#and I'm not sure if the wooden top will match the rest of my furniture. might spray paint it gold

[boyapologist]

just bought a new bookcase. everybody clapped

[arcane-vagabond]

Don't Hang'em Til Noon: Chapter Two

Don't Hang'em Til Noon: Chapter Two

Pairing: Jake "Hangman Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake "Hangman" Seresin is a notorious leader within the Dagger Gang of the old western territories of the United States. You, a recently orphaned socialite from the eastern seaboard, find yourself swept off to live with your older brother who has set down roots in said western territory. Determined to to make the best of your situation, what will you do when said outlaw sets his sights on you?

Warnings: Language, Jake flirting, nothing else really.

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: So, I lied. Here's another update for you all. Feel like the quality might have dropped off a little halfway since I wrote the last half on my phone at work lol I'm not sure yet if I'll have anything to post tomorrow as I work weird hours, but here's hoping! As always, reblogs, comments, and likes are greatly appreciated. My inbox is always open to chat. 18+ ONLY!! Find me on AO3 under arcane_vagabond! Enjoy!

Series Masterlist || DGU Masterlist

“Well, this is it,” Benjamin proclaimed proudly. You looked at the house before you. It was a large, two story home with freshly painted white walls and matching white picket fence surrounding the yard. A chimney was built on both sides of the house, and a giant porch hugged the front as well as the second floor. A barn sat further down the path that led to your new home, and a simple wooden fence stretched even further.

“It’s beautiful, Benji,” you started, “but how much land did you purchase?”

Benjamin rubbed his neck sheepishly. “About one thousand acres.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “One thousand acres? Benji!”

“Hear me out, Scout,” he pleaded. “The cattle we raise will bring in even more money. We can establish a legacy here!”

“We already had a legacy,” you muttered, and Benjamin fixed you with soft, pleading eyes. You sighed. “You don’t even know the first thing about raising cattle.”

He perked up. “Oh, Maverick said he’d teach me all I need to know. Even made suggestions on who to hire as ranch hands when the time comes. He’s the one that convinced me to seek out my fortunes.”

“Was he now?” You murmured, already plotting what you were going to say to the town’s founder when you met him.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Benjamin, and you glanced up at him. “But this will be good for us, Scout. We’ll be a part of history and expanding our country. Making it better.”

You hummed, and he continued with a sigh. “The truth is, Scout, my firm isn’t making as much money as I had hoped out here. Ranching will help bolster our income until I can become more established in these parts.”

You sighed, knowing there wasn’t much you could say in argument. Instead, you turned back to look at the house, shadows growing darker as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon. “Let’s go then. I’m eager to see the new house.”

Benjamin practically skipped up to the house, holding the door open for you as you stepped inside. It was much grander than you were expecting. Wooden floors gave way to a grand staircase that turned into the next floor. You made your way through one of the archways and found yourself in the parlor. Your family’s furniture already decorated the room, and you brushed your fingers gently over the top of the grand piano in the corner. Continuing, you found yourself standing in a large kitchen, one of the fireplaces taking up a large portion of the far wall.

“If you’re hungry, I think Natasha left some stew for us,” Benjamin, striding over to where a pot hung above the small fire. You raised an eyebrow, barely containing your smirk.

“Does Natasha cook for you often?”

You saw a bashful expression creep its way onto your brother’s face as he straightened up to look at you with a small pout. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

You chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “I’m only teasing, Benji. But, no. I’m not hungry at the moment. I’d much rather get some rest after my long day of travel.”

Benjamin nodded and led you up the stairs. He stopped in front of the second door on the right, opening it and gesturing for you to step inside. Doing so, you saw your familiar pieces of furniture that you had shipped off weeks ago. Your hand mirror sat on your vanity, and your wardrobe door was opened to reveal your more practical, every day use dresses. You walked further into the room and up to the window. Peering out, you could faintly make out the barn and rolling desert in the sprawling darkness. If you looked harder, you could faintly see the outline of the distant mountains. Turning back to face your brother, you offered a smile.

“It’s lovely, Benji. Thank you.”

Benjamin returned your smile and gestured down the hall. “My room is two down if you need me for anything.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine for the evening. Go on,” you waved him off. “You need your sleep just as much as I do.

“Before I forget, Maverick has invited us to dinner with him and his wife, Penny, the night after next,” he said. You nodded, letting him know that you had heard.With one last smile, Benjamin closed the door behind him.

“Benji, have you gone shopping for supplies at all, or do you send poor Natasha out to do your tasks?” you clucked impatiently, finding nothing but a stale loaf of bread in the pantry. You had managed to collect the eggs from the chicken coop earlier that morning, and that was all that made up you and your brother’s meager breakfast.

“I haven’t the time, Scout,” he mumbled, already gathering his things for the day. “Besides, you know I’m not much of a cook.”

“How you’ve survived this long, I’ll never understand,” you said with a roll of your eyes. Benjamin looked at you with a twinkle in his.

“Eye rolling is not becoming of a proper young lady,” he snickered. Scowling you made to whip him with the towel you held in your hand, but he dodged it at the last second.

“Go, before you’re late,” you hollered as he rushed out the door. Sighing, you made a mental note to teach him at least some of the basics in the upcoming days. Turning, you marched back into the pantry and looked at the empty shelves disdainfully with hand on your hips.

“Honestly,” you muttered, exasperated at how incompetent your brother seemed at doing the most basic of things. You made a list of supplies you would need in the upcoming days, and walked out to take another look at the house. As much as your brother could fumble on the small things, he did have an eye for home decor. There were very few pieces of furniture you wanted to move around across the whole house, and you made another mental note to let Benjamin know that evening when he returned.

Walking out the front door with a basket in hand for your supplies, your eyes were drawn to a small patch of the front yard that had been fenced off. How you hadn’t noticed it the night before was beyond you, and you chose to chalk it up to fatigue from your journey. You walked over and saw several gardening tools scattered along the ground, and you realized this must have been the garden Benjamin had mentioned yesterday to you in his excitement.You added seeds to your list of supplies for the day.

You turned away from the garden and made sure to latch the gate to your front yard securely before strolling down the path into town.

Today was much like yesterday had been. People walking up and down the streets, shouting at one another in greeting, and children still running about. You wondered why they weren’t in school at this time of day. You resolved yourself to asking Maverick about it the next evening at dinner. Turning down on to the main street, you stepped onto the porch of the general store. Across the street at the saloon, you saw a group of men gathered by the entrance. One of them turned and saw you, and you suppressed an eye roll when he let out a long whistle.

“Hey there, darlin’!” he called out to you. He was handsome, you’d give him that. His dark skin glowed in the sunlight and you could make out his white smile from across the road. Strong muscles were hidden by his simple, white cotton shirt and beige wool pants. A hat covered his short, dark hair. Choosing to ignore the stranger, and by extension his four companions who had turned to look your way, you walked into the general store. the owner greeted you as you stepped into the spacious room that housed a multitude of goods from different places.

“Howdy, miss!” He chirped, leaning against the counter with a smile. He was older, dark skin weathered. “Haven’t seen you ‘round these parts before. The name’s Hondo.”

You returned his smile warmly. “A pleasure, Hondo. My name is y/n. My brother is Benjamin, perhaps you know him? He runs the firm just down the road.”

“Ah, yes!” He chuckled. “The lawyer from Baltimore. Well, miss, you’re in luck! I’ve just gotten back from Independence with new goods and I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until my partner, Joel, arrives back in town. Should be any day now, in fact.”

“I see, and what is that you have today?” You inquired, taking in the multitudes of crates still scattered around the counter.

“Let’s see,” Hondo thought. “I got some salt and some fine new tools from St.Louis. I also managed to trade for some fresh produce down by Independence.”

“That sounds lovely,” you smiled as Hondo began showing you his wears.

You spent about a half hour picking out the best produce Hondo had to offer, making plans to return when his partner made it back into town.

“Hondo, I don’t suppose you have anything in the way of cooking wine?” You asked, placing your new wears into your basket. Hondo grimaced with a shake of his head.

“'Fraid not, miss.” He sighed, looking out past his door towards the tavern. “But Miss Penny should have somethin’ for you to use.”

“Maverick’s wife?” You asked, unable to keep the surprise out of your voice. Hondo nodded, a look if worry on his face.

“Penny runs the saloon here in town. Normally, I wouldn’t even suggest you go ‘round that place without someone accompanyin’ you, but everyone here knows not to mess with Miss Penny. You should be safe while she’s there.”

You handed Hondo the money you owed him, and gave him a grateful smile. “I’m sure I’ll be perfectly fine.”

“Just be careful who you talk to when you’re over there, ya hear?” He called after you as you moved to leave. “A lot of real unsavory types like to prey on pretty, little things like you!”

“I will!” You called over your shoulder. You looked across the street to see the group of men from earlier had migrated down the porch over to, you assumed, their horses. Making sure they were safely distracted, you hurried your way across the road. Trotting up the steps, you made it to the door just as the group turned around to see you. Before they could say anything, however, you marched confidently into the saloon.

You weren’t sure what you had been expecting, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as you had thought, considering Hondo’s warning. The interior looked a tad run down, but you supposed it had been in business for a while. It was clear that it was a beauty back in its debut. A piano was shoved against the far wall and several tables were scattered across the room with a few patrons nursing different liquids. A woman came out of a back room and spotted you. She was one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen. Dark hair framed a slender face, and bright eyes looked at you with a maternal warmth you hadn’t seen in quite a while.

“Hey there, sweetheart!” She called to you. “What is it that I can getcha?”

“Hi,” you smiled, walking closer to the counter where she leaned. You could feel the stares from the other patrons on your back, and you couldn’t help but stiffen.

“Don’t you worry, darlin’,” she started, casting a stern look across the room. “No one here’ll mess with you while I’m here. Name’s Penny.”

You held out your hand when you were close enough to the bar to reach her. “I’m y/n. It’s a pleasure.”

“You must be Benjamin’s sister. You two look so much alike, I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner,” she laughed, the lines on her face crinkling. You couldn’t help but wonder if you would look as beautiful as she did when you were her age. She took your hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

“We get that quite a bit, actually,” you chuckled, dropping your hand back down to your side.

Penny’s smile grew wider. “So, how can I help you today?”

“I’m looking for some cooking wine. Hondo mentioned you might be able to help me find some.”

“Cooking wine, huh?” She chewed her lip thoughtfully. After a moment, she nodded, turning to head back into the back room. “Yeah, I think I just got some new bottles in, actually.”

You waited while she disappeared through the door. You heard the group of men outside on the porch, and it sounded like they had moved back towards the entrance. You let out a heavy sigh, realizing that you wouldn’t be able to avoid them forever. You took a closer look at the saloon. A set of stairs led up to a second floor that must double as an inn of sorts. Your brother had told you that's where he stayed while your home was being built.

“The townsfolk here are all kind as saints here, Scout,” he had written to you in one of his many letters. He hadn’t been wrong, well, save for one person. You frowned at the memory of the tall blond and his debonair smile. The outlaw probably wooed many girls with those good looks and charming words. You would not be fooled.

At that moment, Penny appeared back around the corner with two bottles of wine and another warm smile. You took the bottles from her gratefully, and slipped them into your basket.

“How much do I owe you?” You asked, but Penny shook her head.

“No charge,” she said. “Call it a ‘welcome to town’ gift.”

“Thank you,” you responded. You heard the group outside laugh, and you couldn't stop the slight frown from etching itself onto your face. Penny noticed, and offered a sympathetic smile.

“Those boys may be loud and rowdy,” she began, “but they’re harmless. I promise. Just walk out of here with your head held high, and if they start to give you trouble, you call for me. I’ll knock their heads together.”

You nodded your head. You made your way back to the swinging doors, but stopped just shy. You willed your nerves to settle, and straightening your shoulders, you marched as confidently as you could out of the saloon.

The men were all gathered around the steps, and their conversation stopped when you stepped out. You could see them all more clearly now, and to your dismay, they were all unfairly handsome.

“Hey there again, darlin’,” grinned the man from before. He leaned in closer to you with a glint in his eye. “Name’s Javy. What’s yours?”

“Coyote, you asshole,” snapped the man to his left. “Tell her our names, too!”

Javy—Coyote—rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that you didn’t catch.

“These here are my compadres—Bradley, Bob, Mickey, and Reuben,” he said, gesturing to each man as he said their name. He turned back to you with a smirk. “Now what about yours?”

At that moment, the saloon doors swung open, and a familiar blond strolled out with a hard set look on his face. His eyes darted from the group of men before you down to yours, and his grumpy expression melted into a lascivious smirk.

“Did you get it?” Asked the man off to your right—Bradley. Jake spared him a glance before returning his eyes to you.

“‘Course I did, Rooster,” he replied, walking closer to you. You gripped your basket harder and fixed him with a glare. “Fancy seeing you here, Scout.”

Rooster? You realized now that the Dagger Gang is who stood before you, and you suddenly found yourself feeling weary.

“Mr. Seresin,” you replied curtly, turning his smirk into a full blown grin.

“C’mon now, Scout. I thought we decided you’d call me Jake?”

“I don’t recall that being how the conversation went,” you sniffed. Javy cleared his throat from where he stood from behind you. You both looked over to find him and the rest of the squad grinning. Well, Bradley was smirking. The others were grinning.

“Is this the little spitfire you were goin’ on and and on about last night, Hangman?” Bradley—Rooster—asked, humor evident in his voice. You glanced over at Jake who had a dusting of pink spreading across his cheeks. Ignoring his friends, he looked back at you, some of his bravado returning.

“Ignore my friends,” he said, smile returning. “They don't know when to shut up.”

You hummed, “I could say the same thing about you.”

You heard a couple of snickers from behind you, and Jake cast a glare over your shoulder. Looking back at you, he continued, “Now, sugar. That wasn’t very nice. I’ve been plenty nice to you.”

You let out a noise of derision. “You and I must have very different definitions of the word ‘nice,’ Mr. Seresin.”

“If you let me,” he smirked, leaning closer so that his breath fanned over your face. Your eyes widened and your heart stopped for a brief moment at his proximity. “I could show you all the ways I can be nice.”

You didn’t respond for a moment, lost in the emeralds of his eyes. Blinking, you murmured, “Not a chance.”

You turned to the group behind you, offering them a tight lipped smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you all.”

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of you in the near future, sweetheart,” grinned Javy.

“Yes, well,” you smiled politely, “let’s hope not.”

You pushed past them and began making your way down the road. A hand gripped your elbow, spinning you back around so that you crashed into a solid chest of muscle. Looking up, stunned, you were once again in close proximity of Jake Seresin.

“Let me give you a ride home,” he offered, gesturing back at Whiskey. You shook your head, placing a hand on his chest to try and put some kind of barrier between the two of you. Jake took your hand in his, squeezing it tight.

“That's not necessary,” you breathed. “I live just down the road.”

“Then let me walk you,” he pushed.

“Down the street?” You snorted. Jake grinned, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.

“A lot could happen between now and when you get home.”

“Goodbye, Jake,” you said with a pointed look, pulling away from him. You tried not to frown at how cold you felt without his presence next to you. You turned to walk away.

“I’ll wear you down one day, sugar! You’ll be in love with me before you know it,” He called after you. You stopped in your tracks, whirling around to fix him with your iciest glare.

“I am not something to be conquered,” you hissed. Jake stared at you for a long minute, a different kind of smile crept onto his face. If you didn’t know any better, you’d have said this one was almost…affectionate.

“I don’t expect you to be,” he said finally, giving you a two finger salute. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Scout.”

[a-strawberry-mouse]

I have a conundrum and I crave opinions!

**Context below the poll.**

I've been looking for a wooden folding leaf table for a while. The plan was to get one, strip it, sand, and stain it with some variety of purple. Visible mending is my favorite for many things. Furniture included.

Imagine my outright glee when I found one for $40. And it came with a storage section for chairs with the original four chairs! A year of searching, now over with results.

I looked at the pictures enough to see that it needs cosmetic repair, but it's sturdy. Good bones. The accordion door sticks, but it does work. The varnish has seen better decades, etc.

The seller was fab. Told me about the previous owners(mom and dad) and it was lovely. I bought a couple of other things from the sale. Small stuff I keep forgetting to buy. Very nice experience.

The accordion door(kept up because I haven't found why it's acting up yet)

Original wheels!

The top has water damage.

The hinge has the center metal of the hinge about a cm out.

The leaves have water damage and some scraping.

Mouse damage(I'm innocent).

I look up, "Romanian drop leaf table," and this thing is most likely from the 60s! In better shape they sell for more than $1000. Obviously this one needs work, but I mean, for $40 this is amazing. Past amazing.

But.

Is it okay to alter an antique?

Can I still turn this purple, or is that disrespectful?

I know that no matter what I do someone will be upset. I also know someone has already called dibs on the table upon my death regardless of which direction I go(they're not kidding, but they did say it in a funny way).

With just how much damage it has and the fact that a lot of this is veneer; it seems like a total overhaul is necessary either way. I've been told to scrub the tabletop with a baking soda paste mixture and a toothbrush. I confess, I'm not sure I'm really ready to do that. That sounds like a terrible time.

Originally spray painting the table was an option. It still could be if I do just the top. It may genuinely be the best option for the table's longevity. Quick, thin, and there's a lot of options for color and seal strengths. Plus there's already something that will need paint in the kitchen(this table will be in the kitchen) so they could match.

[five-miles-over]

Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

Pairings: Rory Slippery (from Fortysomething) x Reader, Bill Hazeldine (from Suburban Shootout) x Reader

Summary: A first-year medical student at the University of Surrey, you move into a uni house and meet your new flatmates Bill Hazeldine and Rory Slippery

"Yes, mum. I've just pulled up in front of the building," you spoke, precariously holding the phone with one hand while you parked your second-hand car with the other. The car, a dark grey 1990 Honda Accord, a graduation present given to you by your parents, with the idea that you'd be able to be much more independent driving to uni rather than relying on public transport. Of course, it was also a convenient way to get rid of a car they'd been hoping to replace with a much newer, more fuel efficient model. That aside, you were sure that it would make you a bit cooler around campus, not that it truly mattered anyways. "I'll call you again when I'm settled. I love you, Mum." 

After exiting the vehicle, and locking it, you opened the door to your uni house for the first time. "Eee!" A rat scurried past you, and a chill ran down your spine. You might need to call someone to deal with that…very soon. With a long look up the wooden stairs, to where the bedrooms were supposed to be, you took a deep breath and picked up one of the three keys laying on a countertop. 

To say the house needed some work was a slight understatement. The kitchen sink was leaking like a salivating dog, the faded pastel wallpaper in the living room was peeling near the edges, the furniture was clouded with a coat of dust, and to top it off, the gilded '221' on the door was half-covered in dark rust . No wonder this house was one of the cheapest near campus.  

Within one hour filled with heaving, panting, and thankfully no more mice, you were able to get all of your boxes into your room within the uni house. Compared to the rest of the house, the room that you chose had a pale blue paint on the walls, and it vaguely matched the color of the bedsheets you brought with you. The mattress, which was lodged against a large window with one large crack (heaven knows where that came from…some Romeo throwing pebbles?), was relatively stainless though yellow from age.

You unpacked the boombox among your things and filed through the box containing your CDs. Selecting a random one, you let the music play through the house while you dueled with fitted sheets and fought with a bedskirt (why do those even exist??). 

"Finally!" You exclaimed with relief, falling back onto the bed after setting it up for the first time. Unpacking the rest of your things wouldn't be so hard, now that the bed was set up. Plus…now you could always take a nap if you were tired. Just then, from a distance, you heard the sound of two people - a middle-aged woman and a man - talking quickly. The door opened with a creak, and was followed by the sounds of their footsteps.

You stealthily left your room, trying to make as little noise as possible with each step. A tall, lanky, boy with dark blonde curls carried a box overflowing with books into the home while the middle-aged woman and man (presumably his parents) could be heard inspecting the house. 

"Jeremy, I can't believe the condition of this living room," the woman - slender with a bowl-cut, a few wrinkles upon her face - commented with dismay. She stood near the seemingly rickety, dusty coffee table positioned in front of a small television with a flimsy-looking antenna. You swore she blushed just a tiny bit when she came across a worn-out copy of A Savage Adoration, published by Mills and Boon, hidden under a small ashtray found on the coffee table. 

"It'll be a good experience, Joyce," the man peeked from behind a fridge. "I remember my uni house being in worse shape than this…" He didn't seem much taller than the woman, though definitely a bit more stout. 

"Hello?" You cautiously asked, introducing yourself as one of the students living in this house for the academic term. 

"Oh, you've moved in already?" Joyce's face lit up when she heard who you were. She tentatively came towards you, and looked around the house. "Bill, come say hello to your new flatmate."

You and Bill, the lanky boy with blonde curls you saw earlier, shook hands and exchanged names. His palms were sweaty and his eyes were a mixture of blue and grey, like the sky during a thunderstorm.

"Looks like you'll get your first taste of living among the ladies." Jeremy chuckled, watching his boy reluctantly extend his hand. "Good practice for when you're married."

"Bill, make sure you call every day," Joyce instructed Bill with a hand upon the boy's shoulder. "I want you to promise that you'll stay away from drugs, any kind of parties, or gangs."

"Joyce, our son's all grown up now. He'll be quite alright." Jack commented, and you couldn't help but smirk just a little. Bill, though he may be old enough for uni, just seemed too….baby-faced the more that you looked at him. Not that it was off-putting at all. It made Bill seem angelic and innocent, like the type who wouldn't cause trouble. 

Joyce and Jack shook your hand, hugged Bill at least twice, and wished you both luck before finally driving off. 

"Where's that coming from?" Bill pointed upstairs in the direction of the music that you'd briefly forgotten about. You could barely hear "Sugar We're Goin Down" playing from your bedroom. 

"Oh, it's just my boombox - I put on a CD while I was setting up my bedsheets," you dismissed. "I think I've got a kettle packed somewhere, do you want a cup of tea or some coffee?"

"Tea sounds good." Bill rummaged through a cardboard box and handed you a box of Earl Grey tea packets, along with…a bag of sugar.

"You might need to find another way of storing this," you chuckled, placing the items onto the counter. The electric kettle, filled with tap water, hissed after you plugged it into the outlet. And while the water heated up, you removed the plastic covering off the box of tea bags. Just then, you and Bill heard a knock on the door.

"There's supposed to be a third person here, right?" Bill asked as the two of you shuffled towards the front.

"Yeah…Rory something." 

You and Bill opened the door to find another young man with cropped brown hair and sharp cheekbones. He wore a blue and black sweater, a visible white undershirt, and worn out jeans. A pile of boxes, and a stereo were piled near his feet.

"This is…221 Dunmore Street?"

"That's the address, I believe." You pointed the number on the door.

"Where's your family?" Bill asked, lightly squinting.

"Didn't need their help." The young man shook Bill's hand "I'm Rory Slippery."

"Bil Hazeldine. Let me help you get your things." Bill rushed to carry one of Rory's boxes inside. 

"Thanks." After Rory introduced himself to you, you extended your hand forward too. Instead of shaking your hand, Rory lowered his head and briefly kissed your knuckles with a little smirk. 

You looked down briefly and smiled. "Wow, thanks."

"Always a pleasure." 

You picked up another one of Rory's boxes and led him inside the house. "Your key's on that table over there. We've got a kettle going - do you want some tea?"

"Alright." 

"The water should be done by now. Let's get all the boxes inside." You, Bill, and Rory continued to carry boxes inside the house. And just like how two of Bill's boxes were overfilled with books, two of Rory's boxes were filled with video games, sweaters, and…hair care products. You made a mental note to ask Rory about that sometime, but not yet.

Fifteen minutes later, the three of you were situated in the living room, sipping steaming mugs of Earl Grey made with the tea bags that Bill had brought. Holding his mug, Rory searched the room for the television remote. Meanwhile, you and Bill sat on a faded couch and the Mills and Boon book was being perfectly ignored on the coffee table.

"Where's everyone from?" Bill was the first to break the ice. 

Rory procured the remote from a mystery corner table in the living room, and blew a cloud of dust off of it. "My parents live in Wimbledon."

"Cool! I've been to Wimbledon once. I absolutely loved it."

"That's not far from campus. Why'd you choose a uni house?" You asked, taking another sip.

"I needed my own place." Rory aimed the remote at a television and managed to turn it on. "I'm a grown man now, I need to…be mature for my age."

You raised an eyebrow.

Rory sighed. "I'm a third-year. Transferred from University of Raleigh in time for the new term."

When Bill asked why, Rory confessed that his ex-girlfriend cheated with his brother, and he couldn't put up with it. "I just don't want to come home and see his lying, sniveling coward face everyday."

After a moment of awkward silence, you asked what everyone's courses were. Rory stated that he was interested in Sociology and Bill declared that he wanted to pursue Theology.

"What about you?" Bill asked.

"BMBS," you gently said with a chuckle. "Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery."

"Cool!"

Rory piped up. "My dad's a doctor. I could introduce you to him."

"That'd be great, thank you." You nodded. "What's his speciality?"

"Not sure." Rory shrugged and took another sip.

"I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

"I'm not. She was never the one."

"Maybe you'll find someone nice here." Bill cheerfully moved closer to you and Rory, and raised his mug. "A toast to a good year at uni. A new chapter in the books of our lives that will be filled to the brim with

memories." 

You and Rory silently clinked your mugs against his.

[ratsoh-writes]

What do their bedrooms/living areas look like? I'm going to use all 3 of my asks to request this for all of the boys if that's ok! ❤

Man, I’ve had this one in my secret notes for a good while now!

Undertale:

Both the tale brothers live in a nice little gated community. Their house is one of the smaller ones and has the same layout as the one in Snowdin. The house is pretty basic with some cozy throws and wall tapestries to spruce it up

Sans: his room actually has a proper bed and frame this time. The sheets and blankets are still bundled up in a pile on the floor though. Sans also has his homemade trashnado in the corner. There’s a desk on the wall adjacent to the door which has his laptop. And several folders stacked next to it. Other than a dresser, there’s literally nothing else in there. Sans doesn’t care much about stuff

Papyrus: his room has bright orange walls. He left the race car bed behind underground but has a race car blanket to make up for it. His walls are covered in superhero and comic posters. He also has a display case for some old figurines and his comic collection. Papyrus’ desk is one of those nice fancy drafting ones where he can adjust it to tilt upwards. He has a ship wheel attached to his door for some reason.

Underswap

The swap bros home is only a few blocks from the classic brothers neighborhood. The only thing basic about it is the cream walls. All the furniture and decorations are bright colors. The kitchen especially is real nice. The oven and stove are top notch, and the counters are filled with mason jars full of goodies.

Star: his room can blind a lesser man when you walk in. The walls are bright yellow, the bed (which is a bunk bed by the way) is neon orange. Galaxy posters decorate the wall. Besides the clashing colors, the furniture is pretty basic. Only the top bunk actually has a mattress. The bottom bunk is used as a storage shelf. He also has a shoe rack by his door

Honey: you can practically feel the nerdy aura as you enter his room. The first thing you see is a display case housing some neat figurines of characters from his favorite shows. He’s also got a pretty nice bookshelf on the opposite wall that’s nearly full. Honeys bed has a curtain around it for extra privacy with a nice little wall lamp above the pillows

Underfell

They have a home a little closer to the city center but still far enough to be considered suburbs. It’s a very sleek and modern house with white walls, tile floors and sleek black and metal furniture. The only thing that doesn’t fit the rest of the theme is this nasty old patched up sofa in the living room. The thing is absolutely hideous but is sooo comfy.

Red: his room has soft grey walls and smells like miter oil. Makes sense since one wall is just a long basic table covered in machine parts that red tinkers with in his down time. He actually doesn’t have a bed. Instead he sleeps on this giant leather bean bag. He likes it that way. There’s a few car posters decorating the walls

Edge: he obviously put a lot of thought into his rooms decorations. Everything is pretty black marble or a sleek white wood. His bed covers are blood red with a nice geometric designs on top in silver. He has a beautiful black desk with some pretty jars filled to the brim with nothing but novelty pens. If you looked in his desk drawers you would find notebooks and even more pens

Swapfell

They don’t own a house and instead live in a two bedroom one bath apartment on the third floor of one of lords complexes. The furniture is pretty minimalistic but very nice quality. Most decorations are metal

Mal: the first thing you’ll see in his room is a large wooden drawing desk where pencils and watercolors are neatly arranged on the side. There’s also a vanity with a light up mirror and a nice collection of makeup. Also a huge slanted hunters knife. He uses it to make sure his eyeliner is extra sharp.

Cash: his bedroom is the perfect definition of organized chaos. It looks messy but for cash, he knows exactly where every thing is. There’s a small tv in there with some old game consoles hooked up to it. The bed is never made.

Horrortale

Their home rests in a neighborhood bordering the forest of ebott. The houses there all have a lot more yard space than most houses in the city. The horrortale home is super cozy with lots of knit throws and pillows scattered around. The back patio has a little dog door and there’s a 50% chance of seeing a chicken walk through lol

Oak: his room is also pretty basic. The bed however has so many blankets. Like way more than any person should need. Oak is a blanket hoarder. There’s a lot of notebooks stacked on his wooden desk along with a file of patterned paper for scrapbooking.

Willow: his room has a raised bed with a cute little ladder on the side so that his dog can jump up. You can tell a lot of the furniture has been homemade or refurbished. The room is larger and in the middle is a circular stone table that’s stained with paint. It’s usually housing his latest craft

Underlust

They used to live in the same neighborhood as the classic brothers but have recently moved closer to the inner city because of work. Their home is still in the process of being unpacked mostly, but their rooms are done! The house is actually pretty conservative looking with grey walls, white wooden furniture and soft pastel decor. They do have a stripper pole in the living room though lol

Charm: his room looks exactly how you expect from him. Dark walls with lots of bright rave type decorations. On his dresser is a large pretty cake display that stands out from the rest of the rooms theme lol. His room is always on a state of organized chaos with his desk and bed covered in nick knacks but the floors staying oddly clean

Sugar: his room has light lavender walls and black furniture. It’s a big difference from the soft feminine style people expect from him. Instead sugar has a more sleek modern style to his room. He also has a standard mannequin in the middle that always has a new dresses pinned to it.

Fellswap (red)

They own a pretty two story house only a block away from the two apartment complexes that lord owns. The front lawn/garden is in top shape with lots of those metal flower decorations stuck in the ground along the dirt outline. Inside the house is most worn but comfy looking furniture. Nothing special

Lord: his room is pretty basic with mostly brown and grey accents. He does have a large mostly filled bookcase. There’s also two white bean bags and a deep red rug that covers nearly the whole floor of the room.

Mutt: he actually has two rooms. The first is pretty simple with just his bed, a writing desk and a rack for some shoes. Also his bird cage for KFC (pet pigeon). The second room has a sink, and several cages and boxes for the injured animals that he rehabilitates. The second room is slightly larger than his actual room.

Fellswap gold

They actually live in a studio apartment above wines antique shop. The apartment used to be an unused storage static until wine bought the building and repurposed it. The living space itself is a little small, but they also have access to the roof which the gold bros use as a potted garden and dining area.

Wine: his room is very classy with silk curtains on the window and a silky cream canopy above his head. All the furniture is a dark grey wood with pretty carvings and designs. The walls are decorated with beautiful floral paintings from his brother. It’s a pretty well planned out room. Very cosy and luxurious

Coffee: he has two rooms as well. The smaller of the two is just his bed, dresser, closet and a tv with some consoles hooked up to it. The second room has shelves lining nearly every wall except for one which is just a big collab mural. On the shelves is various art supplies and projects. There’s one large sketch desk on one wall. And finally in the middle of the room is a tarp attached to the floor housing whatever piece of furniture coffee is restoring at the moment .

Dancetale

They also own an apartment, one of the flats in lords buildings on the ground floor. It’s the other building from the swapfell brothers. The walls are painted a cheery yellow and the house is mostly decorated with spring colors. There’s always a huge bowl of fresh fruit in the kitchen.

Pop: his room is mix and match of completely different furniture and gadgets. Pop isn’t someone who cares about themes so he will keep whatever catches his fancy. Instead of a bed, he has a hammock attacked to the ceiling with a pillow and some throw blankets casually tossed on top lol.

Rhythm: his room is pretty sparse with just his bed, a shoe rack, and a dresser. On the dresser are pictures of each of his face classes right before they graduate. Rhythm doesn’t really care all that much about decor so the walls are pretty bare too

Outertale

They live in the same gated community as the classic brothers! The outertale home has high ceilings and lots of windows. The living room is the real centerpiece of the home. It has several large antique bookcases and display cases. Inside the displays are various rocks and crystals and the occasional fossil. It’s really neat.

Pluto: his room is comprised of mostly blues grays and greens. He has a small bookcase on the side of his bed where he keeps the things he’s currently reading. There’s also a large fish-tank with an assortment of saltwater fish inside. Pluto’s room also has a large circular fluffy rug in the middle of the floor. The floor itself is hardwood

Jupiter: his room has a similar color scheme except instead of greens, Jupiter has gold instead. He has some exercise equipment stacked nicely on the side of his bed including weights. There’s a wall tapestry with a printed picture of the asteroid belt the outertale monsters used to live in.

Gastertale

The gaster brothers also live in the same neighborhood as the classic and outertale bros. They’re at the very end in the little cul-de-sac. The interior of the house is almost all white with cream carpet, metro grey walls, and white furniture. A few of the small decorations add a bit of color. There’s a lot of potted succulents.

G: his room is probably the only dark room of the house. His walls are a charcoal grey and the furniture is mostly jet black with a few mustard colored decorations. There’s a metal wire bookcase hanging on the wall. G also has a plastic anatomy dummy that he dresses up in his motorcycle gear when he’s not using it. G thinks he’s funny

Green: like the rest of the home, his room is also mostly white. He has a pretty pale green rack for all of his glasses on his dresser. Green also has his several degrees framed in silver on the walls. his room is always spotless

Farmtale:

The farm bros have an old Victorian home that they fixed up themselves. They’re home borders the acres of farmland they own and is about a 45 minute drive from ebott city. The inside is decorated with mostly wooden furniture. There’s like four rocking chairs on the porch lol

Peaches: his room fits the theme of the house with mostly wooden furniture and a lot of quilts and rugs to add color and soften it up. Peaches always has a vase of fresh wildflowers on his dresser. The walls have photographs of plants and animals taped to them that peaches took himself.

Rancher: this mad lad has a large moose skull hanging above his four poster log cabin bed. He also hangs his favorite hunting rifles just below the moose lol. His bedroom is mostly wooden of course but is also decorated with lots of red and orange plaids.

Horrorfell

They live in the same neighborhood as the horrortale and horrorswap brothers. Their home is literally right in between the two. Inside it’s decorated in a mix between sleek modern metals and frumpy cozy style. Somehow the horrorfell bros still have their original sofa from the underground. There’s a lot of little homemade staircases for their cat doomfanger who’s too old to claim on top of things herself now

Rust: his walls are painted a soft heather grey and have some basic wooden decorations that noir painted for fun. The furniture is pretty normal with the exception of a large treasure style chest next to his bed. Open it up and you’ll find a collection of drawings and gifts from the kids he’s watched over the years. Rust didn’t have the heart to throw them away.

Noir: unsurprisingly, his room is littered in canvases and paintings on the walls. It’s divided into two sides: the messy paint side and his nice neat living side. He even has a line of tape going down the middle to complete the divide. On his living side is his bed, closet, and a low bookcase that he uses as a second dresser. The actual bookcase is in the living room

Horrorswap

As y’all all know, their house is right next to the horrorfells and one house away from the horrortales. They like bright colors and have a sort of summery themed house. The best part is the back garden which is filled with garden boxes of veggies, fruit bushes, and fruit trees.

Lilac: his rooms main color is a pretty powder blue along with canary yellow and some bright green. He has a yoga mat on the floor in place of a rug. The walls have some neat sunrise posters

Basil: his room is pretty cosy with lots of knit blankets and fluffy pillows. He has a massive poster of Pixar’s ratatouille that rust got him as a joke. Basil has like five coconut planters, each housing a different herb plant making his room smell like an Italian restaurant

The Mafias (tale, fell, swap)

The mafia brothers live in an apartment complex masquerading as a warehouse. The ground and top two floors are working area while there were three secret basement levels. The mafia bros home consists of the whole bottom level with all their rooms connected to a hallway. At the end of the hallway is a living space and the kitchen.

Snipe: his room is the one closest to the living area. Inside is sage walls with a few house plants that can survive in low light. His bed is almost never made lol. If one was to tear the room apart, they would find at least six different guns stashed in hidden compartments

Bruiser: his room is the closest to the staircase. Inside the room somehow looks super messy but is actually spotless. Bruiser decorates the walls with all kinds of gifts people randomly give him during his vigilante escapes. Stuff from pocket mirrors, to foreign currency to even a small collection of sea shells. He drilled holes into them and hung them up on strings. Other than his walls, the furniture is pretty plain

Butch: his room is a mix of greys, blacks an silvers with the basics of furniture and a small black leather sofa. On the walls are some pretty hand melded metal decorations that butch made himself. He smokes in his room so it reeks of cigars

Boss: his room fits him perfectly with clean white plaster walls, sleek metal furniture and black and gold marble decor. Everything in that room has a specific place. If anyone moved his stuff, he’d know. It’s the only mafia bro room that doesn’t caught smell like smoke somehow. There’s a male model mannequin that he uses to practice designing clothes on

Ace: the most eye catching part of his room is a large vanity with several lamps attached and a very extensive makeup kit. I’m talking professional grade. Ace isn’t the spy for nothing. He also has an open closet so all his clothing is out on display. The main color of his room is mauve funny enough

Slim: his room is a drab grey and has a large desk taking up a whole wall. It’s filled with screens and monitors. He also has a few tv screens hooked up to the wall. It almost looks like a security room. On the other side is his bed with a canopy curtain for privacy. There’s a few anime posters on the wall as well

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

'Madder Than a Hatter' Chapter 6: You're Gonna Lose Your Soul

A/N: I know it's been so long since I've updated, but my mental health took such a dive. I'm trying to get back into writing again, slowly but surely.

FFN | Ao3 | Buy Me a Coffee?

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“I can’t believe it,” Hatter mused, looking around them. They had only been following Charlie for twenty minutes, and he managed to lead them to an abandoned mushroom village. Every cottage was rounded with a mushroom top roof. Alice couldn’t tell if they had been hollowed out to transform into a cottage or if they were entirely hand-built. The forest trees surrounded the area and ten-foot tall tree-like mushrooms provided cover from the rain.

Charlie held his head up with pride. “The Oracle never steers us wrong, Harbinger. Trust in that.” With a sweeping gesture, he held his arms out toward one of the homes, allowing them to go ahead.

Taking her hand, Hatter led Alice up the stone stairs leading up to the closest cottage. It was dark and cold inside, a feeling of emptiness settled in the three of them. When their eyes adjusted, for it was much darker than it was outside, they went searching for a source of light. They took it slow, careful not bump into any furniture.

“Hey,” Alice called out to them, “I think I found an oil lamp. It still has some juice in it. We just need to find some matches.”

Hatter made his way over to her right away, digging through his pockets. He pulled out a matchbox with only a couple left inside. “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” he said, striking the match and lighting the wick.

The small room was enveloped in a warm glow, surprising them by what was revealed to them. For an abandoned land, the little cottage appeared preserved as if no time had passed. If it hadn’t been lived in for hundreds of years, there was no indication of it. The room was round, the sitting room and kitchen separated only by a wooden counter where the oil lamp had been found. There was a sofa set a few feet back from the fireplace, which could definitely help warm the place up. The wood in the basket was still fresh somehow and hadn’t rotted away.

Looking up, there was a stairway that led up to the mushroom cap of the cottage, which most likely contained a bedroom or two at most. Charlie got to work on the fire whilst Hatter searched for anything that could be of use to them. Aiding in the search, Alice’s head felt heavy as if it were made of something much thicker than skin and bone. It must have been hunger or an after effect of the drugged water. Hell, it could have been both.

“Alice…”

Quickly, she turned back, frantically scanning the room corner to corner with her eyes. The voice sounded brittle, too close in her ear for comfort. A chorus of nearly inaudible whispers filled the room, but she appeared to be the only one who could hear them. A hand gripped her shoulder. Alice jumped with a shout and then Hatter was there, his voice full of concern. “Hey, Alice, look at me. You’re okay; I’m here. Tell me what happened.”

“I…,” she began, “I’m not sure. There was a voice and then there were several. Something grabbed me.”

He looked around, noting there was nothing out of the ordinary around them. But in his experience, that didn’t mean something wasn’t there. All in all, he felt it best they all turn in for the night. The fire began crackling and Charlie had already taken it upon himself to sleep on the sofa. He held out his hand. “C’mon, luv, you need your rest.”

Hatter’s brows furrowed as he looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

Holding onto the ladder for dear life, Alice replied, “I’ve got a thing about heights.” She noticed him take a look down below, a short nervous laugh bubbling up. “Why couldn’t you guys build the city on the ground?”

Turning back to her, acknowledging her consuming fear, Hatter told her to look at him. “Alice.” Her shining blue eyes met his. He held his hand out for her to take, and reluctantly, she let go of the ladder, putting her hand in his. “Try not to look down…okay?”

Slowly, step by step, he led her through, his eyes never leaving hers. Despite his sketchy con-man persona, Alice had placed her safety in his hands, trusting him for the first time.

A small smile appeared on her face. “You helped me,” she spoke quietly.

“Alice? You okay?”

“Yes,” she assured him. “I’m starting to remember a little. You led me around the ledges of the tallest city in Wonderland when I was frozen with fear.”

Hatter smiled. “That’s right, I did.” A moment passed between them—a sort of silent fondness. “Shall we see what’s upstairs?”

With a nod, Alice followed his lead once more, a little less scared than she had been before.

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Duchess was beyond worried. How could the Queen of Souls still live? Her death was a major turning point in Wonderland’s history. Another night had passed with no sign of the trio. Taking matters into her own hands, she stormed into her husband’s office.

“Darling, what is it?” he asked, an alertness in his voice.

She seated herself upon the sofa opposite his desk. “How can she still live, Jack? She’s dead. I’m not leaving until I get an answer.”

Jack sighed. He hadn’t wanted to worry her further, but it appeared as if his silence on the subject had the opposite effect. “She’s not technically alive, but a spirit, I wager. There’s an old urban legend that states if she were to steal three souls, she could come back as flesh and blood.”

“Alice, Hatter, and Charlie,” Duchess realised. “And someone—presumably the so-called ‘doctor’ of Alice’s—set this up in order to do just that.”

He nodded. “Whoever it may be, if they think the Queen of Souls would help them to take over the throne instead of stealing it for herself, they’re mad as can be.”

“How do we help them?” she asked.

“I’m working on it,” he assured her. “Though, I’m not sure if anyone but themselves can get them out of there.”

She stood, regal in the way she always held herself. “Then we need to track down whoever killed that group of tea addicts. Surely that’s who’s responsible.”

Jack smiled with the knowledge that he did, indeed, make the right woman the Queen of Hearts. And he loved her with all of his.

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Lurking in the shadows, she searched for her prey, for the different colored glow of their souls. Blue, green, and white. She had almost had the blue girl in her grasp, but that damned Bandersnatch was onto her. Why it was choosing to protect them, she hadn’t a clue. She was nothing but a shadow, a ghoul. Under a constant full moon, she sought to steal three souls, and become whole once more. Wonderland would fall beneath her rule, starting with that wretched Catherine Thorpe.

[gilldodson]

Gill's (Lovely) House - Downstairs

So - this has been a long time in the making, but I finally made a Gill's House post in anticipation of having to write about it a Lot in My Girl (which you should obvs absolutely pop over to ao3 and read).

All this is gleaned from 2.6 and 3.8 - excuse the screenshots, I'm still Baby at them.

Outside - Gill's house is number 7. It is detached, and appears to have neighbours on both sides. There is a large drive that by the sound of Gill's heels on it, I would say is simply tarmac. The house is white clad, and has quite striking black framed windows. The front door is black, and has two glass panels inside the door, and two larger floor to ceiling panels of glass on either side of the door. To the right hand side of the front of the house, is a large four section window which is the living room. To the left hand side there is a smaller two section window (I'm presuming a kitchen, more on that later). Upstairs to the front of the house, there's two of the larger four section windows to the right, and a smaller two section window to the right. All we know for sure is upstairs is Gill's room, her ensuite, Sammy's room, and a spare room.

Initial entrance hallway - Gill's penchant for pink is immediately apparent. The walls are pink, theres a white and natural wood hall table with a pink lamp, the ceiling lampshade is pink with a grey and white leaf pattern. If you're looking towards the door, on the right hand side wall there is a large painting of a sea scene with stormy skies. There is another natural wood hall table beneath this painting with drawers, topped with general clutter and a landline phone (so retro). There's multi-tonal grey stone floor here, which is unusual as the rest of the house is carpeted. As you can see in the party scene, there's a door to the right hand side wall which I presume leads to the elusive kitchen that we never see (presumably because Jules is in there in her pants).

Central area/hall/dining room? - the photo above shows you quite nicely how it all joins together. Sammy is standing in what I've called the initial hallway, and Gill is in what for simplicity's sake I will call a hallway, though - it's a little more complicated than that. Here we can see that the large windows we saw to the front right hand side of the house outside are the living room, where Dave is (more on that later). This central hall area has the stairs, which are wood and grey carpet, and don't have any backs to them which makes me Anxious. More pink walls here, there's a wooden bannister against the wall of the stairs, and then tall, slim white bannisters on the other side. There's another hall table with a dark red/pink lamp here and then a small round white table with a similar dark red/pink lamp and Gill's elephant trinket which just gives me all the feelings. There's what looks to me like a blanket box under the stairs (adorable) and then - this is where I start to lose my mind a bit. I think what's directly in front of Sammy in the next picture is a saucepan and a granite worktop - I'm presuming it's a dining table, more on this later. Bit bizarre, but there we go. It's Gill.

Living Room - the living room is Lovely, but unfortunately we only ever see it with one additional horrible, useless piece of worthless man furniture. The whole house has the natural wood doors that you can see here, with rectangular chrome handles which match the chrome lightswitches. There's a green sofa facing away from the windows, and as you can see in the hall photo above, white blinds, and a natural wood table to the side of the room with, you guessed it, a pink lamp. There's some sort of drinks clutter on here, but that might be a Dave Addition. In front of the sofa is a fairly cluttered coffee table, with a shelf underneath full of magazines. The sofa has cushions and a throw that are light brown and embroidered with a red and gold intricate pattern. The walls in the living room are a darker pink, almost red. By the door, there's a photo of a misty winter tree scene. The TV, again slightly bafflingly, is parallel to the end of the sofa, so I'm not entirely sure how you're supposed to watch it, but Dave seems to be managing. There's a chrome and beige floor lamp here, and a lovely little pot plant. Opposite the sofa is a big natural wood storage cabinet with glass panel, inside which are numerous trinkets and books.

??Dining room - there's one brief little shot in the living room that adds to my dining room theory for the central hallway. Just opposite to the living room door, roughly where Sammy was standing in the central hall shots, there's a chair that looks much to me like a dining table chair. Make of it what you will! Gill also looks SO bad-ass in this shot which is half the reason why I included it.

I've run out of photo uploading space now so I'll do a second part for Gill's room!

**Update!!** The wonderful @eggstirmilkate showed me some more screenshots I forgot about when Sammy is having dinner with Gill and tells her he wants to be a cop. Essentialy opposite the living room (behind Gill in photo just above) is a green/grey/blue dining room table and then on the wall next to the stairs where the long hall table is, there's another bigger TV and what looks like a breakfast bar/kitchen island to me (the granite thing with the saucepan on). They wonderfully attached the screenshots to the Upstairs post so take a look!

[whatsarasaid]

I'm going to try this again and hope Tumblr doesn't decide to cut my message again 😂 Just wanted to send your way some virtual hugs and hope you're ok and healthy, since the world is a bit crazy now! And I saw your prompt post and, if you don't mind it, I thought about joining the party and send you one: Ada/Leon, post-RE6, involving the make-up compact that Helena tosses to Leon? Maybe Ada comes to collect? If it inspires you, ofc :D Anyway, stay safe! ❤️

Thanks for the hugs! Hope you’re doing okay, too. 🖤 It’s been a surreal mix of hectic and hazy—as I’m sure it’s been for all of us. But I’m happy to have these prompts to keep me, and hopefully Tumblr as well, positive and entertained.

One compact-themed Ada and Leon ficlet coming right up.

title: sentimental. fandom: resident evil. (post-re: 6) rating: teen & up. word count: approx. 900. characters: ada wong, leon s. kennedy. 

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Breaking into Leon’s D.C. apartment had been a nightmare. The man had every door and window sensored and monitored. Ada expected nothing less, but there was some small part of her which had hoped there would be a hole in his security set-up. No such luck. She spent the better part of two days hacking into the system. Finally, after he left for work one morning, she found her opening.

Despite knowing where he lived for years, she had never ventured inside. It felt too personal. Too close. Things were simpler when she maintained her distance. Unfortunately, the safest place to leave the intel was inside his (overprotected) flat.

Cracking the door open, she took stock of his living arrangement. The place was spartan. Overly tidy. Possibly the result of military training. Or maybe just workaholism. The entire kitchen and living room seemed as though it had been purchased from the same catalog—mid-grade, matching, and sterile. She should have just left the info on the dining table and moved on, but unconvinced by the conventional modernity of his home, Ada’s curiosity pulled her further in.

She peeked in the freezer (packed with health-conscious frozen meals), the fridge (empty say for a handful of half-used condiments), and then the cabinets (protein powder, chips, and whiskey). There were neatly stacked weights on the left of the main living area and a sofa, high-end television, and sound system on the right. No decorations adored any surface and everything had a neat place. It was all very…bland. Disappointing.

But her interest was gratified when she unlatched the door to his bedroom. The oak furniture within looked like it had been inherited, a family heirloom. Though the bedspread was department store, the quilt which lay folded on top was handknit. While the rest of the rooms wreaked of lemon-scented cleaner, this one smelled like gun oil and leather.

Her fingers grazed the footboard of the bed as she strolled through the room, taking it in. She paused when she came to a highboy dresser. It was the only cluttered part of the home, covered in trinkets from his decades of travel, antique lighters, loose change, and a wooden box with a scrolling design. Hand-carved, she guessed. It was beautiful.

Ada carefully lifted the lid.

There, lay her compact.

The harsh clearing of a throat made her jump and slam the lid shut. She turned to find Leon leaning in the bedroom doorway with his arms crossed.

Caught.

Ada tried to cover her fluster with a smirk, “You’re getting better at sneaking.”

“Am I?” He said pushing off the doorway to stalk closer, “Or were you distracted?”

Leon looked pointedly at the wooden box and then back to her.

“Your collection of knickknacks is impressive,” she said as she gestured to a multi-colored shot glass from Maui, “I had no idea you were such magpie.”

“You’re here because…?” Waiting for her to finish the sentence, he raised his eyebrows. 

She understood his defensiveness. It had been a handful of years since she fled from him without explanation during the chaos of Lanshiang, and then he suddenly finds her snooping around his personal space.

“I got you something,” she said. Tugging a folded envelope from the back of her black jeans, she tucked it in the inside pocket of his jacket, giving it a little pat before pulling away.

His brow creased in confusion.

Digging the parcel back out, he peered inside and began to flip through its contents. It was a comprehensive dossier on a young company that had dealings with a questionable ring of scientists and investors—fertile ground for the development of bioweapons. A situation begging to be investigated by a federal agency.

“You’d only give me this is if it were beneficial to you,” he said, fanning the documents in front of her face.

“I’m going to square with you,” she began, disregarding his subsequent grunt of disbelief, “It’s better for the both of us if this place goes under. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t. So, if you can agree to that ambiguity, you can keep the evidence, alright?”

Leafing through the pages, his face twisted in conflict. Ada could tell he longed for his youth, back when the world seemed clear-cut and morality was easier to define. A time before she brought a whole heap of grey into his life. With a sigh, he dropped the packet onto the dresser, “Okay.”

Ada softened at his trust. Whether his propensity to hold onto things—old lighters, shot glasses, her—was a strength or a fault, she didn’t know. Perhaps both. She began to delicately fiddle with his shirt buttons, “I can’t believe you kept that damn compact.”

Leon looked down at her hands on his chest and then covered them with his own, “I have to keep something.”

‘Since I can’t keep you,’ was left unsaid.

end.

[writeouttaluck]

I started writing this with the intention of entering a contest but i accidentally made it too long. So I'm gonna post it here instead.

(the prompt was to write about an abandoned corner store. this is based off true events but i have changed the names for privacy sake)

As me and Connor walked down the sidewalk in our small town, the heat was practically dripping off our skin from the hot summer day. In the horizon, past the top of the street we were on and over a house in the distance, the sun started to go down.

I could thank god for every sunset and every cool night it brought with it. The summers always seemed so intense nowadays. I rubbed the back of my neck to feel the light sunburn i had been working up. My black Poison t shirt seemed to collect the heat like a big frying pan. The surface of it would probably stay at least semi warm for another hour to come. God damn, it was uncomfortable sometimes.

“Hey, Lanz” Connor addressed me, “Thats the house I was talking about earlier. The one we’re gonna get into today.”

He pointed at a house across the street that looked quite run down. At least, it looked like a house. There was a large porch with fancy cut wooden beams out front, old fashioned decorative beams, I'm sure. Above the porch was a big sign that stretched horizontally to cover the front of the building. The painted on logo was so faded that I could hardly recognize what it was trying to say.. All I could make out was the end of it, which said: “& SONS” in big black and yellow letters. The windows were boarded up and it looked like there was just a big slab of wood being used for a door. If I squinted, i could see the shiny padlock thrown on to keep people out. Paint was chipping off on all sides of the building but I could still tell it was yellow at some point.

Me and Connor both went through our standard procedure for these things. We looked around for people on sidewalks and listened for cars going by. I made a special note of looking into all windows on the block facing the old house, making sure there wasn't any old people or concerned onlookers waiting to call the police on two sketchy kids standing outside.

“I think we’re good at for the moment” I said to him.

“Alright,” He started with all seriousness in his voice, “I'm gonna run across the street, kick the door in, then when I give you the signal, I want you to run across the street and get inside. Got it?”

I nodded my head in response. While Connor was kind of a dumbass at times, He was surprisingly good at doing this stuff without getting caught. He had a plan that he always kept simple, and knew how to keep people calm and in line when the pressure rose. I can't help but think of the few times we ran from cops or house owners.

I stood stock still and pulled out my Ipod, just messing with the touch screen while I waited for Connor to do his thing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him glance to the houses again, Double checking that we weren't being watched.

With newfound confidence, He got down into a runners position. Aimed at the house across the street, He let out a deep breath. With that, he took off.

He sprinted across the street quickly. I watched him run right up to the front door and, using all of his momentum, drove his foot into the center of the door, blowing it right open. With a loud bang, it swung open so fast that the top part broke away from the hinge. Connor clumsily caught the door just short of hitting the floor and propped it up real quick.

I put my Ipod in the back pocket of my jeans and watched Connor stand in the door frame. He peaked out and looked both ways across the street. After checking the coast was clear once more, he waved me over.

I took a quick glance around and was about to zip across the street myself when I heard a car coming up over the hill to my right.

I froze for a second and looked at connor across the street. I motioned frantically for him to shut the door while also trying to point out the car again. He took a glance and saw it before quickly shutting the door. I whipped out my ipod again, trying to make myself look busy out there on the sidewalk by myself.

The car went by and turned at the next intersection. I could hear the door scrape across the wood floor as Connor opened it again. He waved me over.

I ran across the street as fast as I could. Which, really, wasn't all too fast. I could only really run when I was being chased.

I zipped across the road, over the lawn, over the porch, and right inside the building.

As soon as I got in, Connor slammed the door shut once again, propping it so it would stay in place. I took a moment to stop and catch my breath. It was darker in the building for obvious reasons. I stood upon a creaky wood floor that was covered in dirt and dust. Looking up, I saw an old countertop without any trim or glass. It was the only thing in there that even came close to resembling furniture. The floor was littered with a bunch of old square looking cans and a few beer bottles. I took one more deep breath before walking over to one of the cans.

The cans were all rusted and looked pretty rough. I picked up one and flipped it over to see what it was.

KEROSENE

What the hell?

“Woah” Connor spoke beside me, walking over to one of the beams holding up the next level of the building, “Check this out”

The beam he was looking at was charred black. I followed it to see that most of the beams were at least a little charred and floor in the center looked burnt.

“Jesus. It looks like someone tried to burn down the place.” I stated.

“What do you mean?” Connor asked.

I flipped the can around to show him what it said.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed.

I dropped the can to the floor to investigate the burns. It looked like the fire started mainly in one corner below and spread to particular areas. Considering how open the bottom floor was, I'm surprised the whole place didn't light up. I had never messed with Kerosene so I wasn't sure how effective of a fuel it was to burn a place down, but it seemed like it had a hard time staying lit after the fuel itself was burned away.

From the looks of things now though, all the wood was so dry that this whole place would probably go up in flames if someone happened to drop a lit match. Out of all the abandoned places I've broken into, this one was the most interesting. It felt like something real serious happened here. It really made me wonder what was upstairs…

I looked to the staircase to see that, while it looked flimsily made like it was thrown together in a single afternoon, it also looked untouched by the fire.

Connor made his way to the staircase to try it out.

“I'm gonna check this out first and if it seems safe then we can try to get you up here” Connor said to me.

I nodded and kept looking at the cans. There must have been about 20 of them all spread out. Around the floor. Either this type of fuel was really bad for burning places down or the person who tried just really sucked at being an arsonist.

“Hey...They're safer than they look..” Connor spoke from the stairs.

I walked over and tried to put my weight on one. I weighed at least a hundred pounds more than Connor so I knew this was risky. The stair creaked and warped with my weight on top. Feeling a bit braver than I should, I set my other foot on the one above and pushed myself up a step. It held me so I made my way up the rest of the stairs slowly.

When I got to the top, we reached what was probably once a storage room. I say this because the four walls were outlined with older looking boxes. I’d have to say they were either late 90s or early 2000s but it was kinda hard to tell. Most of the packages were sky blue. Whether they were faded from the sun or not, I couldn't tell. They each had a General Electric logo in the corner.

They were random hardware appliances. There were a lot of globes for overhead lights, boxes of light bulbs, house fan kits, power outlets and covers, and other random items of that sort.

Out of curiosity, I had to know if these boxes were just empty or if there were actual appliances still inside. Walking over to one of the boxes carefully, I crouched down in front of it and gently pulled the top of the box open as not to rip it. Sure enough, sitting right in the box was a glass globe wrapped in bubble wrap with a plastic bag around it.

Why were all these left behind? Was burning down the building an attempt to collect insurance money for the place?

Either way, after Connor had checked a few more, we decided that they were all brand new products still in boxes after all this time. It was strange that these were left here and even stranger that there had been a new padlock on the front door. Something about all of this was shrouded in secrecy and I was oh so curious to figure out why.

Suddenly, I heard a police siren at the end of the street. Me and Connor both looked at each other and froze.

We listened to the police car. The siren got louder and louder indicating it was getting closer. Me and Connor both ducked our backs to the walls away from the window. The blue lights flashed frantically through the glass and illuminated the room. It was a terrifying sight if ive ever seen one. The siren hit its peak volume, almost deafening in my ears and competing with the sound of my heart getting ready to burst from my chest.

The lights passed by the house and the sirens followed down the street away from our location.

Me and Connor both looked at each other and I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. That was fucking close…

…

So after running out of the house, much in the fashion we ran in, Me and Connor walked back to my place and were currently sitting in my room, sipping a soda.

“Ok, so I think someone tried to burn the place down to collect the insurance for it” I started to explain.

“Really? Why do you think that?” Connor asked.

“Well, It's simple, really. I think the owner was probably in too deep over their heads or something. They weren't selling their stock like they hoped and they knew the only way to make it out without getting into debt was to burn it down and collect the insurance money. Because as long as it looks like an accident or that someone else did it, the insurance is there to pay everything off.”

“Well they didn't do a very good job.”

We both laughed at that.

“I wish we had a car or something so we could take that stuff in there. That stuff is still new! It'd be good to have around in case something breaks or needs to be fixed, ya know?” Connor said.

“I hear ya” I replied, “we could also just smash some of it if we get bored.”

We both laughed again and enjoyed the cool night air blowing in through my window.