam slowed as we saw a large neon sign designating the bar was just up the road. Sure enough the fluorescent sign shone in a bright green light as Sam pulled into the first parking spot he saw.

“Come on! He’s gotta be around here somewhere!” I shout exiting the car. I scrambled around the dark parking lot, the sounds of a packed bar muffled in the night air. I walked past rows and rows of cars scouring every small crevice that Nate could be hiding in. Still nothing.

“Do you see anything G?” I yell to where Gilinsky was walking around bushes.

“Not yet!” he shouted back.

“Guys over here! The pavement backs into an alley!” Johnson said waving at us manically.

Sam and I broke into a full on sprint to the direction where Johnson was heading. I saw two shadowy figures in the distance, and to my relief made out the familiar dark curly hair. I stepped in front of Sam to get a better look at the two men, and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears as I finally came face to face with the boy I desperately searched for.

Nate looked terrible, beyond terrible actually. He was lying in the alleyway, his clothes tattered and worn. His dark hair was wild, and he had large bags under his eyes. He was barely conscious, and wasn’t responsive when Johnson kneeled to his level trying to speak to him. His belongings surrounded him on the pavement, his wallet and keys scattered everywhere. I bent down and cupped his face in my hands.

“Nate, baby, open your eyes. Look at me please” I plead. His head just rolled between my touch, his eyes glued shut.

“Holy shit, how far gone is he?” G asked worriedly, crouching down beside me.

“I don’t know man, I came out of the bar twenty minutes ago and found him being robbed” the older man said standing there uncomfortable. “Dude was so out of it, they took him for all he had, starting to lay a beatin’ on him before I came and threatened them with the cops” he said again, sorrow on his face.

The more I examined Nate’s face the more I could see bruising begin to form. He really looked like he had the shit kicked out of him. My stomach twisted at the thought of a helpless Nate.

“Man, we owe you big time for this” Johnson said in awe of the sheer luck we had.

“Hey man it’s nothing, I couldn’t leave him to be killed like that” the guy shook his head.

“How did you know to get in contact with us?” I ask looking up at him.

“Well I bent down to try and get him to talk to me. His name, anything. He is so out of it, but he kept mumbling the name y/n over and over again. I figured that was someone important to him, so I went through his phone and found a contact by the same name” he elaborated.

“We better get him to a hospital” G said swinging Nate’s lifeless arms around his shoulders. Sammy quickly scrambled to get Nate’s other side and they dragged his limp body to the car. I gathered the few things he had left from the concrete, and tucked them safely in my purse. I could see drug paraphernalia scattered on the dirty ground.

“Sir, I cannot thank you enough” I said pleading with the guy. He held up his hands as if to say no apology necessary. I ran and gave him a tight hug, a small show of gratitude before I ran back to the car. Sam resumed his spot in the driver’s seat and sped off to the hospital. I stared at Nate’s gaunt face as the street lights washed over him every few seconds.

I stroked his skin, which used to be soft, feeling stubble and grime. His arms were bruised, and his clothes smelled of smoke. Seeing Nate in this state damn near broke me in two. Sam got us to the hospital within ten minutes, record speed.

We rushed in through the emergency room and were swiftly greeted by a team of nurses and medics. They whisked Nate off on a stretcher to a wing of the hospital that was shut off to us.

“The waiting room is down the hall, we’ll find you when we have any information” a nurse said. We just nodded and padded down the hallway.

I sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs, 3/5 of the squad surrounding me. The boys looked exhausted, like they hadn’t slept in days. It was startling how stress can do that to a person. Sammy couldn’t really sit still for long, he would get up and pace every few minutes, running his hands through his hair. It was a nervous habit he had.

Sam came and sat next to me, wrapping his arm around me and extending his hand to rest on Johnson’s back. J grabbed my hand, and G grabbed the other. We bowed our heads and sat in a semi-comfortable silence. No words were spoken. We just held each other and waited.

3 hours later…

We sat slumped in the chairs, trying desperately to stay awake. It was around 2 in the morning by now, but everybody refused to leave.

“Is there a family for a Nate Maloley?” a doctor with a clipboard asked openly to the room. We immediately scrambled to our feet and rushed over.

“Yes, yes. That’s us” I say. The doctor furrowed his brows slightly at the fact that a group of young people were waiting for Nate and not his parents. Our eyes pleaded with him to tell us the story.

“Well, your friend is stable” he said. I let out an audible sigh, while Sam rubbed his face in relief.

“He’s lucky he got here when he did. Another twenty minutes and he would have been dead from a drug overdose” he said solemnly. My heart stopped at his words. A drug overdose? My sweet Nate dead from a drug overdose? How could this ever happen.

“He’s resting right now, but will be discharged in the morning. I advise that you keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t relapse” the doctor said before walking off.

We pulled each other in for individual and group hugs. We did it. We saved his life.

“Listen, you guys can go get some rest. I’ll stay with him,” I say wiping a tear from my eyes.

“No way. The squad has to stick together, we’re family” G said shaking his head with determination. With that, we proceeded to Nate’s room. He laid there asleep, multiple IV’s in his arms. His chest was rising and falling ever so slightly.

Gilinsky and I shared the giant armchair that was right next to his bed, while Sammy and Johnson sat on the floor and in the other chair. I grabbed Nate’s hand and just held it in mine tightly, hoping some of my body heat would somehow transfer to his cold body.

The next morning…

Nate’s POV

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar room. I had no idea where I was, but I felt like I had been hit by a train. My entire body ached, this was worse than any hangover I have ever experienced. I blinked multiple times trying to focus on my surroundings, and to figure out what happened. I felt a twitch on my right hand and averted my attention to the feeling. The first feeling I’ve had in days.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the familiar head of hair that I adored more than anything. She was grabbing my hand and had her head resting on top of it, asleep. I continued to look around, noticing a sleeping Gilinsky resting on the back of the same armchair she preoccupied. Sam and Johnson were here too, knocked out against the back wall.

“Hey,” I said in a soft tone, but loud enough to stir them awake. She lifted her head in a daze, before her eyes flew open at the sight of me awake.

“Nate! You’re awake!” she said before smoothing her hair.

“Where am I?” I asked, still fuzzy on the details.

“The hospital man. You were in pretty bad shape” Johnson said coming over to my bedside.

“How?” I ask again, still confused.

“Drugs man. You overdosed,” Sam said with extreme regret. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t remember the events of the last few days so well, I remember drowning myself in alcohol and smoking a few things more than I normally would.

“Mr. Maloley?” a nurse knocked at the door, and we turned to face her.

“Yes” I say, removing my hand from y/n’s grip.

“How are you feeling today?” she asked coming to check my IV’s.

“Extremely hungover” I answer, rubbing my eyes. She chuckled at my response.

“Yes, well, your doctor has cleared you to go home” she said before issuing me my discharge paperwork.

The squad surrounded me as we made our way to the car. They walked around me so cautiously like I was a child taking his first steps.

“I can do this you know” I say.

“Yeah, we know man” J answered, yet still remained tentative around me.

We piled into the car and rode in silence back to the house. Was I grateful to them for saving my life? Of course I was, I’ve never had anybody do anything of this magnitude for me. No matter what happens in this life, my love for these four people will never falter. Regardless, I still had some shit to work through.

We arrived back at the house and I walked slowly through the front door, where I was greeted by Swazz and the others. They looked like they hadn’t slept either.

“Nate, shit man there you are” Swazz said pulling me in for a hug. I gave him a quick pat on the back to let him know I’m okay before I sat on the couch.

“Here man, drink some water” Cam said handing me a bottle.

“Thanks Cam” I say before unscrewing the lid and taking a large gulp.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun shining and the waters blue. It was like the events of the past 24 hours hadn’t happened. Life moves on, regardless of if you’re ready for it or not.

The squad surrounded me on the couch, y/n sitting on the ottoman directly across from me. She rested her forearms on her knees as she watched me intently.

“What now?” Sam asked, nervous and without direction.

“I think we have a talk” y/n said to me. I nodded my head before looking down at my lap.

This is it. It is time to finally come clean.

[intothedanvers-e]

Unspoken

Word Count: 2.8k Pairing: Peter Parker x reader (Boy Meets World AU)

Summary: You’ve known Peter Parker since you were kids. You’ve gone through elementary school and middle school with him and his attached-at-the-hip best friend Ned Leeds. You and Peter always had an unspoken chemistry, you’d always considered him one of your best friends; but why did starting high school make you feel like there was something more there? Something the two of you felt like you couldn’t say out loud out of fear of shattering your friendship?

Author’s Note: i hope you all enjoy this chapter! sorry i posted it so late, ive had it written for a while but ive been busy all day so i hope you enjoy it! if you want to be part of a taglist lmk! comments and feedback are encouraged :)

Here’s my masterlist!

Prologue Part 1 Prologue Part 2 Prologue Part 3

Chapter 1

It was the last week of summer before you started your senior year, and luckily Mr. Stark also gave the four of you another summer internship. This time around he was letting you guys get more hands on, even letting you get one on one time to help him make improvements onto Peter’s Spiderman suit. You were working on something with Ned when Tony rushes down the stairs and called to you.

“Y/N your dad is on the phone.”

“My dad is at work why would he be calling me?”

“Don’t know maybe he wants to check in?”

“He knows I’m here and that I’m safe.”

“Y/N, go answer the phone will you?”

You finally looked up at him and caught on to his facial expressions. You set down your tools and rushed up the stairs. You saw Peter on the couch with an ice pack resting on his eye, squeezing a pillow to keep himself from screaming while Pepper tended to a wound on his abdomen.

“Peter are you ok?!” you said kneeling down next to him.

He was sweaty and clearly in pain, but smiled as soon as he saw you.

“You should see the other-HOLY SHIT!”

He instinctively grabbed your hand and squeezed it.

“You’re doing amazing bud,” Pepper said trying to smile at the injured boy.

He gave you a weak smile and tried wiping away at the sweat that was forming again on his forehead, but he didn’t let go of your hand.

“Tell her what happened Parker,” Tony said crossing his arms in front of him.

“Yeah tell me what happened Parker,” you said trying to smile empathetically.

“I was walking over to buy my regular sandwich at Mr. Delmar’s shop and I walked past a group of guys who were all talking about how that was the ‘next spot’ they were planning to ‘hit’ tonight when no one was around so I hid in the alley and suited up thinking they were trying to rob the shop.”

“Keep going.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Turns out…they were just repair men. One was actually Mr. Delmar’s cousin, and he didn’t want the repairs to take up business time so they had agreed to meet after he closed for the day.”

“Wait so how did all this happen?”

“Oh he’s not done,” Tony said taking a step closer to Peter.

“I thought it would be best to stop them before they could commit the crime you know? So I… “

“Peter you didn’t,” you said face palming onto your other hand.

“Oh he did.”

“They thought I was trying to rob them so they started hitting me with their equipment, who knew pipes were that strong? Anyway your dad rushed out and I tried to explain to him, which ended up in him explaining everything to me, and well you know.”

“Peter why’d you do that? You should’ve just called the police.”

“He did it because he’s a kid and still doesn’t fully understand when to ‘jump into action’. Seems like a painful way to learn this lesson kid.”

“He was doing the right thing Tony. He was protecting his neighborhood,” Pepper said taping gauze over his abdomen injury.

“No Pepper, this was not the right thing darling. There are things put into place to help prevent stuff like this, it shouldn’t have to fall on the shoulders of a 17-year-old kid!”

“But it does Mr. Stark I- “

“No Peter it doesn’t and it- “

“I’ve been going to that shop since I was a kid. I went to his baby shower, he asked me to be part of his daughters 15th birthday celebration, I know how much that shop means to him and his family. I refuse to let anything happen to the people in my neighborhood Mr. Stark, and when I have powers that can prevent the people I care about being hurt it does fall on my shoulders to protect them. I’m not complaining about it, but when you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you.”

Pepper put a blanket over Peter and rubbed Tony’s shoulder before walking out.

“We’re having a very serious discussion about this later kid,” Tony said before walking out behind Pepper.

“Y/N please don’t- “

“I’m not mad at you Peter,” you said giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

He didn’t have to hold onto it anymore, but you didn’t want him to let go.

“You know I had to- “

“Peter, if I were you I would’ve done the same thing.”

He smiled up at you and readjusted the ice pack on his face.

“I’m just sorry that this had to happen to you,” you said looking down to gauze that was creating a slight bump under the blanket.

“It’s nothing really.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” you said suddenly engulfing him in a hug.

He was a little caught off guard but quickly hugged you back. You could feel his body relaxing into the hug, and if you were honest so was yours. You cleared your throat and quickly stood up.

“So the suit needs more defense.”

“What?”

“It needs more defense mechanisms. It needs a way for you to take hits and not feel it as much.”

“That sounds so cool.”

“I can already think of a couple ideas that could work. I gotta go get my sketchbook.”

“Hey wait don’t leave me!”

“I’ll come back up you big baby,” you said before descending onto the stairs.

“Love youuuuu,” he yelled in a sing-songy tone.

You smiled as you climbed down the steps.

The day before your first day of senior year you spent it as a lazy day at home. Tony and Pepper left for a small vacation, MJ was having family from out of town visit, Ned was doing some research on the courses he was taking this year, and Peter was going to spend all day with May. Your dad was gone almost all day so you spent it cleaning the apartment and had now moved on to cleaning your room. You were cleaning out your notebooks from last year when you suddenly heard a tap on your window. You turned to look at the window, but ignored it and kept cleaning. Suddenly the window was pulled open and Peter was jumping in.

“That always scares the shit out of me you asshole! I told you to text me before you do that!” “I did! I got no reply!” he said throwing his backpack and webbing it to your wall.

You looked at him confused and looked around the room.

“You know what, I have no idea where my phone is so you’re right. Sorry bud.”

“You keep doing…that and I’ll call it and see if it rings.”

“It’s on vibrate,” you said giving him an innocent smile.

“Okay, well shush I can hear the vibrations remember?”

“You’re so useful,” you said trying to clean your desk drawers out as quiet as possible.

He called your phone, walking around your room to see if he could hear it vibrating. He walked up to your closet door.

“Did you clean your closet today?”

You thought for a second before nodding.

“I did!! And my dad called me while I was to let me know he was going to eat dinner with the Delmar’s, so I probably left it in there. Thanks Petey,” you said opening the closet and grabbing your phone off the shoe rack.

You threw the phone onto your bed and walked back over to your desk. Peter closed the closet door a little too hard and you heard something come slamming down.

You turned to look at him.

“What did you do?”

“Sometimes I forget that I’m a little too strong,” he said quietly as he sat on your bed.

You rolled your eyes and walked back over to the closet. You opened it and on the floor was your box, the lock had snapped and the stuff was all over your closet floor. You bent down to pick it up, and Peter felt bad so he came to help you.

“No it’s fine I got it.”

“No let me help I feel bad.”

“No Peter it’s fine you said you- “

“Does that envelope have my name on it?”

“No! I just need to pick up all- “

“Y/N a lot of those say Peter.”

You grabbed all the pieces of paper and threw them into the bottom half of the box that remained. You managed to get them all out of his hands.

“Peter let it go,” you said taking the box over to your desk.

“Hey you forgot something,” he said holding the picture of your mom.

You took it and put it on top of the other pieces of paper face down.

“Thanks,” you said looking down at the floor.

Silence engulfed the room.

“Y/N I’m not an idiot, a lot of those papers said my name on them.”

“Well all of those papers are none of your business,” you said turning away from him and going back to cleaning out your desk drawers.

“Oh we’re keeping secrets now?”

“Oh fuck off, I’m not in the mood for a little Peter Parker guilt trip.”

“Y/N I’m serious. I trusted you with my biggest secret in my entire life. If those pages say my name on them, I think I have a right to know.”

“You know what Peter no you don’t. If I went into your room and looked at your diary and decided to read it because it said my name in there, does that make it ok?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ground. The both of you went quiet again, you continued to clean.

“It’s a journal.”

“Thanks for the clarification.”

“And for the record, it does say your name. A lot.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to force you to let me read it.” The room went quiet again, only this time you knew it was because he was thinking of a smart-ass comeback.

“So you keep pictures and things from your mom in a box with letters from your summer fling at writing camp and pages with my name on them? How am I supposed to react to- “

You turned around and grabbed the pages and slammed them on the bed.

“Take them. Just fucking read them already, just don’t say I wasn’t trying to save our friendship.”

You picked up the trash bag full of old school supplies and walked out to your kitchen to throw it away. You grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and sat at your dinner table. You always thought about if Peter would ever read everything you wrote about and for him at camp, but you didn’t want it to happen like this. It was your senior year and you didn’t want to lose your best friend or risk tearing apart your friend group. You sat for a few minutes before grabbing the bag of your new school supplies and walking into your room. He was sitting on your bed holding a medium sized notebook. He pat the empty space on your bed next to him. You set down your school supplies and sat next to him. He put the notebook in your hands.

“Every page with the folded corner is about you.”

There were a lot of pages with folded corners. He watched as you read a few. The first few were about how much Liz complained every time he brought you up. The one that caught your attention was about the day they broke up, it said she yelled at him that if he was in love with you to just dump her…so he did. The next few were about MJ and how she would be suspicious every time he brought you up, but not suspicious of you. The page that talked about their breakup, MJ straight up told him that he had a very obvious crush on you and that he should’ve spent his time pursuing you instead of her. Finally, the most recent pages were about conversations about you to Tony and Pepper and how much they liked all liked you. A few pages were about how all this time you spent together just kept making it clearer to him that he was in love with you, but he was too afraid to say anything at this point because you never dropped any hints that you liked him. You closed the notebook and looked up at him.

“Peter I- “

He gave you a quick kiss on the lips, warm but innocent.

“I’m sorry I just have been waiting forever to do that.”

You smiled at him and connected one of your hands to his cheek.

“If I want to ask you to be my boyfriend do I have to get approval from Tony Stark?”

He threw his head back in laughter, quickly holding your hand that was on his cheek with both hands.

“I hate you!”

You turned to face him a little more.

“It’s our senior year. You do realize after this year the both of of might not even be in the same state anymore?”

He turned his whole body to face you and grabbed both of your hands.

“I knew you were the one since you hit that girl with a wooden block in kindergarten because she called me yucky for being your friend who was a boy.”

You laughed.

“I was in love with you when we lived in the apartments next to each other, even if you’re on the other side of the country I’ll still be in love with you.”

You smiled and gave him another quick peck on the lips.

“Wait so did you say yes to being my boyfriend or?”

“Yes you headache of a woman.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way,” you said intertwining your fingers.

“So Ned and MJ?”

“We can’t tell them Pete.”

“What! Why?!”

“Ned and MJ are the number one people who can’t deal with change! If we tell them on the first day of our fucking senior year that we’re dating, they’ll have a fucking stroke.”

Peter sat and thought about it for a second.

“Maybe I should tell them about Spidey first?”

Your eyes lit up.

“Yes! Oh yes please! I’m tired of not being able to talk about it whenever they bring up ‘The Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman’ everyday. Please please please Peter!”

“Okay okay. We’ll give them time to adjust to that then we’ll tell them about us.”

“Hey I hid my feelings for you for years, this is a piece of cake. Plus, that makes it even more our thing. They wont be suspicious of our Thursday pizza nights or our Monday movie nights because we’ve been doing them for years, only now we get to do them as a couple.”

He laid back onto the bed and pulled you into his side. Suddenly the front door opened.

“Hey I’m home Y/N!”

The two of you jumped up, you grabbed his stuff and shoved him into your closet. Just as you shut the closet door your dad opened your bedroom door.

“Hey dad! How was work?” you said trying to casually lean against the closet door.

“Good! All ready and set for tomorrow?”

You nodded and pointed around the room.

“Yeah, I wanted to clean up before embarking on my last year of highschool.”

“My baby girl is getting big!” he said walking over to you and pulling you into a big hug.

“Dad!”

“I know, but you know how much I love you. And now because of Tony Stark you can spread your wings and fly anywhere.”

“But I’ll always come back for you,” you said smiling at him.

“That’s my girl. Don’t go to sleep too late, I’m off to bed,” he said kissing the top of your head.

“Goodnight dad,” you said closing the door as he left.

You opened the closet door and put your finger up to your lips, signaling to Peter to be quiet as possible. You heard the doorknob turn and Peter quickly got under your bed.

“Did you eat?”

You turned around and tried to cover any lingering view of Peter.

“Yeah! Ms. Dolores next door made burritos and she brought over two. There’s one in the fridge for you.”

“Heck yeah! She makes the best burritos. Okay night honey,” he said closing the door behind him. You quickly opened the window for Peter and he got onto the fire escape. He pulled off his mask just high enough to give you one last kiss.

“Text me when you get home please,” you whispered to him.

“I will. Sweet dreams babe,” he said giving you a quick kiss on your forehead.

You smiled and watched as he webbed his way home. You quickly changed into your pj’s and got into bed. You could swear the smile on your face was going to be there permanently.

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[patrick-hockstutter]

Wasn’t the Right Time

Henry Bowers x Reader

“H-Henry…” Your voice was wearing thin as you clasped a hand to your mouth, trying to keep the remaining contents of your stomach inside. You knew he probably couldn’t hear you; the kitchen was on the complete opposite side of the house from where you were, draped over the toilet. “HENRY-,” you managed to shout out, desperate for his company as you were cut off by another dry heave. You clenched your eyes shut, but tears still triumphed in spilling down your cheeks, the pain almost unbearable as you vomited for what seemed like the hundredth time. To be honest, you were surprised there was anything left to choke up.

Your tear stained face struggled to look up as you heard Henry crash through the door, his worried expression morphing into a countenance of true horror as he saw your body, pale and shaking, sprawled out on the floor, exhausted from being sick so many times without mercy. He rushed over to you, falling to the floor before scooping you into his arms, placing you gently in his lap.

“(y/n), what’s going on?” He hurriedly asked, his voice wavering as your tears pooled in the cloth of his shirt, “What’s happening?” He brushed the stray hairs out of your face, gently placing the back of his hand to your forehead to check your temperature. You were burning up, which terrified him all the more.

“Henry, it hurts,” you whimpered, your breath hitching as you sobbed into his chest, “It hurts so much, Henry, make it stop,” your sobs were nearly uncontrollable at this point and seeing you like this made him start to tear up as well.

“Baby, what hurts?” He was trying his best to remain calm, but his tone was frantic. He watched you intently as you tried to speak, but you had grown weaker and weaker as time went on, leaving you unable to answer him. “(y/n), show me what hurts,” he offered weakly, holding out a hand for you to place, “Please, baby, show me what hurts…” He bit his lip as he felt your clammy hands meet his, shaking as you brought his hand down to your stomach.

“Fuck,” he breathed out upon impulse, now starting to panic, “Fuck, I don’t-“ You squeezed his hand, wincing from another wave of pain. “I don’t have time to freak out,” he took an unsteady breath, picking you up before making his way into the living room, walking slowly to ensure your comfort. “I’m gonna go call Belch, okay, he’s gonna take us to the hospital,” Henry lay you down on the couch, giving you a soft kiss to the forehead, “I’ll be right back, okay, I’m not goin’ anywhere without you.” You managed a small nod before he shot up, darting to the kitchen where the landline resided.

You strained yourself trying to listen in on the conversation, but you had lost so much energy and strength that it was nearly impossible just to keep yourself awake. You drifted in and out of sleep for what seemed like an eternity. You felt awful. Like you were suspended in time with eternal pains in your lower abdomen. The only thing keeping you hopeful were the snippets of Henry’s voice and the blurry glimpses of his face throughout the car ride to the hospital.

The next time you woke up, you could see and hear clearly, but you didn’t recognize your surroundings at all. You were in a hospital room, obviously, but you hadn’t been to the doctor’s in such a long time that you had almost forgotten what the rooms looked like. You looked around, seeing loads of equipment and machinery, hearing a cacophony of beeps and clicks. You knew it was all there to help you, but you couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. The thing that did make you nervous, though, was the IV in your arm. The nagging at the back of your head told you it was to replenish all that you had vomited out earlier, but you weren’t in a state to listen. More tears threatened to spill as you worried about it, looking around frantically to see you were alone in the room.

“H-Henry?” Your voice was hoarse from not speaking, but you were too scared to care, “Henry, where-“ You cut yourself off as you heard the door open, whipping your head around to see a doctor entering, Henry following close behind. You immediately flinched, regretting the decision to turn around so quickly, making Henry rush over to you, still worried sick from earlier.

“Hey, hey,” Henry said softly, putting his hand to your forehead again, “You should be resting, don’t move so fast,” he cooed as your body relaxed back into the hospital bed.

“Henry, what’s wrong with me,” you asked, voice trembling. He looked down at you, eyes filled with sorrow as he attempted the most unconvincing half smile you’d ever seen. He looked over to the doctor, who exchanged a nod with him before leaving, closing the door behind himself. “Henry,” you pleaded, your lip quivering as you tried not to overflow your mind with worry. He slid his hand down to your cheek, rubbing circles with his thumb as he looked into your eyes, treasuring the moment before he had to break some inevitably terrible news.

“You’re alright, sweetheart,” he spoke so softly you could barely hear the lack of steadiness in his voice, “You were pregnant, (y/n).”

You blinked a few times, opening your mouth to speak despite the lack of words that came to mind. You looked at him attentively, watching the way his eyes glossed over, the way his lips moved into a pout against his will, and the way he seemed to be crumbling before you.

“I- I’m…” You felt your heart break as you watched him crack, “I’m pregnant?” You asked reluctantly, hoping he was upset about how much pain you were in rather than the thought of having a baby with you. “Henry, we can do this,” you encouraged, praying to whatever was listening for him to stay with you, “It doesn’t have to be a bad thing-“

“(y/n)… You were pregnant,” he stumbled on his own words, maintaining his eye contact with you, as you were the only thing still keeping him together, “We lost the baby-“ Henry found himself unable to finish with a sharp crack in his voice, hanging his head to hide the tears now gliding down his cheeks from your view.

You looked at him, feeling your heart break all over again as you heard him muffle his own sobs. Although this time, it felt worse.

You watched your vision grow blurry again, silent tears falling from your vacant eyes as you took the time to process what was going on. For a few weeks, there had been a baby growing inside of you. Henry’s baby had been growing inside of you. A baby he had actually wanted to keep. But just like that, it was gone. Your body, whatever it had done, had robbed you of a child with someone you loved so deeply and unconditionally. It had robbed Henry. You had robbed Henry. You knew it wasn’t your fault, but you couldn’t help blaming yourself. It was easier for you to understand that way.

What went on those next few days, you couldn’t quite remember. You had taken a break from school to recover and Henry had been skipping, wanting to be there for you and take care of you in any way you needed. You remembered him talking to you, holding you, comforting you, but you couldn’t remember anything he said. You couldn’t remember speaking a word to him either, but that’s because you didn’t.

You hadn’t spoken in days. You barely ate anything Henry cooked for you. You almost never slept anymore either. You had completely shut down and Henry was trying his best not to. He had to be there for you. He needed to take care of you like you always did for him. So, damn it, that’s what he was going to do.

No matter how much it hurt when he would speak without getting a response, or look at you only to see someone half conscious. He felt a piece of him get ripped out when the doctor told him what they’d lost, so he’d be damned if he was going to lose you too.

“It would have been nice, you know,” he said, hoping that, even if you didn’t respond, you could at least hear him. He sat on the couch with you leaning against his chest, an arm draped around you protectively. “Sitting here with you, and… well,” he stopped himself, not sure if he really wanted to say it out loud again. If he really wanted to acknowledge the fact that this was your shared reality. “Getting to see you be a mom…” He smiled to himself momentarily, giving your temple a tender kiss, “Getting to know what being a dad feels like…” His smile faltered as he realized what he had just said. He’d hated his father his whole life, just as his father hated him. And now he wanted to be one to someone else?

“Maybe this was a good thing, after all,” he thought aloud, wallowing in a new pit of self-doubt he had just created for himself, “Maybe it was a streak of luck that baby didn’t have to have me as a dad,” he looked down at his hands, making a distraction for himself by entangling his fingers in your hair.

“Henry, don’t say that,” you spoke calmly, despite the shock the sound of your voice had caused the both of you to feel.

Relieved to hear your voice again, Henry slid off the couch, leaving you to sit forward on your own. He sunk down to his knees, kneeling between your legs as his hands found their way to your waist, and his gaze, to yours.

“(y/n), are you okay?” His grip on your waist tightened as he waited for your response, a smile creeping onto his lips as he saw the corners of your mouth rise ever so slightly.

“I’m okay,” you told a half truth. You weren’t okay, but as long as he was with you, that was all you needed. “We’re okay.”

He exhaled, his breath shaking from the slight laughter that escaped his lips. He was just so happy to hear you speak again. To see you smile again.

“It would have been nice,” you agreed, scooching yourself forward to place your hands on his neck, “And that baby would have been lucky to have you as a dad, Henry,” you smiled lovingly at the boy who was now trying not to crumble before you in a completely different way than before. 

“It would have been nice,” he repeated, pulling you into his chest, his arms holding you against him tightly, “It just wasn’t the right time, is all,” he tried to convince himself, although the wound was still very much fresh and bleeding.

“It just wasn’t the right time,” you confirmed, new tears falling from your eyes this time. Blissful tears. Thankful tears. “But someday it will be,” you hoped with every fiber in your being that you were right. And so did he.

“The rate Hockstetter’s going, he’s bound to knock up some bitch or another,” Henry offered, your only response being a cocked eyebrow, “Maybe we can have that one.”

It took you a minute, but you couldn’t help laughing at the stupid expression he was giving you. You never quite got used to his sense of humor, but damn, did you love him.

[ellygoesnyooom]

RFA + Saeran forget MC: part 2

Aaaand here is round two of three of angst! This has Jaehee and Jumin, the next one will have the Choi bois! Enjoy!

Part one (Yoosung and Zen): here! Part two (Jaehee and Jumin) : x Part three (Saeyoung): here! Part four (Saeran): here!

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of guns, blood, general violence

Jaehee

The day was normal for the two of you; you opened up the café, worked hard to please the customers, and finally closed later that night. It was just the two of you, about an hour after closing, and you both were washing dishes. She was drying, and you were elbows-deep in frothy bubbles. She had music from Zen’s musical playing through the radio, and you both sang along, having memorized the words.

“Dance with me, Jaehee!” You called happily, taking your arms out of the water and grabbing her hand, dragging her towards the center of the room. You didn’t even bother drying your hands. “MC, the dishes!” She tried to reason with you, but quickly gave in, tossing the towel in her hand off to the side and grabbing your other soap-filled hand in hers. You two danced happily, singing along to the song and gliding not-so-gracefully around the shop. She rested her forehead on your shoulder, hers shaking from laughing so hard. This was the happiest you had ever seen Jaehee, and it warmed your heart to see her so carefree.

When the bell chimed above the front door, you both froze and turned. The music was still playing, echoing throughout the café, but that was long forgotten as a man stood in the doorway, a backpack slung over his shoulder. “Sorry, sir, we’re closed. We’ll be open tomorrow morning if you-“

“I’m not here for coffee,” He growled, and as soon as the door shut, he locked it. Jaehee’s hand tightened in yours as you both stood, wide-eyed as the man approached and withdrew a gun. “Okay, lovebirds, put your hands in the air.” You wanted to spit a snide remark at him, but with a gun involved, you quickly let go of Jaehee’s hand and raise them up in front of you. Jaehee stared, wide eyed, yet did the same. “Okay, you two, where’s all the money stored?”

“We don’t store our money here. It’s in the bank.” It wasn’t a lie, but that sure did make the robber mad. He jumped forward and wrapped Jaehee up in a chokehold, pressing the gun to the side of her head. You sucked in a breath, watching as she struggled in his grip. “Okay miss, if you won’t tell me where the money is, I’ll have to take this little lady’s life. Now, we don’t want that, right?” You shook your head and started to turn, when he snapped, “No,you stay facing me so that I know you aren’t trying to pull any funny business! And keep those hands up!” Swallowing the lump in your throat, you slowly started backing up, but then realized how to get Jaehee free. You subtly waved your hand, which brought Jaehee’s eyes to you. “Judo,” you mouthed over and over until realization crossed her face.

“What are you doing, praying? Get me the money, damnit!” You continued to back up until you bumped into the counter, then started to feel your way around it to the back of the shop. He followed, shoving Jaehee forward, who had her eyes shut in concentration. “It’s right under here,” You told him. “Let me kneel down and-“ He interrupted you. “Nope, no can do. I will do it, so that I know there isn’t any funny business going on.” He started to kneel down, but since Jaehee was about half a foot shorter than the man, she jumped up, her head colliding with his jaw. Then, she jabbed her hands back into his gut, using that to break herself free and grab the gun from his hands. “Oh, so little lady knows Judo, I see,” he sneered, a grin breaking out on his face. “Great, this will be fun.”

You didn’t know Judo, so you left Jaehee to fight off the man while you ran to grab your phone. With shaky hands, you dialed the emergency service, and quickly whispered to the operator the required information. When you heard a strangled cry from Jaehee, you whipped around, fear soaking you to the bone. She was sprawled on the ground, and the man was standing above her, the gun aimed at her chest.

“No!” You cried, throwing the phone onto the counter, still on the line with the operator, and dived in front of Jaehee, just in time for him to shoot the gun. The bullet hit your arm, but through the adrenaline coursing through you, it didn’t hurt too badly. “I called the police, and they are still on the line, and will be on the way here, so I suggest you take your gun and bad-boy façade and skedaddle. Or stay, it’s your choice. Either way, you will be caught and thrown in jail for what you have done here.” You threw your arm out with a hiss of pain and grabbed the gun, yanking it from the man’s hands and aimed it at him. ”Go.” The man stared down the barrel at you before quickly turning and bolting from the store.

You threw the gun across the room with your good arm and went to your phone, telling the operator that you had been shot and your girlfriend was unconscious on the floor before hanging up and rushing to her side. Carefully, you put her head in your lap and grabbed the towel from off the counter above you to tie around your wound. “You’ll be okay, Jaehee, you’ll be okay,” you whispered, the only other sound Zen’s musical echoing throughout the room.

When the doctors let you go later that night, you went straight up to ICU, where Jaehee was. The nurses allowed you to go in, so you did, and went straight to her side. Her hand, the one you had held in your own soap-filled hand, now had IV’s taped into them. Her eyes, once open and glittering, were now shut. Monitors beeped and whirred around her, broadcasting her vitals and heartbeat. She didn’t belong in here. If that man hadn’t come in, they wouldn’t have been in the hospital in the first place.

It didn’t take long for her to wake up, but when she did, you almost wished she hadn’t. The first words from her mouth were not what you had expected. “Who are you? Why am I in the hospital?” You swallowed back your tears before saying, “It’s me, Jaehee. It’s MC. You don’t remember me, do you?” She shook her head slowly, eyes analyzing your face. “I’m your girlfriend, and our café was just robbed. You fought off the robber, but he must have knocked you down, and you hit your head on the counter or something of that nature and got knocked out.” She looked confused. “I don’t own a café; I work for C&R as Chief Assistant.” Slowly, you shook your head. “No, Jaehee, Jumin fired you months ago. You opened the Café and asked me to be your partner.”

She bit her lip and turned away, so you took that as your cue to leave and grab a nurse. Before you exited, you told her you would be back, whether she heard or not was unknown to you. You stopped by the nurse’s station and told them what you observed with Jaehee, and left.

The next day, you came back to her sitting up and flipping through TV channels aimlessly. When she realized you were there, she turned the TV off and turned her attention to you. “You came back.”

“Of course I did, Jaehee.”  A small smile turned her lips up. You smiled back and pulled a chair up to the edge of her bed and sat down. “So, you say we are dating. And I was fired from C&R months ago. And I own a café.” You nodded, chewing on your lip. “That would explain why I have long hair right now,” she murmured, which made you chuckle. “Yep.” You fell quiet as she gathered her thoughts, then spoke. “I…believe you. You feel very familiar to me, like I’ve met you. And I always loved coffee, so the café makes sense. But why I was fired is beyond me.”

You took an hour to tell her about when you showed up in the chatroom, all the way up to yesterday. During that time, she took it all in, eyes and ears only for you. A nurse came in to check on her vitals, but other than that, her attention was solely on you. When you finished, she had tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t remember you. I’m trying, but I can’t.”

“It’s fine.” You took her hand in yours and squeezed. She squeezed it back, just like the night before. “I understand that you won’t remember everything that has happened, and I understand we may need to start from scratch. I’m perfectly fine with that, so long as I still have you. So don’t fret about this, okay? We will make it through, together.” You wiped a tear from her eyes, and she smiled softly. “Yes, we will. Thank you, MC.”

She never got her memory of you back, but in place of the lost memories, you two made even more. She always enjoyed hearing about stories from before the accident, and you were always glad to tell them. She was always grateful for what you sacrificed due to her amnesia, and you showed it back with your love and patience. It was hard, but you both worked together, and came back stronger than before.

 Jumin

It was snowing as he made his way down to the car waiting for him. Driver Mei Kim was waiting in the front seat as he slid into the back seat, brushing off the snow from his jacket. “To the penthouse?” Driver Kim asked, to which Jumin answered, “Yes, and make it quick. My darling MC is waiting alone with Elizabeth 3rd.” Driver Kim nodded, and pulled into the street.

Jumin was particularly excited to see you this day, as he was returning home from a week long business trip. He wanted to bring you so that you wouldn’t be lonely, but he would be tied up every day of the trip and wouldn’t have enough time to spend with you.  You would have just been sitting alone in the strange hotel room with nothing much to do, so he decided to leave you back.

He was going crazy at the slow pace the car was travelling. Everyone had reduced speed in the storm, the white flakes falling and whirling around the car in a white blur. Gosh, if he wanted to go this slow he would have walked! He would have taken the helicopter, but the harsh weather conditions would have made that both difficult and dangerous, so his only option was by car.

When the building came into view, his knees started to bounce slightly in impatience, but he kept his face straight and emotionless. He only let his guard down around you, of course.

As soon as the car was stopped, he didn’t wait for someone to help him out; he opened the door, stepped out, and started to briskly walk up to the door. “Mr. Han, wait! Slow down! The sidewalk hasn’t been salted yet! It’s icy!” He didn’t hear this soon enough. He took another step, still at the same speed, and his foot slipped out from underneath him. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. His arms started to flail as he teetered, forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards, until finally he fell backwards and kept going. He didn’t have enough time to catch himself, and fell onto the cement with a loud crack as his head collided with the concrete. Everything disappeared after that.

“Mrs. Han, you need to come downstairs quickly. Mr. Han has fallen and is about to be taken to the hospital via ambulance.” You stumbled back in shock. Jumin fell? And is downstairs, being ready to be taken to the hospital?

“I will be down in a second. Don’t let the ambulance leave yet.” You slammed the door and ran to grab your jacket and shoes, not even bothering to put them on until you made it to the elevator. You slammed your hand down on the main level button and slid your shoes on, watching as the doors closed agonizingly slow. “Come on, come on!” You yelled as it leisurely started its descent. The elevator kept stopping for various people to climb on or get off, and eventually, around the 30th floor, you bolted off the elevator. You ran as fast as you could, not caring who was watching or who you pushed aside. Once you reached the stairwell, you flung yourself down, running fast as you could down.

By the time you made it downstairs, you were panting and gasping for breath, but you could see the flashing lights of the ambulance outside, and see silhouettes of people moving about outside. The doors pushed open, and ran into someone who let out a surprised gasp, but you ignored them, carefully picking your way over to the ambulance. The paramedics were preparing to shut the door, telling one of the bodyguards they couldn’t wait any longer. You could see his figure on the stretcher, and men working around him. “Wait! I’m Mrs. Han, let me on!” The paramedics stopped, gave one look to her, and gestured for her to get on. You waved away any help and hopped in, settling yourself on his right side.

“I’m here, Jumin,” You choked out, gripping his hand. It was cold from the chilling temperature outside, and you wrapped your hands around his, warming it up as the ambulance took off, the sirens wailing.

The ride there was only a few minutes long. When you arrived, you were whisked away from Jumin. He was taken one way, and you were taken another to fill out paperwork. If Jumin were awake right now, he would be furious that you were alone without a bodyguard, but that wasn’t important at the moment.

You settled yourself into one of the hard plastic chairs and filled out the seemingly endless stack of papers. By the time you were done, all of the RFA had showed up. It was in the news, and they came as soon as they heard. How they knew which hospital he was in was beyond you, but you assumed since Seven showed up first, it was he who used his hacking skills to tell the RFA where they were.

Finally, a nurse came in and said he could have one visitor at a time. You stood up, wrapping your coat around you tighter as you followed her to the hospital room he was in. There were already bodyguards waiting outside, but they knew you and allowed you in.

Pushing the door open, you saw him sitting up, eyes closed and hands clasped in his lap. It pained you to see him reduced to the scratchy hospital gown and uncomfortable bed, but this was going to help him. His eyes opened and scanned over your face as you came closer and sat next to him. When you tried to grab his hand, he yanked it away. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

That stung. “Jumin, it’s me. MC? Your wife? The bodyguards let me in.” No light graced his eyes, and they stayed steely and cold. “I am not married.” You scoffed and grabbed his hand, pointing out your matching wedding bands. “We are married, Jumin. I’m your wife, you are my husband.” At that moment, a nurse came in. Her eyes scanned over the situation going on, at you showing him your matching wedding rings. “She didn’t tell you, did she?” the woman asked you, and you could only assume she meant the nurse who showed you in. You shook your head.

“He is suffering temporary memory loss due to the trauma of him hitting his head on the cement. It should be back in a day or so, so don’t worry. The doctor has deemed it a grade three concussion, but only because he was unconscious for 24 minutes.” Jumin tensed in the bed beside you, but didn’t say anything as the nurse checked his vitals and warned you that you had five more minutes before leaving you two alone again.

“So, ‘MC’. We are married? Since when? I feel nothing when I look at you. Plus, all I need is Elizabeth 3rd to keep me happy, what makes you any different?” Tears started to well up in your eyes at this. You knew the nurse said this should pass, but what if it doesn’t? What if you lose your husband to a snowstorm? “…I’ll be waiting for you at home, my love.” You brought his hand up to your face and pressed a kiss to the backside before he could react, and stood up, leaving the hospital room.

“I’m ready to leave,” You told one of the body guards outside the door, who then paged Driver Kim. “He will be waiting outside the front doors for you, Mrs. Han. Have a safe drive home,” The guard said, giving your shoulder a sympathy squeeze before you turned and left. As you passed the waiting room, you saw Jaehee standing off to the side, talking on the phone with someone. Yoosung, Zen, and Seven were sitting in the chairs, murmuring amongst themselves. You decided you would just tell them via the chatroom that you left, and exited out the front doors. Driver Kim was waiting out front, and you slid in, slamming the door and asking him to take you home.

  The next day, Jumin arrived home, but his memory was still gone. The doctor had given him pain medication for his concussion and instruction to not work or strain his brain for the next few days. You were left in charge of making sure he didn’t, but that was easier said than done when he didn’t even remember how you met, or who you were. It was as if you were a stranger who lived with him and knew his deepest secrets, and you could tell he didn’t like that.

“Jumin, you can’t do that, go back and rest.” That would result in him kicking you out of that room as he worked. That repeated, until the only rooms you were allowed in were the guest bedroom, the bathroom connected to that, and the kitchen. So that is where you stayed. You sent him texts to remind him to take his meds, and send him good morning/night text messages, but that is all the contact you had with your husband for two days. You weren’t even allowed to go by Elizabeth 3rd.

It was the end of day three of the memory loss. You were starting to worry that he would never remember you. Worst-case scenarios ran through your mind constantly, breaking you down until you just lay in bed for the whole day. When a knock sounded, you thought it was a bodyguard making sure you were okay. “Go away! I’m not dead in here!” You shouted, but the door opened anyways. You sat up quickly in bed, ready to tell the guard off, but stopped short when you saw Jumin standing there, eyes glittering. “I remember.” That is all he said. The two words brought tears to your eyes as he came closer, sat down on the bed, and engulfed you in his arms.

You two just sat like this, him holding you as you cried into his shirtfront while rocking gently back and forth. “I’m sorry, my love. I feel horrible that I did not remember you and treated you as if you were a prisoner in your own home.” You leaned back to look him in the eyes. His hand came up and brushed the tears from your face as you spoke. “That was not your fault. Yes, I did feel bad, and yes, I did miss my husband’s embrace as I slept, and yes, I did struggle. But you know what, dear?” You took his cheeks between your palms. “You remembered. I don’t know what brought it back, but you remembered, and that’s all that matters. Let’s move on from this, shall we?” He nodded, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips before drawing you to him.

“Uh, Jumin?” You murmured into his chest. “Yes, my love?”

“Am I allowed out of the guest bedroom now?” A deep chuckle vibrated through his chest as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Yes, yes you are.”

[littlebitoffanfic]

Arms

Fandom: Overwatch Character: Junkrat Relationship: Junkrat/reader Request: Im soo happy you can write for Overwatch!!! Could you please write a oneshot for Junkrat where hes injured and when the readers worried about him, he tries to make the reader laugh again and it turns into a confession? Thank you It was late when you finally gave up on the little thing you had been tinkering with. Signing with frustration, you threw it across the room, bouncing it off the opposite wall and it fell to the ground. “Whats up, Sheila?” A voice from the door way and you heard the uneven footsteps of Junkrat as he entered the room. “I just know how to-“ You trailed off and looked over your shoulder to see a rather dishevelled looking Junkrat. He was leaning to the right side and was covered in dirt, soot, bruises and blood. “What happened?” You jumped from your seat and ran over to him, your eyes scanning his body for any sign of permanent or dangerous injury’s. “Aint nothing. Just a bit of a scrap, ‘s all.” He shrugged, his lips pulled up into his permanent grin. “No need to worry ‘bout me.” He giggled. You had known Junkrat the majority of your adult life, given the two of you had paired up after you had both tried to rob a bank on the same night and, after things went wrong, had had to work together to get away. You had been there when Roadhog has joined you and Junkrat. The three of you made a rather good team. The added muscle of Roadhog made it easier to drag Junkrat away from fights or explosives while you were a voice of reason in the group and the brains. IN fact, you were the one who designed and, with the assistance of Roadhog and input from Junkrat, created his mechanical arm and leg. You grabbed Junkrat by his mechanical hand and dragged him to where you had been sitting, you pushed him into the chair as you fetched the med kit that you kept in the ‘work’ room after Junkrat continued to injure himself in this room when he tinkered with bombs and you got fed up of running to the kitchen for the kit. “Aint nothing wrong!” Junkrat protested when he caught on to what you were doing. But when he saw you weren’t going to let him leave without you looking him over, he slouched in the chair, lazily swirling around in it. You liked the chair, it was one of those office chairs with wheels. You couldn’t count how many times Junkrat had wanted to spend time with you and so had grabbed the back of the chair and pulled you into another room. You couldn’t understand how he had managed to get into such a bad state. The three of you had been out in a pub but you had left about 2 hours ago. But you ignored in, pulling the kit back and placing it on the table, opening it to pull out some antiseptic wipes. You then kneeled in front of him and took his human hand in your own, starting with his battered knuckles. Despite his verbal protest, he made no effort of move away from you and allowed you to work across his body, cleaning the cuts and making sure he was okay. Occasionally, he would giggle and laugh to himself, but then he would fall back into a comfortable silence. you finished, noting to yourself to check him over again in the morning in case you had missed anything due to your tiredness. Your eyes then fell on an open cut on his cheek you had missed. You got to your feet so you were able to reach it easier and started to dab the cut. “You have to be more careful.” You spoke in a soothing voice, trying not to sound like you were scolding him. You saw his face break into another smile, an eyebrow raised at you. “You know I don’t like to see you hurt like this. Plus, I’ll need to check over your arm and leg to make sure theres no damage.” He let out a loud laugh that you had learned to associate with when he had an idea. Then, his mechanical arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you down onto his lap. “Junkrat!” You couldn’t help but giggle as he used his mechanical leg to kick the chair around in a circle. “Oh no! IVe lost control of them!” He cried out in an obviously fake voice of fear. You had to wrap your arms around his neck to keep yourself steady even though his arm was securely around your waist. “Get your grubby mits off her!” He cried out, using his human hand to grab the mechanical one and try to pry it from your side. He made grunts and he wrestled with himself. “Its trying to take you, [y/n]!” You were laughing so hard that tears started to flow down your cheeks. No one could make you laugh this hard, and it was something Junkrat prided himself on. “I wont let you take the one thing I love away from me!” He said, almost too fast for you to full catch it, but you did. You saw the brief moment that Junkrat had realised what he had said, his gaze falling on you, the battle forgotten and the chair coming to a halt. In that moment that you looked at him, you knew you loved him. Whether this was a joke that had went too far or a genuine confession, you didn’t care. You had always loved him. “Well, if these are our last moment together…” You trailed off as you leaned down and pressed your lips to his own. Your hands rested on his shoulders, feeling the muscles there tense before he let out a small moan and kissed you back. Both his arms had wrapped around your waist and held you securely against his chest. You felt him shiver under your touch as he quickly started to dominate the kiss, growling into the kiss. You smiled against his lips, loving how you could feel his reaction. You pulled back slightly, feeling him leaning forward, obviously not wanting to break the contact which made you giggle. “They seemed to have settled.” You said, looking down at the mechanical arm. “I think this is the only way to stop them! You gotta keep kissing me.” Junkrat spoke with a grin plastered on his face as he pulled you closer. “Oh well, if it’s the only way.” You shrugged, moving down to kiss him again. This time, the kiss was more relaxed, more comfortable. You quickly realised that Junkrat would be a loud lover, because he let out soft groans, moans and noises against your lips. But you didn’t mind. You couldn’t help yourself as you let out your own soft moan. Junkrat stiffened before pulling away. You were about to ask if everything was okay when he stood up, lifting you up. You let out a gasp, surprised by his actions. “Gotta keep you with me from now on.” Junkrat chuckled as he walked towards your own bedroom. “Well, if it keeps the world safe.” You giggled, pressing soft kisses to his neck, being careful around any cuts or bruises. You knew there was little to no point in scolding him for carrying you. Once inside, he lowered you to the floor. You kept your arms around his neck as he kept his around your waist. It was his turn to initiate the kiss and he was all too happy to oblige. He twisted you around and pressed you up against the door, kissing you with a wild passionate that made your head spin. You allowed your fingers to venture into his wild hair, expecting pain from the soft flame at the end of some of his hairs, but the small amount of pain was welcomed. Junkrat, groaned against your lips and if your eyes had been open, you would have seen his own eyes roll into the back of his head. There was a sort of danger you felt from kissing him, one that set every fibre in your body on edge but, at the same time, filling you with pleasure. You wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever. “Stay with me tonight?” You breathed against his lips, panting slightly as he pulled about an inch away. “I aint going anywhere, Sheila.” Junkrat laughed, pulling you away from the door and further into the room. That night, you couldn’t think of one moment where his touch had left yours. It was like you two were always connected at some point, whether it was lips, mouths on skin, hand, finger and other things. And even when you drifted off to sleep, it was in his arms.

[elsdell]

Ruthless (Part IV)

‘Ruthless’ Summary Follow Rufio’s story from the day he arrived in Neverland to the day of his death. A story in which, you could say, Peter and Wendy Pan become true parents. Part IV Summary In which Rufio has a nightmare of his death and it seems so real. It follows an unnaturally consistent pattern that worries Wendy. But, sworn to secrecy, Wendy cannot voice her worries to her king. However, talk of an adventure to another realm could threaten to change that...

Disclaimer! This part of ‘Ruthless’ contains a song that doesn’t belong to me. It’s called ‘Constant as the Stars Above’ performed by Jessica Brown and written by Rob Hudnut and Arnie Roth. I’m sure some of you have heard it ;) Just had to put it out there and give credit to the original artist and writers for copyright reasons - just to be on the safe side! 

For a time all was well, ever since the dreadful pirate’s visit that had gone by unnoticed. Not even Peter Pan, the powerful boy-king, had sensed him; the pirate was indeed skilful in the art of necromancy and knew a thing or two about cloaking one’s presence. But it took particular skill to be able to disguise one’s presence from another, equally formidable, worthy opponent so that the caster went by undetected. 

Days turned into weeks and something was yet to happen - whatever Blackbeard was planning, anyway. Peter continued to train his warriors in the form of games. He continued with his competitions to see who could fire an arrow the furthest and closest to the target, who could combat with all Lost Boys, including Peter himself, and come out on top, who would be the next Lost Boy to bring back a decent and succulent piece of meat. These competitions had been made tougher since that night because, yes, Peter hadn’t managed to detect the pirate’s presence, but he could sense a storm brewing. Although what specific type of storm, was beyond him. If the Shadow knew anything, it didn’t say and Peter didn’t ask because he was confident that if the Shadow sensed the precise threat laying in wait, so would he. 

All the while Peter was suspicious of his gut-feeling, he kept it to himself. It wasn’t exactly a thought that was at the front of his mind - not when he couldn’t even sense what the brewing storm was, anyway. Maybe it was nothing. 

Meanwhile, his adopted son was facing a nightmare of his own. It first occurred on a mild night hardly indifferent to any other night in Neverland. Although a strange wind had maintained its presence in the air for a while (it may have happened ever since Peter first sensed a mysterious brewing storm), no one paid it any mind.

Rufio was tossing, turning, mumbling incoherently in his sleep, a thin sheen of sweat slowly forming on his olive forehead. None of his brothers paid any heed to the behaviour (Rufio had never talked in his sleep before), all too caught up in their own dreams, his mumblings drowned out by some of the Lost Boys’ snores. If only they knew of what images the Astral Realm were showing him...

Everything was a blur. The commotion that consisted of shouts, cries of pain, pants of near-exhaustion, and rapid movements seemed distant to the boy as he looked about the...ship...in confusion, attempting to take in his surroundings. But the edges of his vision were cloudy, the commotion that Rufio couldn’t quite comprehend murky. However, whatever platform he was on was large enough for him to make out the colours and the shape. Brown wood...an oblong shape...the Jolly Roger? It had to be.  Suddenly, as if only just noticing, Rufio felt his hand clenched into a fist as it held something in it. He looked down to see what he was holding: a blade! And he was in his combatting stance, which could only mean... As if on cue, the boy looked up to find himself facing an opponent, although the opponent’s figure was merely a dark silhouette.  All of a sudden, the figure inched nearer and before Rufio knew it, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. The pain flared up in his body, intensifying so much that he could no longer stand. Had he been impaled?  That seemed highly likely as, sure enough, he was looking up, staring into the eyes of who was likely his opponent. Blue. Blue eyes.  From there, everything became murkier - if at all possible - than before, the only shapes he could make out from there were the ones within close range to his line of vision. A girl’s cry - or scream, it was hard to tell - of outrage, agony, despair...those blue eyes disappeared, followed by the sound of two swords clashing furiously...another pair of eyes came into Rufio’s view, although not the same ones as before. Brown. They were big brown eyes and he’d recognise those anywhere. They were Mother’s. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as he felt himself being cradled, probably in her arms, and she was saying something - but Rufio couldn’t quite make it out. He wanted to assure her he was fine, tell her not to fuss, but as he opened his mouth, he found nothing would come out.  Then, a pair of green eyes joined Mother’s. Father’s. His eyes...they expressed everything his body could never show, they spoke all the words he could never say.  And, just like that, just as quickly as he’d been sucked into such a nightmare, Rufio found his body floating up into the air. Although, he then found himself looking down at the ship, at the ant-sized figures, only really focusing on Mother and Father kneeling by his limp body. He held out his hand, attempting to float back down and tell them that he was fine, but an invisible force persisted. He was floating further and further away...

Dark eyes shot open. Olive skin was damp. Black hair with red streaks was sticking up in all directions. Hands were clamped into fists with the sheet made of an animal’s fur inside them, clasped in a vice grip. His chest heaved as Rufio gasped, his throat scratching for air, clawing for the breath he’d lost. It all seemed so real...the nightmare. So vivid, the ache from where, Rufio gathered, he’d been impaled still dying down.  

For minutes on end, Rufio laid there, staring up at the hammock above his, trying to gather his thoughts. For minutes, he tried to push that nightmare to the back of his mind. 

Finally, he fists released the sheet and he slammed them against it.  Nothing. Nothing was working. Those vivid images were still there, taunting him. Not only had he’d lost a combat against a...pirate? It had to be! He’d also lost his life to said pirate. He could still feel the dull ache that made his stomach twitch in discomfort. Never had a dream been so real to him - good or bad. For once in a long time, he needed reassurance. He needed to feel safe, reassured that it was a dream. A dream and nothing more. He needed a peace of mind so that he could fall back to sleep - hopefully drift off to a more peaceful sleep. He needed...Mother. 

Sitting up decisively, Rufio put his foot down. He was going to go to Mother. Moving slowly so as not to alert his brothers, he slid his legs round until they hung over the edge of the hammock, his boots touching Camp’s soil. Pushing himself up off his makeshift bed as cautiously, carefully and gently as he could, he straightened himself up and padded across Camp, heading for the edge of the clearing. Once he reached it, Rufio glanced back behind him. A few had stirred, shifted in their sleep - perhaps from the little noise Rufio had made - but none awoke. Not even Felix, as Rufio glanced over at the tall fair-haired boy, who was always on his guard, always alert to the slightest of movements and sounds. Father must have worked him hard today, the dark-haired boy thought to himself. After scanning over Camp one last time and gaining the satisfaction that no one had awakened, that none of his brothers had pretended to sleep so as to catch him off-guard just as he was close to leaving, Rufio finally nodded and turned resolutely, disappearing into the jungle. 

On his way to his adoptive mother’s cave, Rufio thought, contemplated. He actually considered telling Father as well. But then his conscience advised against it. All Father would do would be to leave the cave, head back to Camp, go back to sleep and face the nightmare. Be brave, be a warrior, show the nightmare what made him a lost boy. But, as well as a lost boy who followed orders, Rufio was also a smart boy. His mother had taught him how to know what he needed, how to tell the difference from his wants to his needs.  Right at that moment, yes, Rufio wanted to be treated as his brothers would, talked back down to reality. But, he needed comfort. This was the first vivid nightmare he’d had and a mother’s touch was what could, perhaps, give hint hat comfort. 

With those thoughts in mind, he knew what he was to do. Rufio was going to enter his mother’s cave and seek out the comfort he needed, and would do his best to avoid bothering Father about his nightmare. 

Gradually, the boy reached the mouth of the cave. Looking over both shoulders, making sure that he wasn’t followed, he padded through the cave one quiet step at a time, doing his best to prevent his footsteps reverberating, echoing straight through to Father’s ears. 

Eventually, Rufio came to Mother’s room and crept inside. He craned his neck, checking that both were decent. Just as he’d hoped, both were fully clothed - well, disregarding Peter’s clothes for his torso and his boots, of course - and their backs were facing each other. This made Rufio’s task all the more easier.  Shifting his eyes in Peter’s direction, the boy waited until he was sure that Father was sound asleep before he tip-toed across the floor, round to Mother’s side of the bed. 

Once there, he crouched down until he was level with her serene, dormant face and lifted his hand to gently shake her awake. He knew that if he shook her roughly, she would jolt awake, alerting Peter awake also. And that was one of the things Rufio didn’t want.  After careful coaxing, eyelashes fluttered and eyelids peeled open, revealing warm big brown eyes. Although giving her adopted son a small smile, Wendy’s brow furrowed in confusion. They spoke in hushed tones.  

Rufio...what’s wrong? she asked curiously in a quiet voice. He never entered her room at night anymore. 

I...I couldn’t sleep... he whispered, ashamed to admit it as he ran a hand through his hair. 

Why not? 

I...I had a...a nightmare... 

The girl’s slight smile broke into a full, warm, comforting, motherly smile. She slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position and spread out her arms. Rufio welcomed the gesture and moved into her embrace, closing his eyes with his chin on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his damp hair. 

Was it that bad? she asked softly. 

He lifted his head, pulling away slightly, although not completely out of her arms, and nodded, pouting like the child he used to be, who could hardly walk. Then, he pulled away completely and glanced over her shoulder to check that Peter was still asleep.  Following his gaze, Wendy instantly understood. 

Come on, she said gently, gesturing with her head to the exit of her room, holding out her hand. 

Had it been any other time, without the nightmare at the forefront of his mind, Rufio would have kindly rejected the offer. But, this was not any other time, and this was just after one of the most vivid nightmares he’d ever had, so Rufio took her hand and she slipped her legs out of the bed. Once on her feet, Wendy slipped on her knee-high boots with only one hand before leading the way out of the room, and out of her cave. 

The girl led her son away from the jungle and more towards Neverland’s coast. She was first to sit down not he edge of a cliff that overlooked the glistening dark sea, a ribbon of silver moonlight stretching across it, towards the pair, the jungle behind them. She turned her head and, upon finding Rufio still standing, she gestured with her head for him to sit beside her. He obeyed but, feeling tiredness overtake his body, he slumped down until his head was in her lap. She caressed his hair in a soothing motion, but it wasn’t enough to coax him back to sleep. The nightmare was too stubborn to retreat to the back of his mind and grant him that. 

Sensing it wasn’t working, although still running her fingers through his hair, she asked: 

Do you want to talk about it? 

The boy shook his head - well, as much as he could with his head resting on Mother’s lap. Like Peter, he was too proud to show vulnerability so easily. 

Mm-mm. 

Wendy internally sighed in frustration. Why were her boys so prideful? 

Was it that bad? 

He nodded. 

After a few minutes, he relented. After all, who else was there to hear? He needed to get it off his chest and if there was one person whom he could confide in, it was Mother. 

I died, Ma. 

How did you die? she asked, knowing full well he was referring to his nightmare. 

I was stabbed and I died. I was killed by a...pirate, he spat the word out in disgust. From there, he gave the details of the nightmare, leaving nothing out, finding himself unable to stop. 

Wendy listened carefully to every last bit of detail he gave her. By the end of it, she felt the white fabric of her high-low dress moistening a little. He was crying. 

Sh-sh-ssh...it’s all right, Rufio. You’re safe now. As long as Father and I are around, we will never let that happen to you. Neither will you brothers; we all look out for each other. You’re safe, sweetheart, it was just a nightmare. 

I still can’t sleep. It felt too real, he admitted with another pout, his defences crumbling - although only for Mother, only ever for Mother. 

Maybe I can help, she offered, a small trick she’d yet to put back into practice from when Rufio was just an infant already in mind. 

H-how? he managed with curiosity while quietly sniffling. 

A lullaby. I used to sing it to you when you were a baby. Whenever you used to wake up crying and you weren’t hungry or didn’t need...cleaning...I’d sing it to you and you would go back to sleep. 

How does it go? he asked, too prideful to admit he wanted - maybe needed - to hear it. 

Hmm...let me see if I can remember it... 

Of course she could remember it. How could she forget what she used to use to lull her baby to sleep? But, she was modest. Despite her acting like she may have trouble remembering, she recounted the lullaby word for word, tune for tune...

A/N: here is the song. It’s from Barbie as Rapunzel. Don’t judge - it’s a Barbie movie CLASSIC that I used to watch in my childhood days :P 

Constant as the stars above Always know that you are loved And my love shining in you Will help you make your dreams come true   Will help your dreams come true 

The lamb lies down and rests it’s head Rufio unintentionally, and unwillingly, elicited a yawn, lazily covering his mouth with his hand before it dropped back down to his side.   On it’s mother’s downy bed Wendy smiled down at him, catching the yawn despite his efforts to hide it.   Dolphin plays in the moonlight’s glow Despite the possibility of it being a mermaid instead of a dolphin, Wendy was awestruck by the creature that leapt out of the sea then dove back under the sea, through the ribbon of wavy, silvery light. Rufio missed it because of his closed eyes.   And butterfly dreams of a violet rose  Dreams of a violet rose 

I’ll cradle you in my arms tonight  Upon that line, Rufio’s eyes peeled open and he stared up in awe at Mother.  As sun embraces the moonlight  Catching his stare, Wendy returned his smile, but didn’t stop singing.  The clouds will carry us off tonight  Rufio returned to facing the sea, eyelids growing heavy again, just as thin shreds of cloud glided over the moon until they left it uncovered again.  Our dreams will run deep like the sea  Our dreams will run deep like the sea  From there, Wendy got carried away in her singing, staring out at the sea and she herself began to grow sleepy. But, she powered through the song resolutely, not stopping until she finished; Rufio’s comfort was more important. 

Constant as the stars above  Always know that you are loved  And my love shining in you  Will help you make your dreams come true As she reached the final line, Wendy’s voice grew softer, feeling her son’s limbs fully relax and his breathing pattern growing even.   Will help your dreams come true 

By the time she’d drawn out the last note, Wendy was already closing her eyes, Rufio having already drifted off into a more peaceful slumber. 

There, mother and son stayed until the first peek of dawn; her hand in his hair, his head in her lap. 

For a long while, this remained their routine - a routine that only belonged to mother and son. He would sneak into her room, she would lead him to that same spot and sing him that same lullaby each night. Then, when he first pale rays of dawn seeped through to their eyes, they would wake. She would sneak back into her cave, into her bed where Peter still laid, her absence undetected. He would sneak back into Camp, into his hammock where the Lost Boys were still fast asleep, snoring away, oblivious to his absence. 

Both managed to successfully go about their routine without raising suspicion and interrogation. 

While Rufio was happy with this routine, relieved that no one knew about it - or found out about his shameful nightmare - Wendy had her doubts. She debated on sharing her concern about the frequency of Rufio’s recurring nightmare; it only ever occurred once int he night, then, when she lulled him back to sleep, it didn’t return, although it did return to him the next night. The pattern of the nightmare seemed unnaturally consistent, but what kept her from telling a soul - even her king - was her son’s instance that he didn’t want anyone to know. He swore her to secrecy knowing full well that breaking a promise went against Mother’s principles. 

However, one trip would soon change all of that. 

One mild afternoon, one that was strangely temperate - not hot, nor cold - the Lost Boys were, as they often were, gathered in the glade where their camp resided. They were either sharpening their weapons or half-heartedly throwing their lighter weapons; arrows, daggers...  Wendy was sat closer to the edge of Camp, pretending she was fixated on patching up one of the boys’ torn item of clothing when she was actually watching Rufio every now and then from out of the corner of her eye. It amazed her, really, how his tiredness rarely ever showed in front of his brothers. Whether he was genuinely fully awake, or too stubborn to let even a shred of it show through, the girl had no way of knowing. 

All of a sudden, the camp’s occupants’ ears perked up upon the faint crowing sound that made itself known from out of nowhere. There wasn’t a soul int he clearing who didn’t know what that meant and so the Lost Boys instantly halted whatever it was they were doing in wait for their leader’s appearance. The only person who didn’t stop was Wendy. For, she was his queen, not his follower. 

Confirming their thoughts, Peter’s figure came into view, hovering above Camp before he lowered himself down; lower and lower until his boots eventually touched the ground below. There he was: clenched fists on his sides, arms bent at the elbows, back and legs straight, a certain glint in those green eyes. He was about to make an announcement. While getting on with her sewing, Wendy listened tentatively. 

All right boys, we have ourselves a new adventure, he started. 

Almost instantaneously, the boys all jumped to their feet, cheering, hurried over to their leader and crowded round him. The only Lost Boy who remained where he was, although turning his body round to face his leader and confirm he had his utmost attention, was Felix who was sat on his usual stump. 

What adventure, Father? Rufio asked curiously. 

That would ruin the fun. But, it is an important task that needs to be completed as well as it can. So, Felix, Rufio, Devin, Nibs, Slightly... 

He continued to name a few more. 

...you will all be coming with me. The rest of you will stay here to keep Mother company. I also expect you to continuing practising your skills while I’m gone, he said, eyeing each and every one of the Lost Boys that would be staying behind, an eyebrow raised. 

He narrowed his eyes as they started to groan with complaint. But, one glare was all it took to get them to shut their mouths. 

However, as he glared at the last one, Slightly, Peter’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Rufio was stood next to the boy and he didn’t hold that same adventurous, enthusiastic glint in his eyes. They were...concerned? Fearful, maybe? But of what? No matter the danger, Rufio had always been keen, one of the keenest, in fact, to go on an adventure outside of Neverland. But now...why the change of heart?  Confused, Peter turned his head to the side in hopes of getting answers from his queen. But, she wasn’t looking at her king. No. Instead, she was watching Rufio with caution and...concern? Did she know something Peter didn’t? The lack of knowledge frustrated him. But, never mind, he would get answers before he left. 

Slowly, the sun sank deeper into the horizon as the hours ticked on. Peter continued with the games and competitions and what started off as odd looks earlier that afternoon only got worse, the boy-king noticed. From out of the corner of his eye, during the competitions Rufio himself didn’t participate in, Peter caught him sitting beside Wendy and they were talking in hushed whispers. But, neither looked happy and Peter wondered what all that was about. 

It only got worse come supper. After conjuring up a long table with his magic, Peter watched in amusement as the boys all rushed over to it, the meat they’d recently hunted along with the fruits they’d picked already set out on its surface. Just as he was about to walk over to it, he felt a hand on his forearm stop him. He halted and turned to find Wendy looking up at him with a look in her eyes he couldn’t quite decipher.  After he raised an eyebrow quizzically, she enlightened him: 

Peter, I need to talk to you. 

What’s wrong? 

It’s about Rufio... 

What about him? 

For a moment, Wendy considered voicing her concerns, but that would mean coming clean about her secret nightly routine with their adopted son, leading to his nightmare. But, he had clearly told her he didn’t want anyone to know and she never broke her promises. So, she guarded her tongue. 

Are you sure it’s all right for him to go off to another realm? she asked carefully. 

Peter’s eyebrow raised higher. His queen was making no sense at all. 

Of course. You know I always look after them and they watch each other’s backs as well. He’ll be fine with me. 

That’s not what I mean...I just...don’t think it’s a good idea...

Peter could feel his frustration bubbling. 

Then why? Why don’t you want him to go? You were always fine with him coming with me to other realms before, he demanded. 

Wendy bit her lip. How could she keep her son near her, without raising suspicion? But that was the thing: she couldn’t. There was no excuse good enough - none that she could think of, anyway. 

You’re right. I...I don’t know why I thought that. Just...forget it. 

Although his eyes were doubtful, Peter decided to let the matter drop, to Wendy’s relief, and they advanced towards the table. All except Rufio looked at the pair questioningly. Again, Peter’s eyebrow raised; Rufio was usually just as curious as his brothers and he never bowed his head. 

As the boys and Wendy tucked into their supper, Peter thought to himself, What’s going on with these two tonight? 

If only he knew - and he was soon to find out...

Author’s Note:  Well, that’s the end of part 4 of ‘Ruthless’, guys. What did you think? I am already working on part 5 so hopefully you shouldn’t be waiting too long - as long as I know if you guys liked this part. 

[pauldeckerus]

Guest Blog: Entertainment Photographer Mary Caroline Russell

I’ve always loved music. I grew up dancing on hardwood floors to my parents’ records. Socks slipping around, arms waving, head shaking. There is some kind of magic in it. Some spark that happens. It starts in your ears and moves its way through your bloodstream and finally makes a home somewhere in your chest. It is a beautiful, untamable thing, and I knew early on that I needed music in my life for the long run.

My name is Mary Caroline Russell, and I am an entertainment photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve been shooting music for nearly ten years now, and although I know a lot more now than when I started, it still feels like I have just scratched the surface of everything there is to learn.

I got started where I was: Beaumont, Texas population 113,468, with what I had: a disposable camera. Exhibit A

Radiant*

Fast forward to today. Through a lot of local shows in dingy motel ballrooms, I upgraded from the disposable camera, and fell in love with photography. I hoped that if I went to work for a label, that maybe when I was forty they might let me take a few photos on the side as a perk. THAT was my grand dream hah! Through a few crossed wires, life circumstances, and disappointments, my plan to move to Nashville turned into more time in Beaumont, a short stint in Portland, and finally landing in Atlanta. A few weeks before I moved to Atlanta, I met my friend Michael who found out I wanted to shoot shows and offered to help.

When I got to Atlanta I sent him a list of shows in hopes any-one of them would work out. He ended up getting me into every show on that list! The first show I shot in Atlanta was Paramore at the Tabernacle.

Paramore

I borrowed a camera and probably shot 3,000 photos within the first three songs. I was so excited. I stayed up all night & skipped my first class to edit the images. It was such a thrill. After posting the photos, people assumed I was a professional and started hiring me. It seemed rude to correct them.

What followed for the next 10 years was a whirlwind. I have been able to circle the globe taking photos, shoot some of my favorite bands, be in Alabama shooting Lynard Skynard while they sang “Sweet Home Alabama” (that was a fun one), and be surrounded by some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. Here are a few of my favorite moments & stories from along the way:

Nikki Lane

Nikki Lane played an opening slot at Shaky Knees in Atlanta a few years ago, and I had set up to take a few portraits backstage when she finished up her set. Right before I snapped this photo she took a  swig of her beer and said “Oh hey Danny!” I looked to my left and Danny Clinch was taking the same portraits. I snapped a few more and glanced back over, Danny was still there. To say I was excited would be an understatement. Danny Clinch is one of my all time favorite photographers. For him to casually appear next to me was not something I was prepared for, but it did make for one of my favorite memories.

Gary Clark Jr.

It was my second night out with The Muddy Magnolias on tour supporting Gary Clark Jr. I was still getting to know everyone, and I never want to be intrusive. I was standing behind a curtain peeking through watching the set. The band had walked off stage and Gary was playing solo for a few songs. I could just see a sliver, but I was soaking up every note. Gary’s bass player came around the corner and said, “What are you doing back here?” then grabbed me by the hand and pulled me through the curtain right about the time Gary was walking side stage, I pulled my camera up to my face and snapped one shot.

Alan Jackson

I grew up on Alan Jackson’s music. I shot his Nashville show on his 25th anniversary tour. This is him walking on stage to start the show, next to him is my friend Nathan with about 1000 papers clipped to his lanyard because he is very important. One of my favorite memories of this show was; as I was shooting, I noticed someone walk up side stage wearing a massive cowboy hat. I looked over and it was Brad Paisley. He was sitting on a road case with his arms resting on the stage singing every word to Alan’s songs.

Taya Smith of Hillsong United

This was the first day of the Outcry Tour. I walked past the doorway and noticed how perfectly everything was composed. I hadn’t met Taya (pictured above) yet, but I also didn’t want to introduce myself and ruin what was happening so effortlessly. I walked down the hall and back, second guessed if the awkwardness was too much to bear. I decided the photo was too good to pass up so I walked by, kneeled down (you know, to add to the awkwardness), snapped the photo and said, “Sorry to snipe you, you just looked so cool.” It felt 100% uncomfortable for the next 5 seconds, but absolutely worth it for the shot.

The Muddy Magnolias

The Muddy Magnolias tour had been going on for a while. We were traveling in a van & trying to keep up with bus routing which means late nights and early mornings and a lot of motels. A lot of motels. We were somewhere in Iowa and pulled up to the Days Inn. It was a particularly bad set up. So we came up with a plan: fake an asthma attack, get a refund, pool our per diem, & book the nicest room in town. And it worked. This was just before heading to the show. We slept well.

I think what I have learned over the last few years is persistence, hustle, and gratitude can carry you a long way. Comparison robs you of your own voice, joy, & community. The grind is way more fun when you can celebrate others along the way, so don’t get caught up in somebody else’s “greener” grass. Find your voice, develop it, get comfortable with it. Enjoy the process. Lastly, voice you’re dreams because you never know who will be around and willing to help.

Thank you for this opportunity Brad & the Kelby team, truly honored.

For the gear heads this is what I shoot with most of the time :

Canon 5D MK IV, 35mm f/1.4L II , 16-35mm f/2.8L , Sigma 15mm

You can see more of MC’s work at MaryCarolineRussell.com, and keep up with her on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter.

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