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imaginethatneathuh · 3 years

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The Hanged Man: Mad Sweeney - American Gods

Mad Sweeney x friend!reader, platonic

Sweeney comes to you for a chat and you give him a wake up call.

Part of @dragon430′s Tarot Card Challenge, editing by her as well.

Requested by Anon - Can you do a Mad Sweeney using The Hanged Man?

CW: Disillusionment, maybe some hints at depression, and mentions of death.

Word count: 1.4+ K

The town and bar are real places in Michigan. If you ever get the chance and are in Michigan, stop by the place. The food’s good and the people are cool.

•

Slow days were pretty common on weekdays. Any bartender worth their shoulder towel can tell you that. Compared to Fridays and Saturdays, the rest of the week, especially where you worked, were slower than molasses going uphill in winter.

Working at a bar in small towns is either Hell on Earth because it’s pretty much the only place around, or it’s Heaven on Earth ‘cause the town is so small. Your place, the North Bar, was a small, albeit popular, place in a village nestled in a valley. Every major place was on one street right through the middle. Like something out of an Old Western movie, but that’s just how small towns are. The North Bar got busy some nights and not so much on others. Best food around (not that that is saying much), and everyone makes sure that there is something to do, like Karaoke nights, corn hole tournaments, or pool. There’s always something, even if it’s not fun or popular with people.

A cousin of yours called your little town the “Lakeside of Michigan”. You couldn’t say whether or not that was true, but you preferred to call Lakeside the “Luther of Wisconsin”.

You wiped some crumbs into a trash bin as you cleaned a table. The Lunch “Rush” was over, and no one but you, the regulars like Chuck, and the other employees were here. It’s not like there were many of you, just one or two servers, the cook, dishwasher, and another bartender. Plus the owner, but she was busy in the back.

Good ole Chuck mulled about in a drunken state before sitting at the bar. You tossed your towel over your shoulder and shook your head.

“Come on, Chuckie boy. I think it’s about time you head on home now. You’ve been here since we opened and had plenty,” you said.

The old, balding man grumbled.

“Don’t make me call your daughter.” You crossed your arms. “Cause I can, and I will.”

He muttered som protests but after a hard glare from you, he stumbled up and out.

It’s not like you wanted to kick him out, but, hey, last time you let him drink to his heart's desire, you ended up having to call the Sheriff. You liked Chuck too much to let him spend any more time down at the jailhouse. He’d come back later anyway.

As you got back behind the counter, the other bartender, Joan, nudged you.

“Can I take off? You ain’t gonna need me here till later, anyway,” she said, gesturing to the now dead bar.

You shrugged. “Sure. I ain’t gotta problem with that.”

“Thanks!”

Once upon a time, you were much like Joan, ready to get the fuck out as soon as you could. Nowadays, it wasn’t too much like that. To you, there wasn’t a point in running off seeing as how, from all the years you’d been working, things never changed. Well, not for the town anyway. For you? You lost that enthusiasm that Joan had. Wasn’t the big of a loss anyway.

You’d been working here since before the North Bar had changed hands. Hell, you’d been here since the place was first takin’ root. And before it, you worked at the Grocers. And before that, at the wood mill. Course, if anyone asked, you’d say it was your ancestors who’d gone and done all that. You took after your cousin like that.

Because you’d worked here so long, you were the de facto boss, especially when the owner wasn’t around or too busy. But even she referred to you when things were going nuts. She frequently asked you for advice, and you were happy to give it.

As Joan went to clock out and leave, a man entered your bar.

With just a look, you knew he wasn’t from here. You knew everyone in town, and he, sure as Hell, Michigan, wasn’t one of them. From the smell and the feel of the mountain of a man, you knew he wasn’t human either. After a look over, you recognized the pesky Leprechaun.

“Sweeney, you’d better not drink me out of my liquor, ya hear?” You growled, scowling at him.

The Leprechaun sat at the bar, the stool groaning beneath him. “Just because ‘a that, I think I might.”

You glared at him, arms crossed.

“Southern Comfort ‘n Coke,” he said. The redhead stretched and sighed. “Been stuck in that fuckin’ car too long. Damn thing’s got me all stiff.”

As you got him his drink, you rolled your eyes. “Try being smaller. That might help.”

It was his turn to glare at you. The tree of a man never really cared for your sarcasm.

“What are you doing here, Sweeney? This place is too outta the way, too ‘blink, and you’ll miss it’ for you to be here on accident.”

He leant against the wooden bar and rubbed his neck, groaning. “It took me fuckin’ ages to get ‘ere. Drove right past it more times than I can count. The place is fuckin’ invisible. Fuckin’ villages, I swear. Shite’s the worst.”

You slammed your fist down, the liquid in Sweeney’s glass jumping and spilling over the side. “What. The fuck. Are you doing here? I will not ask again.” You stared at him, scowling, with both hands on the bar top.

He held your stare. “You’re the only one I could think of to talk to, Y/N. You know things. Understand things. Things I can’t.”

Sighing, you straightened. “I’m a bartender. That’s our little slice of magic even in a world without it.”

Sweeney nodded slowly.

“What do you need to get out?”

You were a bartender. Everyone talked to you about everything. From marriage disputes to petty arguments, everything found its way to you eventually. When people needed an ear and advice, the people of Luther’s first thought was you. Just like Sweeney and others like him.

You supplied the drink as Sweeney talked. And, boy, oh boy, did he talk. His pain never seemed to end, and he never let up to let you say anything. Which was fine by you. Sometimes, people just needed an ear to rant into.

The Leprechaun started to slow in his ranting.

“I’m stuck, Y/N. So fuckin’ stuck,” he said. “I can’t stay ‘ere. It’ll drive me madder than I already am. But, I don’t know where else ta be or ta go. The bar life, the fightin’ life, it’s all I know. Everythin’ else is a blur. It’s not like I can leave the States either. I’m stuck ‘ere, in this rut, and it feels like if I move, I die.”

You nodded quietly and poured him another drink. “Then die.”

The Mad King looked at you.

You shrugged. “It’s better to die living than live already dead.” You pointed to the door, liquor bottle in your hand. “I seen too many folk come through my doors living like the dead do, same thing every day. They ne’er change and ne’er want to. Sometimes, I get them to live just a little with a game or two of pool or corn hole. Sometimes I even get people to play Euchre. Maybe some songs to lighten their mood and food to heavy their stomach, but ne’er for long. Some live like the dead, and some die living. Some live life, some don’t. I’d rather die living fully than live like I’m already dead. Maybe you should try it.”

He took in your words. Slowly, but he got there. Eventually. “Then why do ya stay here?” He asked.

You blinked in surprise at his question. It was true. You walked through those doors every day doing the same thing every single goddamn day, only sometimes changing it up. You lived like most of the folk ‘round here, but you always explained it away as: “They need me,” you said, shrugging it off.

Sweeney finished his last glass in one gulp before setting it down with a thud. “Seems to me, you need them more.”

They worshipped you just like your cousin’s town worshipped him. Albeit in different ways, but still. It wasn’t like you made this town or anything, but you had lent a helping hand. Their worship kept you alive. Of course, you needed them more.

He stood to leave, but first, he leant over the bar and said, “Thanks for the chat. It helped.”

You nodded as the redhead left. Quietly, you hoped you would never see him again.

You would, eventually, much to your chagrin.

#american gods #american gods fanfiction #tarot troop #mad sweeney #mad sweeney x reader #platonic!reader

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narcosmx · 4 years

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Could I make a Pacho request? Please :) Could you do a H/C about travelling to Mexico with him as an associate for work? Somewhat protective of you? Dancing? Drinks? Thanks xxx love your writing 😊

a/n: i’m usually not too good at writing like ‘you as an associate’ stuff bc it’s hard for myself to put myself in a boss bitch mindset when i am just a humble school teacher anyWAYS hope i did well pls love me regardless 🥺

traveling with pacho sounds like an absolute dream h o l y shit i cannot because like traveling but make it fucking high end fashion

being his associate, with pacho in the cali cartel

i can see it as like you were kinda a pety drug dealer in the beginning, nothing too big but gilberto always saw potential in you

like you did this as a teenager and that’s kinda when the cartel brought you under their wing and kinda raised you to be this effective drug dealer

gilberto always always says that you have something none of them have, a pretty face to hide behind, an innocent face to hide behind and most importantly the mind to make it happens

anyways being a younger member, you soon become close to pacho and i just cartel best friends 🥺

and wherever pacho goes, you have to go too; ya’ll are a fucking package deal at this point

gilberto sees it as like okay pacho’s the one to come in bring the hammer down in negotiations but you’re actually the one doing the work to bring the people to the table; charming them, taking down their guards :)))

so when you catch wind that pacho is going down to mexico for some shit with miguel, you’re instantly packing your bags

pacho would tease you being like “this isn’t a big deal, you know, you could just stay home” and the little smirk he gets telling you

you rolling your eyes at him and being like “pero luego, quien te va cuidar, hm pachito”

probably like “hm me encuentro alguien por ahi”

immediately gets a pillow to the head

god the private jet that you both take to mexico can you imagine how fucking beautiful that plane is

honestly the whole plane ride is like you guys drinking like mimosa with expensive ass champagne

try to throw pop corn into each other’s mouth and other stupid shit

discussing shit about mexico; kinda going over the game plan but like i see these plane rides are ones where you and pancho discuss things big picture like what you guys think miguel is really up to... trying to keep three steps ahead of him

plans to fuck up miguel angel mixed with you guys telling each other about your sexual conquests i am done

getting to mexico and going to the most beautiful fucking hotel IF THAT BECAUSE PANCHO ISN’T ABOVE HAVING A RANCHO OR LIKE MANSION DOWN THERE

wow getting ready with pacho is my favorite image wow i just want to be best friends with pacho

walking around each other half naked, him trying on shirts and waiting for you to approve of one

him being like “yeah that looks great on you but just know you’ll be responsible for me shooting everyone who stares at you for more than 5 seconds” and protective pacho mode being activated means you’ve got the perfect outfit

ALRIGHT so i’m imagining this at miguel angel’s birthday party and the fucking scene you two cause when you walk in

not everyone knows who you are but the amount of confidence and the way other people who do know who you are are reacting people take fucking notice

walking in beside pacho, looking all the plaza leaders up and down the same fucking way you know they’re looking at you

when you guys stop pretty much in the middle of it all, pacho is wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head but smirking and whispering for you to cool it before you have them on their knees for you

yall waiting for miguel to come over because you sure as hell not going over to him

him greating pacho normally, you know hand shake and all that

probably kisses your hand though when he greets you and pulls you in for a kiss on the cheek because miguel already knows how this works, you’re the one worth buttering up

miguel being quick to like take you guys to talk business but in this situation i see pacho wanting to make miguel sweat it out a little bit more

he can see how nervous and uneasy he is so he’s just going to flex a little bit more by being like “apenas llegamos, miguelito, dejanos a disfrutar de su fiesta”

before miguel angel can even answer, pacho is pulling you away from him with a devilish smirk almost as big a yours

navegante chuckling as he walks behind you guys

you two finding a place to sit, looking like you fucking own the place as you know everyone else is whispering amongst themselves

probably, as always, trying to figure out if you two are together or not

half of miguel’s guys are somewhere in the process of eye fucking you, like amado’s eyes havENT LEFT YOU SINCE YOU WALKED IN he’s staring at you and hitting miguel’s arm and being like “y esa reshulada quien es?”

the lower level guys trying to make it not too obvious that they’re drooling over you

ramon out here about to risk it all after he saw your ass in that outfit

sinaloa being like she’s the only thing that could outsage the fucking tiger

you but are acutely aware of it but as you deal with it by winking at them playfully just to see the way they nearly cum in their pants, pacho isn’t necessarily too happy about it

he’s contorting his face into annoyance, like gritting his teeth, holding on to the glass a little too hard, pursing his lips as he’s calling everyone an hijo de puta under his breath

gets fucking FED UP and shoots out of his chair and is telling you that you two are going to go dance now which is code for my protective ass can’t handle everyone looking at you

putting out his hand for you and you take it without hesitation, more than ready to tease him to all hell and back about being so jealous

on the dance floor, pacho is immediately pulling you to his chest wrapping his arm tightly around you as you start dancing

and you’ve danced together so much it’s like you don’t even have to think about it, the music and your body take over

like you’re movements are flawless together, you know each other like the back of your respective hands

using this time for you to tease him about being so jealous and protective, that you can protect yourself

and he gets to whisper about how he couldn’t handle watching the fantasy of you literally developng in their mind as you sat there and they’re lucky he didn’t have navegante kill every single person

pacho deciding he’s had his fun making miguel shit bricks and as he goes to go tell miguel, i swear to god amado and ramon are ready to swoop in expecting you to be left waiting for pacho to come back as they talk business

you murmuring to navegante asking if he’s noticed the guys staring her down and he chuckles and nods and raises his eyebrow like asking if he needs to take care of it

and you just shaking your head as you wave to them as miguel angel comes over to get you and lead you to the meeting room

#Anonymous #narcos imagine #narcos imagines #narcos #pacho herrera #pacho herrera x reader

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thephantomofthe-internet · 4 years

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Chapter 7: A Sentimental Journey

Steve Harrington x Reader

CATCH UP ON THE SERIES HERE

Words: 3,095

Warnings: None? I mean probably swearing but this is straight fluff

Tags: @divinity-deos @wolfish-willow @scoopsohboi @thecaptainsgingersnap @herre-gud-nej @clockworkballerina @maddie1504 @i-am-trash-so-much-its-scary @buckysarge @wildcvltre @n3wtscaseofniffler5 @peterparxour @linkispink1995 @a-big-ball-of-idk @used-avocado @mochminnie @sledgy14 @the-creative-lie @yall-wildin-like-siriusly @ggclarissa @boredoomfm @voidnarnia @anonymousonion33 @the-passionate-freak

“Steve, take me to prom,” Steve nearly shot milk out of his nose. He’d spent the morning counting down the hours till school was over. The final essay for crabby old Lawrence was due in less than a week and you still hadn’t handed over his essay for his final rewrite, which wasn’t a problem, he could just wait until he was back in your bedroom. Steve liked your house a lot more than his. He liked your grandparents, especially Maude who’d sit him on the couch and show him photos from your childhood. He liked your bedroom and digging through your sketchbooks, he liked how comfortable you were in your own space. Samantha would sometimes join the pair of you there, eating popcorn and playing her 48s on your dusty Mickey Mouse record player. But most of the time it was the pair of you alone, working on assignments and swapping stories. He’d forgotten about Vicki entirely, he’d only joined Tommy for lunch after he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over.

“What?” he sputtered, swallowing hard. The whole table was watching him carefully. Vicki merely shrugged, batting her eyelashes at him. Steve’s stomach soured. It wasn’t as if Vicki wasn’t an attractive person, she was very pretty, but only on the outside. He didn’t really have it in him to stomach another night with her.

“I…I kind of have my eye on someone else, Vicks.” Steve watched as she deflated, looking down at her untouched kernel corn. “Besides, Hargrove’s probably itching to take you anyway.”

That was the wrong answer. Vicki immediately burst into tears, pushing away from the table. Carol rushed to console her, Tina taking up the rear. “They broke up last week, jackass.” She bit out, flipping Steve off angrily as she followed behind the crying Vicki.

Steve stood from the table, heading away from the mess he made. He didn’t want to hang out with Tommy anyway, especially with him glaring him down from across the table. He didn’t get why it mattered so much to Tommy that he do things the way he wanted. Dating Vicki didn’t make him more or less popular. It literally didn’t matter. They were going to graduate soon anyway.

Samantha grinned as she caught Steve walking over. “Harrington, twelve o’clock.” She whispered. You didn’t look up from your pad. The light had caught his hair right and you wanted to finish your shading before you lost the image in your mind. You heard Steve pull out the chair next to you and then your pad was tugged away.

“Hey!” you cried, your charcoal making a wide black streak down the page, effectively ruining the drawing.

“Who’s this supposed to be?” he held the sketchpad in front of him and then next to his face. Samantha chuckled darkly, shaking her head. “Is this supposed to be me?”

“Well, it was going to be till you ruined it.” You grumbled, snatching the pad back .

“That looks nothing like me!” Steve laughed loudly. In truth, he thought the man in the picture was too symmetrical and handsome to be him.

“On what planet?” Samantha scoffed, pulling her butterscotch pudding cup away from Steve’s greedy hands. He was a notorious pudding thief, and food thief in general, much to her annoyance and surprise.

“I get the best of everyone’s features…” you muttered, working on removing the mark he’d made “Not that there’s much to discard from you…”

“You missed the scar on my nose.” He replied with a shrug, grabbing your vanilla pudding. You both knew that you wouldn’t eat it.

You looked up “What scar?” Steve pointed to the bridge of his nose. You inched closer, getting a better view of the mark. Steve held his breath, utterly paralyzed. He felt like such a doofus. He was usually so smooth with girls, but you made him utterly tongue tied.

“Hm, yeah you do.” You pulled your face back, turning back to your pad, adding a thin line to the strong bridge of his nose. “How’d you get that?”

“Got hit in the face with a baseball bat in pee-wee t-ball.” Steve admitted. The participation trophy he had was from that game, his father took him out of the sport after getting hit. His whole team won the season, but because he didn’t play he got a tiny trophy from the league as a consolation prize.

“Seriously?” You and Samantha said in unison.

“Yeah, I made the paper and everything.” That was a point of pride for Steve, he had the clipping somewhere in his room. You and Samantha laughed at his cockiness. The image of elementary aged Steve with a huge gash down his nose and a toothless grin, holding up a dinky little trophy for the poor, underpaid reporter taking down the story.

The bell signalling the end of lunch blared over head and the three of you rushed to collect your things. Steve grabbed your tray, waiting for you to pack up your things. Samantha left without you, bidding her goodbyes to the pair of you.

Steve reached out to touch your elbow lightly, drawing your attention to him “We still good to hang out after school?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure, we can look over your essay.” You shrugged, trying to get the electric current blazing up your nerves to settle. Your breath caught in your chest every time he touched you. You wouldn’t lie to yourself, you liked him. You more than liked him; you didn’t even know how to explain it. You’d say it was love but you weren’t even sure how that was supposed to feel. All you knew is that the world seemed better when he was around and it wasn’t everything seemed greyer and duller. He was summer personified. He was sunshine and summer evenings and flowers and everything beautiful. And you never used to like all that shit. But now you wanted to bask in the glow of the sun that was Steve Harrington.

The hours till the bell always ticked slower and slower after lunch. The individual grains of sand cascaded past your eyelids as you zoned out in your other classes. When the final bell rang, the pair of you rushed from opposite sides of the school to meet in the middle. Samantha was walking disgustingly slow to your shared locker. “So, yeah I was going to ask Robin but I figure it might be suspicious enough to go with a girl, besides I don’t think I can snag another ticket so close to the deadline as is,” she’d been going on about whether or not she should invite her little junior paramour to the prom.

“Yeah, I mean most people already think you’re weird enough, showing up with a random junior might totally ruin you.” You sneered. Graduation was just around the corner, and Samantha’s acceptance to Wellesley was well taken care of. She was almost out of Hawkins; there was no point in trying to pretend that she was straight.

“It’s not me I’m worried about, it’s her. She’ll still be stuck here after I leave, I don’t want to make things hard for her.” Samantha replied with a shrug, pulling her gym kit from the bottom of your locker.

“Just take my ticket. You know most of the soccer team is going anyway.” You replied, shoving her cleats into her bag. You dropped your textbooks onto the tiny top shelf and pulled your messenger bag across your body. You spotted Steve from across the hall. He’d just left his gym class and his hair was wet and dripping on his face. He bounded over to you, grinning like a fool.

“You ready?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You ever going to dry your hair?” Samantha mused. Steve shook his head hard, water flying off his to dry it like a dog would. You and Samantha screeched, holding up your hands to hide your faces from the water.

You smacked Steve’s back “Enough!” you cried. Steve stopped immediately, laughing softly.

“I’m gone, catch you tomorrow.” Samantha waved, jogging off to probably find little Robin. You and Steve headed off towards Steve’s car. He drove the pair of you home even when you weren’t hanging out. It was nice to have a ride home, Hawkins weather wasn’t kind in spring and even in May when the weather turned warmer and the sun shone brightly, rain could still hit at any moment. That was how you rationalized making maps in your mind of Steve’s hand on the gear shift and the way his jaw clenched when someone tried to cut him off or turned too slow in the left hand turn lane. He was too beautiful. It was painful to watch him, like staring directly into the sun. You thought about kissing him more than you’d ever admit out loud. It felt like wanting to kiss the statue of David, like Pygmalion with his Galatea, too self-flagellating to even attempt. You didn’t know why you felt like his creator, but you did. You’d done nothing to build him, to mould him, and yet you left as if you knew him better than anyone else. You understood his nature, the way his mind worked.

Steve parked in his driveway and the pair of you headed across the street to your house. Your house seemed to be a specific choice for both of you. For you, being in your own home was comfortable and safe. You knew it like the back of your hand and it felt correct to be there. A cocoon of security for you to burrow into. Recently, Steve’s mother had been home much more than a month ago. You couldn’t read his mind, but being somewhere else than his own bedroom was probably a nice change. He seemed to keep you away from his house when his mother was there.

You unlocked the front door, kicking off your shoes in the doorway and tossing them on the rack. Steve followed suite mindlessly, calling into the house “Hey, Maude! Mr. Y/L/N…” he still wasn’t certain that your grandfather liked him; he seemed at times disinterested and at others cruel and cutting.

“Nice to see you again, Steve.” Maude smiled, poking her head out of the living room to smile at the pair of you. Your grandmother liked Steve. You were certain that she’d like anyone new you brought home. She was desperate to meet any of your friends and refused to believe that she’d met them all.

You and Steve headed upstairs, taking your usual seats in your bedroom, you on your desk chair and Steve laying flat on your mattress, constantly staring up at the stars. You read back his essay to him, noting the problems you’d found. This was the third time you’d edited it and the words were well worn into both of your brains. He’d decided to write on way Heathcliff is painted as a monster within the text, a fine topic which Mr. Lawrence had suggested as one of the topic choices. His argument was that Heathcliff is painted as a monster because of his interest in a woman he’s come to find in a sisterly position in his life. Basically, incest isn’t cool. It was a hard argument to proof, because the answers weren’t in the text itself, you had to push him to find points within the spaces in between the words. You were proud of the final piece that he’d created; it was a strong case and a decent attempt at a college level essay.

“What’s the verdict, chief?” Steve asked, sitting up slightly to address you fully.

“It’s good, there’s still a few sentences that need reworking and a quote that I think you could axe, but even without those edits you can still swing a solid B.” you handed the papers over to him. The pages had the least amounts of edits you’d done for him all semester. He’d really improved his writing.

“You think?” Steve replied, flipping through the pages quickly, noting the wide circle around a bit of dialogue from the fifteenth chapter. He couldn’t help but smile at the wide, bubbly ‘B+’ you’d scrawled at the top of the page. You’d drawn a little smiley face next to the grade, a small touch you’d started doing after editing his second paper, a little one pager about the thirteenth chapter of Wuthering Heights. He liked the little smiles, they made him happy whenever he saw them, they were a little touch of you on his work, a detail he refused to miss.

“Duh!” you scoffed, rolling your eyes.

Steve stood from your bed, turning his attention to your shelf. You’d let him go through your work before, a small feat of trust for you. You didn’t usually even let Samantha go through most of your work. You’d usually choose what people could see of your work. But Steve seemed to like the strange, unfinished, or messy works hidden in binders or pads shelved. He pulled out a grey binder, labelled in masking tape ‘Hawkins’ Most Beautiful’. He held up the binder to you, raising an eyebrow. “Now, what the hell is this?” he asked.

“That was my first attempt at a portfolio, before I learned what a portfolio was.” You replied with a small length. Steve opened the binder, which you’d turned into a sort of album with plastic viewers holding sketches in place, both in black and white and colour. He recognized the first one immediately as Nancy from about a year ago, judging by her ringlet curls. It looked so much like he remembered her, but he knew the girl you’d drawn wasn’t who she really was. Steve flipped the page. He didn’t recognize some faces, strangers to him, and you hadn’t labelled them with names. You done a couple recreations of yearbook photos, he remembered signing a picture of Carol, Tina, and Vicki from the previous year, the trio grinning in Hawkins High merchandise.

“You could do a whole like show with these, they’re really cool.” He held the binder up, pages flipped to the portrait you’d done of Barbara Holland. When you’d drawn that, you hadn’t known that she’d go missing or wind up dead, she was just the girl sat across from you in the library with interesting glasses.

“I’d want to redo them first. They’re all rough drafts. I planned to redraw them, choosing to emphasize one colour for each of the drawings, but then I also planned to black out their eyes, and then I thought they were all stupid ideas.” You explained sheepishly.

“No, don’t touch them.” Steve cut in “They’re perfect the way they are.”

Steve wasn’t much of an art critic. He certainly wasn’t an objective judge. But despite logic, you blushed heavily, turning your gaze away. You wished Steve would look away but he didn’t, you felt his eyes on you. “You really don’t have to be so nice, you know…” you muttered, looking up to meet his eye with a shy smile.

“Go to prom with me?” Steve hadn’t thought about the question before he said it. The subject had been on his mind since that afternoon and when he told Vicki that he had someone else in mind for the dance. At the time he didn’t think much of the statement, now it seemed obvious who his subconscious was alluding to.

“What?” you breathed out wide eyed and confused. You hadn’t planned on going at all. Samantha wanted to go, and you’d bought tickets but when she gained interested in Robin you relinquished your ticket easily to her. She’d have more fun on a quasi-date with the junior.

“Go with me,” he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “You don’t have a date yet do you?”

“I don’t even have a ticket…I gave it away.” you replied, looking at your feet instead of him. You felt like such a little geek. You knew Steve wasn’t laughing at you, but you still felt small.

“I have two. And I want you to go with me.” Steve said simply, reaching out and taking your hand.

“Are you sure? I mean your friends all hate me and I don’t think your status as king will be damaged if they see you with me.” You replied, shaking your head as if the statement was funny. You couldn’t imagine spending the night with Tommy and Carol, and having it go well. You knew that it wouldn’t.

“It doesn’t have to be like that. It can be whatever you want.” Steve said easily. He just wanted you to feel comfortable and it was so obvious that you weren’t. “And I don’t care about those guys. I’ll kick their asses if they try anything.”

“Whoa, calm down, we don’t want you getting hurt.” You joked, looking up at the ceiling. You didn’t have to know Steve personally to know that he was not a fighter, losing to freak Jonathan Byers was not a small story in a small town. Steve laughed at his own expense. Internally, he knew he could fight when he needed to, to protect people, but he couldn’t exactly tell that story. It still scared him too much to speak of.

“So, will you?” he asked. You rubbed your lips together, unsure what the right answer was. If there even was a right answer. Your gut instinct said yes without a doubt, but your mind fought back at the notion of even humouring the idea. You’d get laughed out of the place. You’d get mocked. Steve was playing a cruel prank. He couldn’t want to be seen with you. But you met his eye and you didn’t see any malice there. His wide, expressive eyes screamed kindness and patience.

You swallowed hard, pushing away feelings of worry. “Yeah, okay…” you said softly, taking Steve’s hand again to steady yourself. Steve would protect you if he needed to. He’d promised to. And you trusted him.

“Yeah?” he asked, matching your tone.

“Yeah.” You nodded hard, almost as if to convince him as well as yourself. Steve’s face split into his wide grin and you found yourself smiling too. Despite yourself, you were a bit excited. You spent the afternoon with his hand in yours, not letting go unless you did, looking over the portraits and discussing what you saw in the faces. It was the first moment of peace your heart had found in a long time

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valkblue · 4 years

Photo

Being a Behavior technician requires a certain amount of dedication to the job — the rigorous type, bordeline rigid. That’s what is expected to be at peak efficiency regarding analysis protocols and diagnostics for host service and calibration.

For that, Vivian thinks she might be the worst tech in her department.

— masterlist, AO3

Chapter 1 on 12

Chapter wordcount: 2,486 Story status: Complete Rating: General Warning: people swear a lot, technobabble counts as swearing as well (believe me)…

Author’s notes: This is the first time I post a fanfic online. A real big one I mean. Not just crackfics... I’m emotional. I don’t know what the schedule will be yet because my queue is acting up, but everything should be out regularly, or something that looks like it. This first chapter is an intro to the main character and what she does, and I hope you’ll enjoy this story and its characters all the way! Also, I really want to thank @pheedraws and @something-tofightfor for their heartwarming feedback on the whole story. Thank you SO much!!

Have a good time reading, and my askbox/messages are open! 💙

— Chapter 1

Now wasn’t a good time to yawn…

And yet, Vivian had nothing else to do but wait right now, wait while the progress bars slowly filled up on her tablet screen.

Now wasn’t the time, simply because some of her colleagues were passing through the hallway, behind the glass panels of her cubicle, and among them was the head of Behavior department — incidentally, her superior.

No doubt they were all about to grab a bite at the restaurant and Vivian held back an almost envious mumble; she was starving! But before she could go eat anything, she had to finish with her last subject on her morning schedule; host ID#DH410829420391, named Mildred.

And Mildred was back at the lab on account of a negative report about her response time during interactions with other hosts but also with guests. A lag that only happened in character mode, not in analysis. So, Vivian started with refreshing her lexical base and improvisation engine. It took some time to check the entire tree but as of now, it was done.

"Can you confirm if the update’s complete?"

"Confirmed," Mildred answered right away, her voice flat and her look vacant.

"Back in character mode."

Mildred seemed to wake up and blinked once before focusing her attention back on Vivian.

"Mildred?"

"Oh, I’m sorry," she answered with a hint of a shy smile. "I must have drifted off, I believe… The working hours at the farm are ungodly sometimes!"

The response time was more than good, now. The improvisation too.

"I was wondering if there’s a lot of clients at the farm these days," Vivian asked.

The answer was not long to come.

"Certainly! Our cattle sure gives the best milk there is. No matter what the competition says!"

"How many green bottles are standing on the wall?"

Questions and procedures were always more or less the same to determine which bits of code, settings or values could cause an issue or start to glitch like crazy!

But today, for Mildred — and Vivian — everything was back in order, and each/both of them could soon return to the the usual course of their scheduled day.

It was about time for Vivian to take a break, if she was reduced to that kind of wisecrack…

A glance at her wristwatch, even while her tablet displayed a more accurate time than the watch hands, and Vivian concluded her analysis. She folded the tablet, slid it back in her jacket pocket, and left the large glass room after one last embarrassed look at Mildred she was leaving there, naked in the dark. Vivian didn’t even fight down a shiver. It was actually freezing cold in there!

She comforted herself with the thought that Mildred didn’t feel anything in this state, disconnected, and that a team wouldn’t take too long to come get her, do her hair, dress her up and put her back in rotation in no time. Barely as much as Vivian had for her lunch break… and that was just enough to go all the way up to the hub restaurant. But the bosses here didn’t care much about how long the lunch breaks lasted, as long as the work was done in time.

So, Vivian didn’t hurry to get to the elevator she shared with two co-workers who only interrupted their chitchat about hockey results for a vague greeting.

At this hour, the restaurant was a bit more crowded but it still wasn’t too hard to find a seat in the large and relatively peaceful room. The whole vibe in it was corporate though, even in that staff only room; every dish were stamped with the park logo and name — from the bottom of the plates to the salt shakers — and a flat HD screen displayed a bunch of Delos branches ads that looked much weirder without sound.

After a while, one didn’t really pay attention to all this anymore… A few months was enough to make it all part of the landscape and for the mind to simply stop noticing it.

And Vivian had been working here for three years, now.

However, she was still bothered by a few details sometimes, such as the huge white walls that spanned all the way up a balcony floor and a domed ceiling or the fact that the stalls were lit with a pale light under which the food turned to a sickly colour.

Hopefully, under the less saturated lights of the main room, the Caesar salads and the turkey-tomato sandwiches were back to a more appetizing hue.

Her tray loaded with a potato-corn salad, a big glass of water and a piece of bread, Vivian walked towards the tables, eager for her potatoes to lose their blueish glint. Just shy of the screen, she recognised a familiar face, Margaret’s, another Behavior tech from her team. Both were on friendly basis now, where it was possible to enjoy some time together and to laugh a little, even if it took them a whole year to finally break the ice.

Margaret waved at Vivian when she saw her pick her way across the room, inviting her to join them — them being Margaret, and three other guys from their department.

"Did you hear the latest, Vivian!?" she blurted. "I’ve been told that Damon Dyers is in the park, at this very moment!"

"Damon… Dyers?"

Vivian didn’t even hide her puzzlement while sitting in front of her.

"The actor," one of the three guys — Luke — pointed out. "Marge was just exposing how she’ll mooch the control room techs for a footage…"

"Listen, if you were as thirsty as I am about this guy, you’d understand!" Margaret replied.

To that, he quipped:

"My husband would be pissed!"

All chuckled in approval before returning to their almost emptied plates, while Vivian had barely touched her own.

"Can you imagine," Margaret daydreamt, leaning back in her seat as in a comfy armchair, holding her Pyrex glass like a snifter of bourbon. "Damon hunting down Escaton in the hills…"

Vivian scoffed; she could imagine, indeed.

At the table, Charles, Thawal and Luke didn’t pay any more attention to them, carrying on with their chat about retro gaming. Vivian would probably have preferred to be part of that conversation; not that she didn’t know shit about movies and their actors, but more like aside from a few exceptions on which they got along swimmingly, she didn’t have much taste in common with Margaret. But she listened to her friend anyway as she kept going after a sip of sparkling water:

"How am I not supposed to be hot on the idea!? I’ll deadass find someone to bootleg me some footages!"

Vivian smiled out of politeness, not saying much, as always. Her mouth was full anyway.

"Oh, by the way!"

Margaret took another swip of her glass before putting it down on the table and leaning towards Vivian.

"Apparently, they’re going to burden us with a whole new bunch of hosts in two or three weeks," she said, with all the serious she could muster. "I heard that from Elsie. Narrative must be trying to compensate for something, if you know what I mean…"

Vivian knew very well.

"We barely have time to light a fag between two sessions already and they plan to add another hundred on our backs!?"

She snorted disdainfully.

"Don’t know what they’re spicing their coffee with but it isn’t doing them any good."

"No shit," admitted Vivian, a bit testy at the idea. "Unless they also plan to hire? Did Lowe say anything about it?"

Margaret shrugged.

"No idea, I haven’t talked to him in a while."

She patted her blazer pockets then sighed softly; Vivian understood her attitude as relief, and a craving, even a need to light a cigarette.

"You should ask," Margaret pointed out with a smile a tad clenched in the orbicularis muscles. "You like him, right?"

Vivian approved; she admired his thoroughness, his love for details… A lot could be learned while working under his care and Vivian found him both spirited and friendly.

Margaret didn’t quite share the feeling, however; in her own words, he was giving her the heebie-jeebies.

"Anyway, I’m off," Margaret stated with an even greater impatience in her voice. "I gotta light one before the crazy afternoon waiting for me!"

She gathered her cutlery on her tray, adding:

"Not giving up on the idea to come across Damon fucking Dyers, though! At least in video recs. Wish me luck!"

Vivian nodded and Margaret put her tray away on the sideboard before hurrying to the exit.

Her colleagues had changed topics next to her, and now they were talking about cars, motorcycles and mechanics. As she didn’t know much about that topic, not as much as in computers, she listened only a little without taking part.

Then, Vivian finished wolfing down her potato salad and her glass of water; she would soon return to her shift and examine a series of hosts, the characteristics of which she overviewed on her tablet from her timetable’s folders. It was simply routine checks, and Vivian liked that kind of sessions; it was like meeting with a friend, just to catch up with them.

But for now, she would take a few minutes to get some air and natural light on top of the hub before diving back into the high tech depths of the Mesa.

At seven in the evening, closer to eight, Vivian was glad to be back to her on-site apartments. Once again, she had grabbed a snack at the restaurant but the room was much more crowded than it was at lunch and came close to a headache before reaching "home". She could have dined here, cooked something on her induction hob but she was so tired — or lazy — that, tonight again, she still choose to eat at the restaurant over having to do the dishes!

Now, she was getting out of the shower in her bathrobe and throw herself on her bed.

Living like this, it was like being a teenager all over again, back at her parents’, or at the dorm… but once she closed her apartment’s door, Vivian was totally free to do whatever she wanted. As long as it didn’t involve wrecking the place!

But now, even if she wanted to, Vivian wouldn’t have had the strength to break any chair, nor even to make a mess of the bed… About that, she was actually planning on laying there, and falling asleep in her bathrobe while watching a movie or reading any book she had available on her personal tablet. A tablet that was nothing close to the one she was using every day in the Behavior department labs, but a tablet anyway.

She swiped the covers without any real interest; in all honesty, she was feeling too tired to read. Even something she had already read. And she cringed a little when the minimalistic cover with her automatically signed name appeared.

Yeah, even too tired to read her own words!

Besides, it wasn’t great literature at all — a fanfiction. Two, to be precise. Both about the hosts and their narratives as she could have written about a movie, book, or video game’s characters.

Vivian grumbled, letting her tablet fall flat on her stomach, and she stared at the white ceiling before closing her eyes while nibbling her lips. She had written this almost six months after she started working here, taken over by all the motivation, excitement and creativity around her!

She refocused on herself since but, in the meantime, she wrote these. And even though Vivian considered herself to have a fertile imagination, she still commended herself about how better for everyone it was she hadn’t applied for a job in Narrative…

Rising her tablet up again and tapping on the lit screen, she entered the file and skimmed through it, trying to ignore the grammar mistakes she stopped committing since; and mistakes aside, her stories had nothing exceptional, totally influenced as they were by her mood and the not-so-new-but-still-trendy storyline — Escaton’s and his bandits, essentially…

Over a very short time, when Vivian was still more or less trying to fit into the life of the facility and social circles of her co-workers whose names had yet to be caught, she had heard so many comments, appreciations and reviews for this narrative that she looked into it first.

After all, the park afforded Lee Sizemore, renowned author who made a big name for himself with a "hot and grimy" historical saga, a few years back before running out of puff under his editor’s pressure. And a juicy offer by a video game studio to adapt it.

She understood; everybody, whether staff or guests, was more or less hyped by the brute force brought by Hector Escaton — virile and dark male figure — to the relative tranquility of the park’s starting point.

And Vivian had been no exception.

If her first story was only about made-up characters to explore the pleasing and well rounded context of Sweetwater, her second, on the other hand, was more audacious, altering shamelessly the story from what its authors had surely intended; victorious over the town after killing the sheriff and all opposition, Escaton and his gang enjoyed their plunder at the Mariposa where Hector fell for one of the saloon girls.

That being said, Vivian remained very proper — maybe totally prudish — in these sort of narrative fantasies of hers; nothing turned freaky or utterly violent…

All she did was throwing a few sentences on her writing app for some evenings, when inspiration struck or simply because she urged herself to follow through with what she started. All on her personal tablet. She knew better than to write that on anything system-tethered. Imagining that a bored somebody could just hack into the system all the way up to her personal data… and end up on that giddy nonsense, made her wants to puke!

Not to mention that it might also be forbidden. Even though she never planned to, she knew she couldn’t share it with anyone, nor anywhere. Not as a park employee. If the guests were writing critiques and other reviews online about their stay, herself couldn’t talk about it from the inside. Confidentiality and shit…

Her texts would remain secret, and her silly fantasies with them. In any case, it wasn’t as if she intended to try anything for herself, and even less with Hector Escaton, all the more since he wasn’t even part of the batch her team had in charge. And also, rumor has it that fantasies aren’t always good when act upon!

With a lazy tap, Vivian quitted the reading app and dropped the tablet on her sheets before burying her face in her soft pillow. She let out a deep sigh in it, relaxed, and in fact, she fell asleep almost right away.

#ocs #oc:vivian #my writing #fic:improvisation only #westworld fanfic #full diagnostic series #westworld fic #westworld

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heyyylittlemo · 4 years

Text

Ask game

1. Where did you hide the body??

Me: *pause* No, where did you hide the body—

*police stare at me with disbelief*

Me: there’s no—there’s not a single body here—well stop looking at me like that, you’re the cop! You should know! Why are you asking me for! Body? Whaaaaaat. Ahaha.

*cops shake head*

*whispers to my friend* Guys I think I pulled that one off

Police: you know we can hear everything you’re saying

me: 👁👄👁

2. Favorite rock? The 1975. Dominic Fike. Arctic Monkeys. Bad Suns. The killers. Pale Waves. Etc. That good good shit 👌

3. Most aesthetic season? Fall. Love them orange colors. The leaves falling. Though spring is also neat if you have a bunch of flowers bloomin in shit and winter is only aesthetic when it’s snowing. Boring ass summer tho just be heating me up.

4. When texting do u shorten words or spell out? I used to write stuff out all the time mostly but now it’s like half and half bcuz its just faster and nobody got time for it 🤣🤣

5. Vintage stuff? Hell yeah, but maybe not anything too expensive since some old stuff IS hyper expensive.

6. Colors that pop or blend? Not sure I understand what u mean abt them blending ahaha u mean like when they’re so similar to another?? Well I think it’s nice but honestly I prefer a pop and a bang, y’Know?

- At this moment I realized I was answering the last few questions from a completely different ask and felt like a dumbass 😂 anyways the actual number we’re on is three so imma just kickback

3. Worst dream u have ever had? I had sleep paralysis but was imbetween that and a lucid dream. At first I was paralyzed and could see my bed but my eyes felt closed and open at the same time?? A giant dark demon looking dog had towered over me and began to tear at my neck. It looked and felt very real I started to try to scream and it felt like a scream was coming out but no sound exited. Then I went into a lucid dream where I was being chased by this dog and running for my life I was running by and nobody could save me nobody in the dream when it caught up to me I was back in my bed and it was trying to eat me again. I was so terrified I couldn’t sleep for a whole week.

4. Lyric that comes to your mind? “And I don’t think I can be there. I’m paralyzed,I’m terrified of being alone. When you said I deserved what had happened.”

5. Blood make u uncomfortable? Yes, I passed out once when getting my finger pricked and a VERY small blood sample and another when dissecting a fish.

6. Even or odd numbers? Well I like the number 5,7,9, 3 so odd. (Like me 🤣🤣)

7. Something I hate that I love? Anything I’ve ever loved becuz love can be frustrating. Bruh.

8. 1st initial of someone I hate? Hmm...do I hate someone tho? Not that I can think of...

9. *Skipping down the lane* NOPE

10. Corn dogs? It’s funny cuz when I think of corn dogs my mind will always go to when we first moved to our current house because at our initial town we never had Sonic and while we were getting the house fixed up and moving stuff we use to always get Sonic since it was the closest to us most times to eat and that was a bunch of corn dogs and hotdog days 🤣 so thnk u corn dogs for ur service

11. I’m not a huge movie person so...I looked up movies from 2005 and movies Inlike from this time are Brokeback mountain bcuz it’s gay af, Shark Boy and Lava Girl damn I rewatched the shot out of it when I was younger, Narnia and the Chocolate Factory(although it low key creeped me out as a kid, and idk why).

12. Least fav music genre? Most country, most EDM, dubstep, screaming/really hard rock, some pop music, mumble raping.

13. As someone who waits on tables, my job is my least favorite restaurant experience 🤣🤣 just dealing with ppl...like ok, I’m half Hispanic right?? But I look white. Well, I work at a Mexican restaurant and so sometimes racist costumers will say shady shit just bcuz I guess they think it’s appropriate to say it to me just bcuz I’m not Hispanic in their eyes?? But it pisses me off and I feel like I can’t say anything without causing a drama which I hate and when the “costumers always right” it can be hard to budge and stand up and say “bitch wtf did u just say??” And there’s just folks who take things the wrong ways or ask too much at once or give u a hard time or just say something that sticks onto you for the whole day. One bad move can turn my whole day upside down.

14. 3 things never come near me? Cockroaches, Needles, and close mind ppl

15. Worst way to die? With regrets. Something really brutual, random, or where something just happened to go wrong (accident). Being killed by someone u love.

16. Unusual habits? Doing a Michael Jackson esque “hee-hee” after every sneeze I make, being extremely clumsy and making every task 100% more difficult, having the ability to talk as if I have an accent that comes from nowhere in particular just stupidity also I can’t speak my own language half the time 🙃getting words confused or misusing them in a sentence so I sound dumb having a very weird imagination and thoughts, I swear it like I never went to school and don’t know how the world works, plus many many more

17. Clothing style u want? I want to dress in a way that screams who I am and is a blend of both femininity and masculinity. A little vintage. Grunge. Urban maybe?? What do I know abt fashion 🤣🤣

18. Song or artist that deserves more? Dijon, hands down. I love his stuff. He’s like Frank Ocean meets light-singing beautiful lyricist with a more rock vibe?? Hidden gem. I also think Durand Jones & the Indications needs more love along with BadBadNotGood they sound like old-times but are new!! Oh, and Pale Waves is like a female The 1975 and kicks it. Bad Suns is a good alt rock band that no one seems to recognize :,D Toro y Moi too! His song with Flume “The difference “ is a banger!! Kid Cudi is my man when I want a blend of rock and rap. Also Dominic Fike,King Krule, and Roy Blair, who are all amazing!! Ok I need to stop 🛑

Duck I answered the past questions from a different post I’m sorry 😐

17. Emoji never used? There’s a bunch since I reuse the same over and over again. Lmao

18. 3 sentence Gatorade horror story? A faint quiver overtook the small freezer the Gatorade lay in; no one had come by in days, hours, weeks; when was the last time he met the lips of a thirsty body? They’d forgotten about him, as his last sips remained glued to his hollowing entrance. ‘Help, ‘it wanted to say, but it’s frozen lips could not be moved; It’d stay here, die here...just like the rest.” What am I doing with my life 🤣🙏

19. Do u know what an old bay is? A bay that is old? And old ocean? Idk!!!

20. Can u dance? Sometimes I dance when I’m alone but nothing spectral lol

21. What first comes to ur mind when u see ropes? 2 extremes. Sex and death. Hm. Ok. Moving on.

22. Make an obscure reference. “Even a bra couldn’t hold these nipples” *Holds a water gun to chest*

23. Fav balloon color? Pink or yellow.

24. If u were in court would u be innocent or guilty? Depends, what am I in court for 🤣 lmao jk honestly idk bcuz I don’t think I’d wind up in there

25. Are u hungry ? Nope

26. Unlucky number? Hm I don’t think so but I have a lucky number “123”

27. What’s “JMD”stand for? I’m guessing...Jamming my d—- 💀lol jk ahaha why am so dirt

28. Random inside joke? *chirpy squeak* I’m making a double batch of cookies

29. What sends chills up ur spine? Seeing disgust food or smell disgust or talking abt disgust things like gore

30. How many questions are in ur inbox? A pathetic zero ahaha no one want to ask me anything 😂

31. Someone real who scares u. 2 of my ex friends. One when I was 10 said disturbing things and I was kinda forced onto the friendship and everything they said make me fear for others lives...and then a different ex friend who seemed normal at 1st but became both low key psychopath cult leader type stuff and I booed out of there—-.

32. Run or hide? Uhh probably hide because I’d say even if ppl say “u can run but u can’t hide” u CAN just hide! that’s the point of hiding they not find u xD also why not combine them? Hide then run somewhere far away once I got them off the trial.

33. Last person who made u angry? A frickin beetle that flew at me and pinched me in the middle of singing in the shed xD also my autocorrect

34. What’s going on in ur head? I should probably pee soon—

35. Little thing that makes u Smile? A lot of little things bruh.

36. Are u a descisive person?

Not sure.

*pAuse *

Ok, I guess I’m not then 🤣

37. Would ppl say I’m paranoid? Hm maybe about certain things social situations, singing in front of others what ppl think abt me etc etc

38. Store least likely in? Any southern clothes shop, Abercrombie & Finch types shit, lol

39. Do I like hats fave type? Hm not wear many hats but I think they’re cool any type is cool for different ppl and their aesthetici just can’t rock a hat.

40. Bow ties or ties? Don’t really care but now want to see more bow ties

41. Who? You.

42. What? Reading this shit

43. Where? In ur ass

44. When? Now.

45. Why? Not even u know why.

46. How? We all want to know

47. Do u collect anything? Vinyl records.

48. What tome is it? Time to get a watch

49. Fav transportation? My car or walk is possible

50. Would u ever kill someone to save someone? Don’t want to think about that

51. Make a joke. Yo, it’s time to make a joke—so the other day I was working. And I was practicing my Spanish, yes? Anyone whose trying to learn anew language k n o w s that sometimes words can be so close to another u just confuse then! So apparently churros in Spanish is a desert but if u say it more harshly (it literally sounds almost the same) it makes a whole different meaning—diharrea, but like I didn’t know that so I legit just walked up to this person and asked if they would like some shit to eat. So yeah, that was great. Let’s not forget that I mixed up blood, watermelon, and sangria which is a wine. I legit once said I had mixed wine in my vines and another time watermelon 🤣

52. I’m really confused so I skip

53. Would ur dash be confiscated SFW? By dash do u mean this account? Um not 😬

54. Do I like to cuddle? Hell yeah and manhandle ppl all the time it’s my affection

55. What makes u angry? Close minded ppl or ppl who jump too fast to conclusions, strict schedules just dumb stuff that people try to force when I just want to be carefree 😭✌️

56. How many voices are in ur head? 😐

57. Do U consider urself mentally stable? 😐

58. Are u easily offended? Well U just called me mentally unstable and asked it there was voices in my head!!

59. What’s wrong with taking the backstreets? Uhm...

60. Any questions u want ppl to ask u? Nothing in particular but it’s be nice if someone care to ask me something abt me from personal question to my opinions on shit to 19 days fandom related junk 😌

Woooo I’ve finished this game! Thanks to @seiji-amasawa for introducing me to this ^^

#tag game #game #ask #19 days #19days

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bigskydreaming · 5 years

Text

The Ric Grayson AND Talon storylines both end at the same time, and in the same way:

Great Grandpa Creeper Cobb successfully manipulates Ric into position to be brainwashed and become the Talon that Willie the Weenie has always wanted him to be.....this happens for like, two issues.

Then Grandpa Get Ye To A Graveyard Already fucks up....he accidentally brings Talon Ric within sighting distance of the Court’s latest crop of prospective Talon recruits, including a wee baby ten year old orphan being trained to be a future Talon.

And the essential corn kernel of Dick Grayson’s essence, deep down in his psyche, just fucking POPS like its Orville Redenbacher and someone just nuked it in the microwave.

And the real Dick Grayson comes SHRIEKING to the forefront of Talon!Ric’s brain, nothing subtle about it, and the next thing his Rancid Relative knows, he’s being fucking impaled by his great grandson’s blades as said great grandson, who is SUPPOSED to be docilely brainwashed, wtf, is already halfway across the room, diving into the mass of other Talons like they’re a collection of bowling pins and he’s a wrecking ball straight out of a Miley Cyrus music video, but instead of the caterwauling lyrics “I never hit so haaaaaaaard in love,” Dick’s accompanied by a soundtrack of him screaming:

“I WILL PROTECT YOU SMOL CHILD!!!”

As said smol child is just standing there, staring, like....dude, wut?

And then Dick finishes absolutely DESTROYING everything undead and nefarious in sight like he’s the Tasmanian Devil on meth, and he turns to said smol child and begins the process of Smothering, as his hands flutter all up and down checking for injuries but not touching, like:

“Did they hurt you are you alright you’re safe now cough once for I’m all good or punch me in the no-no’s if I’m making you feel unsafe, I will make sure you are totally safe from here on out, you are my baby now, I have decided, but like, only if you want to be.”

And smol child is decidedly overwhelmed but Man-Who-Speaks-Like-He-Has-Pixie-Sticks-In-Place-Of-Blood-Vessels seems harmless, if weird, and is definitely preferable to the weird Bird Men who kidnapped him off the streets and tried to teach him how to kill people and make death threats out of nursery rhymes. And he doesn’t have a lot of experience in OTHER subterranean lairs to compare this one too, but he’s decidedly not a fan, so when Dick asks if he would like him to take him to see Batman and Batgirl and Robin and other superheroes who can also reassure him there will be no more homework on How To Torture People Good, he’s like....”yeah I guess. If you want.”

And so Dick scoops him up with glee and takes off through the tunnels, yelling back over his shoulder: “Bye Greatly-Gross-Grandpa, hate you lots, don’t call, don’t write, you’re officially off my Christmas card list, hasta la neeeeeeeeeever.”

Thereupon swiftly grappling across the Bludhaven rooftops, yelling PARKOUR! just because he can and its fun, and its weirdly relaxing for his wee passenger, because look, this dude may be weird as fuck, but he’s clearly got the moves to protect him from the Undead Legions of Ornithologists and he seems too....fun to be evil, like not in the Joker kinda way like he’s seen on TV in previous foster homes where its like, jeez dude, try hard much, but more like an adult who just quit a soul-crushing cubicle-dwelling corporate-craphole job and has suddenly been reminded that the sky is blue, flowers smell good, and there IS a Santa Claus, Virginia.

Thus by the time they arrive at Wayne Manor, with no attempt made to hide where they’re going from his wee passenger’s eyes - Dick has already decided he’s keeping the kid, pending said kid’s approval but look, kids like him and he’s determined to bring his A game to the pitch meeting, so he likes his chances - said wee passenger disembarks in the Batcave but stays close by, clinging to Dick’s side in an ever so slight way that allows for plausible deniability later, once he gets his bearings and also his bravado back.

“Dick?!” Comes the chorus of voices from the rest of the family, who are all there already, by great coincidence and in great defiance of the crapfests in their own individual titles, but also who the fuck cares. And Dick puffs out his chest, cuz he’s putting on a good show for his new kiddo, first impressions are important...

“Tis I, fam! The one true Dick Grayson has returned! Huzzah!”

Look, being completely oblivious to his Greatest Dork Energy coinciding with his Times He Most Attempts To Be Impressive, is like, Peak Dick Grayson characterization, you can trust me, I’m a doctor.

And Tim’s like, “Why are you dressed like a Talon?”

And Dick’s like, “Isn’t the better question why AREN’T you dressed like a Talon?”

Which makes no sense but shhh, I’m running out of steam here, don’t question the atmosphere, just let it be.

And Bruce is like, “Who’s your friend?”

With like...designs and agendas already in mind, because said wee Talon-to-be is cute and adorable and bravely trying to act like he is not at all intimidated by his surroundings and is in total control of what’s going on like, he meant to be here, this is all according to plan, yes, excellent, everything is progressing nicely....

Which as everyone knows, are the three key essential traits Bruce looks for in prospective adoptees....

So Dick snarls and later blames it on residual Talon-ness, they’re very territorial bird...assassin....people....anyway, the adrenaline is still high and also he has swiftly become attached because whether kiddo knows it or not, Dick 100% credits him with the brainwash-breaking and thus when factored in with the cuteness quotient, what we have here is an instant recipe for Protectiveness slash Possessiveness that would be creepy and inappropriate if this wasn’t pure crack.

But crack it is, and thus Dick curls a protective arm around the kiddo like the lap-bar on a particularly turbulent roller coaster and applies G-Force sufficient to keep even Superman from prying him out of his hands - but in a gentle, non- ’crushing kinda way that might hurt the kiddo,’ even though physics doesn’t work like that, except look, these are CRACK PHYSICS, they can and they do work like that.

And he’s all, “I already adopted him, so back off, Bruce, I’ll cut you. But also hi dad, I missed you. In spirit I mean, like I had amnesia and then I was brainwashed so technically its probably a reach to say I missed anyone but just roll with it. Also I can haz hugs now, please?”

And then Damian apparates in front of Dick amid a cloud of Disapproval that’s really just a cover for OMG-I-Was-Without-You-And-It-Was-Terrible-And-I’m-So-Glad-You’re-Back-But-Also-Who-Is-This-Interloper-And-Why-Is-He-Stealing-My-Hug.

“Tt. Grayson. Your absence was...less than desirable. See to it that this doesn’t happen again. Also what is that and why is it here.”

“Aww, Dami, I’m sorry. I promise to install a “please have the nearest available psychic reboot my brain in case of future brain damage slash amnesia” clause in my living will, and soon as I get a free second, I’ll break the fourth wall and blackmail the DC editorial staff into declaring me off-limits for all death, brainwashing and/or kidnapping plots for at least the next four major crossover events. I have naughty pictures. They’ll cave.”

“Hmph,” Dami says. He resumes staring pointedly at the kiddo, who juts his chin defiantly and stares back while clinging more tightly to Dick, because he may have very little clue what’s going on, but he’s a quick one and has at least picked up on the fact that Dick wants him and this other kid wants Dick. Which combined with the rescuing and the kicking of bad guy ass means Dick is probably Quality and In Demand and Of Value, and thus he might as well stake a claim now and worry about whether or not to act on that or skedaddle later, once he’s got more intel. He’s a natural Bat, this one, but then, that’s probably why he was in Toddler Talon Boot Camp, he scored high on whatever weird aptitude tests they used to scope out talent, and by talent we mean murder-skills.

“Dami,” Dick admonishes then, “This isn’t an it, he’s a person, and he was recently traumatized so promise me you’ll be on your best behavior or at least your ‘engaging in shenanigans with Jon’ behavior. And he’s not competition, you’re my Dames and my little bro, and he’s potentially your nephew, which is a whole separate category and no threat to you and your baby bro status at all, so retract the claws. If anything, the real danger is Pops adopting him and thus supplanting you as the official Baby Bird of our generation, so make like an ally and help me get that dangerous “I’m gonna adopt this kid so hard” gleam out of Bruce’s eye before it gets any gleamier. We’re still only halfway through my tearful reunion and having to cut Dad before we even get to cake would be a major mood-killer, but I’ll do it, I swear. Also, get your Baby Bird behind over here and hug me already, I have two arms.”

Damian rolled his eyes but obediently disappeared and reappeared nestled against Dick’s other side in the blink of an eye. The proper application of ninja skills has always been the pursuance of hugs and cuddles. Thus sayeth the crack.

“Hey, I do get cake, right?” Dick asked suddenly, looking around dangerously. “I was amnesiac and also brainwashed, I deserve cake, TELL me there’s gonna be cake.”

“Well that answers whether or not we should be worried about this being an attempted infiltration or not,” Jason says, strolling over casually. “No impostor or brainwashing script-writer could ever duplicate the Essence de Dick so perfectly. Hey squirt. Welcome to the madhouse. I’m Jason, what’s your name?”

“Oh right,” Dick realized, cocking his head. “Hey, what is your name?”

“Really, Dick?” Tim sighed, fondly exasperated. “I realize you like to jump from A straight to Z whenever possible, but steps B through Y aren’t usually just mere suggestions.”

“It hadn’t come up yet,” Dick defended himself.

“Yes, why would it have,” Duke mused from where he was leaning over and snapping his fingers in front of Bruce’s eyes, in a futile attempt at tearing his gaze away from the viable adoption candidate within 20 meters from him. It was probably best that they get this adoption thing inked out and signed off on as soon as possible - it was the only thing that was definitively going to get that “Argh, I’ve spotted treasure ahoy” look out of Bruce’s eyes. And Alfred had been very clear :Bruce was forbidden to adopt any more kids himself until he got a better handle on juggling the six he already had. Which. The past year had...probably not met Alfred’s standards on, so it didn’t seem likely he’d be waiving that requirement any time soon.

(And nobody wanted to get in between the Unstoppable Force that was Bruce’s ‘must adopt all the orphans’ and the Immovable Object that was Alfred’s ‘must maintain at least a reasonable fascimile of order in this household, even if it is a total sham, appearances matter.’)

“Hey!” Dick protested. “I’ve been busy, okay? There was fighting and then there was parkouring and now we’re reunifying, and it wasn’t like I was just calling him ‘that kid’ in my head, I was calling him ‘my kiddo’ which is a perfectly reasonable identifier and thus more specific detail just....hadn’t been relevant yet!”

“So uh, bee tee dubs, what is your name, buddy?” Dick asked, looking down. His kiddo looked back up at him for a long, measuring moment, and then he shrugged.

“I’ll tell you in exchange for some cake. You said something about there being cake, but I don’t see any.”

Dick got misty-eyed at that. “See? He already prioritizes like me. This was destiny! Also, you heard my kiddo, do we not deserve cake? It has been a very long day, there was murder and mayhem and more. Also, my creeper great grandpa was there being icksome, and you know how much that weirds me out.”

“Come along, Master Dick,” Alfred said then, appearing out of nowhere thanks to his Bat-Butler Magic. “And your young charge as well. I already have your favorite baking in the oven and it should be done shortly. Lemon meringue with raspberry layers.”

“That’s disgusting and I will not participate in any ceremony that treats that as part of a celebration instead of just a weird kind of laxative,” Jason said loftily, though it escaped no one’s notice that he was the first to the stairs.

“Shut your facehole, its delicious and amazing and you will like it or I will kick your ass,” Dick said, equally loftily.

“Boys,” Bruce said with a long-suffering sigh, as the threat of brotherly bloodshed was enough to finally shake him out of his orphan-induced stupor.

“At MARIO KART. I will kick his ass at MARIO KART, ugh, jeez, B, why do you always assume the worst of us?”

“Precedent,” Tim said dryly.

“Who the hell asked the Oompa Loompa Brigade to weigh in with all ninety of his pounds?” Jason called back from the top of the stairs.

Cass came up on Dick’s left, where the kiddo was one half of the sandwich made by him and Damian on Dick’s other side. She smiled down at him when he directed his still very wide-eyed gaze at her, landing on her after his latest sweep of the cavern and all its contained chaos, as if trying to take it all in - most likely in the hopes that if he could manage that, somehow the last 72 hours of his life might suddenly make sense. He really was adorable.

“Don’t worry,” she beamed at him, reaching out to pat him comfortingly on his shoulder, right above where Dick’s arm was still curled around it like a warm blanket - albeit one with the tensile hold of a python. “They’re all crazy, but only in the good ways.”

Duke scoffed as he slipped ahead of them and started taking the stairs two at a time. “It’s funny how you say that like you’re some kind of exception to the rule.”

“Bold words, little brother,” Cass called after him. He only shouted back from the top in a booming voice, his words echoing down the narrow stone stairway dramatically.

“Am I not Batclan?”

“Oooh, is that a new thing we’re doing?” Dick asked excitedly. “Somebody catch me up, I demand context. I smell a story there.”

“It was Jason’s fault,” Tim said automatically. Dick nodded.

“Sure, that tracks. Continue.”

Bruce trailed after his brood of batlings and birdlets, sidling over to where Barbara was waiting for the elevator. The latter having hung back to watch the commotion with the air of one taking notes for repurposing in the form of future blackmail material. Her ever extending network of spies and informants made so much more sense, suddenly.

He cleared his throat while they listened to the hum of the elevator’s machinery as it descended to their level.

“I wasn’t really thinking of adopting the boy,” he said. Not at all sullenly, nor with a trace of defensiveness to be found.

“Of course you weren’t, Bruce,” Barbara said. She patted his arm fondly, with all the conviction of a kindergarten teacher whose student was attempting to claim innocence on the matter of a paint disaster perfectly matching the paint stains on his hands.

“I wasn’t,” Bruce muttered as she preceded him into the elevator.

Why did nobody ever believe him?

106 notes · View notes

weretheones · 6 years

Text

Just Go- Daryl Dixon

Plot/Request: Your first solo run with Daryl was supposed to be quick and easy, but it ends up being quite the opposite. When Daryl ignores his only exit to run back and save you, you can’t help but wonder why. (Set in early S3, before the Governor)

Word Count:  3,142

Warnings: swearing, rusty writing skills lol

Note: i haven’t written something like this is over a year... sorry if its not great. luv u all <3 part 2 will be up probably sunday (unless i get impatient and release it tomorrow...) and more fics are coming soon! ;)

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You awoke to the sunrise, the rays falling against your pillow. Your eyes burned as they fluttered open, craving more sleep. With a grunt you rubbed them softly, propping yourself up on your right elbow and cowering from the bright light.

When the memories of the night before popped up, you felt your stomach knot. Rick had asked you to go for a quick run with Daryl, just to an abandoned strip of stores nearby. It was simple enough, in and out, grab whatever supplies you could find on the trip. It wasn’t the run itself that made you nervous, it was Daryl.

The two of you weren’t exactly friends, but you made a great team. You constantly bickered, teased another, yet a walker didn’t stand a chance against you two. Perhaps that's why Rick chose you to go with Daryl, or maybe he was punishing you for embarrassing him the other night in a game of cards. Whatever the reason, you were stuck with it. With him.

You groaned again, sitting up fully and stretching your arms above your head, loving the feeling of the bones in your back crack. You were thankful for the comfort of the prison, having your own cell, your own bed. You really were, but hell did you miss having a nice bed. Maybe you should check for a mattress shop, you thought, then chuckled at yourself.

Now standing up, you walked over to the small mirror over your sink. In the sink, which didn’t actually work, you had a small orange bucket filled with water. You splashed it up to your face, then pat your skin dry with the lower hem of your shirt. Looking back up to the mirror you took in your appearance. The grease in your hair was slowly caking your hair, but it was nothing a shower couldn’t fix. There was no use to do it now, you’d probably just come home from the run dirty again. Other than that, you looked, for the most part, normal.

For the most part.

You grabbed the hairbrush from your shelf and brushed your hair back into a low, but tight, ponytail. You stepped back, grabbing your knife and gun from the chair beside your bed.

Before you left your cell you grabbed a thin sweater from the edge of your bed, throwing it on as you left. As you walked along the quiet hall of the prison, you hugged yourself, loving the warmth it created.

Walking into the common area you quickly grabbed a granola bar and an apple, slightly tossing the apple in the air. You began to step away but looked back at the last minute. You had a thought to grab another for Daryl, just in case he hadn’t eaten yet. You knew the archer well, regardless of your rocky relationship with him, you knew he would skip meals often.

A sigh left your lips, grabbing a second granola bar and holding it in your other hand as you ate the apple. You walked out the prison, assuming Daryl was probably outside already.

You opened the door with a loud creak, noticing Daryl’s head turn back to you as you did so. You started walking faster to him. He turned back, looking out on the horizon as the sun finished rising. You noticed a cigarette in his fingers, it was almost finished.

"Hey,” You nodded, he grunted with a nod back. You sat down beside him, finishing your apple as he finished his cigarette.

“You watch the sunrise?” You asked, looking at him. His blue eyes flickered to yours, the cigarette still in his mouth.

He nodded again, removing it from his mouth and softly mumbled, “Yeah.”

You took a bite of your apple, letting the two of you slip into silence.

But then Daryl groaned loudly, “Can ya eat that thing any louder?”

You glared at him, swallowing the chewed apple in your mouth. Was he serious? It was a fucking apple, it crunches. But you knew saying so would only aggravate him.

You sighed, “Can we not do this today, I mean, we already have to spend the next few hours together. We might as well do it not fighting.”

He only scoffed, “Fine.”, then turned back to smoke.

After a few moments, you’d finished your apple (thankfully without hearing about it a second time from Daryl), throwing the core to the grassy area of the field. He took one last drag, finishing his smoke and flicking it to the ground before standing up from the bench to stomp it.

“Ya ready?” He asked. You noticed two backpacks on the bench, one for him, one for you. He grabbed one, throwing it over his shoulders and held out the other for you.

You grabbed it and nodded, “You know where we’re going?”

“Yeah, Rick gave me a map.”

Quickly peaking inside the bag he’d packed for you, you noticed a water bottle, almost full, and a small bag of peanuts. You threw your granola bar inside, grabbing the one from your pocket and extending it to him.

“Here.” You mumbled, barely making eye contact. He eyed the bar, shaking his head.

“’M good, thanks.”

You sighed, “Daryl,” Looking at him sternly now. “Cigarettes aren’t breakfast. You need to eat.”

“Said ‘m good.” He grunted, walking past you.

You knew how stubborn he was. Telling him to eat again would only make him refuse it more. Plus, as you’d said earlier, you didn’t want to fight with him today of all days.

“Whatever you say, Dixon.”

“We’re takin’ my bike.” He nodded to it, propped up against the fence. “Quicker, easier.”

“Louder.” You countered, an eyebrow raised. He ignored your quip, instead standing his bike up and kicking up the stand. He was right, it was much faster. Plus it was better to leave the car for the group to use in case they had to.

He sat down on the bike, scooting forward to make some room for you. You sat behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He tensed at your touch, and you suddenly realized this was much closer than you’d thought. You could feel his muscles underneath his shirt. Your chest pressed tight to his back...

The rumble of the engine starting pulled you from your thoughts. He pushed off the ground, letting the bike move down the path where Glenn, who was on watch duty by the front gate opened it for you two. You nodded at him as you rode past.

The ride left you with time to think. You couldn’t really talk to Daryl over the sound of the engine, not as if he’d talk much anyways. Instead, you let your mind wander.

You’d been with the group since the farm. Being one of the Greene’s only surviving neighbours, you were lucky to be able to seek refuge there. Your own farm had been taken over by the dead. At first, you didn’t think much of Daryl. There was no doubt he was interesting, but nothing to obsess over. But as time passed, as you watched him get hurt over and over again searching for a little girl, you finally realized how special he was.

You’d never admit it, at least not to Daryl, but behind your witty snarks and remarks was deep care for the man. To put it simply, you had a crush. Though you weren’t sure if it was merely that anymore.

You sighed, resting your check against Daryl’s vest. Normally, you never would’ve done so, he never would’ve let you, but you were tired. You didn’t care. The seams of the angel wings on his vest tickled your skin, you didn’t care about that either.

You weren’t completely sure how long had passed, maybe an hour and a half, maybe longer. As you lifted your head, resting your chin on Daryl’s shoulder, you noticed a blur of buildings becoming clearer and clearer. It seemed like a small town, with this mall strip at the edge of it.

You thought perhaps you could scavenge the homes too, they might have food. But as the buildings became clearer, you noticed they had been destroyed. It seemed a fire had taken over the town, leaving only the mall strip standing.

Daryl slowed to a stop, letting you hop off the bike before he kicked the stand down, sliding off next. You adjusted your backpack, looking over the stores before back at him. There were only four, two convenience-type stores, a pharmacy, and a clothing store.

He walked ahead of you a few steps, then looked it over himself. After a moment he pointed to the furthest end, “We’ll start there, make our way back.”

“Gotcha,” You mumbled. You walked, straying a few feet behind him, to the furthest store. It read ‘Jimmy’s Convenience’ above it.

The first two stores were easy enough, in and out, kill any stray walkers and grab what you can. So far you’d picked up some toiletries, a pack of bandaids and some warm water bottles. You’d seen Daryl grab two packs of pasta and two cans of corn and a case of six energy bars. He’d emptied it out, throwing the single bars in his bag to save space.

Considering you still had two stores to go, you were feeling hopeful.

The next store was a clothing store. You felt excited at the thought of new underwear, socks and if you were really lucky, a new pair of jeans. The pair you had now was ripped, stained with blood and dirt and loose around your body.

Daryl walked in first, crossbow raised high as he searched the store for any walkers. You followed suit, your knife held high, ready to stab anything that came your way.

He looked back to you after noticing the store was empty and nodded. You nodded back, sliding your knife back into its spot on your hip. You relaxed slightly at Daryl’s look then began looking around for anything useful.

It was somewhat hard to see around, the windows had been covered with newspapers for the most part. It seemed that three-quarters of the way up they’d ran out. Lucky for you, it allowed some sunlight to sneak into the store, so you weren’t completely dependent on your flashlights.

The two of you took an aisle at a time, checking for anything warm or valuable. You knew some of the group’s sizes, but it didn’t matter that much. Whatever you found would be good enough.

As you looked through the second aisle, you found a plaid long sleeve that looked particularly warm. You glanced back to Daryl, who continued searching his area. It looked big enough, you thought and stuffed it in your bag. If not, you could just give it to Rick instead. As you reached the end of the aisle you saw it.

Daryl approached you, a plastic bag full of clothes. “Find anything?” He asked crossbow slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. I did.” You smiled largely, chuckling at the sight. In front of you was possibly the ugliest shirt you’d seen. You dashed to it, ripping it off the rank to hold in all its glory. It was a combination of, god, you couldn’t say how many patterns and all the colours of the rainbow.

He scoffed at you, shaking his head. He was hard to read, you couldn’t tell if he was completely fed up with you, or slightly amused. Probably a bit of both.

“Looks about your size, Dixon.” You winked, ripping it off the hanger and throwing it at him.

He shot back, “Stop fucking around.”

“I’m serious, I think you’d look hot.” You teased, eyeing him up and down for a split second before looking back around the store. You kicked the fallen shirt to the side as you walked past him. He gave you a lingering stare as you walked by. You tried to ignore the feeling it gave you, how your cheeks became pink, your body hot.

“Shut up.” He huffed loudly, now mostly annoyed by you.

You looked up at him, noticing his jaw clenching and deciding to ease up on him. “Ok, fine, sorry.” You mumbled half-assed. “Find anything yourself?”

“Yeah, socks, shirts.” Daryl raised the bag slightly with his answer.

“Alright, I’m gonna check the women’s section, then we’re done.” You said to him, turning back around, mumbling under your breath, “I hope they still have jeans.”

"Ain’t nothin’ wrong with yours.” He scoffed.

“They’re disgusting.”

You half expected him to comment about you acting like a ‘princess’, but he said nothing in return. He followed you as you made your way to the back of the store. As you walked, you noticed a door. You made a note of it in the back of your mind, reading the ‘EXIT’ sign above.

You gasped softly at the sight of a jean rack, picking up your pace. He watched you jog across the store, like a kid at a candy shop. For a split second, Daryl felt his heart flutter at your excitement. It was something he’d been feeling more often lately, but couldn’t explain why... He didn’t understand it.

You yelped, “Yes!” as you noticed they had a pair in your size. You smiled largely, stuffing it in your bag as you searched the rest of the area. No more uncomfortable, ugly jeans, you thought.

After a few more moments, grabbing a pack of underwear and some sweaters for the others back home, you looked to Daryl. He was leaning against a shelf with his elbow resting on the cold metal, his right foot crossed over the left. In his hands he fiddled with something, you weren’t sure what. It didn’t matter.

“Done shoppin’?” He quipped.

“Yeah.” You nodded. He turned cooly, not giving you a second look and began walking to the front of the store when a loud slap against glass sounded. The pair of you stopped immediately, your knife and his crossbow raised. He looked back to you, giving you a sharp look to stay behind him. You nodded swiftly, following him. When you turned the corner to face the windows of the store your heart dropped.

Although the newspaper covered your view of them, you could make out the outlines from the sun behind them. Walkers were pressed against the glass, smacking against it with their boney hands. Daryl motioned you to turn and get out the back. You dashed through the store, him closely behind you.

When you reached the back door, you tried opening it slowly enough to check if it was clear but noticed there was something pushing against it. Something too heavy for you to push out of the way.

“Daryl,” You snapped, gaining his attention to you. He’d been watching the windows, hoping they’d hold out long enough for the two of you to make it out. “I can’t get it open. There's something in front of it.”

“Move.” He grunted, throwing his crossbow back over his shoulder and pushing with both hands. He groaned out loud, the sound of glass cracking making the both of your hearts speed up. He stepped back for a moment, unsuccessful.

He smashed his body against the door again, pushing with all his might. You watched the window with panicked eyes, glancing back and forth between it and Daryl. His feet scrambled underneath him as he continued to push.

Then the sickening sound of glass shattering, then overlapping groans filled the store. Your heart stopped, watching at the further window collapsed, allowing the walkers to flood into the building.

“Fuck it, Daryl, we have to find another way.” You grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away. Urgency was thick in your voice. The walkers weren’t far, but Daryl was determined.

“Come on.” He groaned under his breath, slamming his shoulder against it. A glimmer of hope filled both of you as it budged forward slightly. With the budge, you heard the sound of loud metal scraping against the ground. That was only sure to draw in more walkers.

Your eyes snapped back to the front of the store. The walkers, they were too close. You’d have to fight them.

You approached the first one, driving your knife into its skull quickly. Then the second. Then the third. But when you came across the fourth, another was quickly behind it. You stabbed the first one, kicking in the kneecap of the second. But your knife wouldn’t budge from its spot in the previous walker’s head. And then two more approached.

While you’d been fighting, Daryl opened the gap enough to just squeeze through. He looked back at you, then the door. More walkers flooded throughout the backfield, quickly blocking any and all exits.

You noticed too. But you were still stuck fighting off the walkers inside. He’d have to leave you to get away in time. There was no way there’d be enough time for you to get away too.

“Run!” You yelled, the lower walker grabbing at your legs. You looked back to it to kick it away, screaming back at Daryl again, “Just go! Leave!”

He stared at you for a moment, panic in his eyes. You looked away, continuing to fight the walkers in front of you. Finally, your knife came loose from the walker's skull, so you continued fighting. Then you heard the door slam close, you couldn’t tell if you felt heartbroken or happy. At least Daryl would survive, at least he’d get away.

Then one of the walkers to your right collapsed, an arrow lodged in its eye. You snapped your head back, eyes wide, seeing the archer stand there.

“Come on, (Y/N)!” He yelled, grabbing your arm and pulling you from the walkers. Daryl remembered a closet at the back of the store from where he was scavenging, he lead you there. It was far enough for the walkers to lose sight of you too, at least long enough for you to hide in time. The door swung open easily and he jumped in, pulling your body quickly inside too. He shut it softly, as not to alert them.

You breathed heavily, body pushed against his. The room was smaller than the average supply closet. There was barely enough room for you to move from Daryl, nonetheless fight walkers if they barged in.

They stumbled along, the groans and moans louder and louder until they lingered just outside the door. You felt panic begin to sweep over you until you noticed Daryl’s touch.

His hands hadn’t left your shoulders yet, his fingers pressed into your skin gently, almost soothingly, as he watched the door, silent as could be. You relaxed into his touch. Your heart rate slowed slightly, but then you wondered...

Why didn’t he save himself?

part two

#daryl #daryl dixon #daryl x reader #twd #the walking dead #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead one shot #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon oneshot #daryl dixon fic #norman reedus #daryl / reader #daryl dixon / reader #twd fanfiction #twd fanfic

166 notes · View notes

hgfstreamchats · 5 years

Text

Halloween (2018)

Hello! Night human, hello! Are you playing music, or is it coming from somewhere else? It should be coming from my end. If it's not, well... Ah, good Follow the sound of the unexplicable Halloween theme for a magical adventure. I LOVE magical adventures! I like how some of the whipped cream disappeared mysteriously before they put the nutmeg on Very mysterious indeed. I assume the answer involves licking. The answer always involves licking. Is that considered humane? Just keep them standing around in the sun? I... have no idea what the exact setup is supposed to be, but presumably they're not outside all the time Wuh oh So the mask is supposed to be... a magic artifact now? Good old Pumpkin! It's... un-rotting! It's got things to do! Things to watch! Yes. Things.

The slit between the nose and the mouth kind of weirds me out there. You too? "well, surely they don't mean us" "Not us! We're starting things on a respectful note, comparing her to her almost-killer and a caged animal all within under the space of a minute!" "we've traveled a very long way... we didn't feel like trying to contact you ahead of time or make an appointment or anything, though" unbiased as SHIT "Here's 3000 dollars, now let us make a rubbing of your scar." IKR? "how the fuck should I know" I kinda hope this guy is the first victim. "We did, but we were sort of hoping to snap off a few shots of you crying." Likewise. I have a bad feeling about those mousetraps I hope they go off on Podcast Man's person. Somehow. That sounds like a lie That's Pumpkin's polar opposite, the disgusted one. The one who kinkshames. Kast, I swear to various gods, I will destroy you. Victim #2 Starscream! Hello! I finally beat the blasted thing into working. I did not want to miss the shenanigans. You haven't missed much! And so you didn't! A couple of idiot journalists went to bother the final girl from the first movie I'm glad. Today requires dead teenagers. And upset Michael's fellow patients for no reason. Ah, that is always a good idea. Ah, that is always a good idea. This one is aware she lives in a horror movie universe, isn't she. Yeah. Is *anyone* going to approach her and her very obvious trauma in anything resembling a respectful way? Probably not! Doubtful. wow awww man She clearly is not handling herself well. "It's not like this is a difficult day for you or anything." What kind of person doesn't shrug off a whole lot of her friends getting murdered and nearly getting murdered herself? Shiiiit I mean, we knew it was coming, but "don't get murdered" Who gave that child a rifle? Oh good, the kid has a gun I bet it'll do him a world of good I bet he startles and shoots his own father. cool, cool, investigate by yourself Well, you guessed close, anyway! And who's in the backs....yep That's about right. "And, don't forget, just naked enough for """fanservice"""" Let's see.... known serial killer on the loose on the night he's known for being extra murderous... Yes, maybe you should cancel Halloween. What can possibly go wrong?! Oh, great Lovely! Ugh He's very strong for an older fellow. Maybe should have given him a little less fresh air and healthy food. So, that's four more corpses. Think they will cancel Halloween yet? Says the soon-to-be-corpse Whatever you say, Corpse Number 5. Just think of how squirrelly she will be when her stupid family gets murdered for not listening to her. :( And journalists intrude on her privacy to ask her about it. Does no one in this town lock their door? Apparently not? Ham, never eaten. Oh, jeez He doesn There's no effort needed to get in. Oh, I like this little human. Awww. Yes, leave the door open. Every door in this town must be left open, so murderers can get in. Welp. "If you're cold, they're cold. Bring them in." Wow. What the fuck. I hope he is stabbed nineteen times. Uhh. "a noise like... a murderer?" Oh goody, dry! fuuuuck cue murder ...really, dude So I guess she didn't QUITE check everywhere That kid is going to need so much therapy. Run, sensible child! Run! Again, they know that they have a murderer problem. Why does he have no backup? Backup is for losers I think he wants to be murdered. "Captured" "so in a way, all this is his fault" It is not paranoia, if there really is something out there to get you. If only some shithead hadn't dropped her phone in the punch bowl, or soup, or whatevr that was facepalm . . . . Oh, I've heard that one. oh my god. dude stop Look at that, she managed to not be killed for the moment. ...Well, that took care of that! Double tap. Is it Ben Tramer? .... Well, that's a problem. Damn it. So did he survive that after all? Are there two of them now? Oh, he's not going to be happy about that. Now his mask has old man stink inside it. I admit I don't quite get how he did that through the grate He kicked the grate out. Ohhh His head was...overripe, apparently? I guess? That was a strange plot cul-de-sac ...I feel like taking the van would've been a better bet It's Pumpkin! Well, damn it Oh. No, no it isn't. Oh, no! That guy I hated is dead now! Hopefully she didn't like him too much. I don't like that he gets to survive most of the movie and Fun Babysitter didn't. I feel like it's a bad idea to leave that remote up there. I feel like her just leaving the remote on the counter there is a bad thing urgh I hope she brought it down with her, at least Well, that gave you away. But what do I know? It's not my paranoia cellar. I feel like she should have forced him into a chute, for a clean kill. Oh, crap Don't be impatient... For someone planning this for forty years, she's done a poor job of building a trap house. That is a creepy target practice area Why have a scary mannequin room, if you know one day this situation is coming? Right? For that matter, why not install proper indoor lighting, to see who you're trying to shoot? That would spoil the jumpscares! When you're planning on facing off with your supernatural attacker someday and plotting things out to the minute, but you need to keep the atmosphere Spooky. About time. hey Hello and goodbye, Nude Human. Keep shooting him. I feel like this is a kill that should be confirmed before they relax. No more relaxing for any of them ever. But on the plus side, they no longer think Grandmother is crazy. Now they love Grandmother and her room full of non-jamming guns and canned corn! Grandmother who they all call grandmother for some reason. Why *did* she stock rations? Did she think Michael would just pop a seat down on the kitchen floor for a month on end and they'd have to wait him out? Perhaps she was planning for zombies as well, given she knows at least one creature that refuses to stay dead. She likes to cover all bases. Michael, zombies...got a couple of hobgoblin defenses lined up just in case. If one is going to be prepared, might as well cover all bases. Except when it comes to well lit rooms and moving the mannequins out. Who has time for that? Sigh. My computer froze and I missed everything after the spooky mannequin rom. What happened? They eventually got him into the basement, and lit him on fire. Which he'll almost assuredly walk off. Oh, good. Less good. And we hear his spooky breathing at the end of the credits, so... And Allison has a knife. Of course we do. I haven't been able to pull up a light note to end on, so I'm open to suggestions! Goose game! Goose game it is! How about a fun goose game highlight reel? Beautiful! He's enjoying the moment. Sun hat! put it in the pond! What did this old man ever do to anyone? He dared try to get work done. Tried to keep the goose out of the garden! Unforgiveable! Unforgourdable! I'm having this great idea for a game for you to stream sometime! I'm thinking the same thing! I thought he did too! no, no, it's floating back! Somebody do something! Oh this kid gets TERRORIZED What kinda scam is she running here! Clearly she knows how to make the money. oh my gosh I wonder if you could make him buy back his glasses... His evil delight is infectious. He is having too much fun. What kind of person walks right up to a goose to take a ribbon off it I want to play this, but I don't think it's on steam... yet. That's going to be a beautiful day when it is. Right? Well, that wraps it up, I'd say! I am very glad I did not miss out. Your streams are definitely a highlight. Goodnight, and thanks for the stream! Oh, hush! But don't, of course, never hush. Thank you for coming! Good night!

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staytheb · 5 years

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The Night’s Not Over Yet

Pairing: PTG’s Wooseok x OC [Melanie] || PTG’s Yeo One x OC [Serena] Genre: slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 5,137 Summary: Wooseok likes Melanie and Changgu likes Serena, yet will they be able to convince the girls that the time they’re spending together is a date and to get an actual confession out of them, too? part two {More Time}

Warning: none... just a few swear words and very minor violence and empty threats (lol) not proofread and i wrote different two years ago than i do now... so yeah.

so i was going through the tags and realized there weren’t that many Pentagon stories and so i thought that i would share the ones i’ve written in the past on another site and put it here on tumblr as well. each part has a part two, but i don’t think it’s necessary for you to read them, but for it to make sense better than you should. other than that happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"Did I really have to come when you could have just dropped the baby off yourself?" Serena scoffed as her sister grinned widely while Melanie was the one driving. "Of course. It's a win-win situation for everybody, Serena." "Yeah right, Melanie. Maybe for you and the baby." Serena grumbled just as she saw the sign of the amusement park up ahead. "You'll be fine." Melanie dismissed her sister with a wave of her hand. "It's not like you'll be the third wheel or anything." "Of course I'll be a third wheel because I didn't want to come in the first place." "Stop." "Auntie." Lia calls from the backseat.

"Yes, Lia?" Both of them answer as Lia giggles while turning away from them to look outside the window. "Pretty. Pretty. Pretty." She points at the scenery as the sisters agreed with a laugh. "Yes, Lia, it's pretty." Melanie answered as she turned into the amusement park's parking lot. "You wanna play games, Lia?" "Yeah!" Their niece turned towards Serena with a bright look as she clapped her hands together. "Play games. Play games." "Soon, Lia. Soon." Melanie told them as she put the car into park and turned off the engine. "Can meet daddy, too." "Daddy!" She repeated with happiness as she waited.

The duo got out of the car with Serena helping her niece out while Melanie gathered Lia's things. "I don't know why they wanted to meet here, but I figured it must be because of her kids." "I hope we don't have to hang out with them. I mean, I'll play with Lia, but her other kids, no thanks." "You're telling me." Melanie said as the trio made their way to the front of the amusement park where they were supposed to meet their brother and his problematic on and off again girlfriend and her kids. Serena faced her niece. "Ready to meet daddy?" "Yeah!" Lia cheered as her eyes took in the scene around her. "Pretty." "Yeah, super pretty."

Serena realized something and looked over at Melanie. "Shouldn't you be holding her and I hold her stuff?" "You're the one that did that yourself." Melanie shrugged as Serena motioned with her head. "Let's switched before she gets attached." Lia transferred to Melanie's arms while Serena took the Poppy backpack and wore it comfortably after placing the strap of her messenger bag across her body. "You just wanted an excuse to wear her backpack." "That too." "Poppy." Lia reached a hand out towards the purple backpack. "Auntie wear it for now." Serena told her. "Auntie give it back to you later. Okay?" "Okay."

The trio were greeted by their brother, Kang, a moment later. "Yo, over here." He waved them over as Lia leaned towards her father and he took her into his arms. "Hi, princess." He greeted as she giggled once her dad's face nuzzled against her. "Were you a good girl for auntie?" Lia continued to giggle. "Thanks." Kang thanked his sisters. "Her mom wanted to come here for the youngest son's birthday." "Boo." Serena let out as she rolled her eyes. "And what, you're gonna pay for everything?" "No. She said she was taking care of all that." "Yeah right." Melanie disagreed. "Watch. She's going to make you pay for everything." "No I'm not." "Sure."

"Are you guys going to stay or leave?" Kang asked a second later. Serena shrugged and pointed at Melanie. "She drove so ask her." "I mean we can hang out for a bit." "Ugh." Serena eyed her sister as Melanie grinned. "Play with Lia." "Oh yeah, go ahead and play with her." Kang said as he set his daughter onto the ground. "Go play with auntie, princess." Lia smiled up at Serena and walked towards her. "No. Go play with auntie Nini." Lia looked towards Melanie who then pointed at Serena. "No. Auntie Rina wants to play with you instead." Lia walked closer to Serena who backed up with a smile.

"Auntie." Lia walked towards Serena thinking it was a game of chase as Serena continued to play with her. "Auntie gonna go now." "No. Stay." Lia said as she chased after Serena who had turned around to run away, but ended up running into another person. She and the other person tumbled to the ground with both of their parties watching the event unfold in amusement. "You're so embarrassing." Serena heard her sister say as she tried to scramble to her feet while apologizing to the person. "I'm sorry." Serena realized she recognized him, but didn't mentioned it. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too." He smiled at her before smiling sweetly.

"Hey, I know you." "Um, no you don't. We've never met. Anyways, bye." She told him as she picked up her niece to divert the attention elsewhere. "Let's go play, Lia." "Yeah, yeah! Play! Play!" Lia cheered as Serena ran off with her inside the park. Melanie laughed at the whole ordeal when she felt Kang nudged her. "Hmm?" "You go play with them." He handed her several bills. "Get whatever you guys want or whatever Lia wants. I'll meet you guys later. I'm still gonna wait for Dina." "Alright, cool then. Let me know." Melanie said as she bid her brother goodbye and went to go find her sister and niece.

While she was casually walking Melanie felt something hit her head. She looked down and spotted a small hackey sack. She picked it up and looked for the culprit and saw a familiar face coming up to her. "Is this your ball, Wooseok?" "Hey there Melanie and um, yeah. Sorry about that." She tossed the ball at him which he caught effortlessly. "Were you trying to get my attention by using that or was your target elsewhere?" Melanie teased as Wooseok let out an awkward laugh. "No, it wasn't like that." "I'm teasing." Before either of them could say more Melanie felt a light tap against her thigh.

"C'mon." Lia urged Melanie as she took a hold of her aunt's hand and began to pull her away. "Well, I gotta go, Wooseok, but see you tomorrow at work." "Yeah, see ya." Melanie looked down at her niece. "Where's auntie Rina?" "Over there." Lia pointed with her other hand where Serena was now eating a large corn-dog. "Is your head okay?" "Yeah, how about your face?" "What about my face?" "I saw you smiling when you saw that guy. Cute, huh?" "Shut up. Where's Kang?" Serena asked upon not seeing her brother. "He's gonna wait for Dina." "Boo." "He gave me money. Let's go play." "Cool, Lia wants to play the Duck Pond." "I'm sure that's you."

~~~~~~~~~~

"So Serena, did you get a chance to see that cute guy again?" Melanie asked Serena as the trio were eating dinner after playing for two hours. "No and I'm glad this place is huge. Why do you even care?" Serena said eyeing her sister as Melanie shrugged with a hidden smile. "Just asking." "For some reason I feel like you know something that I don't." Melanie shrugged again although her expression still made Serena suspicious, but nevertheless disregarded the topic. "Anyways, what do you wanna do after this?" The sisters looked at their niece who was still eating her fries. "What do you wanna do, Lia?" Serena asked the little kid instead.

"Lia can't do anything else. Kang wants us to meet him at the entrance in a few minutes." Melanie informed her sister after she checked her phone. "Now he wants to meet us? She didn't show up, huh?" Serena said as Melanie rolled her eyes. "Well, if you read the group text message then yeah." "Such a waste." "Not really since you won this big ass Domo doll for Lia." "Domo." Lia cooed upon hearing the name and petting the large stuffed doll that was just a few inches bigger than her. "Yeah, after she got used to it and stopped calling him scary." "That was funny."

"Anyways," Melanie began piling the other trash together, "I'll take her since Kang said not to bring the backpack or the doll since the mom's going to take it and not give it back or something like that." "What else is new?" "I know right." Melanie faced Lia. "Are you done eating?" "Yeah." Lia answered as she was now playing with her food. "Okay. Let's go potty and then go see daddy, okay." "Okay!" Lia let out happily as she climbed off the bench. "Bye, Lia." Serena bid her goodbye as Lia went to hug her. "Bye auntie." "See ya in a bit." Melanie informed as Serena gave her the O.K. sign as she stayed behind.

~~~~~~~

After Melanie dropped her niece off with her brother and missed the chance of seeing Dina and was on her way back to meeting up with Serena when she literally bumped into her male co-worker once again. "Is this payback for me hitting you with the hackey sack earlier, Nini?" Wooseok teased as Melanie rubbed her face and stared up at him. "Um, no. I just didn't see you." "That I can hardly believed with how tall I am." "I wasn't looking so it could be possible for me to not see you, Wooseok." Melanie dismissed as she maneuvered around him to continue on her way, but the male blocked her.

"Aww, don't be like that. I was just teasing." "Haha. Not." Melanie crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Wooseok with boredom. "Is there something that you need?" "Not really, but I didn't know you had a daughter." "I don't." "Oh. Wow, that's just awkward." Melanie laughed at his assumption. "You thought I had a daughter? That's my niece. I can't believe you thought she was my daughter." "It's an honest mistake, Melanie." "But that's just so funny, Wookseok. Ahh, I can't wait to tell Serena about this." "You mean your sister?" "Yeah. How do you know her?" "Hongseok."

"Of course. Wait, is he here?" "Yeah, he's with the others." "Okay. Cool." Melanie smiled mischievously as she pulled out her phone to message something to Hongseok. "What are you doing?" "Just messaging Hongseok." "Do you like him?" "What?" Melanie asked once she finished messaging their other co-worker. "No, Wooseok. I don't like Hongseok. I told him to bother my sister. They're good friends." "Wait, isn't she the one that Changgu likes and bumped into earlier?" "Yeah, anyways, are the others with you or are you by yourself?" "I was just waiting for Hyunggu and Yuto. They wanted to win some toy or something."

"Okay, then. You can stay waiting for them. I'm going back to Serena." Melanie told him as she side-stepped around him, but Wooseok took a hold of her forearm. "Why don't you keep me company?" "Why?" "Because we never hang outside of work." "So, your point is?" "You always hang out with the others, but when I want to hang out with you, you're busy." "Because I am. Also, I'm lazy. You always ask to hang out on the days that we're busy and I just want to go home." Melanie reasoned as Wooseok pouted slightly. "Well, we're not at work now. So let's hang out." "Okay. What do you want to do?"

"Oh, I don't know." Wooseok laughed sheepishly as Melanie rolled her eyes playfully. "Wow." "Give me a second." "One second." "You know what I mean." "Alright, whatever." "Let's just ditched the two and it'll be just us two." "Like a date?" "Yeah." Wooseok's eyes widened upon what he said as he corrected himself clumsily. "Uh, wait, that's not what I meant. Like not as in a date. Just a hang out with just us two. You and me. Me and you. Just the two of us. Not as a date." Wooseok eyed the female who shot him an amused look. "Unless you want it to be a date." Melanie chuckled while shaking her head. "You're cute, you know that?"

"Is that a yes?" Wooseok asked unsure as Melanie shrugged with a smile still upon her face. "I dunno. Yuto and Hyunggu are coming back and I'm still here with my sister." "So, that's a no." Wooseok confirmed as Melanie shook her head with another laugh coming out causing Wooseok to be even more confused. "You're so difficult to read, Melanie." "I'm not meant to be easy, Wooseok." Wooseok eyed her as Melanie ran a hand through her hair with a small smile. "The night's not over yet. We'll see what happens." She told Wooseok who's face broke into a relieved grin. "Really?" "Yeah, now let's go find the other two to meet the rest."

~~~~~~~

Serena was joined by another person that wasn't her sister as he took the few pieces of french fries from her hand and ate it instead. "Rude." Serena glared at the male, but softened her expression a second later as she pushed the rest of her food towards the male so he could finish it. "What are you doing here, Hongseok?" "I'm sure I'm the one that should be asking you that question, Serena." Hongseok answered as he finished the rest of her food with a wide smile. "I thought you had to take care of something and that's why you didn't want to come hang out tonight."

"I did have something to do, but..." Serena made a face while casting him a teasing look. "I didn't want to hang out with you and your girlfriend." Hongseok rolled his eyes. "Sora's not my girlfriend." "She sure acts like one whenever I'm around you." "Sora says it's because you're mean to her." "As if. I'm the most nicest person ever, Seok." "Only when you smile." Serena scowled as Hongseok laughed at her reaction. "Anyways, the others are here, too." "I don't know your group of friends, Hongseok, plus it's a bunch of guys and your girlfri-" "Stop." "The guys and Sora." She then eyed him. "How did you even know I was here?"

"Melanie told me and said you would be with the purple Poppy backpack." Hongseok answered while patting the backpack as Serena looked at him suspiciously. "How do you even know my sister?" "We work together." "No you don't." "Yeah we do." "No. You. Don't." "Yeah. I. Do." "She would've told me." "Maybe she doesn't know that you and I know each other, Rina." "Then why would she tell you to come bother me if she didn't think you and I know each other, Hongseok." "Oh, right." "Wow and you said you had a great sense." "I do. It's just been off tonight." "Probably because of your g-" "Don't." "Fine."

Serena rolled her eyes playfully. "It's probably because Sora's been dragging you around to ride the Tunnel of Love or the Ferris Wheel ride, but you've been avoiding it by doing something else instead." "Yeah, basically." "You really need to tell her that you don't like her. She's just gonna be more obsessed with you." "I have, but it doesn't get through to her. Maybe you could help me out, Serena." "Yeah, no thanks, Hongseok. The last time I tried helping out a home boy I almost got stabbed by a fork." "But could it be any worse by almost drowning in the Tunnel of Love or almost falling a hundred feet from the top of the Ferris Wheel?"

"Really, Seok? You're actually trying to persuade me with those possible outcomes?" "Yeah, Rina, of course. I'll even throw in a few ab flashes at your own pleasure." Serena backhanded his shoulder as Hongseok laughed. "What? Don't act like you don't like it." "I don't." "Are you blushing?" He teased while poking her arm as she tried smacking his finger away, but he continued to keep on poking her. "I swear, Hongseok, you're so annoying." "I may be annoying, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't act like this if the offer was coming from another person." He stated with a smirk as Serena narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Hongseok shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous look and before Serena could get an answer out of him she felt a sting across her left cheek coming out of nowhere. Just as Serena touched her burning cheek she heard Hongseok's voice turned angry while standing up. "Sora! What are you doing? How could you just hit Serena like that?" "How could I? How could you leave me just to hang out with this bitch?" Sora cried as she pointed at Serena. "You and I were on a date, Hongseok. I can't believe you would do something like this to me." Sora glared at Serena who then just glared right back at her after the stinging subsided.

"Bitch, he don't even like you. He never did and won't ever. You guys aren't even on a date. You're all here with a group of his friends who don't even like you, too." Serena lashed out due to being fed up with Sora's behavior that was built and held on to from over the years. "I don't know why you can't see it, Sora, but it's obvious that he doesn't like you like how you like him. So please do all of us a favor and just leave Hongseok alone for good and find someone else that will actually like you back." Hongseok stared at Serena in shock because he didn't think that she would actually say all that while Sora just fumed even more.

"Who do you think you are to tell me that I can or can't hang out with Hongseok, Serena?" Sora countered as she readied her hand to smack Serena again, but Serena stood up and caught her wrist. "A very good friend of his, that's who, Sora. Now, back the fuck off or you'll find yourself needing plastic surgery after I mess up that face of yours." Sora yanked her hand out of Serena's grip and directed the slap at Hongseok's face instead before storming off while sprouting incoherent words aimed at the duo and pushing pass two of Hongseok's friends that were supposed to keep Sora distracted.

"I guess being slapped isn't so bad compared to being almost stabbed by a fork." Hongseok said to lightened the mood as Serena glared at him. "Shut up, Seok, or I'll punch you where she smacked you, too." "Why don't you kiss it to make it better, Rina?" He continued his playfulness as Serena motioned to hit him as he backed away laughing. "I'm kidding. Sheesh, lighten up, Serena." Serena remembered the other two males and motioned for them to get their friend. "Hwitaek and Hyojung, please get your friend before he finds himself six feet under soon or you'll be joining him, too."

"Hey, leave us out of it." Hwitaek said as he and Hyojung came closer. "We told him about Sora just as much as you did, Serena." "Yeah." Hyojung agreed as he threw an arm around Hongseok's shoulder. "Besides, I don't mind writing an eulogy for him." Hongseok rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be on my side guys." "That's a hard side to be on when Sora treated us like dirt and worship the ground you walked on." Hyojung countered with a grin as Hwitaek agreed with a loud laugh and threw an arm around Serena's shoulders. "Yeah. I'm so glad you finally took care of her, Serena." "No help from any of you."

"You know you still like us." Hongseok cooed as he playfully tapped on Serena's cheeks with his fingertips. "I'm deleting you off all of my social media accounts." Serena slapped his fingers away and rubbed her cheeks. "You're so weird, Hongseok." "Wow, that's harsh." "Serves you right, you butt-head." "It's okay. I can always ask Melanie for any updates about you." "Stalker." "You wouldn't say that about the guy that actually does it so he can get to know you better." Hongseok revealed as Serena stared at him. "You're joking, right?" "Maybe. Maybe not." Hongseok teased as he ruffled her hair and she smacked his hands away.

Serena faced the other two. "He's joking right? Do you guys know anything?" "I do know something." Hwitaek cooed. "But I'm not saying anything. Ow." Serena elbowed Hwitaek away from her and took a step towards Hyojung who ended up hiding behind Hongseok. "Hongseok can't protect you, Hyojung." "But he works out everyday, Rina. He should be able to." Hyojung reasoned as Serena frowned. "I don't care, Hyo. Come out now." Hongseok laughed as he intervened and pulled Serena into a headlock. "Stop picking on people, Serena. Hasn't anyone told you to play nice with the others?" "No."

Hongseok released her and she punched him. "You're seriously annoying." "I know, but why not ask Melanie about all of this, Rina. She'll have fun giving you answers." "I seriously hate you." "Hate who?" Someone asked as the duo turned to Melanie along with the rest of Hongseok's group of friends. "You." Serena deadpanned as her eyes caught familiar ones and she diverted her attention elsewhere when he waved at her. "Well, Nini, you can hang out here. I'm gonna catch the bus home." "Not uh. We're still gonna play." "Ugh, why?" "Because you have to say hi to your friends." "Um, technically, Melanie, they're all Hongseok's friends."

"That's not true, Serena." The shortest of the group said as he moved forward with arms opened wide for a hug. "You've known me the longest and even before I've met Hongseok." "Shut up, Jinho. Nobody was supposed to know that." Serena shushed him as she glared at him playfully. "You can kiss that pink sweater I was going to buy for you for Christmas goodbye." "Aww, Rina, don't do that. I bought your present already." "You're just making it worse." "I think someone needs a hug." Jinho teased as he moved forward, but Serena took a hold of the Domo plush and held it in front of her. "Don't you dare, Jin. You know how hard I can hit."

"Yeah, I remember." Jinho rubbed the back part of his head as the memory from the first time they had met crossed his mind. "Oh, is that the story where Serena threw the baseball at you Jinho before she fell out of the tree because she was pretending to be a cat?" Shinwon asked recalling the story as Serena went on the defense. "I was not pretending to be a cat, Shinwon. I had to climb the stupid tree because Jinho was afraid of heights and couldn't get his stupid baseball." "Really? Jinho told us otherwise." Yanan stated. "He said you wished you were a cat and fell out because you were distracted by the ball."

Serena narrowed her eyes at Jinho who smiled innocently at her. "Now that I think about it, I really don't remember the story at all." "Wait, I do." Melanie piped up as she tried to recall the story. "Serena mentioned this a few years back, but she said that she was hanging out in her favorite tree when some kid bothered her and kept throwing his baseball around her. She got so annoyed that when she went to grab it she ended up falling out of the tree and spraining her wrist." Melanie laughed. "Yet, she still threw the ball and it hit the kid in the back of the head and they later shared a hospital room."

"Can we not talk about how Jinho and I met?" Serena said as Hyunggu looked over at her with a wry smile. "You would think you'll be comfortable by now since we've been friends for three years." "We're not friends." Serena deadpanned as Hyunggu shot her a 'yeah right' face. "Anyways," Hongseok interjected, "Let's go play some games." He grinned as everyone else cheered while Serena elbowed him away and whispered for only him to hear. "I swear one of these days, or maybe tomorrow, but I'm seriously gonna spike your protein shakes." "I can't wait for that day so I can take you down with me." "I hate you." "Love you, too."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you think they'll hate us?" Yuto asked the other seven males as they watched their friends slowly ride the Ferris Wheel in two separate compartments with Yuto holding on to the Domo plush doll that was now wearing the purple backpack. "I mean, Wooseok and Changgu are probably happy, but I don't know about how Melanie and Serena would feel about it." "Serena will be totally fine, Yuto, I think." Jinho laughed as he nudged Hongseok knowing. "It's obvious that she likes Changgu despite how discreetly she tries to hide it." "I know." Hongseok laughed in agreement. "But just prepared to make a run for it when she comes at us." "I know."

"But does Melanie even like Wooseok?" Yanan voiced unsure as he looked at the others. "I don't remember if she mentioned or shown interest in him." "Now that you mention it, Yanan, I don't know either." Hyojung added with a confused face. "Does she even like Wooseok?" "I figured she either liked Hyunggu or Yuto though, but never thought it would turn out to be Wooseok." Shinwon reasoned as he pointed at the two said males. "Melanie always talks about them." "What do you mean she talks about us?" Hyunggu asked with a curious face. "What does she say?" "That you're a mischievous brat." "I concur." Hyunggu chuckled.

"What did she say about me?" Yuto asked as Shinwon laughed gazing at the male. "That you need to smile more." "I do smile." "Oh, wait, never mind. That's Serena. She says you hardly smile." "She scares me." The other boys laughed at Yuto's words as Hongseok confirmed that Melanie did indeed like Wooseok after reading a love note she had written for him, but threw it away and he happened to see it. "Well," Hwitaek began as he glanced once more at the Ferris Wheels. "Let's go do something and not wait around here." "Yeah." The other seven chorused as the group of eight left the ride and went to do something else.

~~~~~~~

"So, Wooseok, was this planned from the get-go or what?" Melanie asked Wooseok as the two sat across from one another in their compartment. "Yes and no." Wooseok admitted with a sheepish laugh. "No as I didn't think you'll be here, but yes when the others found out that I liked you and have been planning to get us together since then." Melanie chuckled. "How long have you liked me?" "Um, since the first day you first started working." He mumbled, but it was loud enough for her to hear. "Wow, that's cute." "What about you?" Wooseok asked a moment later. "Me? I can't say." Melanie chuckled softly. "But I realized it a while ago."

Wooseok let out a big breath as Melanie looked at him weirdly. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. I'm just relieved that you like me back or this would have turned out super awkward." "But I didn't actually say that I liked you though." Wooseok's eyes widened and he let out a cough embarrassed by the whole ordeal until he heard Melanie laughing. "I'm teasing, but I like you, too, Wooseok." "Okay, you need to stop doing that." Wooseok advised her. "You keep making my heart flutter in so many ways." Melanie laughed upon hearing that as she looked out the window. "You're really cute, Wooseok."

"Well, you're cuter, Melanie." Wooseok told her as she cast her attention back onto him. "I'm not cute." "Whatever you say, but now that we confessed that we like one another. Are we going to hang out more outside of work?" Melanie shrugged. "Depends." "On what?" "If I'm not feeling lazy." "C'mon, Nini. How are we supposed to build up our relationship if you keep making excuses to not hang out with me?" "If it happens, Wooseok, then it happens." Melanie smiled as Wooseok pouted. "Don't be such a baby." "I'm not being a baby." "The night's not over yet, Wooseok." He perked up upon hearing that. "You right. You right. I got time."

~~~~~~~

The other compartment was quiet with Changgu observing Serena while her attention remained downcast at the floor as her eyes were closed. She didn't mean to ignore him, but the squeaking sound of the cart, the rocking motion of the ride moving, and being inside a small enclosed space made her feel anxious. So Serena tried not to think about it, but she suddenly tensed when the ride jerk a bit and her arms shot out to braced themselves against the metal walls on either side of her. Changgu eyebrows furrowed wondering what he should do to comfort the female.

"Hey." He softly called out to her as Serena's posture remained the same even though she did hear him. "I'm sorry you got dragged onto this ride with me." He apologized still using a soft tone while Serena shook her head slowly. "It's not your fault so you don't have to apologize." She mumbled and Changgu smiled upon receiving a response and held out his hands. "Let me see your hands." He ordered in a polite manner. Serena opened her eyes and spied his offered hands and tentatively placed hers into his. Changgu gave them a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, Serena. I'm right here. When we get off I give you full reign to torture the guys."

Serena smiled with a scoff and Changgu chuckled upon catching it. "Alright, there's that pretty smile I like." He gave her hands another small squeeze before speaking again. "You think you can look at me now?" Serena gave herself a few seconds before lifting her head to meet his gaze. "There we go." He smiled gently at her while slowly swinging their held hands left and right. "Are you feeling better?" Serena nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks, Changgu." She smiled at him, but caught the way his facial expression changed when she said his name. "I thought you said we don't know each other?" He mused as Serena straightened her posture.

"Technically we're just mutual friends." Serena reasoned as Changgu laughed. "True, but we can change that." "By asking my sister about my life updates." "So you found out, huh?" "I only pieced it together when you and I got shoved inside this thing." Changgu laughed once again and squeezed her hands for comfort. "Well now that you know, Serena, we can skip the formalities and go straight to the point." "What point, Changgu?" "You agreeing to go on a date with me." "And if I say no?" "That you're running away from your feelings. Melanie's words, not mine." Changgu clarified with a smile. "Besides, the night's not over yet. I still have time."

~~~~~~~~~~

#staytheb #pentagon scenarios #jung wooseok #yeo changgu #yeo one

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madelinecoffee · 6 years

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Is This Seat Taken? Ch. 8

Is This Seat Taken? Ch. 7

Summary: Rucas Senior Year AU. Riley’s a loner who doesn’t really have any friends, besides her twin brother Josh but she keeps to herself in school. Something happened the year before where she missed the 2nd half of the year but she’s back for senior year and Lucas’ heart is ready. He’s had a crush on her since he moved to Philly in 3rd grade and he’s convinced this is the year they’ll move up from the class-friends label and into something more. This is not a completely fluffy fic, I’m going to be diving into some deep shit so if that’s not your cup of tea please leave *this does include some serious depression if it goes beyond that I will trigger warn it* A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying this story, if you are let me know your thoughts!

Tagging: @roadlesswandered @celluloiddreams @imaginarybird Words: 1560 Previous: Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch.4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7

Maya was the first one up she sat up to look around, it was obvious that her and Lucas’ parents had come down when they were asleep. Her and Josh were covered in another blanket, as was Zay. He was snoring lightly and Maya had so suppress her chuckle. When she looked over at her brother her heart melted. Riley was laying almost completely on top on him with her head on his chest and her fingers gripping his shirt. Lucas had both arms wrapped around her waist and his cheek resting on the top of her head. They were covered very slightly with a blue blanket Maya was sure their dad put over them, but in the scuffle of sleep it seemed to have been bunched down.

Maya quickly took a picture and sent it to the group with the caption “look at the love birds”, she crawled out of bed careful not to wake anyone and went upstairs.

Her parents were drinking coffee on the island she gave them both a hug as she turned on the kettle to make some tea.

“’Morning Maya” her Dad greeted her while grabbing her favorite mug from the shelf and handing it to her

“The rest of the gang still asleep downstairs?” Her mom asked

Maya nodded as she prepped her mug, “Yeah but I’m guessing they’ll be up soon, there’s no way though that Riley’s getting up without Lucas. Oh let me show you the picture!” Her parents shuffled in close to see the picture she had snapped of the two.

“They are just too cute for words!”

“Jumpin’ Junebugs, those two are really going for the long hall aren’t they Katy?”

Katy chuckled, “Sleeping together like that, yeah we should just start calling Riley our other daughter already. Gosh send me that picture Maya. Anyway, I was thinking of making waffles for you guys? What do you think?”

At that moment the rest of the gang traipsed up the stairs, Josh and Zay were joking around and laughing about the picture. Lucas was carrying Riley on his back with her arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist.

Maya’s mom was concerned when she saw them, “Oh is everything alright with Riley?”

Lucas and Josh both laughed while Josh answered, “Yeah she’s fine just sleepy and kind of incoherent until she has coffee”

Lucas’ Dad chuckled, “A girl after my own heart, we just made a fresh pot. You kids grab your mugs and help yourselves!”

Lucas nodded as he maneuvered around the kitchen with Riley still on his back, he got her a purple mug and prepped her coffee.

Josh just shook his head at them while Zay cheered Lucas on as he went through the steps before placing Riley on a stool with her coffee, Riley gave Lucas a kiss before he got his own coffee.

Maya sat down next to Riley and nudged her, “Wow he’s putting you before his coffee he must love you a lot”

Riley blushed as she started down at her coffee “Well he likes me enough to let me use him as a pillow, thanks for that picture by the way its my new background”

Maya beamed, “I’m honored!”

The gang laughed and ate breakfast together, Riley had been so worried that telling them would have her end up loosing them but she felt relief as they carried on like normal.

Later that day Maya and Riley were out together shopping, they girls were having a good time chatting on giving each other different clothing options.

As Maya gave Riley a floral dress she thought she’d look good in Riley spoke up. “This is really nice, thanks Maya.”

Maya gave her a confused look, “Thanks for what? We’re friends and its nice to have a close girl friend, the boys are not that much fun to shop with”

Riley nodded, “For that, for being my friend even knowing about all my issues. Like I don’t always respond to your text and most of the times when we hang out we just hang out at home because I’m too tired to get out of the house”

Maya shrugged, “We all got stuff, I love you like you’re my sister which no doubt you will be someday. I’m not going to treat you different for the way your mind works” Before Maya could think or make another movement Riley gave her a big hug,

“Oh Peaches!” Maya smiled and hugged her back, when they were friends in elementary school Riley had called Maya that and it warmed Maya’s heart to hear it again. “You know I love you too right?”

Maya nodded, “I do, don’t worry. Lucas told me you were concerned that we were going to leave you once we found out about your stuff.”

Riley nodded, “Yeah, but now I don’t!” Riley beamed as Maya chuckled

“Let’s go try this stuff on, and find an outfit that’ll knock Lucas over!”

The girls laughed as they headed into the dressing room. Unaware of someone listening intently to their conversation

As the normal school week progressed Riley generally felt well, Lucas was with her and always supportive of what she doing or try to do. And her friends and twin were a good distraction at lunch. But Riley had a nagging feeling that someone kept watching her. When she mentioned it to her friends, they told her they’d keep an eye out but so far nothing had come up.

Until Friday near the end of the day, Josh was off to work on his boxing with their grandpa who was in town so Riley was going home with Maya and Lucas. Zay was going to come over and they were going to play some games. Before they left though Maya had to go to the bathroom, so Riley went with her. While Maya was in the stall a girl that Riley did not like much approached Riley, Missy and Riley were never friends and Missy was always a bit rude to Riley.

“You know it’s never going to last?”

Riley spurred, “Wh-what are you talking about?”

Missy laughed a cruel laugh, “You and Lucas, and those friends of yours. Sooner or later they’ll get tired of dealing with you. I mean really, you and Lucas go on one date and suddenly your dating? I’ve been trying to get with that since eight grade and there’s no way you little nothing-Riley-Matthews will stay with him”

Riley was in tears now and her breathing was getting shallow, before Missy could start again Maya came out of the stall.

“Missy back the fuck off, my brother has never liked you everyone and their mother knows he’s only had eyes for Riley. And just because you feel entitled to date him doesn’t mean anything. Get your shit together and leave Riley alone” Maya seemed so cool and collected but inside she was filled with rage, Lucas wasn’t the only one with some anger problems.

Missy just smirked cruelly at Riley, “Think about what I said Riley, and don’t worry we’ll talk again soon”

Riley started crying harder once Missy left and once Maya washed her hands she grabbed both her and Riley’s bags and pulled Riley out, “Come on Riles we’ll go see Lucas okay?”

Riley nodded shaking slightly, everything Missy had told Riley was what she was afraid of. She was so in her head about it that she didn’t realize they had made it to the jeep until she was in Lucas’ arms. She realized she was still crying as she tuned into his voice, he was stroking her hair and murmuring words of comfort and promising her what Missy said wasn’t true. Lucas tossed his keys to Maya as he picked up Riley and put her in the back before he climbed in himself.

On the way back to his place Riley had stopped her crying but was still sniffling.

Katy immediately gave Riley a big hug when she came into the house.

“Oh Riley dear what happened? Did you fall?” When Riley was younger she was quiet clumsy and when her and Maya played Katy was often patching her up

Lucas spoke up angrily, “Some bitch corned her in the bathroom spewing bullshit.”

Katy glared at Lucas but let the swearing go, she knew how upset he was about the situation.

Riley spoke up softly, “It’s okay, and Maya defend me. Thanks Maya”

Maya came over and gave her a hug, “Always Honey”

Zay nodded, “Alright Sugar, do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted from it?”

Riley took a moment to think as Lucas came over and took her in his arms, she snuggled her face into his chest as she made her decision “I would like to be distracted, for now. And I want to cuddles”

Zay chuckled, “Well I’m sure Lucas can give you cuddles while we hang out, why don’t we play a game.”

Maya nodded, “That sounds good, let’s play a video game!”

Lucas grabbed Riley’s legs putting them around his waist as he held her closer to his chest, “That sounds like a plan”

They headed down Lucas carrying Riley, “I know you’re still thinking about what she said, but you’re not nothing. To me you’re a princess”

#my writing #is this seat taken?#rucas fic #gmw net

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kayoiwritingarchivies · 6 years

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TITLE: Post mortem viventem

CHAPTER TITLE: TWO: If it happened twice, it'll happen three times.

WARNINGS AND RATINGS: Rated T for swearing, major character death and suicide

FANDOMS: Detroit: Become Human

SUMMARY: So, if androids don't have souls, why does Connor see the ghosts of shut down Deviants? Why does he see ghosts in general? (In which Connor sees more than he is meant to, and it changes less than you think.)

Sitting on Connor’s borrowed desk, Daniel began to nickname every person in the police station while Henry politely listened, and Cole gave his own interjections, and Connor half tuned in, scanning the deviancy cases on the terminal.

“See, that man,” Daniel says, pointing to who Connor identified as Todd Williams, “Is Stink-man. He’s Stink-man because he looks like he takes drugs and doesn’t shower. Gavin Reed over there? He’s I-repress-my-issues-by-being-a-horrible-human-being. He’s called that because he is a horrible person, so logic dictates that he has a sad anime backstory.”

Cole then points at Captain Fowler and says “That’s I’m-always-angry-because-Hank’s-disciplinary-file-is-a-book-but-I-can’t-legally-sell-it-as-one.”

“Why is that, Cole?” Henry asks.

“Because Dad’s disciplinary file really is a book.”

Connor then gets up, walks over to Hank’s table, and asks him about the case, and Hank get’s angry enough to shove him against the wall, prompting a whimper from Henry, a “Whoa what?” from Daniel and a “Dad no!” from Cole.

Then a police officer comes, tells them about a deviant and a small girl being sighted in the Ravendale district. The same ones from the report that was submitted by Todd “Stink-man” Williams that morning.

Daniel sighs, hooks an arm around Henry and says “Well, Henry my boy, you’re gonna learn how to investigate by talking to ghosts, are you ready?”

“Don’t corrupt him Daniel.” Connor mutters, walking past them to Hank’s car.

“I do what I want Connor!” Daniel yells at him, dragging Henry by the arm.

-LINE BREAK-

Turns out the Ravendale District Lead was a huge waste of time because the deviant and the small child are long gone, which irritates Daniel because now he can’t corrupt teach Henry anything and frustrates Cole because nothing cool happened. Henry, for all intents and purposes, seems pretty chill about it, and that just makes Daniel even more irritated.

So here they are. Under a small umbrella in front of a food truck named “Chicken Feed”. Hank eating a burger that is about 5 sticks of butter in terms of calories, Connor asking and answering questions, Daniel pouting, Henry standing awkwardly to the side and Cole chasing after cats, who damn well knows something is there and hiss whenever he comes too close.

“Is there anything you would like to know about me?” Connor asks, cocking his head to the side.

“Nah, not really.” Hank replies, chewing on his burger. “Actually, on second thought, yeah. Why they make you so goofy looking and give you that weird voice?”

Connor blinks, and answers with “CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice, are specifically designed to integrate into any social situation.”

Hank considers for a moment, and then says in a flat sort of voice, “Well, they fucked up.”

Daniel starts laughing, leaning onto Henry for support. “Oh boy! That’s a good one, and it’s true!”

Henry mutters “That’s not very nice Daniel…” which Daniel dismisses with a wave of his translucent hand.

“It’s okay if it’s funny, you need to remember that.”

“It’s really not…”

Connor LED blinks yellow for a couple of minutes, and then he says “We got a lead…perhaps we can go check it out. I’ll leave you to your meal Lieutenant.”

And then Connor goes back to the car, not sparing a glance at the ghosts, Daniel following after him, yelling “Wait are you mad at me? Don’t be please it was a joke I swear!” and Henry silently trailing behind them.

It’s raining that day, but the sky will clear up soon.

-LINE BREAK-

The apartment is filled with pigeons. Hank Anderson and Cole Anderson are scared of pigeons. Someone has been here, evident by the very encrypted journal found in a hole in the wall, and by balancing Daniel on Henry’s shoulders, they find the deviant in the ceiling, and Daniel yells “Connor! C’mere for a minute and look up, I just want to make sure what I’m seeing is right”

Connor comes, stands on the seat and looks up. The Deviant jumps down a moment later, knocking Connor to the ground. The group stands still for a minute while the deviant runs off, followed by Hank yelling at him to go after it, and Connor skids out the door in pursuit.

Daniel groans, and runs after him, Henry on his heels. Cole stays with his dad, and the three of them run after the deviant, even if it only thinks Connor and Hank are chasing it.

-LINE BREAK-

Connor bursts out of a corn field, to see the deviant having a brief scuffle with Hank on the roof top, before pushing him off the roof top. Connor can feel time slow as he gauges his options.

Then a sense of irrationality, a push, a shove makes him grab Hank’s hand and pull him up, while Daniel yells “I’ll get it!”, which roughly translates to “I’ll get it, but I’m going to fuck up somewhere and it’s not going to end well for anyone.” and runs after the deviant with Henry in tow, who look like he rather be anywhere than here. Cole breathes a sigh of relief when his father is saved from falling.

Connor and Hank are silent for a moment, before a loud “OH FUCK!” was heard, followed by a “That’s not supposed to happen.” from Daniel and a “Oh no, I’m sorry!” from Henry.

Then the sound of plastic and metal hitting concrete at a high velocity and there’s a couple of minutes of silence, followed by a very loud “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?”

Connor turns to the next roof top, goes down past the garden beds and walks to see Daniel and Henry peering over the edge of the roof, looking mildly disgusted and disappointed in Daniel’s case, or slightly guilty in Henry’s case.

“So, uh, we caught up with him. Henry slipped and ended up pushing him forward. I guess our Deviant also slipped because he managed to regain footing but this is glass so he skidded a bit and toppled over the edge and now he’s…uh…” Daniel trails off, looking back over the edge of the roof, a translucent hand pointing to the carnage below.

Connor peers over the edge, to see the ghost of their Deviant sitting on the floor next to its body, swearing up a storm. Hank comes jogging by next, peers down and goes “Fucking Androids.”

Hank does not see the ghost screaming out “WHAT THE FUCK. HOW THE FUCK. THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT!”

Daniel mutters “Oh I see, he can swear but I can’t? That’s broken.”

-LINE BREAK-

The deviant’s name is Rupert, and he’s still very salty about how he died.

“I can’t fucking believe that get killed because I slipped. That’s broken.” He complains, throwing his arms up into the air. “That’s just fucking stupid.”

Daniel nods every once in a while, saying “I understand what you mean.” And “Mm, I agree.”, not actually listening to Rupert. Rupert has also made the choice to haunt Connor, until Henry goes “Connor can see us, you know…”

Rupert swears, and sticks around anyway. Might as well stay around. This irritates Daniel because now there are three ghosts following Connor even though he was first.

Connor hasn’t said anything, still trying to figure out why he saved Hank from falling instead of accomplishing the mission, despite Hank’s rate of survival being 89%.

Why did he do it?

-LINE BREAK-

It is a generally accepted fact that androids do not have souls. They don’t have them, because they are machines designed to accomplish a task. They aren’t alive, they don’t feel emotions or pain.

But Connor see’s the ghosts of deviated androids, he sees the spirts of them alongside the human ones.

Does that mean they are alive? That they have souls?

Can an android have the ability to become alive? After all, there is living-dead proof before his eyes.

Connor doesn’t know and feels the instability in his software begin to rise.

-LINE BREAK-

Hank won’t answer the damn door.

It’s beginning to piss both Rupert and Daniel off. Cole can’t open the door, which means Connor, who is corporeal and therefore cannot go through walls, has to walk in the rain to find a way in.

“Dad’s asleep on the floor again…” Cole says, avoiding eye contact. “He was drinking the weird stuff and playing the game with his revolver again.”

That sends alarm bells ringing in Connor’s head, and he breaks a window and tries (Emphasis on “tries”) to jump in through the window and lands ungracefully onto the floor, and immediately a large Saint Bernard begins growling at him.

“E-easy…uh…” Connor begins, putting a hand up as he racks his memory for the dog’s name. “S-Sumo! I’m a friend, see? No need to worry, I’m just here to save you owner, that all…”

Sumo huffs, before walking to his dog bowl, and that’s when Daniel, Rupert and Henry decide to appear, phasing through the door.

Connor glares at the three of them, saying “You bastards. You could have helped.”

Henry and Daniel exchange glances for a moment then say “But you like dogs.”

Connor blinks at them and shrugs off the comment (As machines do) and walked over to Hank, who was blissfully unaware of the whole interaction by being unconscious on the floor, a result from downing half a bottle of whiskey that has now spilt all over the floor.

“What a waste of good alcohol.” Daniel mutters, staring at the brown puddle on the floor.

“You can’t even drink.” Says Rupert, glancing at Daniel.

“Guys, not now, please.” Henry pleads, hoping nothing expensive was going to break now.

“Is dad okay?” Cole asks Connor, peering at him with translucent blue eyes. He’s kneeling next to his father, and Connor realises why Hank tries and kill himself little by little.

“Cole, how…how did you die?” Connor asks, staring at Cole’s ghostly form. Cole looks at Connor for a moment, and replies “You don’t know?”

Daniel and Rupert stop their sniping to watch, and Henry is already kneeling down next to Cole, who’s beginning to tremble ever so slightly.

“There was-was a truck. It couldn’t stop and it slammed into dad’s car and I remember being in surgery and there was an android and they couldn’t do anything and I-I-I just woke up again out side of my body and dad was crying and I…I…” Cole manages out, before grabbing Henry by the shirt and crying into his shoulder. “Ever since then, dad keeps drinking the stuff he keeps in the cupboard and playing with his gun and I try to stop him but I can’t.”

Connor sits back, and he says “I’m sorry.”

Cole wipes away the tears with the back of his hand and says “I’m okay. Let’s wake dad up, okay?”

Connor nods, and pats Hank’s cheek. “Lieutenant?”

Hank groans and moves his head just a bit.

Connor raises his hand up, and slaps Hank hard in the face. “Wake up Lieutenant! It’s me, Connor!” Connor yells, and picks up Hank, supporting him. “I’m going to sober you up for your own safety.”

Hank lets out a loud “Hey, leave me alone you fucking android!” which Connor ignores, and says “I have to warn you, this may feel unpleasant.”

Hank squints at Connor for a moment and says “Get the fuck out of my house!”

Connor ignores that too, dragging Hank to the bathroom, apologising every so often.

Henry decides to go and help , seeing as he has had experience with sobering up his own owner sometimes, and Cole only hiccups a bit and follows.

There’s the sound of a shower head being turned on, a loud scream, then Connor is leaving the bathroom, going into Hank’s room and emerging with a bundle of clothes under his arm, re-enters the bathroom, before leaving again.

He straightens his tie, and walks over to the gun on the floor, picking it up as if it could go off at any moment. He notes that the gun has no visible safety function and Rupert peers over his shoulder, voice suddenly full of dread.

“Check the-the cylinder…” He says, pointing to the named area.

Connor pushes the revolver’s cylinder to the side, revealing a single bullet in one of the chambers.

“I had my suspicions when Cole said his dad played with his gun, I just didn’t want to be right…” Rupert says, worrying the edge of his cap.

Connor looks at him, as if he’s asking why?

“Russian Roulette. One of the people in the apartment you found me in used to play it.” Rupert elaborates. “G, does Hank have no one to turn to?”

Connor looks back at the gun, the note “Suicidal Intentions?” flash across his vision as he spins the barrel once again, the bullet landing right where the barrel was.

“The next shot would have killed him…” Connor mutters, placing the gun back on the floor.

Connor sits and pets Sumo, who barks and settles down.

That’s when Hank comes out, dressed in clean clothes, not noticing his house is fuller than before.

“Alright, I’m ready. Let’s go Connor.” He says, picking up his revolver and going to the door. “You coming?”

Connor stares before saying “Of course Lieutenant. I’ll drive.”

#fanfiction #fanfic #detroit: become human #dbh rupert #dbh connor #dbh daniel #dbh cole #dbh hank #dbh hk400 #connor sees things #tw: sucide mention

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jess-the-vampire · 7 years

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Tom Vs The Forces Of Evil (Au), Chapter 9

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Tom took a seat across from his parents, he's lived here so many years and yet tonight the place felt all new. Plenty of food was set out before them despite being only a family of three, most were corn made meals, but there was also plenty of meats and other dishes to select from. Tom had already grown used to eating one meal together with Marco and his parents, usually homemade, sometimes take-out, sometimes leftovers. Being back to having a large buffet set out in front of him with his own parents was strange, especially since they were very quiet during dinners while Marco and his parents almost never stopped talking. Tom sat up straight, trying to regain his princely posture, he didn't want to look like earth had removed his royal stature and training. He clutched the wand in his hands hard, his heart was speed up and he felt a bit sweaty. He missed having Marco relax him already.

The King looked him up and down, taking in his look, maybe Marco liked his normal style but it wasn't becoming of a prince to wear that sort've garb at dinner. "So, where's your wand?", He asked, before Tom presented in onto the table in front of him. "I've been practicing, got a hang of some new spells and it's pretty awesome...", he started as his father examined the wand for damage. "You're keeping up with your studies on being king?", he asked. "Yes..", Tom answered, "Daily..." "Demonstrate your dining skills and after dinner we shall see how far you've come in your studies..", He started to put some food gently on his plate and Tom relaxed a bit and waited for his parents to finish grabbing heir food before he started getting his own. Just relax, just do your best, and you'll be back on earth before you know it... He felt his father watch his every move as he ate quietly, he tried to distract himself by wondering what Marco was up to. Thinking about this test of skills in front of his father would only make him worse. Marco wasn't here, he needed to relax and remain calm on his own. He's done that before right? He can do it again. He was actually glad for once that his parents didn't talk to him during dinners because the less time he spent with them and the less time he spent being interrogated was fine with him. He was just anxious to see Marco again and be out of this place. After he ate he carefully set his utensils down and looked up at his father, trying not to lose eye contact with him despite how much he hates looking into his eyes. He was already finished eating, no surprise, he wasn't smiling as per usual, but then again Tom could never recall many moments he ever saw him smile. His mother didn't say much, never did, kings were more important then queens in their kingdom so she wasn't nearly as important as his father was, unlike the underworld. Tom sometimes was certain she was kind and gentle, but those memories were little and sometimes he could've swore he imagined them, as she mainly did what his father said. His parents stood up in unison. "Come Tom, we're heading to the ballroom for your magic demonstration.....", the man said, waiting for Tom to stand up and lead him to the next room. Tom trailed behind his parents nervously, he couldn't tell if he was doing anything wrong, and that only made him more nervous. "Your birthday is coming up...." Tom flinched, looking up at his father. "Yeah......" "We're working on plans for your official party alread-" "No...", before he thought about it, it came out of his mouth, Tom felt his heart drop. "What?", Tom could hear a bit of disgust in his father's voice. "No, I-I....I wanna celebrate it on earth..", Tom said quickly, "I-I don't wanna be any trouble..." His dad didn't reply, and just kept walking, Tom wished he could see his face, "You don't need to spend alot on my party, I wanna spend it on earth, with my friends....a traditional earth party..." He had frankly, been wanting to celebrate an earth party for awhile. Mewni parties for him were pretty, and regal, and extremely boring. His friends weren't typically invited, not that he had many, his dad just invited a bunch of royals for him to talk to. And even then his parents hardly interacted with him, sometimes he wondered if they even remembered what the party was for. Marco told him about earth parties; games, friends, present-opening with pictures, music, cake made specifically for him. Everything he described sounded like a dream, and with him there, he'd actually have someone to hang out with. Maybe he always just agreed with what Marco said was cool, but everything he said just felt cool, like a dream. And he was never disappointed in Marco's ideas. "You're next in line to be king....", he heard him mutter. "Yeah, and wouldn't it be nice to learn about other cultures? Spend time at their way of celebrating?", Tom started, "As king I should get to know how things are done by other types of people, right?" Tom's father didn't answer, and Tom prompted he was ignoring him now. Maybe for now it was best he didn't test his father, that never ended well before, there was no reason to do it now. And he was willing to do anything to get back to earth as soon as possible. - Marco paced back in forth in his room, eager for his friend's return. He wanted to know he was ok, that he was doing well and his father wasn't bullying him. But his mind was jumping to the worst conclusions as per usual. He kept trying to reassure himself, Tom was going to be fine, he was great, he was going to do his best and no matter what Marco would be proud of him. He stopped pacing and took some deep breaths, Tom's absence at dinner just felt unnatural, and he didn't talk at all at the table and hardly ate a bite because of him. His parents were also a bit quieter then usual, Marco told them where Tom was, and they seemed ok with it, but it's clear they could tell Marco wasn't ok with it. Tom had only been gone an hour and a half, and Marco felt like it was much longer. He fell backwards onto his bed, staring at his ceiling and all the weird stains on it. He missed Tom already, how was ever gonna handle it when or if Tom left Earth for good? Man, he didn't want to think about that right now. "Marco? Pssst!!" Marco jumped up to find a Girl opening up his bedroom window and climbing in, she brushed herself off and took off her backpack. "Janna!!??", Marco yell-whispered. "Yeah, that's me...", she replied, "I'm here on your terms.." "Wait what?" "I'm here to snoop through Tom's things, duh....", she said, pulling out a flashlight, "Tom's clearly out, so until he gets back, this is my chance to dig up something.." Marco was about to say something when she placed a hand over the boy's mouth. "Let me work Marco, it's what you hired me to do....", she patted his cheek and headed out the door to Tom's bedroom. Marco chased after her, "Janna, Tom could be back any minute and I dunno if this is ok..." "Marco, you might not have the guts to do this yourself, but I do, and we're gonna find out what else Tom is keeping secret from us...", She entered the mewman's room, lucky for her she was already familar with this place before and got started with his stash under his bed. "Dude owns alot of Junk, but he's pretty neat for a guy who sweeps things under his bed...", she pulled out a book and started skimming through the pages of anything useful. Marco shrugged, "He's a perfectionist, he just likes things looking right......." "No kidding, I swear he made each side of stored boxes symmetrically even...", she hummed as she used her flashlight to read, there was lots of scribbles and pics of what appeared to be mewman heroes and civilians, there had to be something cool here. "So where's the nerd anyway?" "Oh?", Marco paused for a bit, "Mewni, his folks called in for dinner and to see him use his magic...." She looked up, "You're worried about him aren't you?" "Yeah...it's hard not to be when you assume the worst..." She bit her lip, "You outta tell him how you feel y'know? About his dad?" "Maybe, i just...don't know how to bring that kinda thing up to him....", marco mumbled, "What if i'm wrong? About this?" "What if you're not, Marco? I doubt Tom's gonna leave hating you forever because you were worried about him, he's gonna find out about this biz eventually..." "I guess...." She stood up and rubbed Marco's head, fingers messing up his hair, "Looks like you're both keeping secrets from each other....." Marco removed her hand, "I'm doing it to keep him safe...." "Yeah, and so is he most likely...", she sat back down and continued turning pages. Marco felt sick at the thought of Tom being hurt worse by his dad if he said anything. "Huh...", Janna said, "So...uh....Marco? You heard of Mewnipendence day?" "What?" "It happened awhile ago, like a week after that ball you lovebirds went to....according to this at least.", she showed the flustered boy the page she was on, "Like, his people drove the monsters out of mewni and took over, looks kinda brutal..." Marco took the book from her and grumbled as he looked through the pages, "We're not lovebirds....and lemme guess.....you know the ball from my diary?" She smirked, "You wrote an entire paragraph about how good Tom looked that night, it's kinda hard to forget....." Marco tried to hide his face in the book, Janna was right, it was a Mewman Holiday that happened awhile ago, and Tom didn't tell him about it. But by the sounds of it, it was pretty brutal, and the pictures didn't help. Marco suddenly felt a sense of guilt towards all the monsters he and Tom had encountered in the past. They looked very outmatched next to the mewman army. "I wonder why Tom never told me....", He mumbled. "Maybe he's ashamed, and didn't want you to think he was....like that?", She shrugged and snatched the book from him, "Anyway, not much else here.....I'll check his closet out next..." She carefully started putting everything back where it was while Marco thought to himself, so his people drove monsters off their land? Mewni sounded less appealing the more he learned about it, Tom had to have had a good reason to ignore this. Marco sighed, it wasn't his business anyway though, he didn't need to know every holiday he celebrated. "Wow, for a prince he's got some weird stuff in here...", Janna said, "Fish net shirts, some chokers, lots of shoes with heels, lot of hats with an eye on them....your boyfriend's a dork Marco." She started looking through some boxes, Tom's closet was bigger then it looked, she had much to go through. "He's not my boyfriend....", Marco muttered, "And it's not weird, it's his style and it looks good on him, although I do swear those eyes on his hats move sometimes....." She opened one box and reached inside, "C'mon Marco, I read your diary, I know you think Tom is pretty adorable..." "Of course Tom's adorable!! Have you SEEN him??!", Marco fussed, "C'mon, just focus on what you're doing..." Janna rolled her eyes, "Y'know, you aren't comfortable going through his things, what makes me doing it any better? I mean I don't care, I'm getting paid but..." Marco bit his lip, "I dunno, I-I just...." "This makes kinda breaking the trust a bit easier on you?', Janna asked, pulling out an old sock, "Y'know Diaz, no matter how you do it, you're still getting involved in Tom's business without his permission...". She moved on to another box as Marco sat down on the bed. "I know, and I know it's wrong I just....", the boy fell on the bed, unsure of how to finish that sentence, "Maybe I should stop....stop this stuff, it's not ok....for me to be going through his things, learning his secrets, getting involved in his personal business..." Janna came out of the closet, holding a book, "Dude, you're not doing this to be nosy, you're doing this to help him....I think you deserve a bit of an exception." "Maybe, but I think I need to limit myself on how far i'm going with this, because some of this...doesn't feel right...", He sat up and she sat next to him. "Well, you're paying me to do this....so you tell me, i'm just doing my job....", She showed him the book. A Journal. "I think we hit the jackpot...." - Tom watched his parents take seats in the ballroom, the room was empty except for them, giving him tons of room to shoot spells. He stood in front of them, trying not to look so nervous despite how impossible that was. If stares could kill, he would've dropped dead on the spot thanks to his father. "Thomas.....please explain and demonstrate what you have been taught within your time on earth....", His father asked, watching him closely. "Oh, well....I've been anger free, for a few months now..", Tom started, "I am finally controlling my green magic, and keeping it from taking over my emotions....finding a balance...". His father didn't hide his uninterest very well, giving Tom a subtle look that told him to move on. Tom trailed off, embarrassed. "I've also taken time to create my own spells.....", he started back up, holding out his wand to demonstrate. He mumbled a few words, and an array of colorful ghostly skulls flew out of his wand and swirled around the room before vanishing, Tom didn't get a reply so he decided to keep going, showing off spells inspired by his time on earth. A spell that fired out sharp nachos. A spell that created exploding meatballs. A spell that put people in a musical trance. The list went on. His father still said nothing, not until Tom finished and turned to him nervously. He didn't yell, which was a good sign. His eyebrow had risen a bit, which seemed to imply Tom had done better then he was expecting. He flicked a finger and a chained monster pooed into the center of the room and in front of Tom, startling him. "You seem to be doing well with your spell casting...", He noted, "But....there is something we must try, Tom....I want you to use a torture spell...on this monster....". Tom felt his heart drop, looking at the broken monster before him, he looked underfed and very weak. Another look, and he realized he knew this monster. The assassin from his last visit. "But, he's not attacking me, I-I only fight monsters in self-defense....", Tom said, "It would be cruel......he's defenseless..." "Thomas, I asked this of you, when you become king you will need to understand discipline....when a monster has attacked you, you must be willing to torture them for information....to find out who has opposed you, or who is trying to kill you.", He said coolly, "Monsters have their own methods to get information out of captured soldiers, you need to prove to me you are capable of making tough choices....for the good of your own kind.." "I-I can't do that....", Tom said. "It's not right....Even if a monster tries to kill me....it's just...I don't wanna hurt anyone.." "Thomas, you wouldn't want me to do anything would you?" Tom felt himself flinch, "N-No...but..." "Or I could pay Marco a visit......." Tom felt his heart drop all the way to his stomach, he have an apologetic look to the monster in front of him and closed his eyes as he chanted a spell under his breath. He could hear the monster's screams of pain and felt tears start to form in his eyes. When it was over he refused to open his eyes, but a snap from his father and the pained sounds of a monster were gone, and reluctantly he opened them. "Very well then, Your training is going well....there are clearly things to be worked on, but it doesn't seem to have entirely ruined you..." He looked at his father to find a face that was clearly curious, but he also seemed disappointed for some reason, like he was expecting something else. He stood up, "Thomas, you can head back to earth to continue your training....you appear to have...much to learn there. We shall call and check up on you in the future...." He and Tom's mother looked towards Tom and let him in the room without so much as a goodbye, and Tom fell to his knees and tried not to cry. - A Journal, if Tom had anything on his dad, it would be in here. Janna opened it and started to flip through, trying to find anything useful. "This....looks private...", Marco noted, "I-I dunno if we should be looking through this...." "Chicken Marco?", She teased, "Is this not what you wanted?" "Well....I-I dunno...I..." "Well, you can back out .....I'm doing my job...", She flipped through till she stopped on a chapter. "Thoughts on My Dad"? We got it....", she skimmed though as Marco tried not to look. He heard her gulp and finally managed to look. "There's not much here...but.... Tom's written enough...he seems like...11 in this, maybe some of these are even a few years before he got the wand?", Janna mumbled. -My dad tells me when I get older, i'm gonna be just like him....like, cool and stuff. Everyone tells me dad is cool, that he handles things well and that he brings a new joy into Mewni. I just I dunno....I don't think i'm ever gonna be like him. I'm not big, and i'm not smart, and people don't like me, Dad says i'm not good enough yet, that I need more discipline. I don't get to leave the castle, and when I do, daddy gets angry. -When i become king, do I have to hurt people too? -I'm a mistake, Dad says so when he's upset with me, i wasn't what he asked for. I keep messing up, and i don't know why i'm so bad at it, i wish i came out right. I need to stop messing up, dad hates it when i mess up and i still do it anyway. -I don't like dad, like....I dunno....i feel like i'm supposed to like him, but i don't wanna, I dunno....is that bad? -Dad pulled me away to talk to me today, after I snuck outside of the castle with lilicia....he caught me. I'm still sore, and I wish I was 14 already so I could magic myself up or something, I wanna talk to the nurses, but they'd think i escaped the castle to monster fight and they'd tell dad and he'd have to get angry again....and punish me again. I get angry too sometimes, Dad tells me it's genetic...does that mean i'm gonna be like this? "Stop....i'm done .." , Marco said, "I've read enough....." Janna put a hand on his shoulder, "Well, you got what you wanted.....", she pulled out her phone and took some pics of the chapter. "Yeah....I did..", Marco sighed, "I wanna see him again so badly....I can't believe he really feels this way....". He rubbed his face with his hands, "I just......This is just so messed up and now he's there, in mewni, with his dad....and I-" "He wrote in this recently..", Janna said suddenly, now looking through another section of the book, "Like it looks like he stopped for a few years, but got back to it once he moved in with you....he's got a chapter on you..." Marco felt his face burn. Janna's grin grew wide, and Marco knew what she was thinking. "No Janna, we've learned enough....i'm not invading his privacy any more then I've already done....",his response made the smile wipe off her face and she rolled her eyes, "Oh c'mon diaz, you aren't the least bit curious to know what he thinks about you?" He was, but how Tom felt was his business and after everything else, Marco didn't think he could handle anymore revelations. But if he read it, he could know what happened after the ball, what the dance was, what Tom really thought about him after it. No, he was Tom's best friend, that was it. and right now Tom needed his best friend. He snatched the book away before Janna could could do anything and closed it, "No....that's too far, we're done.....we got what we wanted...." Janna looked skeptical but stopped protesting, "Alright diaz...if you're sure..." She started packing stuff into her bag, but then she stopped. "You need to talk to him...about his dad? You don't have to tell him you snooped or talked to his ex but....he needs your support and he needs to talk to someone about this...". The boy stared at his shoes, Janna wasn't the best person around, but he couldn't deny she was right. "Ok fine....when he gets back, we-I'll talk to him...." "Alright, good job Marco...", she put on her backpack and took another look at the human holding Tom's personal journal. "You'll read that chapter when you're ready anyway, but looks like my work here is done.....". She made her way to Tom's balcony and started to climb out, "Call Me when you read it, I got a bet going on with Ferguson and he's gonna owe me 20 bucks....". Marco stomped after her, red-faced, and he wasn't sure if it was from anger or something else, "Well sorry because i'm never gonna read it!!!". She laughed as he shouted at her. Marco groaned and hid the book back where it was, last thing he wanted was for Tom to know he'd been in his stuff, especially not in his personal journal. He felt dirty enough already. He was about to go back into his room and let all these thoughts wash over when a portal opened up in the room and a pink-haired boy walked through. it was seconds later that Marco wrapped his arms around him and he stumbled in surprise of the sudden hug. "Marco?! I-I haven't been gone that long have I?", He joked shakily. "I missed you....I-I'm glad you're back....", Marco was mumbling in his fancy shoulder, "How'd it go?" "I-I....", Tom shuddered a bit, "I think I did great....he wants me to stay here still...." Tom thought back to the torture spell, the threats against Marco, he couldn't say this to Marco, there was no way. Marco would hate him if he knew, and Tom didn't know what he'd do if Marco hated him. Not to mention what his dad would do if he said anything about this. "I knew you could do it..", Marco separated from him and grabbed both his hands, "Great job Tom..." "Thanks Marco....", Tom replied, unaware that Marco was just as relieved to see him again as he was. Marco remembered they were still holding hands and removed his from Tom's, "Hey Tom? I wanna talk to you about something...." There was no way he couldn't say something after tonight. Tom stiffened, "is it about earlier when i talked about why i actually came to earth?" "Actually, I-I wanted to talk about your dad...if that's ok with you?", Marco watched his friend carefully, just in case he said anything that could trigger him. "Oh..I-I uh...", Tom looked very surprised at this topic, Marco'd never said much about his dad before, he shifted in place, "I-I Guess?" Marco sighed, here goes nothing, "Tom...I know...things aren't great...with your dad, I-I know....." Tom looked very anxious, he didn't particularly want to think about his dad right now, but he also didn't want Marco to stop talking either. Marco's thoughts were important to him and if he had anything to say about his dad, he wanted to know what they were. No matter how much they could hurt. "Marco...I.." Tom felt Marco put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "But....Don't be ashamed....never be ashamed of it...don't be ashamed you aren't like him and don't fear that you might be like him....you're so much better then him..." "Marco..." Marco looked Tom in the eyes, "Tom, you're wonderful....just the way you are, don't ever feel like you're worthless...or a mistake....or a waste of space or.." "Marco!" "I..I...", Marco realized he was crying, "Tom....I Just....you're great just the way you are..no matter what your dad thinks....I'm sorry i'm crying I-I just...I hate seeing you so miserable because of him and I-" Tom pressed his forehead against Marco, and Marco heard him sniffle, tears flowing down his face as well. "Marco...I just...in my world things are different, and I just.....man this is really sappy....", He stifled out a laugh, "Thanks....for liking the real me...." "Don't let your dad put you down, I never want you to think you're worthless because of him...", Marco mumbled quietly, ignoring how close their faces were, "Y-You don't deserve that...." Tom let out a meek smile, "Well, when i become king, I get to rule things in my own way right?" "Yeah...", Marco matched his smile through tears, "And you'll be a great king, no matter what....." Tom bit his lip, "Thanks....I needed to hear this tonight...." The human hugged him again, enjoying his warmth. "How did you know? About my dad?", Tom asked suddenly, still holding onto Marco, "It's just....kinda odd, you know...that he's yeah..." Marco shifted, "Ever since i met him...I knew something was up and your dreams and....I just knew...". It wasn't a lie, he did suspect most of it from observation. Tom bit his lip, he didn't seem to be entirely sure if Marco was telling the truth, but at this point he didn't care. He just wanted to move on and do anything else right now. "Can w-we go do something else....? I just...I want to ..." "Yeah....", Marco said, relieved, "Let's go do something else..." - Tom passed out next to Marco on his bed, it'd been a long day and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Marco, however, was wide awake. He watched the boy next to him snore and drool all over his bed sheets, he had so many thoughts and things on his mind it was hard to sleep. Tom's make-up was off, and his hair was messy and scattered everywhere, covering his eyes a bit and flying off his face. He looked adorable, and Marco couldn't help but think so before he shook it off. There was nothing weird about finding Tom pleasing to look at, nothing at all. Janna's teasing was getting to him again. After awhile he embarrassingly turned to lay on his back and look at the ceiling, wanting to focus on something else. Then Tom's snoring stopped. "Can't sleep?" Marco eyed to his side to see a sleepy-eyed alien boy smiling at him, "It's ok Marco, I have those nights too..." "Did you have another nightmare?", Marco turned back onto his side. "No, I just....woke up I guess..", Tom rubbed his eyes, "Tired still...." "You don't have to sleep here, you can move back into your room an-", Tom cut him off. "No, tonight....I don't wanna be alone...." "Ok..." "Marco....I-I'm sorry I never said anything about my dad, that you found out on your own, I just..", Tom mumbled suddenly, guilt embedded in his voice "Tom, it's ok....I understand....", Marco reached out a hand to calm him down. "Y-You do?" "Yeah, and it's nothing to be ashamed about..." "Really?....", He asked, unsure. "Yeah, You don't have to talk about it, not if you don't want to....but...just let me know if there's anything I can do...", Marco looked Tom in the eyes, being entirely serious. Tom shifted on the mattress and nodded. "Ok.....thanks Marco.." Tom closed his eyes again, hoping for dreams that took him far away from his father as possible. Marco helped put covers over his friend, making sure he would try and sleep well tonight before doing the same for himself. Tom smiled. Marco smiled back. He promised to take care of Tom, and he was going to keep that promise no matter what. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, a new day to start fresh and a new day to change things for his friend. Things could only get better in time.

#star vs the forces of evil #tomco #tom the demon #tom lucitor #marco #marco diaz #janna #fanfiction #Tom Vs The Forces Of Evil #fanfic #my art

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kujo1597 · 7 years

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Actually, That Was a Good Thing

Things are going well between Peridot and Amethyst, they talk a lot, have similar interests, and are actually both dorky. Sometimes schedules don't align but that's alright.

Especially when they finally do at an amusement park.

Well, ideally anyway.

You can also read the story on Archive of Our Own

Chapter 3

Annoyingly for the both of them, Amethyst and Peridot’s schedules haven’t lined up for over a month.

“Hey Peri, you free on Monday?” Amethyst had called Peridot.

“Sorry, I have a doctor’s appointment that day. Then I have to rush around and do other things.”

“Yeah, that’s fine, health’s important. We’ll try some other time."

“Amethyst, how does Thursday sound?” It was Peridot who made the phone call this time.

“Sorry Peri,” Amethyst sounded bummed. “I have work that day and the rest of the week too.”

“Alright, phone me when you have time off, my schedule’s flexible.”

So Amethyst did call Peridot asking if she could go out with her.

“Max is sick,” Peridot sounded upset. “Lapis has been in a funk lately too and when she’s like this she can barely take care of herself. I can’t leave them alone together. I really don’t want to clean throw-up.” Peridot laughed but it was hollow.

“That’s okay! Take care of the little guy! Give him a pat from me too.”

Peridot’s spirits sounded a bit lifted, “I’ll do that.”

And that just kept happening, Peridot’s schedule was flexible but something always came up.

And Amethyst was over-scheduled at work then when she wasn’t working she was too tired to hang out.

If they didn’t know better they’d swear they were avoiding each other.

Peridot’s anxiety tried to convince her of that but the fact that Amethyst was calling and texting quelled those awful thoughts.

Peridot picked up her phone, debated calling Amethyst then put it down.

She didn’t know Amethyst’s schedule so she decided it was best to wait.

Just as the phone almost touched the table it started to ring startling Peridot.

She answered it with a fumble.

“Heeeeeyyyyy Peri!” Amethyst sounded very cheery. “Guess who has a few days off!”

“Lapis?” Peridot was in a silly mood.

“What? She’s self employed!” Amethyst decided to be silly too.

Peridot giggled. “I know. So, you’re finally free?”

“Yeah!” Amethyst was pumped. “Wanna hit Funland on Thursday? It’s usually pretty quiet on weekdays. Steven will be there, he wants to spend the day with the two of us.”

It wasn’t really a date but just seeing Amethyst would be nice.

“Thursday sounds fine,” Peridot replied. "What time?”

“I was thinking we could get there at nine and make it a whole day.”

Peridot sighed. “That sounds fun but I can’t be in the sun that long. I get sunburnt very easily and I have yet to find a sunscreen that doesn’t bother my skin grafts.”

Amethyst got quiet, Peridot hoped it was just her thinking. “Well, you could come later in the day. Steven needs to start heading home before dark but I don’t.”

“Would four PM be okay?” Peridot asked after considering her own limitations. “We would all be able to spend some time together and I’ll hopefully not get too sunburned.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Amethyst sounded relieved. “See you then!”

Peridot smiled. “See you then.”

Thursday arrived and Peridot walked through the gate of the amusement park. She had arranged to meet with Amethyst and Steven near there.

Amethyst spotted Peridot’s hair in the crowd and waved and shouted for her to come over. Peridot took a bit longer than Amethyst expected and seemed to be hobbling a bit.

But whatever, Peridot came! Amethyst ran up to her and gave her a huge hug nearly knocking her over.

“It’s so good to see you again!” Amethyst had a huge grin.

With a chuckle Steven joined in on the hug. “Hey Peridot, glad you could make it.”

“So am I,” Peridot ruffled Steven’s hair. “I hope you don’t mind too much that it couldn’t be the whole day.”

Steven shook his head. “Nah, it’s okay. Amethyst told me about the sunburn, I’m just happy to see you.”

“So,” Amethyst spoke up, “what should we do first?”

“Rollercoaster!” Steven cheered.

“Yeah, we definitely need to do the most fun thing in Funland first,” Amethyst agreed with his choice.

Peridot was a bit apprehensive however.

The group made their way to the rollercoaster, Peridot trailed slightly behind the excited duo.

When they arrived the ride was bigger than Peridot expected and so was the sign covered in safety warnings.

Amethyst grabbed Peridot’s hand and started leading her to the line. “C’mon, you’re gonna have a blast.”

But Peridot stayed put. “I think I’ll sit this one out.”

“Aw, what?” The disappointment was clear in Amethyst’s voice.

“What?” Peridot side-eyed Amethyst.

“It’s not as scary as it looks, just give it a try.”

Fear wasn’t the problem. But Peridot didn’t want to say the real issue.

“Maybe later, you and Steven can ride it.”

Amethyst started to protest but was stopped by Peridot waving her hand.

“Just hurry up and go so you can hurry up and come back,” Peridot said with stubbornness clear on her face.

Steven and Amethyst gave in and went on the ride without her.

“So good,” was the first thing out of Amethyst’s mouth when they returned.

They tracked Peridot down who sat on a nearby bench while they were on a ride.

“Looks like you had fun,” she said as soon as they got near. “So, what’s next?”

Unfortunately on their trip around the park Peridot saw more and more rides she couldn’t go on. Normally she enjoyed watching other people have fun but she couldn’t help feeling more and more miserable.

She trailed behind Steven and Amethyst as they passed by some stalls. Peridot debated coming out and telling them what the problem is but she didn’t want the pity and awkward ‘I’m sorry’s�� she always got.

Most of the surroundings were kind of a blur to Peridot but one thing did catch her eye.

An excited gasp left her mouth before she knew it. “Steven! Amethyst! Look at this!”

Peridot pointed at an alien plush almost as big as she is with a huge grin on her face.

Then she noticed that it was at the ring toss booth.

Something she could do!

She rang the bell and surprisingly quickly Mr. Smiley hopped over the counter.

“Mr. Smiley,” Steven happily greeted him. “You work the ring toss too?”

Their conversation continued, something about a bed, but Peridot was too focused on figuring out the perfect way to throw the ring to win that prize.

Before Peridot knew it some rings were put infront of her. Either Steven or Amethyst paid.

Must’ve been Amethyst, Steven’s a kid.

Either way, the trio each threw a ring and not a single one landed.

They tried a few more times and had no success.

“This biz is rigged!” Amethyst angrily exclaimed then crossed her arms.

Steven groaned and Peridot sighed.

Nothing was going right.

“I’m going to get you that prize,” Amethyst muttered with determination.

Amethyst gasped. “Is that Onion trying to set the rollercoaster on fire?!”

Mr. Smiley crossed his arms. “I’m not falling for that one again.”

Unfortunately for Mr. Smiley, Onion was trying to set the rollercoaster on fire. He quickly jumped over the counter and ran over to Onion. “No! I’m still paying off the lawsuit from last time!”

“Good old Onion,” Amethyst said with a shrug.

Amethyst leapt over the counter with ease and put a ring on one of the bottles then quickly retook her place.

So, Amethyst was willing to cheat.

When Mr. Smiley returned Amethyst smiled.

“Hey Mr. S, while you were gone, Peri got a ring!” Amethyst did a fine job of selling the lie.

“I did?” Peridot was a little slow to catch on.

Amethyst whispered to Peridot, “we’re lying.”

“Yep! I did land the ring!” Lying was never Peridot’s specialty.

Mr. Smiley seemed to buy it though. “Why would you look at that... I thought this thing was rigged."

Excitement filled Peridot’s whole body, cheating wasn’t right but neither is rigging a game.

Mr. Smiley handed Peridot a tiny alien pencil topper with a smile.

Disappointment immediately hit Peridot.

“Um, excuse me, but you’re wrong,” Peridot pointed at the large plush. “I’m supposed to win that one.”

“You mean the big guy?” Surprise was clear in Mr. Smiley’s voice. “Sorry kid, that’s ten rings.”

Of course, another thing went wrong.

Steven and Amethyst sat down eating their corn dogs as Peridot browsed the internet on her phone.

“That toy you won sure is cool,” Steven tried to make conversation.

“You mean the one Amethyst won by cheating?” Peridot wasn’t in the mood.

Amethyst stopped eating. “Okay, what’s bugging you?”

“You mean besides the fact that you cheated?” Peridot raised an eyebrow.

“You were upset even before that,” Amethyst leaned in closer to Peridot. “C’mon, be honest. You’ve been miserable all day.”

Peridot really didn’t want to come clean so she buried her nose even more in Rumbld.

“Stop playing around on there,” Amethyst tried to get Peridot’s attention but it didn’t work.

Amethyst really needed to get Peridot’s attention so she took the phone away from her.

“No! Give that back!” Peridot sounded really upset.

“After you tell me what’s wrong,” Amethyst stood firm. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

But it was hard seeing Peridot like this.

Peridot looked defeated.

“My back’s really bad, I didn’t mention it because every time I mention a problem of mine everybody pities me, I'm sick of it.”

Amethyst’s expression and voice softened, “well of course you weren’t having any fun. You were so focused on what you can’t do. You should’ve told us.”

Just as she was about to give Peridot’s phone back Amethyst’s gut told her otherwise. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“My right knee got shattered when I was a kid. Sometimes I need to walk with a cane,” Peridot reluctantly explained. “Today’s one of those days; I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Embarrass me?”

“You’re so cool and then there’s me, hobbling on a cane next to you. I felt like I needed to keep up my image so you’d want to be around me.”

“Wha-image?” Amethyst couldn’t believe her ears. “Per, I’mma be really real with you. I don’t like you because of some image, I like you for you. Okay sure, your look is what made me sit next to you in that club but when we talked I saw you. A really sweet nerd who didn’t deserve half the shit she’s been through. You’re so focused on being cool for me but I like you.”

“Amethyst,” Peridot couldn’t find the words to express herself.

"Okay," Amethyst patted Peridot's knee. "Did you bring your cane?" Peridot nodded. "Good, where'd you park? I'll grab it for you."

Peridot fished her keys out of her pocket then handed them to Amethyst. "I'm parked in an accessible parking spot. My car's the dark blue two-door."

Amethyst got up then ran off to the parking lot leaving Steven behind with Peridot talking about Ninja Keith and other cartoons.

It didn't take long for Amethyst to return with a plain grey cane but the sun was already setting.

"Here," Amethyst handed over the cane.

"Thank you," Peridot stood up so Steven could hug her goodbye.

"Bye Peridot, hopefully next time we can ride stuff together."

"I'm sorry Steven, I should've said something sooner."

"It's okay, now we know."

Steven left Amethyst and Peridot behind in the park.

"Hey," Amethyst made sure to choose her words carefully. "So what did happen to your back?"

"I fractured a disk when I was twelve," Peridot replied, leaving out an unusual amount of information.

"How'd you do that?"

Peridot's grip tightened on her cane. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, but if you ever do I'll listen."

"I appreciate it."

"Sooo... I'm cool with sitting but are there any rides you wanna hit?"

"They're all slow and boring, anything else would be too hard on my back," Peridot replied with a frown.

"Slow's fine by me," Amethyst offered her arm to Peridot. "Teacups good with you?"

Peridot took Amethyst's arm. "Yeah, but first I want to get an elephant ear."

"Elephant ear?"

"Funnel cake? Is that what you call them?"

Amethyst softly laughed. "No clue, just point it out when you see it."

Peridot scribbled something in her notebook as she ate her deep-fried dough. Determination was clear on her face.

"So, whatcha writing?" Powdered sugar fell from Amethyst's snack.

"I'm trying to figure out how to win the ring toss," Peridot replied. "There has to be a way, the rings are obviously big enough since you got one on there. It's just a matter of technique."

With that, Peridot returned to her writing.

"I could always distract Mr. Smiley again. He's pretty out of it so it should work."

"I want to win fair and square; games are my thing. And I'm not the type to quit."

"Yeah, I kinda guessed that," Amethyst chuckled. "Is this something you do a lot? Find a problem then plan out a solution?"

Peridot nodded. "It's probably what's kept me in one piece all these years. I plan everything, even while I was recovering in the hospital I planned who to call, where to stay, how to make more money, and so on."

"Geeze, I've never been a planner. I've always flown by the seat of my pants. You're really something."

Peridot giggled then looked over her notes, she nodded with satisfaction. "This should work. Ah, but first we can ride a few things. I am actually looking forward to the teacups."

Amethyst smiled. "Alright," she remembered something. "Need a hand?"

"Please," Peridot accepted the offer.

They took their seats in the giant teacups. Amethyst was very clearly excited, she had a glint in her eye.

"I'm gonna spin you so fast you'll hurl." The glint vanished. "You can spin, right?"

"Yes, I can spin, it's bumps I have to to worry about," Peridot replied with a sigh.

The glint returned.

"Awesome."

The ride started and true to her word, Amethyst turned the inner circle as fast as she could laughing the whole time as Peridot clutched onto the sides screaming.

Just as she started to consider slowing down, Amethyst saw a huge smile on Peridot's face.

Yeah, Peridot's having fun.

Before they knew it, the ride was over. Amethyst helped a dizzy and especially wobbly Peridot off of the ride.

"Just how much hairspray do you use?" Amethyst asked, surprised by Peridot's hair still being in one piece.

"Not as much as you'd think, it's just very-" Peridot was cut off by a gag, "-strong. Boy, you weren't kidding. That's the closest I've come to throwing up in a long time."

"But you had fun, right?"

Peridot's eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's do it again!"

And that's how Amethyst learned that when Peridot likes something she'll do it over and over again.

Not that she's complaining, the goal for the night was to get Peridot to have fun.

Eventually Amethyst managed to get Peridot to go on rides other than the teacups. By the time they finished it was almost midnight.

Peridot turned on her phone. "Oh gee, I completely lost track of time."

Amethyst yawned. "Yeah, 'bout time we head home. You gonna give the ring toss another shot?"

"Of course."

Peridot couldn't believe her eyes.

"Mr. Smiley? You're still here?"

A grin was plastered on his face. "Of course! I almost never leave!" He laughed an empty laugh.

"Don't you also run the arcade?" Against her better judgement Peridot asked another question.

"Yep," the grin remained on Mr. Smiley's face. "Why do you think it's so close to the amusement park?"

An awkward mood hung in the air as Peridot slid her money across the counter. She had no idea what to say.

Peridot took a deep breath, she couldn't let Mr. Smiley's situation rattle her.

It's all in the wrist.

She made the first toss and it landed. She felt hope bubble up in her chest and the excitement escaped from her mouth.

Numbers two, three, and four were also successful.

She glanced over at Amethyst who looked stunned.

Five and six were successes.

Amethyst started pumping her fists and chanting.

There was a sudden gust but Peridot accounted for it. In fact, it was the boost she needed to reach the back.

Eight... nine.

Peridot's hands were shaking, Mr. Smiley was snoring, Amethyst was losing her mind.

"I won't blame you if you say 'no' because it's been stars knows where but uh," Peridot blushed. "Would you kiss this last ring for luck?"

A scientist shouldn't rely on luck of all things but Peridot wanted all the help she could get. The very end is when things always go wrong.

Amethyst kissed the ring without any hesitation. "Go get 'em Per."

Peridot shook out her hands and took a deep breath.

She threw the ring and it hit the neck of the bottle.

Peridot's heart never shattered so quickly

It also never recovered so quickly either, somehow the impact was just so that the ring flipped up and onto the bottle.

"Ten! That's ten!" Excitement completely overtook Peridot. She hit the bell far harder than she should have.

Mr. Smiley woke with a start and looked at the bottles.

"That's ten alright," he grabbed the giant green alien plush wearing a bowtie and hat then gave it to Peridot. "Here you go, kid."

Normally Peridot would take offense to being called a kid but she was too busy hugging her new plush to care.

"Give it up for Pea-pod!" Amethyst cheered.

"No, give it up for us," Peridot hugged Amethyst.

"Aw Peri," Amethyst said hoping the dark would hide her blush. "It was your brain that figured it out."

"Yes, but you gave that last ring a lucky kiss," Peridot did see the blush and found it very cute. "Normally everything falls apart at the end. That kiss is what did it."

Amethyst smirked. "Alright, I guess we can call it a team effort."

Amethyst walked Peridot to her car and gave her a big strong hug next to it.

"I had fun today, hope you did too."

Peridot giggled. "I absolutely did! Thank you for inviting me."

"Yeah, definitely. We should do it again some time, just the two of us."

"I'd really like that."

Amethyst opened the car door for Peridot. "I might have to pick you up next time, incase you win more giant prizes."

"Yeah, we probably should do that," Peridot absent-mindedly said as she fit her toy into the passenger seat.

"Call you later," Peridot waved.

"Yep, look forward to it," Amethyst waved back.

Peridot drove off.

After telling Lapis all about her day and getting ready for bed Peridot collapsed onto her firm mattress, appreciating being off of her feet.

She glanced at the four-and-a-half foot tall alien lying next to her and smiled.

That was a good day.

#SU Fanfic #Amedot #Perithyst #SU Amethyst #SU Peridot #Steven Quartz Universe #Kujo Writes #Human AU #Not Such a Bad Thing Universe

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cpeacephoto · 4 years

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If you remember from back in my first post, way back when I used to enjoy writing. I don’t know if I was any good at it, but I enjoyed it. It was a way to pass the time and live in some other world for a bit. Sometimes it was a way to process thoughts and feelings. When I met my old friend and we first started connecting at the beginning, it was one of the things we bonded over. They began to draw things from the things I wrote, all of which I still have and treasure. The two of us would begin talking about stories we made up together. I miss having that connection with someone and haven’t found it since.

Sadly by the time we parted ways, I had lost myself. And writing was one of the things I stopped doing. There have been times in my life when I’ve wondered “who am I”. And there have been times when I’ve wondered if I was ever fortunate enough to reconnect with my old friend again, what would we talk about? Would I remember who I am? Would I have anything to offer?

As I’ve gotten older and found more of myself I’ve begun writing again. Particularly at work when we’ve got longer periods of slow and not much to do. So I’ve been writing lately about a guy who lives out in the middle of nowhere using his camera to make money. On his property is a moose by the name of Clarence.

I apologize in advance that nothing you read is going to be coherent or run in a time line. You’re going to read “woke up that morning” a lot. They aren’t one single story. Just parts of a story that I wrote while at work, and then some other day part of some other story using the same characters. It’s a start anyways. And I promise more photos are coming. Enjoy.

Story 1 7:30 am. What an exhausting time of day. But it’s worth handling because it’s also one of the few times of day that you associate with waffles. And anytime it is waffle time is a good time indeed. Even though there’s no one around for miles I still sleep with the shades down to block out the sun. You’d think it was well into mid-day by the blaring spot light outside but really the chickadees are just starting their games. It is Alaska after all and the sun has been out now for hours. I make my way downstairs towards the breakfast nook. Really just a small 5 piece dining set next to a window in the corner. It magically transforms to my dining room in the evenings as well. All the while half asleep and still thinking lustful thoughts of that mistress called my pillow who held me so tight all through the night. My morning trek away from her motivated by a primal desire. “….coffee…”. “…waffles….”. It doesn’t escape me for a moment how awesome it would be if somehow there was a clever combination of the two. But I resign to pin that thought until later when waffle fueled heads could prevail. I turn on the coffee pot and the waffle maker debating for moment if I should give them names or if that’s too much of a relationship to form with a $20 coffee pot. What if it fails and I have to replace it? Will any Mr. Coffee be like Kristen? And do the things she does for me? Or will it be some cheap knock off? Something young and complicated that doesn’t have the curves, the experience, or the understanding of how my mind works. I grab my coffee and my waffles and sit down at the nook finally able to glance out into the day and enjoy this warm moment of existence. Outside munching away on something was Clarence. All 1,000 lbs., 7 feet of him standing in my yard as if he were posing for a picture. I swear you give a guy an apple one time and suddenly your new best friend is a moose. I opened the window a bit and called out to him, “Morning Clarence”. He just turned his head a little and kept on munching. I’m sure he’d been up longer than I had but clearly he was still a little out of it too. That or I just wasn’t that interesting yet. After breakfast though I grabbed another cup of coffee and made my way out to the deck. It was right about then I became pretty interesting and he made himself a little more friendly walking up to the deck and giving me a good look over. I knew what he wanted and I was happy to oblige him. I rolled him an old apple I grabbed on my way out. “Well morning Clarence. Anything new today?” He just munched away. “Going to take another dip in the lake this morning?” I don’t know why I asked as I knew the answer. Every morning he’d take a dip in the lake and make his way over to a shallow side to munch on the grasses that grew there. He just got in the habit of checking with me first for his sweet tooth addiction. It was strange really. To see something that large just go into the water like it was nothing. If I didn’t know better I’d say he was practicing for the local swim team. Somehow I didn’t think they make swim caps in his size though. Seems like the antlers would get in the way. Sure enough though after he had taken his time to get every last enjoyable moment out of that apple he meandered his way over to the lake and just walked in. 9am, right on time Clarence. This meant I had about 15 minutes to get back in the house and dressed or my other little friend Harold would start throwing a fit and tapping at the back door. Harold was a duck with an attitude.

Story 2 Got up this morning and drove the old ford into town. Despite her age she isn’t a bad little truck. Sure she’s loud and has a tendency to kick like a mule every once in a while. Has a tendency to eat like one too. Put any other gas in her from any other station than Al’s down on Mile marker 246 and she’ll cause one hell of a fuss. Still, if you get her a little time, attention and love, let her warm up a little, she’s probably the most dependable soul on my property. Doesn’t ask for too much, simple, still keeps it together no matter how rough things get. You can’t ask for much more than that. Had to go into town this morning because we were running low on supplies. I needed some groceries, some bolts and parts, and Clarence needed some more apples. Every now and then I think about throwing him a curve ball and giving him something new like a pear. Just to spice things up a bit. But I’m sure if I did he’d just look at me for a long minute with that “what in the world……yeah alright, this one time” stare. If he was anything it was a creature of habit. Harold came with me and sat in the passenger seat only making fuss whenever the truck unexpectedly kicked. I had started to let him in the truck when I left for town because he’s too stubborn to accept “no” and I worried about his safety. As soon as I would start the truck he’d hear it and fly into the bed or if he had a good shot and an open window right into the cab. This being Alaska a trip into town was going to be a day venture driving several hours there and several back. It was probably best he stay in the cab anyways I suppose. What if I ran over a bump too hard and he got knocked out of the bed of the truck? I sure as hell didn’t want to be responsible for that. And by the time I noticed we’d be far apart. Besides, when I got into town he stayed out of trouble. Just sits there watching people go by. If any of them get a little too close for comfort he makes a noise. The way I figure it he’s the best security system I can buy for just a few grains of corn. I arrived in town somewhere just north of 10. The diner was open and serving morning coffee and the general store was open. The two main places I needed to be. Being this early in the morning the diner was first. The need for coffee was strong and the diner was the best place to pick up local news. Sure I could have grabbed a paper but if you want to know what’s really going on, the diner is where you need to be. “Morning Jen”, I told the waitress “can I get coffee with cream?” “Sure thing” she said as she proceeded to get my coffee. “Heard anything new?” I asked. “Nah, nothing much. The Army Corps office across the street isn’t open yet. They’ve got some new commander and he’s a little less friendly with the public. He’s not married either. Makes ya’ wonder what went wrong, man his age not married.” She retorted. “You don’t say” I replied rather inquisitively “I’ll have to check that out”. I didn’t care much about his marital status but the news of a new commander was of interest. I’ve been selling my photographs and surveys to them for years and this change could prove interesting. “Thanks for the coffee Jen. Stay beautiful.” I said as I got up to leave after drinking my coffee, placing a few bucks on the counter for the coffee and her time. The thought of a new commander rolled through my head a while. I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. Over at the general store Dave was busy stocking cans on a shelf. He was the kind of guy that really enjoyed “fixing” things and putting them back into order. The kind of person that loves to organize, label, and keep books of spreadsheets on things. Everything had a home and a system and he spent a lot of energy keeping everything balanced and where it needed to be. He worked at the general store along with his daughter Martha who was at the moment suspiciously nowhere to be found. As Dave got up from his cans and walked behind the checkout counter he asked me, “What’ll it be?” “Oh, much of the same. I need a box of 2 inch 10 penny nails, some more mix for making waffles, a carton of eggs if you’ve got them, some milk, another big tin of coffee, a box of regular pencils, and another bundle of old apples if you’ve got them. For Clarence” I replied to his inquiry. “You know, you’re the only one who wants these old apples. I can’t believe you pay for them either. Just trash” he said with bewildered look as he started to gather up items. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure Dave. It’s not much to you or I but to Clarence this is gold” I assured him. I stood there for a moment as he gathered cans and boxes putting them into a bag, just looking out the window at the Amy Corps headquarters. Finally I asked him, “What do you know about the new Commander over there at HQ?” “For such a small town there’s been surprisingly little chatter to be honest” he said. “Lately not many people come in and out of there unless they have a uniform. And they don’t seem to talk much about him other than that he’s from out east. Which isn’t saying much because everyone here is from out east. Some more than others. Though I will say the guys that have come in here have been buying a lot of nonperishable items like can goods. So maybe they are gearing up for another project or something” he added. It caught me a little weird that no one seemed to know anything. No talk yet of what projects were going on, where he was from, why he was here, what he was like, or even a name. Sooner or later I was going to have to check in. Get a feel for things myself. It was right about then as Dave was beginning to ring up my bill when Martha burst in from the back office, doing her damnedest to keep control of this loud rumbling box. “Look Papa!” the child exclaimed to his horror. Apparently sometime recently “Mr. Bojangles” the family cat, had kittens. This was by far the last thing Dave wanted. More mess, more noise, more chaos, more reason for Martha to not help with the store. “Martha! Don’t bring those dirty little things in here. They are vermin. And don’t get too attached to them neither. I don’t need any pests around my store chasing away customers.” Dave barked at her while trying to still seem calm and professional. The enthusiasm had fallen out of her voice when she asked, “well what do I do now?” Dave smiled at me for a moment politely before turning to her and sternly retorting, “Just take them back to the office. I’ll deal with them after work. I have to cross the old north bridge anyways.” I knew what he meant. Last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. Still, I couldn’t just stand here and let innocence be thrown off a bridge. The words came out like sludge, “how much?” “What?” Dave asked me a little surprised. “For a kitten. How much?” I was more assertive that time and the words flowed a little easier. “I’ll give you a dollar for one. Whichever one seems to be the most hassle.” Martha quickly reached in the box and pulled out a little gray kitten who was been busy bouncing and tackling everyone else in the box. “And I’ll take out a 3 line ad in the Denali Daily.” Dave a little shocked seemed pleasantly surprised by my sudden sales. At least the part about the ad in the local newsletter, the Denali Daily. “Wonderful! What would you like the ad to say?” Dave inquired while finishing ringing up my bill. I just looked down at my money as I handed it over, a little sadden to see it go and said softly, “Free to good home. Kittens. See Martha.” The joy on Dave’s face lessened a bit, but he took my money anyways. The whole ride home Harold didn’t know what to make of this tiny, noisy, anxious thing crawling about the floor boards of the truck. Anytime it got a little too close to the seat he’d have to readjust himself. I’m pretty confident once Harold realized the kitten wasn’t going to eat him or otherwise hurt him he calmed down a bit. Never took his eye off it but definitely wasn’t worth making a big fuss over. “Don’t worry Harold” I assured him. “Having a lady around the place will be a good change. Maybe we’ll have to start picking up after ourselves a little better.” Harold seemed unimpressed though I’ll admit ducks can sometimes be hard to read. On the long drive home I had decided to name the kitten Rebecca, after someone I used to know. A life lesson as to why sometimes compassion, patience, and a little faith in people can go a long way. Why some things just can’t, or shouldn’t, be caged. And how any cage whether you like it or not will both keep something in and something out at the same time. Worst part is I had to make that mistake a few times before I even caught on it was a mistake. I had to make that mistake a few times more to figure out how not to. It also didn’t escape me none how cats can sometimes be a bit of a smart ass. So it seemed suiting. And yes, before I got in the truck back in town I looked to make sure we avoid the “Mr. Bojangles” naming accident. So the name was appropriate. Pulled up to my long drive way late in the evening. About half way down the old dirt driveway stood Clarence casually chewing away at something. It was unusual to see him so far from the main house and not at the lake. If he was just doing his daily business he’d be busy munching on a tree, resting under a shady tree, taking a swim, or if he was truly bored wandering the woods on the other side of the house. To be in the drive way, something caught his attention. My mind quickly raced to thoughts of wolves and bears. To hunters in the area, or thieves. To whatever damage may have been done to the property while I was away. Finally, to concerns that an old photograph I keep upstairs was still safe. As I rolled up the drive way slowly I reached under my seat and felt around for my gun. I didn’t like guns, and I wasn’t really good with one. But this was Alaska. And no matter how big you think you are, there’s always something bigger than you. Especially trouble. As I pulled up to the house however I was pleasantly surprised to see an Army vehicle parked out front. Whatever they were here for, it wasn’t going to be dangerous so the gun made its way back home. The brakes squeaked as I rolled to a stop and put the truck in park. As I got out I waited half a second for Harold to jump out after me. He waddled off towards the lake for the evening talking to himself the whole time. After Harold was gone I rolled the window down an inch for air and quickly shut the door. Rebecca didn’t need to be outside just yet. Two men in uniform sat in chairs I had left on my deck. They sat forward in their chairs ready to get up at any moment, holding on their hats in their hands. They both had a symbol of a castle on their uniforms which wasn’t uncommon in this part of the country. The older of the two gentlemen had two solid silver bars on his shirt showing a Captain’s rank. Looking right at him I asked about his business. “Commander. What brings you this way?” He stood up from his chair and walked to the end the porch. “I’m here to introduce myself. And to talk to you a little about your camera.” He said. His voice carried a certain weight and confidence to it. Clearly someone who was familiar to being in charge and not to being told no. “Well you should have told me you were coming. I could have saved you a trip. I was just in town today and I could have met you there.” I’m always cautious with new people, but I spoke friendly enough. As I approached him I held out my hand and he said “Daniels. Captain Daniels” and shook it. “Well you might as well as come inside. No sense in staying out here and feeding the mosquitoes.” I said as I entered the house. The two gentlemen happily followed.

Story 3

People like to personify fear as being this big nasty snarling creature that comes up from behind like a lurch in an alley and consumes you. Some sort of proverbial boogyman that since the days of cavemen has been our biggest rival and predator. But anything that primal, that basic an entity into the lives of living creatures is going to be so much more sophisticated in its simplicity and cunning.

After all, you evolved the ability to have fear because fear can keep you alive. Fear tells you when to run, when to fight, when to avoid, and when to hide. Fear is the thing we invoke and tempt when we do things purely for the rush like skydiving or driving fast.

No fear is not some snarling monster. Fear is that the attractive person from across the room whom with a glance and a slight raise of their brow you instantly know is trouble. Yet you stay. Maybe because you arrogantly think you’ll be different from everyone else, you’ll be able to control it. Maybe because your mother didn’t really ever teach you how to prepare for this moment.

But with their careful and confident walk over to you they have your attention and you can’t look away. They immediately come up close and invade your personal space, putting on hand on your waist and sliding it up your back between your shoulders. An action that makes it hard to get away. As they slide their hand up your back, to your shoulders, by your neck, they move their hand to your chest as if by magic without you noticing. Sliding their hand down your shirt to change your breathing, touching your skin and slowly applying more and more pressure they pull it back out. At their closest point they whisper in your ear, “run”. And as much as you may want to, you can’t. If they were to whisper anything else you’d do it without question, as if you weren’t yourself anymore. Your heart races as you stay stuck between excitement, anxiety, confusion, and empty thoughts. A victim to the spider’s web. That is fear.

I awoke that morning much like any other. Far too early to the persistent nudging and purring of my live in roommate. No matter how many times I tried to gently push the snooze button on my fuzzy alarm I was still met with an eager, “yeow”. Like so many mornings before this was clearly a battle I was not meant to win. I dragged myself out of bed, and went into the kitchen where I lit the old stove and put some coffee on to drip. All the while my little friend ran figure eights in my legs. “yeowl!” she proclaimed as apparently I was not moving fast enough. “Yes Rebecca I know” I tried to assure her to no avail. Quickly I reached in the cupboard and put some cat food in a bowl. No sooner as I placed it on the flood was someone eating like a good little piglet.

Outside the sun had already risen. There was a cool in the air as the new day’s sun had not warmed it yet. This left a slight mist or fog out in the field. And there at the top of the hill nibbling on the one apple tree was Clarence. If I ever needed to I swear I could tell time by the current location of that boy as he moved like clockwork. He stopped for just a moment to look at me as if to say hello or good morning and then went back about his day. I tried bringing him a banana I bought once from town but he didn’t seem to care for it. Apparently the boy just doesn’t like bananas. But in his defense there’s not really a conceivable reason why a wild moose in the middle of Alaska would ever come across a banana before.

Clarence had been on the property since long before I bought it several years ago. In ancient days someone might have had a peacock, a donkey, or a llama on their property as an early warning system of something bad. I had Clarence without even asking, and the best part was depending on what the trouble was he’d even defend. Standing near 7 or 8 feet tall at the shoulder and not even considering the antlers he had Clarence was a force to be reckoned with. I still remember the day I bought the property I asked about him to the previous owner. His advice to me was “you just leave him be and he’ll leave you be”. Seemed simple enough but rather folksy. Then that night came when a bear looking for food came a little too close to the house and was trying to figure out how doorknobs work a little too well for my comfort, if it hadn’t been for Clarence chasing him off things could have gotten ugly fast.

So yeah he stood up there in the morning dew munching away at the apple tree. As far as I was concerned that was his apple tree. No matter how many time he or the previous winters killed it I’ll always make sure there’s another one for him.

Other than my usual wakeup call the morning was relatively uneventful. Rebecca immediately disappeared to find herself some trouble or chase the morning sunspot as soon as she got what she wanted. Clarence made his way from the apple tree at the hill to the birches on the far side of the field. As the day progressed he’d eventually wander down my long gravel road to the lake for a swim before coming back in the cool of the evening. This left me ample opportunity to finish my coffee and get dressed before loading up the old truck with some camera gear and heading into town to look for work. Something to keep me busy.

The Army Corps of Engineers had made their way to this part of Alaska within the last few years to complete several projects and surveys. Things like bridges, roads, runways, that sort of thing. Part of their projects were more community based such as the bridge they built over the river past the valley. Others projects like most of these surveys, seemed to be more military oriented. Not sure really what they were looking for but they kept it close to the vest like military people do. I’d made a habit of driving into town and checking in on things. Sometimes the Captain had a survey job where he needed some photographs taken, other times the local print shop and newspaper would need images of an event in the area. Either way you got to talking to people and that always lead to learning something you hadn’t known before.

I arrived into town still early and stopped like I usually do at the only thing open, Donna’s Diner. It just also happened to be the hub and heartbeat for everything going on in a 5 mile radius of town and Moose Lake. As soon as I walked in Donna poured me a cup of coffee, said hello, and told me to stay out of trouble. I wasn’t sure how to take that, but the smirk on her face suggested with a grain of salt. I sat at my usual stool and ordered a bagel with cheese.

As we got past the usual pleasantries and daily routines I had gotten a chance to ask Donna if she’d heard anything interesting lately from people passing on through. “As a matter of fact” she said, “I did have a strange group of young men come through recently. Privates from the base who seemed a little rattled by something. Kept mentioning D.C. for some reason. I walked by them three times before any of them noticed I was there and ordered something.” It could have been nothing but it was worth looking into.

After breakfast I made my way down the street on foot the Amy office to await the arrival Captain Wheeler shortly after they opened to the public for the day. The Captain always struck me as a reserved but open minded and clear headed guy. He wasn’t always quick to act and he could be persuaded, assuming you had a logical argument and enough hard evidence to support it. Being a soldier he also knew that sometimes you have to just do what you’re told and put your own views and feelings aside. And that sometimes meant once you make a commitment, you keep it.

His lieutenant on the other hand was a young man who came across and loathing this assignment. I always got the impression he was looking to be a hero somewhere face in the dirt of some god awful forgotten piece of earth. Off bravely fighting and defending against fascists, or communists, or anarchists, or some other form of “ists”. Instead he was here surrounded by civilians whom he saw as the worst kinds of “ists”; pacifists.

What he was, was a young man who didn’t know how well he had gotten it. It’s easy to mentally glorify war in the imagination, it’s another to endure it. Death much like birth isn’t pretty, and about 80% of it comes with an unexpected shit.

The Army office opened without much ceremonial hub-to-do. As I heard the door unlock like it does this time every morning I reached for the handle of the big wooden door. Before I could grab it the door immediately swung open and I had stumbled backwards as to not be in the way and bump into the person making their departure. “Yes Captain. Understood. Until then.” They said in a soft voice looking back. It was Elizabeth, a local chemist in the area. As soon as she looked forward and I saw her face it all hit me. Just as it always does. Memories of days spent talking and laughing at Donna’s Diner. Social get togethers where out of the middle of nowhere she’d do something odd like lick the side of my face just to watch me squirm. Moon lit nights of passion and sex which were less about sex and more about just being as close to each other as physically possible. And new dawn mornings of her standing in the door way looking at the field wearing nothing but her underwear bottoms and my dirty button up shirt she had picked up off the floor. .

The kind of comfort where underwear stops matching and becomes cotton whatevers, people don’t shave every day, you keep a few things over at their place, and your first and last thought is of them. Just assuming they’ll be there. Like a fool. As well as memories of her scream the night the car hit that ditch on the old road, or fights about nothing because neither of us really wanted to say what we thought.

My gaze caught hers for only a minute before she hastily looked away. “Hi” she said with speed and at an almost inaudible volume. “Hi” I said, but the words were slow to arrive in my mouth and by the time I spoke she was already gone. We both knew inside, there would be a reckoning between us someday. Neither of us wanted to address it as we were both afraid of what it might do. To each other and to ourselves. So we just avoided each other as best we could for now, and hoped it never needed to happen.

Despite my startling arrival I made my way inside the Army office where the Captain was already busy working at his desk. I didn’t inquire about Elizabeth’s business there though I wanted to. Instead I chose to ask if he had heard anything about D.C. lately which raised a brow. “Not that I know of” he replied. I knew he was hiding something but that was also part of his job. I told him the story I had heard about some personnel who arrived to the diner who seemed spooked. That I didn’t know if I should be here today as a photographer for him or for the paper down the street. And if there was anything he could clear up for me. He glanced briefly at a letter on his desk. I knew it was trouble. But he quickly kept up with his story that nothing was up or should be concerning. Instead he chose to change the subject and asked me to photograph a ravine in the area and to do so with haste as they needed to do some civil engineering models soon. With reluctance I took the job and made my way out of town. It’s where I’d end up spending my day.

I arrived home late evening to find Clarence by the house laying underneath a tree I usually park my truck under. I honked once at him to make sure he knew I was there but he just looked at me for a moment before looking away and flicking one ear. Clearly the honk was being taken under advisement and was simply deemed not interested. So I pulled off to the side and walked the rest of the way. He was still wet from coming out of the lake and not far off. I could still hear ducks arguing over their giant intruder. All the while I couldn’t help but think about the morning and my interaction with the Captain. 9 times out of 10 if it feels like someone is trying to get rid of you or keep you busy, they are. Something didn’t smell right.

The next morning I awoke to much my same routine. When I got to the kitchen however something just felt, wrong. The world seemed fine but it was off just a little bit. Looking around for some clue or note I found myself gazing out the window when it hit me. Clarence wasn’t at his tree. Clarence is never late. I began to panic just a little bit.

There was a commotion near the front of the house. To my discovery it was Clarence. He was upset as his little tail moved and he looked on guard. His fur glistened sun for a moment before suddenly I knew with a sinking feeling. He was injured. Before I could make it to the door wolves come out from the tree line to stage what I could only assume was another attack.

Everything just sort of happened in automatic mode from that moment.

I went back into the kitchen and scooped up Rebecca mid chomp into some food. I carried her into my bedroom and shut her in my closet. Quickly I ran back into the living room still dressed for sleep and grabbed the truck keys. Slowly I made my way outside and to the truck. My hands shook and under my breath I repeated the words, “this is stupid, this is stupid”. My friend was in danger though and I had to act. As soon as the key was in the ignition and the engine turned I slammed the truck into reverse without looking and floored it. There was a loud “ka-chunk” and the truck shook. In front of me lay an injured wolf who quickly got up and made a break for the tree line. I looked at my mirrors frantically.

Clarence was okay and making his way down the road. I knew he needed help still. Throwing the truck in drive and spinning out the back end swung around and I raced down the road past Clarence. If he got back into the tree line he was dead. Something just made me feel like he couldn’t leave.

Near the end of the roadway I slammed the emergency break swinging the back end around to a 90 degrees and perpendicular to the road. Clarence was in no mood. At full speed he proceeded to ram the truck and crush my door. Glass exploded into cab and the wheels on that side lifted off the ground for a moment. Clarence shook his head for a moment and snorted what I could only assume was, “get out of my way old man”. In a frantic I began looking around the cab for anything that might send him another direction. With a wild turn of the dial the radio came on at full volume and started him back towards the house. He’d make his way up the hill to hide out by the apple tree.

Upon arriving back at the house a scared and startled Rebecca who’s stomach didn’t appreciate the sudden grab had puked all over my shoes in the closet. One more thing I’d have to get fixed. I wanted to make a special stop in town today for some gauze, medical tape, and to see if the local vet had any tranquilizers for livestock. My hope was maybe I could slip something in an apple and while he slept, clean and bandage Clarence’s wound a bit. He’d look pretty dopey standing on that hill with a white square on his shoulder, but at least he’d be at the hill.

Story 4

He stopped chewing his meal for a moment and looked up. His expression was one of alert inquiry. There was a faint smell of something burning slowly drifting in from the distance. Not a bird could be heard. Deep within him he knew, something was not right here. As he looked out ahead into the horizon he thought to himself, “war is coming” with the knowledge soon enough it would come for him. These moments would be the calm before storm for soon he would do battle.

At least, that’s what I assume was the scenario that played out in Clarence’s head as he munched on pumpkins. In actuality his thoughts were probably more along the lines of, “mmm, yes, this is SO good”. Pumpkins are something that don’t grow naturally here and are only brought up from below for Halloween and maybe Thanksgiving. When the holiday is over it’s just a free buffet of goodness for the likes of a moose. Still it was amusing to me to think of him preparing for some mighty arctic war. Galloping bravely into battle with his coat of dwarven armor. Fear not creatures of this land for the might of the deer family has arrived. It was a lot nicer a thought than the realization I was going to have to clean up that pumpkin carcass when he was done with it. Or the nuggets he left me in the middle of the drive.

#ranting #rambling #fiction #writing #boredatwork

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ininnsbruck · 6 years

Text

Amman.

As I’m spending my last day in Jordan, I have so many memories I never want to lose- so I’m writing them all here. I booked this trip to visit Jude on a whim. I didn’t even know Jude that well when I did it (hence why I believed she could have had the nerve to block me before I came...) I wasn’t nervous at all until I got on the plane from CDG to AMM. Suddenly, all the fears that western media have filled me with my past 22 years came to my head. I was honestly scared. My mom didn’t help, because she too had these fears but she made them vocal to me before I left.

However, I got over all of these fears as soon as I saw Jude and her mom. They picked me up at the airport, where we happened to see a huge welcome home to a couple who came to Jordan from Palestine (something else I’ve learned so much about here.) There was music and laughter, everyone was so happy. I automatically realized: the Middle East is not as scary as western media wants you to believe it is. That night, we ate Kebab and went home and I got some rest. The way they drive here is so insane, the lines on the road as well as stop signs are merely suggestions, it’s basically a free for all. As soon as the light changes, everyone blares on the horn to go. It’s pretty cultural in itself! After we got home, I slept about 10 hours, which was good because the next days were sure to be full of exhaustion.

The first full day in Amman, we went to the Citadel which stands on top of a hill and oversees all of Amman (almost.) It was Ancient Greek, and very well preserved. Afterwards, we ate ice cream, chugged water, and went to the Roman ampetheater. Those steps were so high, we only made it to the second tier. But at the ampetheater, there was a museum of traditional clothing and mosaics which was so cool. I love the traditional clothing they have here, it’s all embroidered and people still wear it. That was the coolest part- it’s not rare like a dirndl. Afterwards, it was time to cool down. We went to a coffee shop and we met up with Jude’s friend Jad. We sat there and talked for a while, then made our way to the streets and walked around a bit. The downtown life here is so different, there are so many shops and cafes (I guess it makes sense because alcohol is banned in Islam.) After we walked around, we met up with Jude’s other friend Abood and went to another cafe and watched the soccer game (I don’t recall who.) Then, we came home and went to sleep. Long day!

The second day in Amman was very relaxed. We went to visit Jude’s aunt and her grandparents. Jude’s aunt was so funny- and she’s also a chef and so of course she had the best food. Afterwards, we went to a travel agency and booked our day at the Dead Sea. Following, we went to another cafe and watched Egypt vs. Saudi Arabia. It was an intense game, and even though Egypt lost, it was still fun. Following the game, we went to the mall and shopped around. I scored 2 scarves and only spent 5jds! We also tried this sweet corn thing, which was so different. You get it at a candy shop, and it’s sweet corn, drenched in lemon juice, with 5 different spices. Then you eat it as dessert- Jude drank the juice leftover. It was crazy, but it was so amazing so get to try the authentic stuff more than just the stuff you see online. After the mall, we went to a cafe with Jude’s friend Badhi. We came home, ordered McDonalds, packed for the Dead Sea, and went to bed.

The third day, you guessed it: the Dead Sea! We woke up and got ready and took a car to the Holiday Inn at the Dead Sea. Temperatures there were 100-108 while we were there. We went out to the pool, laid out, swam, and enjoyed the weather. We laid out from like 2-6, then we went to the sea. First we did a mud mask, which is mud pulled from the floor of the Dead Sea, so it BURNED. We washed it off almost as soon as we put it on, then made our way to the water. Since we did the mud first, the water didn’t sting as bad, but it still stung prettttyyy bad. I still got to float, which was pretty cool. I honestly thought it wouldn’t work for me, but it did. We took some pictures, then made our way up to the pool again. After about another hour, we came up and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a wing restaurant which I think made me kinda sick. We came back to the hotel, and Jude was so funny. She literally was gonna order room service after we just ate (well we did- we got cheesecake.) The rest of the night we quoted vines, it was a good time.

Day four, we woke up at 5:30 to see the sunset, which we couldn’t see from our hotel but we walked down anyways. I threw up on the way (AMAZING) then we fell back asleep (kinda) and woke up, checked out, and went to the pool. This sun did us dirty, we both got burned. For lunch we shared a salad and got so ~skinny~ After we left the Dead Sea, we drove to Mt. Nebo where I got to see what is rumored to be where Moses passed and where he received the promise to the Holy Land from God. It was an amazing sight, because you can see the edge of the Dead Sea, as well as Palestine. I prayed for my dad, which moved me to tears. But no sappy thoughts. After we were done at Mt. Nebo, we met Juliana and took a cab to Madaba, where we got a guard to open the church with the oldest Mosaic on the floor. Then, we saw Juliana’s old school and the church next to it (she attended catholic school.) We went into the ground and saw a well that was a couple thousand years old and still pulls water out of the ground. Then we climbed to the top of the tower in the church, where we saw all of Madaba from above. It was very cool! Then we ate dinner and went back to Amman. Didn’t have too much time to relax though, because next day we left for Petra and Wadi Rum!

Day five, we left for Petra at 5:30am (amazing- probs why I fell down the steps) and we got on a bus to Petra. It was about 4.5 hours, and when we got there, it was so hot. We walked down to the trail and before you know it, I fell and ripped my pants and cut up and bruised my legs. Made for an amazing rest of the day!! The walk down to Petra wasn’t bad, my makeup was still in tact and it was a bit shady. Petra was amazing, I rode a camel!!! We had lots of photo shoots. Then, on the way back, HOLY COW I DIED. It was uphill, sun full force. We ended up riding a horse the rest of the way up the hill. Jude and I died, but it was definitely worth the 8jds. The rest of the day, we went back on the bus to Wadi Rum. We arrived at camp, and automatically did a Jeep tour. It was amazing and so fun. I wish it felt a little more dangerous, but hey, it was great. Then, after we got back to camp, I took the most amazing shower of my life. It was cold water in a 90 degree bathroom. The water literally rinsed off brown, so gross. I think I will have sand in my adidas for the rest of their life cycle. After we showered, we ate dinner and spent the rest of the night playing cards. We went to stargaze on a big rock which was honestly so cool. We listened to mellow music and just had a lot of time for self reflection. It is probably one of my favorite memories of being here.. When it came time for bed, we started getting so slap happy. The tent literally had a zipper for a door, but it was so hot we left it open all night. It was the dirtiest place I’ve ever slept, but I survived! Dogs and coyotes woke me up in the morning, and I also saw baby scorpions. On that note- I was out.

Day six, we spent literally the entire day in the bus. We rode the bus to Aqaba, where we ate at a Pizza Hut for like two hours. We were laughing so much, like I cannot get over how much I laughed during that meal. A mix of us all being tired and delusional I think! We went to Chinatown after, which was cool because I got to shop some cheap stuff for couvenirs. The rest of the day, we drove back to Amman. I got to see the Red Sea, which showed the coast of Egypt and Palestine again. I swear it took 10 hours when it should’ve taken 5. By the time we all got back, every single one of us had such bad stomach problems. It was wonderful!

Day seven, we relaxed a bit and went out with Jude’s friends to a cafe. We ate waffles in the morning, which were so good but so sweet. We watched the soccer game, smoked hookah, and I got to try real Kenefe! So much better than the one I tried in Austria. It was authentic and so tasty. After, we came home and went to sleep. Still exhausted from the other travels.

Day eight, after Jude got back from work, we went to Jerash. It was so hot, but we got to see the entire place. Everything here is so well preserved and it is honestly amazing to get to experience. That was in the north, about 40 min from the Syrian border. Jude’s mom used to take Jude to Syria for lunch, which is so crazy in my opinion. It feels more than just a news story being here... We ate dinner at a nice restaurant, then drove back to Amman and went to sleep.

Day nine, the final day. We went to the coolest auto museum today— all about the cars of the royal family. Made me really miss my dad. They had so many cars, especially the ones with cool stories behind them (like the one the late King rode after he received cancer treatment.) Then, we went to this monument/ museum where the martyrs of Jordan are honored. It gave me such a sense of pride and respect for the Jordanian government and culture. They paid respect to so many people, especially those that have died recently. That was really awesome to see because so many people have died and they are all remembered and honored at that place. I cried SO much and I’m not even Arab! Then, we went home and ate an amazing dinner cooked by her mom. There was soup, rice, salad, chicken, and these really good potatoes. It was an awesome last meal. Then, the dreaded trip to the airport came. Lots of tears ran down my face, but I was ready to go home after I left Jude. Long journey ahead of me!

I am sad to leave, but trying to not think about it. I have grown to know Jude so well and I love her and her family. This trip filled me with a sort of happiness I never want to lose again. It also taught me how to see things for what they are, and not what the media wants me to think they are. Arabs are the kindest people I’ve ever met and I am so thankful to have had this experience. I have experienced luxury, the desert in the middle of nowhere, the green, the family, the culture, the language, and so much more. I would have never thought I’d love it here as much as I do, but I am so glad I decided to come here. I have earned a sister, as well as gained a new appreciation for middle eastern culture. I am so blessed. On my way back to Pittsburgh now, and it is definitely bittersweet.

(Delta up leaving my luggage in Pairs, and after a 9 hour layover it’s the last thing I wanted to deal with.) I was excited to share my souvenirs with everyone, and share my memories that will last forever.

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