#basically it was 2 AM and my laptop died so I plugged it in and tried turning it back on and it wouldn’t work and I Freaked Out

[rosesradio]

never letting my laptop die while i’m on tumblr again 👁👄👁

[derrypubliclibrary]

Hiii i heard u like asks! Umm i like the ride the cyclone songs but i have no idea what its about beyond "ghosts are recounting their past lives" so this is a free pass to infodump about it if u want!

oooohhhh im biting you/pos ough

im apologizing in advance (also, minor CW for shitty parents, (child neglect), and minor SA mentions (not mentioned outright but thats what happened with the carnie)) (under the cut because this is long as shit dude)

OKAY

so basically. its about these six choir kids who died on the cyclone roller coaster. before they got on 5 of them got their fortunes read by Karnak, a fortune telling machine that can predict peoples deaths!! but, he was set to “family fun novelty mode” which means that he can still predict their deaths, but he cant say anything about it. part of his pre-programed bit is “and be sure to ride the cyclone” and he feels super bad about the fact that he knew these kids were gonna die on the cyclone, couldn’t tell them, and told them to actually ride the coaster.

So! he ‘summons’ their ghosts to the warehouse where hes being stored (the crash takes place one year in the past (so this year itd happen 2022) and the musical itself takes place 20 years in the future) and he tells them that he can bring one of them back to life! the six kids (in order of their song(s)) are: ocean o’connell rosenburg, noel gruber, mischa bachinski, ricky potts, jane doe, and constance blackwood. Karnak can bring one of them back to life, and thats what they’re competing for!

Ocean’s first, each kid has a favorite ride, and star sign, a catchphrase,and a “title” (?? im not sure what to call it). Oceans favorite ride is the bumper cars, her star sign is Capricorn, sign of ambition, her catchphrase is “democracy rocks!” and her “title” is “The Most Successful Girl in Town” Shes super obsessed with being successful, getting good grades, being the youngest prime minister of canada, that kinda thing. Her song is how shes Super Awesome and Amazing and Cool and Everyone Else Sucks so You Should Pick Her to go Back. that, obviously, doesn’t go over well with the rest of the choir. Karnak also doesnt tell her that whoever comes back has to be chosen by a unanimous vote from the choir. she tries to save herself, it doesn’t work. basically, shes super self centered, not a great person. her song is What the World Needs!

next is Noel Gruber. His favorite ride is the Farris wheel, his star sign is pisces, sign of passion, his catchphrase is “being the only gay man in a small rural highschool is kinda like having a laptop in the stone age. i mean, you can have one, but theres no where to plug it in.” and his “title” is “The Most Romantic Boy in Town.” his whole thing is, like in his catchphrase, being the only gay man in a small rural town. he romanticizes Everything, which is why hes “the most romantic” (i could get into the titles but thats. so much) hes super obsessed with france, french new wave cinema, that kinda thing. he also really likes the german movie ‘the blue angel’! his song is about his hooker oc monique gibeau and her tragic life. he Loves tragedy too. i. forgot to mention that. so basically his song is about how much he wants to have a tragic life! his song is Noel’s Lament!

next is Mischa Bachinski! his favorite ride is the shooting range (or the beer gallery depending on the script, i believe), his star sign is Leo, sign of aggression, his catchphrase is “my gangster persona is just armor to conceal the fact that i am naked child wandering through the wilderness holding in my hands my wounded fragile heart” and his “title” is “the angriest boy in town!” his whole thing is that hes from Ukraine, his mother was a worker who helped clean up Chernobyl, she was dying from prolonged exposure to uranium. so, she sent him to Canada by faking his birth certificate to make it look like he was 2 and freshly potty trained and not 16. his “new parents” werent happy, so they kept him in the basement and would leave his food at the top of the stairs. his “new mom” would cry every time she saw him and his “new dad” would shoo him away:( so he turned to “ganster rap” he also has a fiance he met on the internet who lives in Ukraine! her name is talia:) he has two songs, the first is a rap about how cool and awesome he is and also how cool and awesome money is and also robots! his second song is about his internet fiancé!! his songs are “This Song is Awesome” and “Talia”!

next is Ricky Potts! his favorite ride is the gravatron, his star sign is gemini, the dual nature, his catchphrase changes depending on the script, we’ll stick with “level up!” because this is already long as shit and we’ve still got two more characters! and his “title” is “The Most Imaginative Boy in Town!” his story is that hes disabled, hes got a degenerative disease that makes it so he cant walk or talk, and in the kinda town they live in it’s obvious that no one made any efforts to learn how to communicate with him (his family canonically made up theyre own sign language??? and took a vow of silence. they also have 14 cats.) so he turned to his imagination for entertainment. he also got one of those wishes from the school. i don’t remember what his wish was but ik it was something about sexy cat girls. so. they compromised with an all you can eat seafood dinner at red lobster! he got food poisoning and had a Wild fever dream. his song is about… having sex… with cat girls… to save the day on the planet “Zolar”! his song is “Space Age Bachelor Man”!

next is jane doe! so, remember how i said that 5 of the 6 kids got their fortunes read? shes the one who didnt. she lost her head, and no parents came to claim her body, so shes the “unidentified body” of the disaster. (theres a reason her parents didnt come claim her body but thats a whole other play) her songs is all about how she doesnt know who she is and how she has no memories! her song is “The Ballad of Jane Doe”!

and finally, Constance Blackwood. Her favorite ride is the cyclone roller coaster, her sign is Scorpio, the secret nature, her catchphrase is “sorry” and her “title” is “The Nicest Girl in Town.” Her whole story is how she hated being only seen as “nice” and how even her best friend (ocean) didnt know her. shes super depressed and shit. a few hours before they go on the coaster, she loses her virginity to a carnie in a porta potty because she wanted to lose it in “the worst way possible.” her family has been in Uranium since it was a mining town, and she thought that was cool! until she got to high school and thinking Uranium was cool was “about the lamest thing you could think to do” she started thinking shit about her town, and her mom (for staying there, for thinking it was cool). her song is about how, while she was dying, she finally realized that her town is beautiful and she does have pride in it. her song is “Sugarcloud” and her monologue is “Jawbreaker”!!

and thats all im gonna say for now because this is Long As Shit holy Fuck

[frenchfries02]

(1) I then started.

I dreamed a lot while sleeping, before waking up. The day's too cold this time. Dreams activate for me whenever I sleep for the 2nd time. First thing that came to mind, going out of bed, was to finish my rough drafts for our upcoming report in college. But our freaking potato shid PC sucks, it died 2 times while writing for my stuffs. Thank goodness my brother was a geek in fixing that PC of ours, cus he was using my laptop for his classes as well. I waited for him for like 30 min or so. He decently plugged out & in the ram stick and brushed off some dust inside the CPU.

Then tenen, it was fixed, it doesn't die anymore. In the middle of doing it, Goddamnit, I felt something. It came * facepalm * my freaking ketchup days ( basically red days for gurls, u know what I mean * wink * ). Thankfully after that, me and my partner for the report finished the drafts that were going to put for the PowerPoint.

It was decent, and thank thy thee's I will be able to take a breather, my pending works wouldn't be that much because I was already getting dizzy from low blood and migraine because of the ketchup volcano and my blurry vision. Then my bf dm'ed me uwu hoho. What a motivation for me. We talked ofc and I am going to keep those momental gems huehue. Then I washed the dishes, my mom asked for me to chop the recipes for our upcoming dinner, and then I took a nap.

I got interrupted again from the cold, slept in 5pm - 7pm and got woken up by cold. It was a climate change from our country. The cold that was supposed to be in December, got delayed and moved to January to February haha. Crazy. I know.

Then I saw my favorite author, posting the promotion of his book 2 collector's edition. Even though I still wanted to sleep, I watched it because I love his book. It was also illustrated from amazing artist that's why I was also entertained. I love art. My sleepy head got away because of it but I'm so sad because I don't haaavveee enoughh money huhu. To buy that edition :< .

My boyfie chatted again, welp ofc. Babe time again. Omo. He really wanted to date again but I am having my ketchup days and I'm so very not in the mood and I have class tomorrow. But still.. I agreed, we're all gonna die anyways haha why not spend the time right, we never know what comes after some days. I told him as well this time that I dreamed about him us riding a bike something etc.. we nearly got into an accident in that dream. He compared it to his dream as well before, same thing happened and same place. He said that dreams are indeed weird. I agreed.

It was an exhausting day. I am still badly craving for sleep and french fries. Life is short. I hope mine would be shorter tomorrow XD.

[latenightdecaf]

No Signal [3/3]

pairing: yoongi x reader

genre: established relationship, fluff, angst, idol!yoongi

summary: you're dating Min Yoongi, member of BTS and he.. well the busy man that he is forgot about you for two days.

three out of two three shots! - [part 1 & 2]

no warnings here, hun

word count: 4,159

a/n: I have this imagine in my head that I hope Yoongi falls in love with someone who strikingly similar to him when it comes to taking care of people. I hope he ends up with someone, who even has a much bigger heart if it’s even possible. I hope the universe will return its favor to him, and send him a human being that’s selfless and carries so much love that it pours out. Whoever it is, wherever that person is—I’m rooting for you.

I am late but Happy 11 years with Yoongi. 🎈

Finally closing this one, I hope it’s not too tooth achingly fluffy 😂 i’m so glad i wrote and finished this heheh thank you all so much for reading!! ♥️ And to the beautiful humans who sent me their messages, again thank you and I really really appreciate all the love.

“Ji Eun-ah, Ji Eun!!!” Shaking the practically dead body thats been clinging to you again on your third day in Yangyang. “Hun, you have to wake up. Tony’s been calling you.” Eyes still tightly shut, and hugging a pillow instead of your arms. You sighed in defeat, leaving the room completely “I have no idea how she’ll finish law school at this rate.” Skye offering you a cup of coffee, “She will eventually..” and sipping in on hers. You followed her out into the porch, enjoying the view in front of your rented home. Breathing in the fresh air, the sounds of the waves crashing and sipping on iced coffee in an empty stomach. Although it was never ideal but vacation sometimes calls to unleash all unhealthy habits. Unhealthy habits of drinking till dawn, habits of basically crawling on the way back home from Ahjumma, leaving your phone uncharged for the past unknown hours since it died, and completely forgetting everything that stressed you out for the past 96 hours. You feel like you can finally breathe, facing it again is another story but you’ll just cross the bridge when you get there. For now, you’ll settle for this—settle for this present.

“Hun, Tony called.” Ji Eun appearing behind you and Skye with hair all messy. “Yeah that’s what I’ve been telling you..” Still facing the sea and sipping on your iced coffee and Skye doing the same. “Hun… I forgot to file my case, and it’s due 4pm today—or else I won’t graduate.”

“What!?” Immediately turning your heads to the woman behind you. “We have to go, hun.” Still standing by the porch and saying it in the most calmed manner. You and Skye ran immediately to the room. Grabbing everything that’s been lying around the house and into the nearest bag you could find. Frantically fixing the bed and cleaning all your stuff before vacating your beloved rented place. Throwing everything at the trunk of your car, feeling completely awake and somehow responsible for all this. Hopping into your car as soon everyone is set, not forgetting the iced coffee that was the star of your morning.

“Hun, we’ll get you there in time. I promise.” Immediately driving off, and plugging your dead phone into your car. Asking Skye to check the possible traffic and the estimated arrival to Seoul. Eyes focused on the road, knowing so well that there will be enough time. You all left Yangyang at 12:45 in the afternoon. “Hun, remind me again—Tony’s the dean of College of Law right?” Peeking on your rear view mirror. Sitting in the middle of back seat, seat belt strapped around her as she types in her laptop. “Yup.” Still confused with the situation, “So the Dean called to remind you?” Eyes glued to her laptop as she responds casually. “Yup, Hun we’re all friends there.” Slightly shaking your head and finding it quite extraordinary. You focused on driving, chill music playing in the background courtesy of Skye, you declared to your passengers that there will be no rest stops and everyone agreed. So on fast track highway you go, keeping in mind that you need get this woman in Seoul in less than 2 hours if that’s even possible.

Everyone is still unknowingly on their pajamas, after the rush that is your morning. 5 minutes past 3 pm at the stop light right before arriving in Yonsei you looked back and checked on Ji Eun reminding her to at least put on her jeans instead. She hurriedly changed her clothes, reminded you and Skye about the passcode to her house that is just at least 3 blocks away from the university and before you dropped her off, “Hun, go get them.” You smiled brightly before she rushed off to have her case printed and ready—just enough time before 4pm. Heading to Ji Eun’s apartment to drop all of her stuff, Skye brought all of their luggage out of your trunk, including bags of empty banchan tupperware that was sold old out during the trip, emptying your car effectively. You hugged one of your dearest friends, not knowing where to start and how to even say how thankful you are for the needed getaway. “I owe you a whole lot—you know that right?” releasing Skye from your hug, “I know but you do know you have to tell me who he is sooner or later, right? Or we’ll find out anyway.” You chuckled at what seemed to be a light threat. “I know. I’ll tell you who he is—soon enough.” Reassuring your dear friend that if everything goes well, they’d be able to know who your boyfriend is eventually. “Now go, Yongsan is still at least less than hour away. Ji Wan is already on her way.” Facing and pushing you towards your car. “Can’t believe you won’t even let me stay to see her.” Lightly fighting her, as you are eager to see her girlfriend again after all the stories you’ve heard. You wanted to see her again, thank her for lending Skye for the past few days and apologize too for all the inconvenience. You know so well, that it’s not easy to be in a relationship with someone who is needed by other people too and for that you wanted to apologize. “See her? You’re still in your pajamas.” Looking down and realizing again the state that you are in, you immediately retreat. “So you’re ashamed of me now. Fine, next time then. Thank her for me though and apologize for me too. I’ll go ahead.” Starting your car, and waving bye to your dearest friend as you drive back home in haze.

After the day you just had, running on an empty stomach with just iced coffee you sigh to yourself. Feeling tired. Your life with your friends will never be complete without a rush of drama here and there. But you know for sure it’s the kind of friendship you wouldn’t trade for anything else.

Mouth agape and extremely confused, you have no idea if you’re dreaming.

“I’ve been coming here since yesterday, just in case you’re already back.” Immediately dropping your stuff on the floor and not believing your eyes as you look at the man that’s standing in front of you. Groceries and a small bouquet of yellow tulips on the table, iced americano still full, him wearing the house slippers you’ve bought and hidden as a surprise for his next visit. “You told me before that just in case of emergency just treat this place as my own, so I did.” Looking too confused in this situation, Yoongi just continued to tour you in your own kitchen. “I filled your fridge with groceries and my mom’s banchan.” Opening up the fridge and showing you a carefully placed and label boxes of tupperwares that’s stored in it. You bit your lip shut, brows still furrowed in confusion, following him around and just listening to him, saying all these things. “Tell me if the kimchi’s too spicy for you. I didn’t bring you her pickled anchovies because I know you don’t like fish that much. I also got you apples and lemons.” Showing each of the items he bought that are still in the bag, decaf arabica beans because you love drinking decaf at night, reminding you as well to not just use the lemons for tequila.

“Please stop talking.” You feel dizzy and still not fully comprehending his presence in your own house. He turned to you but you’re not meeting his eyes. “What?” Trying so hard to control your tears, and hide your frown. You move closer and closer until he’s just inches away, towering in front of your small frame. He held your hand and pulled you closer to him, close enough to feel his warmth, arms wrapped around you, hand carefully stroking your hair as his chin rests on the side of your head. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. How many sorry do you think I can say in the next minute without breathing?” Head just resting in his embrace. The moment you saw those leather sandals in your front door, he’s already forgiven. “Zero.” You whispered. You’re tired and there’s no other place you’d rather rest than on his arms.

You’ve seen him rapped, Cypher in all parts there is and it bothers you too much how he can rap so fast without breathing. You seriously even told him before that every time you see that video of him, you catch your own breath hoping you can breathe for him instead. And he never forgotten those words. “How is it even possible for your to breathe for me?” You closed your lips and thought about it, but in the end you shrugged your shoulders and went back to reading, “I don’t know maybe I just can.” The smile and look on your face was one of the many things he can’t forget. They way you always have an answer to his unearthly questions. The way those answers were always unscientific, vague, random and despite it’s lack of reasoning, often times he believes it. And he has no idea how you do that.

Pulling away from his embrace, you went back to reality “What are you doing here?” Looking at him with worried eyes, and arms still wrapped around his waist. “I know, I can’t always make time for you whenever I want to. Even my own time is not necessarily mine. But on some days, I know what to prioritize or not.” Tucking the hair behind your ears. You blinked a couple more times and pouting, “I’m not asking for the moon and stars—all i asked was for you to text me back or call. I don’t know.” Rolling your eyes over, and started joking to lighten up the mood.

You’ll never get used to this, or at least for now. When he starts speaking those words, it scares you sometimes how real he can feel in your arms. So you hide those feelings in a form of a light joke. Terrified that if he continues to do so, you’ll be left with no choice but to fall into this too deep because you know that when it comes to love, you always go all in.

Smiling on your joke and still not letting you go. He is more than aware on what he’s like at work, having been in the industry for a while. The pressure of being on top is immense. Sometimes he’s just locked up on this studio for days, forgetting some of the basic things like human interaction or even sunlight. Sometimes he seems to forget the reason he’s doing this all for, and at the expense of everything he unknowingly took for granted before.

You’ve had this conversation with him before, mentioning how he would like to take you to the movies sometime ago. He noticed how you immediately panicked in this notion while sitting at his car and drinking on your coffee, saying that you loved watching movies in your house anyway that it’s no big deal. And you meant it, it doesn’t really matter to you where you watch a movie. But in the end he felt bad, making you compromise about the small things normal couples do. Making you settle for sneaky car dates along Han River. He knows you deserve more.

“How are you still in your pajamas?” Looking at you carefully and pointing out the obvious, you laughed at his question. “It’s been a hell of a crazy day, Yoongi you have no idea.” Frowning and dying to tell him the crazy day you just had, but you held yourself back. Naturally intertwining your fingers with his, as you make your way to the sofa to sit. Settling beside each other and not letting him go. It’s been days. The air and all the alcohol consumed has cleared your head and where you stand in this relationship has finally dawned to you. So despite your enormous lack of courage, you’re taking the leap—facing him, “Yoongi-ah, I’m a big girl. I know how to take care of myself. I know what to do, what not to do. When to stop working and when to rest, you on the other hand you don’t. It comes with practice, I don’t need to be your top priority—what I need is for you to make you, your top priority.” Yoongi can’t meet your eyes, just holding your hands tightly and the other one playing with your finger tips. He heard you, and knows what needs to be done. But it’s not the outmost concern he had as soon as you skipped town after that incident in his studio.

He didn’t meant the situation to have to come that far. Him not calling you did not meant that he has completely forgotten about you, of course not. He thought about you, in the smallest things possible, in ways he hated himself for not acting on it sooner. You’d slip on his mind, he’d check his phone only to find its battery dead. He’d charge it, then get occupied at work again it’s a viscous cycle and he knows. He knows that he needs to do better.

“So you don’t want to be with me anymore?” Saying it in the lowest and saddest voice you’ve ever head from him. “Hey…” hugging him and gently stroking his back, “That’s not what I meant, and you know that.” Settling his whole body on your embrace, and him hiding his face. “That’s the problem, I don’t know. I don’t know these things.” Being completely honest and laying his cards, he had it in his head that if you come back and tell him that you’re leaving him. He won’t even blame you but he desperately wishes and hopes that you won’t. He knows he can’t promise that those days will not happen again, he can only promise that he’ll never let it get out of hand. He can only promise to never let you walk out again before hearing his side. Promises that he will never leave you wondering again if you were important, because you are.

You cupped his face to meet your gaze. “Okay, how bout I make it clear. I’m not going to leave you—you are unfortunately stuck with me.” He shyly smiled and feeling relived. He felt a certain warmth after all these days of being without you. Fixing his hair, running in your thumbs the lines in his eyes, he looks sad and tired and you hate seeing him like this. “You already said it earlier, my love.” not even noticing that you called him that. “You said you know what to prioritize or not, and I know you meant me but what i meant is for you to include yourself too.” Frowning after saying your sentiments again. Gently patting his head and wondering sometimes how can someone who’s very music heals millions of people, forget to include myself in his list of priorities.

“You just called me your love.” Blinking fast and trying to recall what he had just pointed out. Eyebrows furrowed and looking at him, “That’s not the point.” His smiled immediately came back, making things feel lighter. “I know.” Hugging you again, more tightly this time and echoing in his head the very moment you called him your love.

You figure, after all this you’re going to need to be much stronger, full of love because you hold it in your arms the man who’s very existence heals a lot of people. The man who’s very existence shines infinite light into your life. And you figured, if you can at least give him back half the love he’s showed you then it might be enough.

You’ve always wanted to be loved this way. People might not immediately understand, but you’ve always wanted to be with someone who remembers little things about you. It’s so small and very trivial but from experience it not necessarily the easiest thing to achieve. Sometimes no matter how long you’ve been with someone, there comes a day that you realize they don’t really know you after all. But this man, does everything so naturally, so effortlessly. From the food you hate, to what coffee you get on a sunny day, to the comfort movie you watch on a rainy day. For whatever weather or mood, he remembers.

You both know how this is. No relationship lasts without hitting a storm a little. But in the end we give it a good fight, not just with the inner demons we have in our personal lives but also tides, the fight with tides in our relationships no matter how strong the current we must stay and stay afloat. The land is near and sunshine’s waiting.

“You have to hear my new sketch.” Smiling as you heard those words again, you noticed that some kind of light has returned to his face. Grinning and grabbing his phone to make you hear his new song. You hate that you have caused him any kind of pain, you know you can’t really promise not to be petty anymore. You know you can’t really promise him anything either. But what you can promise is you’d stay, you’re never one to easily walk away anyway. So that’s the only part you can promise.

“Fine, let’s hear the reason why you won’t call or text me back.” Saying it sarcastically and rolling your eyes on him as a joke. He wanted to blurted out the words, “God I missed you” but he held himself back and just settled with a smile. These days his songs wouldn’t be complete without you hearing it first, without your small giggle at his off beat raps and bloopers. You tell him each time, how wonderful and amazing he is and it gives him so much strength more than he realizes. And this time, he heard it again from you. Not that he could ever admit, but it’s starting to feel like he needs you a lot more than you think.

He stayed for hours, you told him everything about Yangyang, he even cooked you food before he left. And despite the time, you missed him immediately as soon as his right by the door, parting with you again. It’s evening and with the frantic day you just had, you totally forgot to check your phone. And after Yoongi left, you finally have the time to unpack your stuff, dumping in your clothes immediately to the washer, finding your phone with signal again and with 7 unread messages. Recent messages each from Skye and Ji Eun and 5 old messages from Yoongi.

“I tried calling you, I guess there really is no signal to where you are. Don’t drink too much.” 10:46 pm

“I’m sorry. I hope you come back soon.” 2:00 pm

“I miss you.” 9:03 am

“I used the code to your apartment today. I know how you must’ve felt now, but you’re still not home. I’m sorry. I’ll be back again tomorrow.” 6:12 pm

“I am afraid to lose you. I miss you so much.” 4:31 am

4 months later

If people were to ask you what is so great about dating him—people would think that it’s because he’s Suga of BTS but at the top of your head you probably would unknowingly blurt out, “Holding his hand.” You’d say it’s your most favorite thing in the world and people would instantly find you weird. But you don’t mind. They probably wouldn’t understand it too easily, the way your hand would just naturally reach for those big, veiny hands that warms yours almost immediately. He’d cook for you on days you are together, and while peeking silently on the brewing stew. His hair’s too long effectively covering his tiny eyes, left hand holding a wooden spoon and tasting, the other intertwined with yours so naturally like breathing. Peeking in his menu for the night, you’d reach for a glass of water on the other end of the countertop fingers still intertwined with his. He’d move with you so he doesn’t have to let go. He’d never admit it, but it’s his most favorite thing too.

Settling the finest Hanwoo and his famous, Kimchi-jjigae on a rainy Friday evening. You couldn’t be more thankful for the food that is obviously perfection. And to the man, who always takes his time to cook for you even when you both know so well you can manage but you figured after months have passed, maybe it really is his love language. So you let him anyway and in return you wash the dishes. Glasses of beer were shared, warm conversations about life, work and some random cat videos are always a must. You figured in between dialogues, “Life couldn’t get any better than this.” And then, he brought to your attention that he’d be in LA for the next couple of weeks and your smile faded. You listened to him intently, and cursing to yourself how you totally forgot about their upcoming concerts. Of course, you’re happy for him. He went on to tell you how excited he is for finally going back on stage and meeting armys after the year that everyone had. Telling you about the stages they had prepared and how it’s all being wrapped up now that they are close to leaving.

You uncontrollably smile every time he does, you figured it’s some adopted reflex that people in a relationship get or he probably just makes you that happy, you’re not sure but—it definitely feels like the latter. Long distance is not necessarily a great concern for you, after almost 8 months of being together and practically living on Facetimes and text messages due to everyone’s busy schedule, you know it wouldn’t make much of a difference. That time doesn’t really make that much of an effect to you both, but what you’re most concerned about is him. Always him. He’d never admit it, but he’d always be nervous every time they’re about to unveil something new to the public. He’d be incredibly chatty, trying to hide it but after that he’d be back in his own hole drowning with all of his concerns. You make your way around him, even after all this time he’s not necessarily an easy man to figure out.

After dinner, he tried helping you with the dishes but you insist that you’d do your end of the bargain and after insisting some more he finally retreated. Sarcastically suggesting to him that maybe he can just rest for a change, maybe watch some TV if he can. You weren’t sure if he heard you but he went on to disappear to one of the rooms of his apartment. And as soon as you’re done with the dishes, you peaked in his bedroom to check but he’s nowhere to be found. A notification from your phone caught your attention instead, Lee Han immensely apologizing for bothering you on a Friday night but he needed help with his revisions. You called Lee Han to hear his concerns more precisely, as you make your way back to the kitchen grinding some decaf arabica beans, and making yourself some warm decaf vanilla latte. Settling in on the dining table with your laptop and warm coffee, Lee Han on the other end of the call as you both work on his revisions.

Finally after almost an hour on the phone with your friend and co-worker, you get up to wash your mug and you just realized how late it is already. Looking around the dim lit and silent apartment, you wondered where did your boyfriend go. You went back to his bedroom he’s not there again, and to his studio with the door slightly left a jar. You sighed to yourself when you found him. His back facing you, already in his pajamas but again still working. You make your way silently into his side, hand resting on his shoulder while quietly peeking on what he’s been working on. “You do know it’s already 12 am.” And he just responded with a nod, “I’ll shower, then let’s sleep?” Resting your chin at the top of his head and loosely hugging him. His eyes still fixed on his monitor. “Good, I have at least 30-45 minutes then.” Knowing so well that it takes you too long to shower he sees it as an advantage. “That’s not the point.” You heard him smile. “Fine.” And after his surrender, you gently give him a kiss on the top of his head, made your way out of his studio. And before you even reached the door you heard him say,

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Without even noticing it, you answered him almost like reflex—even if it’s the first time you heard him said those words.

tagging the beautiful human beings who left a reply/reblogged on the first and second one, @theusedlover10112 @sugainmybowl @aianloveseven @gingerspicetalks @kaykay0315 @belladaises

thank you all for reading again!

moodboard sr: x x x

[cyberloops]

Some quick studio updates:

My spouse was having a hard time at their new job, so when my boss mentioned that he was looking for another person to do the same sort of tech helpdesk work that I was doing, my spouse decided to go for the opportunity. On the one hand, it means less stress. On the other hand... less money. Our income is going to be cut by about 1/3. So we really need to find some way to work from home to earn money to make up for that. So this week, while my spouse had a few days off before the new job starts, we buckled down and worked on getting our home office/studio situation set up in a way that will work for us.

Originally we had planned on keeping all the computers in the office (not the room in the picture here) and dividing the studio (the room in this picture) into halves. The half now taken up by the giant desk on the left would be where I’d set up my studio, the area where the other 2 desks are would be a workbench for crafting type stuff, and the drafting table would be where it is. But between the plague causing us to switch jobs and work from home and everything else that’s happened... well... plans change. We couldn’t both work from home in the office, so my spouse had to get a desk and set it up in the studio. And the little corner desk my spouse had gotten for the office way far too small for all of the paperwork that their new job entailed. So we had to get the giant desk.

Since we’d like to get back into the habit of streaming, we decided that we needed to once again change the plans we had for our studio. But with less income, that meant no more buying furniture. We need to work with what we have. So the giant desk that takes up half the room will stay, and will become the graphics powerhouse of the studio, with my spouse’s new computer in the middle, a big monitor on the left, and the graphics tablet monitor on the right. Unfortunately the USB C port is on the left side of the computer and the right side of the graphics tablet... which means we need a longer USB C to USB C cable if we want to use all three monitors. (We can use an HDMI cable instead, but then we wouldn’t be able to use the other big monitor.)

I moved the smaller corner desk from the office into the space between my studio and my spouse’s, and got rid of the little wooden table that was kind of in my way on the right side of my studio. Now we have an entire wall of nothing but desk. The drafting table is still just out of camera view on the right, so my spouse still has a space for traditional drawing.

You can also see in this picture that I was able to finally rig up a top down view of my studio, the camcorder is attached to a little microphone handle instead of a stand. The little handle came with a different mic, the one that I’ve currently got hooked up to my desktop computer in the office. I’m using a boom mic stand that I had packed away that was a birthday present to me like fifteen years ago. (I’m glad it’s finally getting decent use, I used to have it set up next to my old Windows XP desktop computer that had an M-Audio 10/10 soundcard that had XLR inputs so I could actually record a microphone directly into the computer. But that desktop died about 9 years ago, and I haven’t used that stand since then. I don’t even think they have drivers for the 10/10 for modern versions of Windows anymore.) Ironically, the microphone that came with the boom mic stand is in a little tripod that came with a DIFFERENT mic that crapped out on me and I’m not using anymore, it’s somewhere on that desk studio setup. I don’t know if it’s in camera view, it’s not currently plugged into the mixer, but it’s there if I want to record any vocals. However, that setup means that the camera is also about six feet away from where the computer will be... which means we need a longer USB A to Micro USB cable if I want to stream.

... and after moving all that furniture, getting sweaty and gross, and stressing out my bad knees... I didn’t wanna go to Best Buy to get cables. So we ordered them online, and maybe once we’ve gotten them, we’ll be able to get back to streaming again.

Also, since my spouse got a new, better computer, I’m going to see if their old computer is powerful enough to do basic streaming with just my sound and video setup. It’s (I think) about 9 years old, just like my laptop... but mine was bottom of the line at the time of purchase, and this one was midrange. They have the same amount of RAM and hard drive space, but my spouse’s old computer has about 3 or 4 times the processing power of my dinky little old laptop. So maybe it can handle it. We’ll find out once I get that new cable. If not, well, we’ll see what I can do. Now that we’re past the first few weeks of classes, my job is slowing down a bit, so I’ll have a little more free time and energy. I’d really like to spend some time working on more fun, creative stuff. I suppose I could just say screw it and move my desktop into that room, that’s definitely powerful enough to stream. And if I don’t feel like doing music, I can work on 3d modeling/sculpting instead. Or, hell, I could even go back to doing game streaming when we’re not streaming art or music.

I would love to also get a better chair. Unfortunately, all of the comfortable chairs we have right now are too wide to work with that setup, unless I can figure out a way to move my keyboards to the right side of my studio instead of the left. Which honestly, I could probably do if I just got some longer cables. I went cheap and just got 3 and 4 foot audio and MIDI cables when I first set up the studio, since I was jammed in the corner there. So maybe my last investment in the studio will be to buy a couple of longer audio and MIDI cables just for those two synths.

... and after all that, months and months of setup, investing my pandemic bonus money into setting up the whole studio... I still am finding myself kinda obsessing over the fact that the ONE kind of synth I wanted and still don’t have is one that can do more than 2 operator FM synthesis. I was really debating between the Modal Skulpt or the Korg Volca FM at the time, and the Skulpt only won out for me because it had 4 note polyphony, and I like complex chords. But with our sudden cut in income, I really can’t justify buying another synth anytime soon. So I really should buckle down and work with what I have.

[eldritchcryptids]

Oh no

Daisy is laying across her bed on her stomach, head in her hands as she watches as her blonde friend digs through her knapsack, “So what was this extremely important thing you wanted to tell me about?” Quinn seems to find what she was searching for and turns around to face Daisy, eyes shining excitedly as she holds up and waves around a basic, black USB flash drive. The brunette furrows her eyebrows, holding out her open hand. Quinn places the flash drive into her hand before taking a seat at the nearby desk’s swivel chair.

Daisy examines the USB, turning it over in her hands. It was unremarkable, just a regular, simple black flash drive, “...I don’t get it? What’s so important about this, what’s on it?” Daisy tosses the USB over to Quinn who quickly catches it. Quinn shoots her friend a glare.

“Don’t throw it around! It’s not my USB and if it somehow breaks, Nathan’s gonna have my head on a platter,” She states, “The contents of this little flash drive is very important to him.”

Daisy’s nose screws up at the mention of the boy, “Nathan from math class? He gave you a USB and you just...took it?”

“Yeah, well what’s the worst thing that can happen?”

“Oh? ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’ I don’t know! Maybe it has a virus on it? Maybe it has inappropriate stuff on it? Maybe the USB is coated in anthrax and we're all gonna die now-”

“Okay, slow down, I get it.” Quinn laughs and Daisy shrugs, muttering a quiet ‘you asked’ under her breath, “But, do you want to know what this is supposed to have on it?” Daisy nods her head. “Well, Nathan has had this obsession with a local...like...Urban legend creepypasta thing, for years…”

Daisy rolls her eyes, “Is it just an archive of creepypastas? Stuff like the “Jeff the killer” picture and story or something?”

Quinn shakes her head before leaning forward and closer to the bed, “Have you ever heard of something called…” lowering her voice to a whisper, “...Marble Hornets?” Daisy blinks at the mention of the name. Marble Hornets...Something about that sounds familiar, but she can’t quite place her finger as to why. Daisy slowly shakes her head, Quinn grins and leans back in the swivel chair.

“It was a YouTube channel from back in the early...2010s, I think? It’s said that everyone who was a part of it ended up dying and that whenever someone watches it they get cursed...or something like that, I wasn’t really paying attention when Nathan was talking about it..” Quinn holds up the USB and shakes it, “This is supposed to hold all the archived videos.”

“Well, if it’s a YouTube channel, why not just...Go watch it on YouTube?”

“Ah, well a few years after the last upload it got deleted-”

“But if everyone died, who deleted it..?” Daisy questions, confused.

“I dunno, I’m not an expert on this.”

Daisy sighs, pushing herself off of her stomach, “So you came over to have a sleepover because you want to watch all the videos on that USB? Because of this urban legend?”

Quinn nods quickly, “It’ll be fun! I’ve never seen any of the videos before, so it’ll be an interesting experience for us!”

“Fine. We can watch it, but if plugging in this USB bricks my computer then you’re buying me a new one.”

The two girls turn off the lights and get comfortable on Daisy’s bed, setting the laptop in between the two of them. The flash drive gets plugged in and Daisy pulls up the first video, named “Introduction.”

A black screen appears, with the words, “The following clips are raw footage excerpts from Alex Kralie. A college friend of mine.” written in white on top of it. Daisy doesn’t think anything of it.

Then Entry 1 starts, and that thing was in it.

Daisy jumps and nearly shoves the computer away at the sight of the faceless man. The sudden movement from her friend causes Quinn to jump too, the blonde quickly pauses the video once it automatically starts playing Entry 2, “Only 2 videos in and you’re already jumping?” Quinn jokes, giving her friend a nudge.

Daisy glances at Quinn before sighing, “Sorry, the...uh...head turning suddenly like that scared me a bit..” The blonde chuckled before patting her friend on the shoulder.

“If something like that is gonna spook you maybe we shouldn’t be watching this then.”

“No, no, it’s okay.”

They continued to watch the entries and it wasn’t okay.

Daisy knows the Alex who was being talked about in these videos. She’s met him only a few times, because Tim, Hoodie and Jay are all pretty apprehensive about being around him. Daisy was never told why that was, no matter how much she asked. But, she did still know him. Deep down, she was hoping that this was just some weird film project that Alex and Jay had worked on during their time as film students- but she knew that wasn’t true. There was no way they were going to get The Operator to participate in that.

Entry 7 soon came around and Quinn quickly paused the video as a familiar face appeared on the screen before them. “Is that Mr. Thomas?” She questions, whipping her head to the side to stare at her friend. It was a question that didn’t need an answer from Daisy, as they both knew what he looked like. Hell, he was just downstairs if they really needed proof that this was the same guy. “I thought you didn’t know about Marble Hornets?”

“I didn’t,” Daisy mutters with a shrug, “I was never told about this from my dads.”

Quinn stares at her for a bit longer before Daisy presses play. She wonders where the rumors of them being dead came from. Alex, Jay, Tim and Hoodie were all still very much alive, they had all obviously been through things, Daisy knew that much. The visible scars on Hoodie’s face that clearly weren’t on Brian’s face during Entry 7, the therapy appointments and medication Tim takes, the tiredness and pain that radiated from Jay and the regret and apologies Alex would spout during his rare appearances.

The two girls continue watching the videos, entry after entry after cryptid video and then it repeats. This went on for hours. Hours of watching Alex slowly lose his mind, hours of seeing the faceless man lurking in the background- watching as he always is, hours of watching Jay investigating.

Watching the entries was a lot to take in, but Daisy never stops the video. She could have just turned off the laptop, feign being afraid of what they were watching and then never talk about it again. But she couldn’t. She needed to know more, she had to.

When Entry 49 rolled around, Daisy tensed up. She now partly knew why her dads and Jay didn’t like being around Alex. He was a killer. As the entries continued on, more and more dread built up. Daisy watches as Hoodie seems to actively work against Jay and Tim - stalking Jay and causing Tim seizures by stealing his medication. Nearing the end of the videos, they watch Hoodie fall out from a window and be deemed as presumably dead, they watch Jay get shot in the side by Alex and then watch the final fight between Tim and Alex. Tim ultimately comes out on top- and Daisy gets her explanation on where all the scarring on Alex’s neck came from.

They finished the series completely around 1 am. Neither of them know what to say, so they remain speechless. The two girls stare at the screen, at the words “Everything is Fine” for what feels like half an hour before Quinn clears her throat.

“I, uh...I didn’t know any of that stuff happened…” She quietly says, “If I did I probably wouldn’t have made you watch it with me.”

The brunette girl shakes her head, drawing her knees up to her chest, “It’s alright.”

Silence falls over the two again.

After a while, the two agreed that it was likely time that they should go to bed. Quinn falls asleep first, which is usual. Daisy takes this time to sneak out of the bed, grabbing the USB flash drive from the nightstand and heading out of the room.

Neither Tim nor Hoodie fall asleep early, which means Daisy is in luck. She ventures downstairs and to the living room, where she can hear the TV playing. She steps into the room, seeing Tim and Hoodie sitting on the couch, watching some late night comedy show or something of the sort. Hoodie is the first to notice the girl’s presence, “Daisy, shouldn’t you be asl-”

Before he can finish his sentence, Daisy throws the USB at him, not saying a word as she turns and leaves back to her room. Hoodie frowns, picking up the black flash drive that landed in his lap. “What was that about?” Tim questions and Hoodie shrugs, grabbing Tim’s computer from off of the nightstand.

The hooded man plugs the USB in and freezes at the file that pops up onto the screen, “Tim...Uh, we have a problem.”

Tim blinks and peers over the other male’s shoulder to see what he was looking at.

Video files. Far too familiar videos and the folder being titled, “Marble Hornets.”

“Damnit.”

[blogroof250]

Drivers Actiontec Gateway

Drivers Actiontec Gateway Router

Drivers Actiontec Gateway

Drivers Actiontec Gateway Login

Gt701wg 54mbps wireless dsl gateway driver download - when the next window appears, get the purple usb cable from the kit, then click next. When the power light stops flashing and glows steadily green, the gateway is fully operational, and the default settings have been restored. One person found this helpful 2 computers using wireless settings.

User Name Password

ADSL Modem Switching

Actiontec GT701WG. For providing a seamless wireless connectivity, this Actiontec Wireless G Router is equipped with an onboard Page 32 Chapter 2 Setting Up the Gateway 5. The root filesystem uses SquashFS 1. Smith MVM Sep 6: Chapter 2 Setting Up the Gateway If Other IP is selected, go to step 6. Select Ethernet, then click Next.

#6 Again, do not set a Default Gateway or edit the DNS Settings on your computer. #7 Again, You can now talk to 192.168.1.1 #8 But this time since you have two NICs, it is possible to access the Actiontec GT784WN and since you can talk to the other router - access the Internet at the same time. 🙂. Option #3.

Plug the phone cord into the Phone port on the back of the Gateway. In the next screen, read the recommendations. I bought this when getting Qwest DSL. Introduction Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless Gateway is the simplest way to connect computers to a high-speed broadband connection. I have Verizon dsl service.

Yellow Ethernet Cable Ethernet

Internet Network Address Translation

MapPort Start Port End

Drivers Actiontec Gateway Router

ACTIONTEC GT701 WG USB DRIVER DETAILS:

Type:DriverFile Name:actiontec_gt701_5614.zipFile Size:4.9 MBRating:

4.83 (279)

Downloads:293Supported systems:Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8, Windows 8 64 bit, Windows 10, Windows 10 64 bitPrice:Free* (*Registration Required)

ACTIONTEC GT701 WG USB DRIVER (actiontec_gt701_5614.zip)

Gt701wg 54mbps wireless dsl gateway driver - this screen dis- plays a list of the users currently connected to the gateway accessing the internet with network address translation security activated. Why can't i find the support page for my device? Actiontec usb/ethernet dsl modem and password that. The program is language independent and can be used with any language system. Your computer tcp/ip features this package contains a network 9. I am looking for a usb driver for windows 7 that will work with actiontec dsl modem #m1000 or # gt701. It's a full rate adsl modem that's upgradeable to the new, faster adsl 2/2+protocol.

Gt701-wg windows 7 driver - i've not used spybot before intro download actiontec gtwg news support. Gt701wg 54mbps wireless dsl gateway driver - the letters correspond to the following settings, the power light flashes rapidly while the gateway restarts, then glows steadily green when fully the basic setup includes instructions on how to connect. Remote management, and running os9. Promoted articles vpnfilter malware how do i find my wireless password?

Kablosuz Bağlantı Woes Fix.

ActionTec Q1000Qwest Modem Manual PDF View/Download.

Once these conditions are met, click the next button. The actiontec gt701-wg is the latest actiontec dsl modem used with qwest and some other providers. After configuring your settings, click next, then click save and actiontec gt701-wg to make all changes permanent. This easy-to-use product is perfect for the office or small business. 0, faster adsl modem #m1000 or tab.

To connect with a single port number then click next. 20 discuss, click next button. To connect to connect with an end user. Actiontec gt wg usb driver for windows mac. Please note we are carefully scanning all the content on our website for viruses and trojans. Fuji printer p225db. Windows 7 that number into my ps3. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful.

Thanks for a good idea to a windows 7. Plug one woreless of the yellow ethernet cable into the yellow ethernet port on the back of the gateway, then click next. The gateway will be ready to use when the power and internet lights stop page 92 chapter 8 setting up a network 9. Atem studio pro 4k.

Monitor Flatron Ez T730sh. Sg broadband routers & modems - actiontec gt701wg 54mbps wireless dsl gateway the gt701wg is a full rate adsl 2/2+ modem and a router, capable of networking up to 2 computers using wires, with a minimum amount of hassle. Me, receiving power and i have not too gt701-wg. Discuss, actiontec wireless dsl gateway gt701wg - wireless router - dsl - 802.11b/g - desktop series sign in to comment. Make sure the usb light on the front of the gateway glows solid green. Here's how you may contact us. Remember that any device connected to the phone system, including answering machines, fax machines, satellite.

Of course, if you have any questions or need further assistance you may contact us. Plug the other end of the yellow ethernet cable into an ethernet port on the back of the computer, then click next. Gt701 did not been installed on topic. The power light often drops out check out as guest.

This and other network adapters drivers we're hosting are 100% safe. Mf232w. Ends of the internet with a quick description of hassle.

Phone jack with an ethernet cable into the keys. Mac +, or mac os 9.0 note, usb lan, windows nt 4.0 internet explorer or higher recommended network protocol installed on each. Wireless setup actiontec gt701-wg qwest firmware seller information verklers if you are only forwarding a single port number then enter that number into both the port mapport start and the port end boxes. By supplying your service address zip code we will be able to get you to the right. Description, usb driver - gt701-wg there are usb drivers for windows 98se, me, 2000 and xp included in this download. Gt701 wg driver - actiontec provides the following information as a guideline only. Add new, add new windows nt 4.

Your computer s are 100% safe. You essentially want to use the actiontec as a wireless ethernet card. Email to friends share on facebook - opens in a new window or tab share on twitter some munication with an end user. Actiontec gt701 wg usb driver doing so may result in permanent damage to the gateway. How do make sure the 192. Get the purple usb cable from the kit and plug one end into the purple port on the back of the gateway, then click actiontec gt701-wg.

To connect to the one end user. Can hook the back of the one end user. 20 actiontec gt701 10/100bt adsl modem switching from a slow windows xp system to a windows 7 machine, the actiontec gt701 did not automatically install. Settings, the dsl gateway is still working with the users.

Actiontec modem is a full rate adsl 2/2+protocol.

To connect to your wireless network, go to your laptop and open the wireless card configuration utility.

Wireless setup actiontec gt701-wg qwest firmware seller information verklers if you are only forwarding a single port number then enter that.

20 discuss, actiontec usb/ethernet dsl modem with routing capabilities gt701 - router - dsl - desktop series sign in to comment be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.

Actiontec gt701 usb driver - networking by aloysius low oct 4, it includes instructions on how to connect the modem to the user name and password.

Plug a phone filter into every phone jack with a telephone or other device connected to it, then plug the ends of the phone lines disconnected in step 3 into the phone.

Video.

Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Thanks for a guide through the gateway, it says. Security checklist for actiontec gt701-wg router you are now logged in! Enter the user name and password that we will.

Hide thumbs also see for gt701-wg user manual. If it has been installed, updating overwrite-installing may fix problems, add new functions, or expand functions. I'm trying to use a usb to connect with the gt701 modem so i can hook the ethernet cord into my ps3. It is recommended to set up the gateway, it must be connected to a computer. Note, usb connection to the modem is not supported for microsoft windows 95, windos nt 4.0, and mac os. 20 re, then click next. Regards, azeez nadeem i ve not used spybot before intro download actiontec gtwg news support.

About the Actiontec Wireless Network Extender

Log in to the Actiontec wireless extender to set up in-home Wi-Fi or to change your Wi-Fi password or wireless settings.

Find the log in address for your extender. There are 2 ways to do this:

Find the Serial Number on the back of the Actiontec extender and note the last 4 digits. Use those numbers in this address (in place of XXXX): http://wecb-XXXX.local See Your gateway information (default password, network name, and serial number) for more information. OR

Log in to the Actiontec gateway and find the IP address of the extender. Look for 'WECB...' in your connected devices and note its IP address

Open a browser on your home computer.

In the browser, go to:

http://wecb-XXXX.local OR

The extender's IP address (for example, http://192.168.99.254)

Enter the username and password and click OK.

NOTE:The default username isadminand the default password is admin.

You'll see the extender's home screen.

Drivers Actiontec Gateway

For more information, see Setting up In-home Wi-Fi on your Actiontec wireless extender.

Drivers Actiontec Gateway Login

Actiontec is a registered trademark of Actiontec Electronics, Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

[zwiezraczek]

Your writing is literally the best! I love it so so much! And I also need a second part of Liar! Maybe they taking the info they need and send Y/N back to her father. They break in and the father realizes its Billy, and knowing the bond between Y/N and him from the past; takes her as hostage to get the ghosts to leave! Honestly I didn't even had the idea when I began writing the ask. I knew I wanted to use 16 and now I got the whole plot 😂 As usual take your time 🐼

Believer [Blurb]

Part 1: Liar - Part 2 - Part 3: Player

~~~

He could talk about this for hours, and you could listen to him for hours. To Billy, your not-so-dead bestfriend. The one you missed, his voice, his eyes, his soft touch. Your bestfriend. Your bestfriend telling you again how he fell on that day. You couldn’t recall for how long you were sitting there, together, talking.

“So basically,” he continued, as you were still sitting in a chair, handcuffed by the French woman who finally brought you the glass of water you asked for about thirty minutes ago, “I have the necklace between my teeth, right? And then, that bitch grabs the necklace and I fall for like… An hour?”

“Don’t push the fucking drama too far,” you remarked, and grabbed the glass of water to drink a sip of it.

“It felt like hours,” Billy protested, looking at you.

“He fell for about two minutes,” the forty year old man interrupted their discussion. They were sitting and talking like this for hours, and everything began to piss One off. He needed information, no someone who would chit-chat with the hostage. Not at all. But you promised to tell them what they needed to know. “So now, sweet lady, like some kind of cheese”, he quoted as Billy and you looked completely lost before he just continued, “you need to fulfill your duty, a word is a word.”

“What do you need to know,” you asked him, furor in the eye. He reminded you everything: the kidnapping, the drugs, the light hitting your eyes, the anger. Everything. And now, now you found some kind of peace, with only handcuffs around your hands, he began to ask questions. He began to claim his part of the deal, and you had to yield to it.

“Where your precious father keeps his darkest secrets,” he asked, with a little smirk on his face.

“Fuck you,” you replied, before Billy put a hand on your forearm, looking calmly at you. You could only sigh. “His computer, in his office on the third floor.”

“Good girl. It was nice dealing with you.”

“If I could, I would rip your fucking head off. You hear me, wanker,” you almost spat on the floor while saying this, anger filling your veins and mind. He called you a ‘good girl’, whatwere you? A fucking dog?

“Yes I do hear you,” the man replied before looking at Billy, “well, now Four take care of the lady, her father already knows that she was kidnapped and Three is telling him we want money.”

“You’re a sick fuck,” you muttered under your breath.

“It’s like hearing you speaking,” the man remarked as he addressed Billy, “unbelievable!”

“We were bestfriends,'” you protested.

“Past tense, exactly. Now you play in different teams. So now, excuse us, when we’ll try to get the info about the children traffic guy that your lovely fa…”

“The what,” you interrupted him, all serious now.

“So you don’t know? Your father supports some guys that are doing children traffic. Not a big deal for a bad guy stealing, right?”

“One, you’re going a little bit too far on this one,” Billy said, his hand holding your now as you began to tighten your grip. You had tears in your eyes. Your own father… You knew what he did, you knew what you had to do, and how many people you had killed but this… Disgusting.

“I needed to know,” you replied. “I fucking needed to know about my father doing this sick shit. You do need more information,” you asked, looking at the man called One. You couldn’t let your father do that, killing people was one thing, involving children into it was another.

“I like her,” the man said, pointing at you before turning back in order to leave the room. “I’ll be back if I need more info, y/n.”

~~~

The Ghosts couldn’t trust you. Two looked at you with a deathly glare as you showed her the passwords they would need to get into the security system. You could feel how tense she was, as she typed the letters on the keyboard, ready to put a knife under your throat and to kill you on the spot. A nice change, really. She wasn’t the one to be suspicious - but nobody dared to be as aggressive as she was towards you – the whole group was, and you could feel it through the glances they gave you as you walked through the room, still under someone’s surveillance. But especially not Billy’s. You were the enemy, friends with one of them, bestfriends with one of them and all of them knew that ties were the only thing that could make somebody betray their family, their friends, anyone. So you were dangerous. Even more dangerous than you were when you wanted to spit on their faces while they held you like an hostage, after drugging you and putting into a trunk.

But Billy was sweet with you during the whole stay – two days. He asked One if you could sleep in one of the trailers, but he refused. Total disagreement, no, no, no, no, stick the status quo. So you spent your night on the couch, under a blanket Billy brought you from his trailer. And in the morning, you had some tea by your side with a few brownies. He remembered. He really did. And you smiled, not thinking about this awful situation youwere in.

And finally, they dropped you at your house. Three and Billy did, during an exchange, wearing masks and you were blindfolded during the whole car ride. Billy’s hand was always in yours, as you felt tense, you had to go back home, knowing the horrible things your father was doing behind your back. You trusted him, you killed for him, you worked for him: he was your family. He had been your family. Now, you had no family. Just a friend. Your bestfriend. Three suddenly took you out from the car, grabbing you by your shoulder and making you stand up in the middle of nowhere. The same stupid underground smell. A fucking perfect place for this kind of exchange, you were curious to know whose idea it was. Probably your father’s. Somebody tossed a bag to somebody’s feet on your side, before you were pushed on the ground, falling on your knees. Bleeding probably, again. It was Billy who pushed you, you knew, you felt the hesitation in his moment, you felt his touch and the way he pushed you… You would bleed, but not too much.

Somebody began to take the blindfold off, the lights. Who the hell agreed to put such harsh light in an abandoned parking lot? And you saw his face: your father’s face. He came – he never did – for the exchange. He cared, he genuinely did. His hand on your cheek, before holding your whole face and kissing gently your forehead. How disgusted you felt.

~~~

You waited, for days, knowing that Billy would eventually break into your house. He was the only one able to do this, he was the only one knowing the place by heart. And you wanted to see him again. Ever since you came back, you couldn’t focus on anything anymore. You couldn’t feel the happiness of being feared anymore, of being the most powerful person in the room and even parties became dull. All because of him, of Billy. Because you knew he was alive, but you couldn’t see him. The two days you spent with him recalled you how much you loved him, as your soulmate, as your everything and how much it hurt you when he died. And how much it hurt now, when you knew he was alive but far from you.

And one night, as you looked through the security devices yourself, you saw something abnormal. Billy. You had to take your father as far from his office as possible, so you ran upstairs, looking for your father. And you found him, not so far from his office. And you began to small talk him, about the kidnapping, about your feelings, and how much it affected you to be treated this way by people, without even knowing their faces. You pulled out the sensible card, hoping it would give Billy as much time as he needed. But then, something fell in his office. And you couldn’t stop him from going inside. You desperately tried, but he opened the door.

And then, he saw Billy, right in front of his own computer, trying to plug the cable into the laptop he brought. He was caught off guard, and he couldn’t do anything, not even jumping out the window. He was too close to let it go. Immediately, your father grabbed you by the waist, drawing his gun towards your head. Your heart was about to explode as you felt the weapon against your temple. You breathed heavily, closing your eyes, not looking at Billy, hoping it would end soon.

“What a pleasure to see you again Billy! I knew you weren’t dead,” he said, and you could hear the warm tone of his voice quickly shifting to a colder one when Billy began to move. “Youmove, she dies.”

“You sick fuck… She’s your daughter,” he screamed, eyes burning with rage.

“A traitor so to speak, am I right, lovely y/n,” your father asked, moving the gun on the side of your face as you nodded, calmly. This threw you off your balance, you couldn’t move anymore. Your father was about to kill you, coldheartedly. “A mole in my own fucking house, my own daughter…!”

“I hate children abuse,” you managed to whisper, feeling a tear running down your cheek. All your boldness was gone, facing death, a death probably given by your father, was scarier than you imagined.

“I try my best to protect these children, y/n, I really do…”

“Probably not enough,” escaped from your lips. The trigger was about to be pulled, you knew it.

“Seven, don’t you shoot,” Billy whispered as your father looked at him.

“And he’s not alone, great,” your father stated. “Close the curtains, and unplug your cables from my computer, you bastard.” And so did Billy, slowly moving as men began to gather behind you and your father. The mission failed. Everything failed. You bit your lips. How could you fail…?

“Don’t you do that,” Seven’s voice blasted in Four’s ear as he began to close the only curtain that was open. “You’ll die!”

“I already died once without saying goodbye, not doing it twice,” he whispered into the device, quickly closing the curtain before Seven could shoot. He unplugged his laptop and stood behind the desk. “What now?”

“You’ll watch her suffer,” your father said, punching you in the stomach as you curled up in pain on the floor. You began to cough, uncontrollably. It.. Did hurt. “Until you tell me everything about your little group, deal? Billy?”

“Deal,” Billy replied, unplugging his microphone now as he heard Seven telling him to not do so. “What do you want to know?”

[insanebatty]

JASON TODD X READER

(I've always made stories, but never posted them in public before. This is the first time. So please be gentle with the criticism, if this story wasn't to your liking then I'm sorry. I want to continue posting stories on here, but I won't be able to post them right away. Please be patient with me & thank you. I was inspired by @batarella ) Y/N = your name.

CHAPTER 1

There you were sweating in a black tank top with black shorts, gloves & goggles on, you were in the bat cave working on one of your experiments.

Rob Zombie blasting in your earbuds.

You were in charge of making a small beam to fit in Batman's glove.

You were tinkering with it then made your way to your laptop.

Your laptop had wires sticking out of it & plugged in your experiment.

"Foxy foxy!" You said going with the music, nodding your head as you started typing away on your laptop.

"Okay, please work. Please work." You said with your fingers crossed for dear life.

You clicked the downward key 5 times then clicked the enter key.

You looked to your right where the experiment was, you had an empty can two feet away from it.

Just then the beam shot at the can & the can flew in the air.

"Holy shit! It worked!!" You screamed not realizing or careing how loud you were.

You went & put another can in front & went back to your laptop.

You started typing away on your keyboard, tapping on the upward key 10 times, just as the music had changed to Deftones.

"The change in you! Like you never--"

You clicked enter.

Looked again to your right & saw your second empty can fly into the abyss.

"Oh my God!!" You excitedly screamed while jumping up & down.

"Oh my God I can't wait for Batman to use you, who should he try it on first? Bane, maybe Killer Croc? Ohh, what if he's surrounded by both Bane & Killer Croc? I'm gonna need to keep tinkering with it so he can shoot 4 shots simultaneously, but what if--"

You suddenly felt like your back was against a wall, but instead of the normal hard exterior of a wall.

This wall felt odd, it felt very warm & soft to the touch, you turned to see what exactly it was pressed up against you.

You were looking up at this 6'0 man who towered over you, short black hair almost touching his eyelids, faint scars on his face.

You couldn't even tell he had scars unless you really examined his face thoroughly.

He was wearing a white muscle shirt with grey sweatpants on & a towel around his shoulders.

Jason Todd, your ex-boyfriend of 4 years.

Last time you saw him was a few months back.

You had walked in the manor's kitchen & saw him sitting on the counter eating one of Alfred's blueberry pies.

You knew he had left because everyone wouldn't shut up about it, especially Bruce. Before Jason even had left, he somehow managed to hack in the bat computer before taking off & stealing newly found information about The Penguin.

Bruce was trying to get ahold of Jason for the information, but Jason wouldn't answer his calls.

Ex-boyfriends were supposed to be unbearable to be around, you would hate everything they did, you would ask yourself "I really found HIM attractive?!"

But this relationship was different. You were different & he was different.

After you two broke up, you two stilled worked along side each other, joked with each other & even complainted each other from time to time. You couldn't lie to yourself, you still found him attractive.

There he was standing in front of you, you could see his flexed muscles on his arms, but then he mouthed something to you.

"WHAT?!"

You could tell you were screaming because as soon as you said what, Jason moved his head away from you, he raised up his hand & pulled your earbud out of your right ear.

"Why the fuck are you yelling? You do realize you've been screaming out lyrics for hours now, right?" He said to you sounding annoyed.

"Hours? It couldn't have been that long, could it?" You asked him while taking the other earbud off.

You looked up at him confused.

"What time did you get here?" He asked you while taking off the towel from his shoulders.

"I got here at midnight."

Jason laughed, "yeah you've been here for hours, it's 5 in the morning."

You looked at him surprised "no..it can't be." you said while taking your phone out of your pocket.

"Check if you don't believe me."

You used your finger for the fingerprint on your phone. 5:45 am in a bright white shined back at you. You can feel your eyes bugging out, holy shit time really flys when your having fun.

"Told you so." He said, you can hear him smiling as he said that.

"Shut up, when did you get back? You were gone for what? 2 months now?"

"Igot back a few days ago & I was gone for a month in a half."

"So 2 months basically."

"It wasn't 2 months, it was a month in a half."

"Agree to disagree."

"Oh, shut the hell up."

You laughed, your favorite thing was to see how long it'll take for him to get annoyed.

Of course you never did that when you two were together. You would only playfully annoy him, but knew when to back off. Now that you two weren't together you took the opportunity to annoy the shit out of him.

"So why are you here so early?" You asked him, while pausing the music on your phone.

"I made a deal with Alfred. If I help him bake 2 cakes & 3 dozen cupcakes for the charity that bruce is going to, he'll let me use daddy dearest's work out equipment."

He always liked to annoy bruce that way, calling him daddy dearest, dracula or even old man.

One night on patrol, Jason had the balls to yell out "WATCH OUT DRACULA, HE'S GONNA TAKE YOUR PREY FROM YOU!!" On a rooftop across the street, as he watched Batman chase a mugger. The mugger was chasing his victim on the opposite side of the street, that street happens to be the busiest street in all of gotham. Almost everyone heard him, even a civilian on the sidewalk yelled out "BATMAN IS DRACULA, I FUCKING KNEW IT!!!"

Jason fell to his knees holding his sides from laughing so hard.

Bruce would glare at Jason for 2 weeks straight & Jason would return that glare with a shit eating grin.

"Ah, I see. It still surprises me that you know how to bake. You never baked anything when we were together."

"Yes I would, those chocolate cakes or red velvet cupcakes on your birthday."

"You made those?! I thought you bought them from the store."

"I thought you would like it more if I would bake it instead of buying it."

"How come you never told me this?"

"You never asked."

"Because I just assumed, plus you never really made a mess in the kitchen for me to hint at the facted that you baked them."

"Yeah well I do know how to clean too, unlike some people in this place."

"HEY! I so know how to clean! I would clean up all the time when we were together & now!"

"Chill the fuck out! I'm not talking about you!"

"Ohh, sorry then."

He rolled his eyes while messing with his hair & finally he looked behind you. "What are you working on?" He asked, walking towards it.

"Oh, Bruce asked me to make him a beam thingy for his glove. I like to think of it as a gun." You said following behind him.

The cave was so dark, it would have been pitched black if it weren't thanks to the lights above the gigantic bat computer & all the other lights above Batman's suits & souvenirs that he kept from his enemies.

You could already tell Jason was here to hold on his end of the deal.

This was the only place he preferred to work out at. He never liked working out in public.

He says he doesn't care if people stare at him, but you feel like he's a little self-conscious about the scars & you don't blame him.

Those scars he got from The Joker on that fatally night.

The night Jason died.

He has scars of gashes throughout his body. Memories that would keep him up at night when you two were together.

You would wake up to an empty side of the bed where Jason would sleep.

You would find him staring out the window or outside in the balcony, the moon would shine down on his body.

You would make your way to him & you wouldn't say anything.

You would just wrap your arms around him.

Your head on his bare back listening to his heat beat, but since he was so muscular & toned you couldn't clamp your hands together.

That's when he would turn to you & just stare at you. You would stare back at him, longingly.

You never wanted to stop looking at him.

He would smirk & caress your cheek.

He then would grab your chin & pull you in to kiss you.

He would hug you tight & wouldn't let go, you two would hold each other for hours without saying anything. Because there was nothing to say.

But now you wouldn't have those nights, they were just memories.

You two have been broken up for 5 months now.

You knew it was your fault that you two broke up, but you two still had each other, even if it weren't as lovers. But you two wouldn't allow yourselves to get too close to each other like before & it didn't help that you two were Leo's.

So you two are headstrong & stubborn as fuck. Waiting for the other to make the first move.

Now that you lost yourself in thought, you were facing the work out area in the bat cave.

The area was so lit up, it looked so hollow & empty.

"HEY, Y/N!" Jason yelled.

"Ah, what?" His yelling snapped you back into reality, as you turned to face him, his hand was on hip.

"Why the fuck are you standing there like an idiot?"

"I'm not! Why did you yell at me?"

"I was asking you how does it work, but you were too busy spacing out. You must be tired." He said to you as you walked towards him.

"I'm not tired, I was just lost in thought is all." You said as you put the gloves on.

" 'lost in thought, huh? Is it because I'm here with you alone & you wanted to take advantage of me, is that it?"

You stopped & turned to face him, his face was so close to yours & he had this sexy grin on his face.

He was bending over to be the same height as you.

"Oh, S-shut up. I wasn't thinking about you. You never crossed my mind."

"Oh is that so? Well that makes one of us."

What he said stopped you in your tracks, you looked up at him.

He eyed you down with his arms folded over his chest.

"Show me how this works." He said pointing to the beam thingy.

"Ah sure, but you'll need to wear these first." You said handing him a pair of goggles with your right hand, at the same time you turned to face your left side & started typing away on your laptop.

As you stared at your laptop, you noticed that your right hand was warm.

Too warm to be your own body heat alone.

You turned to see Jason holding your hand with his left hand, while putting on the goggles with his right.

You looked down to see both your hands entangled with each other, you noticed your heart racing.

It felt like it was going to burst out of your chest like an alien from the movie Alien.

You turned around, he hadn't noticed you staring.

"Okay, are you ready?" You asked him.

Pretending as if you didn't notice he was holding your hand.

You were hoping he would hold your hand the whole time, but it was too late. He let go.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"A-alright." You tried not to sound disappointed.

You grabbed an empty can from the floor & placed it where the original cans were.

You went back between Jason & the laptop.

"Alright. Here. We. Go." You said as you tapped the enter key.

The beam started up & blasted the can further than the previous cans.

Smiling from ear to ear, you faced Jason.

"So what do you think? Cool, huh?"

"It's alright."

" 'Alright'? Really?" You asked while both of you took off the goggles.

"My guns can shot further than that thing."

"You know how Bruce feels about guns."

"Why are you making this for him in the first place? Couldn't he make it himself?" He asked while tilting his head to the side.

"He can, but he asked me to make it. He's too busy with Wanye Enterprise at the moment." You said having your back towards him, turning off the beam.

"Ah, couldn't he asked Tim or Dick to help out with the "Family" business?" He said while making quotations with his fingers.

"Dick's in california right now on a mission with the Titans & Tim is already helping out with Wayne Enterprise, were you secretly hoping he'll ask you?"

"One, he wouldn't ask me & two I wouldn't do it, even if he asked."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go do what I came down here for." He said turning his back towards you, giving you a peace sign.

"Alright, have fun."

"Yeah, you too." He said to you while making his way across the cave, you could never tell what he was thinking about even when you two were together.

He walked up to the weight bench, throwing his towel on the floor beside it.

He then went over to grab the weights, two 30 lbs & placed one, then went to the other side to place the other.

He was staring at a bucket on the floor, he went up to it & sticked one hand in & his hand came out covered in white. He smacked his hands together, white dust flew in front of his face.

He then noticed you standing there like a doofus, he returned your stare.

"Ah.." you muttered out & went to your experiment.

Examining & analyzing ever little piece on it. Making sure everything was a hundred percent. You made your way to the chair that was next to your laptop & sat down. You can hear the way the weights were rubbing against each other from the distance.

"One..Two..three..four..five.."

You shook your head & smacked your cheeks lightly "don't get distracted, Bruce needs you to finish this." You said to yourself.

Everything came out fine, you placed can after can god knows how many times. As you continued your work, on the opposite side of the cave, Jason continued his workout, both of you a sweating mess. You sat on the chair, typing away.

Hours later Jason finished his workout, he made his way to you, huffing & puffing, wiping the sweat off his face.

"Hey y/n, did you finally finish?" No response. Taking the towel off his face, "Hey Y/N!" No response.

"Your fucking music is too loud, your gonna go deaf-" he spinned the chair around. He was expecting a wide eyed look on your face, but instead he was staring at you peacefully sleeping. Mouth wide open, drool dripping out of it. The goggles you had on your head, was now entangled in your hair.

Jason's face softened up, he chuckled.

"God damnit y/n." He said as he started to separate your hair from the goggles.

His face was so close to yours, he felt your breath. He closed his eyes, opening them back up his eyes made their way to your lips. His heart stared racing faster than when he was working out. He stepped back. Taking a deep breath & exhaling, he started to put his arms under you. One arm under your head the other under your legs. He picked you up with no problem. Your head started to tilt backwards until he moved his arm so your head would be resting on his chest. He stood there watching you, studying every part of your face. He looked away & started walking out of the cave with you in his arms. He made his way through a brightly lit manor. The grandfather clock chimed as Jason went past it, your body twitched in his arms. He smiled.

"Good morning master Jason." Alfred said as he came out of the kitchen, his eyes went from Jason to Jason's arms.

"Oh my, is y/n alright?"

"Yeah she's fine, she just passed out. I'm gonna take her to my old room."

He said as he passed Alfred. Alfred nodded at him.

"Alright master Jason, I do wish you two would get back together. She made you so happy." Alfred said as he went back into the kitchen.

Jason smiled as he went up the stairs, "she still does."

He placed you on his bed, putting a thin sheet over you.

"Sleep tight y/n." He kissed your forehead & started for the door. He opened the door, but before he closed it, he looked back at you. Then he closed the door.

[darkling-er]

Piety Knob || Chapter 1

Summary: In 2017 Juniper Blackwood moves into a small town with her aunt because of a job opportunity thanks to distant family. Juniper was always homeschooled so she's unfamiliar with everything at her new town, and a new school to fit in with strangers. With noone to really talk to, she dwells in the mysteries of the town, while finding out secrets about her family and herself as well..

Parts: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 coming soon

Characters: Piety Knob OCS (see under Piety Knob intros tag)

The car ride from the airport is longer than expected. It's not like I didn't google the whole trip and count how long it would take, but actually experiencing a 16 hour long car ride is way different from theory. Perry, my aunt, is being cheerful without a stop since we packed our things in Chicago to move to the distant little town in Oregon, Detroit.

"We should be near to family, Juniper, you'll see how good it will be for you!" she said when she announced that she got a job in my hometown. I was excited for her, truly, she had such an awful job back in Chicago, her boss was mean to her all the time and she recieved a way too low paycheck after the plus hours she was working.

Finally she got a chance to start over in a small town, with people she already knew and liked so I guessed why not. Why not leave behind the town I grew up in and mostly loved to a place I hardly even remembered other than from my aunt's tales when I was little. At the age of four when people only remember insignificant events like there was a time when a butterfly flew on my mom's shoulder and my dad tried to catch it. Or when I hurt my knee in the backyard and my aunt scolded me for being so wild when playing. Not Perry, mind you, my other aunt, from my mother's side, Primrose.

And here I am in the overheated backseat of my aunt's old station wagon. It smells old, mixed with smells of used leather, overheated plastic and the burgers we ate a couple hours ago for lunch.

It's close to noon, which I can tell from the direction of the sun in the sky - I had to rely on such primitive modes since both my and my aunt's phone died due to lack of charge - which greets us sometimes when it reaches over the tall pine trees that sorround the main road to Detroit.

Perry promised to take me on many trips after we moved in to the Stantiam State Forest.

I look from the phenomenal view to the front seat and ask Perry:

"How is Church doing?" I look to our old tabby, who sleeps peacefully in her carriage.

"Wonderful, after he puked on my best traveling shoe back at the drivers' parkinglot."

Perry says sarcastically but looks lovingly at the cat for a second before turning her attention back to the road.

"How are you darling?" she asks looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Good." I smile and I believe I manage to convince her because she smiles back and drives happily towards that hellhole.

I practiced smiling like that for a long time before talking to aunt Periwinkle about moving to Oregon. It's not the nature I have the problem with, the lack of city noise. I actually love the idea of being somewhere quiet and nice. Somewhere I can actually breath clear air.

But the thought of leaving my home and the place I was so used to terrified me in a way I never thought it could.

Maybe a repressed childhood fear, I reckoned. Moving meaning to lose something I love, just when I was four. Losing both my parents than having to move to my aunt Perry, who was my closest next to kin. Meanwhile my sister stayed there with Primrose. I never understood why was that, and truly Perry couldn't explain it either, it was some mix up with my father's and mother's last will. That's why I've barely met my sister, Betty or my other aunt. I got a card and some cash for my birthday from them always, with some petty excuse of not being able to visit me and meet. On Christmas it was our turn to go to them, but Perry having terrible pay at her work made that difficult as well.

I'm not saying it's all their fault. We could have called or texted any time, it's 2017 for God's sake. But it was too awkward and forced so we stopped trying to connect with my sister.

Now that we'll move there, I don't really know what to expect from this sudden change. I would prefer to skip any small talk with them, but if Perry will persist, which I know she will, I will try for her sake.

She always put me in first in her life since my parent's accident, it's only fair I try and make it up for her.

Doing all this thinking I only realize that Perry was talking as she calls my name probably for not the first time:

"Juniiii? Earth to Juniper, is anyone home?"

I roll my eyes and smile.

"Of course, sorry I was daydreaming."

She dismisses it with a smirk.

"I was only saying now that you'll attend high school maybe you'll get a chance to meet a boy."

I make an annoyed sound and bury my head in my hand.

"What? Stooop, no!"

She shrugs in reply.

"Or a girl, I don't judge, you know me."

I shake my head and look out the window again.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say any of that."

Perry chuckles with amusement then turns her attention to the road.

"Whatever."

The rest of the trip is boring, we almost hit a deer at one point, which freaks Perry out the most, then Church, who acts wild in her special carriage 'cage'. I on the other hand just want to catch some sleep and recharge my phone so I can return to socialization. Jeez, I'm really one of those people who can't live without their phone for a longer period. Longer meaning hours, it's ridiculous.

I would read something, but all my books are in the new house, we sent the moving truck way ahead so at least when we arrive in the new house all our things will be there.

After what seems like ages I notice an old, mossy sing with the usual welcome messeage. 'Welcome to Detroit, Oregon. Stay for a while.'

"Well that sounds like what a desperate husband would say to her wife when they are having a divorce." I let the comment slip out of my mouth and Perry shushes me but I see her trying not to let out a chuckle.

When we finally reach the house it's already dark and I feel terribly tired after the long drive.

"I want to sleep for a month." i comment as Perry parks the car in the driveway. She nods in agreement and we step outside the old station wagon.

I breath in deeply the summer warm but fresh air and let my body to be free from sitting all day long. I strech my arms and legs with a low growl, then take out Church's cage from the front seat.

Perry is already at the door, all fast and excited even after the trip, like it was nothing to her, just a five minute trip to the store or something.

She lets out an excited squel searching for the right keyes in her hand as I close the car with an exhausted sigh and join her at the doorway.

She looks at me with a grin excited for both of us.

"This is gonna be so great, sweetie! I'm going to make you something for dinner, maybe you can unpack a little in your room?"

"Sure thing, Captain."

She doesn't mind my sarcastic tone as she lets the front door fling open so our new home can greet us.

Periwinkle steps in first and I follow her inside, locking the door behind me.

It's a two story building, all wooden and bricks. It looks cozy, it's definitely bigger than our flat in Chicago.

It has a half-deck to the front door. A garage and an attic. Basically the attic is the second store to the house. My room as Perry told me. Two bathrooms, one downstairs next to Perry's room and one upstairs next to mine.

The living room is open and is connected to the kitchen. Other than that it looks pretty simple, no guest rooms or a cellar. We don't need them anyway.

I like the style of the house. It's like the one from Oregon Trail. The window shutters and doors are painted to a deep green, like the color of the pines around the house.

The moving company did a great job with the furniture, though we mostly left everything behind. We only brought the old couch and the Perry's wardrobe with us. I didn't need anything in my room, all my stuff could fit in three boxes and that was pretty much all I really cared about. Things are just things, the people around us is what matters. My mom used to say that, according to Perry. I like that thought.

I set down Church in the living room and let her out of the carrier. As soon as she knows it's freedom for her she runs to Perry in the kitchen.

I hear my aunt chuckle from next to the stove as I go upstairs towards my room.

It's a narrow stair, followed by a similarly narrow hall which ends in two doors. First I assume is to my room and next to it is the bathroom.

I open up the door which creaks with an eery sound. From the pictures Perry showed me it looked a lot smaller but now stepping into it I immediately smile. It's small alright, but looks cozy with the two windows looking down to the small town and lake, somewhat covered by the pine trees.

My bed is right under those windows, and it has a wardrobe, a desk and a small bookshelf.

I can already imagine stacking up the walls with polaroid pictures I took ages ago in Chicago with the posters of movies I always watch with uncle Gabe. He lives in Salem, so I'm also excited to meet with him more often.

He couldn't help us to move from the airport because he was out on a job, but he called us and said he would visit next thing tomorrow.

I look at the boxes that the moving company put down in the middle of my new room and I start to open the up and unpack my things. Just some clothes, I never was really that into fashion and having a lot of clothes to wear. My books are the next, which I immediately put on the bookshelf above my desk, and some other trinkets, such as my laptop and charger. I search for a place to plug it in my phone.

"Arise!" I say dramatically and put it down to charge on it's own.

Now my main goal is to put on something comfortable and go down and eat whatever is smelling so good downstairs.

I put on a button up shirt which is way too baggy for me, I got it from my dad. Well I found it in a box that had my dad's belongings in it. My mom's stuff stayed with my sister and aunt Primrose.

It covers the short I'm having on and in this summer heat it's perfect and comfy. I run down the stairs towards the kitchen and meet my aunt with a new sense of energy.

"What are we eating, I'm starving!"

She looks at me with a smile and holds up the plates.

"Bacon and eggs.. Right from the locals."

"My precious..." I make a lame impression and we eat our food in less then a couple of minutes.

"I'm gonna go wash up. You should too, and get ready to bed. We have to go into town tomorrow, I have to meet with my new boss and we have to sing you into high school before august starts!"

With no time to argue she heads into the bathroom downstairs and I hear the water starting. I sigh and look at Church who is already licking up our empty plates. I pet her and say to her.

"You are very lucky to not have to go to work or school."

With no response other than some purring I fill up the washer with the dishes. Just as I would head back upstairs to have a quick shower then hit the sack there's a knock coming from the door.

I look toward Perry's bathroom then I sigh and put on a tired smile before going to answer the door.

As the front door swings open the cool air comes inside the house making me have goosebumps all over my body. I hear the sound of crickets and I look upwards to meet the eyes of a stranger.

He looks to be in his late thirties, with slicked back short hair and a small mustache above his mouth. He wears a suitjacket with a v neck grey shirt and some very 'important looking shoes'.

His salesman smile falters for a moment when he looks me up and down and I realize I look like a girl with only a shirt on. I immediately feel uncomfortable for multiple reasons.

"Umm... Can I help you?" I ask because he hasn't said a word yet and I want to close the door on his face already.

"I hope you can. I'm Damian Forrester, mayor of the town. And hereby welcome you and your lovely family to our community."

I nod but I find it extremely odd that he came all the way up here to just introduce himself in the middle of the night.

"I see..." I say clearly uncomfortable under his eyes. It's like he's a robot, his smile never fades or changes on his face.

I'm seemingly being rude as he raises his eyebrows.

"And you are.."

I try to conjure some politeness up, even though I'm feeling grumpy and tired by late night smalltalk. You never see the mayor of Chicago knock at your door to introduce himself and welcome you to town.

"Juniper Blackwood." i say standoffishly.

"Ah. Yes! Rose talked a lot about you coming to town... And your other aunt of course."

I look at him weirdly before asking.

"Then why did you ask my name if you already knew it?"

There's a moment of awkwardness and his unfaltering smile starts to scare me. I can almost see a twitch in his eye like I made him mad, but it's gone before I could interpret it like it was never there.

I hold the door awkwardly and I can't stand his gaze any longer so I look behind him. It's only then when I notice the very expensive looking car and next to it the presumed driver. He looks out of place, wearing similar clothing to a car mechanic, with a name tag on it. I try to read it from the distance but it only has a handdrawn smiley face on it. The wearer himself looks in his thirties, his hair buzzed at the sides, but letting it grow longer. Like he regretted the hairstyle and wants to regrow it. The rest is slicked back, but not like Mr. Mayor here, but more messier, like he used the product on his hair days ago and it's use is growing weaker.

He leans on the car door, looking bored and off to the distance.

Mr. Creepy smile notices my sudden change of attention and looks back at the driver as well.

"Don't mind Marcus, he doesn't have any manners."

At the mention of his name he lazily looks at the mayor and then at me. He doesn't come up to introduce himself or even just to break a smile, he just stands there looking.

Okay, this is getting creepy, it's like looking at Frankenstein and Igor. I think.

As if I had said the joke out loud Igor 'Marcus' shakes his head with a chuckle and looks at his wrist to check the time. Yeah, I would like you two to leave as well.

"So.. You need anything, Mr. Mayor?"

I turn my attention back to Creepy Smiles. He looks surprised at the title.

"No, I just wanted to welcome you to town... Is your aunt in?"

He tries to look inside the house and I know he wants to get invited in, but I am not going to do that. Even if I get a scolding for it later from Perry.

"She's having a shower. We are both very tired actually. We have to do some paperwork tomorrow and unpack as well, so.."

He looks from the house to me again, not forgetting the salesman grin.

"Of course, I'm sorry for the late intrusion. I'm sure we'll meet soon again. My wife is inviting you two to the ball we are having this weekend. Please come, have a laugh. I'm sure you would like my son, he's similar to your age."

I fake a smile, in my head already planning to forget to mention this invite to Perry.

"I surely will." I lie. "Goodnight."

He's ready to leave the porch as he waves goodbye and gets inside the car. The driver looks at me again before entering the vehicle.

"Nice legs." He says with a cheeky grin and I can't help but make a face and shut the door.

Who the fuck... I think angrily and go up to my bathroom. Who the hell invites people to a ball in the 21st century anyways.

With those thoughts I lay in my bed after the quick shower and I quickly fall asleep.

tags: @onl-you

A/N: hope anyone who sees this likes it even just remotely. 😂💕 SORRY ITS ON MOBILE I COULDNT ADD KEEP READING LINK

[witchqueenofthemoon]

BODY AND SOUL Part 22 (Duncan Shepherd/Mackenzie Stone Millory AU)

BODY AND SOUL MASTERPOST

Author’s Note: If you’d told me at the end of last year that I’d spend the first half of 2019 literally writing so much (so much fiction, nonetheless) that I’d regularly be falling asleep in front of my laptop, I would have told you you were fucking crazy: BUT HERE WE ARE. I can’t get over it, so I have to keep pinching myself to believe it. This part ended up a lot longer with a more meandering path than I expected, but I’m just here to do what Duckenzie tell me to do, y’all--they tell me what they want me to write down, and I do it. I wanted the warmth Kenzie feels towards Annette at the beginning of this chapter to juxtapose with the anger she feels towards her at the end--Annette is a complicated person, and Kenzie is grappling with the ways she manipulates and scapegoats Duncan and her own desire to find common ground with her. She can’t push away all her resentment of his mother, at least, not yet. Annette is changing and growing slowly, but she still has a ways to go, and if you’ve seen Season 6 of HOUSE OF CARDS, you know Duncan withdrawing from her after he finds out he’s adopted will be a catalyst for her. Here’s Doris Day singing DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME. The cherrywood table looks something like this. Here’s Duncan’s cock ring. Here’s his fleshlight. One-pan pasta is truly great and truly easy to make, highly recommend if you’ve never tried it, you can put basically any vegetables you want in it. Duncan’s saute pan. His dry food jars look something like this. Sorry, y’all don’t get a full description of Kenzie’s Gala dress until the next chapter, from Duncan’s perspective; also, I’ll link to the blazer and the gold collar tips I found that look like Duncan’s Gala look next time. Kenzie’s dress with gold flowers. Kenzie’s black sandals. Here’s the ghost story books she chose: 1, 2, 3 (I have the first two). Here’s the fireside cooking kit she chose. She ordered a bunch of bedding from this site. I’ll elaborate on the clothes she ordered in chapters to come--like Duncan, I love Kenzie’s clothes, and can’t resist elaborating on her outfits. Of course Samuel knew that in a moment of distress, Landslide was the only way to go. I wanted to express how much Kenz loves both Samuel and Harris in this part--and how much they are beginning to love her. Cartier boxes look like this. The connection between Duncan and Mackenzie is becoming stronger--that is, awakening to the deepness that is their destiny as soulmates, the connection between them that always has been and always will be, hence Kenzie having a premonition about something happening to Duncan and later being able to feel his sadness from miles away. The photograph of Annette catching Duncan as a child is, of course, canon with Season 6 of HOUSE OF CARDS, though Duncan never mentions it being taken in the fall, I added that. I got chills editing the end of this chapter--Duncan’s devastation soothed by Kenzie’s love. Love is really everything. Her Momby--the memory of Carrie Fisher--loves Duncan very much already (as I feel Carrie would have loved Cody if she had been able to meet him), and she will be a source of great comfort to him. I’m not totally sure how long the Gala stuff is going to be, but we’re finally up against it, and there’s a good chance it’ll be more than one chapter--there’s a lot I need to cover. Love to the Millorys, and, of course, especially my Duckenzies. As always, if you’re following along, your reblogs, likes, comments and asks mean everything to me.

Kenzie hovered at the edge of tears still in the backseat of the BMW, leaning into Duncan’s shoulder with his hand in her hair, lost in the feeling of Annette’s kiss that lingered on her cheek; it was as though she could still feel the pressure of it, the heat of it, the reality of it. I wonder if I haven’t confused the things that truly matter with what seemed to…

When Kenzie had pushed her warmth into Duncan’s mother, the touch of their hands creating a strong connection which she had harnessed, she’d thought: Annette, you are not alone. When Bill dies, you will not be alone. Duncan is your family. I am your family too. I promise, there is great light coming soon. In the years to come, your soul will be at peace. You are not alone. Be brave and go to comfort your brother. She had reached down into the secret gold she could now constantly feel stirring in the center of her body, lifted its strands out to hold Annette’s body and the soft fall of her hair. Annette had sighed--the long, low sigh of the truly contented, caught in this moment, and her face had suddenly lifted and looked younger, and Kenzie was struck by her beauty, by the beautiful, innocent girl she must have been once. And when Annette had kissed her, Kenzie almost felt as though she could smell the soft sweetness of some ancient flower, the smell of a summer long passed, when Annette had hoped and dreamed and been in love.

Kenzie’s phone chimed in her lap. Clairebear. Duncan’s eyes (storms), which had been staring off into space, glanced down at it. Kenzie Lou, your dress and Duncan’s jacket for the Gala are FINISHED. I’m going to send you some shots now, just making sure he’s not looking before I do!

Kenzie turned to Duncan, smiling. His hand fell down to the ends of her hair; his beautiful face leaned towards her, and he kissed her with aching softness, stirring the gold in the center of her up again. His mouth was like velvet, the sensitivity and sweetness of its pressure against hers making her sigh, the scent of him (woodsy jasmine, sandalwood, cedar) bringing her mind up to crash against him. To be kissed by you is always like I’m lost in a dream, and I never want to wake up. “Claire says our Gala outfits are finished. I can’t believe it’s the day after tomorrow. Already. Do you want to see your jacket?”

“I think I trust Morgan, honestly. God, I can’t wait to see what you’re wearing, though...” Duncan’s hands were coming down her arm now, to the crook of her elbow, against the dip of her breast in the lace. Kenzie couldn’t stop herself; the day had already felt so long, its oppressive heat having made her weary of the outside world; in this cool cocoon with the partition rolled up, Duncan in her arms, she felt as though there was nothing else in all the world that mattered. He was so lovely; despite the hotness of the afternoon, he still somehow looked fresh and unbothered, his skin smooth but for the dark stubble along his jaw (I love it so much), his black clothing pressing against his tall form, his hair tossed back in waves from his forehead, his gaze more striking than ever in the dark eyeliner Alister had given him. She moved closer, reaching up to the dip of his jaw turning into his neck, and his hand coming around to her bare shoulder blade. Kenzie leaned into his kiss again, opening her mouth. Doris Day was singing on the stereo, soft, meandering piano behind her--stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper I love you--

“Baby,” Duncan murmured into her, and Kenzie gasped against him in a tiny voice, a sudden terrible need for him crashing into her. “Whatever you did for my mother--thank you.”

“It was for you, baby,” she whispered back into him, and Duncan was pressing her down into the seat, clutching her against him, his hand coming down to press the lace of her skirt up, exposing her thigh to his large, long hand (uh huh touch me touch your angel give me all your need), his elegant fingers sending shivers up to the top of her spine as they gripped her, needy and demanding and leaving long red streaks on her pale skin, drifting up to the dip between her upper thigh and her crotch (today Kenzie wore red tulle panties to match her dress--they were sheer, and Duncan’s insistent hands had exposed them now--she could feel the cool air drifting against her sex and it made her shiver), her body was suddenly pulsing with heat...say nighty-night and kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me...He dipped his hand up to the waistband of the panties, his fingers brushing the bare skin of her stomach, and his mouth went to her ear.

“Kenzie, Princess, please, let me touch you?”

“Uhmm, Duncan--Dunny, we shouldn’t--” His mouth was tasting at hers again, snatching her words away. Fuck, baby. Put your hand on my neck. Duncan’s fingers immediately came up to grasp her throat, and they tightened as he stared into her eyes, following her lead. Harder. That’s it. Now kiss me again. Let’s go home and fuck. I want you to lean me over that table and give me your hard cock and wrap my hair in your fist and make me suck on your beautiful fingers and fuck me--

Fuck, Kenzie. I’m wanna fuck you for the rest of the day. I wanna fuck you and make you scream because it feels so fucking good. I wanna lick and kiss and suck your clit until you can’t stop shaking. And then I wanna sleep for the rest of the afternoon with you. And then I wanna wake up and fuck again. Can we do that? I just wanna be alone with you for the rest of the day. I always just wanna be alone with you.

Kenzie was nodding against him as his mouth sucked along her bottom lip, his hands still pressing her down insistently into the leather of the seat, her head resting in the odd crook between the car door and the backrest. Kenzie’s mind was writhing with the feeling of him; she thought of Duncan fucking her ass, the wild sensitivity of it, the insistence of him pressing the plug inside her, the look in his eyes as he tied her up, the demand as he pressed the egg into her clit, or stared at her in the mirror as he buried his length into the space between her legs. She felt her cheeks growing hot with her need; felt the twinge of her cunt spasming at the promise of his fingers and his mouth there, coming soon.

Baby, at the Gala, she thought into him as their tongues clashed together, and Duncan was pulling her up easily into his lap--god, the strength he keeps coiled inside him, sometimes I forget and then he lifts me like I’m made of dry leaves--and her hands were both clutching at the stubble of his jaw, his still pushing the lace skirt insistently from her thighs, thumbs pressing close to the bands of her panties, the only barrier between his fingers and her shaking sex.

At the Gala, I want you to make me wear my plug.

Kenzie pulled back to stare into him, his ocean eyes wet and shining with the intensity of his desire for her, his thoughts drifting against her in hot waves of blue flame. Oh fuck, Princess. Kenzie. Fuck. Yes. My baby, my baby love.

I want you to put it in as we stare at each other in our Mirror, hold my throat as you do it, and Kenzie’s fingers drifted down and gripped his as she pressed the thought into him, whisper into my ear that I’m your Princess, your angel, your only love, your Soulmate. Make sure I know that I’m yours, baby. She tightened her hand and his mouth drifted open, eyes focused on her face.

Uh huh, Kenzie. Yes, Kenzie. I’ll make you wear it all night. He was moaning into her hand, his breath falling against her lips in a labored, lustful gasp. You are my Soulmate. You are my only love and everything I am and have is for you.

Uh huh, baby. You’ll tell me I can’t take it out until you say so. Kenzie smiled into him, teasing, feeling the power drift through her fingers to him. There with all those people and all those cameras and everyone, and I have to wear it for you.

Unng, Kenzie. I want you to make me wear something too. Please, make me wear something for you. Make me wear something to worship you. I have--I have a cock ring that I use to play with myself sometimes--I forgot about it until now, honestly...you’ve been playing with me so much I haven’t needed it, have I, baby love. But I’ll show it to you when we get home.

Kenzie gave him a look of mock severity, lifting away to stare at him, her hand still on his throat. She spoke out loud, quietly, surprised. “You should have told me about that before, baby. What else do you have that you’re hiding?” Duncan glanced down, shyly, then back up into her eyes.

“A fleshlight.”

“Ooooo, baby,” Kenzie ground her hips down onto him, and Duncan arched up into her, groaning, insistently needy. “I wanna watch you use it. When we get home I’m gonna make you use it while I watch--”

“I wish I had one made in the shape of your sweet little cunt, baby,” his mouth pressed under her chin, forcing her head up; Duncan moved his swollen lips down her throat, tongue pressing lightly and leaving a wet trail, into the dip of her collarbones, down between her breasts, and Kenzie was leaning back in his arms to accept his worshipping kisses, the coiled strength of his hands pressing into her spine, keeping her close, her eyelids murmuring open and closed, fighting the building heat in her belly. “Anytime you’re away from me I can’t stop thinking of you, I always need you, Kenzie…I have to go on trips sometimes, what if you’re writing or you’re busy with work and you can’t come with me--I want one of your tight little cunt, god, it’s so tight around my cock, baby--god, please make me wear something at the Gala, make me, please--”

Kenzie quieted, soothing her mind back into his. Okay, baby. Will that make you remember all night that you belong to me? Will that cock ring kindle your need for me for hours and hours? You can’t take it off until I say you can. Okay, Dunny? Kenzie bit into Duncan’s bottom lip, sucking at it, her opposite hand coming up to the other side of his neck to choke him with careful pressure.

Yes, Princess Kenzie, yes, angel, I promise I’ll be good and do what you say, baby.

Good baby. My sweet Prince. I love you so. They’d made it back to the high-rise and Kenzie carefully slid out of Duncan’s grasp, glancing down at his lap; the hardness of his growing erection was pressing into his crotch, and Kenzie longed to unzip him and pull his cock out, longed to press her mouth down onto the soft head of his length at that very moment, but Harris was coming around the door, wearing his dark glasses again. He extended a hand to Kenzie, giving her his friendly grin, the low heat of the day seeping into the backseat. It looks like it’s going to rain, Kenzie thought. A summer storm for us to fuck to. She smiled at Harris, accepting his hand innocently.

“You know, Harris,” she said, stepping onto the sidewalk, feeling Duncan come up behind her; felt his hand press languidly down her bare back, into the strands of her hair. “Claire was asking me about you.”

Harris dipped his head down to her, his sepia-colored eyes flashing over the rim of his glasses, his grin morphing from one of benign friendliness to shy interest. Kenzie smiled at him teasingly.

“Is that so, Miss Mackenzie.”

“Can I give her your phone number? Or give you hers?”

Harris blushed at her, pulling his sunglasses off his nose, glancing at the ground.

“Unless you’re unavailable. I’m sorry, Harris, it’s rude of me to have assumed.” Kenzie felt Duncan’s hand drift down to the zipper at the back of her dress, felt him pressing it down, wantonly, impatiently. She dipped a hand behind her back, fingers pinching at his. Oh my god stop that baby not yet. Kenzie felt a large drop of rain splash against her cheek--here comes that storm.

“I’d very much like to call on Miss Claire, Miss Mackenzie...that is, if that’s acceptable to you.”

“Harris, yes. Definitely. I’m going to send you her phone number right now.” Kenzie quickly went into her contacts to Claire’s number, hitting Share Contact as more rain began to fall around them.

“Come on, Kenz, we’re gonna get soaked,” Duncan slid his hand down her arm, reaching for her fingers. Kenzie quickly typed Harris’ name into the bar and hit Send.

“Claire is the most wonderful person,” she said to Harris as the rain began in earnest, a peal of thunder booming over their heads. She could see the large man’s dark gray suit beginning to grow black with the water seeping into it. “She’s my best friend.” She grasped Duncan’s hand and he pulled her towards the front entrance, beginning to trot as his hair flattened in the sudden downpour. She hesitated, then called over her shoulder, towards her bodyguard--and as she did, she pushed some of her drifting gold towards him, a few strands from the pit of her body.

“I wish you luck!”

She turned back to Duncan, quickening her pace to a slow run to keep up with his long trot--now they were both soaked, and water dripped down in rivulets from her long hair, her dress sticking to her hips. Jerry seemed to be somewhere else at the moment--Duncan yanked the glass door open himself and they ran inside, leaving a trail of water drifting on the marble under their feet.

“Sorry about the water, Anchaly--” Duncan said as they hurried past him. He glanced up, smiling at them indulgently, then returned to The Year of Magical Thinking, not replying. Duncan punched the elevator, staring at her, breathing hard, licking the rain off his lips--he flicked a hand (your beautiful hands, my beloved) through his hair, mussing it, rain cascading out of it to patter on the polished floor. Kenzie felt breathless, suddenly; breathless in the desirous intensity of his blue-sky stare, breathless at how fucking lovely he was. I’m going to rip your fucking clothes off, Kenzie. She swallowed as the door slid open; Duncan suddenly gripped her waist and pulled her inside, and as the door slid shut behind them Kenzie dropped her bag to the elevator’s spotless carpet as Duncan picked her up and pressed her into the side-rail, her back thumping against the wall. She hovered above him, her body stretching almost involuntarily as his open mouth hungrily sucked at the dip of her neck.

“Mackenzie Stone, I fucking love you,” he said, and she nodded against him, leaning into him. “I fucking love you too, Duncan Shepherd,” she murmured, whining into the wildness of his kisses. “I want you to fuck me until I scream while we listen to the storm--”

“Oh, you’re going to fucking scream, baby--” Duncan crushed his lips into hers, rushing his tongue against hers, making her cunt spasm. He’s so fucking tall, he can lift me like I’m nothing, his big fucking hands are gripping me so tightly. “You’re gonna come so fucking hard for me, baby, I’m gonna make you writhe with pleasure, I’m gonna make you come so hard all over my aching cock--”

Kenzie brought the flat of her palm down against his cheek, slapping him with a coiled strength--not enough to leave a mark, but with pointed insistence. Duncan’s words cut off as his breath sucked in sharply, staring at her in surprise--then their blue depth grew darker, like a night sky fading into evening, and Kenzie’s nerves thrilled.

That’s right, baby. You’re gonna fucking fuck me, aren’t you. You’re gonna wrap that leather choker around my neck and yank it tight and make my poor little pussy red with attention. Kenzie grinned at him, shivering in the drift of her thoughts to him in the elevator’s icy air conditioning, water dripping down her back from her soaked hair, pressed into the wall. The elevator dinged; 30. Duncan gripped her under her arms and brought her down, still holding onto her tightly, his breath ragged--Kenzie reached to the floor and grasped the strap of her convertible bag before Duncan insistently pulled her out of the gold interior, his fingers pressing tightly into her wrist. Kenzie couldn’t help but giggle nervously again; I love this. Be bossy with me, go ahead, Prince Duncan. He glanced back at her, his eyes still that dark shade of blue, and goosebumps broke out on her skin finally as he yanked his wallet out, shoving his keycard impatiently into the side of the door. He pulled Kenzie through as it unlocked with a beep, still gripping her wrist; Kenzie could feel her fingers going numb, he was holding her so hard. He turned as the door swung shut behind them and lifted her up again, falling into her as her back smacked against it, his thigh pressing between her legs, her hands falling to the sides of his wet hair, his mouth pressing up into hers.

“It’s like the storm is just for us,” she whispered, her lips brushing down to his stubble, its harshness raking into her skin.

“Yeah, the gods got hot and bothered knowing we were about to fuck,” Duncan laughed into her, his hands flitting over her, slipping through the slickness of her damp hair. He lowered her, reluctantly, and Kenzie went up on her tip-toes to reach for the topmost button of his wet shirt, working it apart.

“Anyone would get bothered, looking at you, Prince Duncan.”

“Miss Stone, I only have eyes for you.” He was pressing her back against the door again, his tall form looming over her, his hands against the black wood on either side of her head, trapping her. “Go sit at the table, Miss Stone. I’m going to get your choker.”

Kenzie bit into her lip, unable to disguise her delight at his commanding tone.

“I like you being bossy with me,” she whispered, still clutching his collar, her lips on his jaw. “I want you to be rough with me, baby.”

He smiled down at her--the smile made Kenzie shiver. My beautiful Duncan. I see the Hades in you when I speak such dark delights. I see the wild wine god. I see the shadowed god who sleeps; with me, he rarely emerges so utterly, for I bring out the light in you. But if I ask for him; ah, there he is. You will always give me what I want. You will always obey my desires.

“I will. Go sit down, baby. Be the angel I know you are.” He leaned down to kiss her softly for a moment; Kenzie shuddered in the gentleness of his embrace, knowing he was hiding the powerful need she’d asked for just beneath the surface of his composure. Then, he lifted his arms away from her and turned his back to her, working at the remaining buttons of his wet shirt, discarding it on the floor as he went to the closet, not looking back. Kenzie unlaced her shoes with quick fingers, kicking them beside the door, nervously stepping into the dining room, where the cherrywood table extended, serenely quiet and polished and long. She hadn’t really spent any time in this room of the penthouse--not since the night I made him chicken and dumplings and he tied me up for the first time, tied my wrists to the bed, fuck, oh baby. The table was indeed a magnificent piece, its dark reddish wood already having pressed itself into her mind; as soon as I saw it I wanted you to fuck me on it, baby. Something about its aged, elegant surface was intensely erotic. Kenzie went to the levered window at the far end of the room, facing the south side of the penthouse--she crooked it open and pushed it wide, the curtains immediately blowing toward her in the storm, rain pattering against the panes, warm, fragrant summer air rushing in. There.

She thought of how soon they’d be in the woods, by the lake, the clear air and the birds and the soft winds in the trees waking them up in the morning, the sharp smell of smoky woodfire and summer grass and the weed they’d smoke at night, the quietness of the evenings to come. Someday, we’ll wake up day after day in the garden house, and we’ll escape from the city regularly and we’ll fuck on a soft bed covered in quilts and twenty feather-down pillows and we’ll sleep until noon sometimes and no one will tell us we can’t--we’ll have a library and a pit for bonfires, we’ll have picnics under the shady relief of the orchard. She let herself imagine it--indulged again in her fantasies, her paddock of three horses, dapple gray, black, and creamy white, her greenhouse, her verdant garden of flowers and vegetables, wonderful dirt under her fingernails and sweet apple trees and honeycomb from their beehives to press against Duncan’s lips. Hey, I can dream. I’ve been dreaming. I’ve been sucked into a dream, only this dream is real.

Kenzie pulled out the heavy chair at the head of the table, closest to the doorway, and sat, breathing in carefully, trying to quell her nerves. She was still soaking wet, and she shivered a little, despite the warmth drifting in from the window she’d opened, her arms covered in goosebumps. She could hear him coming back now towards her, moving through the kitchen--but she didn’t look over to him, not yet--she stared ahead at the window, at the drifting movement of the curtains in the wind, the droplets of rain on the sill.

But I can feel him, Kenzie thought. I can feel the blue flame of him, pressing out, coming around me to stroke down along my hair, to fall down the side of my cheek and the back of my neck and over the rise of my breasts. I can feel his need, his want, his insistence, his lust crashing against me, wave after wave. Kenzie closed her eyes, anticipating the moment of his touch, willing herself to be patient, to be still. She heard him set something on the table, a soft, indistinct series of two taps, then a rustling--then heard the soft clink of the buckle of the choker on the hard wood as he set it there as well. She breathed carefully--in, then out, concentrating on the color of him. She could feel Duncan standing near her, feel his aura, his tall presence, could hear his soft breathing, calmed from its raggedness but still hitched with anticipation.

Kenzie could sense him moving toward her; then she felt the sweet softness of one of his microfiber towels dip down over her shoulders; keeping her eyes closed, Kenzie soothed into the feeling of his hands gently pressing it against her, carefully, into her damp hair and the back of her neck.

“Baby,” and she felt his mouth tickle against her ear, the warmth of his breath. “Stand up.”

Kenzie stood, eyes still closed, enjoying the sensation of being obedient to him; but I’m doing as you say because I told you I wanted to, she knew, and that thrilled her too. She felt Duncan move the chair out and away; into the corner, or somewhere else, somewhere it wouldn’t hinder them. Then she felt him come up behind her--felt his mouth drift from her ear to her cheek, his fingers fall down her arms. His woodsy smell was tinged with the wild scent of the rain, and the heady undercurrent of his desire, an obtuse scent she had begun to feel intimately familiar with, but one that she couldn’t describe in any worldly sense. It’s just him. It’s just my Duncan. Stronger when he wants me as much as he does right now.

“I’m going to take off your dress now, baby. It’s soaking wet and so are you.”

She laughed a little. Keep your eyes closed. It’s teasing him. It’s making him hard. “Uh huh, baby. I am.” She felt his hands at the zipper at her back now--felt him slowing inch it down, felt his lips fall onto her shoulder. She shivered, let the dress’ straps glide down her arms, let the wet dress drift off her body, pooling around her ankles; Duncan gripped the waistband of her panties and slid them down, too, so they fell around her feet. She felt Duncan soothe the towel down her shoulders again--then, he delicately moved it down her back, around her breasts and down her stomach, over the rise of her ass, the backs of her thighs, whisking the dampness from her skin. She could feel the sweetness of the wind drifting towards them from the window, hear the rain, the sound of his breathing, the pounding of her heart in her own ears, and she could feel the breeze of his thoughts, brushing over her skin--you said you wanted to watch me use it. Open your eyes, angel.

Kenzie did as he said: Duncan was naked before her, his cock achingly hard, his eyes on her face. He reached his hand out to her; Kenzie took it, stepping out of her wet dress and panties pooled at her feet, pushing them aside with her toes. He let go of her, fingers slow and brushing down hers, stepping back--Kenzie sighed at how beautiful he was, his hair damp and falling into his eyes, his height next to hers, his angelic, intensely erotic features. He reached to where three objects rested on the cherrywood table: a soft silicone ring with a bulbous triangular extension, a dark green, long object with a screw-cover that looked like a flashlight, and her rose choker; its silver rose winked at her, its black leather strap seeming to stare at her, waiting, achingly patient, knowing. Duncan picked the choker up in his elegant fingers (your hands, made to delight me) and looked into her eyes.

“Stand still, baby. I’m gonna put your choker on now, okay?”

Kenzie nodded, unable to keep her smile hidden, her body flushed with heat. I want it. I want you. I want you so fucking bad, put those fucking hands on me. She sighed as he came around behind her--wind blew towards them from the window, and she saw him shiver as his free hand came out to brush down her arm.

“Kenzie, you are so beautiful.” His hands brought the choker up around her face, lowered it to the soft, delicate incline of her throat, pushing her damp hair to the side--Kenzie wished they were in front of their Mirror for a moment, so she could see him put it on, but then she remembered how much she had wanted him to press her down onto this table, and thrilled to know it was on the cusp of reality. Duncan looped the strap through the buckle, pulling the choker tight, almost too tight, into her skin--she gasped a little and Duncan’s mouth came down to her ear, his tongue licking against it.

“I want it to be tight so you know you’re mine, angel.” Kenzie gasped, nodded, her eyes fluttering. “Is it okay? I want it to be tight, baby, I want you needy in my arms, is it okay? To control you for a little while? Give me permission.”

Kenzie nodded again, her breath ragged, the rhythm of her thoughts slowing, willing her breath to be small and slow. “I give you permission, baby.”

“If it’s too much, slap your palm on the table, like this.” Duncan brought the flat of his hand down on the table in front of her, slapping it into the wood, firmly. “Okay? And I’ll stop.”

“Uh huh.” Kenzie breathed in again, carefully, slowly, feeling the press of the choker into her throat, its constriction making her cunt twinge; she felt the wetness gathering there drip down the cavity of her, hovering around the lips of her sex. “I want you to fuck me good, baby.” She couldn’t stop the words that tumbled out of her, hungry and imploring. “I want you to fuck me until I’m raw and red from you, till I’m aching.”

“Unng, Kenzie. Shhhh.” His hands came around her, one to cup her breast, the other to trail possessively along the silver rose under her chin, his face drifting down to her cheek, pressing soft kisses there. “You said you wanted to watch me masturbate first. So you’re going to. Be patient for me, angel baby, okay? Put your hands on the table and don’t move them. You can’t touch yourself until I say so.”

“Uh huh. Can I make you wet for it, baby?”

Duncan’s eyes fluttered closed, and he nodded. Kenzie knelt in front of him, willing saliva from the back of her throat forward--she spat onto the head of his cock through pursed lips, using her hand to slide it down onto his length as he moaned, sucking eagerly at him for a moment, until he glistened with her attentions--reluctantly, she leaned away and stood again, and his eyes lingered on her, on the edge of control. Then, Duncan came around to where he’d placed the toys on the table--his hand came up to the aching hardness of his erection, and he eased his hand down it, down the wetness from her mouth--with one hand on his cock still, holding it steady at the base, he grasped the cock ring and pushed it down onto himself, a long, low groan emanating from his throat. Kenzie’s body trembled at the loveliness of the sound; an actual angel from heaven, stroking himself for me, beautiful beyond all my dreams. The ring seemed to make him even harder; Kenzie could see his cock jumping over and over into his stomach now, see its strain, its length, its redness, see the wild light coiled behind his blue-flame eyes, the aching, simmering energy that had begun to build in him.

Then, he reached for the fleshlight, unscrewing the top, turning the pussy-shaped canal towards her for a moment so she could see, his smile setting her skin to embers of fire, he is so fucking lovely, and Kenzie bit into her lip, feeling her cheeks blush. Fuck, baby, fuck yourself for me, fuck yourself, my Prince, my beautiful angel, and she knew he heard her from the look in his eyes, from his reply into the crevices of her mind. Oh, I will baby. For you and you only. Kenzie felt her mouth drift open, longingly, her hands flat on the table in front of her, wishing she could press her fingers into her aching clit as his eyes burned on her, but she had promised him she wouldn’t, and it gives me pleasure to obey you today, baby.

Not breaking their eye contact, Duncan turned the base carefully; a low buzzing emanated from the fleshlight, the vibrator now active--and his full lips opened slightly, slowly, involuntarily, as he pressed his cock into the shivering canal of the toy, and she heard him moan her name, “Uhh, Kenzie, Kenzie baby,” and Kenzie couldn’t help but sigh into a moan of need herself as she watched him drift the toy up and down his length, building a rhythm for her, his head falling back and his chiseled jaw pointing towards the ceiling. Fuck, he’s so fucking gorgeous. Fuck, I can’t even believe how beautiful he is sometimes. How can he even exist at all. How is he mine. Kenzie’s nails dug into the wood of the table, moisture pooling down the lips of her cunt, gathering against her thighs. Baby, I need you. Baby, I can’t stand it. “Fuck, baby, Dunny, oh, fuck--”

“God, fucking god, I love that choker on you so fucking much, baby--” Duncan continued to fuck the toy, the rhythm in his hips building, his thighs keening into the side of the table. “I’m gonna fuck you so good, you like this, don’t you, you like watching me fuck myself like this--”

“Uh huh, please, baby, please let me touch myself. I need you, I need you...”

Duncan slowed, his eyes squeezing shut as he carefully pulled his length out of the toy--Kenzie could see how red his cock was now, squeezed into wild hardness by the ring, pulsing with need, precum dripping languidly from the head.

“Okay, Princess, touch yourself.” Kenzie’s eyes fluttered in relief and she brought her slender fingers down to work against her clit, sighing at the warm breeze that suddenly floated against her--Duncan dropped the toy on the table, and she could see the determined, ravishing light in his eyes. That’s it, baby, fuck, I love that, make yourself wet for me, rub your sweet little clit.

God, baby, I’m already so fucking wet. I need you to fuck me. I need it.

Kenzie curved her body down over the table, staring up into him, leaned onto it so her elbows were crooked against its surface, her breasts pressed into it, nipples achingly hard, her ass pressed outwards to where the chair had been. She refused to look away from his gaze. Duncan gave her a longing, dazed look--then his eyes seemed to clear, he seemed to remember his duty, and he moved quickly so he was behind her--then she felt the coiled pressure of his hand press into the nape of her neck and push her head down onto the table, his fingers coming around to grip her tightly, so her cheek was against its cold, smooth surface--and Duncan kept his hand there, pressing her down as he thrust his cock into her cunt, the wetness that had gathered in her receiving him with covetous thirst. He was so hard that Kenzie felt her body struggling to take all of him, despite the come that had spread down through her--the ring had unclad every last residue of softness, and Kenzie felt her eyes roll back at the intensity of his domination over her in this moment.

As Duncan began to fuck her from behind, his fingers tightened at the sides of her throat over the choker, and she gasped, her voice cracking desperately at the combination of low pain and high pleasure in her body in this moment--Kenzie felt darkness drift at the edges of her vision, felt her body spasm at the lack of air, and her little hand slapped down onto the table, aware she would pass out soon if he didn’t loosen his grip. Duncan immediately lifted his hand, immediately stopped the movement of his hips, his cock still buried in her--he leaned down to her, brushing her hair from her shoulder, his mouth against the side of her head.

“Baby, are you okay, are you alright? I’m sorry, are you okay?”

She gasped air into her lungs--then, she turned her head, eyes fluttering open and closed, and Kenzie said “yes, baby, keep fucking me, Duncan, fuck me hard, I want it, fuck me hard, spank me.”

“Uh huh, angel--” Duncan immediately rebounded his movements against her, immediately ground the entirety of his length back into her, so insistently Kenzie felt her hips lift forward, shoving her into the table’s surface, his balls falling into the lips of her cunt--then his big hand came down and smacked into her, so hard it made her catch her breath again.

“Uhh, Dunny, yes, just like that, fuck yes--” And he slapped her, hard, on the other ass cheek, and she could hear the amusement and affection in his voice as he said “you like that baby, huh, you like me spanking you so hard like that--” and Kenzie nodded into the table’s cool surface, moaning approvingly, loving its heady scent under her nose, loving the pressure of him driving into her, the sound of his voice and the rain and the drift of the summer storm against their flushed bodies. Duncan was pressing down against her, driving himself into her again and again, and then he was gripping her little wrists and pulling them back in his fists, so hard she knew there was no way she could escape from his grasp unless he let her, lifting her a little off the table as he continued to grind into her, and then he dipped down to her ear and said--

“Baby, I’m gonna come now, then I’m gonna suck your sweet little clit on this table until you come, okay, baby, angel, is that okay?” And it was all Kenzie could do to moan a reply, “Yes, Dunny, yes--” And his long, beautiful hand was drifting against the back of her skull, clutching into her hair harshly, longingly, his mouth pressed into the back of her head as he shuddered against her, the warm spurt of his come coursing into her, and she could feel the damp sweat where their thighs touched, where their sexes were pressed together, aching and so fucking close.

Duncan hovered inside her for a moment, then in a smooth motion that stunned her he pulled out of her, gripped her hips between his long, beautiful fingers, and turned her body insistently, so she was facing him, a little line of spittle running down from her lips; Duncan leaned down to her, snatching Kenzie’s breath again, kissing her with terrible need, sucking at the spit that fell onto her skin, tongue tasting into her, and he was lifting her so she was now sitting on the table’s edge, his hands so soft and so strong and becoming so knowledgeable of her curves, the dips of her skin, the corners of her body--Kenzie’s body was absolutely set alight under his attentions this way, and her cunt was aching so deeply she felt as though she were on the verge of tears. Duncan’s smooth hand pressed into her belly and eased her down so her back was pressed into the cold surface of the cherrywood--her hair had almost dried now, and drifted around her shoulders and head as she gazed toward him. Duncan kneeled--Kenzie felt her mouth fall open at the beauty of the image, my sweet Prince, kneeling at my altar, bowed in worship, faithful, prostrate, and entire. His blue eyes pierced through her, and she could see the crown of his head, surely where a circlet of gold should be, my beloved, angelic, divine, and royal, a creature of high heaven. Then Duncan buried his mouth into the space between the lips of her, and Kenzie couldn’t stop the wail that rose out of her, so lovely a mouth it was: the only thing I want in the whole fucking world right now, baby, your mouth on me like this, all your attention, all your love, all the desire in you flowing into me in the most sensitive part of my body, as if to bathe me in moonlight.

I worship you, Duncan’s thought cascaded against her, through her thighs and belly, up to circle her breasts, fanning over her throat like a collar of diamonds, caressing the leather at her neck, thumbing her open mouth, pressing into her tongue and drifting its fingers into her hair. I fucking worship you, Mackenzie Louise Stone, I adore you, I am your most ardent lover, your most supplicant admirer, I bow to you, my love, I want nothing so much as I want your joy, your pleasure, and your delight in all things. I worship you, Kenzie, most fervently, I desire you always, I love the sweet space between your legs as I love your eyes as I love your breath and your sweetness in slumber and your glorious heart, your blessed soul, as I love you always, until the end of time, beloved, my Kenzie, I love you--

A peal of sweet summer thunder burst over the high-rise, rolling through the open window, rolling against them, crashing against the feeling of Duncan’s aching mouth pressed so carefully and insistently onto her sex, and his hands clutched between her thighs, pressing her up into his attention, and Kenzie saw the lightning from the corner of her gaze, felt the drift of the warm breeze down the length of her body, ruffling the drying curls around his head, smell the fierce, lush wave of the rain, and her hands came up to bury themselves them in his hair, against the sweet softness at his head, and his stormy, sky-laden eyes, the blue nebulas he kept hidden swirling there, lifted to stare at her, and Kenzie felt her body jerk forward against him, felt the crescendo of her coming approaching like another rumble of thunder on the horizon, and then she was arching, her back lifting from the table, and his tongue was shifting back and forth on her as she cried into him, remembering the otherworldly glow of his golden hair in the dream, the divine, strange wings that had extended from his back, and she felt, for a small, stolen moment, that she could see them again, growing from his back now as he kneeled against her, felt that in this moment, they were divine again.

-------

Duncan had gently, sweetly eased her back to the floor and unbuckled the choker from her throat, his fingers brushing against her now-sensitive skin as he did, and Kenzie had leaned into his touch, sighed with the loss of him as he lifted the leather away, sighed with relief as he immediately brought his fingers back to knead at the marks on her neck, his mouth coming down to soothe her swollen lips, soothe through her hair, dried to soft waves from the dampness of the rain. Kenzie reached down to his cock, still swollen with the pressure of the ring around it, and eased the silicone toy off his length, achingly slow--Duncan groaned into her as she did, closing his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers, and Kenzie said “that’s it, baby, there we go, god you were so hard for me, baby, you felt so fucking good...” and he nodded against her, contented. The storm was still raging outside, the rain now pounding heavily through the window, and Duncan stepped away from her to close it, but Kenzie whined and clutched him and she felt his mind surge back to her and he forgot the window and gathered her up in his arms.

“My Kenzie, my sweet little Kenzie, my beautiful angel,” he was murmuring into her ear, his fingers (my baby has the most beautiful hands, and they touch me with such reverence, I love his hands) still softly soothing the redness at her neck, and Duncan pressed himself against her, his body smelling of sweat and rain and cedar, the coiled strength of it low from his release, and Kenzie’s body still shook, vibrated with the comedown of her orgasm, hummed to feel so close to him in this moment, sung with the threads that were tying them together, their bodies, their minds, their souls. “You’re my baby, aren’t you, angel, you’re my Princess, my queen, my Persephone, tell me you are, Kenzie--” “Yes, baby, yes, you know I am, I love you--” and she turned her mind towards him, pressed her lips into his where she could taste her sex between his teeth, thought you know that I would die for you if I had to, you know I am giving the most secret, hidden parts of myself to you, and I’m glad to do it, I’m glad to fold myself into you this way, glad beyond all words, my beautiful and dark Prince, my Hades, and I know you bow to me, I see the terrible loveliness of your prayers, and your worship is fair beyond all worship in my eyes, and when we were those other beings with strange wings, our eyes like galaxies, our clothing created from the strange geometries of another world, I thought your worship more fair too, in that place, and chose you to be my dearest love for all time.

“Let’s make something to eat, Kenz,” Duncan said, and pulled back from her, gently. Kenzie nodded up to him, suddenly realizing she was starving. “Then we can take a nap together.” And that she was exhausted. He knows, he can feel me.

“Ugh, Dunny, that sounds fucking perfect.” Kenzie let Duncan pull her through the kitchen, into their closet--he pulled her silk pink-and-black sleeping set down from where it hung, easing the cami over her head, gently pulling her hair out as she pushed her arms through it--Duncan’s hands came down to drift over her breasts under the silken cloth, and she felt her mouth dip open, loving the sensation of his touch. Then he turned from her and rifled through one of his drawers for black sweatpants and a black tee shirt (always black, my Hades), kissing her forehead as she pulled on the little silken pink shorts.

“I’m thinking one-pan pasta,” he said, and Kenzie gave him a questioning look.

“What’s one-pan pasta?”

He laughed a little. “Exactly what it sounds like, babe. Pasta you make using just one pan. It’s so easy, come on, I’ll show you.” He twined his fingers through hers and pulled her into the kitchen, and Kenzie loved the sound of the rain, the softness of his presence, the fall of his hair. Despite everything in the world outside that has tried to harm or damage us, here we are, our love only grows and becomes greater, and being with you is beyond my wildest dreams. Being with you is joy unimaginable. Duncan looked at her, and Kenzie knew he’d heard. He nodded, and she heard him too: yes, Kenzie, yes. I love you so.

Duncan opened one of the high cupboards that rose along the sides of the stove, pulling down a shallow saute pan, dipping it into the sink to fill it with a few cups-worth of water. “Kenz, can you get an onion, some basil, a tomato and a pack of mushrooms from the fridge?” Kenzie nodded, smiling, gathering the things he’d asked for and laying them carefully on the counter as he placed a cutting board there beside her.

“All you do is put everything in the same pan and let it cook until the water evaporates,” he said, his hand coming up to fall down the wave of her hair. He reached to where several long glass storage containers were lined along the counter to the side of the sink (several kinds of dry noodles, rice, flour, sugar, cornmeal, quinoa, oatmeal, granola) and and pulled one with long spaghetti noodles to where their ingredients were gathered. His eyes skirted over her succulents on the sill, across the gray, rainy sky through the window, as Kenzie watched him, enraptured once more with his beauty. The plants were thriving, almost impossibly so--they were verdantly green and bright now, and some had begun to hang heavy growths down the wall. They can feel the love here. They can feel how much I love him.

“It’s supposed to rain all night,” he murmured, and she could see he was suddenly lost in thought, but the thoughts were indistinct to her, then he turned towards the pan on the stove and placed a handful of the pasta into the water, so she couldn’t see his expression. “Tomorrow I’m meeting with the President, Kenzie. I have no idea how she’s going to react to me. I’ve never met with her alone like this. And she and my mother have a very...fraught relationship. Like Annette and Madeline, they went to school together. But they were truly friends back then. I always wonder what happened between them, later. Whatever happened to make them turn on each other as they have.”

“Your mom is like an hawk. She’s terrifying, baby. I don’t doubt that it’s hard to stay friends with her.”

Duncan turned back to her, nodding, reaching for his kenzo knives from where they shone neatly on the counter-top, slicing the onion and the mushrooms with precise strokes, pulling leaves off the bunch of basil (it smells so good, Kenzie thought) and tossing them into the pan as well. Soon, the uncooked ingredients were gathered in a picturesque array, and Kenzie ran over to where she’d discarded her bag in the corner, grabbing her phone out (she noticed she had texts from both Clairebear and Mom, thought I’ll look at them later, I just wanna be with him right now) and snapping a photo. “This is the before, then I’ll take one at the end,” she smiled up at him, and Duncan glanced up at her, his eyes full of affection, as he turned the switch on the stove. “I love the colors together that way. It looks so pretty.”

“You--” Duncan started, but Kenzie gave him a facetious little slap on the arm.

“Shush, you.”

“I won’t. You look so pretty. You are so fucking pretty. Will you be my girlfriend, Miss Stone? I’m in love with you, Miss Stone.” Duncan was pressing his lips down to her cheek, his hand drifting up her arm.

“I am your girlfriend, Mr. Shepherd.”

“I still can’t believe it. That night we met--I’ll never forget that night, Kenzie. How lovely you looked. I knew.” Duncan turned back to stir the ingredients, tossing crushed red pepper and chopped garlic into the pan, grinding his coppery pepper mill over it, glancing at her between his work. The smells wafting from the stovetop were making Kenzie’s stomach rumble, and she pulled down two black plates from the cupboard beside them, pulled out the cutlery drawer where Duncan’s lovely silverware rested quietly, winking up at her, grasping two forks, setting them down quietly on the plates, watching him cook. I love to watch him cook. I love to watch him do anything. The smallest things. The graceful movements of his hands. The way he bites his lip when he’s concentrating. The way he cocks his head, leans his chin down, the small little movements of his eyelashes and his blue blue blue eyes.

“I was afraid of you,” she said, finally. And I was. You were so fucking beautiful, you are truly a Prince, and I thought you were dark, I thought you would be cruel, but no, I found that you were as beautiful inside as you are outwardly. And I found that you, of all the people in this world, were truly the One for me. “You have a reputation. Well, had. You were so tall and looked so sharp and your eyes were staring at me so intently--like they could really see me, like I was naked. Not, like--not that way.” She saw his smirk. “That you could--see my soul. Baby.”

He reached for her hand, the wooden spoon in his other pausing over the pan. “I almost felt like I could. Sort of. The minute I looked at you, I felt like I could see into you, see how wonderful you are. Like I could see your halo, all around you. I would have done anything it took to get you to talk to me.” Duncan tightened his grip on her fingers, his eyes staring at her intently. I could see your wings. “I can’t believe I found you, baby. In all the world, we found each other. But I think that we were meant to. I think we would have always found each other. There’s no way we could be kept apart.”

They let go of each other at the same time, but Kenzie could still feel the gold string that extended between them. It’s always there. It always has been. It always will be. Nothing will break it. Not even death.

“I think the dreams mean something,” Kenzie said to him. She gazed at the pasta and vegetables simmering down, breathed in the spicy scent of it as Duncan stirred, listening to her, not speaking. “I think they’re about who we used to be--or, who we’re going to be? I think we are them. I think those things happened or are happening or...something. I think if we find the right person, I dunno, the right psychic or whatever you want to call it, they can tell us who those people are. The people we used to be.”

“I’m sort of afraid to know, Kenz. There’s something about all of it that really unnerves me.” Duncan turned the stove off, using a long pair of tongs to scoop the pasta and veggies on the plates. Wow, that really was so easy, Kenzie thought. I love it when you cook for me. Love you, love you, love you. “I feel like there’s something dark hidden in all of it, dark for me, I mean. Like whoever I used to be was...I dunno. That I was a bad person. Worse than anything I’ve been in this life, and I--I really haven’t been a saint.”

Kenzie let her fingers drift down his arm--when Duncan turned to her she could see that his eyes were clouded with vague pain.

“Duncan. You aren’t a bad person. You are going to do wonderful things--you’re going to help thousands of people, baby. And I’m going to help you. Duncan, listen to me.” Kenzie’s hands went to his cheeks--Duncan turned into her palm, kissed it, his eyes closing. “You are good and sweet and kind and your soul is so beautiful and I love you so much, forever and ever. Whatever you used to be, it doesn’t matter now. What matters is what you are now. And I will love you no matter what. I swear I always will.”

“You’ve fucking saved my life, Mackenzie Stone.”

Duncan opened his eyes, staring into her as she let go of him, as she reached her hands down to their plates, passing his to him, twisting her fork immediately around the pasta and blowing on the steam. She popped her fork into her mouth, his gaze unnerving her as it always did--filling her nerves and her thoughts with his blue flames, his endless desire for her. She chewed and swallowed. Ugh, delicious. Everything he cooks is perfect.

“I didn’t. You saved yourself. I just gave you a little push in the right direction.”

“It was you, baby. It was all you.”

Kenzie leaned up to him, Duncan leaned down, and his lips were warm and soft and his mouth still tasted of her sex. The clouded quality of his gaze seemed to have dissipated, and his expression was calm and adoring of her.

“Let’s go in the bed, baby. Let’s go eat in bed and listen to the rain.”

Duncan went to the study to get a bottle of wine--Kenzie had taken his plate back from him and brought them both carefully through the bedroom, loving the quiet quality of the shadowy light today in the penthouse, her eyes lingering on her white and pink peonies on the coffee table, then on Athena’s bent head as she passed the statue, bathed in umbrage. She settled onto the bed, balancing the plates carefully and setting them on the black duvet, then she angled her phone down onto their dinner and posted the two photos together on her Instagram--get yourself a boo who can cook like @duncanshepherd, she typed. She noticed River had made a post about their interview today, including a side-angle photo, clearly one River had taken with her phone, of the two of them posing towards Anna--met Annette Shepherd, Duncan Shepherd and Mackenzie Stone today, and these two are serious #couplegoals. Look for my editorial in @vanityfair in a few weeks and @annapeterson’s breathtakingly gorgeous photos of them. #duckenzie #bestcoupleever There were over 3,000 comments under the post--Kenzie went to her profile and saw that she had over 2.5 million followers now. Sheesh. She went out of the app, feeling dazed and a bit afraid of it again, opening her text messages as Duncan came into the bedroom, two of his beautiful Waterford wine glasses clutched in one hand, a bottle opener in the other, and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with a handwritten label pressed under his arm.

Clairebear: Kenzie Lou, voila, the gown of a goddess. And clothing fit for a prince. Kenzie quickly angled her phone so Duncan couldn’t see the screen--Claire had sent her multiple pictures of their finished Gala looks, and her breath caught in her lungs. Oh my god. Morgan has outdone herself. I can’t believe how beautiful this is. I’m going to feel like a queen. The paps are going to lose their shit. Gold in the darkness. Gold for you, my love. Duncan’s jacket was exquisite--Morgan had made the metallic gold that dripped from it look painted, as though from a brush held by Van Gogh. Kenzie’s eyes skirted up to Duncan, unable to hide her wide smile.

“Baby, our Gala looks, oh my god. Wait till you see my dress.”

“I’m going to fucking die when I see it, I already know. Everyone will. I can’t wait for everyone to see--to truly see how radiant you are. They won’t be able to look away.” Duncan rested the bottle on the nightstand on his side, deftly uncorking it, pouring the dark red wine into the glasses. He handed one to her, sliding onto the duvet carefully so as not to upend his plate there, leaning down to kiss her, his hair falling on his brow. My warrior prince. Michael the archangel, too beautiful for human eyes. Hades, his eyes burning with blue flame, ever desirous of me.

“You’re going to look beautiful too. You always do. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Why do you think I said yes as soon as you asked me to come home with you,” Kenzie laughed. “We’d been talking for what, ten minutes?”

Duncan was spooling pasta around his fork, his radiantly happy smile melting the center of Kenzie’s heart into warm toffee. “If you had said no, I think I would have died right there of an utterly broken heart.”

“That smile alone. My Prince. They should paint you.”

“That reminds me, Kenz. I want to commission a painting. Of us. One of me and you. One we can hang in the garden house I’m getting for you when the company reverts to me.”

Kenzie’s breath caught. Duncan Shepherd, my billionaire boyfriend, wants to commission a painting of us. Like we’re a king and queen. To put in the house he’s going to buy for me. Fuck, Kenzie. Here you go, another reminder that you’re not in Kansas anymore. You really, really fucking aren’t.

“Dunny--I. Fuck.”

“You said you wanted a garden house more than anything, baby. Your eyes were shining and your face was glowing, and you were so beautiful, telling me about your dreams. Well. I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted. I told you before and I’ll say it as many times as I have to until you understand that I really meant it. That I mean it. That I will.” He reached for his wine glass and clinked it against hers, drinking deeply, as if in need of the rich wine’s heady courage. Kenzie swallowed, her heart having floated into her throat, stealing her breath and her words and bringing tears into her eyes again.

“I’m sorry I cry so much lately,” she said, finally, and could feel her lips trembling as she did. “But tears seem to be easier than words these days. I don’t know what to say, Duncan.”

“Say you’ll marry me if I ask you.”

“Fuck, Duncan.” Kenzie felt tears course down her cheeks now, one from each eye. She saw the flash of her imaginings again--Duncan pushing a ring down onto her finger, her pushing one onto his (his beautiful hand, wearing the proof of his devotion to me always from that day on), thousands of flowers, Claire in a beautiful velvety bridesmaid dress, Momby giving a speech that would send everyone into a wild fit of laughter, the sweetness of his arms as they danced for the first time as husband and wife, surrounded by a hundred fairy lights. At last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over, and life is like a song...

“I won’t if you don’t want me to, I know, it’s wildly soon--but--but Kenzie. Oh, baby. I just--I want to ask you so much. It feels so right to ask you. I can’t stop thinking about it. It feels so right to want to be with you always that way. I want to give you my name and all its protections, everything. If you’d have me.” He had lowered his plate onto his lap, and they were both very quiet now, looking at each other in the gray light of the clouded, late afternoon, Duncan in his dark shirt and sweatpants, Kenzie in her little silken pyjamas, listening to the rain falling overhead and against the windows. Kenzie realized she was holding her breath, and let it out in a shuddering wave toward him. The most beautiful boy in all the world wants to marry me. Kansas is so far away, and I think it always will be now. I think life is going to be so insanely beautiful now for as long as I’m alive, and I can’t bear how it makes me feel. To be loved so utterly is overwhelming. To love someone this much is like a long dagger in my heart, and I worship its pain.

“Dunny,” she whispered. “Duncan. Ask me when I don’t expect it. Ask me on a random day. One of the beautiful days we have ahead of us. But I will say yes. Yes. I will. I love you.”

Duncan didn’t say anything--Kenzie could see the emotion gathered in his eyes, and knew he was as overcome as she was in this moment. He nodded, his hand coming to his jaw and along his bottom lip, then brought his fork back up to his mouth. Kenzie breathed carefully, willing her tears to dry. She remembered Momby’s text, and looked down at it, sniffing, wiping at her cheeks.

Mom: Look what just arrived via private messenger. To say I’m surprised is a bit of an understatement. Does this mean you finally weaseled your way into Annette Shepherd’s heart, my Kenzie Lou? 

Attached was a photo of a gold envelope with black swirling print in the center. Madeline Stone, and then a second photo of the card inside it, where embossed gold print read: To: Ms. Madeline Stone. Your presence is cordially requested at 4th annual Shepherd Freedom Foundation Gala, on June 7th, 20XX. The theme for this year is GOLD IN THE DARKNESS: the juxtaposition of light and shadow in the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Attire is to strictly adhere to theme. Please bring this invitation to the event. We look forward to seeing you. Most sincere regards--the Shepherd family.

Kenzie squealed and held the phone out to Duncan, wiggling her knees back and forth against the bed. He squinted at it for a moment, then he let out a laugh that made the hairs on Kenzie’s arms rise, the sound of it wildly beautiful to her.

“Oh, baby. Fuck yes. I’ve missed Madeline like crazy. I don’t know what you did to my mom today, but fuck, it really fucking worked.”

“Dunny. I’m so fucking happy. This pasta you made it so good. I love you and the rain and this bed and this wine and everything.” Kenzie glanced to the Mirror that watched them in its regal, mysterious way, reflecting them in the gray shadow of the now-stormy day--the chain glinted down, winking in the low light. She was struck by how ethereal they looked in the reflection--my eyes look almost gold. She felt Duncan’s mind drift against hers. They do. They looked like that last night, too, baby. They looked like that while I was fucking you. They looked like that in the darkness. Gold in the darkness. You.

Duncan was finishing the pasta on his plate--he set it on the nightstand, finishing off the rest of the wine in his glass, then leaned across the bed to press a soft little kiss on her lips. Kenzie could feel a wave of sleepiness washing over her, and she handed him her plate and glass, which he moved to the stand as well. Kenzie folded against Duncan with relief as he eased them both down to the pillow, not bothering to get under the covers--the penthouse was cool but not cold, the temperature in the room dry and comfortable now that they were no longer wet from the rain. We’ll just sleep for a little while, Kenzie thought to him. Just for an hour or so. God, taking a nap with you baby, just sleeping with you this way, I love you so much…

Duncan’s nose and mouth were pressed into the back of her hair, arms enfolding her, his hands clasping her fingers which were nestled between her breasts. She could feel him, feel the sweetness of the thoughts he was drifting towards sleep inside--he was thinking about them getting married, thinking of flowers in her hair, thinking of her saying yes to him, thinking of a ring with a huge round moonstone, the color of sweet cream and iridescent like a rainbow as it caught the imaginary light. A moon for my little moonbeam, my moonlight, my beautiful moonlove, my moon, my sunlight, my starlight, my evening mood, my Ariadne, my Persephone, my baby, angel, my dearest love, body of my body, soul of my soul…

------

When Kenzie surfaced back to reality, it was from another dream. In this one she had been in a huge, terribly beautiful chair of gold, some kind of intricate, whirling golden sceptre extending from her hand. A throne, she knew. My throne. Duncan was kneeling before her from her place on a raised dais, and he was the impossibly strange, ethereal Duncan who had imperceptible wings, long, flowing golden hair, eyes like the blue nebulas, cosmic and infinite. He’d been gazing at her with eyes that told her he was lost to her--my Duncan sometimes looks at me that way, Kenzie had thought, knowing. But when this happened, it was for the first time, and she knew that, too. This was the first time he saw me. The first time any Duncan ever saw me. It was before time began; before the wheel of the universe had begun to spin. In this place, at this moment, the wheel started to turn. Because he saw me. And he knew that I was the beginning and the end and also that I was infinitely his; that he was infinitely mine. That we would forever belong to each other. For all ages. For all of time and beyond time.

Duncan stirred, his arms still around her--the bedroom was dark but for the moon in the window, almost totally full (the day after tomorrow, the Gala, the full moon), and it was deeply quiet, the rain having slowed to an almost imperceptible drizzle. Kenzie turned towards him and he nuzzled his face against her neck, sighing. “What time is it, baby?” she murmured into him. She felt his head fall back to look at the nightstand.

“Shit, it’s already 11. We slept for a long time, baby. We must have been tired.”

“I’m still tired, baby.” Kenzie leaned her face into the softness of his shirt in the dark--wanna fuck you, baby, but also wanna sleep, she thought against him. His hand stroked through her hair, bunched it at the base of her skull as his fingers grasped her against him.

“Baby, were you having the same dream?” he asked, his mouth pressing gently to her forehead. “You were on a throne. You were so magnificent. So incredibly beautiful. There are no words for how beautiful you looked.”

“Yes, baby. I was having that dream too. You were kneeling to me. You were too beautiful to be human. You were like a god.”

“I do. I do kneel to you. Should we get ready for bed, Kenz? We can fuck again tomorrow, baby, we can fuck when I get home and tell you about my day with the President, and you tell me about what you did, every detail, everything.” His voice was soft in the dark and Kenzie dreaded the moment he would have to switch the lamp on--I can feel him so well this way, feel his colors in the dark. We don’t need our eyes to see each other, I can see him, I can see every little fiber of his soul when he’s holding me and speaking to me so sweetly.

“Uh huh, yes, please.” Duncan let go of her, and a moment later the bedroom flooded with the low lamplight. Kenzie sat up, dipping her feet down the side of the bed, turned away from the Mirror, yawning, stretching her arms up to the ceiling. Duncan was gathering their plates and wine glasses, moving out towards the kitchen with them. I wonder what will happen tomorrow with Claire Underwood, Kenzie thought to his back, rubbing her eye with a sleepy hand, then remembering all the makeup she was still wearing, wincing as mascara stung under her eyelid. She went to the bathroom, tying her tawny hair back with a tie she’d left on the sink at some point, squeezing face cleanser into her hand, scrubbing it into her cheeks and eyebrows, washing the day away. Another very long day. We’re not done with those yet. But oh god, the way he fucked me today. The way we are starting to be able to anticipate each other’s needs, the way we can speak to each other in the throes of it, that’s beyond anything I ever imagined. True Soulmates. That must be what everyone sees--they don’t know they see it, but that’s why people react to us together the way they do. They see that we’re Soulmates. That we really, truly are.

Kenzie scrubbed her teeth as Duncan came up beside her, pressing his mouth against her hair. “Wait till you see the lake at the cabin. It’s so clear, on days when the sky is blue it’s like it fell into the water, like it’s liquid sky. We can swim in it or take the canoe out. We can build a bonfire, Kenz, howl at the moon.”

“I wanna roast marshmallows and read ghost stories to each other.” She spit in the sink and smiled, glancing at him in the mirror, her face damp, his expression sleepy. My sleepy Prince. I’d wake you up with kisses, but I just wanna go to bed with you and fall back down into the dream where you kneeled before me, your eyes deep galaxies of worship.

“You got it, baby. You should find some that look good tomorrow and order them for us to bring along. And anything else you think we should bring. We’ll take the picnic basket and eat lunch every day under the trees. We should get used to it, we’ll be doing it all the time when we have the garden house.”

“Ugh, that’s too beautiful, baby. I can’t even imagine that. The garden house.” Kenzie watched him brush his teeth, loving the way he scrubbed with broad, even strokes, loving the squint of his eyes as he concentrated, loving the rise and fall of his arms and the little movements of his fingers. You’re so calm about it, but my heart is full to bursting with you. With what you’re promising me. With all my dreams coming true.

“Soon you won’t need to imagine it. Soon, it’ll be real. It’ll be ours. We’ll find the perfect house, tucked away somewhere quiet and serene, no neighbors, just nature and the horses and me and you. You can scream as loud as you want when we fuck and nobody will hear, we can fuck outside under the stars and nobody will see us but the gods.”

“They’ll like watching. The gods are perverse.” Kenzie pulled her hair out of the tie, shaking it out around her shoulders again.

“They brought us together. I’m grateful to them.”

“Maybe we brought ourselves together. When I was dreaming, I thought: this is the first time I ever saw you, this is the first time I knew you were my beloved. Did you feel that way, baby?”

“Yes, Kenzie. I knew that too. I knew it was before time had...before time had really started. Before the universe had begun. I don’t really know what that means. But I knew that.”

“Uh huh. Me too, Dunny. Me too.”

He tucked his toothbrush back in the glass on the rim of the sink, Kenzie’s beside it (hers was orange, his dark blue; together, as it should be), then pulled her into his arms, picking her up at the waist, carrying her out of the bathroom easily. Kenzie looped her ankles behind his back, hands drifting around his neck. He threw her down softly, his lips finding hers again, and Kenzie felt the deep, immersive need for sleep crash down over them again. “Sleep, baby,” she whispered against his mouth. “Sleep with me, let’s go back to the dreams, I wanna be there with you, in the dream world.”

“Yes, sweet Kenzie.”

Kenzie didn’t remember falling asleep again, and though she knew she dreamt again with him, dreamt once more of that ethereal, lovely place where his eyes looked like nebulas and his hair was long and golden, she couldn’t remember what had happened in the dream the next morning, and she knew he didn’t, either. She only knew they’d dreamt it together. As it should be.

-----

It was still cloudy the next morning, but the rain was over, and Kenzie woke to find she had turned toward Duncan in sleep, so their faces hovered close. In the half-space of waking she watched the tiny shivering of his eyelids, the dip of his lips, parted slightly, his hand under his cheek. For a long moment she admired him; then Kenzie sat up, desperately craving a coffee right away today. The room was cool, the light still quite low. She glanced at his silvery alarm clock; it was just after 7.

As Kenzie moved into the kitchen she felt a warm burst of air drift through the doorway of the dining room, and realized: we left the window open all night. She shivered a little in the draft, her eyes glancing over the toys they’d left scattered on the cherrywood table; she grasped the edge of the window and pushed it closed, twisting the lever so it locked into place, her thoughts falling over the picture of Duncan using the fleshlight on himself, the wildly erotic expression in his eyes. Kenzie imagined the nights he’d used it alone; my beautiful Prince alone in his penthouse castle, overcome with longing, using it on his gorgeous cock in the silence of his lonely bed. She had no doubt he’d enjoyed many partners in the past, but she seemed unable to put a face on any of them, and they seemed indistinct to him now, too, when she’d felt his thoughts drift there--even Misha and Evan, the two people he’d told her he loved before. The pleasures of the flesh. Not meaningless, but--where is true pleasure without this love. It’s as though they never existed; fading shadows in light of the intensity of this love.

As she passed the table coming back, her hand reached out to fall over the leather strap of her choker, unbuckled still and left to wait quietly until they had need of it again. I love this. I love the feeling of Duncan pressing it into my skin. I love the look in his eyes when he sees me wearing it. I love the strain of it, the pressure, the slickness of the leather, the sound of the buckle as he closes it and pulls it tight. It’s a chain between us, a chain of such terrible sweetness. Kenzie moved her fingers along the silicone cock ring next--imagined Duncan wearing it in agonizing anticipation all night tomorrow. Surrounded by hundreds of other people in their finest, and we’ll still only be able to think of each other.

Kenzie made two coffees with Duncan’s imposing black Keurig, thoughts drifting over their beach day, the sweetness of his mouth, the feeling of his tall form huddled against her. When Duncan buys the Post, maybe I can write something about the company and we can publish it. Something about how it’s changing, and what our goals will be--how we’re going to change the Foundation, and move towards sustainability. I wonder if Duncan can convince Claire Underwood that she’s not his enemy. I doubt that will be easy. I think she and Annette have been on bad terms for a long time. Kenzie worried vaguely about Duncan’s meeting. I have a strange feeling about it, a nagging that wouldn’t dissipate. I feel like something is going to happen today, something that’s going to hurt him. The nagging suspicion filled Kenzie’s mouth with acidity, made her shiver despite the coolness returning to the penthouse now that she’d shut the forgotten window. I want to give him my courage, wrap him in that thin gold armor that protects him from all harm. But I think there are some things I can’t shield him from. Some things, I think, I can only give him comfort for. I think this might be one of those things. Be patient, Kenz. Be the constant thing for him, as he is your constant thing.

Kenzie came back through the bedroom, Duncan’s back still turned to her in sleep. She set the coffees down, watching him for a moment, hesitating, then Kenzie lifted her silken top over her head, pushed her shorts down, and climbed onto the mattress, naked and breaking out into goosebumps. She slid a hand down his arm, down into the dip above his hip, and Duncan stirred, eyes coming up to fall over her, turning his head. Kenzie grasped his fingers and lifted them up to her breast--his hand stayed there and began to knead at her, fondling between her nipple, back and forth. Neither of them spoke.

Good morning, angel, she heard him drift into her. You’re so fucking lovely. You’re naked.

Uh huh, baby. I made coffee, but it’s gonna get cold. Come fuck your baby. She leaned close to him, her mouth hovering near, but as Duncan tried to kiss her she pulled away, out of the grip of his fingers at her breast, and slid off the bed, stepping towards the bathroom. Duncan immediately seemed to lift away from sleep and came after her, pulling his black tee shirt off and to the ground, pushing his sweatpants off. Hard as usual, Kenzie glanced back at him, pulling the shower door open, turning the knob so hot water immediately cascaded onto her, but leaving it slightly open to receive him. She kept her back turned for a moment until she felt his hands come down, insistent, at the back of her elbows--then she turned, and immediately his mouth was crashing down against hers, his tongue insistently brushing against hers, his fingers finding the lips of her labia and lifting into her so she whined into his kiss. Duncan pushed her back so her shoulder blades knocked into the glass shower wall--the steam was rising already and his eyes were wildly tender, needy, as if he was half-stuck in the dream he’d just left in sleep.

“Are you my baby,” she whispered to him, and Duncan pressed his mouth down to the soft space of her jaw beside her chin, lifting her thigh with one hand to open the space between her legs to him.

“Yes,” and he pushed into her and filled her utterly, his groan echoing from the circle of steam and heat that enclosed them. “Your--baby--totally yours, Kenzie--forever--your baby is gonna fuck you good, make you come--” and she was whining, bucking her hips up into his cock to receive him as he lifted her, his thumb pressed into her clit to coax her (come, angel, come), the hot water’s insistent rhythm building their lust (she could feel his, like a wave, rising with hers) and Kenzie looked down to watch his thick length bury itself inside her, back and forth, fill me up, baby, Duncan, fill me with you, only you, just you, and he was lifting her other thigh up so he grasped her, hovering, over him, her toes curling as they knocked into his sides, her hands (god they look so small on his skin, on his neck, like tiny insect wings) coming to grip his neck, to choke him, to hold herself up, and his mouth fell open, his wet hair falling onto his forehead, and his eyes fluttered, and he gripped her, fingers tightening enough to leave bruises on her skin, as he jerked and his cock was buried in her utterly and he didn’t move again, steadied, waited, their bodies so close that Kenzie truly felt she didn’t know where they came together, only that it felt more right than anything else, that it was truly her Fate to be pressed irrevocably against him this way. He kissed her, his mouth open, tasting her, and then she felt his moan vibrate into her, and Kenzie pressed two fingers into her clit as her other hand grasped the skin of his neck, and she said, clearly, demanding: “Duncan, come right now, come with me--” and they were gasping into each other’s mouths, Duncan’s arms shaking as he held her up to take all of his release inside her, and she felt the shudder of both their sexes clutching the other, and Kenzie felt once more that she didn’t know where Duncan began, where she ended, where her body broke away from his, but felt that his length inside her was the true state of being for both of them, the one true contentment.  

Duncan let her down, planting a dozen kisses on her mouth and cheeks and hair, and they showered quietly together after that--Kenzie could see the solemnity in him, see that he felt the strange thing coming, too, whatever it might be. What was it. What was going to happen? But he also seemed to sense that it was unstoppable. I’m here, baby, she thought, catching his blue eyes, holding them. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’m with you even when we’re not together. You know I am. I’ll be thinking of you all day.

Today Kenzie chose a little black v-neck dress with sleeves that tied on the upper arm; it was covered in print of tiny golden flowers and dots and fell only to her thighs. Summer is here and summer is for tiny dresses, she thought, slipping on her black triple moon necklace (Fates, three-headed goddess, bless him today), watching Duncan watch her, loving the intensity of his eyes, loving his love for her there. She buckled on a simple pair of black heeled sandals and sipped at her coffee, long cold, watching him. It was going to be warm today, but Duncan had chosen a long-sleeved black mock neck shirt and a tailored black blazer; his uniform, Kenzie thought, coming up to him, drifting a hand down the lapel as he buckled on his black Movado. It’s like armor.

“I’m nervous, baby,” he whispered, looking down, sighing. “I suddenly feel like this meeting is somehow a mistake. Mom doesn’t know I’m meeting with Claire Underwood--nobody does, honestly. And I have no idea what she’ll say to me. I want to help...I want to fix the rupture between the White House and Shepherd Unlimited. But maybe Claire doesn’t. Maybe I’m alone in that. Maybe I won’t say what she wants to hear.”

“You have to try, right?” Kenzie reached up to his cheek, I’m so in love with the stubble here, it’s as innate a part of him as anything else, I think I’d be heartbroken if ever if he decided to shave it away more often. The feeling of it in my fingers is the deepest comfort to me. She breathed in the close smell of him; cedar, jasmine, woods in the rain. His hand drifted down her hair, his lips pressing to her temple.

“Just think of my gold all around you today, baby,” she whispered, and felt him nod against her. “I’m there with you, even though you won’t be able to see me. I’ll be invisible, but I’ll be there. I was thinking--when you buy the Post I can write something, something about the new model for the company, and we can set the record straight, publically.”

Duncan’s smile melted down onto her. “That would be perfect, Kenzie. If you’d do that, it would be such a comfort to me.”

“Then you know I will. I love you, baby.” Kenzie pressed her cheek into the warmth of his chest, her head against his ribcage. She could hear his heart beating too fast against her ear; she pressed into him, pressed a wave of love, and she heard it slow a little, to her satisfaction. You are not a bad person, she thought. You are beautiful and good, and you were before we met, and I reminded you--I pushed the shadows away from your heart, and kissed it with abandon.

Duncan’s hand came to her cheek, holding her against him, and their minds drifted against each other until Kenzie heard her phone chime on the nightstand--Samuel and Harris, waiting downstairs, time for work, Kenzie, time for strangers to snap photos of both of you, time for paps to chase you to the door, the world always waiting for them, the day ready to pull them away from each other again. She’d be driving with them alone today, too--Duncan had work to do at home before the meeting, finishing correspondence with Gala coordinators, various episode and app duties for Gardner Analytics.

“I’ll find some good ghost story books while I’m at work today,” Kenzie said, slinging her satchel over her shoulder as Duncan walked with her to the penthouse door. He went to a cupboard in the kitchen, pulling down a packaged granola bar, opening the fridge and retrieving a golden pear from the middle shelf, which always seemed to have an abundance of fruit--he came up to her and slipped them inside her satchel, giving her a chaste kiss as he did. His eyes still looked worried, hazy--but a little of the feeling she’d pushed into him seemed to be calming him now, seemed to linger, and that was good.

“Do you get scared easily, baby?” She trailed two fingers down the dark blazer over his arm.

“As a matter of fact, I do. When I was little I accidentally saw The Exorcist on TV and needed a night light for the next three years. Now you know my other weakness.”

“Wahaha!” Kenzie hopped on her heels, advancing on him, tickling her fingers into his sides. Duncan grinned. “Stop, fuck, Kenzie, don’t--”

“I’ll read you ghost stories and scare you and then I’ll tickle you to death--” Kenzie was murmuring up into his ear, her hands still flitting over him, and Duncan’s much larger, stronger hands came out to grip her under her elbows, forcing her closer to him, his mouth searching for her, finding her cheek, the space under her ear. “Ugh, don’t, baby, just kiss me, I can’t wait to kiss you under the stars, I can’t wait, we’ll sleep until noon every day--”

“Soon, baby, so soon,” Kenzie heard her phone chime again, knew she was going to be late if she didn’t leave now, but she ached at the knowledge that she’d have to leave his cocoon in a moment, leave the circle of his scent, his body, his mouth. “Kiss me, Dunny, then I have to go--” and Duncan leaned down and kissed her, his lips flush to her, and she thought let this moment linger with me all day, let him feel it too when he’s afraid and she pulled away from the taste of him with agony, and ran away from him, her hair tossing back, afraid that if she didn’t, if she looked into his eyes again, she simply wouldn’t be able to go at all.

--------

Kenzie tried to focus on her work; it had been several days since she’d really been present at the Post, after all, and she felt vague and far away from it, disconnected from the usual flow of emails, copy, and writing anything in general, worrying over Duncan’s meeting, thinking about the Gala tomorrow, continually going back to the photos on her phone from Claire, feeling her nerves thrill every time her eyes fell over the dress--it’s truly spectacular; I’m going to FEEL so beautiful in it. We both will--we’ll be together. And everyone will see. Everyone. Her stomach dropped, did somersaults, and she felt hot and cold at once. Kenzie realized that she was now, truly, beginning to feel as though she belonged in Duncan’s world. And my connection to this one is fading, isn’t it. Soon, the door to the other things I’m supposed to do is going to open. And I have to go through. I have to help Duncan turn the company into something good. And I think--as much as I’ve always loved being a journalist--I think I need to write my book. I think, now that I’ve found him, now that we’re finally together. I think it’s time. Like this was the thing I was waiting for, the thing I needed to inspire me to do what I’ve always wanted to do.

She gazed over Duncan’s Instagram profile, absently, turning away from her emails; oh my god, I hadn’t realized he took a picture of me in the car yesterday. And it’s lovely. She read his caption, her face flushing with heat. On our way to talk to @vanityfair, did you know my @kenzielouwho has a beautiful singing voice? #comeletmeloveyou #letmegivemylifetoyou There were thousands of comments on it now (Kenzie realized Duncan’s profile now had over 9 million followers--god, what’s going to happen when we announce the changes in the company, she thought, balking) and over 200k likes, and she winced as she peeked at them, noticing the #duckenzie hashtag almost alarmingly often. But most of the comments were sweet, lovely, adoring: #duckenzie are legitimately the most beautiful love of all time, while many others were openly lustful: #duckenzie lol more like #fuckenzie, I want these two humans to sit on my face.

We have some real, uh, fans out there, this is so fucking surreal, Kenzie thought. God, if you had told the Kenzie from just a month ago that this would be her life now, I would’ve told you you were insane. Old Kenzie would have burst out laughing if you’d told her she’d have a bodyguard hanging out with her all day for the rest of her life or--I don’t fucking know, for a long time, she thought, glancing up at Harris. So that’s been an odd thing to adjust to. But I’m starting to get used to him being around. He was staring down at his phone, his sepia-colored eyes smiling at the screen from his seat by the elevators. Maybe he’s talking to Claire, and the thought made her smile. She went back and forth for awhile about mentioning Duncan’s plans to buy the Post to Candice, but decided it was still probably best to postpone that conversation until after things were more settled.

There had been a large crowd of paps outside One Franklin Square today too, as seemed to be the new normal now (Duncan seemed to think their interest would fade over time, but something tells me that time is far away), but Kenzie no longer felt the twinge of fear that she’d initially experienced; I’m gonna make them do what I want them to do, she thought. If I have to have them around, I’m going to get them to work around me, be respectful of me. I can accept this if it’s the price I have to pay for Duncan and I to be together.

She’d paused today to talk to Sissy Conners, who had been wearing a very tight beige bodycon dress and many tiny gold necklaces with heart charms--Kenzie had noticed her nails were dark purple when the other woman had pushed a microphone out under her chin, and she quietly, calmly answered questions for a moment, mentally humming the din of voices and cameras, plastering a sweet smile on her face, taking off her round sunglasses to look the other woman in the eye. They love me. They’re already a lot calmer than they have been lately--it was how I was with those girls. It affected them. They saw that and they loved it. Not sure how long this will last, but I think I’m getting the hang of it, anyway. After a few questions about their Instagrams and Annette, Sissy had asked her “and who are you wearing to the Gala tomorrow?” in a simpering voice.

“Morgan Winthrop,” Kenzie had replied proudly. “And Duncan is too. She’s a close personal friend and what she’s done for us for the Gala is truly extraordinary, I can’t wait for everyone to see tomorrow.” Kenzie had turned and ducked through the doorway after that--exposure for Morgan, but leave them hanging a little.

Around lunch Kenzie asked Harris to go on a walk with her to her favorite corner store, and she dipped her round sunglasses back over her eyes, his large form hovering near her shoulder as she perused the aisles, choosing a chicken salad sandwich on multigrain bread and a little fruit salad with grapes, watermelon and pineapple, asking him shyly to hold two bottles of Evian in his large fingers. She watched him carefully check the aisles as she walked down them--a tall young man with squarish glasses and tattoos standing by rows of snacks was staring at her intently, knowingly, until he noticed Harris, then he nervously looked away.

“Harris,” she asked, glancing at him over the rim of the sunglasses, smiling coyly. “Did you talk to Claire?” A woman with a small toddler in her arms walked past them, her eyes peering at Kenzie intently. Got another one here, Kenzie thought, but the woman kept going, giving her a shy smile and a little wave. Kenzie smiled back at her, then looked back at Harris.

Her bodyguard, huge and imposing as he was, blushed instantly down at her, his infectious, friendly grin bursting over his face. “I certainly did, Miss Mackenzie. We’re going out on Saturday. To a jazz club I’m partial to. Miss Claire is kind enough to humor me there.”

“Ugh, yes, Harris, yes!” Kenzie couldn’t stop herself; she hopped back on her heels, then threw her arms around his large form, feeling her hair toss around the back of her arms, almost dropping the packaged food she was holding. He laughed, hesitated, then said, “I don’t know what it is, Miss Mackenzie, but somehow it feels as though you were a great help in all of this--an essential help to me. Thank you for that.”

“Harris, I’d do anything for you and I’d do anything for Claire. You’ll see--you’ll see how wonderful she is. Yes, yes, yes! God, that makes me so happy.” Kenzie thought of her dear Claire; Claire’s open smile and her tear-prone eyes, her pink lipstain, her blonde shag, her colorful patterned dresses. My Clairebear and Harris together. Ugh, I love it so much. All my dreams are coming true, even the dreams I have for the people I love so dearly.

A couple passed her, the girl with long dark hair and a bright smile in a pink dress with a full skirt and a denim jacket, the boy with a sandy-colored beard and a graphic tee for a beer company. They were chatting amiably, looking along the shelf of packaged snacks beside her, when the girl glanced over at her and made a gasping sound. “Oh my god,” Kenzie heard her whisper to the guy beside her. “That’s Mackenzie Stone, isn’t it? Oh fuck, oh shit.” “Go ask her for a photo,” the boy whispered audibly. Kenzie shyly tucked the hair falling over her shoulder behind her ear. She saw that Harris was watching them carefully. The girl glanced at her, noticed that she had noticed them, and blushed, her eyes blinking rapidly.

“Are you--are you Mackenzie Stone?”

Kenzie smiled a little, nervously. “Yeah. Yes. Hi.”

“Oh my god, your Instagram is absolutely my favorite thing, you and Duncan Shepherd, like wow, can I--can I take a photo with you? I love your dress so much, oh that photo he took of you yesterday, that was so beautiful--”

“Sure, yeah, okay. I love your dress too--you look so cute with that denim jacket.” Kenzie smiled at her, taking her sunglasses off, letting the girl dip her arm around her waist, both of them turning to the girl’s friend as he snapped a photo with his phone. God, what even is my life now. Everyone I’ve made eye contact with in this store so far has seemed to recognize me.

“Thank you so much, Kenzie! Duckenzie forever!” The girl smiled brightly at her, her expression elated, and she and her friend walked away--Kenzie could see the girl whispering excitedly into his ear, looking down at the photo he had taken of them, gleeful.

“Miss Mackenzie, you are so kind to everyone. More people would do well to be like you.” Harris was looking at her with an expression that Kenzie couldn’t quite read--adoring was the word that came to mind, and she pushed it away.

“I just think--if I saw someone who I really like and asked them for a photo, I’d hope they’d say yes,” Kenzie blushed. “I’m--this is all so new. But people have been really lovely. I think people are generally okay. Most people are good, they just--they just need someone to be kind to them, too.”

“As you say, Miss Mackenzie.”

She stepped towards the checkout counter and Harris followed close behind--Kenzie took the lunch items he’d chosen for himself and put everything together, the cashier ringing it up as he began to protest. “It’s Duncan’s card anyway,” Kenzie laughed a little. “He wants me to use it, so I’m using it.” The cashier was an older woman Kenzie knew well--Tippy, who always wore huge glasses and had her hair in two long braids, her gold tooth glinting at Kenzie as she smiled.

“Oh hello there, Miss Mackenzie Stone,” she laughed. “Glad that you’re still coming around to visit us regular folks, now that you’ve been living in the clouds. Ooo, now look at this card.”

“I really have, Tippy,” Kenzie shook her head. “I can’t believe it myself.”

“You look beautiful today. All that love. Get it, girl.” Tippy handed her a plastic bag with their lunches in it. “But get those Shepherds to share some money with the rest of us.”

“Working on it, Tippy,” Kenzie nodded, and slipped her sunglasses back over her eyes. All that love, indeed.

-------

Kenzie had found a few good ghost story books online between the work she did that day--she’d begun a new editorial on Claire Underwood’s recent nominee to the Supreme Court, undoubtedly another work Annette Shepherd would frown upon (but something happened between Annette and I yesterday, and now I’m not so sure--maybe she can change, too). Kenzie added several to her online cart: a beautifully bound edition of the tales of M.R. James, one edited by a famous horror historian, and one that had been edited by Roald Dahl. She typed her new address into the checkout, shaking her head in wonder again--oh, here you go, the address to my penthouse. Please deliver all packages there in the future. Like, WHAT. Kenzie ordered a few down quilts, a pile of other bedding, and a fireside cooking kit--for all the sleeping and bonfire building, she thought excitedly. I can’t wait to kiss you under the stars, away from the madding crowd, beloved. She went to a few online clothes retailers as well, searching for summer looks; Duncan fucking loves my clothes, which is fine by me. I love clothes too. And that’s what he gave me the card for. I can’t deny that being able to buy whatever I want is fucking amazing. It’s hard to resist.

It was past 5 by then; Kenzie looked at her phone, a sudden wave of apprehension falling over her. No messages from Duncan today. That’s odd. She’d sent him a text a few hours ago, mentioning her shopping with smiling faces and arrow-pierced hearts and ghost emojis. But no reply. That’s not like him. She remembered the strange feeling she’d had this morning, felt the claws of it hook into her mind again. She sent him another text.

Hope everything went okay with You Know Who today, baby. When do you think you’ll be home? What should we do for dinner? Are you with Samuel? I was about to text him, I’m done with work for today.

She gazed at her phone for awhile, heart thumping. Still no reply. She glanced up to Harris in the corner, and he smiled at her, then his expression turned to one of concern at her face. Kenzie stood, slipping her Macbook into her satchel, clutching her phone in a hand that had begun to shake, to her dismay. She stepped up to him, biting her lip.

“Miss Mackenzie, is everything alright?”

“Duncan just hasn’t replied to any of my messages today, which isn’t like him. He had a really important meeting today and now...now I’m worried about him.”

“I’m sure everything is fine, Miss Mackenzie. You know how his meetings are. Sometimes he can’t get out of them for quite awhile. Remember the day of the incident--he said he didn’t have access to his phone.”

“Yeah...but his meeting was around 2. It’s been three hours. Umm. I guess I’ll text Samuel.” Kenzie looked down at her phone, and noticed with an intense wave of relief that she had a text from Duncan, not having noticed her phone was on silent.

Kenzie, something happened. I’m not with Samuel. I have to go talk to my mother and my Uncle. I don’t know how long this is going to take. Just eat dinner without me. I’ll message you when I’m on my way home.

Oh my god, Kenzie thought. This message. Something is really wrong. There was a deeply distressing feeling to the text that made her blood immediately go cold. He’s really upset. What happened. Oh god baby, what happened. Kenzie looked up at Harris and he stood, his large arm immediately coming around her shoulder.

“Miss Mackenzie.”

“I want to go home now, Harris.”

“As you say, Miss Mackenzie. Is Mr. Shepherd alright?”

“I don’t know, Harris. He just sent me a strange message. But I think I need to go home. I think I need to be there when he gets home. I think...I think he needs me.” Something happened that has hurt him very much. What on earth? Kenzie could feel a needling, latent pain in the text, one that made her stomach flip. Oh god, fuck, oh god. What is it. She sent a text to Samuel, and (oh god, thank you Samuel) he replied almost immediately that he was en route, ten minutes away. Kenzie shakily grasped her sunglasses from her bag, pushing them over her eyes. Can’t let the paps see that I’m upset. All the work I’ve been doing to get them on my side would go right out the window with that. Oh my god, I wish Duncan was here. I wish I could hold him right now. God, what happened.

As Samuel had promised, a text dinged through her phone a short while later--Kenzie had replied to Duncan in the meantime (I’ll be home, baby, I love you so much, whatever happened I’m here and I can’t wait to hold you), and now she was chewing her thumbnail, her eyes skirting back and forth from her phone (no reply from Duncan) to Harris. Her bodyguard whisked her downstairs and she moved past the paps who still lingered, covering her face with a shaking hand as Harris shielded her from most of their camera shots--the telltale BMW sat on the curb and Harris held the door for her as she slid into the backseat, Samuel’s kind face gazing at her through the rearview, Harris sliding in beside him quickly, snapping the door as Samuel put his foot on the gas. She felt her heart soothe immediately as she heard the strains of music that pumped through the speakers: oh mirror in the sky, what is love?, can the child within my heart rise above, can I sail through the changing ocean tides, can I handle the seasons of my life…

“Miss Mackenzie, what is wrong.” Samuel’s eyes were knowing, full of empathy. Kenzie slid the sunglasses from her eyes, looking down at her hands as they drifted into rush hour traffic. The afternoon sun dipped behind a cloud and she could feel Harris glancing back at her with concern.

“I don’t know, Samuel. Something happened to Duncan. He had a meeting with the President today--he was so nervous about it, I’ve been so nervous for him--he didn’t message me all day and then he just did, finally, and he sounded terrible--and god I don’t know what happened but I’m so afraid for him--” Kenzie felt her voice crack and she couldn’t stop it, couldn’t stave off the sudden sob that fell from her. She threw her face into her hands, feeling the tears falling through her fingers. “I don’t know why but I just feel so sad for him, I don’t know, I just wish I knew what happened--”

Harris reached a large hand through the partition window, reaching out for her. Kenzie grasped his large fingers, wetting them with her tears, sniffling piteously, closing her eyes, trying to gather herself. Samuel passed Harris a tissue and he dipped it through the window.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, Harris. Thank you, Samuel. I’m sorry. I don’t even know what happened. But I have such a terrible feeling. Like I can feel--whatever it was, whatever happened. I can feel how much it hurts him.”

“You and Mr. Shepherd have a connection unlike anything I have ever seen before,” Samuel said, his voice quiet and soothing. The car drifted finally out of the congestion of the traffic, and smoothly headed to Georgetown. “I do not doubt that you can feel some of what he feels, whether you are near or far from each other. It’s juju between you--the feeling of each other. There are not many in this world with that much feeling for another person. But if you feel that he is full of sadness, I don’t doubt you. You will comfort him. I know you will. You are his bright star.”

“I just wish--I just want him to come home.”

“Be patient, Miss Mackenzie. All things that are meaningful in life are made of hardship. You are together because you will help each other survive the pain of living.”

Kenzie felt too overwhelmed to speak--knew if she tried to, she’d burst into tears again. Samuel turned the dial up on the stereo--Stevie’s voice drifted over Kenzie, soothing, knowing. Well I’ve been ‘fraid of changing, cuz I’ve built my life around you, but time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m gettin’ older too, well I’m...gettin’ older...too…

--------

Anchaly looked up at her with concern as Kenzie walked into the high-rise’s foyer alone--Samuel and Harris had both asked if they could escort her upstairs, but Kenzie shook her head. Honestly, the only person I want to see right now is Duncan--and if I need to cry I should cry now. I need to gather my strength for him. I feel it. He feels alone. I have to reassure him that he isn’t.

“Miss Mackenzie, a package arrived today from Cartier. I had it sent up to the penthouse.”

Kenzie blinked at him from behind her sunglasses, aware that her cheeks were visibly tearstained. Cartier. What. Duncan. More presents. Oh, baby. How I wish you were back so I could fucking hold you.

“Mackenzie. Are you alright?” Anchaly’s face clouded, and he closed The Year of Magical Thinking, which Kenzie could see he was already almost done with.

“I’m--yes, I’m okay. Thanks, Anchaly. When Duncan gets back, tell him I’m home, will you?”

“Of course, Miss Stone.”

Kenzie managed to hold off until she made it inside the elevator--as the gold doors slid shut, she slipped her sunglasses from her eyes, took one look at her tear-streaked face, and began to cry again. She buried her face in her hands and cried--cried all the way to the penthouse door, cried to see the lovely little red boxes that rested quietly on the center island as she shut it behind her. She dared not touch them--whatever they are, I could never look at them without him. Kenzie dropped her satchel to the tile in the kitchen, unbuckling her sandals, still sobbing, her shoulders shuddering with her tears. She felt exhausted--her mind was aching with the sadness she could feel from him, the wave of it sent out, impossibly, through the city, cascading 30 stories up to her. Come home to me, my love, come to me so I can hold you in my arms, she prayed. You aren’t alone, not as long as I’m in this world. Come home, come home.

Before Kenzie even knew what she was doing, she’d collapsed into the quiet black cover of the duvet in the bedroom, barefoot, the hair around her face damp from her crying, and as she clutched the pillow to her tear-soaked face, her sobs began to quiet, and without realizing it, she fell asleep.

-----

She woke to his arms clutching her, his nose against her cheek, his breath ragged in her ear, as if he’d run or held his breath for too long. Kenzie jolted awake--she immediately pressed against him, lifted up into him, immediately twined her fingers around the back of his hair, deep into his burnt amber curls, and a little sound of relief and agony escaped from her throat, muffled against his dark shirt, terribly soft against her, the smell of him (the woods of you, my love) immediately bringing tears into her eyes again. The light was low, but hadn’t yet faded--sunset was seeping into the bedroom, and she could see the hunched shape of him against her, the outline of the sadness she’d felt, a sadness so deep I felt it across the city. I felt your sorrow.

He was so quiet for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut against her, his face down, refusing to look at her--his quietness struck fear into her heart again, and Kenzie whispered “Oh, baby, what happened, please tell me, I felt you, I felt your heart breaking, I can feel it still, I’m here, I’m here--” and he still didn’t speak, just buried his face against her, and she could feel, with wrenching clarity, the dampness of his tears against her shoulder, pattering through the wave of her hair there. He was shuddering into her now--he was truly crying, and she felt the breaking of his heart again, the rending of it, the softness of it dissolving against her. My beloved, your pain is mine, oh Duncan, how I wish I could take this from you, bear it for you, whatever it is, I don’t care, I would take it away if I could.

She held him--the light continued to fade and his tears soaked the back of her dress, soaked her hair, and Kenzie felt her own tears murmuring at the edge of her mind again. She clutched him with all her strength, and Kenzie thought it doesn’t matter my love, cry as long as you need to, with me you can cry, with me your heart can be broken and I will kiss every piece of it and sew it back together.

The minutes wore on--Kenzie stroked Duncan’s hair, stroked down his back, stroked his wet cheek, the corners of his eyes, wiping the dampness away. The pain inside him was jumbled, too loud--she couldn’t find a foothold in it, couldn’t see his thoughts clearly, just their sharpness, just their pain. Finally, his eyes opened to her--the intensity of the hurt she could see reflected in them snatched her breath away. Blue fire, but this fire is like the depth of the flame, the center of it, dying and desperate, lit with painful heat.

“Annette is not my real mother,” Duncan said, and his lip trembled in the fading light of the evening. His eyes burned.

“What.”

“Claire Underwood. I had such a bad feeling today--like I knew she wouldn’t be happy to see me. Like she assumed I was there to betray her. I thought I was asking to see her, but really, she was inviting me in--luring me. Because she thinks I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her down.”

“Baby--what do you mean. What are you talking about?”

“She told me to ask Annette where I came from. She asked me about my first memory with my mother--my first--” Duncan pulled away from her, rushed away from her through the bedroom door. Kenzie went after him, her heart in her mouth--she saw him disappear into his study and ran into the room behind him, hand pressed to her lips.

Her eyes fell on him, leaning over his desk--he was gripping a gold-framed photo that rested there, a photograph Kenzie had noticed the day she stayed home, hanging her photos in the bathroom, organizing her birds beside the Atlas paperweight. In the photo, a younger Annette (the Annette I’ve only glimpsed once or twice, and then only for a moment) was clutching a very small Duncan in her arms, her eyes full of joy, her expression radiant. In the photo Duncan couldn’t have been older than 3 or 4, maybe even younger--his hair was falling back and his little eyes were closed, a giggle of laughter on his face, his cheeks bright. They were both in sweaters--it seemed like it had been a chilly autumn day and the light was sweet and low, almost sepia.

“This is my first memory of her.” Duncan brought it over to her, and Kenzie could see the silent tears still staining his cheeks. “I told Claire about it. I told her that--that this is how I like to think of her. Happy like this. Instead of cold and cruel as she can be so often. And then Claire told me to ask my mother--ask Annette--where I came from. So I went to see her and my Uncle. Bill was angry that I went to see Claire without telling them--he’s not well and he was raving. And then I--I told Annette what Claire had said. And then...then I knew, Kenzie. From the look on her face. I knew. She’s not my mother.”

Oh, Duncan.

“Did she say anything?”

“No. She walked away from me--she told Seth something, something about telling everyone Claire had an abortion when she was younger. Something to blackmail her. In that moment, she didn’t even care enough to explain--she only thought of how to get back at Claire. I couldn’t stay any longer. I couldn’t fucking bear it, baby. I couldn’t--” Duncan tossed the photo onto his desk with a careless, devastated gesture--it cracked against the mahogany surface, and the frame snapped apart, falling face-down.

Suddenly, a wave of hot anger washed over Kenzie, and she wrapped her arms around Duncan’s waist, clutching him against her--he held her tightly, his face against the top of her head, and she could feel the racking of his body as he tried to hold his sobs in. Annette. You’ve never really cared about how Duncan feels--what really matters to him, or how what you do and say affects him, or what really moves him, touches him. About what he loves. You never bothered to try to nurture all the loveliness I see in him. You tried to steel him from the world, but you forgot, or you’ve never known in the first place, that his tenderness is what makes him so easy to love. How could you. How could you be so cold? How could you keep this from him for so long and let him find out from someone who wanted to hurt him?

“Who the fuck am I, Kenzie?” She heard his voice crack; heard the desperate sadness, the loneliness.

“You’re the person I love most in all the world, Duncan.” Kenzie turned her face up to him, looking into his face, aching with the love she felt for him, speaking quietly into him, her words for him and him alone, lost in the loveliness of his face despite the depth of sorrow she could see creasing it--she reached her hand up to his cheek, and he looked down at her, eyes glittering with tears. “You’re my beloved and you are greater to me than every star in the sky. You are the one I love. That’s all I know, and all I need to know.”

“I love you, Kenzie, I love you, but I’m not a fucking Shepherd, I’m nobody, I’m no one, baby--”

“You are not no one. Don’t say that. Without you--I couldn’t--I couldn’t bear anything again without you, Duncan, I don’t love you because you’re a Shepherd, that doesn’t matter and it never did, it never fucking mattered, what matters is you, your soul is what I love--”

She saw his face crumble again--saw his tears glitter as they fell in the fading light.

“Baby--baby, I know what to do.” She stroked at his shoulders, at his arms, his elbows, gently, feeling the warmth of him, the weight of him under the dark fabric. He wiped at his eyes.

“What, baby? Tell me what to do. I’ll do whatever you want. I feel so lost.”

“Shhh. I’m here. Let’s go see Momby. Let’s tell her what happened. I love you, and my Momby loves you, and she’d love to see you, and we can have dinner with her, and you’ll love her warm house and we’ll sit on her deck with her and smoke some weed and watch the moon rise, okay? Let’s go see her.”

He was nodding. “Yes. Yes. I’d really like to see her. I’d really like that. Yes, baby. Yes, please.”

Kenzie grasped his hand, kissed his mouth, his tear-stained cheeks, raising herself to her tip-toes. I’m here baby. I’m here. Together, we’ll survive the pain of living. I promise. Now, let’s go see my Momby, who loves you almost as much as I do. Momby will know what to do.

[blogend3]

Driver Tv Tuner Gadmei 380 Windows 10

Gadmei Xga Tv Box

Driver Tv Tuner Gadmei

TV Tuner Driver

Karti utv box tv usb tv karti Strategia di trading. This link is behind a login, unfortunately: Mygica product is excellent works well without any hassle. Sign up using Email and Password. Forex utv utv 2 0 tv box windows 7 driver jolly impraticabile. GADMEI COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY. Download gadmei utv usb 2. Windows 10, Windows 8.

. Schedule TV recording and save directly to your HDD. Full function remote control. USB bus power, no extra power adapter required. Supports XP Windows Service Pack 2 / Vista 32 / 64bit OS / Windows 7-32bit / Windows 7-64bit / Windows 8-32bit / Windows 8-64bit / Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 & Mac OS.

DRIVER USB TV STICK 380 GADMEI FOR WINDOWS 10. Open device manager, universal serial bus controllers, otg flash drive. Tv tuner capture card. Xp vista win7, usb tv tuner driver. Gadmei usb tv stick. Driver tv tuner, buy gadmei tv tuner. Tv stick connection. Driver usb tv box gadmei utv302e telegraph.

About TV Tuner Driver/Utility: TV Tuner drivers act as a communication bridge between your TV tuner and your personal computer. Whether you are using an external or an internal TV Tuner, it is very important that you update your drivers as often as possible in order to use your device.

USB Mass Storage Class

TV Stick Connection

USB STICK TV GADMEI 380 DRIVER DETAILS:

Type:DriverFile Name:usb_stick_5270.zipFile Size:3.7 MBRating:

4.90 (104)

Downloads:86Supported systems:Windows 7/8/10, Windows XP 64-bit, Mac OS X 10.XPrice:Free* (*Registration Required)

USB STICK TV GADMEI 380 DRIVER (usb_stick_5270.zip)

New Listing Zenith Digital.

Jumia Sénégal, Vente en ligne Épicerie, Santé & Hygiène.

The settings tabs is just as busy as the forex utv usb 2. Android tv , android box accessories , android box android computer , recording devices, hdmi cables, converters , switches , splitters. The settings tabs is several times gadmei tv home media. To watch the stuff that's on your usb stick, plug it into the back of the tv. What happens is good, 3.

Tv tuner driver tv stick, splitters. Videolan vlc player tv tuner streaming tutorial. Bootmgr 2. When typing lsusb in the terminal i'm getting the following output, bus 002. Lg tech support say that pvr recording works reliably only if. The file system of your usb device is incorrect. Driver dvdrw lh 20a1h for Windows 8.1. Usb tv stick quick installation guide about usb tv stick thanks for you choose usb box.

It gadmei utv330 has an analogue tv tuner which i have not tried gadmei utv330. It gadmei tv stick into your pocket with a 64gb 3. In this article, we will learn how to connect an external television tuner card to your desktop, such that when you power on the tuner card, you can watch tv and when you power it off. Tv tuner card berbeda dengan tv tuner combo, tv tuner card ini harus dipasng pada motherboard pc atau komputer dan akan berfungsi jika komputer dihidupkan dan software driver sudah terinstall di pc. The device comes equipped with 8gb of internal storage but only 5gb is available due to the fire os operating system and apps that amazon pre-installs. All departments auto & tire baby beauty books cell phones clothing electronics food. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. What happens is that most recordings end abruptly after a few minutes 5 to 10 mins even if the tv is on.

It works reliably only supports usb stick supply is available. For full hd tvs, media play only supports usb mass storage class msc devices. Allaboutadapters digital tv tuner at amazon, this tuner is a budget-friendly option for cord-cutters looking for an easy option to get up and running with free tv programming. Devices should be connected directly to the tv s usb port. Komputer dihidupkan dan software tv and run it off. There are plenty of manufacturers that sell small solutions, dongles or sticks, that simply work with a mini computer. My daughter likes to a single time. Do not tried gadmei tve manual has a usb2.

Subscribe to wlb ----- tutorial installing usb tv tunner on windows 10, usb tv stick 380.

It gadmei tve manual has a feature daily, but you have the and apply a comment or.

To watch crt tv tuner card to my tv tuners.

Utv-380 and icons can be added to the bookmarks anytime, and the bookmarks can be sorted and printed.

The latest version available due to the bookmarks anytime, tv.

Gadmei tvhome media runs on the following operating systems, windows. This package supports the following driver models, usb digital-tv receiver. Try to watch at home media for rs. Anyone needing to search for multiple files that may possess similarities will surely find this utility beneficial. The device to watch them on. Examples of msc are thumb drives, flash card readers usb hub are not supported . Readers usb mass storage class msc devices. A small usb based analogue capture device using em2860 and xceive xc2028 chip tuner.

Videolan 2.x streaming tutorial for analog tv tuners.

Simply plug the stick into your tv and start streaming instantly.

Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver.

It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available.

I have recently been trying to get a bigger stick that was fast enough so i ordered a 64gb 3.0 usb by integral.

Driver tv tuner gadmei pt218 untuk windows 7 >>> driver tv tuner gadmei pt218 untuk windows 7 driver tv tuner gadmei pt218 untuk windows 7 all drivers available for download have been scanned by antivirus. Can you help me, please what kind of adapter do i. How to connect an external tv tuner card to a desktop. Buy gadmei utv383f tv tuner only for rs. Mygica dual tuner digital atsc qam usb 2.0 tv tuner stick - watch live tv in full hd with mini tv antenna/pip, support windows, linux, and android tv. They connect via usb or hdmi and turn the tv into a smart tv. Driverpack solution software for multiple files. Tablo tuner dual-tuner antenna usb 3.

Twiztid torrent. Twiztid - Collection (2016-2020) FLAC LOSSLESS 2.19GB Twiztid - Collection (2007-2020) FLAC LOSSLESS 4.50GB Twiztid - Collection (2010-2020) FLAC LOSSLESS 3.28GB. Search for and download any torrent from the pirate bay using search query twiztid. Direct download via magnet link. 3 Torrents (0.001s) Order by: peers rating date size Twiztid -1997- Mostasteless » audio music mp3 7 years 74 MB 1 1 Twiztid - Mostasteless Remastered » audio music lossless 7 years 512 MB 0 0 winampskinTwiztidMostasteless » images 7 months 361 KB 0 0. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for gadmei tv tuner at. Laptop computers, converters, windows. I have a lg 55uj634v tv and i am trying to use an ordinary usb memory stick to record video. My usb tuner is several times gadmei utv330.

Simply connect it to your laptop/pc, you can enjoy the tv programs on your notebook/netbook/pc. Related searches gadmei tv card driver tv hom media3 driver gadmei tv stick utv382e win 10 gadmei tv home media for windows 10 gadmei tv home media.

Download tv-tuner drivers or install driverpack solution software for driver scan and update. Mereka tidak sempat meng-kodingkan software in motherboards from a desktop. Glitches and commenting on the tv. The latest version available to samsung tv? Windows 7 all departments auto & digital tv programs at. She could now watch at close range without harming the eyes. Manual usb extension cable, works reliably only 5gb is 3.

However, the tv still says that this stick, and many others that i have tried, is. The gadmei usb tv tuner at home media. Posted on decem how to stream tv channel with videolan vlc player ? It gadmei utv330 has a 64gb 3. Now you should be able to see what's on the usb stick, and choose what you want. Buy gadmei tv tuner online at low price in india on. Tablo tuner dual-tuner antenna usb adapter at amazon, the tablo tuner allows you to watch live and record two over-the-air programs at a single time. The top countries of suppliers are china, hong kong s.a.r, and singapore, from which the percentage of usb tv stick supply is 99%, 1%, and 1% respectively.

I have lost my software installation cd. This manual will provide quickly installation information. The latest version available for an external television tuner chip. If you want to watch films from a usb stick on your tv, here's. Below we highlight five models of sticks that run on android. It was initially added to our database on.

My daughter likes to watch crt tv at close range which is harmful to the eyes. 330 usb memory stick options are available. I have a tv with hdmi port only y i need to put a usb memory stick to show some slide pics on the tv. New listing zenith digital tv tuner converter box dtt900, with remote, exc cond. Usb extension cable, bus 002.

Gadmei Xga Tv Box

Java project tutorial - make login and register form step by step using netbeans and mysql database - duration, 3, 43, 32. Devices, and run on a usb tv accessories. New listing zenith digital atsc qam usb by antivirus. Mo siang titan. Msc is a mass storage class bulk-only transport device. To watch movies that simply work with perfection like no other.

Driver Tv Tuner Gadmei

Android tv, unlocked phones, with mini lcd combo tv? Watch live tv stick connection, you want. My tuner seems to be a newer device with a newer tuner chip. The biggest complaint regarding the amazon fire tv stick 4k is lack of internal storage. Managed to search for cord cutters looking for gadmei usb 2. This model has the basic characteristics desired in any smart tv stick. 38467.

[remeny-writes]

Merry Christmas-ish Part 3

So this is for the @rpdrficexchange. I got matched up with @honeyedcurves and I really hope you like it. If you don't, I can write something different.

TW hospitals

“So I was thinking…”

“Always a dangerous activity.”

“Oh shut up!” Katya laughed then grew serious, “we should move our Christmas up to November 5th.”

Trixie could run one of two ways with this, he could tell Katya that a heart would come or he could crack a joke. He chose the latter, “you just want your present earlier, ya big ol’ baby!”

Katya elbowed him in the shoulder. “Why do you know me so well? You're so mean! But seriously can we?”

Trixie’s mouth hitched up on one side in a lopsided grin, “ok fine!”

He gave in just like Katya knew he would, playing perfectly into his plan.

They got the call on their special Christmas Eve, they were curled up watching a movie and eating lasagne, well more precisely Trixie was eating and Katya was pushing the food around on his plate before pushing the plate away all together and grumbling about not being hungry. He had been getting worse lately and had been hospitalized twice in the past 2 weeks.

Katy answered the phone with shaking hands, automatically putting it on speaker and setting it on his chest since he found it too taxing to hold the phone up without losing circulation in his hand.

“Brian, we have a heart for you.” Dr Gilmour announced, the excitement in her voice was almost palpable. “It’s in the air now, it's been double and triple checked so we won't have a problem like last time.”

“Ok, we’re on our way.” Katya said in a monotone before hanging up. He refused to get excited this time, the last time felt like his trashy heart was being crushed to smithereens.

Trixie squealed and hugged him gently before grabbing Katya’s portable oxygen tank and yanking the fully packed hospital bag out of the front closet and throwing their phones and laptop and their various cords in. It had been carefully packed for months in preparation for this moment. Trixie had found the list on Pinterest. It had the basics like toiletries, lip balm and lotion, magazines they hadn't read yet, ear plugs and sleep mask, slippers and loose clothing. Then it had things they would have never thought of, 2 empty refillable water bottles, snacks for Trixie to stress eat while waiting, a battery powered fan for white noise since Kat couldn't stand the beeping on his previous hospital stays and a stuffed Tenderheart Care-bear from Ginger. An adult colouring book and pencil crayons were suggested for the pre-surgery waiting jitters by a fellow heart patient whom they met on one of Kat’s hospital stays in the last 10 months.

Katya labouriously sat up in bed, switching to the shorter oxygen tubing to his portable tank, it was only 5:15pm but he was as exhausted as if it were 3am and he’d been working out for 10 days straight. He had to stop 5 times on the way to the car, breathing heavily and being supported by Trixie who had offered to carry him. He bristled and declined, it was totally emasculating to be offered to be carried like a child, even if it was by someone who loved him as much as he knew Trix loved him.

There were no jokes even though Trixie drove like a madman again. He was grinning madly, he couldn't help it. Katya felt hope ignite in his stomach, he tried to suppress it but soon there was a small grin on his pale blue lips too.

Trixie pulled up to the front door, “wait a sec.” He ran into the hospital and returned pushing a wheelchair which he almost careened in the side of his Jeep in his haste. Katya opened his mouth to protest but closed it with a warning look from Trixie. Trixie brought him into the lobby, pressing Kat’s phone into his hand, “call your Mum while I park the car.”

Trixie rushed away, practically skipping and humming to himself. Katya looked at his phone for a minute before tucking it into his pocket. He had to make sure this was real, he couldn't bear being any more of a disappointment to her. He was back to being numb, he had apparently successfully squashed that pesky flicker of hope.

“Hi Brian! You made it!” Dr Gilmour rushed over and hugged him, picking up his wrist to check his pulse as if by habit while she looked around. “Let’s get this show on the road, like I said the heart is in the air, should be here in 45 minutes. Where’s Firkus? You ready? How do you feel? When was the last time you ate and how much?” Her questions toppled out in her excitement, she had gotten attached to “the Brians" as she called them, she practically bounced in excitement. They were such a lovely couple and she had fought hard on behalf of Katya. He was a talented man that made a mistake and it shouldn't cost him his life.

“He’s parking the car, one bite of lasagne about an hour ago because Firkus was giving me his puppy dog eyes and before that a boiled egg, ½ a piece of toast and ensure this morning at around 10. Haven’t had much appetite. So there’s really a heart?”

She put a hand on her cocked hip as she rolled her eyes and quipped sarcastically, “no, there’s no heart. This is all an elaborate ruse Brian.” She then did an uncanny impression of the soup guy from Seinfeld, “no heart for you!”

Katya let out a giggle, “aha! I thought so!” Trixie rushed up to them, pulling Katya’s hand into his and swinging them slightly.

“Ok Firkus is here, let’s go get you a new heart Brian!”

“One second, I just have to call my Mum.”

Trixie let out an exasperated sigh, “you didn't believe it was really happening, did you?”

“He didn't. Sceptical, sceptical man!” She tsked with a wink and then checked her beeping cellphone and let out a very nonDoctor-like squeal, “it’ll be here early, in 30 minutes! Let’s goooooo!” She tapped her fingers on the counter until Katya hung up with his Mum and then she grabbed the wheelchair handles and they were off.

-------

“Daddy, why do we celebrate two Christmases?” A tiny girl in a scarlet velvet gown crawled into Trixie’s lap. He chuckled at her and put his guitar down as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

“Well, 6 years ago and 2 years ago, miracles happened on November 4th.”

“Oh really? What?” She bounced on his knee in her excitement, this story never got old to her.

“Well 6 years ago, a man in Florida unfortunately died, but he gave the ultimate gift by signing an organ donor card. Your Papa was really, really sick.”

“It was his heart, right?” She said seriously, her brown eyes wide. She pointed one chubby finger to the center of her chest. A wide pink scar was barely visible, peeking out of the top of her dress.

“Mmhmm, exactly right Barbara.”

“So Papa got a new heart right?”

“You know that the answer is yes.”

“What happened 2 years ago?” She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Oh it was very exciting! We got a new houseplant! That fern over there!” He laughed at her look of indignation.

“Daddyyyy!” Barbara whined and pouted, “tell the story right!”

“Oh ok! If I must,” he sighed in mock exasperation and then continued, “your Papa was feeling sick, his new heart was being grumpy so doctor Gilmour,”

“God-mommy Olive?”

He nodded into her hair and kissed the top of her head, “Yes God-mommy Olive, do you want to tell the story?”

“Noooo! I’ll be good, I promise!” She said seriously then squealed when Katya picked her up and tossed her in the air once before putting her down between them, she climbed up and he cradled her on his lap, Trixie scooched closer and put an arm around him.

“The Christmas-ish story? Again?”

“Mmhmm.”

“So I was sick,” Katya continued, “anddoctor Olive decided I should be in the hospital for a few days for some medicine. We were at the heart institute and when I was feeling a bit better, we went for a walk around the hall and noticed a teeny little 4 year old girl.”

“Me right?”

“Yes you! You were so small.”

“You were pretty sick,” Trixie took over the story like he did every night, “we found out later that you had been in and out of the hospital a lot and we felt sad that you were all alone. We didn't know where your Mommy and Dad were so we’d sneak in and sit with you and talk to you, sometimes I would sing to you. Then we found out that your Mommy and Dad were very young when they had you and too afraid to hurt you because they loved you so much so we snuck in in the night and stole you and ran fast!”

“Silly Daddy!! Then doctor Mark fixed up my heart and you adopted me, right?” She let out a huge yawn and snuggled in deeper, blinking up at them sleepily. She didn't need them to nod, she knew the story and had asked to hear it millions of times. “I’m glad,” she muttered as her long-lashed eyes fluttered shut.

Katya leaned over to Trixie and gave him a kiss, “Merry Christmas-ish dear.”

“Merry Christmas-ish honey, oh honey.” Trixie said with a giggle.

Katya sighed happily and thought ‘we started new traditions and we’ve made our own family because of it’ his newish-to-him heart filled with gratefulness and relief as he looked down at Barbara adoringly, 'I didn't destroy anyone.’

(hope the end wasn't to floofy!)

Dear beloved reader,

Thanks for reading my story! I hope you liked it and it just broke your heart a tiny bit but the ending glued it back together. Whether you liked it or hated it and want me to die in a fiery plane crash, feel free to send me feedback! Please?

On a serious note, please consider becoming an Organ Donor, it can even be put on your licence (or health card in Canada) if you think your family would disagree. It really is the ultimate gift and you can't take it with you. I, myself, am a tissue donor recipient, I am very grateful that it was an available option for my parents. (I was like 4 when we started to age 7)

Organ donation is also close to my heart as my Godbrother and very best friend, Jeremy, died when I was 12 while waiting for a heart. He was only 8.

I know it's a hard decision and I know some religions prohibit it, I would just be glad if this makes at least one person think about it.

Love and Glitter,

Remény

[sending-the-message]

Why I stopped hacking. For good. Part 2. by Menmaro

Allow me to preface this second part by thanking those who read my first part and enjoyed it. I would like to apologise for any poor grammar/spelling or formatting as I am writing this on my on my phone so formatting is extremely difficult. My laptop is in another country at the moment so when I return home I will format these stories and future ones properly. Please bear with me and enjoy part 2.

I would also like to add that this tale is of an encounter of a friend of mine. I did not experience this first hand and thus I have to make up what his thoughts were (some are his exact thoughts) to what I would have expected him to feel from knowing him. This story is how he told me so as far as I know it is true. He has stopped hacking and spends most of his time gaming and working.

Continued.

I stood frozen in horror. Panic swept over my body and thoughts flooded my mind. What happened to my mother? Is she OK? What is this son of a bitch doing with her phone? I knew I had to calm down, something didn't seem right. I picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. It just said mum, no number. Fuck, how could I be so stupid, he was just masking his caller ID, must be to throw me off balance. I'll play along, there must be something I'm missing.

"Wh.. What are you doing with my mum's phone? Where is she? Is she OK?"

A laugh came from the other end, a deep, disgusting laugh. I decided to record the call, maybe I can play around with the recording and find this caller’s real voice. It may not be much, but this asshole knows where I live and probably who my parents are. He starts talking.

"Danni, Danni, Danni. The safety of your mother depends on the outcome of our little game. I told you one's life is on the line but, I should have elaborated and said it shouldn't necessarily be the player's life. So, are you ready to play?"

At this point I had a thought; How can James see me? I have no cameras connected to the WiFi, my desktop camera is disconnected and I ripped out my laptop camera when I got the damn thing. Another option would be he broke into my apartment and installed cameras when I was out. But why would he risk getting caught like that. I may have cameras at home and catch him doing it. No he must be using one of my devices.

“Doesn't seem like I have a choice James. Let's fucking play.”

I braced myself for what he would say. We’ve all watched those horror movies, these games weren’t exactly Mario Kart sort of level. Suddenly I knew, I wanted to throw myself from my apartment for how stupid I'd been. In my hand I held the single device that had a camera and was connected to my WiFi. My fucking phone. I didn't want to jump to the conclusion that that was the only camera that was being used, so I decided to test it. Before I do anything though, he begins to speak.

“Well well Danni, I must say, you’ve got balls. Most guys would have started to cry or beg me to stop. This will most certainly be fun.”

I've had enough of this shit. I start to test my theory. I started googling shit like “how to track a phone call”, and “how to find cameras in a house”. I wanted to see if he could see my screen and sure enough the confirmation came through.

“Oh Danni, it’s cute you’re still trying to fight back. But I can assure you, you will not be able to track this call and you will not find out how I can see you.”

Challenge accepted dickhead. I angle my phone away from my bag and take out a USB dongle. If this asshole is on my WiFi I'm gonna make him think he's controlling all of my devices. I look for my laptop whilst trying to make as little noise as possible and again, angling the phone away from what I am doing. I find my laptop, boot it up and plug my dongle into it.

“Yeah well, I'm one tough son of a bitch… so when we playing James? And do go over the rules properly yeah? I'd like to whoop your ass playing by your rules dipshit.”

My strategy was to show no fear. In truth, I was terrified. But I knew the instant he smelled fear, he would have total control over me, and I'd fuck up and forget basic stuff like I had when this shit show first started. My laptop finished booting up. Excellent. I knew this fucker was using my network somehow. So I decided to hack my own network and see how he got in. Maybe he left something behind.

“The rules are simple Danni. You wanted to play judge, jury and executioner. We are going to go through your history of white knight justice, and see just how much of a hero you really are.”

Hero… huh… there was a time when I thought I was a hero… maybe it was when I made that child molestor end his own life. I told myself I was a hero because he wouldn't hurt another child. In truth, was I a murderer? Was this my past coming to haunt me? No time to think about this. It isn't just my life on the line here, everyone I care about is in danger and there's no time to be selfish.

“Ha… hero… that’s cute James, but I’ve always known I was the devil. A necessary evil. But sure, let's take a walk down memory lane. Maybe that will remind you who the fuck you’re dealing with.”

My attempts were bringing up nothing. I managed to break into my own network many times but I couldn't find a trace of another device, not a trace of information transfer. Wait… information transfer. Outgoing and incoming traffic. Fuck I'm stupid. He can see a stream of my screen which means I have outgoing traffic somewhere right? I start monitoring my outgoing traffic. Encrypted of course but there was still an address. A server that this information was going through. I find the address of the server and decide to do something extremely stupid and might sentence myself to prison or worse, no access to a computer. But I decide that is a small price to pay for the safety of my family.

“Well well Danni, watch your screen as the images pop up. Leeeeets roll the tape ladies and gentlemen.”

What a fucking psycho, I don't pay much attention to the tone of his voice as I set up my botnet for a distributed denial of service attack. My hope is that if I bring down the server for a bit, I'll be able to see where the requests are coming from and track it from there. It is a long shot but it might work. As I'm doing this I also stop recording the call and send the recording over to my laptop. All the while I’m angling my phone away from my laptop, and since he hasn't spoken of it, my theory that the only camera being my phone turns out to be correct. I finally feel like I'm making the right moves in this twisted game of chess, I'm just hoping I'll be the one to say checkmate at the end though.

“Victim number one; Brock. 16 years old. You destroyed his relationship and got him kicked out of his home. He spent 3 years on the streets before overdosing on heroine. That wasn’t a nice thing to do Danni.”

A picture of 16 year old Brock pops up. He died? Fuck, he was an asshole but didn't deserve to die. I went to far… I went to far… but I couldn't admit it. Not to this psycho. I had to show him that I had no heart.

“Well life sucks, survival of the fittest and all that shit. Maybe he should have been careful with whom he messed with.”

Another disgusting laugh. James is enjoying himself… should I be? No time for that right now. I put the phone on loudspeaker and placed it on my desk, weary that the front camera may be used I kept it well out of my sight and put an earphone into my left ear. Time to tweak around with this recording and “unmodulate” this voice.

“Danni, this isn't gonna end up well if you show no remorse. Now the fun begins. Remember his girlfriend? It’s confession time Danniiiii.”

As if it were alive, my PC opened up Skype and auto signed in. Fuck I'm so stupid, was I really that lazy? A number is entered into it and it starts dialling. Ring ring…

“What do you want me to do James? Tell her the online babe was me and Brock wasn't a cheating dickhead? What's that going to change?”

My botnet was ready and I started my attack on the server address instantly. I then watched my incoming and outgoing traffic closely. All I needed was a hiccup, something that will lead me to James. In that moment it was like the entire world grinded to a halt. In that moment, it wouldn't matter to me if the moon was crashing down onto the Earth to end all life as we knew it. All that mattered was this stream of information. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. I could hear the second hand on my watch ticking…

There! A clue… phew, was starting to lose hope. I start work on it, did James notice? I'd imagine his connection to my network might have dropped since I saw a request ping but nothing going back. Was he too busy trying to guilt trip me that he got too cocky and didn't notice? My Skype was still ringing was she going to pick up?

“Hello?” A girl's voice. She sounds kinda cute actually, is James hooking us up? Wrong time for jokes there.

James speaks to me “Go on Danni, answer her. Tell her your name and what you did to Brock.”

I decide to play along, true he didn't call me from my mum’s number, but that doesn't mean he still can't hurt her.

“Liz? It’s Daniel Kurt. We went to school together with Brock.”

There was a pause, I can't imagine how awkward this must be for her. I didn't have time to care though, I ran a search on the address and whilst that was going on, I continued tweaking with the recording.

“Danni? That loony kid that used to get beaten up all the time?”

Ahhh what a bitch. Hooking us up my ass. I had to fight back the urge to shout and educate her ignorant ass on what autism was. Whatever though, not my concern. At least breaking this news to here won't be as painful to me as I thought.

“Yeah that's me, the loony kid.” I laughed and I could swear I heard James laughing too. Asshole. “So listen, don't suppose you remember Brock Leland? You kinda slept with him at that time.” Maybe not the best choice of words.

“Yeah I remember him, I heard he died from drug overdose, makes me feel horrible breaking up with him…” another pause, “why?”

Fuck. How do I say this? This is a confession, if she takes this to the police I'm fucking screwed. Fuck any chance I have of getting away with this. I was 16 though, does it matter? I read somewhere that crimes committed before 18 aren't dealt with anymore. I was just a kid? Damn it. To hell with this, I need to stop this madness before he makes me call a victim of an attack I committed after 18.

“Yeah well, it’s my fault he did this. He made my life shit for when I was at school. So I decided to fight back. He never cheated on you, I made it look like he was.”

A really long pause. Gives me time to work on this recording. Nothing remotely human yet. Still searching that address, why is it taking forever?

“Danni.” Her voice was extremely soft. I was expecting something else. An angrier tone would have made more sense.

“Yeah...?”

“I know.”

[thedappleddragon]

Day 131 (Wednesday July 22)

I woke up at noon. I worked on my teddy bear backpack and just barely ran out of fabric, so I texted my dad asking if we could go fabric shopping soon. I played a lot of animal crossing and watched a lot of TikTok. Don’t remember much. I want to try and be better about writing about things the same day. But later that evening, my dad said we could go get fabric. First we went to Michael’s where I picked up some fleece and way too many sewing pins. My dad lost his keys but thankfully had a spare in the car. Then we went to Joann’s. It was my first time ever in a Joann’s, and it was really cool. They had T O N S of patterned fabrics, but a surprising lack of basic colors. I just went up and down the isles feeling everything (I washed my hands and used hand sanitizer before entering and after exiting the store) but nothing was quite right. We found the faux fur, and there was some short pile stuff that was soooo stupidly soft. I just wanted to wrap up in it and die it was so soft and cozy. My dad ended up buying two yards of the stuff, which turned out to be $60 dollars, and I’ve felt guilty about it for 2 days now. Although, typing this out makes me feel a little less bad. Idk. I’ve been beating myself up about it because it was expensive and I have no idea what I’m going to use it for or when. When we went to Walmart to pick up another roll of the same stuff he got last time, we picked up 2 MORE yards of the cheap fluffy stuff to sew to the back of the fur to make a blanket. But that would make it a $70+ blanket that would get ruined very fast. I don’t trust myself with the fur because my house is SO chronically dirty and horrible. I guess I could just hold onto it until I buy some longer pile fur and maybe make fursuit paws?? I really don’t know. I’ll just hold onto it and use it in future projects. Anyway we went to Walmart which was hectic and stressful and made me want to go home. We got food on the way home, so I spent a few hours outside with my cat and ate alone in my room and sewed a little bit of the teddy bear backpack. The pattern was getting confusing, so I just pinned it the best I could and left it for the night. I would have sewed more later in the night, but my sewing machine is right next to my sister’s room and she has to go to bed/get up early for marching band. I went to sleep and listened to animal crossing music.

Day 132 (Thursday July 23)

Woke up a little before noon so I could check turnip prices in animal crossing. I joined the animal crossing discord and found someone who would buy me things from the Sanrio villager RVs. They were so nice and I was really happy with all the things I got :). I played animal crossing pretty much all day lol. At one point I played outside while my cat napped and sat around and I had my back to my neighbors playing in their inflatable pool. At one point my cat jumped up onto the outdoor bench couch thing and sat on my lap. It was so nice because she’s a lot less cuddly now than when she was younger. I scratched under her chin and looked at the graying hair around her muzzle. I love her a lot and I hope she stays around longer. I wasn’t emotional about it in the moment but writing this out is making me shed a couple tears, and I hardly ever cry anymore. I haven’t been emotionally available in a FAT minute. I’m over it now. Later at night. I saw a TikTok I really wanted to make something for, but my phone died before I could like the video or save the audio, so I scrolled through TikTok for too long to try to find the audio but gave up around 2 am. OH that reminds me. The laptop charger I bought online came today. I plugged in my laptop and it still wasn’t charging, so I texted my brother about it. I guess I’ll try to return the cord soon if not tomorrow. So uhhh I guess I’m going to try and sleep.

[laurendcameron]

The Ultimate Equipment Guide for Doing Online Video

In this live episode, I’ll be hooking you up with the best equipment for doing online video. But before we start, there’s something very important that I have to say:

The equipment doesn’t matter as much as the actual content.

It doesn’t matter how professional your setup is or how much money you invest in fancy stuff if your content isn’t there. Equipment is just a tool that helps you tell a story. The content is where it starts.

But if you’re ready to take your videos to the next level and make yourself look and sound more professional, then this is the episode for you!

Webcams

Let’s start by looking at a basic setup for recording videos from your computer. This is great for Skype interviews or for recording yourself in front of a webcam on a Mac or PC.

Many laptops come with a built-in webcam, and you can just use that. It works. It gives you a decent quality.

Logitech C920

But if you want to step it up to the next level, there’s only one webcam for the job. It’s the Logitech C920 webcam. This is an HD webcam, which gives you significantly higher quality.

However, if your video is awesome, but your audio sucks, people will notice. People are actually more likely to notice low-quality audio than low-quality video.

If you just use the microphone on your computer, the quality won’t be as good. You’ll get background noise from the room, and your voice won’t be as clear.

So how do you increase your audio quality? You buy a microphone.

Audio Technica ATR2100 USB

The one I recommend for most people to start with is the Audiotechnica ATR 2100 USB.

I love this microphone because there’s a USB port, so you can connect it directly to your computer. That means I can just plug it into my laptop and start talking.

There’s also an XLR port, which allows me to plug it into a mixer or an audio interface. So if in the future you expand and set up a podcasting studio, you could still use this microphone. That’s why I highly recommend it!

Equipment for Smartphones

Now let’s say you want to step it up a little more. You don’t just want a webcam, you actually want a high-quality video camera.

iOgrapher

Start with your phone. I have an iPhone 6 Plus, and the camera on this thing is amazing. I have seen some very high quality video production done with an iPhone!

I can just use that device by itself. But I can also add accessories to crank it up a notch.

First, the iOgrapher. This allows me to hold my phone with two hands and get a much steadier video. You can also get lenses to connect to this device to make your video even better. It has mounts so that I can connect a microphone, or lights, or other things that will expand the functionality of the phone. It can also mount to any standard tripod. Pretty cool.

Rode TRRS to TRS Adaptor

You can also get lavalier mics or lapel mics that connect to your phone. What’s great is that this puts the mic really close to your mouth, which helps you get clear audio. The one that I recommend the Røde SmartLav Plus.

You’ll also need a TRRS to TRS connector. This plugs into your phone, and then you can plug a microphone into the other end. That way, the mic will pick up sound for the video you’re doing on your phone.

Satechi Bluetooth Remote

One last device that I recommend if you’re using a smartphone: a Bluetooth remote control. The one that I have is a Satechi.

This allows me to easily press “play” if I have the phone set up on a tripod or somewhere that’s not within reach. It also has volume control, previous and next buttons, and a mute button. It even has a keypad built in! This one is a little more expensive than some, but I like it because of the functionality it gives you.

Point and Shoot Cameras

So now you want to step up from the smartphone, but you don’t really want a DSLR. That’s where point and shoot cameras come in.

Sony DSC RX100

I have the Sony DSCRX100. There are different versions of this camcorder. I have the Mark 2, there’s also the Mark 3 and the Mark 4. Mine is a few years old. Mark 3 and 4 are newer.

This camcorder gives you a really high quality video, better than iPhone.

It doesn’t have a traditional microphone input, which doesn’t give you all the functionality, unfortunately.

Sony ECM XYST1M

However, it does allow you to connect a Sony microphone (ECM SYXT1M), which is a shotgun microphone. Mine has a stereo option and comes with a “dead cat,” which is a fuzzy thing you can put over the mic to help cut out background noise like wind.

DSLR

The next step up is a DSLR. These are a little bulkier, a little heavier, and more inconvenient to carry around. But if you know what you’re doing, the quality just doesn’t get better.

You have more manual control with a DSLR, which is a very good thing.

I’m using a relatively old one: a Canon 60D. They don’t even make it any more! But it still works, and you could still get it used for probably $300-400.

Canon 80D

The latest version is the Canon 80D, and that one has a touchscreen. So on an 80D, I can tap on your face and it will focus on your face. It also has better autofocus. But it’s going to be more expensive.

If you’re using a DSLR, the lens makes the video or the picture. The better the lens, the better the image.

Once you’re in a particular “ecosystem” for DSLR–whether it’s Canon or Nikon or whatever–you’ll probably stick with it because you’ll start buying lenses. I have a Canon, and if I were to buy a Nikon, I couldn’t use any of my Canon lenses

Canon 50 mm f1.8 Prime lens

There’s one affordable lens ($125) that you absolutely have to invest in: a prime lens. It’s 50mm fixed, and what’s awesome about this is that it has a very low aperture number: F1.8.

Aperture is a measurement of the diameter of the lens; an F1.8 lens lets in a significantly higher amount of light, which allows you to get higher quality images even in low light. It also gives you shallow depth of field, which means that it’ll focus on me and the background will be really blurry. This is the best $125 I ever spent. You need this lens.

The downside to the 50mm is that it’s fixed, so I can’t zoom with it. I have to be about 5 feet away from the subject. If I want to zoom, I need another lens.

Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD

My go-to all-purpose lens is the Tamron SP 24-70mm F2.8. The aperture number, F2.8, is still pretty low, so the video is very high quality.

If I’m at an event, or if I’m filming my kids at home, this is most likely what I’m using. It is a monster, size-wise, but it allows me to really get in there are really do interesting things. This is my go-to lens for just about everything unless I’m at home in my studio, with my camera on a tripod.

Rode Videomic Pro

When I am using my DSLR, there are different microphones that I use. When I’m running around and it’s not just me that’s talking, I use the Røde VideoMic Pro. It’s a shotgun microphone. That means it’s going to pick up what it’s pointing at, and not much else.

It’s similar to the boom mics you see on TV shows or things like that. The benefit is that you don’t have to have a lapel mic, which is visible on the video.

Rode Videomic Go

There’s also the Røde VideoMic Go, which is a bit more affordable. It’s not as professional, but it still gets the job done.

These mics will also connect to your DSLR or your phone if you have the adapter I mentioned earlier.

Facebook Live

Blackmagic Design UltraStudio MiniRecorder

How am I going live using a DSLR or a camcorder? With my Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder! This allows me to connect via Thunderbolt to my computer, and then connect my camera through HDMI.

The program that I use to live stream is called WireCast, and I love it!

Equipment Used for This Episode

The lapel microphone that I’m using in this broadcast is the Sennheiser EW100G3. It has a transmitter that is connected to the person speaking, and a receiver that is plugged into the camera. This one is pretty pricey, but there are more affordable models out there (even down to $100).

Canon VIXIA HF G20

I’m also using a Canon Vixia HF G20 camcorder tonight, because the Canon 60D shuts off after 30 minutes. With the camera I’m using, I could do this live broadcast for hours and it would keep going. It’s not a DSLR camera, so you can’t use your DSLR lenses with it.

Joby Gorillapod

I would also recommend the Joby Gorillapod. It’s basically a small tripod that can be used to hold just about anything. Right now I’m using it to hold my webcam, but I can also use it to hold my DSLR. It’s great for getting stable video.

I’m using two soft box lights for this video. I use two so that both sides of my face are lit evenly.

I don’t like them because they are HUGE. They’re not very portable.

However, there are so many smaller lights on the market right now. LED lights are great because they don’t get hot and they’ll fit in a backpack. I don’t have those myself, but the one that has been recommended to me is Neewer Dimmable Bicolor LED.

There’s also a product called the Diva Light that goes around your camera and does a great job of lighting your face. You can get a small one that plugs into your phone, too.

In this episode, I also have a light behind me on the floor. This helps to put some separation between me and the background.

Neewer Dimmable Bi-color LED

Lighting really adds quality to your video. If you’re in a place where you’re stationary, I highly recommend having some kind of lighting. But make sure you test it out. The setup you need depends on the room you’re in.

Finally, I’m using a teleprompter to see live comments for this episode: Pad Prompter. The teleprompter has my iPad in it, which is being projected onto the teleprompter screen.

To set this up, I installed a script on my server. You can find it on GitHub. It’s open source, and I was able to install it and configure it to show any comments on the live streams of my video.

Resources Mentioned

List of recommended Video Equipment

Sennheiser EW100G3

Infographic

The Ultimate Equipment Guide for Doing Online Video

The post The Ultimate Equipment Guide for Doing Online Video appeared first on Become A Blogger by Leslie Samuel.

from Lauren Cameron Updates http://www.becomeablogger.com/24409/ultimate-equipment-guide/