#bust a brick nick

[kabaker-author]

To generate interest in my book, I've decided to share the first two chapters of Dr. Malice for free today!

Take a read and tell me what you think!

In the summer of 1989, the sleepy little town of Midway Falls, Virginia is plagued with bizarre power surges, missing people, and violent murders. Teenager Cammy Karnell finds herself at the center of it all when her brother vanishes without a trace. Determined to reunite her family, Cammy with help from her Galaga playing best friend Billy Brown investigate the bizarre occurrences going on in Midway Falls. As the rumors of government conspiracies and haunted arcades fly, the two teens come face to face with a supernatural force unlike any other in the heart of their local small town arcade. Now tasked with helping the ghost of a dead game developer remember his past and overcome his own inner demons, Cammy, Billy, and the entire population of Midway Falls are about to have the foundations of their lives rocked forever.

June, 1989

“So you think I'm stupid, huh?”

A young girl rode with her older brother in his beat up red Honda Civic. The radio blared Young MC's “Bust a Move” as the two drove down through the downtown streets. The sun was setting, it was warm outside. Kids were walking down the street towards the same place the siblings were heading.

It was summer vacation, and the kids of Midway Falls were ready to have some fun.

Nick laughed, “That's what Dexter told me! He said there’s a ghost of an old man haunting Ant’s and snatches stupid little nerd kids like you straight into Hell!”

“Nick, I don't believe any of that for a minute,” the young girl said, brushing her fingers through her strawberry blonde hair, “I'm not a little kid anymore.”

“You don't believe it started bleeding out of the screen?”

“Dexter is an idiot, of course he’d believe garbage like that. That's why you hang out with him.”

“And who do you hang out with, Cammy? Huh? Huh? You're too big of a dweeb to have friends.”

Cammy huffed, “I have friends.”

“Yeah? Name one.”

“Billy is my friend.”

“Hardly counts, he’s a total dweeb. Then again, maybe that’s why you hang out with him!”

“Why don’t you keep your eyes on the road?”

Nick finally shut up and trained his eyes on the road again, singing along badly to the radio. Cammy was already getting a headache from him, but she was hoping once they got to the arcade she wouldn't have to deal with him much.

Their father was out of town on some fancy business trip. Their mother was working late, helping shut down the school before summer vacation was in full swing. Nick was going to the arcade with some of his friends, but mom insisted he couldn't leave his little sister at home. So he was forced to bring Cammy along against his will. She didn’t really want to come along with him either, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter either.

As long as she stayed out of his way, she'd be fine.

Nick sang along loudly as he punched her none too gently in the shoulder. She groaned and adjusted her glasses, already wishing she could jump out of the moving vehicle.

Finally, the car pulled up in the parking lot of a run down strip mall. Ivy snaked along the brick walls, threatening to consume them entirely. The neon lights glowed brightly on the front of the building, displaying “ANT'S ARCADE”. The “E” in “ARCADE” was flickering in and out periodically, appearing like the flashing light of a club. Other kids Cammy recognized from school were already going in. She was excited.

They got out of the car and strutted into the building. The arcade was full of kids playing on the machines, running around and watching others get high scores. Music was blaring while machines beeped and flashed bright colors. Just watching it was a thrill. Cammy couldn't wait to jump into the middle of it all.

“Shit.” Nick said, reaching into his pockets.

Cammy scowled, “You know mom said not to swear.”

“Shut up!” Nick shot back, “I forgot my quarters at home!”

“Well, sucks to be you then.”

Nick looked at her. His eyes trailed down to the purse hanging from her shoulder. He started smiling evilly.

Cammy took a few steps back, “Oh no you aren't! You did this the last time! I'm not giving you my quarters!”

“Fine then. I'll take ‘em!”

Nick snatched Cammy's purse off her shoulder, digging through it. Cammy cried out and tried to take it back, but he held it out of her reach. He pulled out all the quarters he could find and dropped it on the floor.

“Thanks, dork!” He taunted as he ran off to join his friends at the Operation Wolf cabinet, some stupid shooter war game Cammy had no interest in.

She picked her purse up off the floor and groaned. Nick had taken all of her quarters and left her with nothing. Now she couldn't play any of the games. She'd just be stuck here watching everyone else play for the next few hours.

Except...

There was someone she could talk to. Maybe he'd help her.

Cammy walked through the crowded rows of kids playing the games, reaching the front counter. An overweight balding man ran the counter, wiping down the surfaces and exchanging dollars for quarters. He wore a purple shirt with the arcade’s logo and mascot on it. His cargo shorts jingled with the sounds of quarters. When he saw Cammy, his eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face.

“Aaay! If it ain't Cammy!” He greeted her heartily, “How ya doing? How's your parents?”

Cammy smiled back at him weakly, “I'm good. They're good. Yeah. Umm... Mr. Ant, can I ask a favor?”

Mr. Ant perked a playful eyebrow, “Your brother stole your quarters again, huh?”

Cammy giggled awkwardly, “Yeah... I tried to stop him but he's too tall and held my purse out of my reach.”

Mr. Ant chuckled as he reached into his cargo shorts and pulled out a handful of quarters, handing them to Cammy, “Big brothers will be big brothers. If I see him taking your quarters again, I'll be sure to give him a firm talking to.”

Cammy grinned, taking the quarters and shoving them in her jean jacket pocket, “Thank you Mr. Ant. You're the best!”

“Go have some fun, kid,” he said to her, waving her off. She bounced away, looking for an open game to play.

That was a problem. All the games were full with kids waiting in line to play. Especially the newer games, like what Nick was playing with the pretty graphics and full colors. Cammy sighed as she walked towards the back of the arcade, where some of the older games were. There were less kids back here, but there were still quite a few taking up most of the cabinets. She'd still have to wait until her turn to play. 

One of the kids was playing at the Galaga cabinet with a few of his friends. It was Cammy’s friend from school; a pudgy redhead kid named Billy Brown. Billy had just died in Galaga and was putting in his initials when he suddenly let out an angry yell.

“NQC beat my high score!!”

His friends gasped at the scoreboard. Cammy glanced at the screen to see Billy's initials, "BMB" had dropped to second place. At the first place position were the initials “NQC”. Cammy remembered hearing about Billy playing for almost ten hours straight to beat the previous high score that was previously held by NQC. Just a few days ago, he finally did it and claimed his title of number one high score on Galaga. But looking at the scoreboard, NQC had beaten that record by almost two thousand points.

The mysterious NQC held the number one record on every single cabinet in Ant's Arcade. He or she was an urban legend among the regulars at the arcade. No one ever saw them in action. No one, at least from Cammy's school, had the initials of NQC. Even skilled players couldn't come close to the same scores as NQC. Billy was one of the few who had accomplished it, and he only held it for maybe 72 hours. 

“When I find NQC, I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind!” He shouted, “I can't believe they beat my high score already!!”

“I guess they're just that good,” one of his friends said, in awe at the score.

Cammy walked away from the group of boys to the very back of the arcade. Even though she was friends with Billy, she didn’t want to interrupt his game. Instead, she walked further back by the bathrooms in the corner, where one of the lights was out, leaving the corner dark. There, partially obscured by the shadows was a free cabinet. No one was playing it. Cammy approached it, looking up at the marquee. The bright red light glared down at her, illuminating the title of the game.

DR. MALICE

She had seen this game in passing when she had come to the arcade, but she never played it. Mainly because her mom told her to never play scary or violent games. And with the blood red marquee and dark cabinet design, it certainly looked like both of those.

But she just had her thirteenth birthday last month. She was a big girl. She had watched Children of the Corn with her big brother and only had nightmares for a week. She could handle anything!

The screen displayed the company name and title in fancy pixelated graphics. An animated sprite of a doctor ran across the bottom of the screen, chasing little green aliens. The screen read:

COYOPP INDUSTRIES INC.

PRESENTS

DR. MALICE

INSERT 1 COIN TO PLAY.

Cammy approached the cabinet. It was quite the intimidating machine; nearly twice her size and certainly thrice her weight. The bright red accents on the dark indigo finish seemed to glow with an almost alien-like power. She noticed there was a severe imperfection on the right side of the machine. The top part of the cabinet’s side was broken, slightly exposing the inside. It drew her curiosity even more, since she had never seen the inside of an arcade machine. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a quarter, pushing it into the coin slot. She placed her hands on the joystick and buttons, feeling an odd static shock as she did. She blamed it on her shoes building up static electricity from running across the carpet. 

The game took a few seconds to load up, before it came up with a new screen that read:

LEVEL ONE:

DESTROY ALL ALIENS.

Her character was loaded into what looked like a laboratory. The graphics reminded her a bit of Street Fighter, one she had seen her brother play with his friends, but wasn't allowed to play because it was “too violent”. It also reminded her of Legend of Zelda, a game she would play on her brother's NES behind his back. She moved the character between several maze-like screens. One button threw a syringe, the other was a dodge button. The remaining two buttons seemed non-functional. It was easy to get the hang of.

As she entered a new room, a green alien was in the middle of the space. It turned and started charging. Quickly, Cammy disposed of the alien by throwing the syringe. It promptly exploded into rainbow colors, which she found rather charming. As she moved through the rooms, she cleared out a few more aliens and completed the level.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU BEAT:

LEVEL 1.

As the next level loaded up, a little cut scene began to play. It was the doctor character approaching a table with an apple sitting on it. The doctor took the apple and ate it. As he did, text popped up below the scene.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A DOCTOR EATS AN APPLE?

Cammy raised an eyebrow at the odd question. Just as she was about to question it more, the doctor on the screen exploded into rainbow colors. The text changed to an awkward delivery of a joke.

HE'D PROBABLY EXPLODE OR SOMETHING. APPLES KEEP DOCTORS AWAY AFTER ALL.

Cammy found herself giggling at the dry humor. Yeah, it was kind of stupid, but she found it charming. It was just her kind of humor.

Once the cut scene completed, level two loaded up. It was more of the same with slightly more challenging enemy patterns. This level introduced a small puzzle section. It was a block pushing puzzle, something Cammy was very good at. Since it was still an early level, she had no problem navigating the blocks and getting her character through the room. Once she destroyed the last alien, the game congratulated her again and loaded up another cutscene similar to the first. This time, it featured two aliens in the middle of a conversation.

WHAT DID ONE ALIEN SAY TO THE OTHER?

I HAVE NO IDEA. I DON'T SPEAK ALIEN.

The stupid joke had Cammy laughing out loud. She was ashamed to say she found these silly jokes funny, but she couldn't help it. She didn't think such a scary looking game would have such a great sense of humor.

She ended up playing through quite a few levels, each one getting progressively more difficult, but always rewarding her with a cute cut scene joke. It was challenging. She lost a couple of lives, but she was rising through the levels quickly. In fact, a few of the other children had taken notice and were watching her play, cheering her on. Wanting to seem cool to everyone, she put in her best effort and began to show off.

“She's a natural!”

“How did she get so far in that game? I only got to level five!”

“Woah, you go Cammy!”

Cammy was smiling as she played. Everyone in the arcade was impressed with her skills. She knew she could conquer this game with no problem. Just as she was about to take out an entire room of aliens, a voice from across the room yelled at her.

“Why's everyone watching this dork play?”

Cammy was suddenly pushed from the cabinet by a pair of strong hands. She nearly fell on the floor, but managed to catch her balance before tumbling over. She looked up and saw her brother now standing at the cabinet. She watched in horror as her character was swarmed by aliens and she lost her last life, all thanks to her brother screwing her up. 

GAME OVER.

Everyone was actually on her side and booed and hissed at Nick for ruining the game. Nick, being the jackass he was, didn't care.

“You guys really watching a girl play this stupid game?” he asked, “Betcha I can get to level thirteen on one quarter, no problem!”

Nick gloated more before he popped in a quarter, one of Cammy's quarters no less, and started a new game. The level loaded up again, putting Nick in a room with an alien. Not expecting to immediately face an enemy, Nick’s character was attacked and lost his first life. The kids started to laugh.

“Uh, uh, I'm just getting started,” he said nervously.

Cammy was entertained by the comedic timing of his death. Though in the back of her mind, she could have sworn there wasn't an enemy when she loaded up the first level. 

Nick tried again, killing the first alien. He moved to the next room and was bombarded with three aliens. He managed to take out two before the last one got his character. He was already on his last life. The audience of children were snickering at his failure to even get halfway into the first level.

“I'm just getting started! Cammy had beginner's luck!” he insisted.

Once again, he loaded up the first level, killed the first alien, then moved into the next room to kill the three aliens. He moved into an empty room. Nick chuckled to himself as he moved the character through. But once the doctor reached the middle of the room, a hole opened up under him, and he disappeared.

YOU HAVE FALLEN INTO A PITFALL.

Nick was flabbergasted. The other kids continued to laugh at Nick's failed attempt to outdo his little sister. Cammy raised an eyebrow. Now that definitely hadn't been there when she played. 

GAME OVER.

Underneath the game over was a sentence that almost seemed to be written in a snarky way.

YOU AREN'T THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER.

ARE YOU?

The laughter of the other children turned even louder at reading this. Nick's face turned red with a combination of embarrassment and rage.

“Did this piece of garbage just call me stupid?!” He demanded, backing away from the machine.

Cammy snickered under her breath, “Well, it confirmed what we already knew.”

The other children cackled at her snarky remark. Nick clenched his fists, glaring at Cammy before he turned back to the machine. He went around to the side of it, where the top part of the machine was partially broken. Breathing in heavy breaths, Nick shouted.

“YOU'RE THE STUPID PIECE OF SHIT!”

He drew back his leg and kicked the side of the machine hard enough to cause it to wobble. The already broken side of the machine came loose, falling out and right on to Nick. The sharp side cut his face, causing him to pull back and cover his face in shock and pain. He shouted expletives as he tried to get his face to stop bleeding.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON BACK HERE?!”

The other children, hearing the voice of an angry adult, scattered like flies, leaving Cammy and Nick alone by Dr. Malice. Mr. Ant stomped towards them, his face contorted into a scowl. He saw the broken arcade cabinet and the cut on Nick's face and immediately made the connection.

“What do you think you're doing, punk?! Tearing up my machines?! Those cost money, y'know!” Mr. Ant scolded the boy, “You gonna pay for the damages you caused? Cause I sure don't want to have to call your parents and tell them you broke one of my cabinets!”

Nick said nothing, just held his face and glared at Mr. Ant. 

Mr. Ant stepped closer, speaking in a threatening voice, “What do you have to say for yourself, son?”

Nick looked down, clenching his teeth and his fists. He managed to croak out a very weak “Sorry.”

Mr. Ant sneered, “Get out of my arcade before I call the cops. Punks like you aren't welcome.”

Nick looked like he wanted to argue, but being face to face with the much larger, much scarier Mr. Ant left him speechless. He quickly darted away, holding his head down so none of the other kids would see him. The bell on the door tingled as he left.

Mr. Ant heaved a tired sigh. He turned back to Cammy, who still appeared shaken by the whole thing, “You alright, kid?”

Cammy nodded slowly, “Yeah, I'm okay, thank you.”

Mr. Ant went to pick up the side of the cabinet and try to put it back on the machine again, “Can't believe you two have the same parents. Ain't no way that little brat is related to you.”

Cammy shrugged, “I'm sorry about him.”

“Ah, don't apologize on his behalf. You're a good kid. You shouldn't have to put up with the likes of him.”

Mr. Ant was trying to put the side of the cabinet back into place, but the harsh kick from Nick had dented it in a way that it wouldn't fit properly. He swore under his breath. Cammy picked up on this and approached him.

“Are you okay, Mr. Ant?”

Mr. Ant looked down at her, his face contorted in frustration, “Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, yeah I'm alright. It's just this cabinet belonged to a very close friend of mine. It's one of the few things I have to remember him by.”

“So my brother kicking it was like an extra kick in the gut to you, huh?”

“You could say that, yeah.”

Mr. Ant reached into his pocket and produced a roll of duct tape. He looked at Cammy, “Hey, you mind taping this for me while I hold it in place?”

Cammy nodded as she grabbed the tape from  Mr. Ant. She carefully taped the broken side to the front and back of the cabinet, being careful not to wrinkle the tape. As she helped Mr. Ant, she managed to get a good view of the inside of the cabinet. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; a tangle of wires and circuit boards connecting into a large CRT screen. It was very alien and almost a bit unsettling to see what went on behind the scenes of the games. Dust was kicked up from the inside, causing her and Mr. Ant to sneeze. It was almost like no one had touched the inside in over a decade, not even to repair it. Once she was done, Mr. Ant let go and the side stayed in place. It wasn't pretty with the damages on the top, the dent in the side, and now the ugly duct tape holding it together, but it was better than the entire inside of the cabinet being exposed for children to mess with.

“It'll have to do until I can call a maintenance man,” Mr. Ant said, “Thanks for your help, Cammy.”

Cammy smiled back, “You're welcome, Mr. Ant.”

Despite all the damages done to the cabinet, the game itself still seemed to be in working order.  Mr. Ant decided to stick an “OUT OF ORDER” sign on the controls anyways, likely to prevent other kids from damaging it further. Cammy was disappointed she couldn't try the game again, but she understood.

“Listen, for all your help, I'll give ya a few more quarters to play,”  Mr. Ant said, handing her another handful of quarters, “I'll make sure your brother stays out of trouble until it's time for you to go home. Now go have some fun.”

Mr. Ant waddled away, his cargo shorts jingling with quarters, leaving Cammy alone with the game. As she stared at the imposing cabinet, she couldn't help but ponder over what had just happened. How had the difficulty suddenly spiked when her brother played it? Where did all the extra enemies and traps come from that she never ran into? Did the game somehow... Change itself for her brother? Could games even do that? Surely they couldn't...

Cammy stared at the screen. The demo of the game played quietly.

...

What the...

Maybe she was going crazy, but for a split second, Cammy thought she saw the demo glitch into something else for a moment: a screen full of glitches that seemed to be forming some kind of pattern. Two black voids empty of any data seemed to stare back at her, full of some sort of malicious feeling. But just as quickly as she saw it, it was gone again. It left her feeling uneasy and nauseous, like someone was angry. Maybe not at her... 

But at someone who had done wrong.

Feeling anxious, Cammy turned her back on the machine and quickly went to the other side of the arcade, far out of view of the Dr. Malice cabinet. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she suddenly felt as if someone was watching her every move. She decided to distract herself by playing some of the two player racing games with the other kids at the arcade, which was lots of fun. She quickly forgot about the incident with the Dr. Malice cabinet and focused on enjoying herself.

Midnight rolled around at Ant's Arcade. Mr. Ant slowly ushered the kids to the front door as he started closing down the arcade, bidding them a goodnight and a safe drive home. Cammy was one of those kids. As she walked out the door with the other kids, she saw that her brother's red Honda Civic was gone from the parking lot. She gave a frustrated sigh. She'd have to see if Mr. Ant would let her use the phone so she could call her mom to come pick her up.

Just then, a pudgy ginger boy squeezed between other kids leaving the arcade. Billy Brown ran up next to Cammy, looking out of breath. He waved at Cammy excitedly.

“Are you walking home?” He asked, “I can walk with you!”

Cammy agreed, as she knew it would be safer to walk with someone rather than alone. She said goodbye to Mr. Ant and strolled down the street with Billy. Other kids were walking back to their homes, but since Cammy and Billy lived on the outskirts, they had to walk further than everyone else. Eventually, they were the only ones on the street. The orange lamps lit the dark suburban streets, bathing everything in a warm, industrial glow. Billy was a very talkative kid. He talked about movies, games, and how he was going to practice even harder to defeat the mysterious NQC. 

“Who do you think NQC is, Cammy?” he asked.

Cammy shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. But I'm sure they're one of the best players in the entire city. Maybe even the entire state.”

They walked in silence only for a little while before Billy spoke up again.

“I saw what your brother did to that machine,” he said solemnly, “What a jerk. And he left you here? Total dweeb. Him and Dexter and all their friends are a bunch of dweebs.”

Cammy chuckled, “Yeah, they are. I wish Nick never met Dexter, but I can't really stop them from being friends.”

“Dexter's the biggest jerk. I wish I was bigger and stronger, and then I can beat him up myself!”

They walked along. The only sound in the night was the occasional car passing by. They came across two lone vending machines, the low hum of their light breaking through the quiet night.

“Hold on, I wanna buy a candy bar.” Billy said, approaching the machines. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar, putting it into the machine. The machine rejected the dollar at first, spitting it back out.

“Rats.” Billy said as he put the dollar back in. It once again spit the dollar back out, making him sigh, “These things never take my dollars!”

With a little more patience, Billy managed to get the machine to accept the dollar. With it, he punched in the numbers for a candy bar. As the machine began to eject the snack, there was a sudden surge of light before everything on the street turned pitch black. Billy screamed in fright while Cammy jumped back, startled at the sudden darkness around them. Just as quickly as the power went out, it came back on. Billy was holding on to the vending machine, looking terrified out of his mind. He locked eyes with Cammy and chuckled nervously.

“I uh... That wasn't me who screamed like a little girl!” he assured her as he tried to look strong by puffing out his chest.

Cammy looked around, her nerves a bit frayed, “More power surges. There’s been a lot lately.”

Billy distracted himself by grabbing the snack out of the machine. He looked out in the distance over the hills and fields to a well lit collection of buildings. Tall smokestacks rose into the air, spitting out smoke into the otherwise clear night sky. The harsh lights made the industrial area intimidating and unwelcoming. On the side of the largest building was a sign with a company name, both in English and Japanese:

JOUZU APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING.

“My mom said it’s because of that factory they built last year.” Billy said, “She said something about they’re taking all our energy! I voted against it last year but they still built it! Or something like that. I don’t know. I stopped listening ‘cause she started ranting about the government.”

Cammy remembered her parents talking about a factory that was being built last year, and how so many residents of Midway Falls didn’t want it built here. But the government of the town went ahead and okayed the building anyway. It only started production a few months ago, but already it seemed to be causing problems. Most notably with the frequent surges that plagued the power grid. Lots of residents were getting angry. Some had even begun protesting outside the factory’s doors. But it was a fruitless effort. Cammy didn’t really understand why the adults were so riled up by it, but she agreed the surges were annoying and scary.

The two continued on at a faster rate this time, startled by the power surge. They reached the entrance of their neighborhood, where only the low hum of the street lamps cut through the dead silence of the night.

Cammy looked up, checking over her shoulder.

“What's wrong?” Billy asked, already digging into his candy bar.

“Did you hear that?”

“No. What is it?”

“It sounded like... Something heavy. Like it was being moved across the pavement.”

“I didn't hear anything.”

Cammy paused, trying to listen over the buzz of the street lamps. She didn't hear the noise again. Perhaps she was just imagining things. 

“Sorry, I think the power surge freaked me out a little bit,” She said, continuing to walk.

“That's okay,” Billy replied with a chocolate covered smile, “I can take out anyone who tries to mess with us. I promise!”

They had finally reached Cammy's house at the end of the street. Billy finished off his candy bar and waved goodbye to her. The front porch was decorated with flowers and old rusting iron chairs. As she approached the porch, she was about to knock on it. She was startled as the door swung open and her mother April stood there, her keys in hand and in her pajamas. She looked down at Cammy, her expression partially obscured by her glasses and messy brown hair.

“Camellia! My goodness there you are!” she cried, taking her in a tight hug, “How did you get home?!”

Cammy, startled by the affection, spoke into her mother's shoulder, “I walked home with Billy.”

“Oh thank goodness, I was just about to come get you!” April said, bringing her inside the home, “To say I was worried when Nicholas came home without you... Well, that would have been an understatement!”

As they entered the kitchen, Cammy saw Nick sitting at the dining table. He had a bandage on his face and seemed to be avoiding their gaze. He looked ashamed. The kitchen was filled with the scent of cigarette smoke, overpowering the nice flowers that sat on the counter.

“Mr. Anthony left me a message on the answering machine,” April said, her tone suddenly becoming serious as she turned towards Nick, “He told me everything Nicholas did at the arcade, including pushing his little sister and stealing her quarters. Not only that, but he came home smelling like cigarette smoke again!”

Nick didn't look at them.

“Nicolas Robert Karnell, you better apologize to your sister right this minute,” April demanded, her tone slipping into that threatening mother tone, the tone all moms used when they wanted you to know you had really screwed up. 

Nick hesitated, refusing to look up from the floor. He finally spoke, sounding none too sincere, “Sorry Cammy.”

April didn't look particularly happy with his tone, but decided to turn away and speak with Cammy, “Camellia honey, will you please go to your room for the rest of the night? I need to speak with your brother alone.”

Cammy quickly left the kitchen, going upstairs to her room. For the rest of her night, she stayed upstairs. As she moved around from the bathroom to her bedroom, she could hear her mother yelling at Nick, asking things like what was wrong with him, why he thought that was okay, was he doing it to impress Dexter and his friends, so on and so forth. She barely heard a peep out of Nick during the scolding. Finally, once Cammy turned out her lights and got into bed, she heard the sound of Nick's footsteps stomping up the stairs and into his room across the hall. He slammed the door hard enough to shake the walls. There was no doubt about it, he was grounded for a good few weeks, maybe even a month or more.

Cammy breathed a sigh of relief. At least Nick got a comeuppance for his poor behavior tonight. She snuggled into her sheets and fell fast asleep.

That night, Nick struggled to fall asleep. The cut on his face made it difficult to lay on that side of his body, since the pillow was pressing into the wound. The harsh scolding he had received from his mother also wasn't helping. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. He sat up and checked the clock on his night stand.

1:35 AM

Nick swore under his breath as he tried yet again to lay on his side. The cut hurt too much to put pressure on, so he returned to laying on his back. He closed his eyes and started to drift off.

Sniff sniff...

What was that weird smell?

Nick sat up again. His room was empty. He checked the clock on his nightstand again.

2:11 AM

Nick laid back down again. He swore he smelled something. Like... Something mechanical and coppery. Kind of like the smell of change. He felt... Oddly paranoid. He couldn't place why, but he was finding it impossible to go to sleep. Maybe it was all the yelling he had endured from his mother. Maybe he was feeling... Guilty.

Nick closed his eyes again. When he opened them, he was laying on his side facing the clock. Through his grogginess, he saw something... Odd.

  :     AM

Maybe another power surge had happened during the night while he dozed off and reset his clock. He didn't worry too much about it and dozed off again. He woke up again, feeling... Uncomfortable. He checked the clock again, and found a rather unsettling sight.

8:88 AM

Was the clock broken? That definitely wasn't right. As he sat up to reach for it, he froze. In the corner of his eye was something at the foot of his bed. Something... Tall. Solid. Unmoving. Nick turned, slowly, terrified at the prospect of someone invading his room. He faced the intruder head on.

It was an arcade machine, turned off, completely dead.

To say it startled him would have been an understatement, but he quickly started to laugh it off.

“Okay, you guys got me. That's really funny,” he said with a weak laugh, “You can come out now Cammy, I know this was a prank.”

As he stared at the machine, common sense got the better of him. How in the world would his petite sister get this giant thing into his room? Much less up the stairs and through the doorway?

How did this thing get into his room at this hour of the night?

Just then, Nick jumped as the marquee of the machine suddenly flipped on. He was bathed in a bright red light, illuminating his entire room. He looked down on the floor where a power cord from the machine was sitting.

Completely unplugged.

Nick dared to look up at the marquee. In stark red pixelated letters read the title.

DR. MALICE

A noise started to reverberate from the machine. A deep, synthy bass noise that rose and fell, almost like the breathing of a human. 

“What... The... Hell…” Nick breathed, his voice catching in his throat.

Another noise came from the machine. This time, it was a voice, deeply compressed and bit-crushed. It spoke quietly, but just loud enough for Nick to hear it. It chilled him to the core.

“You… You think you're above the consequences?”

Nick started to say something, but felt as if his voice had been snatched from him. It was as if his throat was full of electrified needles, preventing him from speaking. His whole body became numb, like he had lost control of everything.

A deep, almost sadistic chuckle came from the machine, “Oh, you're gonna shut up and listen to me, boy. You've had too much time to talk. But I know just what you'd say anyways.”

The screen on the arcade machine flared to life, filled with strange, glitchy patterns. The glitches seemed to form two black holes on the screen, shaped like gouged out human eye sockets. They stared directly into Nick, seeing into the deepest recesses of his soul.

“I know your kind, Nicholas Karnell. I know what you're all about. I've seen your memories. I've seen the horrible things you've done, just to fit in. All the people you've hurt... Just to feel like you're somebody. Heh. Your kind never changes. Even after so many years.”

Nick's heart raced, thumping in his chest so loud, he could hear it in his ears. His body was soaked with sweat as he faced what he assumed was Satan himself in the form of an arcade cabinet. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to beg for forgiveness for kicking the machine. He wanted to fall at Cammy's feet and apologize for everything he had done to her. He wanted to change his ways right then and there.

But because his voice was gone, he was helpless to do anything.

The machine spoke again, the eyes on the screen narrowing into enraged slits, “You only wish to hurt the little guy. People like your sister, the so-called nerds... People... Like... Me.”

The screen turned off, but the marquee continued to glow. Another bit-crushed evil chuckle sounded from the machine. Something started to glow in the corner of the screen.

No...

Something was coming out of the screen.

A hand, a vaguely human hand, grabbed onto the edge of the controls, pulling itself forward and out, revealing an arm wearing some kind of surgical glove and white sleeve. Another hand came out of the opposite side of the screen, similar to the first. Both hands grabbed the edge of the controls and pulled with it a head full of dark, messy hair, shoulders wearing a white coat, and a chest... A chest with three distinct black spots, coated in red pixelated words that read “ERROR”. It was a man... But it was definitely not fully human. The form glitched and crackled with electricity, smelling like an electrical fire combined with the coppery scent of quarters. The voice spoke again.

“Well... Nicholas…”

The head of the... Man? Whatever it was looked up at Nick, its eyes obscured by a pair of thick glasses. It had no mouth. Only a nose and potentially eyes hiding behind the spectacles.

Wait... It did have a mouth.

No...

Where the mouth should have been was the start of a split that circled around the entire head. It was full of nothing but garbled, corrupted coding and glitches. The split opened wider, seeming to form into some kind of twisted and demented smile. The voice spoke, relishing in his fear.

“Who's the little guy now?”

The "mouth" opened wider, exposing more of the nightmarish nonsense inside as the figure grabbed Nick by the ankles. A jolt of electricity shot through his body, paralyzing him from head to toe as the monster from the cabinet slowly dragged him towards the machine. Adrenaline shot through Nick as he managed to flip over on his stomach and grab the foot of his bed, holding on for dear life. He tried to scream for Cammy, his mother, anybody, but his throat was filled with even more electrifying pins and needles than before. A sharp pain shot through Nick's side, causing him to let go of the bed frame. He was dragged into the screen of the arcade machine by the terrifying creature, disappearing from sight.

Silence. The machine sat still for a moment. The marquee slowly powered down, leaving the room in complete darkness. As silently as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving no trace of itself or the young boy it had just taken.

The clock on the nightstand read:

3:59 AM

[headstrongblake]

[ TAKEN ] receiver has a small injury and sender wipes away some of the blood then licks it off their hand. / kass & nick / @thewholecrew

hunting a nest of vampires is right up their alley. exactly what brought nate and him to this city and even what brought them around the sultry vampire they originally thought was responsible for the innocent draining of a local family. but working with a vampire? hunting with one? he must be fucking delusional because that breaks about fifty fucking rules in the hunter handbook. well, if there were one written out, at least. if his father knew...that thought constantly lingers in the back of his mind while they're out here. haunting him. tormenting him as he struggles to grasp the respect for humanity kassy appears to have as she helps them search for the true culprit.

this war he feels inside leaves nicklas distracted and not fully focused on the hunt at hand, leaving him and his partner vulnerable when they bust through a potential lair for the vicious vampires. there's more than they were led to believe by one of kassy's frequent visitors at her club, but under kassy's ask, they're only here for a certain few. the ones responsible for the senseless killing. again, it goes against everything nick has been taught to leave even a single vampire untouched. & it's how he ends up forcefully knocked against a brick wall instead of beheading the vampire that comes at him.

the dingey space is quiet when nick comes to, only nates worried rambles filling his ears beyond the distant ringing. "the fuck..." his hand rose to hold his head, groaning as he stretched out a hand to nate as his partner helped ease him back onto his feet. "i fuckin' told you doin' this hunt, like this, was gonna be dangerous," nick groaned grumpily at nate before he bent down for his weapon, eyes looking for their supposedly friendly vampire. "you got something to say for that one?" he asked, clearly unamused at a vampire getting the drop on him all because he's playing by her stupid rules that are going to get him killed.

his stomach muscles tightened as kassy sauntered closer to him, his crystal hues narrowing down at her the closer she came. they've been dealt with for their mistakes in attacking you, she vaguely offered as nick scoffed, shaking his head at her. "what are you---...?" his eyebrows drew together as his grip tensed around the machete he held, though so far, despite her nature...kassy hasn't given him a single reason not to trust her. as her hand rose toward his face, nick remained stone, staring at her as her finger swiped underneath a tender spot on his temple. as she pulled her hand away, he saw the blood on her fingertips, and his free hand quickly lifted, touching at the sore cut. "courtesy of your kind," he glared.

her lips tutted as those deep wine-coloured eyes met his. but something stirred in him, staring at the vampire as she brought her fingers to her lips, his gaze falling from hers to watch as her tongue swiped along to lick his blood from her fingertips. his jaw tightened, body flushing hot. mmm, delicious, she complimented as his crystal hues then lifted to her eyes, flexing his hand around the handle of his blade before he cleared his throat. "i wouldn't get used to it if i were you." he then volleyed back after regaining his composure.

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #4

Azrael: Agent of the Bat, #56-57 written by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Roger Robinson

Last Time we had an issue with not much to say about Cass specifically, other than that she had a cute moment with Azrael. I mentioned it was a shame she didn't have more interaction with him in her own series, but in the /early/ early days, before her series even started, she did show up in Azrael's book a few times. I also said Jean-Paul had largely moved past his edge-lord roots, but while he's less edgy than in the Knightfall/Knightsend period his gimmick is still more edge-lordy than I remembered.

Cass did appear in some other books between these two issues, but these together make up a single story, and I have more or less the same things to say about Cass's appearance in both, so we're going to lump them together.

Anywhere, there's our girl. As usual, her costume's cool and spooky.

As I've already gone on about elsewhere at length though, without Scott's habit of cheating by just drawing Cass's eyes and facial expressions through it, the fully covering mask renders Cass faceless and expressionless. Combine that with her inability to speak and many comic artists lacking Scott's skill at conveying emotion through body language - instead going for these relatively stock poses... and yeah. It's not that this art is bad or anything, it's perfectly serviceable comic book art and writing. But Cass's character design and gimmicks just don't play well in that context, which was a problem with those elements of her concept.

Anyway, grumpy ole' Batman wants Azrael and Cass to take out some crime guy, Nick Scratch, who has supply stashes of guns, ammunition, and medical supplies. Fair enough. Dr. Thompkins wants them to do it without hurting anyone, but she usually doesn't get her way in these books. Iirc Thompkins is a DCAU original who got transplanted into the main comic continuity, along with fan favorite Harley Quin, Mr. Freeze's sympathetic backstory, etc. So much good material came from the Bruce Tim animated show.

Jean explains his gimmick to Cass, who kind of non-reacts to it. But I had kind of forgotten what his deal was at this point, so I guess that's convenient. Jean was raised/indoctrinated by a crazy assassin cult… actually there's some almost sorta parallels with Cass - though much closer to what her backstory would become post reboot. It's almost like there was some thought put into teaming these two particular bat folks up, at least a little. Shame they're not really taking advantage of that with their silent shadow depiction of our girl. Anyway, due to brainwashing Jean fights good but isn't very nice when he wears his costume.

They head to Scratch's place, Cass knocking out the guard out front so Jean can get in without putting on his suit, but then she kind of disappears from the rest of the issue.

The crime guy turns out to be ridiculous. And we're supposed to believe this guy gathered a cult of like hundreds of people. And they're not just here for the guns and medicine?

What are you idiots talking about, Nick Scratch is a bigger clown than the local supervillain who is a literal clown.

Jean-Paul gets recognized by a mook he and Cass beat up earlier in the issue, and part one ends here without Cass showing back up.

...

Issue 57 picks back up with Valley tricking Scratch into not killing him right away, instead killing him at a gathering the next day in public, and, importantly for Jean-Paul's gimmick, in costume.

Anyway, that night Cass reappears, steals most of Scratch's guns without being seen, goes to free Jean-Paul but he tells her to wait. The next day Scratch puts him in his costume, tries to get his followers to stone him since they're now out of guns, but Azrael's in costume now so he dodges the bricks and busts out of his bindings. Batgirl appears to beat up the few armed guards that are left while Azrael beats up Scratch and the book ends with them getting the med supplies to Dr. Thompkins.

All fine and good and standard, not too much to say about the issue overall, other than…

Some of these faces are AMAZING.

As for Cass...

Having Cass disarm the gang without being noticed was a nice touch, but in terms of our Girl she's pretty much playing the silent ninja trope, basically Batman's enforcer on the scene. In this book she's an extension of Bruce's will, keeping tabs on Valley and the Scratch situation alike. Her stealth and combat ability gets highlighted - some of her action panels are pretty great.

The problem is that she doesn't really come across as much of a character in her own right. Cassandra the teenage girl - sometimes goofy, sometimes defiant, sometimes unsure - just isn't here.

And speaking of unsure - why is she Batman's enforcer, when Bruce himself has known her for like a day? Even having saved Gordon, even with Barbara's endorsement, Batman should be keeping a close eye on her at this point, not trusting her to keep an eye on others. It doesn't help that the way the artist draws her she looks more like an adult rather than a teenager. Too tall, insufficiently gangly. More Bat-woman than Bat-Girl, as though it were still Helena in the costume rather than Cass. It comes down to generic comic book 'this is how I draw woman' stuff - not awful by those low standards, certainly not for the 90s, but lacking in individuality and expression. We're going to see much worse before we get to her solo title, though, so maybe I shouldn't be complaining here.

Again, though, as I've said too many times now, this is not primarily the fault of the A:AotB creatives. Cass's costume design was neat conceptually, and fire in Scott's hands, but fails to get her character and emotions across in the hands and styles of most other artists. In a collaborative/studio/factory format like mainstream superhero books where characters are going to show up in other titles by other creative teams, if a design only works in the hands of one particular artist then it needs another revision. Likewise for the silent protagonist gimmick.

The fact that Cass worked so much worse as a guest in other books may have contributed to her relative lack of crossover appearances compared to other bat characters, which may in turn have led to the eventual editorial decision to turn her into a villain, to see if she might have broader utility as a character that way, and that's the decision that ruined her character for so long.

But that's getting way ahead of ourselves.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Waxahatchee Album Review: Tigers Blood

(ANTI-); Album art credit: Molly Matalon

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On Tigers Blood, Waxahatchee's long-awaited follow-up to 2020's career-best Saint Cloud, Katie Crutchfield trusts her gut and doubles down on the styles of music she grew up listening to. Written while on tour in 2022, during which Waxahatchee opened for many of her musical heroes like Lucinda Williams, Sheryl Crow, and Jason Isbell, Tigers Blood is an album at ease with general unease. Saint Cloud was the first album Crutchfield wrote newly sober and in love with her current partner Kevin Morby, and it glowed. Tigers Blood, then, sees her fully entering a new phase, channeling life's trials and tribulations into poetry, finding new ways to appreciate old things.

Perhaps it's hindsight, but "Right Back to It", the lead single from Tigers Blood, exemplifies what the album does best. Crutchfield considers it the first love song she's ever written, and it's one of her strongest, both in terms of vocal delivery and lyricism. She's able to subvert traditional rhyme schemes by unexpectedly bending syllables, packing in just as many words as emotional punches when setting the scene. "Photograph of us / in a spotlight / on a hot night / I was drifting in and out / Reticent on the off chant / I'm blunter than a bullseye / Begging for peace of mind," she sings over Phil Cook's circular banjo and Spencer Tweedy's gentle drums. The chorus, then, is simply classic, a paean to rediscovering intimacy in a relationship. "I've been yours for so long / We come right back to it," Crutchfield sings in harmony with guitarist MJ Lenderman, her coo in perfect contrast with his nasal twang. "But you just settle in / Like a song with no end," they continue. That many of the songs on Tigers Blood employ a certain breeze, free of time and place, is a feature, not a bug.

More than ever, Waxahatchee's songs are easy to sing along to; despite complex turns of phrase, Crutchfield keeps her words metaphorical enough to stand out, abstract enough to be relatable, direct enough to be iconic. The qualities, in conjunction with her and her backing band's performance, lead to some breathtaking moments. "You drive like you're wanted in four states / In a busted truck in Opelika," she sings over Tweedy's drum roll on the rolling "3 Sisters", right before the song's forbearing beat drops. On "Bored", she belts the song's chorus--"I can get along / My spine’s a rotted two by four / Barely hanging on / My benevolence just hits the floor / I get bored"--alongside Lenderman's sharp riffs, Tweedy's pummeling drums, and Nick Bockrath's wincing pedal steel. In context of the song's inspiration--a friendship that ended badly--Crutchfield's admissions hit harder. "Lone Star Lake", meanwhile, has no chorus: It just choogles along between verses as Crutchfield reflects on her faults with wry humor: "Shirk every rule of thumb / I got more where that came from."

Crutchfield's voice, too, has never been more expressive. For every song like "Right Back To It" or "Crimes of the Heart", where her flow is deft enough to rival your favorite rapper's, there's a song like "Crowbar", where she stretches out "I" into so many syllables you can feel the shaking vulnerability. "365", a song about codependency and addiction, places her falsetto high in the mix, emphasizing her susceptibility: "I catch your poison arrow / I catch your same disease / Bow like a weeping willow / Buckling at the knees." Fittingly, Tigers Blood ends with everybody in the recording studio--even assistant engineer Natalia Chernitsky--singing the chorus, suggestive of the universality of Crutchfield's prose. Ultimately, she knows that there's strength in numbers. When she tries to take shortcuts alone, the chickens come home to roost. "Throw a brick through the window, leave your mess at my door," she sings on "Tigers Blood", "Lord knows sooner or later it'd wash up to shore." Tigers Blood lays it all bare.

[playedbetter]

@ko3ak randomly got thrown out of the club.

Nick couldn't stand the new techno music that clubs played these days, he missed the music of his youth that didn't give him a freaking headache. The back alley provided some respite as he smoked a cigarette and waited for the place to shut down for the night so he could get his work done.

Distantly, beyond the backdoor, there was shouting. The thickness of the fire kept him from making out the words, but it was easy to say it was some kind of fight.

The door getting busted open and since 30 something blonde guy getting shoved out into the alleyway confirmed as much.

Sokol could see him leaned against the brick wall. Nick was a seemingly white man with black hair, late 40s to early 50s, and dressed like an office worker off shift in a white button up and black pants.

He greeted the man, in a fashion. "Management here is a joke, huh?"

[falloutstasis]

Charlton Hotel

There was a circle shaped table outside the doors of the Charlton Hotel, near two flag poles, and an oak tree that's seen better days. Below the table were bricks that acted as a platform for the table, along side five chairs around it.

It was another morning like any other and people were passing and going, either to grab a room, hang out in the café to get some breakfast, or someone who was working for Venessa, helping out with buildings that either need repairs or built.

A certain song was being heard throughout the Charlton Hotel, in and out, from the two speakers on the roof to the entrance. A certain expect sniper, by the name Robert MacCready was sitting in a chair, his hand jamming out to the beat of the song, his sniper hung on his back.

A scythe wilding ghoul was singing along. "I must've dreamed a thousand dreams. Been haunted by a million screams."

"But I can hear the marching feet. They're moving into the street." MacCready sang, right after.

As they were singing and jamming to the song, Venessa stood there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She was on the verge of laughing.

She didn't think the two would notice her watching them goofing off until she'll call out their names.

People sometimes join in the singing then leave, others would pass by either smiling at the two or just laughing at the scene. At some point, Danse just shock his head and continued to help fix the swimming pool area.

After about a few minutes, it was time for Venessa to stop the fun they were having and stop them singing anymore songs they might came across to hear. Normally she'll wait until they were done, but there was a matter she needed to discuss with Kelsey.

"Hey, Kels!"

Both Kelsey and MacCready stop as the song went on, the pair of eyes staring at the Mayor of Charlton.

Venessa pointed at Hancock, who waved at the two. "I need you for another job!"

She nodded and looked at MacCready. "Alright, Mac. I'll see you later."

He grinned at her. "See ya." He held out his fist, causing Kelsey to collide with hers.

Kelsey jumped over the table, landed on her feet to go and meet with Venessa again. "What's up?"

"I need you to go over to Boston at Diamond City to help a friend of mine. His name is Nick Valentine."

It was 3 years since she went back to Boston and these were usually for Railroad missions. She never really got to visit the major places in Boston. A lot has changed since then and I'll be a nice change of pace to go back there again.

"Nick is a detective there and a good one. He had someone by the name Nora bail him out from a Vault once. You remember her, right?"

Kelsey smiled at the familiar name. Nora, aka Fixer in the Railroad. "Of course I do."

"Maybe you see her on your way. Anyway, he needs help with a case and I want you to be there. When you're done, you'll be paid 2000 caps."

She couldn't believe her ghoul ears. "W-Wait, your offering me 2000 caps? Is this job that important? What's this case about?"

Venessa nodded, getting a little bit serious. "Yeah. It's important enough that the people at Goodneighbor are going missing in their homes. From what Nick's told from the Mayor himself that the doors were busted down, the belongs are trashed, no sign of the home owners. This job is gonna take a while."

Quest Start - To dream and differ from the hollow lies

□ Go to Diamond City to meet with Nick Valentine to talk about the case.

Goodneighbor. She has heard about Goodneighbor from Deacon a few times. Very rough around the edges, a little tough to handle if you're living there, but other wise a pretty decent place to live.

"Alright, I'll head out there. I'm going to get my things ready and I'll head out."

Venessa smiled. "Alright, stay safe."

Kelsey entered the hotel and went to her room to get her things for jobs like this. Her supplies, hang back, Plasma Rifle, her main weapon, the Duality scythe, everything she need for this job.

When she was done, she dusted off her clothes with her hands for a bit and headed on out of the hotel. There she meet with MacCready again at the entrance.

"Hey, Kels. You're heading to Boston right?" MacCready asked.

"Yeah. Why you ask?"

"I got to get there anyway. I've been away from Nora and my sons for three weeks now and I'm getting homesick."

"Oh that's nice-" It took one moment to quickly turn to MacCready. "Wait a second. Did you and Nora married or something?"

Charlton, Massachusetts

As they left the gates and waving goodbye to Cooper, MacCready sheepishly responded, "I forgot to tell you, but yeah, we got married. We settled down at Concord with our sons."

"That's nice." She finished.

She was actually really excited to be going to Boston. If she can or could, maybe she'll see Deacon again in the Switchboard HQ. He's already shown her where the location is when she joined the Railroad as well as going to new places. However, as she was getting herself excited to go back to Boston, she realized one important thing.

"Wait a minute." She stopped in her tracks, making MacCready stop as well.

"What?"

"Aren't Ghouls not allowed in Diamond City?"

"Oh, Ghouls are allowed in Diamond City now. Actually, because of the new Mayor. I think her name was Jade Moore. She's really strict and all, but she's way better than whoever the previous mayor was."

She never knew who the previous mayor was, but she only knew this information through Deacon.

"Just be careful though." MacCready said, he continued walking with Kelsey following him. "Even though Ghouls are allowed in Diamond City, security is very tight. Somehow Mayor Moore fit more security and guards here, so she's not taking any chances on anyone. Even with the Institute is gone."

[grimroninreviews]

tana talk 4 by benny the butcher review:

1. johnny p’s caddy w/ j cole (9/10)

2. back 2x w/ stove god cooks (10/10)

3. super plug (7/10)

4. weekends in the perry’s w/ boldy james (7/10)

5. 10 more commandments w/ diddy (7/10)

6. tyson vs ali w/ conway the machine (6/10)

7. uncle ben w/ 38 spesh (7/10)

8. thowy’s revenge (7/10)

9. billy joe (9/10)

10. guerrero w/ westside gunn (10/10)

11. bust a brick nick (7/10)

12. mr. chow hall (7/10)

ranking: B+ tier

a great mixtape from benny the butcher

if you like: cozz, boldy james, smoke dza, spillage village, westside gunn, conway the machine,

[strictlyhiphopmedia]

Benny The Butcher Hits The Desert For New Video "Bust A Brick Nick"

Benny The Butcher continues to promote Tana Talk 4 with new video to "Bust A Brick Nick".

   Griselda/BSF rapper Benny The Butcher puts the cold Buffalo streets behind him and heads out to the desert for his brand new video “Bust A Brick Nick.”   The new clip directed by Kat, Tony Deniro, and Blu finds the rapper somewhere in the southwest cruising around the cactus-filled expanse in his Aston Martin. Throughout the video, we also find shots of Benny showing off the fruits of his…

[hiddles-and-skittles]

Home, James

Pairing: Bucky x fem!reader

Word Count: 1,086

Summary: Sam and Bucky finally return home after a mission, but Bucky is stubborn about getting the help he needs for his ailments from an expert. He always chooses you.

Warnings: mutual pining/mutual idiots, mentions of injury but it's not graphic, honestly can't think of anything else but feel free to let me know!

Notes: Another self-indulgent piece lol. I liked the idea of Bucky intentionally getting hurt on a mission but refusing to go to a hospital because he'd rather you heal him. This has been sitting in my drafts for a while so I thought I’d just go ahead and post it.

______________

Two missions, back to back. It was happening more often lately, much to your dismay.  

The boys had been away for almost a month this time and while you enjoyed your solitude, it was getting rather lonely without Sam and Bucky bantering in the background.  

And okay, maybe it was lonelier without Bucky.  

You absolutely had a crush on your roommate that you and Sam adopted in. But if anything, he only saw you as a sister. Sam teased you relentlessly about liking him every time you denied it because you knew nothing would come of it, so why get your hopes up? Bucky was wonderful in every sense of the way, and even if he didn’t feel the same about you, you’d make damn sure to prove to him just how amazing he was. Even if it cost the entirety of your crushed heart.  

You are currently tucked into the living room sofa, sipping hot chocolate and watching reruns of Supernatural. Bobby drops his infamous one worded line of “Balls!” when your apartment door swings open to reveal to your two very sweaty, very exhausted roommates.    

You set your mug down and excitedly leap from your spot to greet them. Sam is all but dragging his feet across the floor and Bucky has a slight limp, but he straightens up when he notices you looking at him. “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad y’all are home!” you shut the door behind Bucky, who slumps back against it. “You guys okay? Either of you need any stitches?”  

“Well,” Sam starts. “I’m mostly intact. But I Robot over there? He’s worse than me, he just won’t say it out loud.” He discards his duffel bag next to the couch, flopping down onto it before getting comfortable.  

Bucky listlessly shoves himself away from the door. “I’m fine,” he growls, glaring at Sam. The thick tension between the duo makes it clear that they’ve been stuck together for far too long. He makes his way towards the refrigerator to probably look for a beer, but angrily slams the door back when he sees there isn’t any.  

You sigh. “Come on, Bucky, let me see.” He leans onto the table with his hands, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Slowly you walk over to him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. You peer up at him earnestly. “Please show me?”  

*

You’re somewhat ungrateful for the bathroom light revealing the bloodied black eye that Bucky has. A freshly scabbed over cut trails from beneath his right clavicle and underneath his layers of clothing-how he constantly wears so many still manages to bewilder you. “Jesus Bucky, why do you always do this? You’re hurt! I swear I don’t know what to do with you.” You start to tug the hem of his shirt up to make him remove it when he grabs your wrist to stop you.

“’s okay. Nothing’s bleedin.’” Your eyes meet his. You don’t want to imagine how many bruises are littered across the super soldier’s torso.

“Except for that,” you gesture towards the purple ring around his eye that started oozing blood and water you don’t know how long ago. He winces as he adjusts himself, and you gather the supplies needed to treat his wound. “Seriously, Buck, you do this every time,” you fret while ringing out a rag that you’ve dampened with warm water. “Please take care of yourself. I’m not a nurse by any means; I only know a little from what Sam’s taught me. So if you happen to come home in pieces after a rough mission, I won’t be able to stitch you back together.” He twiddles his thumbs while peering up at you expectantly and you hook your index finger under his chin to stabilize your movements.

You don’t know.  

He doesn’t care how inexperienced you are about treating wounds. He doesn’t care. He almost counts on getting a nick or cut just so you’ll react the way you’re reacting right now, tenderly caressing him and making his heart flutter. He insists to Sam after every mission that he’s fine when they both know he isn’t because he knows that you’ll tend to him. Always. He doubts any random nurse would ever treat him the way you do and he’s reluctant to find out. You take your time with him, checking him over to see if there’s a wound he’s fibbed about, trying to appear tougher to you is what you think.  

And oh, there it is.  

That hesitant touch of yours that’s grown confident the more he’s sat before you with that kicked puppy look. You dab onto the surface of the scrape and he nudges into your palm so subtly you barely catch it. His eyes close as he exhales, finally allowing himself to relax into the familiarity. You face the sink once more after you disinfect him, washing your hands a good while to get all the blood off. Bucky breaks the silence. “You’re like the housewife I never got to have.”

You snort out a short laugh at his admission, ringing out the rag for a second time. “Don’t call me a housewife.”

“You cook, clean-”  

“-I work a mean microwave,” you interrupt, smiling. “Who else is gonna clean up the mud you drag in with you?”  

“-you patch us up,” he continues, seeming agitated.

“When I have to. But Bucky, I swear you do this on purpose,” you teasingly raise an eyebrow at him.

“You make me feel right at home,” he blurts impatiently.  

“Ha!” you lay the rag over the ledge of the sink to air dry. “Sure I do.” Bucky doesn’t respond so you take a chance to glance down at him, not realizing the sincerity behind his words. “You’re...not joking.” He shies away, a bit of blush sneaking up his neck.  

All the times you’ve both ended up in this position, with Bucky sitting either on the side of the tub or the lid of the toilet, gazing up at you and anticipating your mild scolding, your attentive touches...everything. You only joked half-heartedly when you’d said he did this on purpose, but the more you think about this, in retrospect, you believe it’s true. The realization hits you like a ton of bricks.

“Well, in that case...” you bend down to cradle his bruised cheeks in your hands, running your thumbs along his cheekbones. The second his pleading eyes meet yours, you press a tender kiss to his busted lips. 

“...welcome home, James.”

[thefanbasewhore]

Safe Haven.

Summary: [prompt from the list a reblogged “Breath with me yeah? Come on. Breathe. You got it - there you go.” Reader finally convinces Din to let her go come on a bounty after being shot months ago but at the first sign of danger, she realizes she wasn’t ready.

Warning/Content: soo much soft Din, like ya’ll man is in LOVE, blasters, major panic attack, prior injury. Comforting Din is a sweet angel. 

Paring: Din Djarin/Female Reader

Tag list. || Master list. 

Din’s eyes feel hot, intense even through the shield of beskar that is definitely hiding the way his face pinches, unamused as thick arms fold across his chest. His stance stops you from pulling the laces of your boots tight, dropping your foot from the bunk completely as he walks close, biting the inside of your cheek, knowing exactly what backlash is coming. “I thought we talked about this.”

“It’ been months. I can’t take one more minute in this ship.” His hesitance comes with reasoning, months ago after experiencing the blinding, gut wrenching feeling of loosing the person you love the most, he was paranoid. At one time he used to embrace danger, welcome it with open arms but now he finds himself staying clear of any planet he hears rumors about in cantinas, engages emergency protocols on the ship to secure no one can get in.. but with every growing day, the walls seem to be moving, growing closer and closer until you can’t take it. More as if Din is trying to keep you in. It’s suffocating. 

It’s not his fault, every time his eyes fall to the small welted scar against your lower neck it brings him back to holding his hand against it as blood squirts from the nick, screaming and yelling as droopy eyelids finally close. He knows it’s unfair, he’s selfish but will never, ever see you like that again. Helpless, lifeless in his arms as blood mats his own skin. It happened months ago but the pain if just too fresh.

“Sweetheart you -.”

“Stop.” It’s unamused, chest letting go of a big sigh as you give into his words, not really sure how many more times you can hear them. It’s either along the lines of “I want you safe,” or “Next time baby.” It’s only to put himself at ease, keep peace in the Crest and honestly you don’t quiet understand, you’re healed, left with an ugly scar that still swells, ripped skin binding purple but none the less okay.

There is no escape from it, his willingness to protect the ones he loves until the day he dies and unapologetically will do so, no matter how angry you get with him, scowl and side eye him. You know you shouldn’t be frustrated with him, but can’t help as teeth bite nervously on the fat of your lip, slightly red from the outburst. Starting to turn but not before orange tipped gloves move the loose strand of hair behind your ear, fingers press against the smooth skin of where your jaw and cheek meet, nimbly sliding until his thumb and pointer pinch your chin. It’s gentle, a small amount of pressure applied under the chin to catch what would be the excuse this time, the apology and the cute pet name that makes your knees week. He’s between your legs, the close proximity used to make his words meaningful, but the way his other hand reaches down to your thigh to catch your attention makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.  

It surprises you, with a sharp turn of your head see him tilt his head towards the ramp, a silent but meaningful gesture. It’s sweet, the smile that reaches eyes, crinkling as you meet his eyes with joyous bulbs. “Really?”

With one singular nod, you’re slipping past him. The smell of outside is so breath taking, of course Din didn’t keep you locked in here, you were allowed outside but never too far from the crest but this, this adventure was what made all those months of being here all by yourself while Din sought bounty after bounty worth it. It’s like a baby foul learning to walk, free and spreading your legs away from the metal piece of junk. It was so close, the tree line visible, a thick fog sits on the outskirts of it, the smell dewy and grassy - you’re almost there, a few more steps and you’ll feel the grass squish under boots but not before Din is pulling you back into the crest with a hand that finds your bicep.

“Din!” You whine but the Mandalorian doesn’t seem to care much, only sits you down in the exact spot as before with a huff. His sinks to his knees, orange fingertips mixing with the black lace of the boots you neglected to tie before, when he’s done he presses his hand to his own knee, staring right back at your own reflection as he tilts his head.

“I have some rules.” You huff back, arms stretch across your chest, noticing the way the swells of your breast pushing up momentarily freeze the Mandalorian in front of you but he breaks his gaze, stern as ever. “If anything goes wrong you come right back here.”

There’s something be pressed against your lower thigh as he lays the heavy blaster down onto your lap, urging it forward to take but not before switching the safety on. “Only for emergencies, I do the shooting if need be. This is the safety sw -.”

“I know what the safety switch is, Din.” Clearly unamused as his fingers tighten around your knee cap as he rolls his eyes but that soon changes as he slides his hand down the outside of your thigh, giving it a small squeeze. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise, there’s no need to worry.”

“I have every reason to be worried.” Din argues as your hand slips over his own squeezing it reassuringly your other hand finds the bare patch of skin between where the his helmet and tunic separate to twirl the soft ends of his hair with fingertips. His own reaching up the feel the puffiness of the scar on your neck, a reminder to what is really at stake here. 

“It won’t happen again.”

Din wants to believe that, wants to trust that he can be enough to protect you but it’s hard when he still sees it in his dreams, feels the blood beneath his fingers and remembers just how lifeless you looked that day.  “You don’t know that..”

Before anymore words can be said, anymore thoughts can creep up and make him change his mind small hands lift the helmet, just enough to reveal his moustache and press a soft, meaningful kiss against his lips. It’s unexpected, mouth open for the majority of the kiss but meeting yours at the last second, it’s almost painful to not experience what was intended.  “I’ll be fine, my love.”

He does not like it, not one bit. Din is not a soft man. He’s kind, cares a little too much about those he loves. He’s passionate, fun, smart and kind but in moments like these he feels like slipping out of the beskar for good, leaving it all behind to spent everyday like this, so wrapped up in each other that the world is forgotten but the red flashing that beeps from his belt reminds him it’s not possible. 

A man of few words as he stands, towers over your sitting figure but none the less extends a hand towards you, gladly accepting his offer as he feels your finger fill the gaps between his own as he pulls you along. The first step of freedom is a relief, a small sigh falling from your lips but the burning gaze you felt has you turning you head to meet his own but he doesn’t say anything, not even when your eyebrows raise in question. 

“Come on pretty girl, not much longer it will be dark.”

***

The Mandalorian is patient with you, allowing small detours only because of how beautiful the planet really is. The vibrant oranges and mixes of purple flowers catch your attention more then he would like but watch your smile and pull him towards the direction of the fields is so serene he can’t even remind the task at hand, all of it seems to disappear, the thought is how pretty your skin looks when the sun touches it, how light your eyes shin against the sun, wants to count every little crystal inside your deep orbs. 

The fob does that, it beeps but you don’t seem to care as your fingers press against the hard cracks of the tree, feeling the growth of decades under finger tips, taking a deep breath with an even bigger smile as the small animal hops towards your direction but the sound of heavy boots at your every turn, so close behind you he’s practically attached at the hip scare it away. 

“The bunny!” You frown, creating as much distance as possible between the Mandalorian in hopes that the white, fluffy animal will come back. 

A hand tugs on your own, turning to face the source but he doesn't move, sinks his fingers deeper into your skin, bringing you forward until he's almost pressed chest to chest with you. "What is it Din?”

"Nothing.." It’s vague, almost awkward until he’s reaching forward, flushing his metal covered forehead against your own, the cool of the beskar feels nice compared to the sun that taunts your skin. His voice falters, unsure as word slip from past his lips. “It’s not too late to go back, we can go a different day.”

“Why for you can just leave in the middle of the night without me?” You can’t see his expression but by the way his shoulders drop, head slightly tilts to avoid has you almost feeling guilty.

He doesn’t ask again, presses soft gloves to squeeze your waist, it’s gentle and fast, just enough to let you know he understands, that he’s sorry for even asking before facing the opposite direction but this time he doesn’t give you the chance to explore or look, he continues on, tugging you by your hand if you in any way get distracted by the pretty flowers and small animals. 

When you do finally arrive at where the bounty is supposedly hiding you look at Din with raised eyebrows, as he crouches down next to you, hidden by the tree line. He would answer but the bright, flashing red gives it away. By the look of this place, it’s empty, an old run down town that is clearly owned by the forest. The trees have started to grow around it, leafy vines cover the bricks, a thick layer of moss that hasn’t been touched in years. All the windows are busted, either by the trees that grew into them or the many years of abandonment. The soft breeze howls through the edges of broken glass, it’s a little off putting, the haunting feel that seeps into the pits of your stomach, nervous but the silence is eerie, it’s too quiet, something isn’t right. The boarded doors with a exception of a few split down the middle were pale in color due to ears of weathering. 

“Stay behind me.” Before the words can even touch your ears he’s leaving the camouflage of the trees making you stumble behind until you reach the center of the lonely town, you’re not even in three feet of him when he suddenly stops. Catching you off guard, walking right into his towering figure with a small huff as you face plant into his backplate. 

“Why did -.” The words don’t even make it out before his gloves press against your mouth, muffling the soft noise you make upon impact. His eyes search around the rattling building as another gush of wind raised goosebumps against your bare arms. Ears alert, seeking the crunching of dirt from the heavy, unexperienced shoes that didn’t belong to you. 

“What is it?” You mange to mumble as his hand starts to loosen but at that exact moment something hits the ground with such force it has both you and the Mandalorian’s heart jumping. 

“Shh!” But it’s too late, the red shot that whips past you comes before the loud echoing that burns your ears. It comes from the opposite tree line you hid behind but now seems miles away as the danger of blasters shooting past you. It’s almost instant as the Mandalorian tucks you into his chest, shielding you from the same direction as he pulls the blaster from the holster, extending it but there’s no one there. His arms stays wrapped around your shoulder, cheek against the cuirass as you squeeze your eyes shut but the other presses into the side of the helmet activating the heat sensors but it’s not until he’s pushing against your back urging you to the nearest building that you realize how dire the situation is.

“Go run!” It’s too late, rays from blasters hit the ground, dirt gathering in a cloud around you, burning your nose, eyes watering from irritation but allows for just enough cover to run, seeking protection into one of the eerie homes. The blasters follow in your and Din’s direction, hundreds of round miss instead they char the ground black and poke through the thin walls of the safe house as Din shoves you inside the threshold of it, flipping an old table over to use it as protection. Din never falters, using his own body to shield yours by pressing his back against the underside of the table, pulling you into his chest and wrapping his arms around your waist.

It’s suffocating but that’s not the reason your chest is burning or the fact that you ran so fast that even Din himself would be impressed. It’s the same reason to room spins, eyes blurring as something heavy crushes your chest, throat closing with squeezed eyes. You can’t think, can’t function properly only pushing away by placing two hands against his chest plate and pushing with all the strength you can manage as the blasters stop. Your own hands find your chest, trying to sooth the burn through the shirt, wild eyes filled with panic meet Din’s which are as equally concerned. 

He’s right there but so far away as you let out a panicked breath, a small wheeze whistles through your nose as your throat begins to close, spits sitting at the back of your mouth as you panic, unable to swallow, unable to move but like always he keeps you grounded. Large hands take your wrist, pressing them against his chest as he sits up on his knees to hold you from falling to the floor. Sliding down to gentle grasp your elbow, the other hand rubbing against your back with slow, precise movements. 

“Breath with me yeah? Come on -” Feeling his own chest slow under your palms to match a more appropriate rhythm for you to follow. The hand moves under your shirt, the bare skin of his hand with the glove thrown lazily onto the floor with more pressing matters at hand.  “You got it - there you go, that’s it.”

It’s frustrating, makes tears sting against your waterline as a choked breath finally expands your chest and makes Din release a soft sigh of relief. His fingers never leave the comfort of your skin, just pull you closer as another warning shot fires outside the building. It’s barely the time but he asks anyways. “You okay?”

Hands tremble against his chest but nod unsurely, hoping to convince him it really wasn’t that bad. False pain makes your neck throb, the scar tingle with the memory of searing pain, hot blood that rushed down your skin, the lightheadness that fell over you that day. There isn’t much time to believe you so instead he pushes himself up from the floor, hand never leaving yours as he drags you along the house. It looks worse inside, walls bare, wires pulled from behind them, the ceiling caved down and scattering the floor in some places but somehow you still manage as he pulls you into the kitchen. The back door is slightly open, the tree line is only feet away, there is no backyard just woods that seem to run for miles and an urging hand walking you towards the direction on the small of your back. 

“Go to the Crest, use the gun if you have to but I only heard one set of boots. He must have a machine gun. I’ll be there.” While is tone is stern, doesn’t leave room for argument you can’t help it.

“What about you?”

“I’ll distract him, just go!” 

***

While it was difficult to find the crest as you ripped through the thick ropes of the forest with watering eyes that impaired your sight, your feet never stopped moving through the thick foliage until they once again press into the comfort of the Crest but even there you couldn’t seem to catch your breath.

Hot tears rush down your cheeks as you lean against the create in the cargo bay, sliding down the length of it until you plop against the floor and pull your knees to your chest. You’re not sure how much time passes, but when the wetness of cheeks start to dry you begin to worry but can’t seem to move, glued to the floor while hysteria pulses against your neck, fingers reach to rub the rigged scar with a soft huff. 

You barely notice the boots that rub your shins, too stuck in your head as you look up to meet the Mandalorian’s tilted gaze. He sighs as he finds himself next to you, sharing the same create for support as he sits shoulder to shoulder with you. He doesn’t say anything like you expect him to, just offers his presence as comfort as his hand squeezes your own.

“You were right.” The barrier of silence finally breaks, head falling to his shoulder for support, for warmth, actually for any kind of comfort he brings. “I wasn’t ready, I heard the blasters and just, lost it.”

“You don’t have to say anything, it’s okay.”

“No, you were right. You always are. All the pain from that night came back, I...I felt like I was dying again.” Smooth fingers glide down your waist, squeezing gently as he pushing you onto his lap, helmet falling to the ground with little care as he urges your face into his neck. The smell of cleanness, his soap fills your entire being as his still bare hand finds it’s way under your shirt running soft, lazy patterns on the curvature of your spine.

Uncharacteristically, lips press against your own. Soft, gentle, filled with so many words he doesn’t know how to say instead he shows you, tilting his head for the bridge of his nose bumps your own, it’s lingering, savoring every minute against them. Foreheads pressed together as he murmurs against them, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise, sweet girl.”

For a second your mind stills, just feeling the fanning breath from his nose blow hot air against your lips. Just to press forward to feel the tickle of his moustache as his pout meets yours once again. Those lips are a safe haven and at this very moment have you trembling for security. 

tags:

 @victias @altarsw @coonflix @mudhornchronicles @buckysalefty @capsheadquarters @godohammers @ilikemymendarkandfictional @rogertaylorsfalsettogivemehives @maileecabudol @itsfangirlmendes @mermaidbrina @nikkixostan @moonlightnumbsthepainifeel @dinsbeskar @est19xxshit @owloveyounever @engie115

@nerdalert-andi

@impala1967666

@akatasukilove

[thebookreader12345]

Doctors in Danger

Pairing: Natalie Manning x Best Friend! reader (plus Crockett Marcel x reader)

Summary: Y/N and Natalie are kidnapped just before their shift at Chicago Med, so Will and Crockett work with the CPD to try and get them back

Requested: Yes, by anonymous

Warnings: slight swearing, mentions of injuries, blood, and guns

Word Count: 1,826 Words

Note: This takes place during Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 6, Who Should Be the Judge

Reverse Perspective Story Link Here

....................................

“All I’m saying is that he’s totally into you,” Natalie spoke as the two of us climbed out of her car. My car was in the shop this week, and since Natalie and I were best friends, and we had the same shifts, she agreed to drive me to and from work. But I was no regretting that decision because of the conversation it led to.

I rolled my eyes. “Crockett isn’t into me, Nat. And I’m not into him either.”

“You called him Crockett,” Natalie pointed out.

“Yeah. And?” I ask.

“You call all the guys by their last name. To you, Will is known as Halstead, and Ethan is known as Choi. So why don’t you call Crockett by his last name?” Natalie asked.

“You know, I think I hear Maggie calling us in the ED,” I interject to get out of the conversation.

“No no no. You are not getting out of this,” Natalie stated. Just before she could say another word, a middle aged man ran up to us. I should also probably note that his hands were covered in blood, and there was also some of the red substance staining his dark gray hoodie.

“Help! Help, please!” the man begged. 

“Sir, what's going on?” I quiz. 

“My wife. She's in labor. She's bleeding real bad,” the man replied and started walking off. Natalie and I glanced at each other, and both of us shared the same look. With that, we followed after that man, who led us down an alley and over to a big blue van. The front of the car was pretty busted, making me believe there had to have been a car crash that took place. 

"Were you in an accident?” I ask. The man nodded, not giving me any more information. As I neared the van, I started getting nervous. Something didn’t seem right.

“Did she have problems with her pregnancy before today?” Natalie questioned. 

“I’m not sure,” the man responded curtly. When we reached the back of the van, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I got the feeling that something bad was about to happen, and my fears came true when the man opened up the back of the van to reveal another guy whose leg was bleeding badly, and he had a gun pointed at us. I turned around to see if Nat and I could run away, but the man from earlier was blocking the exit, and he also had a gun aimed at us. “Give me your phones, and get in,” the man demanded.

“W-what?” I stammer out.

“Give me your phones and get in the van!” the man ordered again. This time I didn’t hesitate, and once I handed the uninjured man my phone, I climbed into the back of the van. Natalie climbed in seconds later with the door shutting behind her, and the unharmed man jumped in the driver’s seat, revving the engine. And with that, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

......................................

“Well, since we’re going to be here for what looks like a long time, can we at least know your names?” I ask.

“My name’s Jim,” the driver greeted. “And that’s my brother Tyler, so you better not let him die.” I sighed and turned to Natalie, who was holding pressure to Tyler’s leg, but by the looks of it, he was still bleeding pretty badly.

“Shit,” I curse upon further examination of the wound. “He nicked his femoral vein. Jim, we need a surgeon for this.”

“Well we’re not going to a hospital, so you’ll just have to make due,” Jim retorted.

“Y/N, you work with Crockett a lot. You’ve seen enough traumas to last a life time. You’ve got this,” Natalie assured me.

I nodded and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Hand me that paint brush.” Natalie handed me the paint brush that was lying around, and with a loose piece of fabric, I tied it to Tyler’s leg, forming a tight tourniquet. “Okay, you won’t take us to the hospital, but what about the pharmacy right down the road? We need supplies.” 

“The security's too tight there,” Tyler noted. “Is there still a gas station on Cermak, Jimmy?”

“Y-yeah,” Jim stuttered. “We’ll go there.” A few minutes later, Jim stopped the car in the parking lot of a gas station, and I turned to Natalie.

“All right, I need you to make sure his leg stays elevated,” I inform her. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. She comes with me. You stay here,” Jim commanded. 

“Listen, I know what to get,” I start, only to be cut off by Jim, who aimed his gun at Natalie.

“Cuff her,” Jim told Natalie and tossed her some handcuffs with his free hand. “Do it!” 

“Okay,” Natalie muttered and trapped one of my hands in the cuff. Before she could cuff my other hand, Jim stopped her. 

“No, no. Hands above her head. That bar,” Jim ordered and motioned to the bar above my head. Natalie nodded and followed his instructions, and seconds later, she exited the van with Jim, leaving me alone with Tyler. Minutes passed, and suddenly, Tyler lost consciousness just before Natalie and Jim got back into the van.

“What the hell did you do?” Jim asked me. 

“Nothing!” I argue. “He just passed out.” Natalie rubbed his fist along Tyler’s sternum, and just like that, he woke regained consciousness. 

"See? He's alive, okay? But his calf is rock solid. We need to move,” Natalie exclaimed. 

“I also need my hands to work,” I add. 

“Pull around the corner,” Tyler declared to his brother. Once we got parked, and I was uncuffed, I cleaned Tyler’s wound with alcohol, and Natalie stopped the bleeding with a blow torch. It wasn’t much, but it was all we could do at the moment. I thought that after we helped out Tyler, Jim would let us go, but I guess that wasn’t the case because Jim just kept driving. The car didn’t stop until we pulled into a driveway. Jim then parted ways and left us with Tyler, who forced us inside of a red brick house. In the living room, there was a younger man lying down in a bed with wires connected to him. He looked severely ill, and my guess was that he was dying.

“He's ill. Maybe we can help him,” I offer. 

Tyler shook his head. “You can't. Grab these chairs. Put them back to back and sit down.” 

“But we can help,” Natalie interrupted. 

“Just do it. Please,” Tyler pleaded. Natalie and I shared another look and followed his orders, placing the chairs back to back before sitting down. Tyler then cuffed our hands together and to our chairs so that neither of us could move. For awhile, Natalie and I just sat there, watching as Tyler spoke to his dying son. But finally, I heard sirens echoing outside, and I knew that help was here.

“Tyler, this is Detective Jay Halstead with the Chicago Police Department. We have you surrounded. I want you to come out the front door with your hands where we can see them. No one's going to shoot you unless they have to. I know you're with Natalie Manning and Y/N L/N. As an act of good faith, have them come out first. If you don’t do as we ask, we will breach the house,” Jay announced.

“Here. Uncuff her,” Tyler said and tossed me a pair of keys. I turned to the side and unlocked the handcuffs, freeing them from Natalie’s hand. “Okay, you can go.”

“Go,” I breathe out to Natalie.

“What? No. I’m not leaving you,” Natalie countered.

“Nat, please,” I beg. “Do as he says. I’ll be okay.” Natalie hesitated and didn’t move from her chair. “Natalie, I’m begging you. Get out of here.” Natalie paused again, but this time she listened and headed to the front door before disappearing outside. For a few seconds, Tyler and I sat in silence, but I finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry about your son,” I confess. “I didn’t know him at all, but I’m sure he didn’t deserve this. Hell, nobody does.” Tyler turned to me, his gun pointed at my head, and for a moment, I thought he was going to shoot me. However, he did quite the opposite.

“Go,” Tyler murmured and nodded towards the door. I uncuffed my hand, the handcuffs clattering to the floor, and stood up, making my way towards the exit. Just before I could get there, I turned around to find Tyler holding the gun at his head.

“No!” I cry out and rushed towards him, grabbing his hand that was holding the gun. A small scuffle then took place between the two of us, and it ended with one single gunshot.

.....................................

“Y/N!” Natalie sobbed and launched herself into my arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You had me worried.”

“I’m fine,” I assure her. “I promise.”

“Y/N!” another voice called out. I turned around just in time to be engulfed in a hug by the one and only Crockett Marcel. I melted into his embrace, glad to be in his arms. What Natalie had said earlier was true. I was into Crockett. He makes me feel different than Will and Ethan and all of the other guys I worked with do. He makes me feel special, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Crockett? What are you doing here?” I question.

“Will and I, we were helping the CPD look for you,” Crockett answered. “I couldn’t just sit around while you were off being kidnapped. The whole day I’ve been worried out of my mind, thinking that something bad had happened to you, and to see that you’re okay-”

I cut Crockett off by leaning up and smashing my lips to his. Crockett responded almost immediately, his lips attacking mine hungrily. Our bodies were pressed closer together than ever before, and for a few moments, the two of us expressed how we felt for each other through our kissing. Finally though, we pulled away from each other.

“I uh, I know this is kind of a weird ask, but would you maybe want to hear how Natalie and I saved a guy’s leg? Perhaps over drinks?” I ask.

Crockett smiled. “I would love to hear about that. Saved a guy’s leg, huh? I didn’t know you were a surgeon.”

“I learned from the best,” I admit and smile up at him. “Now, about those drinks...”

Crockett laughed softly. “Let me take you back to your place first so you can clean up. Then we can get drinks. I promise.” I leaned up and pressed a peck to Crockett’s lips.

“Great. Then lets get going. After today, I really need some alcohol,” I state. And with that, the two of us left the crime scene to go have our first official date.

_________________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @king-crockett​

[netflixandnudez]

b*tch come here I don’t skirt chase…

[sazc94]

Bad Idea, a Bucky Fanfic

A/N Sensitive themes including injury, smut and kidnapping/suggestions of abuse. 18+ Also I'm still new at this so any feedback is appreciated.

Requested by @lannycleave

Prologue Part 2

Words: 3153

Part 1

6 Months ago: NYC Avengers Tower.

You rocked up to the tower with a duffle bag, Natasha had text you to say they had a mission for you, and it would be a 3 day one so to bring clothes. You were an agent of S.H.E.I.L.D not an Avenger. That being said Sometimes when agents were needed you got to go along on their missions thanks to your Friendship with Miss Romanoff and America’s golden boy Steve Rogers. The rest of the time you were on your own missions or helping to train new recruits.

“Hey Y/N, long time no see, did Mr. Roboto scare you off” Joked Sam as he clapped you on your back. You weren’t as good as FitzSimmons when it came to tech, but you held your own, you’d recently helped Sam with some upgrades to Red Wing, that was when you’d been introduced to The Winter Soldier, Sargent Bucky Barnes. You couldn’t help but stare at him when you met him, he was just so, well hot to put it bluntly.

Of course, he had barely acknowledged your existence other than polite conversation before he got called away to a mission.

“Ha, if anyone was going to scare me off it would be you with your creepy obsession with red wing” you winked at Sam before taking a bite of the apple you had swiped from the fruit bowl. Before Sam even had chance to think of a comeback, Tony walked into the communal dining/living area, followed closely by Nat and Steve. Nat nodded her head in the direction of the small briefing room. “That’s my cue” you smiled at Sam before following along.

“Agent Y/N, good to see you again, as your aware we require your assistance for a mission, I’ve been given clearance from Commander Hill, and you come highly recommended from the team. I’ve seen you in action in the training rooms and you seem like a capable candidate,” Said Tony. Your eyebrows shot up, it appeared Tony was running point on this mission, not unusual for the Avengers sure, but all your previous missions with the Avengers had been overseen by Nick Fury or more recently Commander Hill.

“This mission is off the books, I got the intel from Morgan actually, we have reason to believe there is a small cartel family, trafficking young children to Hydra” Tony continued.

“Morgan noticed a new kid at school, acting suspicious, they reminded her of how Uncle Bucky, and Steve are when lifting heavy things” Said Steve. “Morgan said they joined her class out of know where, quietly slipping in as if they’d been in her class all along, then a week later, they stopped showing up.” Concluded Steve.

“So, why do you need me?” You asked. At that moment, the door to meeting room opened and in walked Bucky, he didn’t move to sit down instead pressing himself into the corner of at the back the room. “We need intel” Said Nat. “Basically we need someone who’s not recognizable like me, but is someone we trust, and Y/N if Steve and I trust you then that’s good enough for Tony”. She continued. “Intel, right I can do that, so what’s the plan and where am I going” you asked.

“We’re going to Boston” said Bucky, your eyebrows shot up, you had presumed you were going by yourself. “I may not be The Winter Soldier anymore, but I can still remember some hotspots for HYDRA activity and Boston is their most obvious choice as a few higher ups from HYDRA own property out there” he continued.

“Y/N, we know we are asking a lot of you here, but we trust Bucky to keep this under wraps and we trust you,” Said Tony.

So that was how you ended up in Boston in the middle of October in a small one-bedroom apartment with Mr. Bucky Barnes. There was a fold out couch which Bucky took and left you the bedroom. You had been given Three days to gather as much intel as possible before reporting back to Tony, Steve and Nat on day 4

. Day one had been a bust, you and Bucky had split off to follow separate trails, your paths meeting at the same spot where the trail had gone cold. Day two had gone much better, as your paths had already crossed once you both decided to work on the same lead. Stark had been on to something with the human trafficking, you tracked a lot of vehicle traffic coming into an old gym/leisure center.

Day 3 was when everything changed. You had agreed with Bucky that he would stay back at the apartment whilst you tried to get into the building, you couldn’t risk Bucky being discovered by Hydra and whilst you knew what intel you already had would be a huge lead for Nat and the rest you decided you had come this far you might as well try and see inside.

“You promise you’ll get out of there the second you feel like you’re in danger?” Bucky asked. “Stark might trust me to keep this under wraps but that doesn’t necessarily mean he trusts me and if anything happens to you, I’m sure he’ll find a way to blame me” Bucky said, his blue eyes flickered over with confliction and pain. Before this mission you hadn’t really had much interaction with Bucky, but you could tell he regretted his actions as The Winter Soldier. I put your hand on Bucky’s Vibrainium arm and smiled at him softly.

“ I solemnly swear that I am up to no good, but if I’m about to get caught I will high tail it out of there” you said. (Spoiler alert you didn’t)

“For Fucks Sake Y/N!” Bucky shouted slamming the apartment door shut behind him, he looked pissed, like really pissed. His usually clear blue eyes had thundered over, turning them a deeper shade of blue almost black.

You’d had every intention of getting out of the building if you felt you were in trouble, but then you’d gotten cocky thinking that this could lead to a promotion, even if the mission were off the books if Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were impressed with your work then that would mean something.

Unfortunately, this attitude had nearly cost you the mission. You had let your guard down and not only that you had actually fallen down. You had been creeping along a ledge outside what appeared to be a makeshift infirmary on the first floor. You head voices coming from two windows along and had inched further to try and get a clearer listen, however you hadn’t realized the brick was in poor condition and had already started to crumble away from the wall. T

hat was the moment you knew you’d fucked up because you went barreling down. Thankfully, there was a balcony to break your fall or else you’d have done some serious damage. You also hadn’t exactly been quiet as you fell down the face of the wall, so you didn’t exactly stick around, you snapped a few pictures of the building entrance from the balcony, hearing the voices around the building getting louder you decided to jump from the balcony to the ground floor and just hightail it out of there.

“I know, I know I fucked up” you bellowed. You were in pretty rough shape and you’d had to text Bucky 911 when you were a safe distance from the gym. “I let my guard down thinking I could get enough intel to finally get a promotion within S.H.E.I.L.D or at least get enough recognition to be considered for a position within Avengers” you continued.

The black turtleneck shirt you were wearing was starting to stick to your side. You headed to the bedroom desperate to get the top off. “I don’t need you telling me how badly I fucked up” you shouted slamming the bedroom door behind you.

“Fuck” you hissed, you were in pain and felt utterly humiliated. You pushed your palms into your eyes to stop yourself crying. With a deep breath you whipped of your shirt, deciding to treat it like a band aid and that ripping it of would be better than an agonizing slow peel.

You were bleeding, thankfully not an amount that would require medical attention but enough that you were going to have to put some gauze over it. You really didn’t want to ask Bucky for help so decided to be a martyr instead and clean yourself up in the mirror using the first aid supplies you had packed into your duffle bag.

Thirty minutes later you were admiring your handy work and the feeling pretty pleased with your hard work when Bucky knocked on the door, he didn’t wake for you to respond before opening the door. “Look Y/N I know…” Bucky’s voice trailed off as you stood there in your underwear, in your anger and rush you hadn’t locked the door.

Everything in that moment seemed to go in slow motion as you went to grab a jumper off the bed at the exact moment Bucky’s eyes trailed your body taking in all the scrapes, cuts and injuries on your body. He knew you’d been injured but not to this extent.

“Y/N…” Bucky’s clear blue eyes had thundered over again this time a mixture of anger, concern and (all though you didn’t know it) lust swirled in them. You went to pull your jumper over your head but before you could even pull it on over your arm’s Bucky had closed the distance between you, pinning you to the wall with one arm above your head and the other to your side. You felt your breath catch in your throat, even though he was clearly pissed you liked the feel of him pressed against you.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, I cleaned myself up and patched it up fine, we don’t need to tell Nat about it”, you said turning your head away from him, you were protecting your reputation as much as his. Bucky’s eyes softened, loosening the grip on your arms just a touch, you felt a delectable burning sensation where his pressure had eased.

You could feel yourself growing farm under Bucky’s gaze. You’d fantasized about a moment like this since you’d met him that day helping Sam out, sure you’d imagined it would have been under better circumstances and he would have also had less clothing on. Suddenly all you could think about was how much you wanted Bucky. Bucky seemed to sense the change in your demeanor as he gulped. His eyes met yours.

“We shouldn’t… we really shouldn’t” he said his voice coming out at barely a whisper. “Oh, but we should” you said a sly grin on your face. Before Bucky even had time to respond you were kissing him. Bucky’s lips parted slightly welcoming your kiss, deepening it as your tongues crashed against each other.

Bucky released the grip on your arms as his hands danced their way down your body, the contrast between the cool metal arm dragging down your right side to the way his right arm left a blazing trail down your left side. Bucky crushed himself against you as your fingers tangled in his brown hair. You couldn’t help but moan as you felt Bucky’s hard cock pressed against you restricted by his jeans and underwear.

How you longed to reach out and grab his cock and release it from his jeans. Bucky was taking this torturously slow fingering the waistband of your underwear, leaving a trail of blazing hot kisses along your neck.

His cool Vibrainium arm cupped your ass. Something in you snapped and you decided you couldn’t wait any longer, so your hand moved to Bucky’s waistband. Before you could even undo the button on his jeans Bucky had your arms pinned above your head with his Vibrainium arm. He chuckled.

“My my, my, impatient little thing aren’t we” he said between kisses. “You should know by now Y/N I’m the one in charge here, that goes for the bedroom as well as the mission” he said, before you could even process what he’d just said Bucky pushed his hand down the front of your underwear Bucky shoved two fingers in making you gasp at the shock, the pain and how good it felt to have Bucky warm fingers inside you. You whined as Bucky’s fingers did nothing. He let out a slight moan.

“Holy fuck you’re dripping already, just from a few light kisses, just how long have you been imagining a moment like this” he asked. When you didn’t answer Bucky flicked his thumb over your clit sending shivers down your spine, you let out a moan.

“Don’t make me ask again Y/N” said Bucky. “So, so long, since I met you” You said between gulps as Bucky started gently pulsing his fingers in and out of you. Your admission seems to stir a hunger in Bucky, has his thumb finds its way back to your bud, Bucky gently swipes his rough thumb over it, making you whimper, suddenly he’s pushing his two fingers into hard and fast whilst his thumb swipes ferocious circles on your now throbbing bud, your hands clawing at Bucky back.

You feel your cunt tighten round his fingers. Your so close and Bucky can tell. Which only encourages him as he pushes a third finger inside you slowing his pace right down back to slow agonizing strokes. You’re putty in his hands and he knows it.

“You’re only allowed to cum when I say so Y/N” he says as his pace quickens once again, hitting that sweet spot. You had never been so fucking turned on before, but the way Bucky’s fingers played you like a fiddle and had you dripping was something else. It was taking everything in you to hold back your orgasm.

Suddenly just as you felt like you couldn’t hold back any longer and your legs were about to give out Bucky withdrew his fingers, you instantly felt empty. However, you didn’t have to wait long, as Bucky sank down onto his knees, pulling your legs up over his shoulders.

“Now what did I say Y/N?” he asked as he started peppering kisses and gentle bites along the inside of your things. You could barely think straight, and the sudden change had you gasping from the shock and delight.

“I – I’m only allowed to cum when you say so” you stuttered. “Good girl” he replied before picking you up by your thighs. You thought he would have perhaps moved to the bed, but no Bucky pushed your back up against the wall, standing tall with you sat on his shoulders with one hand still holding you up he removed your underwear which was soaked and took one slow lick up your slit, his tongue gentle yet rough at the same time.

“Fuck. Bucky” you hissed. Your eyes fluttered close. “Mm that’s right doll, you just enjoy the ride” he chuckled before he started licking at your bud, Bucky’s pace was frantic like he couldn’t get enough of you, you felt like every single nerve in your body was on fire. You could feel yourself getting close still sensitive from the feel of Bucky’s rough fingers pumping you. You weren’t used to being denied your orgasm, hell most of your escapades had very rarely even managed to get you one orgasm let alone deny you it.

“Please Bucky,” you whispered hands tangled in his hair you weren’t sure how much longer you would hold out. Bucky didn’t respond instead slowing his pace right down again his tongue dragged across your hypersensitive bud you opened your eyes to find Bucky’s blue eyes dark with hunger and lust staring straight at you as a small smirk tugged on his lips, it was almost as if he was staring straight into to your soul.

With Bucky’s tongue still slowly swiping your bud Bucky entered one finger into you, curling up to hit that magic spot, Bucky’s rough finger combined with the licking and sucking was almost too much and just as you felt like you couldn’t take any more….

“Y/N cum for me” said Bucky, that was all it took and suddenly you were screaming his name as you felt your orgasm crash over you, wave after wave as your cunt pulsed round Bucky’s finger.Bucky lowered you from the wall onto the bed, your chest heaving as you caught your breath. Keeping his eyes on you Bucky popped the button on his jeans and unzipped them shimmying them along with his boxers down his body. His cock sprang out and you couldn’t help but lick your lips, it was magnificent, and you wanted nothing more for it to fill you.

However, Bucky had other ideas first. He leant down and pulled you towards the end of the bed when he straightened up you were at eye level with his waste, Bucky noticed the glazed look in your eyes and how transfixed you were with his dick, he chuckled all though the look you were giving was shooting straight to his cock, he was going to enjoy all you had to offer and make you work for it if you wanted his dick to pound your insides.

Bucky nudged your mouth open with his cock, you parted your lips and Bucky slowly pushed his cock into your mouth he was bigger than you realized and it took you a moment to adjust you took a breath and then slowly you dragged your tongue all the way up his shaft, lazily sucking his length you brought your and up to the base of his shaft moving in tandem with your mouth, your pace started to quicken hollowing your cheeks. Bucky moaned.

“Fuck Y/N you look so pretty with my cock in your mouth, so fucking pretty” Bucky said tangling his Vibrainium hand in your hair whilst his right had gripped your shoulder, Bucky bucked his hips fucking your mouth. You drew your head back and licked his throbbing dick with little gentle kitten like licks before taking him back in all his glory into your mouth. Just then your phone rang you were going to ignore it until Bucky’s started ringing from the front room, Bucky seemed to snap out of whatever haze had taken him over and removed his cock from your mouth and quickly pulled up his boxers and jeans before walking out of the bedroom avoiding your gaze the entire time.

You felt your heart plummet and tears started to gather in the corner of your eyes, you furiously swiped at them taking a deep breath before getting up to answer your phone. Tony’s name flashed up on the caller id.

“Tony…” you said

[blueberrypossum]

Just in the Nick of Time

Dastardly Danny x Reader

Hiya guys! Did I totally write about Danny saving you on a motorcycle from @bootyyy-shaker9000 and @greaser-wolf posts? Yes. Yes I did. I love writing these kind of scenes and I hope you guys enjoy!!

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️: There are inappropriate words and violence.

(I will be placing your friend’s words in pink so then the reader's words don't get mixed up.)

“Okay, I think that was just a little too easy.”

“Hey, don’t jinx us.”

Your friend held the window to the abandoned factory as you crawled through it, once your feet planted on the dumpster, you took a hold of the window frame and watched as they climbed through. 

You’ve both been staking out this place for weeks, following an opposing group of thieves that had recently robbed a bank. One thing that was easy with your job was that you didn’t steal from public places, but from other thieves and criminals, making the criminals run away from the law without an award, and no one suspecting you or your friend of having the prize. 

Your friend finally made it through the window and you hopped off the dumpster you both were standing on, your shoes splashing into a puddle as you landed on solid ground. You took in a huge breath, taking in the moist and breezy wind of the Hidden City.

You pulled out your phone and quickly texted Dastardly Danny, saying that you had a wonderful surprise and to meet you a few blocks from here.

You slinged your backpack over your shoulder as you both made your way down the alleyway, the flickering dim lights of the city casted a faint dust of yellow over you. Your fingers barely scraping over the brick wall as you checked to make sure the guards that were posted out front were still there. 

Your pocket vibrated and knew it was a text from Danny, but it would have to wait.

You raised your hand to stop your friend as you spotted the two yokai’s; a grey ram and a purple reptile stood still at the front of the warehouse. You brought your black covering closer as you turned to your friend.

“Okay, we’re going to wait until the daily van comes around and distracts them.”

“Ahhhh Y/N…..”

“Shhhh, you know to whisper.”

“Not when they already know we’re here!”

You were so worked up about getting out that you barely noticed the huge shadow that was casted over you, almost like a blanket. You instantly turned to see the huge lion yokai that loomed over you, his yellow and busted up teeth matched the mixed up lights that hung above. 

“Haha. Ah shitt RUNNN!” You called out and you both scattered in opposite directions as his golden paws came slamming in the spot you both squatted at mere seconds ago. 

You booked it past him, your legs carrying you down the long street as you heard the henchmen scream orders at each other. Your eyes barely caught your friend making it out, their figure disappearing into the night as they headed down twisted alleyways. Your heart prayed that they would be okay and raced away once the thieves gave chase towards you instead.

The backpack gravely weighed you down as you swerved into a tight alleyway, your body and the bag barely fitting as you pushed in between the red walls.

A yelp escaped your lips as a huge hand wrapped itself around your arm and turned to see the glowing eyes of the reptile, his mouth opening to let out a long hiss.  

“Let go!” You screamed and your mouth instantly went for his hand, your teeth sinking into his fingers. The yokai grunted and his grip on you eased just enough for you to shake him off and to continue on through the crack, a laugh whistling out of your throat as you made it fully through. As the henchmen chatted about how to get through, your eyes scanned around you to find a way out.

The alleyway leads you to a small, squared area, where the only way out were doors to buildings, the way you came, or a ladder leading up to the rooftops. The yokai’s started to punch and kick the bricks out of its structure and with each pound, fear started to tickle down your spine. Since you didn’t want to see if the doors were unlocked and wake up an upset homeowner, you turned tail to the ladder as the yokai’s started to make their way through the destroyed alleyway.

Of course you didn’t bring any weapons with you on this mission, your friend told you that they were just mindless idiots. 

You made your way up the ladder and the chase began with you sprinting across the flat rooftops and the three yokai’s after you. You heard one of them radio in about some van and you could hear the screeching tires of a car coming down the street below you and you let out several curse words as you hopped over another building. 

Luckily for you, you weren’t the only one who heard it. 

The reptile had caught up to you and his hands seized your backpack and pulled you back, the bag slamming into his chest along with your elbow. 

The purple yokai wheezed as you made contact with his stomach again with your elbow and then your heel against his foot. You continued onward once he buckled and you could feel your lungs start give out as you jumped to a lower building, and then lost every ounce of air when the ram landed on your back, sending you both down. 

A wheeze escaped your throat as you rolled over and then dodged a punch from his black hoof. Your hands scraped across the concrete roof as you tried to get onto your feet, but the lion yokai lept behind you, his claws digging into the backpack as he threw you through the air like a ragdoll. 

You held onto the straps as his claws ripped through the fabric and sent you flying off the roof, your body hopping off a hanging tarp from a crafting store, and rolled out onto the street, your bag barely giving you a soft landing. 

You groaned as pain rippled through your body and the street under you started to vibrate. Your eyes opened to see a pair of bright headlights starting to race towards you from a few blocks away, but that wasn’t the thing that made the ground under you move. 

You barely had time to roll over as you saw the motorcycle make its way through the alleyway near you and onto the street, the dark colors blazing against the hanging lights as the yokai tipped his large hat up. You watched as Danny extended a hand to you as the van raced closer, the lights illuminating his smirk.

“Hop on, toots!”

You couldn’t help but smile as you took his hand and he lifted you up effortlessly onto his bike, your arms wrapping tightly around him as his foot slammed onto the gas, the warm breath of the van barely touching you as you both took off. Even with the car chasing after you, you took in Danny’s comforting scent as you held on tighter, your fingers digging into his sides. You honestly thought for a second that you wouldn’t make it, and with your bruised ribs and your pounding head, you knew it would be hard to run. 

“How are ya holdin up? Where’s yer friend?”

“We got separated, and the empty lungs and busted up chest feels lovely.”

The rat yokai took a hard right, his tires barely being able to handle the friction and an eerie screech echoed through the night. You leaned yourself against him, his coat flying around you as the van continued to follow you throughout the city. A sigh escaped your lips as he ran his hand over yours for a split second before he had to make another quick turn. 

“Oh I’m so glad I texted you! After this, we are going to your favorite restaurant, my treat,” you screamed to him, a small gasp followed as the bike did a small bounce over a hill. The rat yokai chuckled as he looked back at you, his eyes narrowed due to the blistering wind, but they gleamed with excitement.

“I should be saving you more often then, doll,” he commented back and then went off road, the dark gravel of dirt and rocks was painted behind you as Danny took you both towards the shipping docks, the van stopping just for a split second and then continued to pursue. 

The chunks of earth nicked against your legs and you winced at the small but piercing pain. 

“Ah, Danny, sweetheart, you do have a plan to lose them, right?” You asked as the van was dangerously getting closer to the back of the bike, you could almost make out the yokai’s in the van. Your boyfriend’s head looked from left to right and then a double take as a devilish smile crossed his lips. 

“Yes I do, hold on, darling!” He hollered as he pushed further into the pedal, his hands working the handles as he led the van into the crowded part of the shipping docks, stacks of metal and work equipment littered the area. You let out a yelp as you lowered yourself into him, your eyes instinctively closing as he raced you both into rows of storage units, the roaring of the van getting closer as you buried yourself into him. The rat’s heart melted as you pressed yourself against him, but it also hardened at the sight of you scared and how bruises had already started to settle against your skin.

Oh yeah, he was going to make these yokai pay.

He moved his motorcycle ever so slightly to the right, his eyes finding the lever he had been seeking out throughout the whole shipping area. As you both passed it, his tail slapped the rod until it switched to its opposite side and Danny looked up to watch as the storage container being helped by a crane was dropped from its holding. The rat pulled his bike back to do a wheelie as the van was crushed beneath the weight of the metal, the cries of the yokai barely being heard as the front wheel of the motorcycle screeched against the sheet metal of the docks. 

Danny slowed the bike down until it came to a stop and you opened your eyes, shock spreading over your face as you took in the sight. Your grip on the rat loosened as he steadied the weight of him and the bike on his leg. You both were breathless as you watched the van catch on fire, but no one was running out of the vehicle. 

“Phew! Guess you can call that a close call, huh, toots?”

You rolled your eyes as you leaned back onto the bike, your tense muscles slowly started to let go of the stress and you could feel the full amount of pain your body was receiving.

Danny kicked out the kickstand and turned over towards you, a small smile of happiness crossing his stressed and dirty face as his mind finally accepted that you were safe.   

He then turned to you and reached out, his thumb barely grazing over your face as you leaned into his touch, your own hands encircling around his wrist. 

“I’m glad you’re safe,” he whispered into your face and you both leaned into each other, your face going into his shoulder and his over your head as you both took in each other’s weight. 

After several minutes of resting and enjoying each other’s presence, the rat lifted himself off of you.

“So, what exactly did you get from these goons?”

You pulled the backpack off of your shoulders with a hiss and laid it into his lap, your hands leaning onto the bike as you pulled your phone to text your friend that you were safe along with the code you both created so that if one of you were kidnapped after being separated, you with know since you didn’t place the code.

Man your life was weird.

Danny opened the bag and let out a low whistle at the loot you had collected. Stacks of hundred bills were piled onto each other along with golden and silver belongings that yokai’s had placed into their banks. The rat pulled out a diamond about the size of a golf ball as you giggled. 

“That’s not even half of it.”

You winced as you touched your bruised eye and didn’t even realize that a trail of blood had traveled down your face from a gash on your head. Your body was sprinkled with dark marks and a slash mark was on your arm from the reptile. But, you’ve never felt more alive, as you took in the soggy smell of the harbor and watched as fog collected around your feet, you genuinely felt like you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. 

Danny watched in silence as these emotions crossed over your face, as your nose twitched slightly and your fingers continually twitched due to them being black and red. But he has never seen you so deep in your prime, how these were your golden moments, the excitement, the adventure, the sheer thrill that glowed around your body. 

You were a literal heartthrob, and you were worth more than the treasure he held within your hands, you were worth more than any bank vault or rich man’s home. 

He planted a kiss on the top of your head as he handed the bag back to you, his body turning to get back onto the motorcycle. 

“Alright, love, let’s go home,” he said and you let out a breathless laugh. It had felt like the night had just started, and now it done. But, when you climbed back onto the bike, the fire from the van raging behind you, and with Danny looking at you with pure devotion, you knew that this was just the beginning. 

[vannahfanfics]

Before you read, here’s the previous chapter. New? Start from the beginning!

Crimson Butterflies

Ao3

Chapter 2: Bienvenido

“Gotta make things difficult for me, don’tcha, honey?” Touya grunted, holding a multitool in his teeth as he wrangled with the rusted chains securing the back door of his apartment complex. The girl didn’t answer, of course, considering she was slumped unconscious against the dirty brick wall. Touya cast glances at her out of the corners of his eyes as he worked, checking for the ragged rise and fall of her chest every few seconds. “Can’t walk in through the front door with ya bleedin’ everywhere,” he huffed and pulled the tool out of his mouth, jamming it into the padlock. He fiddled it with a second, jiggling the thin wire within the mechanism, and then twisted. The lock sprung free and the chain slithered to the ground, coiling up like a silver-and-brown snake. 

“All right, toots, let’s go,” he exhaled, still crouching and shuffling over to bundle her back into his arms. She moaned quietly, flinching despite his care not to jostle her too much. Before rising, he took another look at her bruised and bloodied face. “Damn,” he said quietly and brushed a strand of her sweaty, dirt-caked blonde hair out of her scrunched-up eyes. “Someone really did a number on you.” 

“Help me,” breezed past her busted lips, small and pathetic. Touya smiled wanly, then straightened up, the girl dangling limply in his arms. 

“Don’t worry, girlie. I intend to.” 

Despite the bright daylight outside, the apartment complex was gloomy. The few spears of light that snuck through the thick russet-red curtains illuminated the dust particles swirling in the air. Touya edged down the hall, stopping to peer around the corners before moving on. The security guard was slumped in his chair in the front lobby, snoring loudly and sucking moths into his mouth with every rumble and then blowing them back out, fluttering and confused, with every whistling breath. 

“Right where I left you,” Touya joked in a small whisper before skirting around the lobby to the staircase. He set his feet down gently, his boots barely thunking against the old wood. However, each time he pressed his weight down on one leg, the wood groaned loudly. “Shitty old apartment,” he grumbled, looking fervidly back at the security guard, who didn’t stir. “One of these days, I’ll fall through these damn stairs and I’ll sue that old bitch landlord for everything’s she’s worth. How’s that sound, toots?” he huffed, adjusting her in his grip before continuing. “The ticket to the high life, eh?” 

He made it to the second level without incident. He walked down the hall, the toe of the girl’s one remaining boot scuffing gently against the wall due to the cramped quarters, to his room at the end of the hall. 

“All right, sweets,” he mumbled, gathering the girl into one arm so he could reach into his pocket and fish out his apartment key, “Bienvenido a mi casa.” He inserted the key into the grimy brass lock and turned, the tumbler system clicking loudly. The door squeaked as he pushed it open with his toe, and the floor groaned underfoot as he shuffled into the entryway. He kicked the door shut and twisted the lock behind him, then adjusted her to fit in both his arms again. He glanced down to see that the wound in her left side had smeared blood all over his tee-shirt, dyeing the tattered white fabric a bright crimson. Guess I won’t be wearing that one anymore, he thought with a wan smirk. “Let’s get you patched up, eh, girlie?” he said, walking across the small space to his couch. 

“Easy does it,” he said to himself as he draped her down on the torn fabric, nestling a throw pillow under her head. She whimpered and writhed against the cushions, sending a few pieces of stuffing tumbling down to the floor. Touya shushed her while pushing her hair away from her sweaty forehead. “Oi, if you don’t like me now, you’re about to hate me in a few minutes.” 

He left her on the couch while he walked to his kitchen, squatting down in front of the sink to tug open the cabinets. He retrieved the first-aid kit and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and then closed them. He rifled through another drawer to snag a tattered dishrag before meandering back to the couch. He grabbed the edge of the coffee table and tugged it close, then eased himself down on its edge. He waited a second, honestly worried about whether or not it would hold his weight; the legs didn’t buckle and the wood didn’t snap, however, so he flipped open the first aid kit. 

“Damn, I really don’t know where to start,” he sighed when he turned back to the girl, surveying the countless scratches, scrapes, and cuts littering her body. “Just who did you piss off?” He decided to go with a head-to-toe approach, but tackle the large wound first since it presented the biggest challenge and risk of infection. He pulled his knife out of his pocket and switched it open, leaning over her. “Sorry about your dress, sweets, but it’s in the way.” Carefully so as not to nick her already battered skin, he cut out a square of fabric lying over her midsection, leaving plenty to cover her bust and her nether regions. The fabric clung to the blood-soaked skin, and despite Touya’s attempt to be gentle, flesh still ripped away the cloth as he pulled it away. 

“Damn. You got shanked real good,” Touya grunted when he finally got a good look at the gash. It was about half an inch deep, carving through the muscle between two of her lower ribs. Blood oozed through the torn pink fibers and around the white bone; still, despite how gnarly it looked, Touya was confident that he could stitch it together. “All right, toots, this ain’t gonna feel good,” he grunted while dousing the rag in hydrogen peroxide. Then, with little fanfare, he began scraping away the congealed blood and dying flesh from the laceration. 

The girl sucked in a harsh breath, face pinching up in pain. “I know,” Touya said softly. “It hurts.” Despite the fact that half of his body was now dead, unfeeling skin, that didn’t mean he couldn’t empathize with others’ pain. He worked as quickly as he could to clean up the wound, allowing the girl to settle for a moment before tackling the stitching. It was less painful, though, considering most of the nerve fibers were frayed around the cut. Working silently, he threaded the flesh and tugged it back together, careful not to introduce any outside debris that could present a risk of infection. 

When he was applying the antibiotic-smeared bandage to the freshly-stitched cut, he happened to look at the girl’s face— and found red-orange eyes peering back at him. 

Despite his heart somersaulting in his chest, Touya managed to keep a straight face. He looked back to her side, patting the adhesive against her skin to smooth down the edges. 

“Rise and shine,” he remarked blaisely, sitting up to begin pulling out smaller bandages for her other cuts. He could feel her eyes boring into him, intense despite the haze of pain glossing them over. 

“Where am I?” 

“My apartment. I found you in the alleyway, toots, bleeding like a stuck pig,” he explained before turning back to her. He soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic and began dabbing it over the injuries to her face, careful not to press too hard on the bruised areas. She didn’t flinch away from him, just continued to give him that level and emotionless stare. He applied a bandage to a cut on her cheek, then paused to look down at her. “You got a name, darlin’, or am I gonna have to continue through my repertoire of pet names?” 

“Moe,” she said after a moment of hesitation. “Moe Kamiji.” He nodded, discarding the blood-tinged cotton ball and preparing another. When he leaned back over her to begin dabbing the wounds on her neck, she asked, “And you?” 

“You can call me Dabi,” he answered. He had no idea what this girl’s deal was, so his street name would have to suffice until he decided whether or not he trusted her. She fell silent, sleepily watching him move down her body to attend to her wounds. Once he applied the last of his bandages to an avulsion on her ankle, he sat back with a sigh. 

“All right. You can’t walk around in those strips of fabric, so I’ll get you some clothes,” he said, patting his thighs before standing up. His lower back twinged and his knees cracked in protest, sore after sitting and leaning over for so long. Moe said nothing as he walked away from her, down a small hall to his bedroom. He grabbed a tee shirt and some boxers from his dresser before walking back out. Honestly, he’d expected to find her in the middle of trying to escape; he was surprised to see her still laying on the couch and peering at him with those bright, bright eyes. 

“All right,” he said and gave her the clothes. “You really don’t need to be up and movin’ too much with that gash on your side. Do you need help?” he asked. Moe shook her head, so he turned his back to give her enough privacy to dress. He heard her shuffling behind him, the fabric rustling as she peeled it off her body. She occasionally grunted or groaned in pain, some of them so painful-sounding that he was tempted to turn around. 

Finally, she uttered a meek, “I’m ready.” 

He turned around and almost smiled at the way she drowned in the gray fabric of his shirt; the hem reached the lower end of her thighs with how petite she was. Touya snatched up her ruined dress and lone boot from the floor, walking them to his trash can— it wasn’t like they would be of any use to her anymore. As he dropped them in, he said, “So, care to enlighten me on how you ended up a bloody pulp in a back alley?” 

Moe didn’t speak. She dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and stared down at the floor, her eyes sad. Touya waited for a minute, and when it was obvious she was in no mood to divulge, he shrugged. “All right, then. I ain’t gonna force ya to talk or anythin’. Doesn’t matter to me none. Do you have somewhere to go?” 

This time, she murmured a faint, “No.” 

“I thought as much,” he sighed, walking back to her while raking his fingers through his hair. He slumped into his recliner, stretched back into it and propping up his feet. She peeked up at him while he rested his hands behind his head, hesitant. “Look, what happened to ya ain’t none of my business. You’re welcome to stay here until you’re better and then go on your way, or don’t. Though if you stick around too long, I’mma start chargin’ ya rent,” he joked with a smile. The edges of Moe’s lips curled up into a small smile at his teasing. 

He reached down into the small cooler he kept by his recliner, unzipping it and pulling out a beer. He held it out to her in offering, and when she nodded, he pulled out his Swiss army knife and popped off the cap with the bottle opener. She took it, sipping at it silently, and Touya retrieved his own from the cooler before zipping it back up. The gas inside hissed as he popped off the cap, cold white wisps wafting around the lip of the bottle. He sipped at the bitter liquid, watching Moe do the same. 

The sunlight had faded into dusk, eclipsed further by the rain clouds moving in from the east. The gray, thick clouds swelled with water, roiling and rumbling with gentle thunder. As the rain began to patter against the glass panes of his window, Touya recalled the biker a few nights ago with wild blonde hair that had searched for something he couldn’t see. She’d watched her comrades zoom by like she didn’t want to join them. Yet in the end, she’d done just that, disappearing into the mist with her tail lights shining like crimson butterflies. 

Moe tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, eyes coming to gaze at him. They were crimson too, with flecks of orange fire. Then she looked back down to her beer. She took a long swig, drinking like she wanted to forget something. She probably did. 

Don’t we all, girlie, Touya thought and brought his beer to his lips. Don’t we all. 

Yet life didn’t want you to forget certain things. They came back to haunt you, especially when you least expected it.

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