#an ambulance for me at that point. id die right there

[tvheadfalls]

My brother tried to get an appointment to hopefully get diagnosed with adhd in December LAST year and they were fully booked out to the end of THIS year and weren't making any more appointments. Which already sucks, but also. Those guys specialize in adhd!! How many people are going to remember an appointment they made a year ago?? Germany get your shit together challenge

A WHOLE YEAAAAR? guys i am so cooked this is impossible HAHAHA

and yeah theyre rly, the entry fee to get help for mental health here is truly "are u at the level of being able to make phone calls and keep track of appointments and also be able to make ur way there" which, if you are off rly bad and rly need the help, is probably not smth you are capable of!!! its so bad bro

[excessive-vampires]

Danger in Numbers Part 4: Alex's Questions

Masterlist with CW

Taglist: @demyxdancer @whumpy-wyrms

As the paramedics started pouring from the ambulances the woman’s breathing calmed from ragged sobs to shuddering gasps. Sweethive didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one. “Just hold on, Exo.” Cassie whispered. “Just stay here with me.” 

Alex started asking questions about how Cassie knew Exohive and why she’d never said anything about it but Sweethive didn’t answer. They just concentrated on the woman in front of Cassie, because she might be all that was left of the hive they had so longed to see. 

When the paramedics carried the woman away Cassie followed, and Alex trailed behind her. Silas met Cassie at the ambulance. They held hands because fuck subtlety, actually. It was so far away from mattering right now. Sweethive just wanted comfort. Alex had more questions but Sweethive was done listening. 

“We’re going with her,” Silas said as they loaded the woman into the ambulance.

“Unless you’re immediate family or a member of her hive we can’t allow that.” 

“We’re her emergency contact!” Or at least they had been five years ago. Exohive was still theirs so maybe… 

“We still can’t—”

“Cassie has a concussion, she’ll need to go to the hospital anyway.” Silas pointed at her. As if on cue the noise became too much and Cassie fell to her knees and vomited. 

“Fuck,” The paramedic complained. “Prove you’re Exohive’s emergency contact or you get a lower priority ride to a different hospital.” 

Cassie shakily stood. Every screen she had on her was broken so she took her physical ID card from her sock and handed it to the paramedic. They scanned it and handed it back before checking some info that had popped up on their screen. 

They held an arm out to Cassie. “Get in, Sweethive,” they said. They turned to Silas. “Get to the nearest place that can sedate you. I don’t care if it’s a goddamn veterinarian’s office. If the concussion is bad we might have to operate.” 

“Understood.” Silas started walking away. The ambulance drove off. Sweethive tried to pretend Alex wasn’t following Silas. 

“Hey!” Alex called out. “Hey, wait! Who the fuck even are you?” 

“Just go back to the Wanderer, Alex.” 

“How do you know…?”

“You’re a smart guy. Don’t hide in denial.” 

Alex continued to chase after Silas. “Okay. Then I have questions.”

If there was a way to aggressively send contact numbers to someone’s wrist screen, Silas found it. “Call Cater or Mel.” 

“Why?” 

Silas pointed to his throat. “Smoke inhalation.”

“What about—” 

Alex’s communicator beeped in his ear. His wrist screen informed him that it was Mel. He answered. 

“Um, hi,” he said. ���This is—”

“You can’t call Kara because her throat’s wrecked from crying and one of the paramedics is trying to figure out how bad Cassie’s concussion is now that the Exo member’s stable. Ask us your goddamn questions.” 

“You’re kind of being an asshole about this.” Alex muttered. 

“We were just in an explosion and someone we care for deeply might be about to die. So explaining this to you right now is going to be pretty fucking annoying.”

“Screw you! I’ll wait until I can talk to Cassie.”

Mel sighed deeply. “You are talking to Cassie. To talk to one of us is to talk to all of us.” 

“Fine, whatever. How long has this been going on?” 

“Since before you met us.”

“Don’t say ‘us’. I don’t know you. I know Cassie.” 

“You know all of us. You just weren’t aware of it.”

“Bullshit.” 

“Carter’s the one who talks about artistic choices in animation with you. It was Kara who hit on your sister. Silas punched that guy in the bar that called you a slur and Mel dragged you out to the bar in the first place.” 

“… And Cassie?” 

“She gets you lunch and laughs at your terrible jokes and makes you watch fantasy movies when we’re burnt out on cartoons. But honestly it doesn’t matter. The only reason to distinguish between members’ impulses is to make a point. All of that was all of us.” 

“So everything Cassie told me about her past was…”

“The truth. She was born and raised on Earth. Her bonding ability had to be induced.” 

“Why choose her?” 

“It’s not like what you’re thinking. A bond can’t form without a pre-existing connection. We were friends and when the technology became available we all wanted to try. Because that’s all the eight months of training and preparation gives you, the chance to try. A bond only ever forms if it’s a perfect fit.” 

“Sure… So I should ask you whatever questions I have for Cassie because the answers will be the same?”

“Yes.”

“Why keep this secret? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We told the captain and the ship’s doctor not to announce it to the rest of the crew. We wanted to see how long it took for someone to figure it out. Then we met you, and we wanted to be friends, so keeping our status under wraps just felt easier.” 

“So you assumed I’d, what, freak out and request a transfer? Lock myself in my room and barricade the door? Hurt you? Is that what you think of me?” 

“No. But do you honestly expect us to believe that if we had introduced ourselves as Sweethive you would have seen me reading classical literature the next day and asked if I wanted to watch the movie adaptation with you after our shifts?” 

Silas noticed Alex look down and put his hands in his pockets. 

“And then, after the movie, do you remember what you said to us?”

“Something terrible?” Alex’s tone was miserable.

“We asked you why you wanted to be on a ship exploring beyond known space and you said, and yes we know it was a joke, you said that until Earth came to their senses and put the quarantine on Nova back up you wanted to be so far away that there was no chance of a hive deciding to assimilate you. So yeah, something terrible.” 

“Shit.”

“Is there even a reason you’re so afraid that you think that the shit you say sometimes isn’t the furthest thing from okay?”

Alex sighed. Silas went to go tell a paramedic about his smoke inhalation just in case it was bad enough to do more than hurt his throat. Alex spotted an empty bench outside a nearby cafe and sat down. 

“Are you done talking?” Mel asked after a moment. 

“I’m not the first person in my family to love classic tv and movies. My dad is a big Star Trek fan. The oldest ones. Mainly the Next Generation. We would watch it together all the time when I was a kid. They had this villain, the Borg. They were a hivemind that went around capturing people and forcing them to join, erasing their individual identities completely. It was the scariest shit I’d ever seen. And this was just like ten years after the quarantine was lifted. A lot of people genuinely thought the hives on Nova were like that. And like as time went on I realized that wasn’t how it worked but I never really looked into how it did work because in the back of my mind it still made me think of the nightmares I had as a kid about the Borg.” 

There was another silent moment before Mel spoke up. “If you want to cut ties, or if you just need some space for a while, then go. This was a big secret to keep, we understand why you’re upset.” 

“Are you serious? Cassie’s my friend. If what you said was true then you’re all my friends. And you just survived a freaking explosion. The bullshit emotions I have to deal with can at least wait until Cassie’s out of the hospital.” 

Mel exhaled. “Thank you, Alex. Really.”

“I can’t promise I won’t still be an asshole about this, but I’ll try to make sure it’s all from ignorance rather than prejudice.” 

“You could go read a book about Nova or hive culture.”

“And you could go program a map of a newly discovered planet. I feel like those two things would each go just about as well as the other.” 

Silas walked away from the ambulance until he was close enough for Alex to see him flip him off.

[gam3rsuar5sr3x]

problems with sending bible verses and the judgement of teachers and the church and undertale

@metakazkz was one guy i shared it to. hes the one who made the abysstale and moonside comics, of course ill admit i admired him too much to the point of putting his au in my take on dustfell (witch i think i,m at a possablility to quit because i saw a video on judgement day that scared me ill explain later) but to all my christian friends. my pastor did pray for me sence i had wierd ocd like thoughts like "i,m this person" or that person and it was usally about fictional characters like some of them were from undertale stuff and from roblox piggy like the abysstale frisk and sans and alphys (and i didnt want them cause i thought it was making me out to claim it and i refused cause my identity is in christ not in fictional characters) and plus evolution isnt biblical, and he told me that the lord told him that i was listening and watching some dark things that open up the door to demons and i had to cut off certian things and i first thought it was undertale but i kept listening to it until i saw a youtube short on a rebellious girl going to hell, and it scared me cause it had a scene from a movie of her out of body expierence and it was her in an ambulance and then shes in hell screaming (not burning but probably going to somewhere where she would burn) and laying down and it shows us shes screaming as she slowly gose into an area in her torment area and it scared the MESS out of me for some reason cause all i saw was her going somewhere and her screaming, i dont know what part of it scared me but i dont wanna see it ever again cause of how scary it was. but in the end i cut off undertale music and the entire genre of undertale and aus as a whole out of fear of going to hell, then i began repenting everyday just to make myself "clean" incase id die one of my nights on earth cause our lives could end in a flash and tomorrow isnt garunteed then i made it to sunday by the grace of god, and in the end i go from cutting it off without any problem of doing so to being greived by the fact i might have to cut it off and never enjoy undertale and its genre ever again, and not just undertale and aus but also piggy and the reading moonside comic with metakaz. but then that fear where i have to get clean from sin before dying went away and everytime i,m outside my room out my house i,m always thinking id wanna go enjoy undertale and aus and piggy and moonside comic (witch is fnaf fan so thats why i also wouldnt wanna read it) but whenever i go back into my room or am in my room i would have that tired feeling and irretated a bit like i shouldnt do it, so i told this to my mom and she asked if this was some religous spirit on me. to me it probably could have been cause i think "i gotta get clean or i,m going to hell" whenever i repent and in doing so i think i made the mistake of trusting in my works to get right with god, and she told me that it wasnt like i was trying to rebel against god whenever i listen to that stuff unless gods trying to call me away from it to show me something about or saying "hey come here". so i went along with the same thing she said and said it to myself as well. but of course she said that was as long as i put jesus first and by first we mean our priority cause the lord should be priority, as a result i still enjoyed it (probably too much) but i had a tendancy cut off undertale and piggy and moonside comic ect from time to time as well as waiting for a week or longer until i can finally go back to it (though i did during those weeks think of undertale and all that stuff). then i saw videos on judgement day and it really scared me cause the main character who got judged had sin of divorce and adultry but what had me back in the fear is that he justified his sin. it scared me cause i,m looking back at what i said saying "its not like i,m trying to rebel against god when i enjoy it its only when it becomes an idol" and i probably think i did go that far and shoudlnt have, it scared me and now i feel like by saying all that i think and feel as if i was trying justifying it as sin and got exposed. ima reblog

[chaosdisorganized]

Once saw someone say; suicidal people don't want to die, they want something to change. That's helped with my suicidal bouts. Because change is inevitable, even when it feels like nothing has, can, or will ever change. It always does. And if what you want is change, then death is counter productive. Death is the end of change. I hope that makes sense. I don't know if it'll be helpful for anyone else..

I know you're screaming into the void. Felt like this is a time when you need the void to answer.

https://samaritansnyc.org/24-hour-crisis-hotline/

That's a safe hotline. No caller ID. No tracing. No cops showing up. Also non religious. If you guys hit that point..well, calling a hotline before can't make it worse, right? You can find other ones by searching 'anonymous suicide hotline' BTW. I just know this one.

Sorry, I wish I had the magic words to fix it. I don't. But I've been there. Repeatedly..and I'm glad that I survived. One day, you'll look back and be glad you survived too. I know it may sound impossible now.. it's not though. Promise.

You don't have to publish this or anything BTW.

Be safe.

Thank you so much for this. Just knowing there's people out there who care about me living on really helps a lot <3 we've been struggling a lot and some of us feel like the struggle will never end and we see no way out, it's been a repeating cycle of trauma after trauma and at this point I feel like I keep waiting for it to end and it never does. It makes me feel defeated and hopeless but I know there's still hope and I know healing is possible as long as I keep fighting for it. If things get too bad I have people in my life who will ensure my safety by any means necessary, my own partner has permission to call an ambulance or take me to the hospital if it ever gets to that point but I hope it won't. We've gotten through some pretty tough shit before so I believe we will get through this too. Again, thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry to make yall worry, things have just been really tough lately but I have support and help in real life from people I love and care about. This message means a lot to me and I love all my followers for support they provide even if all they do is like my posts or something, I feel heard and seen. 💕💕

[this-is-a-fire-door]

Last night, at the bus stop, a young woman was overdosing. A helper yelled for narcan. I didn't have any, but I know cpr and can find a pulse and call 911. So I went into the bus shelter. Asked first. For too many people, this is the closest thing to a private space they have.

A young woman was lying on the floor. Her lips were dark, eyes closed but not firmly. I pulled her arms in. Someone else was calling EMS already. She's breathing. Her pulse is okay enough. Her fingers are warm. I rub her hands and tell her she'll be okay. Keep up those good strong breaths, you're doing so well. We've got you, keep breathing. You are so loved right now. Another woman is calling her sister, wake up sister. Don't die on me sister. They had never met. Still.

Her lips are purple now, pulse fading. We find another dose of narcan. It goes in. We do gentle chest compressions as her breathing ebbs. It comes back a bit. I call EMS again. It's been hours, at least 3 minutes. They prepare me to give her real cpr. To breathe for her. There's something bulky blocking her ribs. In retrospect it's probably more narcan, needs to be kept warm. Should have gotten it. I tell her what I'm doing. This is going to be uncomfortable, stay with me. I'm going to hold you nose. Cradle your head. I'm trying to make my cold hands work. Frozen in two directions.

The red lights fill the bus shelter. Everyone scatters. I stay. The main woman points out the girl's belongings. I'm asked to get out of the way. I linger outside. I see the oxygen mask. More narcan. 7 doses in the end. She sits up. She's alive. She's confused. Her name, she knows that. No, she doesn't have ID. She tries to stand up right away. In the end she walks to the ambulance. I call out to her as she passes, take care. What else do you say? I'm glad you didn't die tonight. You did so good. I held you. I'm sorry.

First big snow has started all around us. She's gone, into the ambulance but not moving. 3 busses crash at the incoming intersection, or already had. The ambulance stays put for 30 minutes, I stay for 45. I'm freezing and soaked. The helpers are back. They're weather proofing the drafty bus shelter for the night. I get on a good enough bus. Have been repeating it's okay, counting to 4 over and over. I'm shaking. Shivering, too. I walk 30 minutes home to the empty house. Feed cats. Shower, hot. Try to sleep. I have a home to go to. She's getting tossed out again. Someone asked me how I'm coping. I'm not. You can't recover from something when it's still happening. Over and over, all over this city. But I'll be sure to carry the rescue medicine. At least 7 doses.

[daniclaytcn]

buddie + parallels with canon couples (part 1)

[Image Description: 10 small gifs from 9-1-1. The gifs on the left column are paralleling the gifs on the right column. Gif 1: A scene from season 5, episode 14; Maddie looks guilty and angry as she tells Chim, “I can’t be the reason she’s [Jee] in danger again. Chim tells Maddie reassuringly, “You’re not. You never were.” Gif 2: A scene from season 3, episode 3; Buck tells Eddie angrily, “I lost him, Eddie.” The shot shifts to Eddie, who points at Chris, off screen, and says, “You saved him. That’s how he remembers it.” Gif 3: A scene from season 4, episode 14; Athena looks distraught and angry as she tells Buck, “Bobby’s gonna die in there, Buck.” The shot shifts to Buck, who looks worried as she continues, “You need to help me.” Gif 4: A scene from season 5, episode 6; Buck looks ragged and distressed as he gestures with his hand, telling Athena, “Look, the moment they take that ambulance, he is gonna shoot Eddie.” Gif 5: A scene from season 3, episode 17; Hen is smiling as she removes her earrings and speaks to Karen, off screen, telling her, “I swear, now that we have two of them, bedtime is like a hostage situation. It’s just constant negotiation.” Gif 6: A scene from season 4, episode 8. Eddie smiles fondly as he rolls up his sleeves, after Buck has just told him that he put Chris to bed, saying, “You’re a miracle worker.” Buck smiles as he responds, “No, just an excellent negotiator.” Gif 7: A scene from season 4, episode 14; Athena breathes heavily as she speaks to Bobby after saving him from the sniper, saying, “I’m here. I got you.” Gif 8: A scene from season 4, episode 14; a close up of Buck’s bloodstained face as he hovers over Eddie who’s just been shot by the sniper, Buck tells Eddie frantically, “I got you. Hey, Eddie, just stay with me, okay?” Gif 9: A scene from season 4, episode 14. Chim looks worried after hearing that Maddie quit her job, and asks her, “Did something happen? Are you okay?” There are tears in Maddie’s eyes as she tells him, “I’m not okay in here. I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Gif 10: A scene from season 5, episode 13. Buck takes a deep breath after Eddie tells him that he’s afraid and speaks slowly, asking, “Okay. Okay, what are you afraid of?” Eddie’s face is tearstained as he answers, hopelessly, “That I’m never gonna feel normal again.” /End ID]

[selenaurrr]

Breathe

REQUESTED: Yes PAIRING: Matt Casey x Reader WARNING(S): Sexually Assault, Swearing & Violence

—

The soft glow of the sunlight peaked through the cracks of the curtains, meanwhile in the background my alarm kept ringing and ringing, I slowly stretched, my body was so comfortably warm under the comforter that covered me, I reached over and grabbed a hold of my cell phone to turn off the alarm. “Where’s Mommy?”

“Hi,” I whispered slowly adjusting from waking up, “She didn’t sleep with you?”

“No,” She softly spoke.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, it isn’t like Sarah to come home, “Okay. Sarah?” I rose my voice to see whether she would answer me or not, “I already checked. She’s not here.”

“Well, we’re just gonna have to figure this out, won’t we?” I replied smiling, trying to assure my niece that everything was fine. “Go get dressed, hon. I’ll take you to school.”

I took a quick shower and got dressed, walking out of my sister’s bedroom calling her, “Sarah, it’s 7:00 in the morning. Where are you? I need to get to work. Can you call me?” 

Not a single phone call received from her, this isn’t like her at all, something is way off here. I shrugged it off, made Isabelle breakfast, helped her brush her teeth; and then drove her to school where I said have a good day. Then drove to the district 21.

I held my black duffel bag over my shoulder as I walked side by side with Adam, “It’s just not like her. Sarah would never just not come home.” I said checking my cell phone once again, “Maybe she got lucky.” He jokingly smirked, “My conservative sister?” I questioned.

“She’s been married to that  pretentious idiot for ten years. She deserves a little luck.” Adam replied walking over to his deck, “Okay. Okay, fine. Then why isn’t she answering her calls? It keeps going straight to voicemail.” I said feeling unease with overthinking.

“[Y/N], when people go out all night, their phones die. Happens to me all the time. Happened to me one time. Just once.” He said placing his coat over his chair as he sat down looking up at me.

Phone buzzing.

I sighed with relief as I saw the caller ID, Sarah.

“There you go.” Adam told me, nodding his head before taking a sip of his coffee mug. “Where the hell are you?” I asked pissed off and annoyed.

“Help me. I’m in trouble.” Her voice croaked, trembling.

“Sarah? What’s the matter? Sarah?”

“[Y/N]...”

“Sarah?” I rose my voice with worry, the call ended. “What happened?” Adam asked, worried as well.

“She said she was in trouble. I don’t...” I trailed off, redialing her cell number; “Hey, it’s Sarah. Please leave a message.”

“Sarah, where are you? Call me.” I spoke, “What’s the matter, [Y/N]?” 

“It... It keeps going to voicemail.” I said, shaking.

“Who?” Voight asked, “My sister. She went out with her girlfriends last night and never came home. She just called. She said she was in trouble. The call cut out, and now she’s not answering, and she sounds really scared.” I said.

“Well, let’s ping her phone. Take somebody. Go look for her.” Voight ordered, “I’ll go.” 

“Thanks,” I whispered, “Come on.”

I grabbed a hold of my winter coat, placed on my beanie and gloves, Adam drove calmly down a couple of blocks before reaching to our destination, coming to a halt. I climbed out, pulling out a yellow folder, “Okay, the call logs show she made three calls from Lake Street, two to 911 that were disconnected, hitting off two different towers... there, there.” I spoke, looking up and pointing here and there, walking side by side with Adam. “Like she was in a moving car.” He replied, “Yeah. Or a train. Her call to me this morning... It had the weakest signal.” I pointed at the subway.

“The weakest signal would be from inside of the station.”

Adam and I picked up our pace and started to jog inside the subway station.

Indistinct P.A. Announcement.

I ran down the staircase, slightly jogging and that’s when I spotted her, “Sarah?”

“Sarah! Oh, my god.” I yelled out, bending down to her level on the bench; She freaked out, eyes wide open. “Hey, No... Hey, it’s me. It’s me. It’s just me. It’s just me. Are you hurt?” 

“What happened? Sarah, what happened? I said trying to hold back the tears that I had not let go yet, “Sarah?”

She breathes heavily, “I was raped.”

I glanced down and saw she was indeed raped, blood stains completely covered her jeans. Immediately I felt horrified. She broke out and cried, “Okay. She’s losing a lot of blood. Call an ambulance.” I stood up and calmly told Adam, who nodded his head and turned around, “Okay, I’m here. I’m here. I’m here. It’s okay.” I reached out and gave her a tight hug, she quickly wrapped her arms around my waist and sobbed.

“I’m here, okay?”

I deeply breathe in and out,”The X-ray showed free air in her abdomen, which means her bowel was perforated. It’s why she’s in so much pain.”

“From a rape?” I asked, “We haven’t gotten the results from the SART exam, but everything I’ve seen is consistent with a vicious assault.”

“[Y/N]!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. I’m here.” I snapped out of my trace of thoughts and came rushing towards Sarah’s side, “I’m scared.”

“I know. Trust me. You’re in really good hands. They’re gonna fix you up, okay?” I spoke trying to assure her, “Where’s Isabelle?” 

“She’s at school, and she’s fine.”

“Does she know?” She asked, I shook my head, “No. No.”

Elevator Dings.

“Sarah, can you remember anything that happened? Even the smallest detail would help.” I asked, “I can’t remember.” She whispered, unable to answer me.

"I’m sorry. They’re waiting in the OR.” Dr. Manning said.

“I love you.” I spoke up as I watched the elevator doors closed shut, leaving me standing by myself.

I walked over the precinct floor towards the intercom buzzer, once I buzzed myself through the gate and I disappear for a momentarily, walking up the staircase where I was greeted by my colleagues, “How’s Sarah?” Voight asked, all eyes on me.

“She’s still sedated. The doctor said she was sodomized. That’s why the blood-” I paused, the room filled silences. 

“Uh, tox report came back. Her blood alcohol was .12, which is not enough to make her black out, but she had enough ketamine in her system to knock out a horse.” Jay said opening up the yellow folder, I walked over quickly grabbing it out his hands and into my own.

I glanced at him then back to the folder.

“All right, get the names of the woman at the birthday party. Find the bars they hit. Let’s go.” Voight ordered walking to his office, “Serge?” I called out, “Yeah?” He whispered spinning around on his heels, “Thank you for taking this on.” 

“An attack on your family is an attack on our family.” 

I slightly nodded my head in agreement.

Alvin and I road in silences in the vehicle as we approached one of Sarah’s friends office buildings, “So, you’re the kick-ass sister. Sarah was bragging about you last night.” 

“Yeah?” I replied back, “It’s one of the few things I remember. My head feels like a World War II documentary today.”

Alvin sighed, which she looked at the both of us, “What’s this about?” 

“Well, Sarah was sexually assaulted sometime late last night or early this morning.” Alvin said in a calmly tone. “Oh, my god. What happened?”

I shake my head, “She doesn’t remember. Jasmine, can you walk us through the evening, please?”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Uh, there were six of us. We had dinner at the Pump Room. It was my birthday. Lots of wine, lots of laughs.” She shake her head.

“Did any men come around?” Alvin asked.

“You know, there was this one kind of creepy guy at the bar. Sarah swore he was giving her the eye.” I cut her off, “Can you describe him?”

“White guy, wore a hat, but he never came over.” She said, “And then what?”

“I went home. But they all went to Jinx’s. I’m too old for Jinx’s.” She shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows together, “I’m so sorry, [Y/N]. Sarah was having such a good time.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I clicked my pen, “Al?”

I sat beside my sister as I tried very hard to maintain my composure,"I remember it was last call. These guys bought us drinks.”

“Can you describe them?” I asked holding a pen and my notepad in one hand, “White. Twenties, I guess. They looked like every other guy in the bar. One had dark hair. The other was kind of blonde.”

“Okay.” I whispered writing everything down, “He invited us to a party. There was something about balloons.”

“Balloons?” I questioned, glancing up at her.

“Yeah. There were all these balloons. The whole thing is like a nightmare I can’t remember.” She spoke as her tears glistening in her eyes, I stroked her hair softly, “Uh, do you remember the train station?”

She slightly nodded her head, “Okay, how’d you get there, babe?”

“It was, uh- it must have been later. We were- we were in the car. I was waking up. I was sick. There were sparks in the sky. They were coming from the train.”

I continued to write on my notepad, “Denise was screaming. That’s what woke me up. She was screaming, and she was pulling me from the car.”

“Okay, so you and Denise- you got out of the car.” I stumbled over my words, “No. I couldn’t move. I think she ran away. You- you have to talk to Denise.” She said, looking discreetly into my eyes.

“Sarah, Denise is missing.” I paused, “She never came home, and, um, we can’t find her.” 

“How could I have been so stupid?” She sobbed.

“Look at me. You are not stupid. You were drugged and you were assaulted.” I stroked her hair ever so softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. I tried my best to keep a brave face on for her. A faint knock, snapped me out of my trace of thoughts coming back to reality to see Matt standing there in the doorway. I kissed Sarah’s forehead and told her I’ll be back.

He followed me closely behind, as we found a quiet place to chat among-st ourselves, I told him that Sarah was sexually assaulted. And it felt like her lungs were filling up with water, so she just sat back and let herself drown. “Are you alright?” Matt asked, a concerned look on his face. I just nodded, trying to force a smile onto my face, before bursting into tears. “It’s okay,” He whispered, pulling me into his arms, I wrapped my arms strongly around him. He pressed his lips to my forehead while he ran his fingertips through my hair to comfort me, reassuring that everything will be okay, even if it isn’t right now.

I asked him to stay with my sister and let me know if anything changes, he nodded his head. I left the hospital and drove to the 21st distract, opening the door wide open walking over onto the precinct floor where I met eye contact with Sergeant Platt who gave me the warmest smile, I smiled back. Walking over towards the intercom buzzer, and buzzing myself through the gate, I found myself at my desk once more.

“Sarah and Denise were at the Thirsty Raven at roughly 1:30 a.m. They were approached by two white males: 20s, 30s, one dark hair, one blonde, Which doesn’t narrow it down much.” I spoke lowering my voice down, annoyed with our evidences.

“Atwater and I found Denise’s phone about a mile away from the Thirsty Raven. It was wiped clean. No prints. Patrol’s canvassing the area looking for witnesses, but they got nothing yet.” Adam added in, playing with his pencil.

“Yeah, they tossed the phone so she couldn’t call for help.” Kevin said, throwing his hands in the air.

“[Y/L/N], your sister said that she saw sparks from a train, right?” Jay asked, I spin around on my heels to face him, “Yeah.”

“I worked a beat on Lake Street, and the L train there throws sparks. It’s the same line that runs to the station where we found your sister.” Jay said, Voight spoke up catching everyone’s attentions, “All right, run all in-service calls around Lake Street. We got anything on those cars?”

“Yeah. The DMV lists 18 black Audi Q7 owners in Wicker Park, one was accused of aggravated rape last year. Guy by the name of Rex Goldwin.” Erin chipped in, I walked away from the whiteboard and stood beside her. 

“Goldwin. No, I’ve read about that douchebag. He’s like a local pickup guru. He teaches guys how to get laid.” Adam said, “Well, he was arrested by Area North. The victim said that Goldwin approached her in a bar, slipped ketamine in her drink, and then took her phone.” Erin said, glancing away from the computer; “Same MO.” Alvin spoke quietly.

“Yeah. State’s Attorney couldn’t make the case, so Goldwin beat the rap.”

“All right, dig up everything on this Goldwin.” Voight ordered, “I want to pay this guy a visit.”

“Hey. Any luck?” Erin said, coming out of the lounge room with a cup of coffee in one hand. “I showed Sarah the photo array. She couldn’t pick out Goldwin. But she doesn’t remember any faces.” I said.

“I got something here.” Jay spoke up, catching both of our attention’s now, “So, I ran all the in-service calls around the Lake Street L station. Patrol responded to a distraught woman wandering the 4300 block of Maple at 3:22 in the morning, okay? They showed up. She was already gone. Um, it’s mostly abandoned warehouses in the area. Hardly any surveillance cameras, but they were able to pull POD footage.”

Jay pointed at his computer before clicking onto the footage, “Is that Denise?”

“That’s her.” I deeply sighed, “There’s no cameras after that.” 

Matt texted me through the day to keep me updated on my sister’s condition in the hospital, I thanked him multiple times for being there when I couldn’t most of the time, he said it wasn’t a problem and that he’ll do it in a heartbeat. 

“All right, the ME came back with the preliminary exam on Denise Miranda. Unlike Sarah, no signs of sexual assault. No defense wounds. But, like Sarah, alcohol found in her blood, and high levels of ketamine.” Jay said, pinning a photo of Denise onto the whiteboard.

“How’d she die?” I asked, already knowing the outcome. “Hypothermia. She got knocked out by the ketamine, and then she froze to death.”

Erin glanced at me whether to see if I was okay or not, “Hiding from the predators.”

“I’m telling you this has Goldwin written all over it. I’ve been reading blogs written by other woman who have been victimized, and they all have the same story. They get taken to apartments, drugged, their phones disappear, and after they’re assaulted, they get dumped at subway stations.” Erin said, rising her voice up with anger. 

“I hear you, but the crime lab went through Goldwin’s car. It’s clean, and his alibi checks out for last night.” Adam shook his head, “Right. I’m not saying he’s personally responsible for this assault, but he’s trained an army at these seminars of his.” Erin said, walking over towards the whiteboard.

“Whoever assaulted Sarah was following Goldwin’s blueprint.” Erin pointed at his mugshot photo.

“Put a microscope on Goldwin’s organization. Get a list of all the men who have attended his seminar.” Voight ordered the team.

Sergeant Platt slowly made her way the staircase leading up to the intelligent’s unit, “[Y/L/N], Isabelle’s father is downstairs.”

Without hesitation I closely followed Sergeant Platt down the staircase, she opened the gate, “Where’s Isabelle?” I asked, “I kept her in the back.”

“Thanks, Trudy.” I replied back.

“Hello, [Y/N]. I came as soon as I heard. It’s just awful what happened-” I grabbed the collar of his coat and through him against the wall, “What the hell?” He grunted in pain.

“You hired a private eye to spy on my sister?” I said with venom, “Hey! Hey.” 

I pinned one of my forearms against his throat, “You think she’s having affairs like you?”

He stumbled on his words, “She’s the one who started this. I wanted to mediate, but she hired a lawyer. “

“Because you are a scumbag.” I shot back, as my blood boils with anger.

“You think your sister’s a saint? Just look at what happened last night.” He said, I released my forearm from his throat, giving him a chance to breathe.

“Last night?” I asked, “Yeah. She’s getting wasted in pickup bars. What kind of a mother puts herself in that position, huh?” He bluntly said.

“Get out.” 

“Fine. Where’s Isabelle? I’m taking her with me.” He said fixing his coat looking for his daughter.

“Isabelle stays with me until her mom gets out of the hospital.” I replied back, “But she’s not your daughter.”

“She is my blood, and I’ve got 85 cops in this building who have her back.” I shot back, reaching over at him and fixing his tie; while wiping that smirk off of his face. I turned around on my heels, “This isn’t over.” He called out, “Yeah? It is for you.”

“Keith Tasker and Andrew Latimer. We got their names off the Effective Pickup registry. Latimer is a barista, and Tasker works for a tech startup and leases an Audi Q7.” Erin said crossing her arms over her chest, “Yeah, just like his hero, Rex Goldwin.” Alvin added.

“The Effective Pickup organization only has four official employees. These guys are not among them. But they acknowledge that so-called ‘graduates’ take on side jobs mentoring other men.” Jay said.

“Hey, thanks for coming, Ana. You all know Ana Valdez.” Voight shook hands with her then turned around, “I brought the State’s Attorney’s office up to speed. We want to make sure we can make this case.”

I wasn’t understanding this, “Wait a second. We own these guys. Why don’t we just grab them?” 

“You could certainly question them, but short of a confession, it’s a very high bar to prove rape when alcohol’s involved.” Ana said, “They were drugged.”

“Or they willingly took a party drug.”

I chuckled, “Willing?” 

“My sister wasn’t wiling. She didn’t-” Adam cut me off, “Hey, [Y/N], she’s on your side.” 

Anger filled my veins.

“Look, this whole case turns my stomach. I’m just making the argument their lawyer would make. We have two victims. One of them’s dead and the other one can’t ID her attackers, and there’s no physical evidence tying them to Sarah’s rape.” Ana said, “Okay. This is not a first time for these two. I mean, they have an MO.” Erin backed me up.

“Great. If we can prove an MO, it’s easier to hang assault charges on them.” Ana said, “You know, one thing about these guys is they don’t know that Denise is dead. I mean, she ran from the car. As far as they know, she went home.” Alvin shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s true. I mean, these guys can be out right now or tonight on the hunt like nothing ever happened, Serge.” Kevin chipped in.

“Erin, go down and talk to Platt. Find a female officer to partner up with. The rest of you meet in the roll up. We’re going undercover.” Voight ordered everyone, I watched as Erin disappear down the stairs. “Thank you for coming.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” Ana spoke glancing over her shoulder at me.

I wasn’t going to drop this whether or not, “Serge?”

“Yeah?” He said grabbing a hold of his coat, “I want to go undercover with Lindsay.”

“I don’t think it’s the right fit, [Y/N].” He shook his head, “It’s the perfect fit. I know the case, I work well with Lindsay, and I’m the right gender.”

He placed his hands onto my shoulder, “You’re too close to this.”

“Like you were too close to Justin?” I struck a nerve, “Careful.”

“Just because it’s our family does not mean we can’t do our job.” I said, he sighed, knowing damn well I wasn’t going to drop this; “So, go get changed.”

Dance Music.

Erin and I stood beside each other at the Thirsty Raven bar holding onto our drinks, as someone approached us, “I want to buy you a drink.”

“Oh, we’re good. We’re waiting for someone.”Erin calmly said, turning him down. “Oh, okay. Cool. Well, I will keep you company.” 

“She said we’re good.” I shot him down harder, “Whatever.” He grumbled before winking at Erin.

“Is this what single life is like?” She questioned, “On Division Street at 1:00 a.m. it is.” She nodded her head and took a sip from her drink, “Great.”

“You girls look lonely. And thirsty.”

“Is it that obvious?” Erin asked, “What have you been up to tonight?” He asked, holding onto his drink.

“Oh, we had our girlfriend’s bachelorette party.” I faked, “Cheers to being single.” Erin chipped in, cheering our drinks together.

“Last call.” The barterer yelled out, “Uh, if you two are still at the bar, I’m guessing that you don’t want the night to end. Am I right?” He asked, “I don’t know. What do you have in mind?” I dumb-play, “We know a party in Wicker Park. That’s close. You girls down?”

“I don’t know. We’ve had a lot to drink already, so-” Erin brushed it off, “You’re fine. Come on. We can keep this party going all night long.”

“Do you wanna?” I flirty asked her, “Kind of.”

“Let’s go.” I smiled, “Okay.”

Erin and I followed the guys leading up towards the apartment, “Is this your place?” She asked looking around the place, “Share it with some friends.” He said taking off his coat, “Uh, let me take your coat.”

“Wait, where’s the party?” I drunkenly chuckled, “Uh, we’re the party. We got drinks. We got music. We got whatever you may need. Go ahead. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?”

“Okay.” Erin drunkenly shrugged off, “All right.” I chuckled.

I set down my purse on the counter tops, that way the camera was pointing at us in the living room, “All right. I’ll make the drinks.”

Hip-Hop music playing.

“What are those?” Erin asked, ‘“Kamikazes.”

“Well, aren’t you guys gonna have one?” She questioned them, “We just did. They’re awesome.”

“Why don’t you try one for us?” He turned to look at me, “Mm...” Erin laughs, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I think I’d rather smoke pot. Do you guys have any pot?”

“Oh, come on. Drink it for me.” He asked once more, “I’m not getting a good feeling about this.” His friend said unease, “What’s going on, guys? Do you girls want to party, or don’t you?” He got up from the couch.

“Yeah, totally. I just-” She trailed off, before glancing at me picking up the shot glass, and gulping down the drink.

He smirked, “That’s my girl.”

I drunkenly giggled, “That was, uh, really strong.”

“Well...”

“You okay?” Erin asked me, “Yeah.”

I felt a wave of nauseous, “Do you have, like, a bathroom or something?”

“Yeah, yeah, just down the hall.”

I reached and grabbed a hold of my purse, “Okay, we’ve had so much to drink.”

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure I was in the clear, then processed to walk down the hallway and opening the closest door, revealing the bedroom with the balloons.

“I was wondering where you went.” He said, shutting and locking the door behind him. “Let’s have some fun.”

I shook my head, “I don’t want this.”

“Oh, sure you do.” He said moving closer and closer towards me, “Stop.”

“What? Why are you so uptight?” He grabbed a hold of me, “Didn’t you hear me say no?”

“I heard you. I just don’t believe you.” He through me against the wall hard, “Aah!” I screamed in agony, “Bluebell!”

I grunted trying to push him off of me, but he wouldn’t budge, leaving me to my last resort; the lipstick knife. Without hesitation, I quickly stabbed him in the shoulder blade, “Aah!”

 “[Y/N]!” Adam yelled out my name, I shouted and grunted.

I finally unleashed my inner vengeance on the man who sexually assaulted my sister, one after another blow to the face, I kept it coming; I wanted him to suffer. He helpless laid on the bedroom floor, as I continued one punch to another directly at his bloody face, blood smearing all over my bare chest, Adam and Alvin stood in the bedroom as they didn’t know what else to do or whether they wanted to get involved into the cross firing. “[Y/N]. [Y/N]. [Y/N]! We’ve got it. We got it. We got it.” Alvin said pulling me away from the scumbag, as I kept kicking him.

He spits out blood, breathes heavily.

“[Y/N], hey, are you all right?” Erin came rushing to my aid, I mumbled underneath my breathed, “I need to get to Med.”

“She’s got to have her stomach pumped.” Erin called out, leaving with me.

A nurse wheeled me into Sarah’s room, “Why are you in a hospital gown?” Matt and Sarah questioned at the same time. Oh, boy.

“It’s a really long story. Um... We got the guys who attacked you, so they’re never gonna hurt anybody ever again.” I said, sitting down onto her bed. She started to breakdown again, tears rushing down her cheeks. “Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey.”

“[Y/N], what am I supposed to do now?” She asked, “You’re gonna get better, and you’re gonna put it behind you.”

“How? How?” She replied back, “And how am I supposed to take care of my daughter when I don’t even feel safe leaving the house?”

“Sarah, I’m gonna help you through this. I will.” I said patting my heart, “Yeah.”

“Mom?”

Sarah let out a cry, “Hi. Hi, sweetie.”

Matt held onto my forearm as he carefully walked me out of Sarah’s hospital room, where she and Isabelle can have alone time between them. “I’m sorry,” I said looking down as my eyes glistening with tears, “Hey, come on, it wasn’t your fault.” Matt spoke softly, all of a sudden tears begin to roll down my cheeks, “Baby, please don’t cry.”

Matt held me tightly as I leaned my head into the corner of his neck and shoulder. “I love you.” I whispered, “I love you too.” He said kissing my head gently.

[gam3rsuar5sr3x]

amen. i dont think i might send anymore bible verses cause i dont think i should become a teacher at all cause scripters say the things we teach jesus judge us by strictly and with greater strictness than others.

but i will say that he is real and ill never forget the bible verses i shared.

@metakazkz was one guy i shared it to. hes the one who made the abysstale and moonside comics, of course ill admit i admired him too much to the point of putting his au in my take on dustfell (witch i think i,m at a possablility to quit because i saw a video on judgement day that scared me ill explain later) but to all my christian friends. my pastor did pray for me sence i had wierd ocd like thoughts like "i,m this person" or that person and it was usally about fictional characters like some of them were from undertale stuff and from roblox piggy like the abysstale frisk and sans and alphys (and i didnt want them cause i thought it was making me out to claim it and i refused cause my identity is in christ not in fictional characters) and plus evolution isnt biblical, and he told me that the lord told him that i was listening and watching some dark things that open up the door to demons and i had to cut off certian things and i first thought it was undertale but i kept listening to it until i saw a youtube short on a rebellious girl going to hell, and it scared me cause it had a scene from a movie of her out of body expierence and it was her in an ambulance and then shes in hell screaming (not burning but probably going to somewhere where she would burn) and laying down and it shows us shes screaming as she slowly gose into an area in her torment area and it scared the MESS out of me for some reason cause all i saw was her going somewhere and her screaming, i dont know what part of it scared me but i dont wanna see it ever again cause of how scary it was. but in the end i cut off undertale music and the entire genre of undertale and aus as a whole out of fear of going to hell, then i began repenting everyday just to make myself "clean" incase id die one of my nights on earth cause our lives could end in a flash and tomorrow isnt garunteed then i made it to sunday by the grace of god, and in the end i go from cutting it off without any problem of doing so to being greived by the fact i might have to cut it off and never enjoy undertale and its genre ever again, and not just undertale and aus but also piggy and the reading moonside comic with metakaz. but then that fear where i have to get clean from sin before dying went away and everytime i,m outside my room out my house i,m always thinking id wanna go enjoy undertale and aus and piggy and moonside comic (witch is fnaf fan so thats why i also wouldnt wanna read it) but whenever i go back into my room or am in my room i would have that tired feeling and irretated a bit like i shouldnt do it, so i told this to my mom and she asked if this was some religous spirit on me. to me it probably could have been cause i think "i gotta get clean or i,m going to hell" whenever i repent and in doing so i think i made the mistake of trusting in my works to get right with god, and she told me that it wasnt like i was trying to rebel against god whenever i listen to that stuff unless gods trying to call me away from it to show me something about or saying "hey come here". so i went along with the same thing she said and said it to myself as well. but of course she said that was as long as i put jesus first and by first we mean our priority cause the lord should be priority, as a result i still enjoyed it (probably too much) but i had a tendancy cut off undertale and piggy and moonside comic ect from time to time as well as waiting for a week or longer until i can finally go back to it (though i did during those weeks think of undertale and all that stuff). then i saw videos on judgement day and it really scared me cause the main character who got judged had sin of divorce and adultry but what had me back in the fear is that he justified his sin. it scared me cause i,m looking back at what i said saying "its not like i,m trying to rebel against god when i enjoy it its only when it becomes an idol" and i probably think i did go that far and shoudlnt have, it scared me and now i feel like by saying all that i think and feel as if i was trying justifying it as sin and got exposed.

Episode 1572/1758. The Scripture art series from Revelation to Genesis.

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Title: The Future Brings The Past

Gif credit @timbradford

I hope you all enjoy.

Happy Reading Dollies.

Taglist: @jesseswartzwelder. @nocturnalherb16.

Warning: Suicide, attempted murder of a unborn child.

Hank came home after a tough shift, the case he was working on had something to do with Justin. Justin seemed to be up to his old ways again.

He walked into the house like he always did, put his keys in the bowl by the door, kicked his shoes off and locked his gun in the safe. But something was off tonight. There was no sound of you in the kitchen, no humming to music that softly played in the background. No smell of food cooking like always.

Hank felt uneasy, he got his gun out of the safe and pointed it towards the living room as he tip toed across the hardwood floors. He wanted to call out your name but he knew that wasn't a good idea, if there was someone in the house. As he got to the kitchen he saw your painted toenails, he followed your legs they were tied to a chair. He saw that you were tied up and tape across your mouth. Then he noticed the big man beside you with a gun pointed to your head. You were crying and trembling. Your chest was heaving up and down as you panicked.

Hank reached for his phone, he got it out but that was the last thing he remembered as he was struck on the back of his head. Another intruder came up behind him without him knowing and hit him over the head with the end of a gun. You struggled to get loose as you saw his body drop in front of you. A spot of read on his head.

Hank groaned as he moved. His body hurt, felt like he was run over by a mac truck. He brought his left hand to his head and hissed as he grazed the gash in his head. He tried lifting his right hand but he was handcuffed to the heating radiator.

Hank looked up seeing you still tied to a chair and the intruder from last night standing over you. He suspected the one that hit him over the head was standing beside you as well.

"Sergeant Hank Voight, its a pleasure to finally meet you. Justin has talked about you so much". Said the one that had the gun pointed to your head with a chuckle. Voights gun to be exact.  The other stood snickering.

"Whatever you want, take it. Just let her go". Hanks husky voice was dry as he spoke.

"I'll keep that in mind. But for right now I need you to give me the combination to the safe in the basement or your pretty little girlfriend gets it". He nudged your head with the gun.

"No, I can't". Hank struggled agains the cuffs.

"You better tell us or I swear I'll kill her. I'll make you watch as she slowly and very painfully dies". The other one stepped in front of Hank. Which Hank took the opportunity to kick the guys legs out from underneath him and put him in a visegrip with his own legs. Squeezing the life out of him.

"Let him go now". The bigger intruder put the gun on Hank. But Hank didn't blink a eye as he starred into the man's eyes with the barrel of the gun pointed to his head.

"Let him go now". He warned again and cocked the gun. Hank resisted at first but he looked behind the man in front of him and saw you crying and your eyes tightly shut. He let go and the second intruder started coughing and wheezing. Hank met the end of the gun again but it didn't knock him out.

"So you're playing hard. I like the challenge". The big man took out a trash bag and threw it over your head. He was suffocating you. You struggled to breath. The air was being sucked from your lungs as you gasped.

Hank started screaming, kicking his legs as the second man came closer.

"Let her go. She's pregnant". Hank yelled his face turning red, the little vein bulging out on his neck.

The big man laughed as he loosed the bag, letting fresh air in. You sucked it in as fast as it came.

"So you're telling me we have the Sergeant of Chicago's girlfriend and unborn child in my hands? Wow. That will be an amazing reward if they found them both dead. Killing two birds with one stone".

"Let them go and you can have me. I'm worth more to Chicago then they are".

"But they're worth more to you than your own life so I think im going to keep them". He tightened the grip on the bag, taking your oxygen away once more.

"Please, stop". Hank screams as he saw your body go limp.

"Tell me the code".

"Fine". He said with a whisper, his head hanged low.

The big man let go of the bag, still on your head and walked over to Hank, who had tears running down his face.

"I suggest you tell me or after I'm done with your girlfriend I'm going to cut your child out of her. Then I'm going to kill you and leave you on the steps of your sons".

"8-6-12-26". Hank said beat.

"See now was that so hard"? He tapped Hanks cheek with his hand. He got up and walked with the other guy to the basement.  Hank struggled again with the cuffs. Pulling and trying to get his hand free. He managed to get out but at the cost of his hand. It was broken and bleeding as he ran to you. He ripped the bag off your head and checked your pulse. It was there but hardly. He went to the house phone and called 911, they were sending his team and a ambulance to his address.

Hank went to his desk and got out the gun he keeps hidden, he carefully and silently went down the basement steps. The two intruders were going through the safe. Their backs turned as Hank hit the bottom step.

"Find what you were looking for"? Hank spoke spooking them. The big man drew his gun as Hank shot off a shot towards the little man wounding him in the abdomen. He fell to the ground, the bag he had all the contents scattered on the floor.

"I'm leaving and you're going to let me. Or I'll finish your whole family off". The big man demanded. Hank shook his head, the sound of boots hitting the floor above him scared the big man. He fired off shots. Not looking where they went as he lunged towards the window. Hank ran after him as the glass was broken and he was crawling threw.

Hank grabbed his feet, trying to pull him back in but the big man kick Hank in the face. Planting Hank on the floor.

"Hank"!! Antonio's voice rang threw out the basement. The big man got free...for now.

Hank didn't bother to let Antonio look him over or to see if the other guy was alive. He took off up stairs and saw you were being taken out of a stretcher. He followed you out and got in. He was going with you while the team searched.

Hank got his hand bandaged up and the doctor was checking you and the baby out. You were with out oxygen for a little while so they monitored the baby but you on oxygen and made sure you were stable.

Hank kicked himself as he saw the state of you and his unborn child. He could get what the big man said out of his mind.

"Sergeant"? Jay approached Hank with caution.

"Yeah"?

"The suspect didn't make it but we got a name from his ID". Jay handed Hank a piece of paper.

"Any leads on the second guy"?

"No. But we're working on it. We're going to find this guy". Jay reassured him.

"I know we are. I won't stop until he's dead. Now Jay you're going to stay here and make sure no one comes in this room without a ID. If they look suspicious or you get a weary feeling call me. Got it"?

"Yes, Sir".

"Good. I'm going to pay my son a little visit". Hank gritted his teeth as he walked out of the hospital and into Jay's SUV. He gunned it to his sons house to get answers.

"What kind of trouble are you into"? Hank growled as his son backed away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about". Justin's voice trembled. Hank chuckled and gripped the chair that was in front of him but that chuckled turned into Hank picking the chair up and throwing it against the wall. Justin jumped back.

"You don't know? Two men broke into my house, tied Y/N up and knocked me out. They cuffed me to the radiator and made me watch them put a bag over Y/Ns head as he suffocated her. She's pregnant Justin. Do you know what lack of oxygen can do to a expecting mother and her child? You could have gotten them both killed". Hank sternly yelled.

"I didnt know they were going to come after you. I just wanted out".

"They didn't come after me, they came after my family. So what have you gotten yourself into, Justin? Tell me the truth". 

"I'm sorry dad. I'm in deep". Justin broke down in front of Hank. Hank sighed and walked over to his son bringing him into a hug.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to get through this but you have to tell me the truth from now on. No more secrets".

"Okay". Justin sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"So who were they"?

"Some guys I met at a bar. They were asking around the bar, they wanted guys to help with a job. But it seems they knew who I was and singled me out".

"Names, Justin? Addresses"?

"I just know their names. Brad and Mark Willson. They're brothers".

"You did good, Justin. I'm going to send someone to get you and take you to the hospital. You can help Jay watch out for them".

"I'm sorry dad".

"It's all going to be okay". Hank rubbed his sons shoulder, comforting him. Justin went to pack a bag as Hank called the station putting out a ABP about the brother that escaped. He called Jay to warn him.

"Voight"? Mouse spoke over the phone.

"Yeah? What do you got"?

"The Willson brothers are the sons of Andrew Willson". "The brother you killed in the house was Brad, the other is Mark, the oldest".

"I've heard that name before".

"You should. You arrested him early last year for six counts of murder. He got killed in prison. His family sued the state and lost".

"So they sault out Justin to get to me. They want revenge. They blame me".

"I'm assuming that. Yes".

"Okay, just keep a track on his phone and find him".

"Yes, sir". The line went dead as Hank heard a crash upstairs. He grabbed his gun from his holster and tip toed up stairs. The noise got louder as he came to justins room. A familiar voice made Hank grip his gun tighter, his finger on the trigger.

"You're gonna die, boy". Mark hand his hands around Justin's throat as they wrestled on the floor.

"Let him go. Your problem is with me, not my family". Hank pointed the gun at Mark's head.

Mark let go of Justin and got off him standing with his hands in the air.

"You figured me out".

"It was easy. I just saw the resemblance of a murderer in your eyes".

"My father didnt kill those people".

"There was tons of evidence to put him away, its not my fault he got himself killed".

"It is, you put him there". Mark drew a gun and pointed it at Hank.

"I was doing my job".

"But you were wrong. My dad wasnt a killer. He loved his family".

"That was just a cover. Deep down he was a serial killer. If we didn't put him away, he would have killed you, your brother or your mom".

"You're lying". Mark screamed, his gun shaking in his hand.

"Did you happen to read those papers in your hands when you got them out of the safe"?

"No".

"Then you would have seen your father's confession. Telling me everything he did to those people. How he cut them up and fed them to the sharks. How he did it in your garage. He did it right under your nose and you knew nothing. That's how he fooled you. Always being there but he was never really there".

"Shut up, you're lying".

"I'm not". Hank shook his head.

"Now put the gun down".

"You think I'm stupid? If i walk out of this house I'll be put inside and killed just like he was".

Mark turned the gun on himself, je rested the gun under his chin.

"Don't do it, it's not worth it. Think about your mom, do you really want her burying two sons at once"?

"It's better this way, to save her from the embarrassment". Mark shut his eyes and pulled the trigger, Hank tried to grab the gun before it went off but it was to late. Mark's brains were all over Justin's celling and wall. His body hit the ground with a thud. Hank rushed over to Justin who was still out, he called for back up and a ambulance.

Justin was treated on the scene and Hank gave his statement. All he was thinking about was his family in the hospital.

After they let Hank go and sent Justin to the hospital for observation. Hank went to see you.

You were sitting up in bed, talking to Jay.

"Hey there". You say as Hank walks in.

Jay excused himself and Hank took his seat beside you.

"Everything okay"? You asked, taking Hank's hand in yours.

"Yeah, just a hard couple of days".

"How's Justin"?

"He'll be fine. Well at least until I send him off to training".

"Don't be to hard on him. We're fine. The baby is healthy and doesn't seem to be hurt".

"You sure? I was there". Hank rested his free hand on your stomach.

"Yeah, the doctor did tons of test and ultrasounds. Our son is happy, healthy and kicking up a storm".

"It's a boy"? Hank lite up as he heard.

"Can you handle another son"? You asked with a chuckle but was serious.

"Yeah, but I'm doing things differently this time".

"Don't change to much. Justin's a good kid, he just gets mixed up with the wrong people".

"Then our sons friends will have a back ground check and so will their parents. I'm not taking any chances".

"Oh, Hank". You rubbed his cheek with your thumb.

"I'm also going to be more careful with bringing my work home and into my life".

"I know. We'll take it one day at a time". You kissed his lips. Hank was worried about his unborn son and the life of a cop coming to haunt him. But he'll do anything to protect you and his sons.

[accioharry]

just stay for a moment & heal with me | brightwell (post 1x10)

dani reunites with malcolm after his kidnapping. 

this fic is based off the song All of the Love in the World by Lily Kershaw. I fell in love with it and it's literally brightwell and now I'm emotional!!!

read here on ao3 | word count: 3.2k

Dani woke up to her phone ringing on her nightstand. She grumbled, knowing full well she put her phone on do not disturb before she fell asleep. The moonlight coming in from her window allowed her to see in the darkness as she fumbled for her phone, answering it without even checking the caller ID.

“We got him,” Gil’s voice came through before she could even say anything. “Malcolm…we…we got him.” His voice was full of emotion, as though he couldn’t believe it himself.

She shot up like a light, suddenly fully awake. Her hand shook as she gripped the phone. “What…what? Is he...” she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “Where? How?”

“He’s alive, but it’s not looking good Dani,” Gil’s voice cracked. “Just…get here, to the hospital.”

Dani had never obeyed an order so quickly as soon as Gil hung up the phone, presumably calling JT or Edrisa. She nearly fell out of bed, rushing to her dresser to throw on a pair of jeans and an old college T-shirt. Her mind was racing in a thousand different directions. They got him. They got him…They saved him.

It had been six weeks since Malcolm disappeared, taken by the Junkyard Killer. Six weeks of Dani crashing on the couch at the station, of Gil and Jessica fighting, of JT not cracking a single joke. Six weeks of Ainsley bringing coffee for the team on her way to work every morning and Edrisa bringing homemade desserts every other night. Six weeks of exhausting every resource, every lead, every interview, and they always came up with nothing. For six weeks, Dani had never felt so alone.

Malcolm Bright came into her world unexpectedly, crashing into her life like a hurricane. At first, she didn’t know what to make of him. Here was the son of The Surgeon, one of the world’s worst serial killers, brought onto a case without any clarification from her colleagues. Within hours of meeting he was in her arms waking up from the worst nightmare she had ever seen someone go through. She frantically caught him as he held a person’s hand in a cooler after a bomb had gone off in a building. She made sure he stayed alive the night he accidentally got high, admitting to him more about her past than she had ever planned on sharing.

That was the night she started to feel things for Malcolm Bright, but she’d never admit that. The night he told her she could trust him, and the night she decided to let him in.

Then he was gone.

The drive to the hospital was the longest drive of her life. It was raining but Dani didn’t think about running back inside for an umbrella. At 2 am the only thing on her mind was Malcolm. An ambulance passed her apartment complex as she was walking to her car, and her heart stopped. The chances of it being Malcolm were next to nothing as she knew darn well Gil would have a police escort to the hospital, but it still made her pause. It still made her heart drop as the rain fell on her.

The street lights felt like spotlights as she drove. Each one highlighting a different part of her short time with Malcolm Bright. She smiled to herself as she remembered when Malcolm brought her tea, or when he told her that her hands were too cold. She didn’t bring gloves and knew JT would tell her she’d get hypothermia, but she didn’t turn back. Her hands were cold and all she wanted was Malcolm to get the chance to tell her that one more time.

She parked badly but didn’t stick around long enough to check. She followed the sounds of sirens to the back of the hospital, to the ambulance entrance. She recognized Gil helping Jessica and Ainsley out of a police car, no doubt he sent an officer to pick them up.

“Gil!” She called, running to catch up to them. She was out of breath by the time she reached them, Jessica putting her arms out to steady her. In the past six weeks, Jessica and Ainsley Whitly had become something of a family to her, another part of Malcolm’s life she never thought would intertwine with her own.

“Dani, where’s your umbrella?” Ainsley asked. Dani shook her head.

“Where is he?” She asked as they walked into the ER. There were cops everywhere.

“They flew him in about a half-hour ago, he’s in surgery,” Gil explained. A helicopter meant things were serious…it meant Malcolm didn’t have a lot of time left.

“Where was he? What happened?” Dani knew she was still shaking, but she wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline or the cold.

Gil pulled her and Ainsley aside as Jessica spoke to doctors across the room. “I need to prepare Jessica and Ainsley for this, but I meant what I said on the phone, it’s not good.” He gestured for Ainsley to step aside. She refused.

“Gil,” she protested. If Dani had learned anything about the Whitly family in the past six weeks, they all were extremely stubborn and resilient. Asking Ainsley to walk away would be asking Malcolm to walk away from a homicide case. It wouldn’t happen.

Gil stared at the two for a moment before nodding. “We found him about two hours north of here, in the middle of nowhere in a cabin. Watson was shot on scene after he attempted to shoot at officers. Malcolm was in the basement.”

“What was his condition?” Ainsley asked.

“He…he was barely conscious. I got to him first and he was dehydrated, starved, and badly injured. There was…a lot of blood. He was holding on for us, and when they prepared to take him to the hospital...” he trailed off.

“He what?” Dani asked. When Gil didn’t answer she raised her voice and asked again, “What happened?”

Nothing could have prepared her for when Gil said the words, “His heart stopped.”

Suddenly, Ainsley had dropped into the chair behind her. Dani was frozen, stuck standing in what felt like hell. This had to be hell because what could be worse than this? She didn’t even realize she was crying until she felt a teardrop.

“No,” she mumbled. “He didn’t die, he’s…he’s in surgery. He’s going to be fine, right? Gil, please tell me he’s going to be fine.”

“Dani, I can’t promise anything…you know that.”

“I should’ve been there!” She argued. “I should’ve been with him! Why didn’t you take me with you? Why’d you send me home tonight?”

“It was a long shot, Dani, you’re too close to this. The FBI said they didn’t want any of us there, I fought tooth and nail just to override that for myself. I did my best, but I knew it was better to not disappoint you again in case we came home empty-handed.”

“But you didn’t come home empty-handed,” her voice broke. “Gil…I can’t…” she sobbed, feeling Ainsley’s arm pulling her down into the chair next to her.

“Dani,” she started. “He’s going to be fine, he held on for us, remember that. He held out until we got him, now we have to hold on for him.”

Dani nodded, looking up when she heard footsteps entering the room. JT and his wife came in, both looking frantic and confused. Both were speaking to Gil in hushed tones, probably not to alert Jessica. Dani knew Gil would tell her in a few minutes, but wanted to spare her the pain for as long as possible. JT came to her, pulling her into his arms, and Dani let herself cry.

Malcolm was in surgery for eight hours. Gil broke the news to Jessica about Malcolm’s heart stopping, and Dani feared she’ll never forget the sound of Jessica Whitly’s heart shattering. Gil and JT did their best to comfort her, reminding her that Malcolm was still alive, just as Ainsley had to remind Dani. Regardless, his heart had stopped. They got there in time, but was it enough?

Dani paced the halls of the ER for the first few hours until Edrisa showed up around 4 am. She took one look at Dani and shuffled her and Ainsley out the door to the nearest 24 hour Starbucks down the street. Together the three of them sat and watched the sunrise, as the city woke up and began their day. Cars honking, people running in for coffee before work, even doctors from the hospital coming between their shifts.

“How can the world still be going?” Ainsley had asked at one point, her eyes not leaving her coffee cup. “How are they so oblivious to what’s happening?” Her voice was so quiet, it reminded Dani that even though she was hurting, Ainsley was hurting more. She was still Malcolm's baby sister, the one who saw his night terrors first hand and slept on the floor of his room when they were children. Dani didn’t say anything, but Edrisa reached over and took Ainsley’s hand.

They got back to the hospital around 7 am, not even realizing they had spent the past three hours in a coffee shop. Dani felt guilty but also knew the fresh air was good for her. They had brought back breakfast for everyone else, even though Ainsley had begged Jessica to go with them, knowing it was no use. The ER was different, a shift change meant new nurses and new doctors, new families waiting for their loved ones. A doctor had come out at one point, briefing Jessica and Gil about something Dani didn’t understand. Something to do with his brain activity and that was all she needed to force herself not to listen anymore.

Malcolm was out of surgery at 10 am.

By some miracle, his heart kept beating. The next 12 hours were critical for his brain, but things were looking positive. A doctor had the group moved into a private waiting area in the hospital as Malcolm was taken to be admitted to the ICU. He had a punctured lung, a few broken ribs, and had wounds on his abdomen causing him to bleed out, most likely from a knife of some sort. His lack of oxygen and his heart working to make up for the lost blood is what put him in the cardiac arrest.

Right now, Malcolm needed blood and a lot of it. The critical part was until Malcolm woke up, there was no way to tell how much damage was done to his brain during his arrest.

Dani refused to go home and change, let alone leave the waiting room. Jessica, Ainsley, and Gil went into the ICU first, not wanting to overwhelm Malcolm or the nurses. The doctors were slowly taking him off the sedation medication, but the time it would take him to fully wake up would at least be a few days. Regardless,

Dani knew she was here for the long haul, regardless of the circumstances.

Ainsley came back around thirty minutes after she had gone into the ICU. Her eyes were red and her face was stained with tears. Her normally curled blonde hair was falling out of the messy bun she had it in when she arrived, and Malcolm’s old college sweatshirt looked as though she had been chewing on the sleeves from her nerves. She sat down in the chair next to Dani, tucking her feet under her.

“How is he?” JT asked after a moment of silence. Ainsley took a deep breath, fiddling with the sleeves of Malcolm’s sweatshirt.

“He’s on a lot of morphine,” she started. “The nurse said he could potentially hear us talking to him, but he wasn’t reacting to anything Mom or Gil were saying,” she wiped tears from her eyes. “They aren’t giving him any more sedation medication, so he could start waking up in a few hours or as long as a week.”

“How are his injuries?” Edrisa asked, sipping her coffee.

“It’s hard to tell. The doctors decided he didn’t need to be on a ventilator because he never crashed during surgery and his heart rate was able to maintain normal levels once they started the blood transfusion. The nurse who changed his bandage on his stomach said it looked better already compared to when he came in, but he isn’t out of the woods yet. Not until we know his brain function.”

“Go see him, Dani,” JT said. Dani shook her head.

“Family only,” she muttered, nodding to Ainsley. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“Gil pulled strings. We all can’t go in together until he’s out of ICU, but I can sneak you in Dani.” Ainsley stood up. “He’ll want to hear your voice.”

Dani had never been in an ICU. It was a small unit with nurses at every turn. Code blue machines were parked in the hall, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Dani noticed one was outside Malcolm's room as they went in. Gil and Jessica had stepped out of the room when she and Ainsley arrived.

Dani covered her mouth with her hand to hold in her cries when she saw Malcolm. He looked so vulnerable, so broken lying in that hospital bed. He was connected to too many machines to count, one for his oxygen, one for his heart, and one for monitoring his brain function. Ainsley nudged her so she’d walk into the room.

“He might hear you if you talk to him,” she muttered, before stepping out herself.

Tentatively, Dani walked towards the bed. If you took away all the machines, Malcolm just looked as though he was sleeping. He had a bandage on his forehead, one on his chin, and Dani knew the rest were under his hospital gown. The only sounds in the room were the machines, and Dani was so grateful to hear the heart machine. It meant he was here, that he was alive.

He was home.

She moved to walk around the bed, but her hand brushed his. She pulled back…he was so cold.

“Your…your hands are cold,” she said, forcing her voice not to break. She stared at him for a moment waiting for him to blink, to smile, to laugh, even though she knew he still had the sedation medication in his system. Gently, Dani put his hand in her own, careful not to pull on his IV. She tucked it under the blanket. The nurses would have to access his IV for medication, but for now, Dani wanted him to be warm. He needed to be warm.

Malcolm woke up three days later.

Even though she wanted it to, life didn’t stop. Dani was needed at the station and was grateful Gil had placed her and JT on desk duty while Malcolm was in the hospital. It wasn’t safe for them to be in the field when their minds were somewhere else.

Dani had gotten into a routine of going to the hospital after work, meaning that during the day she was going stir crazy sorting through case files that needed to be digitalized. On day three, she had enough. She told Gil she was taking a sick day, and he had smiled at her knowingly, gesturing his head in the direction of the hospital.

Dani stopped at home to grab another book and a coffee. It felt like a lifetime ago when she and Malcolm had gotten into the topic of reading and Malcolm had a list of book recommendations at the tip of his tongue. Most were about serial killers, not surprisingly, but Dani had taken note anyways. She didn’t look at the list while he was gone, but now had a small pile of books on Malcolm’s hospital nightstand that she had read. When everyone stepped out to speak with doctors, Dani even read out loud to him.

She wasn’t expecting Ainsley to run at her when she entered the ICU. Dani panicked, what happened? What went wrong?

“He’s awake!”

It took Dani a moment to process what Ainsley said. “What…what?”

“Apparently it happened last night. My mom didn’t call me because she wanted me to sleep, but I found out when I got here this morning. He’s been responding to us most of the day, but sometimes he struggles, especially because his body has been through so much. They’re going to sedate him so he can sleep without night terrors tonight because they don’t want him to hurt himself.” Ainsley let out a huge breath, having said all of that without pausing.

“But…” Dani shook her head. “His brain? It’s fine?”

“It looks like it, physically anyways,” Ainsley’s voice softened. “He isn’t talking about anything he’s been through; he just stops talking if we come close to mentioning it. Even if I tell him about things that have happened while he was…missing…he stops.” She shrugged, crossing her arms. “It’s more than I expected to be honest,” she looked back at his hospital room. “He’s been asking for you. I’m going to call my mom,” she patted Dani on the shoulder on her way out of the ICU.

It took Dani longer than she’d like to admit to getting her legs moving towards Malcolm’s room. Once she had processed everything Ainsley had said, she nearly sprinted to his room at the end of the hall.

Malcolm was watching something on the television, the curtains of his room pulled back to let the light in. He was sitting up in bed and once he heard her, his eyes turned to Dani. As soon as their eyes met, Dani knew she was going to cry again. She rushed to his bedside.

“Hey,” she smiled softly, not wanting to overwhelm him. God, she missed those blue eyes. She gently sat herself in the chair next to his bed, fully prepared for

Malcolm to ignore her when he turned back to the TV.

“You said my hands were cold,” he whispered. Dani wasn’t sure if it was the mental or physical trauma that made him speak so quietly.

She wiped her tears with her sleeve. “You heard me,” she murmured.

He nodded. “You read to me…it was nice.” She moved to cover his hand with her own. He wasn’t cold anymore.

His eyes found her own. “Thank you for finding me.” It was the first time he acknowledged the past six weeks.

“That was all Gil…I wasn’t there,” Dani felt the guilt build in her stomach. She bit her lip to stop herself from breaking down in front of him.

“You were,” he murmured, a tear falling down his face. “You were always with me.” He had visibly relaxed since she had entered the room, and his hand that was in hers held on tight, as though he was afraid she’d let go. She didn’t.

He was silent for a while and Dani assumed he had fallen asleep. She muted the TV and with one hand, awkwardly reached in her bag for the book she brought. She looked up to see that Malcolm’s eyes had met her own once more.

“Can you read it out loud?” He asked.

Dani nodded, reaching with her arm to brush the hair out of his face. “Yeah, I can.”

Malcolm smiled softly and drifted off to sleep. Thirty minutes later, that’s how Jessica and Gil found them: Malcolm with his hand in Dani’s, her head in his lap, with the book half opened, both sleeping soundly.

[ton-e]

Lol ok so I didn't wanna do aesthetics so I wanna brainstorm possible scenes instead

Ok so the premise is, basically, Viktor, an aspiring kid looking to enter this straining affair of the boxing world. He's young and impressionable and he's got something to say. Something that old underground New York pubs and junior gyms don't provide enough eco for.

Barnes, a big shot star in the 80s, is pretty much known as the best of the best there, holding the impressive score of 34-1. (Tho I don't know if it can count as a victory since he wasn't even there for the fight, anyway) but after a near fatal shooting which happened right before his big championship match with Rollins, a bullet piercing his right shoulder which leads to the amputation of his limb, he dissapears into the shadows. The world moves on.

I like the idea of Barnes being trained by Mary who was in his exact same spot years ago but had to give up her career to have Anthony which she doesn't regret! Between her heart problems and the growing annoyance of public attention, a baby is practically a blessing and if it puts Jarvis and Howie to rest then it's a bonus. (I also kind of like the idea of her having only losing once and it was against Maria lol)

And maybe Viktor goes to her first but, while she does seem fond, like she's looking at an old memory twice, she refuses. "Kid, I'm gonna tell you exactly what I told my old pain in the ass when he stood in your spot: I can't."

"Why?"

"Because us Carbonells train to kill, not fight. Alright, what you think boxing is, - this cookie-cutter bullshit version you kids have today? The civilized conversation, the heavy editing, the contracts promising defenses, - that doesn't mean shit. Apollo Creed had a contract.

Muhammed Ali had a contract. So did Jimmy Doyle, Frankie Cambell, and Brad Connels. A sheet of paper can't protect you from the ring, and I'm not having another kid on my conscience. Besides, these guys? They have purpose. Whether it's money, or sport, or just to chase the high - they have it. You just want the glory."

"Yeah? So what?" So what if he wants to be seen? So what if he's doing all of this hoping to impress? So what if he has to prove he's worth someone's time. "If I die I die. Big deal."

For some reason, he wants to both cry and retaliate at the look of pity that crosses her face. "Go home, kid. You're gonna break your momma's heart." Are his last words to him before she closes the door.

In a Viktor fashion, he does the exact opposite.

He likes the street fighting, - the vibrations under his fists, the crack of his bones, the violent taste of crimson metal blossoming in his mouth, it's liberating. He doesn't think about anything. It's just him and his adversary, not an enemy, just someone seeing him as Viktor sees them. That rush could ruin a man.

It doesn't hurt he's making pocket money on the side, either. Certainly better than watching some snotty kids or mowing laws, in his book.

No, what kind of hurts is seeing the sharp scrutiny in Aleksei's sharp eye and the soft disappointment uncovering Ryurik's Dad Stare when they come pick him up from the station.

He and his mother are alike a lot in that aspect, - really he's pretty sure the five, Sasha and him have had an agreement to collectively throw themselves off a cliff if they disappointed Ryurik in some way. A broken arm, bruised ribs, and black eye? Pale in comparison to what Ryurik's power really holds.

I refuse to believe Aleksei doesn't freely parent other people's kids sksk Aleksei only stops scolding him when a police officer says ''He's going to spend the first part of his life in the streets, and the other in the grave. I put my life on it." Well a certain fashion teacher is gonna design the outfit for your funeral BITCH-

"You're so damn lucky Talusha was busy digging her medicure through someone's intestines right now. Do you even know how bad you look right now? Of the mountain of trouble you're into? Are you? Viktor Iosef Novak, you look at me when I'm talking to you, -"

"Relax, relax, take it down to a two, " Viktor pushes back a laugh watching Ryurik placate his husband bc it's just cute, and ignores the shush river of Russian pet names bc they're not for him to hear. It makes him feel vulnerable tho, that Ryurik feels the need to somehow hold Aleksei back. He can take the heat just fine.

He can take it and give it just as good, because every battle he's been into before has been on his own name. But this is harder because it was never a fight, to begin with.

Fighting is easy. Stopping is harder.

It doesn't stop feeling bad when Sasha bandages his wounds and his back doesn't cool town from the target five pair of eyes fixate on. Yasha's burn the hardest thought. "The fuck you looking at?" He playfully glares, the good part of his shoulder bumping against the other boy's, who tries to small but it lifts with a strain.

"An idiot."

"Are you looking for a mirror?"

"Fuck you, Vitya."

"Hard pass."

"Okay, Viktor you're not getting away that easy, " Ronin says, arms still bound tightly around Antoska's slender shoulders and Sasha's frail middle. Despite his easy going tone, Viktor uncovers the touch of concern underneath. "Why can't you just ask your mom to teach you? Or Papa? I mean, you want to be on a knuckle sandwich diet be my guest, but it's not really good for digestion from what I hear."

"It's not the same. Your father knows another kind of style."

'He doesn't want to learn from mom and uncle Ryurik because she's a girl,' Sasha signes irritably, eyes making an impressive tumble. 'My brother, the 14 year old, making sexist comment. What a never heard of fact.'

"I didn't say that!" He exclaims, flushed. Hissing when Natalia kicks him in the tender bruise he sports on his hip. "I just said, that I want to learn boxing! And that's not the same thing as what Ma does, or you guys do. Boxing is special. But if I can't learn from Barnes specifically, then there's no point!"

The red head huffs in indignation. "Okay, so, boo hoo, some washed-up Rocky Balboa doesn't want to train you. You have options, V. People give up over worse."

He doesn't feel like being home anymore, so he flees, the call outs to his name going ignored. in the street or just outside, he doesn't know. He just knows red follows him, that concrete shakes under the stomp of his heel and that the wetness on his cheeks freezes on his face. No one gets it, no one gets HIM. It hurts, that a part of him, the part that tells him he's worthless and insignificant and forgetful , really does think Barnes has better things to do than train him.

A sleek car, long, vintage, a touch too expensive for the streets he's haunting right now, stops beside him. He continues. It follows him, engines unusually quiet.

"Mr. Novak?" A deep voice, subdued, but persuasive nonethelesss coerces him into stopping. The windows roll down, revealing a man with a smile too friendly to be true and eyes too kind to be nondeceiving. "My name is Alexander Pierce. And I happen to have an irresistible offer."

"It's in the process of extension, " Pierce expresses later, as he leads Viktor through the underground fighting bar. Its practically a huge stadium in a molehill and his mind struggles to compute how Pierce pulled it off. "I'm looking for capable young talents to craft into tomorrow's brightest stars. I'm assuming you've heard of Rumlow before?"

"Crossbones? 23-2? Yeah, I heard. He's currently heavyweight champ, right?" Barnes should have been, he wants to say, but reading the room better he thinks against it. "I don't... Actually think I've seen him around much. Maybe since '98, but that's his most recent match. What's ... Up with that?"

"He's kept that belt around him for closer than two decades. Id say its time for some adjuments in the records, don't you agree?" He doesn't like it when Pierce smiles. Bad things happen when he smiles, of that Viktor is certain. "That being said. I think you could be our following breakthrough. What do you say? I'd love to see a performance. "

"I'd be surprised if you guys had a Juniors league." He snorts, expecting a smart retort, but all he gets is a sinister grin. All of a sudden he's in the ring, without even noticing he was moved, and before him stands a beast of a man, two heads taller and promise of pain in his eyes. "... What juice do you give this kid?"

"You're charismatic. You'll need that in this world. He's your adversary for tonight. I'd suggest an old fashioned glove bump for the sake of sport, but, seeing as you're barehanded id advise against it. "

"You can't do that, " nervousness bubbles in his throat. "That's against the rules. I can't fight like that."

"Oh! Don't worry. You don't have to fight. You just have to die."

--

The last time Rumlow sees Barnes is on a stretcher, arm bathed in blood and with the press around an ambulance.

He doesn't know what they were. Fuck buddies to almost friends to friends with benefits? He doesn't know what he had, but he knows he lost it. All he has is a sheet of paper with scratched blue ink, digits that no longer call, and some gold on leather.

"You should treat that belt with more respect. " Rollins scolds him. Rumlow uses it as feet rest next, and doesn't flinch at the sharp slap he receives. Instead, he smiles mockingly, lower lip sticking out in a tempting pout.

"Hit a bit harder next time and maybe it'll be half close to how Barnes used to do it. Just because it felt good with him doesn't mean you'll receive the same response." The pout slips into a smile that drinks into the frustration sizzling around the air. "Besides, I don't listen to cowards, Jackie. Thought we established that."

"Oh, please. Are you ever going to let that go? I ain't gonna repeat it a thousand times till you get It through that hard head of yours, but I didn't shoot your boy toy."

'' I didn't say you shot him. Pussy like yourself, I'm thinking you hired someone. Why did you do it? Hm? Were you that scared to fight him that you wanted to kill him? Hell, I don't blame you. Man sprints like Ali and serves like Creed. "

It's Jack's turn to return that grin, that fucking blood-curling grin. " Used to, for sure. Remember when he fucked up your pretty face in '84. Now? He's a street rat barely getting by, sniffing after junk and scraps just to stay alive. Must be hard to think about, I guess, that he used to give it so good and now he can't even hold you, can't he? Not with his cripple self. "

The beer can in Rumlow's hand spills over. Neither comment. "I ain't afraid of no half-man, Brocky, " Honey-sweet words make him sick. He wants to kick Jack out, but they both know he won't stay away, and that Rumlow won't keep him away. He's too dependent on him at this point. "And not stupid enough to think he's coming back."

"... You're right. You're not afraid to fight him. You've got a lot of words worth to point the finger at, but chicken shit? Ain't one of them. You know what I think?" Rumlow sits back, smirk wide and nasty, contradicting the sadness on his tongue, the venom, the tired. " I think you were afraid to be him. That he just? Didn't give a shit. Just like I did. That he could fuck me whenever and wherever he damn well pleased without giving a shit about who had something to say about it.

You were afraid I'd say something about you, even if we both damn well know that never happened, that he found out. I think you were terrified he was gonna tell the world Jack Rollins was a faggot just like his daddy."

He can't snapshot the moment his body makes contact to the floor. He doesn't count the punches either, letting them numb over his face, no longer present for the beating. At around one point, his neck snaps to the TV screen, in sync with Jack ceasing his onslaught, and his eyeballs follow his stunned gaze.

Rumlow can recall the time Barnes lost his right hand.

And he'll brain engrave the image of him kncoking some goon out with his left.

[ghostportrait]

STATEMENT #0171303 - STRANGLEHOLD

Statement of Kinsey Rutherford, regarding a week spent with serial killer, Duke Labelle. Recorded directly from the subject, 13th March, 2017.

Statement begins.

                                                    KINSEY

A month ago we caught him. You may have seen it on the news-- it was big in France for awhile. I tried to stay out of it mostly. My boss told me that I’d likely have to testify and I didn’t want to let all the speculation and news affect my memories of what happened. My memories… well, there aren’t many of them to speak of. Part of the memory loss was just the trauma and the other part was the oxygen deprivation to the brain. 

I guess I should start at the beginning. We’d been close to him for a long time. I… well, at the time I was working for INTERPOL. I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be going back. We’d been close to catching him that we had almost completely narrowed down where he was to a few blocks. I had been staking out one of the buildings we thought he would target. It was silent for awhile, until just about dawn. That’s when I heard the scream.

I called for back-up immediately. Like I was supposed to. But I was standing there, hearing the occasional scream and… I’m not impulsive. I’m really not. But I’d been working on this case for over a year and just standing by felt wrong. And back-up had to be coming soon, at least that’s what I told myself.

I ran into the building, some kind of hotel or hostel. I didn’t have a gun, but I was pretty good at self-defense. I didn’t know which room but I… I found it pretty quickly. I should have noticed it was too easy, but I was caught up in the adrenaline. I even ran up the stairs without breaking a sweat. [NERVOUSLY LAUGHS]

Then, um… then there was the room. On the third floor. I found her lying on the ground and he was gone. I checked her pulse but it was too late. I called for back-up again when I saw that the window was open to the fire escape. I could just barely hear the sound of someone climbing it, so I hurried and poked my head out. I caught sight of him stepping onto the roof, but didn’t see much more than his legs. I knew it was him though. I glanced at the body on the ground once before climbing through and running up the fire escape. 

It was windy when I got up there, making it hard to hear much. I stood at the top, eying all the places he could hide behind. It just… it felt too easy. There was no way he could have gotten off that roof. He had to know he was going to get caught. At least, that’s what I thought. Before I realized it was a trap. 

I had taken a few steps to the edge of the roof to see if he had jumped off. But no, he hadn’t. The strange thing was, I had such a good view of the city and I knew all of my colleagues were supposed to be within a few city blocks. But I couldn’t hear or see sirens or lights. No one was coming. 

Then I felt a thick, rough rope pull tight around my neck. It knocked the air out of me before I knew what was happening. I struggled but my vision was going hazy fast. I only saw a little of him, a glimpse of a gloved hand before it all went black. I could feel the heat radiate off of him, it was… one of the last things I remembered because it was so weird. The rooftop was windy, cold. I passed out.

I woke up to almost complete darkness. No windows, just a dim lightbulb above me, flickering on and off. My head was pounding and my vision was still blurry, but I could tell I was tied to a chair. Piano wire, digging into my wrists and ankles, the same thick rope, tied around my neck and the back of the chair to keep my head from falling over. You may have seen the scars. I try to keep them covered up, but I know I’ll have to get used to them eventually. They’re what stuck with me the most after it all, more than the memories. 

He stepped out of the shadows. Duke Labelle is an old man, older than most serial killers I’ve pursued, pushing late 60s. His hair is bright white and his face is unassuming. Until he smiles. That’s what he did the moment he saw I was awake. 

He said my name. Slowly. I don’t know how he knew it, but I suppose he may have seen it on my ID card. They never recovered it from him or the crime scene though. His grin got bigger. He came over and tilted my chin up. He was still wearing the gloves then, but I could feel it again, the heat radiating through the leather.

I passed out after that again. Or at least I think I did. As I said before, I don’t remember much. 

When I woke up again, he was sitting on a stool and smoking, staring at me. His eyes were piercing, boring into me. I don’t know how interesting I could have been when I was unconscious and he could be out… I don’t know, strangling more girls. I still couldn’t see him very well. I thought he was holding a cigarette, when his hand moved up my leg. The heat was there again, more intense. Even when everything was so hazy, I knew he couldn’t have been wearing his gloves.

He pressed the end of the cigarette to my thigh, burning it. I screamed. He didn’t even waste a second before he did it again, right next to it. Then again and again. The pain was… excruciating, but in an odd way it made it so much more clear for me. My eyes could focus and I could see his face in detail, the bored expression he wore as he did it. He couldn’t even pretend he enjoyed doing it, it was just a chore to him. I tried looking down and… well, this next part I’m not so sure about. But… it wasn’t a cigarette he was using, it was… it was his bare finger. At least, that’s what it looked like to me. I didn’t even smell cigarette smoke, and I-I know what it smells like. I used to smoke, before this all happened. I don’t understand how he could have done it with just his finger.

By the time he stopped, I was in tears. He still seemed so bored by it all, like he was just going through a routine. He ignored me and stared at his handiwork for some time and I had to will myself to look down at it. The marks were in some kind of pattern or symbol, but I didn’t know what it was supposed to mean. I still don’t, really. 

He stared at me, still with that bored expression. He murmured something, but I couldn’t understand it. Even reading his lips, all I could make out was something about a Lightless Flame. In English, even, though everything else he’d said had been in French before. 

I couldn’t stay awake. Everything else after that incident came in flashes. Images of him staring through the dark, the smell of burning flesh, him muttering to himself in the shadows where I couldn’t see him. He hadn’t given me anything to eat or drink, so at some point I had realized I was going to die there in the worst way possible. It wouldn’t be over quickly, like his other victims. By the time the rescue team had arrived, I could barely keep my eyes open for a few seconds in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. 

When I woke up in the hospital, they told me I had been in Labelle’s “secret lair” for a week. It felt like forever. The doctor told me that I was suffering from memory loss from the oxygen deprivation and the trauma of what had happened and would likely have some form of anterograde amnesia. He confirmed the burns on my thigh had to have come from a cigarette, but it didn’t sit right with me.

Most of the people that came to visit were some of my bosses or the press trying to lie their way through. No friends. I didn’t really have any then; I was a workaholic and I wasn’t all that close to my team. My family didn’t seem to notice. My mother was too tied up with work to care-- she’s the INTERPOL head here in London-- and my father, when I did call him, was only interested in getting the story. He writes true crime, if that’s your thing. I gave him it, if only so he could keep my involvement in the case buried. I didn’t want anyone to know me as “that blonde lady that was held by a serial killer for a week and had her life ruined” even though I... guess that is what I am now. The trial is still coming up, though I hope I can stay out of the spotlight for as long as possible. 

I don’t know why it was me on the roof. But I don’t think it could have happened to anyone else. It felt like that trap was set specifically for me. He knew it was going to be me up there. I don’t know how I know it, but there was no one else around. I don’t think back-up was ever going to come.

People keep telling me I’m lucky just because he didn’t kill me. I don’t know about that. I can’t help but think that my life was ruined after that, more than if he had killed me. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stay at my job, knowing there are still people like that after. 

I… I included photos of the burn marks. I figured it wouldn’t be very professional to pull my skirt up during this kind of thing. Maybe you’ll have better luck finding out what the symbol means than I did.

Statement ends.

[ellana-ravenwood]

Salt, Tequila, Lemon - Jason Todd x Reader

Please read this intro, thank you very much :  

So. I posted this yesterday, but after a bug on the Tumblr app on my phone it got deleted. I’m super bummed out because it had over 200 notes and quite a few feedbacks that I never got to read because it was accidentally deleted...If the people that took the time to comment things on the story could take a bit more time to write a little comment again and give me their feedbacks, and also if the people that liked and reblog could do it once more...i’d appreciate the hell out of you <3.  So reposting it (thanks god I always have back ups of all my stories now). Written in twenty minutes during my break at work. Bam. Hope you’ll like it :

Also, since Tumblr’s new guidelines and enforcement of it, I DON’T really appear in searches anymore, so the only way for this story to be seen by others than those who follow me is to reblog it. So if you wanna, you can show your support for my writing by doing just that. Thanks very much. You can find my masterlist here : @ella-ravenwood-archives

_________________________________________________

Ok. So. Grandma’s remedy against heartbreak ? Oh, right. 

Salt. Tequila. Lemon. 

Got it. Licking the back of your hand to make the salt stick to it, you pour yourself a massive shot of “To-Kill-Ya” in your coffee mug, not even caring about the fact that there is still some remnant of your cappuccino from last night in it. 

You focus on the sound the liquid makes as it fills your cup. Makes you think about something else. Good. Yup. This was totally gonna help right now. 

“Cheers”, you exclaim to yourself, your empty apartment echoing your voice. 

Salt. 

Wincing. Stingy. Salt on its own is gross. 

Tequila. 

More wincing. Oh my god, it burns. The coffee that was still at the bottom of the cup is an oddly nice touch. 

Lemon. 

The last of the Wincing. 

You spit the piece of lemon you just bit into in the trash and…miss. The yellow fruit falls with a little flat sound on the floor, and you honestly can’t bother to pick it up. Your apartment is a mess anyway, so you just stare at it angrily and pour yourself another drink. 

Salt. Tequila. Lemon. 

You gulp the last of the citrus and shiver. Miss the trash again. 

Damn. This was good. 

Well, actually, it was disgusting. 

You didn’t like strong alcohol and what the Hell ?! Why did you leave a bit of coffee in your cup ? Now that the aftertaste was kicking in, it was actually really gross. If the tequila itself didn’t make you wanna throw up, the stale coffee taste nearly did. Oh, and the salt and lemon combination was as awful as ever. 

You really didn’t like salt, tequila, or lemon. 

But it was still good. 

Because thanks to all this immediate awfulness, you could slowly feel yourself drift into “haze land”, and forget about your worries. 

Forget that your boyfriend of two years just cheated on you with some random woman you worked with. Woman that, by the way, he met at the Christmas “end of the year” party from you work you invited him to…You gave him free champagne and mise-en-bouche and all your love, and he broke your heart. 

It wasn’t your thing, to drink your sorrow away. And it wasn’t your thing either to wallow because of a man…But you genuinely thought he was “the one” (oh what a mistake you would soon realize that was). 

He was always so nice, treating you like a princess. He complimented you daily, and never forgot an important date. He was affectionate, not to an annoying point. He was the perfectamount of affectionate. He was a gentleman and seemed to love you and yet, he betrayed you. 

If a man like him, that was nothing short but sweet and passionate with you, cheated on you, then did that mean you couldn’t trust anyone ? 

Because in your eyes right now, he was perfect. Albeit said eyes were slightly clouded by a a few tequila shots. 

You were downing a fourth drink starting to slowly sob when…

There’s very few things that can get you out of a drunk state in seconds. 

An extremely cold shower could do the trick, for instance. Brings you back to your senses a bit you know ? You wouldn’t magically be sober, but you’d get a clearer mind. Or someone giving you shocking news ! Or like, an event so incredible that your body just forgets how drunk it is for a minute. 

And this event, for you, came at the perfect time. 

Right when you were entering your “sad drunk” phase, which was between the “lol alcohol does NOTHING to me” phase where you downed most of your drinks, and the “dancing on the bar’s counter” phase (a few more drinks and you would have a one woman dance party in your living room, acting as if you were on a bar’s counter and that your name was suddenly “Britney”).

Right when you were about to wallow times a thousand, and cry, and yell “whyyyyyyy ?!” to the sky, arms in the air (drama queen). 

Years later, looking back on that particular event, you’ll start to realize that Destiny HAS to exist. Because come on, it was just too perfect a timing to be a simple coincidence. 

You were about to swallow up your fifth drink, launching yourself head first into the “sad phase” when an ear shattering noise rang all around your apartment. 

Broken glass. 

It was the sound of broken glass. Heightened to the max by your drunkness. You turned on your stool, and…there he was. 

It was a guy. That you were sure of because he had no boobs and too much pecs. And that guy…well that guy just flew right through your window, destroying it. How rude. 

There was glass everywhere. 

How much did a window cost ? Probably a fortune. 

You wondered briefly if you could just use aluminium foil and tape the shit up. There was nothing of value to steal in your apartment anyway, and if aluminium foil could keep meals warm, it definitely worked with a house too right ? 

You sobered up quite a bit, but you were also very drunk when this event happened, so your mind was still in that cloudy weird phase where your priorities were…interesting. 

You worried more about the broken window at first, than about that guy who just launched through it. 

A guy. 

Not just any guy. 

You saw that guy before. 

He was one of those night vigilante your crazy hometown was filled with…RED HOOD !! 

“Thick thighs”, is the first thing you thought right after you recognized him (priorities). 

The second thing you thought was that you needed another drink, and so you downed what was your fifth one, but with that crazy thing happening ended up being on the same level as if it was a second one. You were tipsy, but not “drunk” anymore. 

The third thing that came to your mind was…Is he still alive ? 

No cause, he was like, just laying there, on your living room’s floor, not moving. 

“…Outch.” 

Oh. He spoke. 

So he ain’t dead. Good, means you can have another drink then, you don’t need a clear mind to call an ambulance or something. 

Oddly enough, in your half-drunk half-sober state, this sounded completely reasonable. Nevermind if Red Hood had some internal bleeding or something. He talked. He was probably fine. 

A minute passed, and you just sat there, sipping up your tequila in between taking a pinch of salt and biting into a piece of lemon. 

Salt, tequila, lemon. Great remedy against heartbreaks. 

Wait, were you heartbroken ? Really ? You couldn’t really recall that fact now. But, yeah…it was the reason why you were drinking right ? Because right now, all you could think about was the fact that this Red hood guy had abs for days…

This unforeseen event sobered you up quite a bit, but the two shots you just took kinda brought you back to the same state than you were before.

Well. Not quite. You were drunk as hell again, but seemed to have avoided the “sad phase”. Instead, Red Hood bursting quite literally through your window took you to another road. 

The : “Cool, I got a drinking buddy phase”. Well, taking for granted he didn’t have any internal bleeding and wouldn’t die while biting into a lemon wedge. 

“Tough day ?” 

You ask him, as he slowly sits up and shakes his head, trying to regain his senses. He looks towards you and seem surprised (or at least you think he is, because he wears a mask so…kinda hard to tell). 

************

Jason definitely thought he was alone in this place, because no sane person would just sit there, not saying anything, as someone simply jumped through their window. Nope, most people would just freak out. Scream. 

He knows, because it’s not the first time he falls through a window during a night on duty. And every single time it happened, people freaked out. Screamed. Threw stuffs at him, or hid away begging for their life to be spared. 

And yet here you were, half a bottle of tequila in front of you, surrounded by lemon wedges you bit into, and table salt all over your hand, just staring at him curiously. And did you just say : “tough day” ?  

Well, Jason guessed the empty half of the bottle was why you were so chilled about it all. He sat up, and slowly got back to his feet. 

Usually, going through a window meant the end of the night for him. He’d go back to one of his secret stash, patch himself up and get some rest. Most of the time, he fell through windows because someone pushed him or threw him there…Though today, he just embarrassingly missed a step and fell by himself. 

Of course, no one would ever now he tripped while jumping from one building to another (you lived on the last floor) and went careening into your home (and life). Nope, the official story would be that he fought a fierce enemy and was thrown into that window. Finding fake villains name was easy, given how truly ridiculous some could be. 

Tim and Damian were still after the “Illusive Blue Man” that he totally made up that one time he walked into a poll and had a huge black eye that he couldn’t quite explain…Oh man, he had to stop telling such elaborate lies and just say “I fought with a few guys last night” without more explanation. 

But he couldn’t help it. And those kids believed everything he said, it was too tempting…But for now, this wasn’t the issue. Nope. 

He did a quick check of his body and knew he wasn’t really hurt (thanks “dad” for the amazing body armor ugh ?), so he was planning on leaving that poor girl’s house and send a mystery check in the mail to pay for the damage (money stolen from a certain Bruce Wayne of course, as if he would pay himself). 

Yup. He was just gonna stand up, and go on his way and…somehow, he found himself sitting on the stool opposite side of this mysterious girl, and now she was peppering salt on his hand ? 

“Salt”, she says, and she has a cute drunk voice. Jason almost forgets he just went through a window a few minutes ago. 

“Tequila”, she continues, downing her drink and pointing at the one she poured him. He doesn’t even care the she poured it in a cereal bowl that she didn’t even seem to have clean…He drunk worst things in worst recipient. He turns away to take off his mask and so that she can’t see his face, and “bottom’s up”. 

“Lemon !” she finishes, biting into the sour fruit and spitting it in the direction of the trashcan but missing completely. The lemon wedge goes to lost itself amongst his fallen brothers…

Jason bites into his own lemons, and spits it. Right into the garbage. 

There’s a slight pause, where she just stares at the trashcan, and then at Jason, back to the trashcan, and then turns to him again and simply says : 

“Wow.” 

************

So. This was surreal. 

Here you were. In your home. Taking tequila shots. With…Red Hood. 

One of Gotham’s night vigilante. The most violent one. But the dude seemed chilled. He was holding his liquor really well. 

And now you were talking about your broken heart, telling him the story as if he’d been your friend for years. And he was listening. Intently. And reacting to what you were saying. It had been a LONG time, since you had this kind of talk with anyone, and despite the fact you were drunk, you still noticed how nice it felt to have someone to talk to. Someone that genuinely listened. 

“And then he slept with her !” you say angrily. 

“Nooooooo !?!” 

“Yes, he did ! He slept with…with…what was her name…”

“Nicole. From accounting.” 

“Right, Nicole from accounting ! That bitch ! She always just…counts and shit ! And he slept with her ! Nicole from accounting ! Whom he met thanks to me, by the way ! At a partyyyy !! At my wooooork !!” 

“What an ass.” 

“Right ?! Oh but he had such a good ass though…Quite firm. But whenever he wore jeans, it was super flat.” 

“So, not such a good ass in the end then ?” 

“I guess not. You have a good ass. Popping right out in this outfit of yours.” 

Red Hood chuckles, and the sound of his laughter makes you forget that you just said something incredibly embarrassing. His voice is…nice. Deep. Manly. You like it. You wanna make him chuckle some more, so you say, hoping : 

“And it looks very firm. Not just quite firm.” 

It works. He snorts and it’s very cute. Oh wow. He can be sexy and cute. Full package. You smile a bit dreamily. 

For a second, he’s lost in that smile of yours, and there’s a silence installing itself in the room. A comfortable one. That you break : 

“Ok. So now, he’s not that perfect anymore ! He got no ass ! Penalty points ! I never notice how un-assed he was before…” 

Jason smiles and damn. He’s hot. 

Somewhere along the way, he stopped turning his face away from you whenever he took a shot, and just ended up taking his helmet off. He was probably hoping that you’d black out or something, so you wouldn’t remember his face (or he just didn’t care). 

In any case, you were pretty sure you never saw him before. His face kinda reminded you of an old memory. Of someone you saw somewhere long ago, when you were a kid…Which wasn’t really a big help right ? 

Right. You had no idea who he was. And in your drunken state, probably couldn’t piece anything together anyway. So even if you did know who he could be, you wouldn’t know in the end anyway…Makes perfect sense right ?

What you knew was : he’s hot. 

This white streak in his hair did something to you that you couldn’t explain. And that jawline ? You would love to get cut on that bitch.  It could actually cut a bitch, you were sure of it. Those blue eyes ? You’ve never seen someone with such blue eyes. And did you mention to yourself how muscular he was ? Because man you only saw guys like this in magazines ! 

But beyond his handsome features, he seemed like a nice guy. Like he was listening to you, a total stranger. And this realization suddenly raised your guard up. 

You also thought that your ex-cheating-boyfriend was a nice guy. And come to think of it, who the hell just barge in someone’s home like that, and actually stay to drink tequila shots ?! Wait but…in your guts…it’s not like with your ex. 

You don’t think he’s a nice guy. You know he is. 

************

There’s a visible shift in your mood, after this realization. So far, you talked to him about your broken heart freely, and he listened. 

Oddly enough, no words that came out of your (perfect) mouth bored him. Jason wasn’t sure wether it was the alcohol or not, but you captivated him. 

But in a split second, and without him knowing why, your features changed. You were now frowning. Like an unhappy little kid. It was kinda cute, but he didn’t like it because…why were you frowning ? 

He tries to lighten up the mood and says : 

“Well here you go. See, you didn’t loose the perfect guy, his ass was flat in jeans. Can’t work with that, can you ? I bet we can find other flaws. Make you realize he actually was a looser.”  

Your guard is up, but you can’t help but smile a bit, plus you were frowning just now because you realized you just knew you could trust that total stranger, and it was so weird…. 

Besides, no harm in indulging this, because you’re pretty sure it’ll make you feel better to try and see the bad side of your ex-boyfriend, not just his good ones. No one was perfect. And so, still a bit careful, you say : 

“Well…He never got any of my Tv shows or movie references.” 

“Well, here’s a point to take off of his “perfectness”. Doesn’t get pop culture references. Deal breaker.” 

“Yeah…Yeah you’re right. It is. He also used to hate when I made jokes. I like puns ya know ? Terrible ones. Well, he was always embarrassed whenever I made them in public.” 

“Ashamed of his girlfriend, doesn’t sound very gentlemanly, right ?” 

“Yeah. It doesn’t. Maybe he wasn’t such a perfect gentleman…He also used to not want to go out with me if I didn’t wear any make-up and was dressed just casually.” 

“What you mean, he never just went out with you ?” 

“We only went out on dates. I had to dress up. I could be casual home though…” 

“Well goodie, the man let you be yourself when you were home. Big deal. To be honest, sounds like a douchey move.” 

“That was kinda douchey…I never cared what he looked like.” 

And it’s true. For you, physical appearance wasn’t everything. And sure you thought your ex was hot and all, but only because you liked his personality too. You liked his jokes, you were never ashamed of anything he said. 

And right now, sure that stranger that bursted through your window was hot, but the reason you felt like you could tell him things was because he just made you comfortable by his mere aura. Because he gave you such a good vibe. 

You never were fully about appearances. It was always just a bonus for you…So it never occurred to you why your ex would only hang out in public with you if you were pampered. Like he used to hate when you just wore hoodies and no make-up, even if you didn’t need make-up to be beautiful. 

Comes to think of it, he was very much about appearances…Uh. Interesting. You never realized that before. 

You turn to Red Hood, and the look on your face says it all. You’re slowly realizing maybe you didn’t just lost “the one”. The vigilante says : 

“Ok, so : no ass, no humor apparently, doesn’t get pop culture references, and was kind of a jerk when it came to going out with you…” 

“He did tell me often that I was beautiful though. Including when I just woke up from a night out, and was awful looking.”

“Yeah, but he never went out with you looking like that. He shouldn’t feel ashamed of hanging out with you looking like that. Just like he shouldn’t feel embarrassed when you joke. He can be exasperated, like if you really make bad puns, sure. And he can think it’s unfunny…But embarrassed ? No.” 

“I guess…I never thought about it.” 

“Well let me tell you, as someone who does not know neither you nor him personally, he sounds like a bit of a jerk. Let’s not forget he cheated as well. Like, that’s not something good people do. Especially not with…Nicole from accounting.” 

“Nicole from accounting…Yeah. They’re together now though.” 

“So ? He should’ve broken up with you if he realized he liked her. That’s the right thing to do. Trust me on that, I put villains behind bars for a living, I know what’s right or wrong.” 

“I heard you kill criminals.” 

“Used to. I used to kill criminals, I had issues. I’ll tell you one day if you wanna. It’s a real tear jerker story. With clowns and crowbars. And I’m telling you that because I’m drunk, right now. Also, if we want to be specific, I don’t actually make a living out of putting villains behind bars. Like, I don’t get paid or anything…” 

Jason finds himself ranting about anything that comes to his mind, and though he hears himself claim it’s because of the alcohol he’s saying all this, he realizes maybe there’s something else making him want to talk. 

You. A total stranger he walked upon. Or rather, went-through-the-window upon.  Who didn’t freak out when he went through said window. And instead, invited him over to have tequila shots. 

Because, according to your grandmother, the best remedy to…basically any problems in life, was “salt, tequila, lemon”. 

“She was a wise woman.” 

He says, and you turn to him, clearly not understanding what he was talking about. 

“Who ?” 

“Your grandma. For saying that salt, tequila and lemon was a great remedy against heartbreaks and all.” 

“Oh. Yeah. I wouldn’t know, I never met her. She died before I was born.” 

“Well what she passed on to your parents is great.” 

“What ?”

“Well, that “salt, tequila and lemon” thing, I assume she said that to your mom or dad, and then they said that to you, and then it became your grandma’s advice. Right ?” 

“…Nah. It’s an excuse I made up. Whenever I need to justify something, I just say “like my grandma said, ain’t no shame in eating an entire tub of ice cream if you want to”, and then people are just like “oh yeah, cool”, because when you say the word “grandma”, then it gives a perspective to your words ya know ?” 

Jason had no idea what you were on about, but he loved it. You seemed to be very smart. And witty. And funny. The hell did that guy cheated on you for ? And why was he ashamed of going out in public with you when you weren’t dressed up ?! 

You currently wore “Hello Kitty” pyjamas, had absolutely no make up on, and your hair was a mess, and he thought you looked gorgeous.

“Why are you so nice ?” 

Your question takes him by surprise, and for a few seconds he doesn’t register it and just says : “ugh ?” 

“To me. Why are you so nice to me ? Is it the alcohol ? Does it make you nice ? Or are you just nice to every stranger ? Every girl you destroy the windows of ? Or are you like my ex ? You seem nice, but then you go off and cheat on your girl simply because you like another girl and you’re too cowardly to break up with your current girl ?” 

Jason hiccups slightly, and says : 

“No, I’m not nice to any girl I met. I’m actually usually kind of a jerk, too “brutally honest”. But you…I don’t know. You give me good feelings. Oh and here’s to add on his flaws list. “Coward”. Can’t even break up with a girl, has to wait to get caught red-handed and break her heart. Cooooward. Bad flaw. Kind of guy who runs in the face of danger, instead of standing by you.” 

It’s probably the fact that he said “you give me good feelings” that spurs this in you. That gives you a new clearer perspective on things. 

“My heart wasn’t broken.”

It’s a shock, to you. This realization. This sudden feeling jumping in your face. You…are not heartbroken. You’re mad. You’re frustrated. You feel betrayed. You feel a crazy burning anger towards your ex for toying around with you like that. For not having the balls to just break up, after spending two years together. 

He was suppose to know you. To be your friend. Things could have turned out better. He could have just come up to you, say the truth, and…You were pretty sure you’d still be friend. Because he really was a great guy. 

He really was all the good thing you though about him. He made a mistake, an unforgivable one in your book. But he was a great guy. 

He was just…not your great guy. Not anymore at least. 

And you realized, there, quite drunk, that…It was ok.  

Your heart wasn’t broken.  

Your heart wasn’t broken. 

Your pride was. Your trust was. But your heart ? …Maybe you weren’t completely in love with him. You were best friends, yes, but love ? Maybe it wasn’t love…

Your heart wasn’t broken. 

“My heart isn’t broken.” 

You tell Red hood, looking at him right in his wonderful ocean blue eyes. And he looks right back at you, and just nods. Just like that. And then he pours you one last tequila shot. 

Because like your grandma would say : “When you make great discovery about yourself…Salt, tequila, lemon”. 

************

It took you only a few hours with him to realize that you weren’t in love with your ex, and that was kinda scary. Because this realization didn’t come from nowhere. 

Nope. 

But when he said that your ex broke your heart, you felt obligated to tell him that no. No your heart wasn’t broken. You were sad and angry, yes, but not heartbroken. For you, in that moment, it was important for this total stranger to know you weren’t actually in love. 

Hell, you didn’t even know yourself you weren’t that in love before you talked to him. It just came as a sudden, yet utterly true revelation. 

Because, and this wasn’t the alcohol speaking…You felt incredibly attracted to that guy. To Red Hood. Not just because of the white streak in his hair, and the eyes, and smile, and voice, and abs, and thick thighs. That too, sure, but not only…Nope. 

Nope. Not because of this. 

But because he had a tough day (he said so himself, explaining to you how he went through the window…he was fighting a super-villain when he got flung through your window, tough tough time ahem), and yet he sat with a crazy lady that peppered salt on his hand and practically forced him to take a tequila shot…

Because you could see in his eyes, and felt in your guts that he didn’t have an easy life…and yet he took a break from whatever he was doing to just sit with you and listen to you. He didn’t even make sense, that you trusted those feelings so fiercely. And yet, you did. Because he listened to you. 

He saw you were struggling and he stayed. And though you felt you couldn’t trust anyone at that time…You oddly felt like he was ok. 

Like he wouldn’t be the kind of guy to cheat, or run in the face of danger, leaving you all alone to fight off demons. 

In a few short hours, you fell for this guy more than you ever fell for your ex. 

What did that say about you uh ? …That was pretty pathetic…

************

Jason didn’t think that you were pathetic at all. 

On the contrary. If he went to seat with you, and drink with you, is because he was instantly mesmerized by you. 

And though he didn’t know at first why, now he was sure of it. 

It’s because you didn’t freak out. And something told him it wasn’t only because you were a bit drunk (he fell in drunk people’s home before…none reacted like you). 

Nope. It was because you were special. He just knew it. Special in every way. Funny. Beautiful. Genuinely listening to him when he was speaking. 

He peppered his own problems within your story, as you told him. And you listened. Hell, even referenced a few things he said early on, way later, while you were crazy drunk. You listened. 

You gave a total stranger that seemed to have a tough day some salt. And tequila. And lemons. 

And then you cared. You asked him a thousand times if he was ok, and he basically had to take off his armor to prove it so (to your eyes’ greatest pleasure…mm mm mm those muscles). 

Captivated. He was captivated by you. It was strange, and though he knew it was because you were special, he still was unclear as to why his feelings were that strong. 

For someone he just met. And barely knew. And only knew while drunk. 

You were just…Special. 

************

It was surreal. The all thing. 

What started as a night where you planned on wallowing your pain and drinking…ended up changing your life. 

And no one could convince you that it wasn’t Fate. Because what were the odds that Red Hood would fall through YOUR window after tripping (yeah you didn’t buy that “fighting super-villains thing” at all) ?

What were the odds of his timing being so perfect, arriving just before you started to cry ? Because there was no doubt in your mind that if he had come a few seconds later, he wouldn’t have stayed. 

He would have found a crying mess, and maybe he would have tried to confort you but…You wouldn’t have answered. In your “sad phase”, you only cry and whine. He would have eventually left. And the wonderful talk you’d just have, would never have happened. 

But instead. He came right before your lips touch that fatal shot of tequila that would have brought you into the “sad phase”. And took your drunkness down a notch. Rerouted your evening. 

You weren’t wallowing anymore, you were ranting. 

Sharing your anger and frustration. 

And he helped you realize that your ex wasn’t that perfect…That maybe it was just not meant to be…After all, he cheated on you. 

Uh. What a shame. You didn’t even know his name…”Red Hood”…

You wished you knew his name. 

************

The morning lights were rising, and the bottle of tequila was long gone. 

There were still salt and lemons though. For some reason, you decided to buy the entire grocery store’s stock of lemons. 

Red Hood stood up, and said he had to go. 

He was nice about it. Said it was a pleasure to have spend the night with you. You both laughed about the innuendos that ensued. 

You were exactly on the same page. And he understood all your joke referencing to pop culture… 

But it was time for him to go. And he apparently had no intention of telling you his real name. He didn’t hint either at ever coming back to see you again. 

And there was that. Just a nice night, spend talking to a genuine friend that you’ll never see again. 

A genuine friend that you didn’t even know a few hours before. 

Maybe it was the alcohol speaking. Maybe not. 

And even if you ended up never seeing him again, this evening truly changed your life…At least, it saved you from a heartbreak. Made you realize it wasn’t that.

Though, now, as he climbs out of the window again (he couldn’t possibly use the front door), you feel like the actual heartbreak is starting. 

Grandma’s remedy against heartbreak ? Right. 

Salt, tequila, lemon…

But the tequila is all gone. 

“I’ll send someone to fix that window…Sorry again about that. …Bye.” are his last words, and then he’s out. 

And the tequila is all gone. 

************

… 

…

…

…

Days pass by in a blur. 

Salt. Tequila. Lemon. 

Ugh. But you don’t want to this time. You don’t want to get drunk to forget. 

You don’t want to forget him. And you know it’s ridiculous to get that worked up over a guy you met one night and that will never come back. That you didn’t even know the name of. 

This entire night was weird anyway. 

Getting drunk with a dangerous night vigilante. Pouring your heart out to him, and him doing the same. The hell were you even thinking ? 

Salt. Tequila. Lemon. 

That would be a good idea to do this right now, because man…your heart hurt. More than when you discovered your ex sleeping with Nicole. From accounting. But you can’t resolve yourself to drink. To forget. Nope. Instead you…

*Knock knock knock*. 

Uh ? You take a quick look at your clock in the kitchen.10 pm. Who the hell is coming at 10 pm ?! It can only be bad news. Especially in Gotham…You peep into the eyehole and…

WHAT ?! 

You open your door quickly, and… 

“Told you I’d send someone to fix your window.” 

It’s him. It’s Red hood. But in…civilian clothes. 

His ass doesn’t look flat in jeans. 

He’s holding a window wrapped in cardboard, and there’s a toolbox at his feet. 

“Yeah, you did…come in.” 

************

Jason Todd. 

That’s his name. And connections are fast to be made in your brain. Jason Todd. Bruce Wayne’s adopted son. That supposedly died…ten years ago. 

And is Red Hood now. Oh. It makes sense. Even his little “killing criminals” thing while Batman never killed. You easily put two and two together. 

Red Hood. Jason Todd. Bruce Wayne. 

Wow. Can’t believe you never guessed that before. Of course Bruce Wayne is Batman. He’s got the motive, the means, the excuses…It’s so obvious. And yet, you never realized. And no one else in Gotham ever realized. 

Jason Todd. 

Now you know his name. 

And he’s fixing your window. Nobody ever fixed windows for you before (even those who broke it).

Um. To add to the “perfect man” list : “Handy”. 

Jason Todd.  

He quickly works the window up, and then he turns to you. While he was working you talked, as if you knew each other for years. Joking around. Like old friends. Like old extremely good and close friends. 

It fits. It clicks. It’s natural. You and him, him and you. 

Barely knowing each others, and yet knowing each others the best. 

Jason. Todd. 

He turns to you now, and with a smirk, he says : 

“Ya know, my grandma always say that when something good happens to you, you need to celebrate. And I feel like this, right now, you and I, though I have no idea what we’re doing and where it’s going…Well it’s still something to celebrate. And she always says, my grandma, that to celebrate perfectly you need…” 

You smile. 

Yeah. You don’t know where this thing between you two is going, but you do know that you never met someone who so fully understood you. 

And in such a short span of time. And you know you’re not mistaking. It’s a feeling too strong to be a mistake. 

He came back to fix your window for god’s sake. And trusted you enough to tell you his actual name. Without a second thought. Which meant everything. Especially since from all the hint he let slip through last time you saw each others, about his father, well…let’s just say telling people his real name wasn’t really something he was used to. 

But it just works. It fits. It clicks. It’s not like with your ex, because you don’t think you know it does. It just does. The fact that you say those next few words in perfect sync finishes to convince you : 

(“…And she always says, my grandma, that to celebrate perfectly you need…”) 

“Salt, tequila, and lemons.” 

______________________________________________

I’m so mad the Tumblr app crashed and I deleted the original post...Y’all were great and reblogged the hell out of it ! Which is why it got so many notes in such a short span of times. And feedbacks. I haven’t had that many feedbacks on a story in a long time. So just one last time and I won’t bother you with that again : Please, if you enjoyed this story, don’t hesitate to reblog it and share it with others. People who don’t follow me can’t really find my stories anymore so...you’re a big help by spreading them. It’s always very encouraging. 

And if you got the time, feedbacks are always hella appreciated and always make my day a little brighter <3. 

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Never Doing That Again

Characters: Dean Winchester x Reader, Sam Winchester

Word Count: 1,339

Warnings: angst, near-death experience, fluff at the end

Summary: Sam and Dean try and save you from the demon within you.

Squared Filled: Exorcism // Near-Death Experience

Author’s Note: This is for @heavenandhellbingo and @badthingshappenbingo  respectively and this is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

The walls around you were dark, but you could see everything that it was doing to you. There was no point in screaming since no one could hear your pleads. The demon inside you was controlling everything that you do, everything you say, how you feel, and how you make others feel. Having never been possessed before, you didn’t know what it would feel like, and now that you got a taste for it, it’s one of the worst things that could ever happen to you.

Imagine being completely free and having not even a single ounce of freedom. You could go anywhere you wanted, but you were trapped. Your speech was limitless, but no one could hear you. It was you and the demon, and the demon is doing a good job of pretending in front of Sam and Dean. How they haven’t figured it out yet shocked you, but you would not stop fighting to make your presence known.

The demon inside you was beginning to get annoyed by you, but she had to make it look believable if she was going to find out where the Bunker was located. Due to an increasingly high number of symbols, the bunker was invisible to demons and angels alike. If they wanted to get inside it, they needed to know where it was located first.

The hunt was brutal, and the demon put your body through much more than necessary. The fact that there were no demons on the hunt, it made it easy to possess the newest member of their clan. The brothers hadn’t found time to give you a tattoo, but with you by their sides, they didn’t worry too much about it.

When the demon first possessed you, she had stabbed you several times in the stomach in hopes that if the brothers did find out, they would take her to the Bunker to save your life. Along with several other blows to the head, she made sure your body would not survive if she was exorcised. That was kind of her back up plan if things started to go wrong. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary as Dean drove down the road at a high speed. They were talking in the front, but she couldn’t seem to focus on what they were saying due to you screaming in your head.

“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” you yelled. The demon closed your eyes to try and gather herself when Dean noticed this.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just a headache.”

“Do you need me to pull over?”

“No! I mean, I’ll be fine. I just want to take a shower and go to bed. At the Bunker. You know, where we live.”

“We’re not going to the Bunker. We’re too far out to make that drive, so we’re stopping somewhere for the night,” Sam said.

“Great,” the demon gritted out. “Just great.”

“Okay, we’ll head out first thing in the morning,” Dean said as he handed the demon her own key card. They separated at once, and as soon as the demon was inside her own room, she exploded.

“Shut the fuck up! Go,d you’re so annoying! If I knew what possessing you would actually mean, I wouldn’t have done it!” she shouted.

“I will not stop fighting! They’ll figure it out!”

“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb have no idea. So, get comfortable because once I figure out where the Bunker is, I’m out of here, and you’ll be dying.”

“Go to hell,” you growled.

“And I plan to drag as many of you down as I go,” she grinned just as your cell phone started ringing. Picking it up, she rolled her eyes at the caller ID before answering it.

“We’re literally right next door, and you decide to call me?”

“Could you come here? It’s important,” Dean said over the other line before hanging up.

“What do they want now?” she groaned before going over to their room. As soon as she knocked on it, Sam opened it wide enough for her to walk through.

“What’s up? Is something wrong?” the demon asked as she walked further into the room. Before she could reach the bed, an invisible wall blocked her from going any further, and she looked up to see a devil’s trap had been painted on the ceiling. Turning to face the brothers who closed and locked the motel room, her eyes turned a deep black before going back to your normal color.

“You’re smarter than I would have guessed.”

“Or you’re just dumb. Thin walls, bitch,” Dean growled. “Let her go.”

“And what will you do if I don’t? Kill me? You’ll kill her too.”

“Send you back to hell,” Sam growled. He would have killed the demon, but you were his brother’s girlfriend, so that was out of the question.

“Nice plan, not going to work. See, I had a feeling you two would eventually figure it out. That’s why I have a plan B,” she grinned before lifting her shirt up to reveal the bloody mess. As long as the demon was possessing you, you didn’t feel any pain. As soon as she left your body, you would feel like you were dying. “Not only is she going to die from blood loss, I also may have given her a few major concussions. Remove me, and she’s dead immediately.”

“What do you want?” Dean asked just as Sam left the room with his cell phone in hand. His brother knew what he was going to do, and all he had to do was stall the demon.

“Take me to the Bunker. I want to know where Sam and Dean Winchester reside. Is it as shitty as this hole or is it luxurious? A girl has to know.”

“Like hell we’re going to bring you there.”

“Okay, then I guess I’ll just smoke out and watch as you watch your girlfriend die,” she smirked as she tilted her head back as if she was going to leave your body.

“Wait!” Dean halted. “Why do you want to know where we live? It’s not like you can get in anyway.”

“Not my orders, pretty boy. I’m just following the rules. Just know that someone very high up on the chain wants to stop by to bring a gift basket. He needs the address,” she said as Sam walked back in. The brothers made eye contact, silently communicating as they often did.

“Thank you but tell him no thanks. Sam,” Dean said just as the younger brother began saying the exorcism ritual.

“You’re really going to risk your girlfriend’s life?” she shouted as she screamed in pain from the Latin words.

“We have our own backup. Tell your boss if he wants us, he can come and get us,” he grinned as Sam finished the ritual. The demon screamed as she was expelled from your body, and as soon as you were free, you fell to the ground in a bloody mess. Sam and Dean rushed to you as you started coughing up blood. Your life was already hanging on a thin string, but they weren't going to let you die.

“Stay with me, Y/N. You’re going to be okay. The ambulance is just about here,” Dean said as he put pressure on your wounds.

“Dean, we’re losing her,” Sam panicked.

“Y/N!”

The last thing you saw were red and blue lights as people in medical outfits lifted you onto a stretcher.

“Dean?” you whispered once you got your vision to focus. Your voice was scratchy from the lack of water, and Dean shot out of his seat to help you drink the glass that was by your chair.

“Thank God. Don’t talk, okay? We can do that later. Just focus on getting better,” he said after you finished the water.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“The first thing we’re going to do is get you a tattoo because we are never doing that again,” he declared as he sat down.

Wanna get tagged? Add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

@flamencodiva @pisces-cutie @wingedcatninja @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @kiwihoee @thefaithfulwriter @li-ssu @babypink224221 @winchesterweirdo @jennazeise  @calaofnoldor @emoryhemsworth

[walkineternity]

Day 3: Delirium

(The Umbrella Academy x Sandman)

Klaus knew he was in trouble.

He had overdosed again. He tried to stay clean, for Ben and Vanya, for his other siblings, and for Dave. He so very much wanted to see Dave.

 But. He tried, okay. Tried so very fucking hard, and everyone was so focussed on Vanya that his efforts weren’t exactly…supported. Ben, of course, knew. And Klaus was grateful to have him. And he didn’t really blame everyone for not paying attention to him. They never really did that in the first place, unless he was causing trouble. And this time, it was because Vanya had nearly ended the world and he got that. He really did. He was trying to be there for them.

 But. He was an addict, okay. He can admit that. And…it was so hard to stay clean. He was so fucking high right now. He was so fucking sick right now. And Ben was yelling at him again.

 “Fuck! I can’t do this again, Klaus! You were doing so well! Fuck! I can’t even pick up the phone to call the ambulance can I! No! You are going to die in this alleyway and then I’m going to have nobody to talk to and, and, and you can’t leave me alone! Please, Klaus, please! Shit, okay, I’m going to try and get help, okay? I’m going to try.”

 Klaus felt himself drift. Ben was still talking, but then suddenly everything was quiet. He didn’t really get how he could still hear Ben with all the drugs in his system, but the other spirits had quieted down. And now, finally, Ben was gone too. He was going to die alone. Like he fucking deserved. His eyes shut, closing over tears that never fell and let the fog take him…

 Next thing he knew there was something licking his face. Okay, still alive. Still dying. Probably. He opened his eyes.

 Well. Where was he? This wasn’t the alleyway anymore. Maybe he wasn’t dying and he was already dead. But this wasn’t heaven. This was…he wasn’t sure. There were explosions of colours and shapes twisting in and out of existence and he felt simultaneously the highest he’s ever been and stone cold sober. He felt like he was awake and dreaming at the same time.

 And in the midst of all this madness, there was a rather ordinary looking dog, who was licking his face.

 “Well, hey there, boy. You wouldn’t happen to know the way back to reality now, would you?”

 He didn’t know what to expect at this point. And yet it still startled him when the dog stopped licking his face and spoke back. “Ah. You’re awake. Good. You don’t taste very good.”

 Klaus frowned. “Actually, I’m a snack. A delicious- wait. I’m…awake.” He sits up and looks around. Nothing was solid. There was no up and no down and he had no clue what he was sitting on because reality kept changing. Okay, he was definitely going crazy. “I don’t think I’m awake.”

 “Hm. Well. In a manner of speaking. And in another, you’re dead.”

 “Huh.”

 “You don’t sound surprised.”

 “Well, I’ve been dead before. And really, I was asking for it anyways.”

 The dog tilted its head, considering him, “I should be more specific. You’re only mostly dead, this time. This isn’t Death’s realm, but her sister’s.”

 “…mostly dead? What am I? The man in black now?” Klaus hadn’t seen the movie until his teens, when he was homeless and couch-surfing. Or rather bed-surfing. And old lover had the movie on VHS.

 “I don’t know what that means.” The dog huffed and then said, “I’m Barnabas, by the way. Not that you asked.”

 “Aw, what an adorable name!” Klaus tried to pet him, but Barnabas looked mildly offended and ducked his head away. He looked like he was about to say something snippy when a bunch of brightly coloured fish swam past his head. Klaus had been trying to ignore his surroundings for the sake of his own sanity, but this caught his attention.

 And then the…strangest voice followed after. “Ohhh, fishies! Come back here! …Hi, Barnabas!” He couldn’t really describe it. He could understand it, and for the most part it sounded like a young women’s voice, but something was distinctly…otherworldly. The voice sounded how this world looked. Chaotic, ever-changing, pitches and stresses in all the wrong places. It would have been called musical, if it wasn’t so discordant.

 And then a figure stepped out of the swirls of colours and then he realised that nothing was ever going to make sense in here. She was colourful herself. Rainbow hair cut in an odd style. Two different coloured eyes and the oddest combination of clothes.

 Though, honestly, he couldn’t say anything about his clothes. Currently, he was sporting the same outfit he wore in the real world and, frankly, wasn’t to off from this figure’s choice of clothes.

 Well, at least they had something in common. “Nice shoes,” he tries.

 The woman (girl? Young lady?) was talking to the dog and the fish, but turned to him at the sound of his voice. She drifted closer and peered down at him.

 “Well, hello there, traveler. You seem a little lost.”

 Klaus shrugged. She giggled. “Welllll, I suppose that’s, uh, that’s what you call life, now, isn’t it? Just a little bit lost and a lot bit lost! Go-ing on Forever!”

 Barnabas came a bit closer to her, to sit beside her, not quite touching, but close. Like he meant to offer her comfort. She absentmindedly scratched his ears, but still didn’t look away from Klaus. Oh, was he supposed to offer a reply?

“Well, I’m hoping that’s not the case. I’ve been trying, lately, you see, to settle down a bit. Stay clean and, y’know, be there for my family. Try to…have a home, a proper one.” His voice grew more unsure as he continued to speak.

 She was staring at him as he spoke, but not in his eyes. Just looking there briefly and then looking at his shirt and then his hair. Listening, but just couldn’t keep completely still. As she did, her nail polish changed colour and her ears changed shape and the rainbow in her hair shifted. This whole place was topsy-turvy. Strange how a talking dog named Barnabas was the sanest thing in here.

 She looked back up briefly into his eyes and then down at her feet. “It’s Nice to do things for fa-mi-ly. I have many Siblings too. I like to help them sometimes. You said I have nice shoes. Would you like to wear them? We can trade!”

 “Um.” Klaus wasn’t really sure what to say. “I don’t think our feet are the same size?”

 She frowned. “Oh, what does that matter? Its just for fuunnn. C’mon!” And she proceeded to take off her shoes. Which, were just as colourful as her hair. Rainbow boots that had really neat buckles shaped like the fish that swam around their heads.

 His were a solid black heel, stolen from Allison. They pinched his toes, not being the proper size, but they made his legs look gorgeous.

 Allison probably wasn’t going to be happy to learn her shoes were traded away, but then again, she probably wasn’t going to be happy with him either way. If he ever made it back, that is.

 He decided he should probably say all that out loud, and then he did, because they really weren’t his shoes, but the girl in front of him just sat down to better take of her shoes. “Oh, you’ll get out of Here eventu-ally. I like you, but you’re not mine to keep.” She finally managed to pull off both her boots. She was wearing mismatched socks, but those seemed to vanish. “And your family is just worried about you. If your sssister is mad, it’s only because she cares. You should ask them for help.”

 He shrugged and easily kicked off his own shoes, accidently kicking it too close to Barnabas. The dog just looked long-suffering.

 “They just think I’m useless and crazy. Well, maybe not Ben, but I’m not exactly doing my best there, y’know? He deserves to follow someone else around. Someone who won’t disappoint him again.”

 The girl hummed. “They say I’m crazzzzy too. But that’s alright. Mad-ness isn’t always a Bad thing….it helps when I know too much. Sometimes its nice to have a break from san-i-ty.” Here she started to slip on the heels and gestured at the boots, so Klaus grabbed one and put it on, stamping a little to get his heel in. Huh. Perfect fit. She continued, “And just because I’m mad, doesn’t mean my siblings don’t care about me. Doesn’t mean I don’t care about them. We aallll make mistakes, even Beings such as us, even little ones such as you, and we…oh, shoot, Barnabas! What’s the word? The- the Big one.”

 She glanced around as if the word she was looking for would suddenly appear. “You know. When the butterflies are iiiinn your body instead of outside them. Like stepping off the edge of a cliff, but knowing there is Someone to catch you, or for you to catch them.”

 Barnabas opened his mouth to say something, but she snapped her fingers (which made Klaus do a doubletake when the snap sound created visual shockwaves of colour, like they were in some sort of comic book), and then said, “Oh! Love! It’s lo-ve. We all love each other the same. They loved me when I was Delight, and they still love me as Delirium. I mean, look at Bar-na-bas!” She gestured with a heel in her hand. The dog sat a little straighter. “He was a gift to me from one of my bro-thers, to care and look afterrr me, and we’ve become such good friends! Destruction cares in his own way, and I know your siblings do too. You just got-ta….gotta ask, okay?”

 Barnabas smiled slightly. It looked a bit weird on a dog, but it seemed gentle. “I think we are the very best friends, my dear Delirium.”

 She put the other heel on and bounced up onto them, smiling at them both, at the world around them, at the tiny fish swimming above her head. The black of the heels swirled with spots of colour, but mostly stayed the same.

 Klaus finished doing up the buckles on both shoes and stood up too. He reached a hand up and the fish swam through his fingers and around his arm. The rainbow shoes felt warm and comfortable on his feet. He felt a bit giddy. He gave her a big grin and said, “Yeah. Okay. Sure. If I ever manage to get out of here, I’ll ask. Why not!”

 She gave him a grin in return. To match. Though hers stretched a little too far on her face. Still friendly, but not exactly a human smile. Her eyes changed colours too, but never the same colours at the same time. A fish swam in front of her face and this distracted her from him.

 “Well, how do I get out of here anyways? Not that I don’t mind your company, I should be getting back to the real world.”

 She looked back at him and seemed to startle a little bit. “Ohhhh, what were we talking about?”

 He blinked and looked at her and then looked at Barnabas, who said to her, in a reassuring manner, “It wasn’t important. Klaus was leaving soon anyways.”

 “Hm. My he-ad hurts. Was I talking Rightly again? That always Hurts.”

 “Yes, Delirium, but you don’t have to anymore. Why don’t we help Klaus go home and then play with the fish?”

 Klaus frowned at Barnabas in confusion. Delirium laughed joyfully and said, “Well, hell yeah! There’s only a few swimming around, buuuut I can make more!” She proceeded to spin around and do exactly that.

 Barnabas sidled closer to Klaus and said, “She does that, sometimes.”

 “What? Forgets?”

 “No. Remembers. The advice she gave you? How coherent she spoke? Does not happen often. You should take heed. The knowledge she has…is vast. So vast that it seems to…hurt her. Now, it’s time for you to go.” He didn’t say this roughly, but there was a sadness when he spoke.

 “Thanks,” Klaus said, heartfelt. “And thank her for me, too, even if she doesn’t remember.”

 Delirium wandered back over with a great many more fish swimming around, some bigger than others. Some so small he could barely see in the swirl of colours and shapes. “Oh yes! You!” She tapped him firmly on the forehead and said, “Say the magic words!”

 “Um, please-”

 “Wrong, so wrong. Try again.” And here she clicked her new heels three times.

 Klaus couldn’t help it. He laughed. He saw that movie too. And then he copied her action and said the “magic” words, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no pla-”

 And then he was in an ambulance, the paramedic’s expression triumphant and relieved. Ben, hovering over him on the other side, looked similar.

 “Klaus, don’t ever do that to me again. You are so lucky there was this goth lady around. Apparently, you aren’t the only one that can speak to the dead. She was pretty Zen about the whole thing. Said it wasn’t your time and managed to find a nearby payphone. She didn’t even ask why I couldn’t call the ambulance myself!”

 Ben sounded a bit hysterical. The paramedic seemed to be chattering away as he checked Klaus’ vitals. Klaus felt himself tearing up. He could still feel the drugs in his system. “I’m so sorry, Ben. I can’t do this-”

 “C’mon, Klaus! I know you’re stronger- what about Dave-”

 “No, shit, Ben, just- I can’t do this alone, okay? I-I really need. I need help. I want to stay clean. Please. I just- please. I can’t do this alone.”

 The paramedic wasn’t paying attention to his babble, too focussed on actually keeping him alive, but Ben was listening intently. He tried to lay his hand on Klaus’ shoulder, but his hand passed through. Klaus shivered. Ben looked disappointed, but not surprised. He settled for leaning over, close to Klaus’ face, and said, “Never, Klaus. I’m here, okay. And the others…we’ll ask for help from them too. We’re all trying to be a family, right? And….and whatever you need.”

 Klaus felt tears in his eyes and with a rough voice he said, “Thank you, Ben. I always knew you were my favourite brother.”

 Ben rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged the corner of his lips. “Oh, please. I’ll remember that next time you say that to any of our other siblings.”

 “Why would Allison or Vanya be my favourite brother?”

 “Fuck off, you know what I meant.” Okay, definitely a smile now.

 And then Ben happened to glance at his feet. “Klaus, where the hell did you get those?”

 Klaus looked at his feet and saw that he wasn’t wearing Allison’s heels, but rainbow boots. Huh. So not a drug-induced dream.

 “Klaus?”

 “I’ve been thinking, Ben.”

 “Oh no. I didn’t know you could do that.” He gestured at the boots. “Are you not going to answer?”

 Klaus ignored him and stared at the boots. “I’ve been wondering if they might allow aquariums in rehab.”

 Ben stared at him a little. But he was also long used to Klaus saying weird stuff. “Well. If we manage to use some of dad’s fortune for rehab, they’ll allow us as many fish as we want. If…if that’s what you wanted the aquarium for.”

 It was…so fucking nice to hear Ben using “us” and “we” like that. He knew Ben was stuck with him, but it felt…. like he wasn’t alone. That Ben meant it. That he was going to have help this time, from the whole family. And if they used dear old dad’s money…well. That would be icing on the cake. Petty? Yes. Deserved, even beyond the grave? Hell yes. He’s glad that he didn’t have another visit from him. He doesn’t think he could stand anymore revelations or disappointment from him. He’d take a bizarre realm of multi-coloured girls and fish and talking dogs any day.

 Though, he really didn’t want to go back any time soon. Being mostly dead was exhausting.

 “Yeah, Ben, fish. Lots of colourful fish.” His voice sounded further away, like hearing himself through a long tunnel. Klaus could feel his eyes droop closed.

 Ben laughed softly. “Anything you need, Klaus. Have some nice dreams for me, will you?” Klaus’ eyes were closed, but for a flash, he thought he saw someone above him. He couldn’t see features, just a strange helmet and black robes. A pale hand sprinkled shining dust onto him. Onto his closed eyes. And then the figure was gone.

  And he swore, right before he drifted off to sleep, that he felt Ben’s hand on his shoulder. But then again, it could have just been his imagination.

[sceptilemasterr]

MW Act 1, Scene 14 - Darkness

Title: Most Wanted: The Hollywood Killer (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Dave x Sam

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Dave, Rhea, and Jessica struggle desperately to defend themselves when Tull springs an ambush.

Previous Scene: Two-Faced

Masterlist: Link

INT. CHEERM APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY

Dave, Rhea, and Jessica crouch in the darkness. Dave frowns, holding his gun in front of him, pointed toward the door. Behind him, Rhea and Jessica stand terrified.

RHEA: Oh no, oh God, he’s coming for us-

JESSICA: He’s coming for me. I wish I hadn’t dragged you into this, Rhea-

DAVE: Don’t worry, you two. I’ll keep you safe.

JESSICA: You... you will?

DAVE: Hell yeah. I’ve been in worse scrapes than this. This is nothing.

As Dave talks, projecting more confidence than he feels, he approaches the door to the apartment. He slowly reaches up to lock the deadbolt, when he is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a shotgun being loaded.

DAVE: Shit! DOWN!

Dave dives to the side, and Jessica and Rhea duck. A split second later, the door suddenly explodes in a spray of wood and paper, the force from the blast sending Dave’s pistol flying out of his grip and spinning across the room. A shadowy figure enters the room, looking around the area as Dave holds his breath.

RHEA (whispering): What are you doing?!

DAVE (whispering): Not giving away our position.

The mysterious figure - Tull - tosses a flash grenade into the room. Reflexively, Dave covers Rhea’s eyes along with his own as the grenade explodes. There is a blinding blast, but the two of them are left unharmed... unfortunately, someone else isn’t so lucky.

JESSICA: Aaaaah!

Tull smirks, swinging his shotgun in the direction of her voice.

TULL: Knock, knock...

Tull reloads his shotgun as Dave lunges across the room, grasping Jessica’s hand. Dave pulls Jessica behind the apartment’s kitchen counter, as Tull’s shotgun blast goes off again. A deafening BOOM shakes the room, as the glass table explodes into countless shards. Dave and Jessica hold their breath as Tull crosses to the group of computers set up on the far side of the apartment, cocks his shotgun, and blasts one of the computers at point-blank range.

JESSICA: My computers!

At the sound of Jessica’s voice, Tull tenses, swinging his shotgun in her general direction.

TULL: Who’s there? Come out, come out, whoever you are!

Jessica lets out a small gasp, and Dave covers her mouth. Tull stomps closer to them. Dave spots his pistol lying on the floor several feet away; he begins to inch toward it. Suddenly, Jessica lets out a bloodcurdling screech! Dave looks over at her, only to see Tull standing over her, with a shotgun leveled at her chest.

TULL: Heh. Shame to kill such a sexy little thing.

RHEA: Hey, ugly!

Dave’s eyes go wide with shock at Rhea’s sudden outburst. Tull freezes at her voice, then turns and fires his gun in her direction. Rhea yelps and dives out of the way, but a few pieces of shrapnel still manage to hit her face, drawing blood. Tull stomps closer to Rhea, who is now desperately scrambling away from him. The killer loads his gun once again, aiming it at Rhea.

DAVE: Leave them alone!

Dave lunges at Tull’s chest, just as the killer fires his shotgun! Dave’s tackle makes Tull’s shot go wide, not two inches from Rhea’s head. Tull and Dave go flying into a wall, with Tull on top.

TULL: Damn cop! Die!

Tull racks his shotgun, preparing to blast Dave in the face... when a sudden pistol shot goes off, making Tull’s shoulder explode in a spray of blood!

SAM: Drop it, Tull.

Sam stands in the doorway, leveling her pistol at Tull. Behind her stands Reza, clearly scared and nervous but still holding a pistol of his own, ready to back Sam up. Tull glances between the two newcomers and Dave in confusion.

TULL: Well, well, look who it is. You wantin’ to die, too, is that it?

Tull raises his shotgun in Sam’s direction. She frowns.

SAM: Dunno where the hell you learned to count, but there’s five of us and one of you. Looks like you’re the only one here who’s wanting to die.

Tull frowns as he and Sam stare each other down. Then, with an annoyed scoff, he turns and leaps straight through the glass window. Sam fires, but her shot goes wide.

SAM: No! Dave!

DAVE: Like hell you’re getting away!

Dave lunges and grabs the shoulder of Tull’s jacket just as he crashes through the window. Dave struggles with the effort of trying to lift Tull back into the room as Tull tries his best to wriggle free.

TULL: Let... go!

Tull grabs his shoulder with his free hand and wrenches it free, causing the piece of the jacket Dave was holding to tear off. Sam rushes to the window, and she and Dave look down helplessly as Tull lands safely in some bushes and dashes away into an alleyway and rounds a corner, out of sight.

SAM: Dammit!

She prepares to climb out of the window after Tull.

REZA: Sam! Dave!

The two of them turn to see Reza, cradling an unconscious Rhea in his lap. Blood pours from the cuts on her face and neck where the shrapnel from the shotgun blast grazed her.

REZA: We need an ambulance! She’s out cold, hurry!

Sam hesitates, glancing back toward the window. Dave shakes his head.

DAVE: Tull could be anywhere at this point. Rhea’s here. Right now.

Sam nods, and pulls out her phone to dial 911.

SAM: I’ve got it.

Everyone waits expectantly as Sam explains the situation to the 911 operator. Reza does his best to stop Rhea’s bleeding with his own shirt; after a moment, Jessica notices and grabs some towels from the kitchen and crosses over to help. Finally, Sam hangs up the phone.

SAM: They’re on their way. CSIs too, plus probably someone from your station if I had to guess.

REZA: Who, Nikhil?

DAVE: Probably. (to Jessica) Listen, I know this has been a lot to process, but I meant what I said before all this started. You’re still going to have to face consequences for what you’ve done.

JESSICA (crying): I know. I know! You all risked yourselves for me, and now she’s bleeding, and... I know. Lock me up for the rest of my life; it’s the least I deserve.

DAVE (smirking): Well, I highly doubt it’s gonna be that much time. We’ll see what the judges have to say about...

His voice trails off as he opens his fist and the scrap of fabric from Tull’s jacket flutters to the ground. He frowns at it, as though noticing it for the first time.

DAVE: Huh. That’s...

He bends down and picks up the scrap, flipping it over. On the inside, an unusual round patch has been sewn into the jacket, where it would normally go unseen. The bottom half of the emblem features an abstract shape resembling an hourglass with the top broken open, with golden lines swirling from inside the hourglass up to the top half; the lines culminate in three arrows that swirl together and vanish into an eclipsing wedge of black.

SAM: ...The hell is that?

She peers over Dave’s shoulder at the mysterious patch. He shrugs.

SAM: Doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen. Sure does give me the creeps, though.

DAVE: Definitely creepy.

He frowns.

DAVE: Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen this somewhere before--

He is interrupted by the arrival of a trio of paramedics. One of the EMTs, whose ID badge reads RAFAEL AVEIRO, approaches Reza, Jessica, and Rhea.

RAFAEL: This is her? Alright, step back... we’ve got this.

Reza and Jessica back away from Rhea, and Rafael and the other two paramedics move in to examine her. Dave and Sam exchange a look as Dave pulls out an empty evidence bag from his pocket and puts the jacket scrap inside it.

DAVE: Let’s continue this conversation later. We’ve got a lot to go over.

_______________________

Next: Off-Duty

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0

MW Tag List: @griselda1121