#but for now local haunted house where nobody knew who the hell i was it is! 👍

[moxie-girl]

you KNOW the hyperfixation is strong when I start making cosplays about it!

[doctorbitchcrxft]

Hell House | Supernatural Series Rewrite | Dean Winchester x Reader

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader (Eventual)

Warnings: canon violence, canon gore, unwanted sexual advances toward reader (nothing crazy, just uncomfortable flirtation)

Word Count: 6125

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After leaving John and the Daevas behind, you and the boys began heading to Texas to investigate a potential case.

Sam slept in the front seat of the car as Dean cruised down Interstate 35. He looked at you suspiciously, smirking in the rearview mirror.

“What?” you whispered.

“Watch this,” Dean told you, grabbing a plastic spoon from the backseat next to you and put it in Sam’s mouth. Snickering, he took a picture with his phone before turning the music up loud. You rolled your eyes and laughed as Sam jerked up waving his arms and trying to spit the spoon out.

“Ha ha, very funny,” the younger Winchester said un-amusedly.

Dean gave what you could only describe as a giggle. You thought it was adorable. “Sorry, not a lot of scenery here in East Texas; kinda gotta make your own.”

“Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean. We're not going to start that crap up again,” Sam stated.

“Start what up?” you asked.

“Prank stuff. It's stupid, and it always escalates,” Sam explained to you.

Dean mocked, “Aw, what's the matter Sammy, scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?” replied Dean.

“Alright, just remember you started it.”

“Ah ha, bring it on baldy.”

“Guys, I am not going to mediate or participate in a prank war,” you jumped in.

“Nobody asked you to, sweetheart,” Dean flippantly responded. “But don’t be surprised if you get caught in the crossfire.”

“Dean—!”

“Where are we anyway?” Sam cut you off.

“A few hours outside of Richardson. Gimme the lowdown again?” Dean asked.

“About a month or two ago, this group of kids goes poking around in this local haunted house.”

“Haunted by what?” you asked.

“Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit,” he answered.

“Oh, great,” you grumbled.

Sam laughed. “Legend goes, it takes girls and strings them up in the rafters. Anyway, this group of kids see this dead girl hanging in the cellar.”

You scoffed. “Oh, even better.”

“Anybody ID the corpse?” asked Dean.

“Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there the body was gone. So cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains.”

“Maybe the cops are right,” the older brother suggested.

“Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts. They seemed pretty sincere,” Sam shrugged.

“Where’d you find those?” you asked.

The brunet hesitated, seeming a little embarrassed. “Well, I knew we were going to be passing through Texas. So, um, last night, I surfed some local… paranormal websites. And I found one.”

“And what's it called?” Dean prompted.

“HellHoundsLair.com.”

“Lemme guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement.”

Sam grinned. “Yeah, probably."

“Yeah. Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the persqueeter,” Dean quipped.

“Look, we let Dad take off. Which was a mistake, by the way. And now we don't know where the hell he is, so in the meantime, we gotta find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checking this thing out.”

“Agreed. But not on the mistake part— I’m not getting involved in that argument,” you said.

“Good call,” Dean responded. “So where do we find these kids?”

“Same place you always find kids in a town like this,” Sam said. He directed his brother to a fast food outlet called “Rodeo Drive.”

You interviewed all of the kids who had been involved in the incident, and the only detail they could agree on in their story was that a teen named Craig had been the one to introduce them to the house.

***

The next day, you went to the record stop Craig worked at and posed as interviewers trying to get his side of the story on a paranormal feature you were writing. Sam had asked him about the house he’d taken his friends to. 

“You mean the Hell House?” the teen answered.

“That’s the one,” answered Dean.

“I didn't think there was anything to the story,” Craig shrugged.

“Why don't you tell us the story,” Sam told him.

Craig quieted his voice and looked around for eavesdroppers. “Well, supposedly back in the '30s this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in this house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression, his crops were failing, he didn't have enough money to feed his own children. So I guess that's when he went off the deep end.”

“How?” you questioned.

“Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop but he just strung 'em up, one after the other. And when he was all finished, he just turned around and hung himself. Now they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside.”

‘Oh, that’s just great.’

“Where'd you hear all this?” Dean questioned.

“My cousin Dana told me. I don't know where she heard it from. Ya gotta realize, I— I didn't believe this for a second.”

“But now you do,” the younger brother finished for him.

“I don't know what the hell to think, man. You guys, I— I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, ok? That girl was real. And she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, okay?”

***

You and the boys headed to the Hell House. It was more like a dilapidated shack at this point; it looked like it had been made with wooden boards that were probably rotting and hollowed out by termites. The path up to the house was muddy, and the house itself was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods. Add “woods” on top of “misogynistic ghost,” and you were thoroughly worried about this hunt.

“Can't say I blame the kid,” Sam commented, taking in the appearance of the house.

“Yeah, so much for curb appeal,” quipped Dean. “You gonna be okay, sweetheart? You look like you’re gonna hurl.”

You looked up at Dean. “Well, misogynistic ghosts that kill any girl who goes inside don’t exactly tickle my fancy.”

Dean’s tone became a little more sincere, but still filled with his typical sarcastic charm. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m fine. I’m a big girl; I can handle myself. Just uneasy, that’s all.”

“Hey, (Y/N)?” Sam asked. “I realized something back in Chicago.”

“What’s that?” you asked while you ducked under the police tape blocking the door. 

“You never told us where you’re from. You know we’re from Lawrence, so, what’s your story?”

“Honestly, Sammy, I have no idea,” you responded. “My parents never told me. I don’t have a copy of my birth certificate either. If it weren’t for my mom using my middle name when she was mad at me, I wouldn’t even know what it was. Don’t know my social security number, either. I’m not even confident the government has record of my existence.”

“Huh,” replied Sam. “How’d your mom even have time for a kid if she’s been hunting since you were born?”

You took out your flashlight and continued looking around while you talked to Sam. “That’s the thing, she didn’t. My mom was never really a mom to me, and she certainly wasn’t to my little brother. Even though he was only two years younger than me, I kind of had to fill the role of ‘mom’,” you explained.

Sam looked at you sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Meh, it’s whatever,” you shrugged. “You got something?”

Dean was looking around with his EMF meter. It was beeping, but not making sounds indicative of a usual reading. “Ye-ah,” he sounded unsure. “The EMF’s no good.”

“Why?” Sam questioned.

Dean looked at the power lines just outside the house. “I think that thing's still got a little juice in it. It's screwing with all the readings.”

“Yeah that'd do it,” Sam sighed.

“Looks like old man Murdock was a bit of a tagger here in his time, though,” Dean stated, looking at the symbols covering the walls.

“And after his time too. That reverse cross has been used by Satanists for centuries, but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60s,” Sam informed.

You and Dean stared at Sam for a moment before the older brother quipped, “That is exactly why you never get laid.”

You patted Sam’s shoulder. “I think it’s cool,” you assured him. 

He returned your smile. “Thanks, (Y/N).”

Dean moved to another wall with a cross with a dot in the middle. The bottom piece of the cross looked almost like a fishhook. “Hey, what about this one? You guys seen this one before?”

Sam shook his head, but you felt a sense of vague recognition, too. “Somewhere, I think.”

“Yeah, me too,” Dean said.

Sam rubbed the symbol. “It's paint. Seems pretty fresh too.”

Dean sighed. “I don't know, Sam. You know I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but... the cops may be right about this one.”

A sudden noise had you on high alert. You and Dean flanked one side of the door, guns drawn, and Sam took the other. Dean nodded, and the three of you burst through only to be met with blinding lights in your eyes.

“Oh, cut. It's just a coupla humans,” a nasally male voice said. 

The two men before you both donned backpacks and baggy cargo pants. They were around your height and seemed like complete involuntarily-celibate nerds to you.

“What are you guys doing here?” the same guy asked. He held an electrical device in one hand while the other man held a video camera.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dean’s gruff reply came.

“Uh, we belong here; we're professionals?” the man said matter-of-factly.

You scoffed. “Professional what?”

The man eyed you up and down before answering, and you fought the cringe crawling up your spine. “Paranormal Investigators.” He handed you a business card. “There you go, take a look at that, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that,” you gritted through your teeth.

Dean took the card from you, saying, “Easy, tiger.” He read it and muttered, “Oh, you gotta be kidding me.”

“Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spengler? Hellhoundslair.com. You guys run that website,” Sam noted.

The man who had been looking you up and down who’d identified himself as Ed nodded proudly.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, we're huge fans,” Dean grinned.

“And ahh, we know who you guys are too,” Ed said confidently.

You shot a sideways glance to Dean. “Oh yeah?”

“Amateurs.”

You and Dean immediately lost interest.

Ed continued, “Looking for ghosts and cheap thrills.”

“Yep. So if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here,” Harry finished.

“Really? What have you got so far?” you asked.

“Harry, why dontcha tell 'em about EMF?”

Sam played dumb, too. “EMF?” You could tell he was fighting a smile.

“Electromagnetic field? Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector. Like this bad boy right here.” Harry gestured to the machine Ed was holding, who turned it on.

“Whoa. Whoa. It's 2.8mg,” Harry noted.

“2.8. It's hot in here,” Ed grinned.

Dean whistled in mock admiration. “So you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or…?”

“Once. We were, uh— We were investigating this old house and we saw a vase fall right off the table—” 

“By itself,” Harry finished.

“Well, we, we we we didn't actually see it, we heard it. And something like that… it, uh… it changes you,” Ed said solemnly.

“Yeah. I think I get the picture. We should go, let them get back to work,” Dean broke their stupor. “C’mon, (Y/N).”

He led you and his brother out of the room with the two guys in it. Dean stood behind you protectively.

“What?” you asked him as he led you out of the house.

“Didn’t like how he was looking at you,” he grumbled before seeming to realize what he had just admitted. “And… uh, misogynistic ghosts, and all.”

A smile spread across your face. “Thanks.”

***

You and the boys headed to a diner for some cheap burgers and beer before you decided to hit the road. You couldn’t find any missing persons matching the description of the Jane Doe that had been in the house, nor could Sam find anything on a Mordechai Murdoch. The real man had existed under a different name. You ruled the case a bust, and just wanted to relax a little before leaving town. 

“How’s that thing on your leg healing?” Dean asked you, referencing the deep gashes you’d received in Chicago.

“Meh, it’s okay,” you shrugged, taking a sip of your beer. “It’s way better than it was a few days ago.”

“Good,” he nodded before clearing his throat. “So? Sammy, you got anything?” 

His brother was scrolling the internet in search of a new case when something caught his attention. “Dude.”

“What?” you and Dean asked in unison.

“The Hell House.”

***

Emergency vehicles and officials hurried about, interviewing witnesses and wheeling out a stretcher with a body bag on it. The sinking feeling you got from the Hell House returned to your stomach as you and the boys approached it.

“What happened?” Dean asked a bystander.

“A couple of cops say a girl hung herself in the house,” explained the bystander. “She was a straight A student with a full ride to UT, too. It just don't make sense.” He walked away from the two of you.

“I don’t understand,” you started. “How could we’ve missed something?”

“I don’t know,” Sam shook his head. 

“Back to the drawing board, I guess,” Dean sighed.

You waited for the emergency vehicles to clear out and allow you and the boys the ability to get another look at the house. Two cops remained guarding it, though, to which Sam commented, “I guess the cops don't want anyone else screwing around in there.”

You and the brothers were crouched in the bushes, trying to plan how to get in the house. You then heard whispers that caught your attention, and turned to see Ed and Harry clunkily approaching with cumbersome backpacks and gadgets covering them from head to toe.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Dean grumbled. “I got an idea.” 

You shot him a confused look while he stood a little taller and cupped a hand to his mouth. “Who ya gonna call!”

You almost burst out in giggles at his stupid reference. 

“Hey, you!” one of the cops called and took off running in the direction of Ed and Harry. The two guys turned and sprinted away. Well, sprinted as much as they could with their heavy packs.

You and the boys rushed into the abandoned house, passing each other weapons from the duffel bag. Dean was transfixed by the symbol on the wall. “Where have I seen that symbol before? It's killing me!”

“Yeah, me too, but we don’t have much time,” you urged him, slapping a shotgun in his hand and pulling him further into the home. You headed down to the basement and took in your dust-covered surroundings. You could feel your allergy beginning to get aggravated while you looked around.

“Hey, Sam. I dare you to take a swig of this,” Dean grinned, holding up a jar he found on one of the shelves.

“What the hell would I do that for?” scoffed the younger brother.

“...I double dare you.”

Sam just shook his head and continued walking.

You flinched and grabbed Dean’s arm at a sound coming from within a cabinet. Dean looked to you and back at the cabinet before the two of you took either side of the cabinet’s doors. At Dean’s nod, you threw the door open. Rats inside it squeaked and scurried away from the light of Sam’s flashlight. 

“Arghh!” Dean yelped. “I hate rats.”

Sam scoffed. “You'd rather it was a ghost?”

Dean considered, but nodded. “Yes!” Dean suddenly looked up at something above your head, and you shrieked at the sight of an ax nearly hitting you squarely on your forehead. Dean yanked you away just in time and shielded you with his body protectively. He shot at the ghost of the tall farmer wearing a colorless straw hat that wasn’t at all deterred by the rocksalt. He shot once more, but it was still there. And then the final time, Mordechai disappeared.

“What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?” Sam questioned frantically.

“I don’t know! Come on, come on!” Dean urged you and his brother. 

You ran toward the stairs, and Mordechai smashed his ax down through the shelves right next to your head. You raised your gun at him and shot multiple times, praying it would work. Nothing worked, and you narrowly missed another swing of the ghost’s ax before you fled.

“(Y/N), let’s go!” Sam called, running ahead of you. You and the boys sprinted out of the door of the house, only to be met with flashlights and a camera in your face.

“Get that damn thing outta my face,” Dean commanded before hurrying away again. You and the boys left the Hell House in the dust. 

“You okay?” Dean asked you when you returned to the car.

You tried to catch your breath, slumping into the backseat. “Holy shit,” you muttered. “I think so. You?”

He nodded. “Fine.”

“But Dean.”

“Hm.”

“You’re sweet, but I don’t need you to protect me. I can hold my own,” you told him.

Dean scoffed. “It’s a misogynistic ghost, (Y/N). I’m obviously gonna be a little concerned.”

You smiled fondly, but held your position. “I know. Just… I can handle it. You don’t have to worry about me.”

He just grunted in response.

***

The next day, you and the boys were hanging out in their motel room. You and Sam were at your laptops researching while Dean sat on his bed scribbling in a notepad.

“What the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me. This whole damn job's buggin' me. What was with those slit wrists? I thought the legend says he hung himself.”

“That’s what you’ve been scribbling all this time?” You looked up from your laptop. “That symbol?”

“Yeah,” Dean answered. “But seriously, what the hell is going on here?”

Sam jumped in, saying, “And the ax too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?”

“But this mook keeps changing,” Dean added.

“Exactly. I'm telling ya, the way the story goes... wait a minute.”

“What?”

“Someone added a new post to the Hell Hound site. Listen to this. 'They say Mordechai Murdock was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an ax before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity.”

“What the fuck?” you questioned, sliding Sam’s laptop over to yourself. “How the hell is he changing?”

“I don't know,” Dean broke in, “but I think I might have just figured out where it all started.”

***

Your next stop was the music store Craig worked at.

“Hey Craig? Remember us?” Dean asked the teen who was organizing records.

“Guys, look I'm really not in the mood to answer any of your questions ok?” Craig answered.

“Oh, don't worry. We're just here to buy an album, that's all.” Dean flipped through a stack of records, and you looked over his shoulder. You suddenly realized where he was going with this. He picked up a Blue Oyster Cult album, and you nodded in acknowledgment as you put together the symbol had been the logo for the band.

“You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then, I realized that it doesn't mean anything. It's the logo for the Blue Oyster Cult,” Dean said, putting the album on the counter across from Craig. “Tell me Craig, you, uh, you into BOC? Or just scaring the hell outta people? Now why 'n't you tell us about that house. Without lying through your ass this time.”

Craig sighed. “Alright, um. My cousin Dana was on break from TCU. Ah, I guess we were just bored, looking for something to do. So I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it would be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So we painted symbols on the walls; some from some albums, some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. Then, we found out this guy Murdock used to live there so we— we made up some story to go along with that. So they told people, who told other people. And then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean I, I thought it was funny at first but... now that girl's dead! It was just a joke, you know. I mean, none of it was real, we made the whole thing up. I swear!”

You knew he hadn’t meant any harm. “Okay. Thank you.”

You and the boys left an emotional Craig standing at the counter. 

“If none of it was real how the hell do you explain Mordechai?” Dean asked.

“I have no idea,” you responded.

***

The next morning, you and the boys headed out to get some breakfast and coffee. Sam was shifting uncomfortably every few seconds in his seat. “What’s your deal, dude?” you asked.

His response was a grimace before he explained he thought Mordechai might be a Tulpa. “Okay, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. Group of monks visualized a golem in their head. They meditated on it so hard they brought the thing to life. Outta thin air.”

“So?” Dean said.

“That was twenty monks. Imagine what ten thousand web surfers could do. I mean, Craig starts the story about Mordechai, then it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard,” Sam replied.

“Now wait a second. Are you trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?”

Sam shifted again. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“People believe in Santa Claus— how come I'm not getting hooked up every Christmas?” Dean remarked.

“ ‘Cause we’re bad people,” you remarked. Dean seemed convinced by your answer.

“And because of this.” Sam turned his phone to you and Dean to show you a photo of a symbol on one of the walls of the Hell House. “That's a Tibetan spirit sigil. On the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet they painted this; not even knowing what it was. Now, that sigil has been used for centuries, concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So people are on the HellHounds website, staring at the symbol, thinking about Mordechai… I mean I don't know, but it might be enough to bring a Tulpa to life.”

You shrugged. “That would explain why the bastard keeps changing.”

“Right, as the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes. Like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work.” Sam shifted at least five separate times in his chair as he spoke. 

“Yeah, because he's not a traditional spirit,” the older brother continued. “Okay. So why don't we just, uh, get this spirit sigil thingie off the wall and off the website?”

“Well, it's not that simple. You see, once Tulpas are created they take on a life of their own,” Sam explained.

“Great. So if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?”

“Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their homepage.”

Sam showed you and Dean footage from two days ago. “Since they've posted the video, their number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone.”

“Great,” you muttered. “But I have an idea. C’mon.” You got up from the table and began heading away.

“Where we going?” Dean questioned.

“To find a copy store.”

Sam got up and began to follow you. “Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something.”

Dean laughed and walked after you.

“You did this?!” Sam called.

The only response he got was a laugh from his brother. 

“You're a friggin jerk!”

“Oh yeah!” Dean pumped a fist in the air.

***

After you hit the copy store to carry out your idea, you and the boys found Ed and Harry’s trailer park residence and rapped against the door loudly.

“Who is it?” Harry’s voice called.

“Come on out here guys, we hear you in there,” Dean called back. When the door opened, Dean looked over the two men’s shoulders. “Ah, would you look at that! Action figures in their original packaging— what a shock.”

You snickered,but nudged him. “Be polite.”

“Guys, we need to talk,” Sam said. 

“Yeah, um, sorry guys. We're ahhh, a little bit busy right now,” Ed responded. “But pretty lady, if you’d like to stay—”

Dean cut him off, gruffly saying, “Okay, well, we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website.”

Ed laughed. “Man, you know, these guys got us busted the other night, spent the night in a holding cell—”

“I had to pee in that cell urinal. In front of people. And I get stage fright,” the other goon chimed in.

“Why should we trust you guys?”

“Look, guys. We all know what we saw that night; what's in the house. But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearing about Mordechai,” the brunet explained.

“That's right. Which means people are gonna keep showing up at the Hell House, running into him in person, somebody could get hurt,” Dean continued.

“Ed, maybe he's got a point, maybe—”

Ed cut his friend off. “Nope.”

“No,” Harry said despite his position moments earlier.

“We have an obligation to our fans, to the truth,” Ed stated.

“Well I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now—” Dean’s face hardened, and you could see Ed and Harry nearly shit themselves.

You pulled his arm back. “Just forget about it,” you told him. “You could bitch slap ‘em both, I could tell them that thing about Mordechai, but they’re still not gonna listen. Let’s just go.” You turned away.

“Whoa! Whoa!” the guys called after you. “What’d you say about...?”

“Hang on a second here,” Harry said. “What thing about Mordechai, you guys?”

“Don’t tell ‘em, (Y/N),” Sam said.

“But if they agree to shut the website down, Sam—”

“They're not going to do it, you said so yourself,” Dean chimed in.

“No wait. Wait. Don't listen to him ok? We'll do it. We'll do it,” Ed said, stepping closer to you.

You sighed. “Look, it is a really big deal, alright. And it wasn't easy to dig up. So only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down.”

“Totally,” Ed nodded.

Dean handed over some paperwork you’d doctored at the copy shop reluctantly. “It's a death certificate. From the '30s. We got it at the library. Now according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“That's right, he didn't hang or cut himself,” added Dean.

Ed’s eyebrows shot up. “He shot himself?”

“Yep. With a .45 pistol. To this day, they say he's terrified of them,” you said.

Dean continued explaining. “Matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds, it'll kill the son of a bitch.”

Ed and Harry snickered gleefully. Harry spun around and bolted back to the trailer. Ed followed more slowly. 

Once they were out of earshot, you held up crossed fingers to the boys. “Here’s hoping.”

***

You and the boys were waiting for Ed and Harry to put out the bogus story you’d given them at a diner later that evening. You sat in the booth between Sam and the wall, and looked over at his laptop while he reloaded the page repeatedly. Dean sat across from you and his brother, pulling the cord of a plaque on the wall of a fisherman holding a big fish. The fisherman’s mouth moved up and down when Dean pulled the cord. 

You pulled it again to stop it. “If you pull that damn cord one more time, I’ll kill you.”

Dean sent you a challenging look and pulled the cord again. You pulled it again in response.

“Come on, sweetheart, you need more laughter in your life. You know, you're way too tense.”

“What! I do laugh!” you pouted.

“Not as much as this guy.” He pulled the cord again.

You pulled it to stop it for a final time. “Don’t try me.”

Dean sighed. “They post it yet?”

Sam turned the laptop around to Dean. “We've learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdock has a fatal fear of firearms. Alright. How long do we wait?”

“Long enough for the new story to spread,” replied Sam, “and the legend to change. I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker.” Sam lifted his beer and you and Dean lifted yours as well. The three of you tapped them together.

“Sweet,” Dean said. He took a long swig of his beer and Sam grinned. The older of the two tried to put his beer down, but it was stuck to his beer.

Sam cracked up, as did you, and Dean stared at his brother incredulous. “You didn't.”

Sam continued to laugh and held up his tube of super glue. “Oh, I did!”

Dean shook his hand trying to get the beer off and turned his aggravation to you. “You knew about this?”

You felt guilty, but said, “Hey, I told you, I’m Switzerland in this prank war.”

“Oh, it’s on, sweetheart.”

“Dean! I didn’t even do anything! I’m Switzerland! Look, I’ll even help you get it off your hand, okay? Stop pouting.”

Dean grunted, “Fine.”

***

Dean bought the laughing fisherman from the diner and brought it to the woods beyond the Hell House later that night. You wrapped the cord around a rock to weigh the pulley mechanism down to lure the cops away from the house.

You entered the house on alert with your gun drawn, Dean trailing just behind you. “I barely have any skin left on my palm,” he said snarkily.

“So you think Mordechai's home?” you asked as you entered another room.

“I don't know,” Sam answered.

“Me either,” a voice said from behind you.

You wheeled around and pointed your gun at the source of the sound. 

“Whoa! Whoa!” Ed said.

“What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?” you yelled.

“We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, ok?” Harry said.

“Motherfucker—” You were cut off by the sound of knives being sharpened coming from the basement. Your guard immediately went back up. 

“Oh crap,” Ed said. “Don’t worry (Y/N), I’ll protect you.”

“Oh, get off me, dickhead.” You shrugged his hand off your shoulders. 

He crowded way too closely behind you and followed you and the brothers to the basement door. 

“Ah guys, you wanna— you wanna open that door for us?” Ed grinned uncomfortably.

“Why don't you?” Dean turned to him, shooting daggers at him.

Mordechai burst through the door at that moment, holding an ax and screaming. You and the boys began emptying your gun chambers into his stomach, but the guns had no effect on him. You then swept the other rooms in search of Ed and Harry.

“What the fuck, didn’t you guys post that bullshit story we gave you?” you asked them when you found them.

“Of course we did,” Ed scoffed.

Sam and Dean appeared behind you.

“But then our server crashed,” Harry explained.

“So it didn't take?” Dean asked rhetorically.

The two men exchanged looks and murmured to themselves.

“So these, these guns don't work.” Dean laughed coldly and raked a hand through his hair. “Great. Sam, any ideas?”

“We are getting outta here,” Harry said. “Come on, Ed.”

Harry and Ed ran past you and Dean to the other room. You noticed Mordechai’s apparition following them before you heard two girlish screeches coming from their direction.

“Hey! Come and get it, you ugly son of a bitch,” you told the ghost.

“Gladly,” Ed said, not realizing you were talking to Mordechai.

You grabbed the hilt of the ax as he tried to take a swing at you, pushing against him with all your might. You were then pinned against the wall, the ax across your throat and constricting your airway, 

“Get out of here, now!” you told Ed and Harry. They sprinted out of the door as you struggled against Mordechai, who lifted you up in the air by the ax.

“Guys! Help!” you screamed.

Moments later, Dean appeared. He held up a spray bottle and lit it, making a plume of fire appear.

“Get out of here, now!” Dean told you. You ran past him. You met Sam in another room, clutching your throat.

“You okay?” Sam asked you. He stooped to get eye-level with you.

“Yeah,” you choked out. “Peachy.”

Dean sped into the room next to you. “Mordechai can't leave the house, we can't kill him— We improvise,” he said. He held up his lighter, flicked it, and threw it back into the room behind you. It burst into flames, and you ran after the boys outside.

“That's your solution? Burn the whole damn place to the ground?” Sam asked incredulously.

“Well, nobody will go in anymore. I mean, look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works,” Dean replied simply.

“Well, add arsonists to our rap sheet,” you said. 

“What if the legend changes again and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?” questioned Sam.

“Then we'll just have to come back,” Dean shrugged. 

You turned back to the house and watched it burn.

“Kinda makes you wonder. Of all the things we hunted, how many existed just cuz people believed in them,” said Sam. You looked back to him, amazed at how he could be profound in the midst of your situation.

***

You and the boys made one last pit stop by Harry and Ed’s trailer park before you were planning to head out of town. The two guys in question came over to your picnic table carrying grocery bags.

“I was thinking that Mordechai has a really super high attack bonus,” Ed said. “Man, I got the munchies right now.” He turned to the boys. “Gentlemen. And m’lady.”

You cringed. 

“Should we tell 'em.” Harry could barely contain his gloating.

“Hey, might as well, you know, they're going to read about it in the trades,” Ed smirked.

“So this morning we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer.”

“Oh yeah, wrong number?” Dean snorted.

“No, smart-ass. He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights. Maybe even have us write it.”

They put grocery bags into their completely overloaded car. 

“And create the RPG,” Harry added.

“The what?” Dean asked.

“Role playing game,” came Ed’s simple reply. “A little lingo for you. Anyhoo, ah, excuse us, we're off to la-la land.”

“Well, congratulations guys. That sounds really great,” Sam nodded.

“Yeah. That's awesome, best of luck to you,” you said.

“Oh yeah, luck. That has nothing to do with it. It's about talent. Sheer unabashed talent,” Ed grinned. “And you…” he sauntered up to you. “...Call me. You could have a bright future in film.”

You forced a smile at him.

“Later, baby,” he grinned. He got in the car next to his buddy and sped away.

“I have a confession to make,” Sam said as the three of you watched them drive off.

“What's that,” prompted Dean.

“I, uh… I was the one that called them and told them I was a producer.”

You and Dean laughed. “Yeah, well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their back seat,” the latter snickered.

“And I may have been the one to put the cops on ‘em about the Murdoch house fire. And the fact that they don’t have a license plate on that car. Or on their camper.”

Dean and Sam burst out laughing at you. You joined in with them.

“Truce?” The brunet turned to his brother.

“Yeah, truce,” he answered. “At least for the next hundred miles.”

Series Rewrite Taglist: @polireader @brightlilith @atcamillanorrman @jrizzelle @insomnia-bookworm @procrastination20 @mrs-liebgott @djs8891 @tiggytaylor @staple-your-mouth @iloveshawn @jesstherebel @rach5ive @strawberrykiwisdogog @bruhidkjustwannaread @mxltifxnd0m @sunshine-on-marz @big-ol-boat @mgchaser @capncrankle @davina-clairee @chervbs @simpingdeadcharacters @nesnejwritings @stillhere197 @stephshaww @tearsforhan @take-it-on-the-run @iloveyou2mia @maxinehufflepuffprincess @ohgeehowdigethere @here-for-the-extravaganza @seninjakitey @berarenado @s0urw00lf @princessleahorgana @quarterhorse19 @rei0812 @isla-finke-blog @silverdoragon @karacaroldanvers @gayandfairycore @examishbookwyrm @more-espresso-less-depresso-og @mysticmyth

a lot of my tags are broken which makes me very sad. if you see that i've misspelled your tag, please let me know! and make sure you have my post notifs on so a broken tag doesn't stop you from seeing the next chapter!!

[extremelyblackandwhite]

dress

pairing: sheriff lee bodecker x younger! reader

warnings: cheating, smut, age gap, angst, blackmailing 

a/n: the reader is at least 10 years younger than lee. if that upsets you, please don’t read this work. additionally, i based reader’s 60′s style mostly out of  that oufit margot robbie wore for once upon a time in hollywood and megan from mad men, you can see my inspiration outfits here [x] [x] hope you enjoy it xx

Inescapable, I'm not even gonna try and if I get burned, at least we were electrified. I'm spilling wine in the bathtub, you kiss my face and we're both drunk. Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about all of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation, my hands are shaking from holding back from you ...

The rain fell harshly and unkindly on the pavement for the fifth day in a row, the sun having forsaken the forgotten hellish town that was Knockemstiff, Ohio. Few could say the name and ever fewer dared to enter the town. Even God’s afraid of it, his mother would tell him after nursing what felt like another one of her endless bottles of liquor. It was a haunted town, not a lot left and those who did never crossed paths with it again. Murder and crime were all time highs but not even the government dared to come in and try to to anything which meant any police force in the town were like gods, deciding who lived and who didn’t. One of those god-like men was Lee Bodecker, however he preferred you called him Sheriff Lee Bodecker.  He was a chubby man in his early thirties, tall but the beer belly made him hunch making him look shorter than he was. He had once been the envy of the town, one of the most handsome men of the town but years of living in Knockemstiff wear down everyone. His own poison had been alcohol which had ended up with him in therapy with his wife and with a therapist who had told him to curb the craving of alcohol with sweets instead. It had little to nothing as he still drank like his life depended on it and tonight was no different from other nights. He took off his hat as he entered the local bar in town, the only bar in town, and everyone looked his way, silence installing the ever noisy bar. He liked it, Lee liked it. He knew he was not the handsome one, in fact his look made him quite funny so he made himself scary. Lee made sure that everyone who looked his way, heard his voice or saw his shadow was afraid of him. It definitely worked as once he sat on the bar stool, there was already a glass with 5 fingers of his favourite drink. 

Everything was silence except for the mumbling of men discussing their days until suddenly the mumbling was no longer about the hell that was living in Knockemstiff. He turned around in his chair and understood why the men were suddenly so interested. There she was, dressed in a high neck black shirt which stood over a white skirt. Matching go go boots left her legs bare, something women in Knockemstiff did not do, still stuck in decades of last. She wasn’t from around and everyone knew it merely by the way she dressed but Sheriff Bodecker knew different. Men watched like dogs as she made her way to the bar, to his side. 

     - Y/N. - he greeted her. - What are you doing here? Trying to disrupt the town?

     - My grandmother died.

     - I heard. My condolences.

     - She left me all of what was hers including the house so I’m here to sell it. 

     - The one in Brewer Heights? - she nodded. - Tis a nice house, but I don’t think anyone here would have enough to buy it.

     - I’ll decide that. - she held the glass the bartender in between her hands, her eyes roaming over to his hands were his wedding ring had started to become tight around his finger. - Still with Jane?

     - Why wouldn’t I be? - he cocked an eyebrow at her. - What are you doing here, Y/N?

    - I told you, I’m here to sell ...

    - No. - he interrupted. - Why are you here, at the bar? What do you want?

    - Nothing ...  I see you’re not in the mood to help me anyways. - she got up from the stool she had sat on, straightening her skirt as her feet hit the floor. - Good evening, Sheriff Bodecker. 

He was sat, watching her leave but also giving an aura to the men who too watched the modern girl exit the building not to get any ideas. Lee knew these men, they were like dogs and once a suitable amount of time passed, he took to returning to his cruiser and follow her. How could he trust this town with her, an outsider? Y/N had been brought up in Knockemstiff, the daughter of store owners who had both been killed in an assault gone wrong. After that, she was ushered to live with her grandmother, the last of socialites in Knockemstiff. Rumours said her grandmother had moved from New York to wed with a penniless man already expecting once she wore her wedding gown. Rumours or not, she still held much more money than anyone in the town together and she wasted not a cent in her granddaughter’s education, moving to a more upscale house in Brewer Heights once she got her under her care. She was always the one with everything and Lee remembered seeing her while still an officer driving around a brand new glossy red car, hair loose through the wind. In all honesty, he thought her never too leave town but as she reached her tender 21st year of life, she left leaving everything behind. 

He parked outside her grandmother’s home, stopping just a bit away from it looking at the house that was so eerily sketched in his mind. He leaned against his seat watching Brewer Heights, the place he so wanted to have lived in his youth. Of course he now owned a place there too but it was faint, fickle. If he were to not be sheriff anymore all would shatter. He would do everything he could to keep his position. He deserved it, he deserved it more than any damned soul on this planet. A knock on the glass removed him from his mind state as he looked the way of his window to see her. 

     - Can I come in? - she asked, eyes lingering on the passenger seat. He stretched over to the side, opening the door for her but not exiting the car. She entered, closing the door as she sat on the seat. - I’ve always hated when you were mad at me. 

     - I’m not mad.

     - You have no reason to be. I know what you’re mad about and it’s your own fault, you know that.

     - Is it my fault you left? - his hands tightened against the wheel of his cruiser, anger coursing through his veins. Lee never liked to hear the truth.

    - She knew, Lee and she was right ... If anyone knew, if the town knew I would’ve been ruined and I didn’t deserve that. You must understand I didn’t deserve that. 

    - I didn’t deserve you leaving without saying a fucking thing now did I, darl’?

    - You were married. - she almost spat the words in his face. - You are married, Lee. Now you can be mad at me all you want, you can hate me for all I give a damn but I was not gonna destroy myself for your happiness, and I will certainly not allow you to destroy yourself for lust. 

    - Y/N ...

    - I don’t need your help anymore and I would enjoy it if you parked your cruiser away from my house. I wouldn’t want any rumours about your infidelities to resurface. - she exited the car and climbed the small incline of grass up to her home. Lee still remembered seeing her in a little white dresses her grandmother would buy for her, climbing that incline while holding the fabric so it wouldn’t fly up. She seemed to have gotten the hang of it.

Lee had met Y/N when she volunteered at the station back when he was still a patrol officer. She did the duties of every single secretary plus cleaning which was what she had volunteered for. It’ll be good for my university application, she told him when Lee asked what she was doing there. She started at 17 and remained there until she was 18 and ready to leave and become something other than a Knockemstiff resident. However, her mother having sudden heart attack ruined her plans and she decided to stay to take care of her. Lee didn’t see her for two whole years until she was 20 years old and he spotted her at the supermarket getting an earful from Mr. Collins about dropping a bottle of olive oil while trying to reach something from the higher shelf. Lee didn’t like it, he didn’t like Mr. Collins berating her for a simple mistake so he stepped in. He remembered her thanking him before reintroducing herself to him. 

He wasn’t one to be swayed by women, he’d married his Jane when he was fresh out of high school and while his relationship was more than stale, he had his mind on work and alcohol. Sure he could’ve divorced, found someone else but he wasn’t the teenager he used to be anymore, he was hardly someone who women would be attracted to besides a single man for a Sheriff? That surely wasn’t gonna happen. Yet, he couldn’t help but be entranced by her, fresh into adulthood with a mind full of ideas about what she wanted to do. He didn’t mean it, he didn’t mean to start a relationship with her, to start an affair yet he couldn’t say he regret it. He didn’t regret the nights where she’d meet him in the woods, covered by a black trench coat. He could still feel his, his hands against her back, feeling the fabric of her undergarments as the windows fogged. 

Y/N was upset. Her friends had told her she better not expect the man who she had left without any notice to help her but she was upset. What choice did she have? After her grandmother heard about it, it would’ve taken no time for everyone in town to hear about it and she would’ve been a disgrace and Lee would’ve certain not become Sheriff. Nevertheless she was upset. Instead, she asked an old friend from school, Billy. It was no surprise he was here, nobody left, nobody ever left. She had left but yet here she was once again, 4 years later wondering about an affair which shouldn’t have happened. Her grandmother had berated her for ages “you don’t sleep with a married man” and of course she knew she shouldn’t yet she had. She didn’t know better. 

She had boxes and boxes packed with whatever it was left of the house, photo books, clothing, bedding, all of it packed. Once she got to New York she could sort through it but right now all she wanted to was leave. Her friends even offered to come over and do it for her but the damned lawyer said it had to be her. In the morning she waited for Billy in the steps of her home, dressed in one of her old 50′s fashioned white dress, a far cry from the mini skirts she used at home and off he came in the exact same car he had when they were both teens. 

   - Y/N, look at you. - he walked off the car. - You look gorgeous, darl’. 

   - Thank you, Billy. - she scratched the back of her head. - Uhm it’s only 5 big boxes. I’ll pay for the gas if you help me take them to post office. 

   - You’re not keeping the house?

   - And live in Knockemstiff? - she rolled her eyes, climbing up the stairs to grab the boxes from the front of the door. The boy helped her pack the car before the two hopped onto the car. - So, how’s the town been?

   - Nothing changes. Mr. Collins died, no one was upset about it and that Bodecker guy became Sheriff. - he light up a cigarette as he turned on the engine. - It’s still as boring as its been and people mostly gossip around the same old gossip.

   - What’s new in gossip?

   - Eleanor still says you and Bodecker were fucking. - he chuckled. - As if ... I mean, look at you, you were prom queen and he’s a fat bastard. 

    - You should watch your mouth, Billy. He’s the sheriff. 

    - Because he bought it. - he shrugged. - Dad says he’s pretty much doing everyone’s dirty work. I mean his sister and her husband disappeared and were found dead. 

    -  I don’t really care for that type of gossip. - she leaned against the seat, watching the trees pass by. It wasn’t that she and Billy were good friends but she needed help and she’d rather die than go beg Lee to help her out. She had tried and it’d failed. Besides what was the worse that could happen?

The worse that could happen became very clear as instead of driving into town he took a left into the woods. She rose her head from the seat as all the ways one could reach town rushed through her mind. This definitely wasn’t one of them, it was hard to even get to the town through the woods. She knew that because, well ... it was where she would meet Lee to ensure no one from town found them. The car came to a stop and Billy got off the car. Maybe he just needed to pee or to get some air. She waited til he was on his back to open the car door and start running but he rushed after her, grabbing her arm and throwing her to the ground before standing over her, hands holding her wrists above her head.

   - Billy, what are you doing? - stay calm, that was what they always taught her, stay calm. 

   - Come on, Y/N. They always wanted us to be together in high school, remember? 

   - I don’t know what you’re talking about. Billy, calm down. 

   - You fucking calm down. I know you want me too, Y/N. You called me, you need my help, darl’. I can make you feel so damn good ... - his mouth lowered down and she started to trash around, trying to get rid of him. 

   - Stop, please stop. - she looked up at the sky, the morning sun barely up as she recalled why you don’t come back to Knockemstiff. You don’t get back because you get stuck. As she convinced herself there was nothing the do, a short was heard through the air. 

  - What the heck are you doing William? - she recognised the voice. She had never been more grateful for that voice. Billy jumped over to his feet.

   - Sheriff ... me and Y/N were just having a bit of fun ... You know, you understand, right?

   - Y/N ... - he looked her way. - What were you doing?

   - It was against my will, Sheriff. - she climbed onto her feet, leaning against a tree at a healthy distance from him.

  - Get the fuck out of here. - the young boy in his mid 20′s rushed out like a child afraid of the dark, forgetting his car and everything he had left behind. Y/N watched him running, tripping onto his legs as Lee fired a warning shot in the air. If this was NY, there would be someone here already but this was Knockemstiff and gun shots were as usual as rain during winter.

He smirked, happy to have once again imposed the authority he so much treasured. Lee never liked Billy, he never liked when he’d drive Y/N home from school even when she was volunteering at the police station. That boy was no good news and always looked at her like she was a piece of meat. Lee still remembered the old Sheriff telling her that boy was no good and looking at her now, dressed in one of her white dresses stained in dirty and green grass stains, he guessed he was right. 

  - Billy, Y/N? Don’t you have other friends?

  - Billy’s the only one with a car. - Y/N mumbled as she grabbed his keys from the floor to take her stuff off his car before he could return. - Thank you but I had it under control.

  - ‘Course you did. - he put his hands on his waist. - Come on, I’ll drive you to wherever you want to go.

  - I don’t want any favours from you, Sheriff Bodecker. - she held her boxes against her chest. Well, if she started now maybe she could be at the post office with all the boxes at nighttime. - That’ll be all.

  - Y/N, come on. I’m a public server so let me help you.

  - I don’t want your help. - she almost barked at him, taking another box from Billy’s car. Maybe she could drive the car, yet again she knew the captain particularly liked Billy and could fine her if 

  - Fine, can you tell me what you’re doing at least?

  - I’m shipping these boxes to New York. I don’t have time to completely go through them so ...

  - Put them in the cruiser. I’ll take them to the post office and take you home. 

  - I don’t want any favours.

  - It’s not for you, it’s for your grandmother. Now get into the car, please. - he opened the door to her.

Y/N huffed. The last thing she needed was a favour from Lee Bodecker yet in all honesty she had no other choice. She packed her boxes into the truck of his cruiser and sat on the passenger seat, arms crossed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Her mind played tricks on her, reminding her of what they used to do in that driver’s seat of his back when she was younger and full of ideas for the future. She shouldn’t have done it and she knew it, Jane Bodecker wasn’t the best woman but she didn’t deserve having her husband sneaking around with a 20 year old despite her herself having had her fair share of affairs. Not that Lee knew and she wasn’t gonna be the one to tell him about the time she was working late in the station and saw his wife getting busy with a new patrol. She didn’t have that right, after all he was doing the same to her. She shouldn’t have done it, nevertheless. Her grandmother died ashamed of her and now she had to deal with it. 

   - Billy said Sandy died. Is it true? 

   - Yeah, last year.

   - Oh ... I’m sorry, I didn’t know. 

   - She had it coming. That weird husband of hers ended up driving her off the edge. That Arvin kid shot them yet I can’t say they hadn’t it coming ... She was still my baby sister. 

   - I’m sorry, Lee. I’m so sorry ...  - she looked down at her skirt. 

   - Almost got me too ... stupid kid. - he shrugged. - Good thing I was fat enough to stop the bullet, I guess.

   - Well, I’m sorry about Sandy. - she said as she saw her house become clearer through the window. He stopped in front of her home, unlocking the doors so she could walk out. 

Y/N walked out before she could do something stupid. Whatever she did, whatever he had, whenever they were together she always ended up doing something stupid. She sat in the empty house of her childhood, only now containing furniture. She could remember it so well from her years as a child running up and down the stairs, not knowing what awaited her outside the world. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to owe anything to Lee. She knew who he had to answer softly too, she knew those men Billy spoke about. They always ran for Sheriff ever since she was a kid. 

She looked at the clock on the wall, 3PM. She knew exactly where those men would be at that time and so she changed and took her way downtown. Everyone turned their head as she walked into the badly light, old bar in tones of musky green which greatly contrasted with her baby blue short dress. The town had gotten stuck in the 40′s and 50′s, women barely showing their legs or any skin and there she was, a woman born and raised in Knockemstiff dressed like a movie star. The table of three men clearly noticed, the under-sheriff, the division chief and the captain. She stood in front of the round table, taking her sunglasses and setting them on top of her head, a nice, covergirl smile on her pink painted lips. You can get the girl out of Knockemstiff but you can’t get Knockemstiff out of the girl.

    - Hello boys. You mind if I seat with you? - she put her hand on one of the chairs. 

    - Hey, you’re Elizabeth’s granddaughter aren’t you? - Frank, the under-sheriff asked, pulling the chair for her. - I thought you were in New York.

    - I was but I just came here because of my grandma’s inheritance, but I have something to discuss. 

Another night, another day of useless parading around for Lee. He’d pass by the post office and shipped Y/N’s boxes and that had been the highlight of his day. As per usual, he made his way to the bar only to found the environment was slightly different. He knew this town like the back of his hand, anything off always rang alarm bells. As the bartender placed his usual poison in front of him, he decided to get to the bottom of the situation. 

   - Why’s everything so quiet?

   - I don’t know, Sheriff. - the man replied while cleaning glasses. - Elizabeth’s girl was here and I don’t know what she did but Frank, Jonah and Fitzwilliam left as if she were the devil.

Fucking hell. He drowned the last of his drink before grabbing his hat and entering his cruise. Damned Y/N, she used to be such a nice girl before leaving to New York. God, the only complaint he ever got about her was when the mayor complained about her wanting to run a march. He drove to her home like a mad man. What was she doing messing around with those three? He’d seen them do worse things for much less. Lee climbed the grass patch up to her door, knocking on it as if his life depended on it. 

   - Y/N, open up. Right now. - he thumped the door again. - I’ll break in if you don’t answer it!

   - Jesus. - the door opened up to Y/N dressed in what he was almost entirely sure was the shortest dress he had ever seen a woman wear. She stood against the door, hand on the wood while the other on her waist as he entered her home. 

   - Took you long enough. - he stepped into the home which he had never dared to step in.

   - I was upstairs. - she closed the door, locking it behind her for good safety. No one can be trusted in this godforsaken town. - What do you want?

Lee walked further into the house ignoring her question as he shut all the windows of the ground floor, anything that could allow anyone to look inside the house. Last thing he needed was for anyone to see inside the home and start any rumours. Stupid bastards. Y/N followed him around asking the same damn question anytime he shut any window and pulled any drapes down. 

   - Stop touching my stuff. - she put herself in front of him. - What do you want, Lee?

   - What do I want? - he sat against the couch, sighing. - What the fuck did you do, Y/N? Why were you at the bar?

   - I didn’t do anything. - she batted her eyes innocently. 

   - Y/N, I have another election coming up soon. I’ll ask again, what did you do at the bar?

   - It’s none of your business. 

   - Y/N, I’ve seen those men kill for less so you tell me now what you did. 

   - Stop ordering me around. - she rolled her eyes at him. - I don’t like owing anyone so now we’re even.

   - We’re even? - he pitched the skin of his nose. - What the fuck, Y/N? 

   - You wanna know what I said? Would that make you feel better? Would that make you feel like you rule this damn town, Lee? - she looked down on him, almost teasing him. Had it been a few years ago she would’ve been under him already. - I helped you out.

   - Y/N ...

   - It’s not just you who was sleeping around with a younger girl. They were sleeping around with friends of mine. The only difference is I have evidence of it ... - she grabbed her purse from the hanger, taking a beige envelope from it and throwing it his way. Lee looked up to her and then to the envelope opening it to see various pictures of girls he knew in compromising positions with his opponents, letters, everything. - They don’t have anything on you because unlike my friends, I don’t keep souvenirs from my affairs. 

  - You blackmailed them? Are you stupid, Y/N? They are going to kill you.

  - Please. - she rolled her eyes at him. - My grandmother owned half this town, if I die everything goes to charity and this town falls apart. Besides, it’s not like I’m planning to stick around for longer. 

  - So what now? You had fun playing femme fatale? You’re bored, is that it?

  - I just won you an election without any competition, Lee. You could be nicer about it. 

  - I don’t need your help. 

  - I don’t need your help either. I was just repaying a favour. - she leaned against the wall. - You can go now. 

   - Did you need to wear that? - he pointed at the dress. - Couldn’t have struck blackmail dressed appropriately?

   - Do you not like my dress? - she looked down, hands grabbing the baby blue fabric as she expanded the flowey skirt. - You know, I bought it for you. I was planning on using it for birthday a few years ago but you know ... had to leave earlier.

   - You bought that dress for me? - he rose from the couch, walking up to her until he had her caged against the wall.

   - I bought it so you could take it off, actually. - Lee must’ve been hallucinating because he swore she was pouting.

She looked up at him with that look she used to give him after a long day at work when he needed something to unwind. Both of them had promised each other not to do anything else when she left, Y/N had told herself no more coming bak and Lee had decided to spend his life content what whatever shred of marriage he had. Yet, she was there in what looked more like lingerie than a dress and he was in uniform, both of them were never good at making good decisions, and this was Knockemstiff. Lee took the first move, leaning down to kiss her like his body dependent on it which in some way he did. She held onto his shoulder, flushing her body against his as his hands started trying to pull the dress away from her body. Baby blue fabric flowed to the ground as he picked her up, throwing her against the couch he had just been sat on. He stopped kissing her to look at her, to look at the body he still dreamed at night or whenever he shut his eyes. She could’ve been gone for 4 years but she sure never left his wildest fantasies. 

  - Lee, wait. - her hands stopped him from returning to kiss her. - Let me treat you, please.

  - Oh sugar, you don’t need to ask. - she got up, walking slowly past him, her matching baby blue undergarments much more racy than what she used to wear back in Knockemstiff. She pushed him against the couch, smirking as she went down on her knees. - What are you doing down there, sugar? It’s more than you can handle. 

  - Don’t worry, Sheriff. I’m a big girl. - her hands unbuckled the belt off his trousers, throwing it to the floor followed by his trousers. She peppered kisses over his thighs down to his knees and then to the edge of his underwear. Slowly, she peeled them away, making eye contact with him. The silent girl he had known before was definitely long gone and he didn’t know how to feel about it. Before he could make up his mind, she took him entirely inside inside her mouth. - Fuck, you look fucking flawless with my big cock in your mouth, sugar.

She smiled at his praise, moving her head up and down still at a painfully slow pace, his balls in her hands. Lee pushed his head back, groaning at her motions and thinking it could no get better until she started to move her head faster, his tip reaching the back of her throat, but it didn’t seem to bother her. Instead she moaned against him, the vibrations making him feel like he was on cloud 9. Fuck being sheriff, nothing made him quite higher than having the one who got away with his cock down her throat. He started twitching against her mouth, his hand grabbed a handful of her hair, pushing her against his pelvis and starting to control her moves. She kept moaning against him, bringing him over the edge until he just couldn’t hold himself anymore. His grip loosened on her head as his muscles gave up on him.

Y/N got up from her kneeling position, thumb pushing whatever cum had spilled over into her mouth. That image alone made him harden up again like some horny teenage boy. She smiled at him, hands on his shoulders as she sat on his lap. 

   - What do you want me to do, Sheriff? - she batted her eyes at him, leaning down to kiss his ear lobe lowering down to his neck. 

  - You wanna ride my cock, sugar? - he hooked his hand on her nape, pushing her so she was looking at him. - You wanna make up to me for leaving me all alone?

  - Yes, Sheriff. - she lined up and slowly sunk down on him, both of them moaning. 

   - Come on, sugar. Show me what you can do. - she started riding him as if the devil had possessed her. He pushed her lips against his, a sloppy messy kiss which definitely was more lust than anything else as she moved up and down against him.  - Yeah, you like that don’t you, sugar? Tell me you like it, sugar. 

  - It feels so good, Lee. - she leaned against him, her hips still moving as he pulled her bra down, pinching her nipple. - Fuck.

  - You’re never gonna leave me again. - he started thrusting up, moving her from under him so she was laid across the couch. - Promis ... fuck ... promise me, sugar. Promise, you’re not gonna leave.

  - Lee ... - she moaned against the couch’s pillow as he speed up his pace, hands holding her hips and moving them against and away from him. 

  - You’re not gonna leave. - he groaned, feeling the way her walls milked him with such need. - You’re not gonna leave me, sugar. You’re not, right? You’re gonna stay.

   - Lee ... - she cried out before her mouth opened up in a perfect O, her orgasm washing over her. He didn’t take too long to cum, groaning like a wild animal as strings of white painted her walls. He slipped out of her, holding her before turning so she was standing on top of him. - Lee, I can’t stay. You know that, right? 

   - Why not? Things were good when you were around. 

   - I left for a reason, Lee. - she got up from him, grabbing her dress and quickly slipping it on. - And that reason still stands. 

   - Y/N, please listen ...

   - When I was 20 and we started this, I truly believed you were going to divorce your wife. You were going to divorce her and you were gonna marry me and ... and my grandma would’ve been upset but she would’ve learned to deal with it and then she would’ve taken me to the altar. I waited a year to see if I would ever become something other than a mistress and then the elections came around and I understood you were not gonna divorce Jane. You were going to be Sheriff and you’re still going to be Sheriff and maybe sometime Mayor. I’m not gonna be your mistress anymore, Lee.

  - Y/N ...

  - Please, leave. - she wiped whatever tears were threatening to fall off. Lee furrowed his brow, putting on his trousers before trying to approach her but she stopped him, arm raised firmly keeping distance. - Please, leave.

  - Y/N, c’mon. Let’s talk.

  - LEAVE! - she rose her tone at him. Lee wasn’t going to argue with her, it wasn’t his place to argue with her at her own house and so he left. Y/N stayed in the middle of her leaving room, arms crossed until she broke down crying.

She could almost hear her grandmother’s words “there’s no use crying about it” when she told her Lee was running for Sheriff. Funny how even after being dead, the old nag still was as right as she was four years ago. She wiped her tears with her hand and climbed the stairs up to her bedroom, sitting on the bare bed. It was going to be alright, tomorrow she’d be able to sign the rights over to the letting agency and could return to New York. Things were fine there, or at least she wasn’t sleeping with a married man there.

The sun didn’t raise up that morning, rain instead replaced it and so Y/N remained laid in bed watching the rain drop rush down the fogged up windows until a loud thumping on her door forced her to get up. She wrapped herself in her robe and went down the stairs to open the door. 

  - Good morning, miss. - she opened the door to her letting agent. - How are you?

  - I’m alright, Don. I’m sorry, I thought the open house was later. I’ll just get my stuff and leave.

  - No, it’s all right miss. I am just here to tell you that we’ve sold the house was above the price you were asking for.

  - Pardon me?

  - At least two times the asking price. It was such a good price, he had to take it. Paid upfront.

  - What really? Who?

  - He should be coming to see the place in an hour. - he said. - We’ll bring you the check later on. 

  - All right. Thank you Don.

That was good news at least she got to leave Knockemstiff before anything else happened. She didn’t know what had overcome her to decide to have sex with Lee. Pull yourself together Y/N, you’ve had four years to learn how to deal with it. It was fine, it was going to be fine. She packed whatever was left of her stuff into her small patched up luggage and put it by the door. She just needed to wait for Don to bring her check back and she could go on back to New York, where her mistakes only included putting coloured clothes with whites and then having pink clothes for the rest of her life. A knock on the door made that decision come much faster. Okay, Y/N. Get the check and go.

  - Lee? - she opened the door to see the least person she wanted to see. - Go away, I’m expecting someone.

  - I know. - he walked in as if the house was his. - You’re expecting me.

  - This is not funny, Lee. Don should be bringing my check anytime and the owner will be here in an hour.

  - Yeah, I’m sorry I’m early.

  - Pardon? - she rose her eyebrows at his statement. - What do you mean?

  - It’s my house now. I was thinking of upgrading, ya know? This house is the best one in Brewer Heights after all.

  - Are you fucking kidding me, Lee?! - she stood in front of him before he could walk further into her home. - You’re bringing your wife into my childhood home? YOU’RE BRINGING YOUR WIFE TO YOUR MISTRESS’S HOME?!

  - How many bedrooms is this house? They said they thought it was over five in the contract. 

  - You have a perfectly good house. Why do you want mine?

  - Mine is too small. Only one bedroom, I’d have no place to build a nursery.

  - A nursery? You and your wife are having a baby? In my childhood home ... how swell. 

  - You know I’m thinking about running for mayor. I mean, it’d look good if I had a family.

  - Good luck convincing Jane. - she gave him a cynical smile. 

  - I don’t have to convince Jane. I’d have to convince you. 

  - Me? Fuck off, Lee. I’m not having a baby for you and your wife. Fuck off. 

  - We’re a good team, Y/N. Besides, Jane is no longer in the picture.

  - Lee ... - she sighed. - Please.

  - You see, my wife isn’t as good as me at keeping her infidelities casual. The other candidates have caught wind of it ... I need someone who’s almost as good at blackmail as me.

  - I’m better at blackmail than you. - she crossed her arms at him.

  - So what do you say, sugar? Want to be the sheriff’s wife?

  - Do you promise I’ll get to be the mayor’s wife someday? 

  - With you on my team, I think you’re gonna be the mayor’s wife sooner than you think.

taglist: @buckysteveloki-me​ 

[muffindaddystyles]

𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊.

Summary: Where you got a panic attack while attending a lecture at University and Harry's out of reach.

Warning: Angst, ah! yes no worries you'll get fluff in the end.

P.S: 𝐖𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

Snuggled into cosy sheets, sweater paws wrapped around a cuppa, the strands of your dark hair tickling the nape of your neck and a sheepish smile of yours crawled against the rim happy while you scrolled through your Instagram feed seeing a short video of Harry singing Landslide on karaoke with his best pal at their get-together.

You and Harry were bestfriends, you met him at a vintage shop in basement where they sell old vintage tees. Despite of knowing who he was you fought with him cheekily over a same 'Pink Floyd's.' T-shirt at that time you guys decided to share it, he'd come to take it from you after every three days a week.

Two years of bestfriendship from you taking him to local south asian and chinese restaurants, to dragging him to yearly fair demanding him to win a bunny for you, to going on a competition for free pizzas only ending up loosing because you were litreally about to go sick, dancing like a maniac at the low price arcade at your university's backstreet, to him dragging you to his friends get-togethers which are quite fun they are super chill but your anxiousness is a little bitch she pops out of nowhere but Harry doesn't mind at all.

Now you're here. Being his lover for an year. He confessed his love for you when he was high on shrooms and you laughed it off tucking him to sleep at his place because he always used to say he 'loves you.' but that was in friends typa way until at the Christmas time while you were having fun for real at Jeff's house with Harry crowded by his mates that one of the Jeff's friends approached you and Oh dear lord' from even so far Harry's sight was dagger to a prey and was hot on his heels, if he would have been a cartoon character red smoke could have seen through his ears.

"Pet?" His brows kinked together as he squeezed you to a corner and he pulled at his bottom lip when your attention was on that guy waving you good-bye, "what Harry?" You asked him nonchalantly peering him through your down gaze.

It was enough to pinch his nerves and Amy one of his girl friend smirked watching the scenario when he was taking both of you to rooftop. With folded forearms you smiled with a certain mischief at the clear jealousy of him ripping through his every action, "jus' wanna protect ye', kiddo." He paced back to you sighing with a painful clench in his chest. He wanted to spill out but why the hell it was so difficult.

"Huh?" Your eyes widened like a deer under the moonlight at his obvious incoherence and he hissed pulling at his roots so you retorted calmly, "relax he was just a guy graduated in the same degree as me." You wanted him to confess his feeling out to you, at many occasions you guys joked about marrying eachother if you both fail to find your perfect partner. Like when you got all sentimental seeing Jeff's first baby at the hospital, getting a baby fever wanting one bubba right that time and Harry joked if any consequences he would help you put a baby in you and trust me nobody in the room laughed, they had deadpaned faces, they all know you guys have crossed the borderline but are playing blind.

His friends have inner jokes for you and Harry, their famous four bets on when Harry will ask you out, his first love confession to you, him proposing you and what your first born would be. Half of them lost more money than they could have imagined in a group of seven, Amy was smirking with full heart because she was praying maybe this time she'll win the bet.

"He looked like he drank 'is arse off." You rolled your eyes at his anxious quip wrapping your cardigan closer to your chest muttering under your breath and Harry's head snapped from your feet to your face, he knew it was ending point of his act "Harry he was completely sober."

He still remained firm at his ground pouting as his curled fingers brushed your elbows to bring you closer, "...but he's still a guy, ye' know.." You wanted to laugh at his face at his silly comment but instead arched your brow sternly.

"So. You aren't?" His heart-shaped lips bubbled around his words but you cut him off, "because if I remember last time you had a dick in between your legs." At this he strewned his lip inside not to chuckle how cute dirty words sounds coming out of your lips.

You frowned feeling cold when he pulled back from you turning his back to you to take a deep breath and his eyes were darker than before from frustration when he turned to face you.

"'Kay fuck. I love you, that's it. happy? I love you and don't wanna loose ye' to anyone!" You knew it coming but not like a bullet so it hit you like one freezing your breath into cold dense air, "you do?" You were at loss of words padding towards him for reassurance as if you're his little girl.

When you were inches away from him He noded without any hesitation saturating even that distance, "yes. I do. Since we've met, since you've invaded all of mind and heart." He wrapped you in his warm conforting arms humming when he snoggled his cheek against your hair.

You playfully scowled at him, "well didn't do that on purpose." Your naughtiness of that moment vanished into air when he asked you sincerely breath tasting you, "can I kiss ye' sweet girl?" Your single nod and his lips were on yours into a deep open mouthed passionate kiss, like how lovers kiss.

His cold finger-tips brushed the under shell of your earlobes earning a shuddering moan and you slipped your hands into the front pockets of his trousers.

Your own icy hands causing him to buck his hips into yours and the sensual touch made you both a whimpering mess. Tongues caressing, lips swiping, teeth nibbling and noses brushing as you kissed until your lips froze to mist.

"Cold?" You admired his after tenderness, lips magenta from heavy makeout session and he twirled a loose errand of your hair around his shiny jewl clad finger kissing your forehead and taking your hands in his bringing them closer to his lips to blow out his warmth to them.

But, there was another pair of eyes watching you astonished and somewhat gasping in awement. Amy, she came to call you guys. Then she rushed back downstairs doing a little prance and all of the people watched her in confusion.

"Ten, ten bucks each. C'mon bitches Harry said I love you to y/n!" Everyone squealed happily at her enthusiastic announcement only groaning at the end when she made a grabby hand, "I won. Now gimme my money."

Even though they all knew they acted like nothing happened respecting your guys descion of whenever you'd like to share your relationship to them, both you and Harry couldn't hold longer.

Your affection it's not new you've been affectionate to eachother since the very start, but this one have meaning and feelings, deep sensations. Hand grazes, knee touches, teasing glances, innocent bantering as if you could rip each others clothes right infront of them, closeness and quite fuck visits in their washrooms were getting obvious day by day and you ended up telling them getting showered in blessings in return.

Right now, with a shake of your head you went past through your boyfriend's antics going through Instagram stories. Your brows furrowed together in curiosity when you came through a post that had a large 'sensite content.' written on it.

This's what happens when curiously takes best of you. You end up doing things you regret time after and this's what happened to you.

"My god!" You clamped your palm over your mouth, eyes widening in horror and nerves crippling in fear. The gor video full of cruelness and blood infront of you making your body shudder.

𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡! 𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡! 𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑦/𝑛!!!!

Your mind screamed at you to just move past it but your eyes remained numbed to same video and your heart's weeping for the poor women in the video but you're rigid in your sheets with the cup of tea shaking with the shudder of your fear.

Then the consciousness hit you like a train and you snapped out of it quickly shutting your phone throwing it carelessly on the sheets, putting the porcelain cup with a shivering hand onto nightstand.

You shrinked into your sheets trying to calm your breaths. Bolting shut your eyes you shrugged and shook your head many times to get rid of the same image circling in your mind like a demon trying to haunt you.

You stopped breathing without realizing arm over your forehead as you stared the ceiling, lip sucked into your mouth and talking to yourself you tried to concentrate on something else.

You're feeling it coming. It's collecting in the form of bile in your throat and when you were talking with yourself. Your stupid obnoxious brain played your voice ten times faster and it echoed inside your own fleshy bones like a broken record in the barren house of devil.

You're hating it. You inhaled an audible gasp of loud horrific breath shoting up from your sleeping position throwing your duvet to ground ready to run away, you're trying to run away from yourself from your bloody damn thoughts.

You want Harry. He knows about your anxiety and panic attacks. You had your fair amount of panic attacks in his presence, but he always managed to bring you back to him. He used to make you practice breathing patterns and techniques on how to escape from your own subspace.

The first time you got it infront of him was when everyone protested that you should stay for sometime more but it was already two in the morning and you had an exam in the next morning it was just for him that you went along, but you were kinda angry on your own self for taking risks for just a friendship. Then it came into a black pitch waves of suffocation in his car while he was driving you back home, he was unaware of your condition and practically cried when he couldn't bring you back to him.

That night he slept in your bed for the first time. He wanted to stay closer to you in any case, you were sad that you made him worried for no-reason but he shushed you with infinite forehead kisses, he whisper yelled at you full of concern if he might be suffocating you but you giggled a "no." kissing his cheeks getting cosy in his embrace eyes drooping to sleep. He used to sing lullaby to you when you were having it bad particular nights.

Now, he wasn't here and you thought of calling him many times but decided against it only being your own helper. Taking a deep breath, you sang his lullaby to yourself, not letting tears to fall and reminisced all of the lovely memories of you together. Your kisses. Your laughs. Your cuddles. Your lovemaking. Your cooking failures together.

With all of these memories you were back in your bed closing your eyes only hearing Harry's soft affectionate rasps in your ears.

.

In the morning you have long forgotten that even the video existed. You were surprisingly fresh walking to your university's building in long strides, greeting everyone and anyone.

Harry just woke up from his lazy slumber. Making an orange juice for himself, his head heavy and he's in no mood to look at his phone. Grabbing his journal and putting on his rings, a special copper one that you gifted him on his ring finger smiling at it like a foolish fucker and pecking it shyly remembering you.

"Heyyy. H!" When he entered studio everyone greeted him joyfully and he hugged them all handing breakfast to each one of them he bought after standing in a queue for half an hour, "how's y/n?" Sarah asked chewing her bagel sitting behind the drums and the seed of distress sprouted in his stomach that he hasn't asked his bubby if she slept good lastnight? What she had in breakfast? If her day's going well.

There's this certain instinction that's making him restless but he can't quite put a finger on it.

"She's good. Gets a lill cranky if I win form 'er at the '10 phase' uno game." He chuckled with a hint of love under his tone his previous thoughts of checking onto you again slipping from his mind.

Plugging his phone to charger he rushed back to his favourite spot quickly taking his journal and pencil to scribble something.

It's your English lecture. The day went well. But now it's not. You're zoning out knowing how boring the lecture sounds.

You stared the way you drew your pencil into unstopping circles at the corner of page and your head was a dark vacant space when the way you acted last night flashed in your mind then the reason behind it, that damn video.

The video displaying like a reel in your mind again as if you're there experiencing it with your body. You twitched, and closing your eyes you snapped your head to side several times when the cold sweat broke at the back of your neck and shudder ran down your spine.

When you snapped for the tenth time in row a hand came squeezing yours, "you okay?" You slowly looked up at the guy sitting beside you as the professor's voice billowed further from you.

You just stared him numbly, tears making your sight blurry. Your breath hitching in your lungs and you can feel it clawing at you like a demon. To avoid getting made fun of yourself you stood up leaving your things and rushed for the door, when a hand came wrapping around your wrist in a tight grip.

"Where are you going miss? This's not acceptable." Your karen professor's voice sliced through your ears and your lungs are tightening with each passing second, everything spinning around you and all you're thinking's if you'd make it alive through this dark box of suffocation.

"S-sorry...I-I have to go—" You tried to stutter in between your broken breaths and she scowled burning her grip into your wrist. Your cheeks numb as you didn't feel tears slipping down to the valley of your breasts, "tell me the reason and I'll let you." Your head fell back at that and you bolted your eyes shut as tight as possible. Then when you tried to inhale you couldn't and everyone around hooed loudly watching you in shock as you tried to escape her with weak crying attempts.

"Let me go!" You shrieked. With wide eyes she let you and you fell to ground painfully hard. It was coming. You sobbed out harshly but it went silent at the end and you bunched your shirt atop your heart when your vision went pitch black, whole body shaking and you forgot even if the oxygen existed.

It's consuming you. Everything around you moving in slow motion. Their shouts for you like a sleepy mumble and it's just Harry's lullaby melodic in the pocket of your heart but it's cold and deserted with nothing but claustrophobia shoving you brutally into darkness where nobody could hear you crying.

You act like a lioness ready to kill anybody while you're having a panic attack and when some hand came to help you. You screamed and growled swatting them away "Don't fuckin' touch me!—" even though your ears are buzzing and you gasped loudly to get some air but it's not helping. God help me, please. You prayed.

Your classmate went through your emergency phone numbers finding Harry's at the top and it ringed sitting in the other room from him.

Then he dialed another one. It was studio's landline, Harry has filled that number without your knowledge and well it helped.

"Harry?" The drums came to halt, the guitar was stopped mid shrivel and Harry's high note fell to ground when the receptionist came with a cordless phone.

"A phone for you from y/n university—" It was enough to smack his breath away and he scurried to his feet taking the phone hastily from her hold, controlling his voice to not yell at the person in his own anxiousness.

He tucked it beneath his ear taking the car keys and his phone out of instinct because when it's you he's always on alarm. What he heard from other side made his knees jello and ribs to knock in two, "fuck. Yeh. 'M comin' jus' yeah, make her breath gently....." He tried to instruct your classmate.

He cursed himself. Not giving two fucks if he broke every speed limit. His knuckles going white and he repeated a mantra of "breath baby. m' sweet sweet girl jus' breath." but he was just saying this to himself because you wasn't in his arms and he wasn't calming you, he's blaming all this on himself.

He didn't even parked his car. Striding inside the lobby and asking for you. After fifteen minutes of no breathing as you were about to hit the deep end you inhaled loudly filling your lungs with proper oxygen causing your eyes to go bloodshot and everyone sighed in relief.

Your classmate took you to University's healthcare room so someone guided Harry there. You had your knees tucked close to your chest, head resting on them to block any light as you whimpered with innocent small hiccups.

Your heart beat racing. Head hurting and chest aching from the after effect.

Harry had to get support of door's frame when his eyes fell over you. Over his Angel that was shrinked pitifully like she's scared of world crying on her own.

The sheets of stretcher rustled under his weight as he slowly and gently wrapped his arms around her, "baby..." He cooed on the verge of tears and she didn't had to look up to know he's here, his scent was enough to relax her mind.

Her parted lips moist over the crook of his neck as she sobbed into him. He tenderly rocked her, running his hand soothingly at her back, kissing her head and her nose wiping her tears "'m so sorry, my baby. my life. 'M so sorry."

You fisted his shirt, face smashed into his chest to avoid the world while embracing your own world, your Harry as he walked both of you to his car carrying your stuff too with him. He helped you sit inside the car rounding to the driver seat and he leaned to kiss your forehead, glossy eyelids and a peck to your lips never letting his concern divert from you as he drove home.

He made you comfortable into your bed, wrapping his forearms around your tummy and soothing your arms down to tranquil your heartbeats.

He knows it's hard for you to talk so he didn't tried to get words out of you. He just wants to be there for you, physically, spiritually, mentally. He's all yours.

After long hour you spoke voice barely above a whisper, "t-they all are gonna think 'm weird." Harry felt something jabbing his sides at her statement and he cradled her chin intensely looking her in eyes.

"No angel. I promise you they wouldn't. See how your classmate called me the very moment you weren't responding? They all genuinely cared for yer', y/n" He stroked the apple of her cheeks and she sighed waveringly new tears glistening at her eyelids.

"Thought I wasn't gonna see you ever again." Her words hit him like death and at that moment he realized they're more than just best friends, just lovers, they are soulmates and Harry would be devastated without her.

His music. His fashion. His cheekiness. His softness. His humbleness will all be gone because he's so dependent on her for everything.

She frowned lightly when Harry hugged her close to his heart, his cheek stuffed into the crook of her neck and when his wet lips rumbled with a sob she pulled him back from shoulders cupping his cheeks.

"Harry? Hey, bambi eyed. Baby look at me." You sniffled wiping your every tear and he refused to look at you sobbing hoarsely, squeezing you to feel you for his dear life.

"Don't say somethin' like that. I wouldn't be able to live without ye'." He muttered silent tears soaking her neck collecting at the dip of her collarbones. She played with his curls smooching his cheeks cooing at him, "'m here baby. in your arms. 'm fine, we're fine." She gave him an eskimo kiss when he finally pulled back. Eyes fluttering as she took a deep breath feeling her lungs nutritioning after so long.

"Did you forgot your promise of making me your babies momma or I've to make you remember?" She tried to light up the mood and he just chuckled kissing her lips, when he stood up she pouted making grabby hands at him.

"Hold me?" She asked innocently. Harry ducked down brushing her hair and kissing her head, "gonna run a bath for us sweet angel."

Interlacing your fingers he guided you to your bathroom. Rose candle's flame flickered a shadow onto mauve tiles as the water had pink waves, the scent is so him and it calmed your nerves down.

He undressed you with soft movements, planting a kiss to your shoulder when you were complete naked infront of him. Settling inside the porcelain tub he took your hand helping you inside, making you sit in between his legs.

Your back to his chest. Head resting on his shoulder and his breath fanning your cheeks. It's nothing sexual. Just you two relaxing your nerves.

He coiled his hands over your tummy, running his thumb in careless patterns near your belly button as the water droplets dropped from his curl atop your breasts.

Exhaustion taking over you. Your eyes drooping and you've no idea when he took you out changing you into his clothes and into bed slipping under covers with you.

"'M always gonna be there for ye', whatever it will take my soul to." His whispers caused your lips to curl in a smile and you hummed snuggling your face into his arm scooping you to him.

.

A/N: I know it's very excruciating for people going through this difficulty, we don't have Harry physically in our lives but he has helped us alot. I feel you and I believe you. It's okay after every hardship there's a moment of happiness personally created for you. All the love!

[shirtlesssammy]

1x17: Hell House

Then:

Padiddle!

Now:

Two Months Ago:

Richardson, Texas

Late at night, a group of teens are on a dare to investigate a haunted house. Once inside they find the house’s walls decorated with odd symbols. 

The leader tells the others that “they say that it lives in the root cellar. It goes after girls. Always girls. It just strings 'em up.” They head down there and one guy looks around and jokes about the place. The others look beyond him with horror-stricken faces. He turns to find a young woman hanging by a noose. 

Interstate 35

Present Day

Dean Winchester, Very Serious Hunter, pranks his sleeping brother while he drives. Sam is having NONE OF IT, and warns Dean that the pranks always escalate and he started it. 

He then gives Dean the lowdown on their latest case. The local authorities don’t really believe the kids, but Sam read on hellhoundslair.com about their harrowing adventure and it seems legit. Dean’s skeptical. 

They head to the local malt shop and interview the kids about what they’ve seen in the house. The stories...don’t quite match. They tell them that Craig knew about the place. The brothers then head to the local record shop to interview him. 

They ask him about the Hell House and its history. He tells a story of Mordachai Murdoch and how he killed his six daughters and then himself. His ghost haunts the place, killing any girl that wanders into the house.

He’s freaked out. That dead girl was real and he doesn’t want anything more to do with that house. 

The brothers head to investigate the house themselves. Once inside, Sam breaks out Nerd!Sam and starts talking about the sigils on the walls. Dean recognizes one that Sam doesn’t, but he can’t place it’s origin. 

They hear a noise and find two PROFESSIONALS in another room. (“Professional what?” Dean wonders. “Paranormal investigators.”) 

Meet Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spengler! 

They run the website that Sam looked up. And the brothers see right through their bullshit. It’s a thing of glory. They explain EMF to Sam. I just want to squeeze them if I didn’t hate them so much. They also saw heard a vase fall once in a house. That stuff changes you. 

Sam and Dean leave them to their work. They do their own work and find major errors with the stories floating around the house. Dean thinks the HellHound boys made up the whole thing. 

Sam gets in a minor prank as they leave town. 

That night, more teens arrive at the Hell House. Jill was dared to grab a jar off the root cellar shelves. She heads inside, and down to the root cellar. Once down there she hears a noise and drops the jar she was holding. Panicked, she heads further into the bowels of the basement. 

SNAP. There’s actually a dude down there and he actually hangs her until she dies! 

Sam and Dean check out the crime scene, realizing they missed something. Later that night, they wait until the cops are gone to head inside. While they wait, Howdy and Doody show up. Dean alerts the cops to Harry and Ed while Sam and Dean sneak into the house. 

Armed with their shotguns, they head to the basement. 

It’s gross and basementy, and Dean delivers an Indiana Jones homage as they head through the room: “I hate rats.” Yes, of course you do, my sunshine. The ghost rears up behind them and chucks them out of the house just in time for Ed and Harry to arrive in full ghost hunting gear. 

The Winchesters flee the scene as the cops arrive, and Harry and Ed get cornered by the police. 

Back at their...truly amazing western-themed motel...Dean and Sam examine the facts of the case. It’s strange that the ghost seems to keep changing his MO and appearance! Sam heads to the HellHounds site, where he finds a new post that matches what they saw at the house. Life imitates art imitates life. Or...something like that. 

Looking at the mysterious symbol he re-drew on a piece of motel stationary, Dean has an epiphany. He knows where he’s seen that symbol before! They head to the record store again. There, Dean corners Craig about the symbol he’s been trying to understand - it’s Blue Oyster Cult’s logo. Craig spills everything. Bored one day, he and his cousin decorated the abandoned house to look like it was haunted, painting symbols on the wall from musicians and her theology textbooks. The haunted house rumor got picked up by the HellHounds website, and now a girl’s dead and the house is apparently ACTUALLY haunted. 

Later, Dean sprinkles itching powder in Sam’s pants. BBYS. They head to a diner where Sam lays out his current theory: their ghost is a tulpa, brought to life by widespread belief. One of the symbols in the house was Tibetan, and appears to be powering the tulpa.

Dean wants to know how they’re supposed to kill an idea. (Suggestion: Use Sam’s brain bullets!)

Harry and Ed fret over fame and ghosts in their trailer when the Winchesters arrive. 

Dean demands that they shut down their website. Harry refuses to stop their bold reporting. Their hands forced, Sam dangles a tantalizing “fact” in front of Harry and Ed: Dean hands over Mordachai Murdoch’s death certificate (that they totally forged at a copy shop an hour ago). The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. If someone shoots the ghost with, say, a .45 loaded with special bullets, it will kill him. 

Rumor seeds planted, the Winchesters chill out at a diner while they wait for the new belief to take hold. Oh, and Sam superglues Dean’s hand to a bottle. CHILDREN.

That evening the Winchesters storm the house to take out the tulpa. Harry and Ed burst in to record everything. The ghost emerges and the bullets seem to have NO EFFECT. It turns out that after their story got updated, the HellHounds server crashed. So nobody had a chance to read the new lore. Wherps. 

Their fight against the tulpa is going VERY BADLY. 

Dean sprinkles lighter fluid all over the house and they torch the place. If the tulpa can’t leave (according to the lore) then Dean will burn everything down. “Mordechai can’t haunt a house if there’s no house to haunt.” If only the demonic thought-forms of their tattered childhoods could be so easily defeated.

Later, the Winchesters see off Harry and Ed. The ghost hunters are off to HOLLYWOOD to live their best famous life! As they drive away, Sam gleefully reveals that he called them and pretended he was a producer. Sam’s not the only prankster - Dean dropped a dead fish in their backseat.

The Winchesters call a prank war truce (for now) and drive off to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult.

Blue Oyster Quotes:

What's the matter Sammy? Scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again?

Who you gonna call? 

Sweet Lord of the Rings!

WWBD: What Would Buffy Do? 

We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, okay?

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[kenzieam]

The Blue Plate Diner - Chapter One

@jewels2876​​  @moonbeambucky​​  @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​  @iammarylastar​​@captstefanbrandt​​  @badassbaker​​  @pinknerdpanda​​  @oliviastan17​​ @mizzzpink​​​

I know I’m forgetting people, sorry. If you want in, hit me.

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Rating: M

Warnings: Language, general nuttiness, smut, major angst, drama

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FEEDBACK IS LIFE, Y’ALL!

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Years after leaving, Bucky returns to his hometown a successful lawyer, there only to clean up his recently deceased mother’s affairs, but hoping despite himself to see her again; Levka Riel, the girl he wanted all through high school and could never have. But their parting was anything but sweet and old wounds have festered for years in the shadows. Even if the truths in their past are revealed, has it been too long to repair the damage?

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Bucky sighed, stifling a yawn. He should have flown out, rather than renting a car and driving but he’d wanted the time to think that days of road travel allowed; flying wouldn’t have given him time to prepare.

He wasn’t ready for this. Any of it.

Not just the fact that his mother, a strong-willed old woman who’d raised him alone through grit and sacrifice, had passed away but returning to his hometown in general, with all the memories, good and bad, that haunted here.

It had all been a surprise, his weekly phone call to his mother had gone unanswered, the chief of police himself calling him the next morning with the news he’d begun to dread. At least the old girl had gone in her sleep, napping in her armchair, maybe even while waiting for her only child’s weekly phone call as she drifted off this mortal coil and, to be honest, he’d not really woken up from the dream since.

You’d think being a big-city lawyer would have helped grease the wheels a bit, but time had moved a hell of lot slower back home and, instead of handing everything over the phone like he’d wanted to, Bucky had finally be forced to concede and come back to handle his mother’s affairs personally.

He wasn’t ready for all of this, wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the woman who’d raised him, who’d gone without to provide for him but there was even more; he wasn’t ready to see her.

Levka Riel.

The only woman that had ever captured his heart, as cliche as that sounded.

The past should stay buried.

Yet here he was, driving directly back into the lion’s den.

He wasn’t ready for this.

The town looked pedestrian, tired and ordinary. It hadn’t seemed so when he’d lived there, but years away first at college, then law school followed by the big city showed him the truth now.

Small towns, small minds and he couldn’t wait to get back out of here.

A few days, a week tops. Sign all the paperwork, find a team to clean out the house and hire an agent to sell it in his absence, take his mother’s ashes back with him.

Get the hell out before he saw her.

Lev was still in town, as far as he knew, not that he asked his mom about her anymore; it was too painful, easier to focus on other things and besides, she’d given him her answer years ago, hadn’t she?

Hunger pangs kicked in as he ventured further into the town centre and the thought of trying to cobble something together in his mom’s empty house only made him more tired, so he was relieved to see that The Blue Plate was still open, a deliciously retro diner to the outsider that was just plain old to the locals. Pulling into the cracked parking lot, he parked the rental car and sat back, staring into the diner for a beat.

How many times had he come here in high school, either with his best friend Steve or alone, to sit in a corner booth and steal glances at Lev as she waitressed there? To wince and look away when she’d approach their table with a smile, lean down to give Steve, her lucky-as-fuck boyfriend, a kiss; maybe sit down in his lap for a minute or two, something which always caused a stir in Bucky’s pants, one he was grateful the table’s edge hid?

Too many fucking times.

There was only one waitress visible, as original as the tiles on the floor, old Hattie had been waitressing here at the Blue Plate from the day it opened, and they’d probably have to drag her out the back one day when she finally keeled over into their famous bread pudding, because it looked like the old bird would never willingly leave.

His stomach grumbled again, unimpressed with his brooding and he stepped out, glancing across the parking lot one more time. The newest vehicle in the lot, besides his own brand-new ride, was a battered old truck manufactured sometime during Reagan’s tenure, the original colour of paint a memory on it’s faded and dented flanks.

The bell binged, announcing his entry and a few tired heads raised to stare at him, some with mild curiosity, some a bit more rabid but, if anyone recognized him as Doris Barnes’ boy, who’d left almost a decade ago for the big city, nobody let on.

“Sit wherever you want.” Hattie called from behind the counter and Bucky chose a booth on the empty side of the diner, facing away from everyone else, where he could sit without overhearing any conversations or be forced to oblige in awkward small talk if his wandering gaze happened to cross anyone else’s.

Hearing footsteps approach, Bucky reached for a menu stood up in the condiments’ rack and flipped it open, turning over one of the coffee mugs left at each table for Hattie to fill.

“What can I get you?” It was not Hattie who asked, even as they filled his coffee cup and set a sweating glass of water beside it and Bucky glanced up, his heart beginning to pound. Something about this woman’s voice stirred old memories deep in his mind. When his eyes met hers, his heart jolted, adrenaline starting to course through his veins.

“Lev?”

She startled slightly, having obviously not recognized him from behind. “James?” She breathed, sounding suddenly alarmed. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes were wide, darting around his face and she looked anything but happy to see an old acquaintance, and why should she, with the ugly way they parted so many years ago?

“I didn’t know you still worked here.” Bucky mumbled, cheeks heating. A thousand different emotions coursed through him, everything from pleasant surprise to low fury, embarrassment and excitement.

“I didn’t know you were back in town.” She replied curtly.

“I’m here for Mom.” He answered, confused to see something bordering on disgust cross Lev’s face.

“Oh yes. I’m sorry to hear about your mother.” Lev sounded anything but sorry and, while Bucky struggled for something more to say, to make sense of the riot of feelings in his head, he wanted to do everything from flip the table over while he screamed at her to leaping to his feet and crushing Lev to his chest while he kissed her, she continued. “What can I get you?”

His answer was automatic, something he’d ordered here time and again. “Blue-cheese burger, medium rare and fries.” His carefully crafted diet, mostly greens and lean meats, was apparently out the window at the moment.

“Sure,” she turned to leave.

“Wait-” Bucky yelped, nowhere near ready to let her walk away yet, even as his skin burned with embarrassment. She hadn’t wanted him then, why the fuck would she want him now?

She hesitated, glancing back at him and he was stunned to see fear in her eyes. Why would she be afraid of him? He’d never done anything to hurt her… physically at least. “I need to get your order in.”

Bucky nodded weakly, subsiding into the booth as she hurried away. Picking almost obsessively at a cuticle, he glanced over his shoulder time and again, looking for Lev to come back but she flitted between customers at the other end, stealing worried glances his way every now and again and Bucky cursed himself for chickening out every time he decided to simply stand up and approach her.

“Here you go.”

“Lev, wait. I need to talk to-” he broke off with a frown as Hattie set the plate in front of him, regarding him with a raised brow. “Where’s Lev?”

“On her break.”

“But I need to-”

“I wouldn’t bother waiting around, son. She’s not here and the way she lit out, she don’t want to talk to you right now anyhow.” Mixed sympathy and suspicion coloured her gaze before she added. “Sorry to hear about your mama.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Mind what I said, eat your burger then go. Levi don’t want to see you.”

The woman had never had kids, but few could equal her ‘Mom has spoken’ tone and Bucky, picking at half his food and taking the rest with him, left not long after.

It was surreal, entering his childhood home; with the exception of a few minor upgrades, the house was just as he remembered, ruthlessly clean and organized, not even the few dust-bunnies daring to be out of place. His room was even worse, left just as he’d had it, bare and spartan by necessity, for if he’d cluttered it with too much his mother would have gone through and purged it all while he was at school. She’d tidied the space as necessary, changing the sheets regularly based on the whiff of pleasant detergent smell that hit him as he pulled them back, but there was no personality in the room anymore.

Had there ever been?

He couldn’t remember a time here where his mother wasn’t the biggest energy, the largest influence and policing force in his life. It hadn’t occurred to him to mind all those years ago, but time spent on his own, making his own way and living his own life coloured his memories now, or maybe just scraped away the rose-tint.

Is that why he hadn’t been home in almost eight years? Because of his mother, or because of her?          

A sudden wave of weariness hit him, a culmination of the last few days of numb shock coupled with the strange, almost furtive shame he now felt crawling his spine.

Lev had never left this place, never even left her old job by the looks of it and for someone who’d once followed her every move in high school, just dying for a bit of her light to shine on him, he’d done a good job of staying distant.

And why not? The way Lev had stared at him, from the corner of her eyes like she feared him suddenly launching himself at her and swinging his fists, wasn’t wholly unexpected.

Jesus, did he wish he had done things differently.

Stripping down to boxers, he awkwardly slid into the striped sheets, feeling the end of the mattress with a familiar comfort, a sense that, even though so many other things had changed, he still was too tall for his old bed.

Where was Lev right now? Still working, having returned to waitressing after Hattie had chased him off? Gone home? To a family, a husband? He’d never asked his mother, it would have been far too painful to know the truth, but Lev had probably married Steve, given him two or three little tow-headed angels and was at this moment regaling him with the story of ‘you’ll never guess who I saw at The Blue Plate tonight!’.

God, his body tightened at the thought of her, as it had so many nights before. She still looked amazing, her hair still that unique auburn, her eyes rarer and more vibrant than anyone else’s he’d seen. Her body was lush and curved, just as she’d been blessed in high school with, a frame that probably would have earned raised brows and silent scorn around the stick-figures who floated and clacked through the law firm, worried about the calories of the cheesecake they’d just binged and purged in the ladies room, but perfectly ideal in Bucky’s eyes.

He felt his cock respond, grow and lengthen in his boxers and, as he’d done time untold in high school, he reached down into his shorts and wrapped his hand around his girth; biting back a moan as he imagined Lev’s hand in its place. Slowly, he dragged his fist up and down, feeling the flesh swell and stiffen even further, straining in his grip.

He let go, lifted his hand to his mouth and spat on it for lubrication, then gripped himself again, imaging the warm drag and slick friction to be Lev’s body sheathed around him, cradling and embracing him. He couldn’t hold back a groan, a faint part of his mind reminding him that he didn’t need to be quiet, his mother wasn’t down the hall anymore and let it out; a low, harsh sound of pure want and need. Pre-cum added to the slickness and he increased his speed, eyelids fluttering as he fantasized Lev, straddling his bare hips, fingers scratching at his chest, throwing her head back in the ecstasy his cock was bringing her.

“Jesus, god. Lev-” he panted, holding down her hips as he snapped his upwards, burying himself as deeply as he could. “Fuck baby, you feel so goddamn good-”

“Oh god, Bucky.” She whimpered. “Give it to me-” her plea devolved into a moan of pure pleasure, her walls starting to flutter and squeeze around him.

“Take it,” he grunted heavily, teeth gritted, throwing his fuck up into her with everything he had, desperate to brand her his forever. “Take it, god baby-”

He came with a groan, back arching and head pushed back into his pillow, cock pulsing thickly in his hand, his seed jets of melted silk, splashing back onto his belly and chest, trickling over his hand. For a long moment he could only lay there, trapped in that half-awake, half-dream state, still feeling Lev, the heavenly way she gripped him with her walls, her cries of ecstasy as she climaxed, milking him for his cum, body trembling and then he opened his eyes and saw where he was; alone in a dark room and the fantasy was over.

******************************************************************************              The next days were quiet but strained; Bucky did not achieve half of what he wanted to do around the house because his mind refused to stop wandering. One minute he might be stacking dishes in paper, readying them to donate to the local second-hand shop and then he would find himself simply staring out the window, lost in one or more daydreams that seemed to grow sharper and more poignant with each passing day and, not surprisingly, featuring her.

He didn’t see Lev again, despite frequent trips out of the house in hopes of running into her and their parting played over and over again in his head, nearly driving him mad.

For years he’d desired her, longed for her, only to watch her date a string of assholes, his best friend Steve included while he ached for her in the darkness of his own room at night. Bitterly disappointed with himself for never screwing up the nerve to tell Lev what he felt, for staying in the shadows as her boyfriend’s tag-a-long third wheel, he’d left for college; not having the desire to return home until the summer between his second and third year.

A party, attended on a reckless whim, Lev and Steve broken up for the sixth or seventh time and both on the prowl, intent on driving the other mad with jealousy as they flirted and stole kisses in the corner.

Bucky had been only too willing to give in when Lev turned her violet eyes his way, just enough alcohol in his system to dull his senses, to convince him that she truly wanted him and not revenge.

Bliss upon bliss, sweet strains and he’d whispered all manner of love and devotion into her ear as he’d thrust into her body, confessing his feelings, his adoration from afar and only a distant, nearly silent part of his mind had remembered, as he spilled inside her, cock pulsing thick bursts of his seed, that they’d forgotten a condom. But that hardly matters, he remembered musing, as his body shuddered in release, as Lev’s walls milked him with her own climax, because this is it, we’ve broken through the wall, she will see now, that we belong together.

Seven years later, and she was staring at him in her diner like he was a ghost and going out of her way to avoid him in their small, small town.

And not once had she answered the letters he’d sent her, the ones begging for her forgiveness, begging for another chance.

[anna-justice]

Lost or Found - 3

Summary: As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam and Kevin start their junior year in the wake of a tragic summer, the past year of their lives comes back to haunt them. If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is for you! *UPSTEAD/BURZEK High School AU

... 3 - Gods & Monsters

...

Hailey stood in front of her bathroom mirror, applying a third layer of concealer to her neck. The effects of last night were very visible, dark fingerprints looked almost like a tattoo like against her light skin. Makeup wasn’t working, and it was too hot to wear a turtleneck, so she opted for a thin scarf that she could tie around her neck. It was very out of character for her, but nobody that didn’t need to know would notice.

She made her way to the living room, finding her aunt and uncle at the kitchen table, Randall always has breakfast with Trudy after shift before taking a nap. “Good morning.” Her Trudy said, Hailey gave her a smile before sitting at the island behind her. “What was Jay doing here last night?” 

“He was just hanging out, he’s having a rough time.” She technically wasn’t lying, he was hanging out with her and he was having a rough time, were the details really important?

Randall nodded, proving he was actually listening to the conversation. “I can’t imagine what that family is going through. Hank, I mean.” 

“Well I’m glad that you can be there for him.” Trudy said, giving Hailey a gentle smile. 

Jay Halstead: Hey, I’m outside.

Hailey slid her phone in her pocket and stood up, “That’s Jay, I gotta go.”

“Wait.” Randall said, pulling a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet. “Have fun, kiddo.”

“Thanks.” Hailey said, giving him a bright smile and heading towards the door. 

“Cute scarf!” Trudy called after her, smirking at her husband. Her intuition was right, she was covering something, but it wasn’t what they thought it was. 

Hailey hopped into Jay’s truck with ease, she was getting better at not letting her tiny frame thud into the seat. “Morning.”

Jay grinned at her, “Morning.” There was a beat. “How are you? Is it bad?’ Hailey untied her scarf, letting it fall from around her neck. Jay grimaced, almost her entire neck was a shade of purple. “Does it hurt?”

Hailey shrugged, “Only when I touch it.” 

“I’m so sorry.” Jay said sincerely. 

“It’s fine.” She retied her scarf, checking to make sure it was covered with her phone camera. “I’m just glad it was me and not Kim. At least I knew what was going on.” Jay gave her a once over, impressed by her selfless words. 

His therapist, who he was seeing against his will, told him to look for the silver linings amidst the bad, Hailey was the first and only one that he found.

…

Soon the five of them were seated in a booth at the back of a local mom & pop shop. Jay and Hailey did that on purpose, they wanted to be able to see everyone coming towards them or listening to them. 

It started off light hearted, everyone was avoiding any talk of Erin like the plague. Jay looked to Hailey and she nodded, they were ready to drop the bomb. Jay slid Erin’s phone onto the table. “We need to talk to you guys.”

Kim gasped, “Is that Erin’s phone? You should have given that to the police. Jay!”

“That’s exactly what I said.” Hailey explained, “But you should be glad he didn’t..”

The pair continue to explain the events of the last four days, showing them pictures of the basement where the text led them and finishing with the attack the night before. 

“Holy shit.” Adam said, running his hands over his face.

Kim looked like she saw a ghost, “I-I don’t understand, why can’t we tell the police.” 

Jay starts to explain, but Kevin beats him to it. “Whoever this person is, they know our every move. If we tell the police, or anyone, that could be the reason they break. This guy is definitely psychotic, I’m not risking it.” 

Adam nods in agreement, wrapping a comforting arm around Kim. “So what do we do?”

“Well, we’ve looped Greg in, he’s the one that got us the address for the sketchy stalker bunker.” Jay explained. “I think we should all just live life normally, you saw what happened when Hailey and I snooped around too much. We’ve got to be careful.” He glanced at Hailey, whose cheeks were slightly red, he guessed it was the embarrassment of being the example. “From now on, none of us can go anywhere alone, and try not to be home alone.” 

Everyone nodded in agreement, the air was thick with worry and fear. Adam was focused on taking care of Kim and Kevin was staring off into space, obviously lost in thought. Hailey picked at her untouched food, she had been too nervous to eat. Jay was the only one paying attention, and he felt his heart fall out of his chest when he watched Erin’s phone buzz on the table. “Guys.” He rushed out, turning the phone over. 

Blocked ID: The athlete, the heartbreaker, the perfect princess, the golden boy and the mystery all together. How cute. Which one of you will follow in your queen bee’s footsteps?

Hailey assumed she was ‘the mystery,”which she didn’t understand. The shocked looks on everyone's faces matched hers. Kevin jumped out of his seat, scanning the restaurant for anyone that could have sent the text. 

“I think we should go.” Hailey said, they all nodded, Kim forcing back the tears clouding her vision. They each threw a pile of money down on the table and booked it out of there. Jay insisted that he and Hailey follow Kevin home since he was by himself. 

As they turned around in front of Kevin’s house, Hailey felt her eyes swell. She was finally feeling the severity of the situation. “Hailey?”

“I’m scared.” She muttered.

Jay sighed, he felt like he was holding everything together and he didn’t know how much longer he could handle the massive weight. “It’s going to be okay.” 

“But what if it’s not?” She snaps. “Erin is gone Jay, and I know you are choosing not to deal with that, but I’m trying. This isn’t an episode of scooby doo! There isn’t going to be a person dressed as a monster at the end of this, the person is going to be the monster.” She ran her hands through her hair, gripping at the ends. “We can’t do this on our own! We’re playing detective and it’s going to get us killed.” Hailey clamps her mouth shut, mortified by her outburst. It wasn’t fair to yell at him like that.

Jay clenches his jaw, he was mad, but not at her. He was mad because she was right, he was way out of his league, and he was putting everyone in danger. “I’m sorry,”was all she could come up with.

Hailey slammed her head against the headrest. “No, I’m sorry Jay. This isn’t your fault.” She felt terrible, how could she blame him like that.

“It’s okay.” Jay said, placing a hand over hers on the center console and giving it a squeeze. “I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t help but think the person involved is connected to the police. There has to be a reason they got nowhere with Erin’s case.” 

“Yeah, there is,” Hailey chuckled, “They didn’t have all the evidence.” 

“Hey!” Jay yelled, enjoying the now lightened mood. “To be honest, sometimes I think the person that took her wanted me to find it, why else would they be threatening us with it?” 

Hailey nods, “Yeah, that makes sense. Part of me wants to burn it, but I think we need it.” 

“I agree.” The rest of the ride to Jay’s house, which Hailey had agreed to go to earlier in the day, was quiet. They sat in comfortable silence, but when they pulled up to Jay’s house there was an ambulance parked outside. Jay’s eyes filled with fear as Hailey gripped the seat. “What the hell?”

...

A/N: Sorry this is on the shorter side! I wanted to post!

[peachyduwang]

Hihi!! I requested this on your last account I think so I hope its okay to request again hhhh, but could I request yandere Rohan with a crush on a fem who has a crush on Josuke instead? It's a mouthful but my favorite trope lmao. And I'm glad you're getting back into writing!! 💕💕

it’s perfectly fine! this was really fun to write, i loooove writing yanderes hhhh

also i assume this is a scenario request? if this isn’t what you wanted pls let me know! :)

!! Warning: yandere, abuse !!

(under cut due to length and triggering content)

Rohan’s Crush on fem!reader Who Has a Crush on Josuke Instead

Everything about her was perfect. From the way she walked, how she smiled, how she styles her hair, how soft and sweet her voice was. To Rohan, this woman was a walking masterpiece, from the moment he saw her, he finally fell in love for the first time in a long time. This feeling however was foreign to him, how could the great Rohan Kishibe have such soft and vulnerable feelings for another person? For a while, he tried to ignore these feelings and her. He constantly avoided her and pushed her away. He couldn’t let something like this get in the way of his work, a relationship was the last thing he wanted and needed. However, he couldn’t stop himself. She was constantly on his mind, no matter how hard he tried to stop this. Whenever he would daydream, he would always end up doodling her, whenever he saw her his face would feel hot and his stomach would feel strange. This frustrated him to no end, these feelings were truly suffocating to him.

 On the other hand, Y/n saw the mangaka as nothing more than an acquaintance if anything. He was friends with some of her friends such as Koichi who hung out with him often, so she thought since they might see each other a lot, they might as well become friends. However, when she tried to become friends with him, he was rude and stand-offish. He didn’t seem to have any interest in her, which at first offended her until Koichi explained how he’s like that almost with everyone else and that she shouldn’t take it personally. After that, she just avoided him and not really paying any attention to him, only interacting with him when needed; if he doesn’t like her, then oh well. She wasn’t going to be friends with someone who is naturally an asshole like him.

 But unbeknownst to her, Rohan Kishibe has completely fallen in love with her. He was obsessed with her, she constantly haunting his thoughts. The more he avoided her, the more he wanted her. He had to have her, he wanted to spend his entire life with her, he wanted to wake up every morning to her soft delicate face, he wanted to feel her soft skin and hair. Even though they weren’t necessarily friends, he cherished every moment he was around her and the small talk conversations they shared.

 The day finally came where he would try to form a friendship with her, maybe this will make him feel better about everything, plus he just had to be close to her. Rohan left the house, dressing a bit nicer than usual (as if he already didn’t dress nice all the time) to make a good impression when she saw him. Y/n worked at the local café downtown and Rohan was a regular even before she worked there, this has allowed him to observe her and admire her beauty from afar as she worked. Whenever she was the one that served him, his insides felt as if he was on a rollercoaster. He would act completely casual and still a bit stand-offish despite the fact that he clearly looked nervous. Y/n didn’t think much of his strange reactions, instead she just thought he hasn’t slept and consumed way too much caffeine since he is constantly working 24/7.

 Y/n was currently on her usual lunch break, every day she would go on break once the clock hit noon according to his observations. He saw her in the window eating a pastry while reading a book. Oh how beautiful she looked, her eyes lit up in the sunlight causing them to look much brighter than they already were, and the way she was lost in her book was endearing. Rohan took a deep breath before entering the café, the smell of pastries and fresh coffee brewing filled his nostrils as he walked in. He ordered a regular black coffee and started to walk over to the table Y/n was sitting at, until he saw that familiar young adult with the pompadour hair. Just before Rohan walked on over, Josuke walked into the café, greeting Y/n with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

 Rage all the sudden filled Rohan, almost causing him to squeeze his coffee cup and spill the hot coffee everywhere. How could she fall in love with Josuke instead of him, the great Rohan Kishibe? What did she see in that asshole? He wanted to go over and just destroy him, but he couldn’t confront them because how will Y/n see him? He didn’t want her to see him as a bad guy, despite how much of an asshole he already was to her. He just wanted to fix this, he wanted Y/n all to himself and nobody else.

 While walking back home, many thoughts flooded his mind. Part of his thoughts was rage and hatred towards Josuke, but his other thoughts were full of regret. Maybe if he didn’t push her away and be a prick towards her, he would be in Josukes place right now. 

 All the sudden, Rohan got an impulsive thought. What if he used Heavens Door on Y/n? This thought wasn’t new, he thought about this often actually and it felt morally wrong at first; But now, since the girl of his dreams is with Josuke, a person he despised immensely, and not with him, he felt he had no other choice. Rohan chuckled and smiled to himself, thinking about how she could finally be his. He walked home with a subtle dark smile on his face while thinking about how he was going to go about this twisted plan. 

–

Y/n exhaustingly closed the cafe door behind her, she sighed with relief as she finally got to go home after working a double shift. She looked at her watch to check the time, it was around 10:30 p.m. It wasn’t too late out, but it was late enough where she had to be careful and alert as she walked home. Her house wasn’t too far away, maybe a couple blocks away from the cafe, so she should be okay, right? 

She watched her surroundings as she walked home to make sure there weren’t any creeps following her. Morioh was known to be a town of crimes, despite how small it was. It wasn’t the first time she walked home at night by herself, each time she did she made it home safely. The streets were silent, only to be accompanied by the occasional car driving by and the street lights. 

She finally made it to her house, but before she could make it up to the door, she saw a figure on the porch. She felt scared at first until she realized it was Rohan. What could he be doing here? 

“Oh hey Rohan, what’s up? What are you doing here so late?” she asked in a confused yet concerned tone as she walked up to the porch. 

“Please forgive me, Y/n.” 

“Wha-”

“Heaven’s door!”

Y/n fell unconscious all the sudden. Before she could fall and hit the ground, Rohan caught her. He observed her limp body and how beautiful she looked even unconscious. Luckily nobody was out here, so nobody could witness what was happening, everything went according to plan. 

He flipped through her pages, learning every small and big thing about her. How interesting she and her life was, not only was she perfect inspiration for his work, she was perfect for him. She already fascinated him before he truly got to give her a good read, now he feels even more so. After reading her thoroughly, he took out his pen and began writing in commands. 

I only love Rohan Kishibe and I will be his forever. 

–

Y/n woke up from a deep sleep, she noticed how she was in a big comfy bed that wasn’t hers. She got up and looked around the room, she had no idea where she was. She felt panicked, where the hell was she? Did she get kidnapped or?

All of the sudden the door opened revealing Rohan holding a cup of coffee for her. All the panic disappeared as soon as he entered the room. She felt warm, happy, and safe. Rohan had a warm smile on his face as he handed the hot cup of coffee to Y/n and sat down next to her. What was this feeling? She could of swore she felt nothing for Rohan, she wasn’t even attracted to him. But now, it felt like she knew Rohan forever, she 

“Sleep well, darling? You were out cold last night, you seemed quite exhausted from work,” Rohan said has his hand graced her face.

She couldn’t remember last night what so ever except for walking back from a hard day at work, she must of passed out from tiredness and Rohan took her in.

She didn’t question it, she felt safe and everything felt okay. She smiled and took Rohan’s hand and kissed it. 

This felt right. 

[neerasrealm]

Ghost Hunt - Part 2/2

Part two to this story. It’s not necessary to read but you’ll actually know the characters if you read it so yeah.

Word count: 2833

He'd been very, very careful to make sure nobody found out.

His leave had been casual. He'd told them he was going out with friends, which, technically, was correct. He'd taken the family car and even done a full loop of the city so that, when he pulled up on the roadside behind the silver sedan, it'd seem like he'd come from one of the local neighborhoods rather than the forest that bordered both sides of the road. 

"There he is!" Vanessa called as he climbed out of the minivan. He smiled at her and nodded at Scott, leaning on the bonnet of Vanessa's car. "What took you so long?" 

"Sorry, traffic was out to get me I guess." Liu replied with a shrug. That was a lie. He'd left late on purpose to make it seem like he lived further away. 

"If you'd have been any later the sun would've gone down." Scott said. He looked up at the dim dusk sky, adjusting the brim of his baseball cap. 

"Sorry, sorry." Liu apologised again. Vanessa climbed off her car and walked to the short metal fence separating the road from the forest. She stepped over it and looked at the boys.

"Are you two comin' or what?" She asked. Scott climbed off the bonnet of her car and stepped over the fence too. The two of them looked at Liu expectantly. He walked over and carefully stepped over the fence. His two friends smiled.

They were in the forest. No backing out now. 

"Whaddya think we're gonna find, Liu?" Scott asked as they walked into the forest, wading through bushes and brambles. 

"I dunno. Bigfoot?" Liu replied jokingly. His two friends laughed. Vanessa reached into her back pocket and pulled out a ziplock bag. She unrolled it and pulled out what looked like a cigarette. It took Liu a couple moments to realise it was a joint. 

"Want one?" She asked the two of them. Liu shook his head. He didn't smoke, anything, at all. 

"Maybe later." Scott said. Vanessa shrugged and lit up her joint. Absentmindedly, Liu wondered if someone from the mansion would be able to smell it. He quickly dismissed the thought. They were far, far away. Not even Seedeater or Smile would smell them. 

And Liu was right. Seedeater couldn't smell them. Because Seedeater was at home. However, Smile wasn't. He was sitting contently at his master's side. His master was, of course, Liu's brother. Jeff. He was mindlessly stabbing the ground with a kitchen knife he kept under his bed for emergencies. This wasn't an emergency, he just needed it for the prank they were planning to pull off.

In a small clearing, just outside the mansion's invisible barrier, sat Jeff, Smile, Ben, EJ, Toby, Sally, LJ, The Rake and Bob. All of them waiting patiently for the signal for their plan to begin. 

"Hey, you see em yet?" Toby asked. He was looking up a tree, dressed in his favorite hoodie, his orange goggles and his signature face mask. In each of his gloved hands he held a hatchet. 

"Nope." EJ replied from up in the tree. He paused, his tail swishing. He sniffed, then lifted his mask up, sniffing some more. 

"Ya smell em, junior?" LJ asked in his deep, raspy voice. He was in the middle of styling Sally's hair to make her look as scary as possible. Complete with fake knots and a few branches and leaves stuck in, just to make her look like she'd been roughed up. 

"Someone's smoking weed." EJ replied.

Ben let out a singular laugh. "Blaze it." He said. Jeff, who was next to him, snickered. So did Toby despite the fact that he was in his twenties and should've probably been more mature. 

EJ sniffed some more until he finally found what he was looking for. The smell of popcorn and responsibility. "That's Liu!"

The creeps all stood to their feet, excited. EJ dropped from the tree and clapped his hands together.

"Y'all know the drill."

"Well this isn't very eventful." Liu said. "Maybe we should head back."

"Aw c'mon, at least give the monsters a chance to spook us Liu." Scott said. Vanessa snickered, but it was interrupted by a noise from behind them. Something rustling the leaves. The three of them whirled around to catch whatever it was, but it was gone. 

"Uh- probably a bird." Liu said. Vanessa grinned.

"The monsters heard ya Liu! Now they're mad!" She gave him a devious look. Liu tried to look unamused but it was obvious he was unnerved. 

"Yeah Liu," a high pitched, raspy voice from behind them said. "The monsters heard you."

Liu knew the voice of Bob well enough to know it was him before he turned around. Still, he whipped his head around just in time to see the grey, armless creature dart across their line of vision and disappear into the forest again. Liu stared in shock. How was Bob of all people here?! Who else was in on this? Oh- ohh no-

"What the fuck was that?!" Scott gasped, stumbling back. 

‘’We should leave.’’ Liu said. He grabbed Vanessa’s arm and turned to walk away, only to hear Scott scream behind him. He whirled around just in time to see Scott be yanked up into the trees by a black and white blur. Scott’s terrified screams faded into the distance. Whoever had grabbed him was bringing him away, which meant- ‘’ohh...fuck-!’’ Liu cursed under his breath.

‘’L-Liu…’’ Vanessa said beside him. She sounded terrified. He looked at her, then slowly turned to where her terrified gaze rested. He was greeted by a gigantic red dog with a mane of black hair. It grinned with far too many teeth and barked. Liu looked at Vanessa.

She had a phobia of dogs. Somehow they had figured this fact out.

‘’That’s just mean.’’ Liu thought to himself. He stepped in front of Vanessa. She gripped his shoulders like he was a human shield. ‘’Nice doggy…’’ Liu murmured, backing up. Smile’s tail wagged. He barked, then charged at them. ‘’Nonononono!’’ Liu yelped, quickly turning and running in the opposite direction. He’d been tackled by Smile before and he definitely wasn’t in the mood to be suffocated in the hellhound’s fur. He heard Vanessa scream behind him and run after him.

Liu kept running until he heard a familiar whistle that he knew for a fact was the signal to have Smile leave them be. Jeff. Of course he was in on this, why wouldn’t he be? He slowed down and doubled over, panting for breath. 

‘’What the hell was that?!’’ Vanessa gasped behind him.

‘’The hound of the baskervilles?’’ Liu replied sarcastically. 

‘’That’s not funny!’’ she yelped back. Liu grunted. ‘’We gotta get out of here- w-we’ll call the police, they’ll find Scott.’’

Liu looked around suspiciously, throwing angry looks at the bushes. He stood up slowly. ‘’C’mon guys,’’ he thought. ‘’What’ve you got for us?’’

He heard raspy breathing from the bushes in front of him. His eyes snapped up and he stared as a figure emerged. Pale skin pulled taut over long, unnaturally shaped bones. Bright, sunken eyes that stared straight into Liu. The creature panted as it limped towards them on all fours. Vanessa shrieked.

‘’I-It’s the-!’’

‘’Rake!’’ Liu hissed, barely concealing his anger. The Rake grinned at him with a surprising lack of teeth. He was having the time of his life just fucking with him, wasn’t he?

The Rake lunged at Liu, who skittered back into Vanessa. The two stumbled and fell into a tall, soft figure behind them. 

‘’Hey guys…’’ The voice was deep and surprisingly friendly sounding. Big, strong hands came down, gripping their shoulders roughly. Liu looked to the side and saw claws. ‘’Where’re ya going? Won’t you at least stay for,’’ EJ’s face leaned in between the two of them. His mask was pulled up to expose his mouth, showing sharp teeth that he licked with three black tongues. ‘’A bite?!’’ He snarled, grinning. Liu could’ve kicked him for making such a bad pun.

Vanessa screamed and they were shoved forward. She took off running. Where to, Liu didn’t know, but Rake definitely wasn’t going to let him lag behind too much because he snarled and lunged at him again. Liu had no choice but to let Rake chase him off to join up with her again.

They stumbled into a clearing. Vanessa looked terrified, panting and looking around. She clung to Liu’s arm. ‘’What the hell was that?!’’ She gasped.

‘’The Kidney Kreature.’’ Liu replied dryly. He looked around. It didn’t take long for the next part of this ‘prank’ to kick off. The bushes around them ruffled. He heard a familiar cackle.

‘’Well what’ve we got here…?’’ Out of the bushes emerged Jeff, in all his burnt glory. He grinned at the two of them. 

Liu did actually get surprised when Toby dropped out of the trees above them. He hung upside down, peering at them through his goggles. ‘’I dunno Jeff,’’ He said. ‘’Looks like a couple of kids that won’t be missed,’’ he reached up and pulled down his mask, exposing the gash in his cheek. ‘’I think they could use a smile, huh?’’

Jeff cackled and lunged at them. Vanessa shrieked and ran off. Jeff, surprisingly, chased after her. He was having way too much fun with this. Liu had to force himself not to yell ‘’Don’t run with knives!’’ after him. He instead looked at Toby.

‘’...How are you hanging up there?’’

EJ appeared out of the tree, hanging next to Toby. ‘’I’m holding him up.’’ He said. Toby looked at him, surprised, then fell out of the tree. Liu sighed and walked off after Vanessa again. Admittedly he was having a bit of fun, it was like being in a haunted house! Except all the actors are your roommates. Actually I take that back, that might be scarier than actual actors.

He jogged up to Vanessa, who was sitting on the ground besides a tree, sobbing. Liu frowned and crouched down. ‘’H-Hey, are you alright?’’ oh geez, had Jeff gotten carried away?

Vanessa looked up at him, then, sniffling, pointed a shaking hand at something. He looked over and saw Scott’s hat, hanging off a low hanging branch. It was splattered in something red. 

‘’H-He’s dead, isn’t he…?’’ Vanessa sobbed. Liu walked over to the hat and poked the red substance, then licked it off his finger.

‘’...Vanessa…?’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’...This is strawberry syrup.’’

Vanessa looked like she'd never heard of strawberry syrup before in her life. Liu had to force himself not to crack up laughing at her expression. Instead, he grabbed Scott's hat off the branch. 

"Cmon, we gotta find him."

"Are you crazy?! W-We gotta get out of here, Liu!" Vanessa yelped back. Liu walked over to her and held out his hand. 

"Just trust me." He said softly. Vanessa sniffled and grabbed his hand, hugging his arm. Liu pat her head. 

"Y'know y-you're a lot braver than I thought, Liu." She murmured. Liu looked away, smiling a bit.

"You don't know the half of it." He muttered before beginning to walk off towards where he assumed the next group would be. As they walked, Liu thought about who they'd meet next. He was- actually having a surprising amount of fun with this. He smiled to himself. 

As they got deeper into the woods they heard carnival music. Liu immediately knew who they were going to find next. Suppressing a grin, they found their way to a clearing that was decorated with fairy lights. In front of them was a small, red and white striped pedestal. On the pedestal stood a tall figure wearing his best striped socks and playing "ring around the rosie" on his beloved accordion.

Laughing Jack.

Slowly, the clown turned, giving them a sharp-toothed grin. "Well 'ello there kiddos." He greeted, his voice deep and gravelly. He didn't even have to try to sound intimidating. He just was. "Wha're ye doin' ou' 'ere? Come fer a show?" He stepped off his pedestal towards them. "Or maybe…" he purred. "Ye've come fer this lad 'ere?" 

With a snap of his fingers, there was a loud, masculine yell, and Scott dropped out of the trees. He hung upside down by his ankles, his arms bound to his sides by rope. "Guys!" He yelled "Help!"

Liu heard a thump beside him and looked over. A knife lay on the ground. He looked over at the bush near it and saw Jeff grin at him. He gave him a thumbs up, then his again. Liu smirked a little bit.

Oh, so he got to play the hero? Alright...if that's what they wanted from him.

"You get away from him!" Liu yelled. LJ grinned. "Let us go, you monster!" 

Jack chuckled softly. His eyes fluttered closed and he looked down at the ground, still laughing. "Ohh ye crack me up," he murmured. "If ye're so brave…" his head snapped up, his eyes becoming wide. "HOW ABOU' YE FIGH' FER 'IM?!" 

Out of the bushes leapt Ben and Sally, looking bloody and bruised, like the undead beings they were. Liu dashed to the side, grabbing the knife from the ground. Ben leapt at him, Liu's knife clashed with Ben's plastic master sword. The two of them pretended to fight until Liu heard Vanessa scream. He looked over to see Sally levitating in front of her, laughing like she was having the time of her life. 

"Get away from her!" He yelled. Sally's head jerked around, looking at him at an unnatural angle human necks definitely couldn't achieve. She laughed louder and Liu found it hard to keep his cool. "Vanessa! Run!" He yelled. Vanessa responded by screaming and darting off into the trees. The others would likely help lead her out to safety. Liu darted backwards quickly, Ben and Sally closing in on him. 

Liu looked at Scott, still hanging upside down, then at Jack. Ben and Sally nodded at him and Liu leapt forward, pushing past them. He slashed the ropes holding Scott, who fell to the ground with a yelp. 

"Scott," Liu panted because all this running was actually tiring him out. "Stay close to me, okay?"

"W-Whatever you say man!" Scott yelped, looking around in terror. Liu had always been a quiet, polite guy. When did he become some monster fighting badass?!

"Hyaa!" Ben leapt at Liu, the knife and sword clashing again. Ben smiled up at him. Liu smiled back at him. Then remembered he was supposed to be fighting for his life. Sally flew at him, pushing him back. Liu grunted. 

"Shite!" He heard LJ hiss when he tripped and fell backwards. He was grabbed by the back of his jacket and lifted up. Liu looked around, then spotted Scott, staring at him in terror.

"Don't worry about me! Run for it, dude!" Liu yelped. 

"We'll get you help!" Scott yelled as he ran off. As soon as he was gone, Liu was placed onto the ground. 

"That was great!" Sally chirped. Liu smiled down at her.

"When did you get so good at acting, bro?" Jeff asked as he stepped out of the bushes. Liu shrugged. 

"Guess I work well under pressure."

"Well I'd say!" Toby piped up. "You were great, man!"

"Looks like you impressed your lady friend too." Bob said from where he sat at the base of a tree. Rake was curled up next to him looking pleased with himself. Liu rolled his eyes. He huffed and looked at the group, hands on his hips.

"So who told you guys we were coming out here?" He asked, looking around accusingly. "Cmon, spit it out."

"It was me." A voice said behind him. Liu looked behind him at Momo, who had emerged from- well, somewhere. She waved at him a little bit.

"Momo…" Liu sounded disappointed. He frowned at her. "I trusted you."

"It's not my fault! EJ bribed me!" She pointed accusingly at the masked demon, who looked offended and betrayed.

Liu sighed. He looked around the group angrily. "I hid this from you guys for a reason. I can't risk my friends finding out about you all. You know that." He said firmly. The creeps all looked a little saddened and looked away.

"Sorry bro…" Jeff murmured.

"...it was pretty funny though." Liu added. Toby broke into a grin.

"Heck yeah it was!" He exclaimed. "Didja see how scared that girl was?! And I didn't even drop my hatchets!" It suddenly occurred to Liu that it would've been very easy for Toby's tics to make him throw one or more of his hatchets at him or Vanessa. 

"You were great, tobes." He replied. Toby clapped his hands together in glee. Liu sighed tiredly and looked around at his family. "...did any of you guys get that on camera?" He asked.

"I did!" Momo chirped. Liu grinned.

"Ohhh I gotta see that."

[heartofether]

Episode 4 - Hungry, Hungry Bears TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our “Listen” page if you’re on desktop.]

AUTOMATED VOICE

Please state your message.

[THEME MUSIC AND INTRODUCTION PLAYS.]

VAL

Three-Eyed Frog Presents: The Heart of Ether.

[THEME CONTINUES BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.]

[PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. IRENE’S WORK.]

ADEN

[WORRIED] Are you really, really sure that’s a good idea?

IRENE

[SHE HUFFS A SIGH.] Yes.

ADEN

I mean, I just think it’s a bit late to be going out into the woods and such, right? If there’s really is an issue with the trees dying, then, then they should still be dead tomorrow. Not like they’re just going to come back to life overnight. [NERVOUSLY CHUCKLES.]

IRENE

It won’t take long. You said it was just off the trail?

ADEN

[HE SWALLOWS.] Yes, but I’m almost certain nobody else is going to be out.

IRENE

Exactly. It’ll be perfect for me to just get in and out quickly, then go home.

ADEN

But what if they’re not human? [HE PAUSES, THEN, FRANTIC] There are bears out there. You know that, right? Hungry, hungry bears. What if nobody’s there to help you when one of those big-toothed beasts tries to maul you with its massive claws?

IRENE

Look, Aden, if you’re really worried about me going out there, then I’ll bring a radio with me. I hereby promise that if I have any bear-related incidents, I’ll contact you, and then you can call for help before I bleed out and die.

[ADEN NERVOUSLY LAUGHS FOR A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE SPEAKING IN A DEAD SERIOUS TONE.]

ADEN

That’s really not funny, Irene.

IRENE

I won’t go exploring or anything. You have my word. Just in and out, find the problem, and then go home.

ADEN

[HE THINKS FOR A MOMENT.] Fine. Just come back to work tomorrow in one piece, okay?

IRENE

[SARCASTIC] I’ll try my best.

ADEN

Irene!

IRENE

Alright, alright, I’m just messing with you. I’ll be fine.

ADEN

[MUMBLES] If you say so.

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

[ANOTHER PHONE BEEP.]

[EXT. THE FOREST.]

[THERE IS THE SOUND OF CRICKETS IN THE BACKGROUND, ACCOMPANIED BY THE CRUNCHING OF DIRT AND TWIGS AS IRENE WALKS.]

IRENE

I think Aden worries too much. He’s a sweet guy, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think this is as big of a deal as he made it out to be. I mean, I’m just looking at some dead branches.

[SHE PAUSES.] There is a reason I chose to do this. Trust me, it’s not because I wanted to wander around in the woods. I tried to record this when Aden came in, but, well, it seems like I always get interrupted when I record in the office.

I need to think, though. There’s a lot on my mind, and I just need someone who will listen without judging me. [MUMBLES] Not that you’re listening, but, it’s not like I have anywhere else.

[THERE’S A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS SHE CONTINUES TO WALK.]

IRENE

I was thinking about what Carol said. Not about how I need friends, but about the person who lived in my house before me. I asked my landlord about it. He said the dude’s name was Bernard Kelly Valencia. [SHE CHUCKLES.] Which is quite the name, isn’t it?

Valencia was—well, to be blunt, he was a strange man. Hardly talked to anyone, but apparently, everyone knew who he was. He hung out a lot with this woman named Dorothy Wood, who I looked up. She actually owns—or, owned—that one bookstore near downtown. Open Eyes Bookstore, or something? Anyways, nobody knows if the two were together or what, but they met up constantly. 

Every time the landlord went over, he said there were papers and books everywhere. If he so much as glanced at any of it, or asked about it, Valencia would flip his shit. Dorothy was there a lot, too. Valencia wouldn’t tell anyone about what they were working on. Neither would Dorothy.

[THERE’S A BRIEF PAUSE. MORE FOOTSTEPS.]

IRENE

He died a couple of years ago from lung cancer. All his stuff went to either his son, the only family member who cared enough to come down and get it, or to Dorothy. She died last year, though.

The house itself must have a reputation, because I even found some people online talking about it. [IN A MOCK GHOSTLY TONE.] Some locals apparently think it’s haunted by Valencia’s ghost. [CHUCKLES, BUT SPEAKS IN AN UNSETTLED TONE] Not sure how I feel about that. 

[A PAUSE.] What were they researching? I mean, I don’t know much about Dorothy, but Valencia seems like he dedicated his whole life to whatever secret work they were doing. It’s weird as hell. Maybe I’ll never know.

I can’t stop thinking about it, though. It’s none of my business, I know, but still.

[HER FOOTSTEPS COME TO A STOP.]

IRENE

This must be the spot. I know you can’t see, because these are audio, not video. Basically, these hikers were worried about this big pile of dead branches, especially because it’s fire season. 

There’s nothing really exciting about it. Just a big pile of dead branches. The surrounding trees seem fine.

Huh. Wonder how they got here. We’ll just have to—

[SHE IS CUT OFF BY THE DISTANT SOUND OF A HORRIFIED SCREAM.]

IRENE

What—Who’s there? [CALLING OUT] Hello?

[FOOTSTEPS AS SHE WALKS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NOISE. AS SHE CALLS OUT, HOWEVER, THERE IS THE SOUND OF BRANCHES SHIFTING.]

[EERIE MUSIC BEGINS PLAYING.]

IRENE

I swear, I heard someone. [CALLING OUT AGAIN] Hello?

[THE SOUND OF MOVING BRANCHES AND SHIFTING DIRT GROWS LOUDER AS SHE SPEAKS. THERE IS A LOW GROANING. IRENE, SEEMINGLY UNAWARE OF THIS, STEPS BACK TOWARDS THE PILE OF BRANCHES.]

IRENE

No one. That’s odd? Must have just been the…

[SHE IS CUT OFF AS SHE TURNS AROUND, SEEING THE SOURCE OF THE MOVING DIRT NOISES.]

IRENE

…wind.

[SHE IS THEN HEARD RUNNING AWAY. THE GROANING SOUNDS OF WHAT SHE SAW FADE OFF AS SHE RUNS. THE RUNNING STOPS, AND SHE IS HEARD OPENING AND CLOSING HER CAR DOOR.]

IRENE

[OVERLAPPING STATIC] Aden? Aden, are you there? It’s Irene, do you copy, I’m— [MORE STATIC] Shit, shit! [SHE HITS THE RADIO A FEW TIMES.]

[SHE STARTS THE CAR. THE ENGINE IS HEARD FOR A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE SHE SPEAKS.]

IRENE

[EXASPERATED] Oh goddammit, is this still—

[EVERYTHING IS ABRUPTLY CUT OFF BY A PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

[TIME SKIP: HALF AN HOUR LATER.]

[ANOTHER PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. IRENE’S CAR AT THE SONIC DRIVE-IN.]

[”EVEN THOUGH YOU ASKED ME TO” BY ROSEMARY ROMANO IS HEARD PLAYING IN THE DISTANCE.]

IRENE

[TIRED] I am now sitting in my car at Sonic, drinking a cranberry slushie. I know, that’s weird, but I wasn’t sure if that…thing was going to follow me. I wanted to go somewhere public, just in case.

Plus, I think I deserve a slushie after what I’ve been through.

Would you even believe me if I told you? Hm. Probably not. Good thing you don’t have to believe me, then, huh?

Well, I heard a scream. [MUTTERS] I swear, if I go back and there’s no scream at all on the recording, I’m gonna—

[SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH.] I heard a scream. I turned around and, uh, called out a bit, to see if there was anyone in danger. There was nothing, though, and there wasn’t another scream or anything like that. I thought I had just heard it wrong, that it was just the wind or a wild animal.

But then, when I turned around—how do I even begin to describe it? [SHE SPEAKS SLOWLY AS SHE STRUGGLES FOR WORDS] The branches rose up? The forest floor underneath them did, too.

It wasn’t like there was something coming out of the ground, though. No, it was like there was something in the ground that was trying to get out. It looked kind of like bread dough rising? No, that’s not right. Whatever it was swelled like it was alive?

Now that I think about it, actually, there were multiple things in there, throbbing inside of it. Squirming around. It was like a cat under a blanket—or, cats plural, I guess? This big—whatever it was, clearly not just a pile of dirt and branches—rose up, and I swear, this [HER VOICE GLITCHES FOR A SPLIT SECOND] thing didn’t have any eyes, but it was looking straight at me. 

I just ran. What else could I have done? I looked over my shoulder once to see if it was chasing me, but that was it. When I did, it seemed to be moving, though I’m not sure where it was trying to go. It was big. It would have been hard for it to navigate through the trees. 

Unless it could, I don’t know, morph around them? It didn’t seem to have a concrete body or anything. Just one big writhing mass.

[THERE’S A LONG PAUSE.]

IRENE

Don’t know how I’m going to approach Aden tomorrow. “Hey, so there was no bear emergency, but I did almost get killed by a really big pile of dirt that seemed to gain sentience. Why the radio silence, bud?” [SHE CAN’T EVEN BRING HERSELF TO PROPERLY CHUCKLE.]

Should I tell him? I mean, would he even believe me? Can I tell anyone about this? I mean, of course I could tell someone, I sure was more than willing to tell someone who— [SHE STOPS HERSELF.]

[ANOTHER LONG PAUSE.]

IRENE

Maybe I was wrong before. You would believe me, Rose. Right?

[HER VOICE BECOMES SAD AND SMALL.] I miss you so much. I know I’ve said that a lot, but I was so scared. I still am. I don’t know what that was, or if it’s going to come back. I’m at a loss, and I have no one else to go to about this.

I wish you were here. Not just some recording on my phone, but in the car with me. I wish I could hold you. [A WET CHUCKLE.] Actually, I think more than anything, I just need a really long hug. It wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t from you, though.

[SHE PAUSES.]

IRENE

[SHAKILY, AS IF SHE’S ABOUT TO CRY] You know why I think I kept doing these recordings? Why I could never get over you, even after all these years?

[HER TONE BEGINS GROWING IN EMOTION.] Because maybe, if I had gotten an answer, I would have been able to move on. Maybe you had drowned in the lake. Maybe you had gotten a job at a diner in California, with a new name for your new life. Maybe you just found someone else and were too afraid to tell me.

I never got that, though. I never got that closure. One night, you were there, and then the next morning, you weren’t.

And I’ll never know, will I? Because I’m just going to keep denying the truth and telling myself that you still care. That someday, you’ll show up at my doorstep, and like the fool I am, I’ll just let you come in. You won’t even have to tell me where you were these past four years, I promise.

[WEAKLY] ...I promise.

[SHE PAUSES.] But you won’t. You’re never coming home. Because I never really was your home, after all.

[THE SONG COMES TO THE FOREGROUND AS IRENE STOPS TALKING.]

MUSIC

That’s why I stay, that’s why I stay.

[A SHIFTING SOUND BEFORE A PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

AUTOMATED VOICE

Today’s quote is: “I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone, I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you.”

Walt Whitman in “To A Stranger” from Leaves of Grass, 1867.

Are you listening to us? Because we are listening to you.

[THEME MUSIC AND CREDITS PLAY.]

[afaithy]

Prompt 11 for the haunted house headcanon! ;)

Sorry this turned out this long! The whole intention was to make it funny not scary, it turned out kind of silly. 

Hope you like it :)

As usual. This is part of my Universe so...keep that in mind dear readers:

SEND MORE PROMPTS! HERE

If I die I am going to haunt your ass

“Maybe all the people who say ghosts don't exist are just afraid to admit that they do.”

― Michael Ende

“We gotta do it! “Mimi shouted excitedly “I mean look at how things are...Sora, Taichi and Yamato are in their first year of college...when exactly are we going to have a chance to do it?” “Eh..but Mimi-san…” Jou said disapprovingly “You and Koushiro-san are in third year. You two should be using summer vacations to prepare for entry exams and…”

“Yayaya…” Mimi said covering her ears “I’ll be studying design abroad, so that’s already taken care of. Koushiro here has pretty much his way into Computer Science on Todai ensured. So now problems, there. Come on Jou.-..this could be our last summer together, you know?”

“Last summer sounds a little ...dramatic don’t you think?” Koushiro said, chuckling “It’s not like we are cutting tights with each other.”

“No, but think about it. Jou  is in med school. If it was already hard to get him to join us when he was just a regular high schooler, how hard do you think it’ll get now? Taichi, Yamato and Sora are in college as well, soon they will be so busy that they won’t be able to join either; Then I might be leaving to study abroad and Koushiro, you will be busy with school and that cyber security company you are working on with Tachibana. The group is scattering...and soon all that will be left will be those that  pair of love birds over there!” Mimi screeched , pointing at Takeru and Hikari.

“Love birds?” they both replied puzzled. Hikari and Takeru looked at each, and Mimi gave them a mischievous smirk.

“Let her be, Jou.” Taichi laughed “Besides. The test of courage huh...we never did that, and yet it is something so...highschool like. Sounds like a fun thing to do, Right, Yamato?”

“What? Eh...y-y-yes. Of course.”

“I can’t say that Mimi isn’t wrong. We might not get another chance in a while, right?” Sora reasoned “I’m sure we can make an exception for old time’s sake.”

“Yes, yes!” Mimi said, jumping excited “Come on Jou. You can bring Marina-chan along, too.”

“Oh, boy…” Jou said “Ok, I’m going. Someone needs to make sure you kids stay out of problems.”

“Good ol’ Jou.” Taichi laughed. 

“But where exactly are we going?” Hikari asked, tilting her head “IT’s not like there are too many haunted places around here.”

“Well...there’s that old shack by the hill…” Takeru said. “Didn’t our class go there last time?”

“Eh?” Hikari said “I wouldn’t know.I didn’t go ...it was you  who went with those girls.”

“Ah…” Takeru said “True. I did…”

“ You’re such a ladies man, Takeru…” Yamato chuckled.

“It wasn’t like I wanted to go. Rest assured, bro. THere were other places I would have preferred to be.”  Takeru chuckled.

“No, everyone knows that place is a farce.” Mimi said, waving her hand in front of his face “No, no. Don’t worry.I have that solved. Right , Koushiro?”

“Uh. I think I have the right place we can go.” Koushiro nodded.

“Ah...why am I not surprised about you two ganging up together?” Taichi smirked “I’m sure going to miss that. You are sure going to miss it, too, eh Koushiro?”

“Yeah. I admit it will be kind of strange.”

“Don’t think that you can get rid of me so easily…”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t even dream of that.” Koushiro chuckled “The place is chosen, so all that is left is going.”

“Hooray!” Mimi said happily “We go in three days then. You guys get psychologically prepared. Ok?”

Three days later, the group was sitting on a bus on their way to the outskirts of Tokyo. The weather was burning hot and the cicadas chanted in full volum, as the bus drove through a landscape that was becoming more and more rural. 

“So...this is our itinerary.”  Mimi chanted “ We’ll be camping on the near area so...first things, first. Preparing the campsite, then…”

“Wait…” Yamato groaned “Camping? You’re making us camp in a haunted forest?”

“The mansion is supposed to be haunted, not the forest…” Mimi said “It’ll be alright, right Koushiro?”

“According to my research, the hauntings are only restricted to the mansion area.”Koushiro nodded “ I don't think there will be any problem with us staying on in the forest. We can still ask around the inn we are staying to be sure.”

“That won’t be necessary. I am sure we can stay there without issues” Mimi said, winking “Or do you have anything to say, Yamato?”

“Me...w-w-why-would I...I have s-something to say?” he replied “I-i’t not like I am s-scared.”

Nobody believed it. Everyone knew that Yamato couldn’t stand any kind of horror related subject. 

“He’s scared to death…” Takeru whispered into Hikari’s ear.

“Poor,  Yamato-san. Even now he’s still trying to act tough huh?”

“His pride will haunt him, but this is actually going to be fun.”

“That’s mean,Takeru-kun, you shouldn’t tease your brother…”Hikari chuckled.

“Just a little bit, okay?” Takeru said, winking at her before turning to look at Koushiro. “Where exactly are we going again, Koushiro-san?”

“Ah…” Koushiro replied, turning his tablet to let them see “It’s an old abandoned manor. According to the legend, the family was practitioners of some sort of ritualistic religion and would often make human sacrifices.”

“Ah!” Takeru said “ I think I know. I remember researching it for my story. Isn’t that the shrine where the head of the family went crazy and slaughtered everyone in the middle of the night? Then he took each body and threw them into the pit, one by one before hanging himself in the central hall..”

“Why do you even search for those things?”Yamato mumbled to himself; sinking into his seat. 

“Ah...yes, I believe so.” Koushiro replied, browsing in his tablet “Yes, you’re correct, Takeru-san.”

“But...I think I read that some people have seen child spirits roaming the forest.” Takeru said “ people who have gone lost in the woods say they hear children’s voices and the sound of leaves shuffling as if someone was running around.”

“C-children?” Yamato mumbled.

“Oh...really? That’s creepy. Children are creepy even when they’re alive.” Taichi said.

“Taichi!”

“What? It’s true…”

“Ohhh, I think I’ve heard that story before.” Marina said, peeking over her seat.” They said the children spirits try to lure you into the shrine, right?”

“Right, right…” Takeru nodded with a malicious grin “It is said that they call out at people, feigning to be in trouble so that people will try to find them, and then before anyone even realizes…”

Takeru reached under the chair and pulled Yamato’s leg. Yamato, who had been covering his face and shrinking in his seat trying to tune out the conversation, gave a jump and a very uncharacteristic screech that caused several of the other passengers to look back at them. 

“WHat the hell, Takeru?!” Yamato said, reddening as the group laughed. 

“...the ghosts grab you and pull all the way into the pit…” Takeru said, innocently “Just like that…”

“Yes, yes...That’s what I’ve heard too!” Marina said excitedly “ this place came out in a magazine recently I think. It’s one of the most haunted places in Tokyo.”

“Ehhh?” Jou said “From all the places to choose, Mimi-san.” “Hey, we wanted to feel the real thing, no? Come on it will be fine.”

“Is it really that famous?” Sora asked.

“Uh, I supposed. I think it became quite popular after the local government tried to get it exorcised or something.” Takeru shrugged.

“Yes! It seems it went pretty bad and the priest who came went missing.” 

“Oh god…”

“Eh? Missing?” Taichi said “No way!”

“THat’s only gossip.” Hikari chuckled “ An exorcism was indeed performed. It was successful and the place should be safe now.”

“Thanks god…” Yamato sighed.

“I think…”

The last words Hikari muttered only made Yamato let out a groan. After three hours of road trip, they finally reached their destination. The group checked into the inn, dropped their things and, taking only the necessary things for camping, the group made their way to their destination. 

Ignoring the fact that they were stepping into a rumored cursed forest to camp in the gardens of a famous haunted location, the whole thing would have seemed to be like any regular trip. The sun shone brightly, the sky was blue and the cicadas were chanting noisily around them. Perhaps it was the light or the distraction by the tasks that camping required , but Yamato seemed to have calmed down considerably. His calmness had been short lived, as the sun began to set soon after they had set camp.

“Alright everyone! Gather here!” Mimi chanted, calling out for everyone's attention “It’s time to make the teams for the kimodameshi!”

“Eh?”  Taichi said “Isn’t that too troublesome? We can just make the team ourselves.”

“No, no!” Mimi replied “Absolutely not!” IF we let that happen everyone will just go for Hikari-chan.”

“Eh? Me…?” Hikari said shocked,

“Of course...so I tada…” Mimi said, showing them a bunch of threads she had in her hand “Everyone pick and end. Your partner will be the one holding the other side…”

“But Mimi...we are an odd number…”

“I know that! The threads have colored tags in the middle. THe one that gets the single thread will make a trio with the pair with the same color. Ain’t I a genius?”

“Mimi-san, wouldn’t it be easier if I just used my tablet to randomize the teams?”

“Koushiro-kun...sometimes you gotta do things the old way.Now pick!”

Everyone took one of the ends and Mimi counted to three before releasing them and allowing everyone to see the teams. 

“Ah! Jou, we are together! Lucky” Marina chirped happily.

“Ah...Mimi-san, we are together.” Koushiro said, blinking in surprise.

“Eh...we are the trio, huh?” Taich said, punching Yamato’s shoulder “Don’t worry, buddy. Sora and I will protect you…”

“Sounds more like I’ll be the one protecting you two, instead…”Sora said, rolling her eyes. 

“Don’t be like that…” Taichi laughed.

“Shouldn’t be surprised that you two ended up together, huh? Even fate is on your side,”

Tekeru and Hikari were still holding their end of the thread and looking dumbfounded. 

“Lucky dog…” Yamato groaned “He’ll be the only one leaving this place alive.”

“Yamato!”

“Like you didn’t think of it, too!” Yamato said “hey Takeru. Be a good brother and switch with me…”

“Sorry, bro. I think fate thinks we make a good team…” Takeru smiled “Right, Hikari-chan?”

The girl smiled. 

“Ah…”

“Alright instructions!” Mimi said “Everyone has their flashlights, remember to keep them on. We’ll go in with 15 min of difference between each team. Starting with Koushiro and I…” Mimi winked “Then Marina and Jou-senpai, Sora’s team and finally the love birds.”

“Why do you keep calling them that?” Taichi said, rolling his eyes.

“Here is a layout of the place. The red spot is our goal. Once you get there, you take a photo and you’re done with the challenge.”

“A photo?” Sora asked.

“Yeah, if you get a ghost to photobomb, you get extra points.” 

“God, no!” Yamato said, covering his eyes. 

“You can stay outside i f you’re too scared, Yamato…” Taichi smirked “Alone…”

“Well… I….”

“Uh? Did you guys hear that ?” Hikari said suddenly. 

“Eh? What?” Mimi asked “What? What?”

“Uh...thought I heard a whisper…” Hikari replied very seriously, and the color drained completely from Yamato’s face. Takeru chuckled, he wasn’t sure if Hikari was being serious or if she had joined the “Let’s tease Yamato” train as well. 

“Yeah, you can stay out here, aniki…” Takeru said, poking his brother’s neck with a branch and making him jump “alone...in the dark...surrounded by ghostly children and who knows what else...boooo.”

“Takeru-kun...don’t be mean.” HIkari scolded him.

“Forget it, I’m coming…”

“You’re a scared kid, Yamato.”

“Take a paper bag…” Jou sai, giving one to each of his friends.

“In case I need to throw up?” Taichi asked,

“More like , if you start hyperventilating, but maybe you should take some extra. Just in case. Yamato tends to throw up when he’s scared.”

“I don’t!”

“Mmmm…” Hikari said, “Just in case, too. Take one of these…”

“What’s these?”

“Ofuda(**Paper charms). You know, for protection.”  

“Ah! Well thought, sis.”

“Thank you, Hikari-chan …” Marina said with a smile. 

“Oh, and if you hear someone calling. Don’t listen...keep moving forward. If you don’t pay them attention, they don’t know you saw them.”

“Advice from the expert. Taken.”

“Do you see anything?” Taichi asked casually.

“Mmm, not really. I don’t think there are evil spirits.”

“Thank god. I’m trusting you word…” Yamato said “The building is probably more dangerous, yes…”

“Ok...well, I think we are ready, right?”

“Yeah. We can use the digivice to see each other’s location and to communicate in case of emergency.” Koushiro said “Remember...stick to the map. It would be dangerous if any of us got lost.”

“What do we do if a ghost drags us away?” Taichi asked.

“Eh...well….”

“Taichi...stop scaring, Yamato.”

“I am not scared. Who’s scared?”

“Just saying…”

“That’s not going to happen.” Hikari assured them “Hold each other hands. Don’t let go and you should be fine.”

WIth that said, the test began.

Mimi and Koushiro

The house was, by far, creepier than Mimi had originally thought. The photos online didn’t give it enough credit. It was even scarier than the sceneries in horror movies. The first thing that both tees noticed when they stepped into the old dilapidated house was that it was like stepping into a completely different place. 

Outside, the sound of crickets and cicadas filled the forest. The wind blowing through the trees and one or two night birds, but inside the house it felt ominously cold and the silence was unsettling. 

Mimi wasn’t scared. SHe had already made a quick run through the building with Hikari earlier and the girl had told her that the place was ok, but still, she had to admit that the house was creepy. 

“Uh…ok. This way…” Koushiro said.

 She might not be scared, but this was the perfect time to hook Koushiro. Who could resist the sweet innocence of a scared damsel, after all.

“Wait!” she said, hugging his arm “Hikari-chan said that we should stay close, right? Just in case.”

“I thought you said you weren’t scared…”

“I thought I wasn’t…” Mimi replied “but I must admit, this place is creepy. It’s making me hesitate…”

“Oh….” Koushiro said “That’s reasonable. We can step back…”

“What? No!” Mimi replied “What I mean...is that I would feel safer like this.”

Mimi hugged Koushiro's arm tighter. The action made Koushiro stagger in surprise. 

“Ah..ah! Of course…” Koushiro replied. The dim light of the flashlight didn’t show his blush.” Sure...you can hold me, if that makes you feel better.”

Victory, Mimi thought. The pair began their way through the dark and eerie corridors, Something was hanging from the roof. Mimi remembered seeing ropes and fabric hanging earlier, but in the darkness, it was difficult to distinguish it.

“Do you think Jou and Marina have entered already?” Mimi asked casually,

“Uh? Probably…” Koushiro said, looking around the corridor. The place seemed to transform when the night fell “Knowing Jou, they’re probably walking through very slowly. I can understand, though...this planks could be dangerously rotten.”

“Oh, yeah...it wouldn’t be nice to fall into one of these...AHHHHH.”

Mimi gave a jump and hugged Koushiro tightly. This time it hadn’t been faked. 

“M-Mimi-san?”

“Something touched me…” Mimi said horrified, “Something definitely touched me….”

“It was probably a piece of wood or one of those ropes…”

“No...no...I felt fingers. Cold fingers….”Mimi said looking around “small, cold fingers…”

“Mimi-san...please calm down. It’s probably a self suggestion.” 

"I don't…."  

Hehehehehehehe

"What was that? You heard it, didn't you?" 

Koushiro had stiffened . He had and he couldn't believe his ears. It has to be a trick of their mind. Koushiro's logic mind began to work on any possible explanation when they heard a loud thud. Like if something had fallen down and then, there was a soft rustling. 

A shudder ran down their spines and the pair unconsciously began to walk faster. 

"Oh god!" Mimi screeched. 

They had stopped in their tracks as they had come face to face with two figures, but when they shone their lights at it, they realized that it was nothing but a very old and dirty mirror, and the two phantom images were only their reflection. 

"A mirror? Who the hell places a mirror in the middle of the corridor?" Mimi said gasping for air. That had given her a fright. 

"Uh… Maybe it is a religious thing? A hikari or Takeru would know." 

"Mental note to ask them later." Mimi muttered. 

She'd been here earlier  but she didn't remember that mirror. She wouldn't have missed it. The thing was the size of a wall. 

"Koushiro… Are we on the right way?" 

"Yeah," he answered, flashing his map c right on track to the main hall, why?"

This was Koushiro. She could trust his sense of direction, but why did she feel like everything looked different from when she had come during the day?

They turned around a corner and stopped in the tracks. Mimi swallowed hard and felt a knot form in her gut. This was definitely different. The room was filled with several old kimonos hung on stands, giving an eerie sensation of people standing around them. 

"This wasn't here before…" Mimi muttered" Koushiro-kun… Are you sure we are in the right place?"

Mimi was holding his arm so hard, that she was beginning to sink her nails through the fabric of his shirt. She wasn't feigning anymore, she was really scared and by her friend's expression she could tell she wasn't alone. 

Koushiro had gone pale. He had to admit that  he was beginning to feel scared as well, but seeing how Mimi was clearly upset, he didn't dare to say it out loud. He had to stay firm for her sake, but the task was becoming harder as the sound of tiny feet seemed to have grown louder around them. 

"Y-yeah. This should be it. I mean...it is the kimono room...so I guess it shouldn’t be strange that there are kimonos here….we are in the right place.”

“This can’t be right!” Mimi shrieked” Those weren’t here before!”

 “It's ok. " Koushiro said, trying to sound soothing, "  It’s ok. You probably missed them, that’s all…”

“How could I miss this?”

“Calm down.  Remember Hikari's words. Don't pay attention and let’s keep going.”

Mimi swallowed and nodded. The temperature had gotten colder . The sound of rustling was louder and as they circled between the kimono, Mimi had the uncomfortable impression that someone was watching them.

They were starting to think that perhaps choosing this place was a bad idea. 

"I wonder how Marina-chan and Jou-senpai are doing, hehe…" Mimi mumbled. She felt less nervous when she spoke. 

"Yeah, I'm sure they're fine." Koushiro replied as calmly as he could. He could swear he had seen something move ahead "They should be behind  us and not too far…. '

Almost as if summoned, a distant echo of screams that they easily recognized as the eldest in the group and his girlfriend, cut through the silent stillness of the ruins. The screams were terrified and Mimi automatically jumped into Koushiro's arms. 

"W-what?" Mimi said in horror. 

"Uh, Jou-san….” Koushiro said, “Right. He’s easily  startled. They probably got scared with the mirror at the end of the hallway, too.”

“Oh right...t-that must be it...hehe. How far are we from the great hall?”

“J-just a couple rooms more…” Koushiro replied. Now he was sure he had seen a shadow run past them “T-this way…”

Niii-san, Oneesan… will you play with us?

“K-k-koushiro?”

“Y-yes…”

“C-can we h-hurry up?”

“Of...of course.”

Neesan, Niisan...why do you ignore us?”

That was too much. Forgetting about everything, Koushiro grabbed Mimi’s hand and sprinted away without looking back. Muffled voices sounded around them, but they ignored it and kept running and didn’t stop  until they had reached the main hall.

     Marina and Jou

“So we must wait 15 minutes before going in right?” Jou said looking at his watch. 

“Yup, that’s how it works.” Takeru replied “ The point is that the team aren’t to close to each other as they go through the test.”

“You sound familiar with this, Takeru-kun.” Marina smiled. 

“I’ve gone through a couple of them. “Takeru shrugged “never to a real haunted location though.”

“Takeru-kin is way to popular with the girls…” Hikari said tilting her head” they are always arguing to see who will get to go with him….”

“Well, I can’t blame them. A test of courage is certainly a good opportunity to hug or try to hold hands with the boy you like, right?” Marina said, winking “Isn’t that pretty much the main objective of it?”

“I thought the goal was to prove your courage.” Taichi said, dumbfounded.

“Well, that, too, but I think most of the girls just go in for that priceless chance.”

“Ah…” Hikari said “I see...so how many girls have you hugged, Takeru-kun?”

“Do you really want to know?” Takeru smiled wolfishly.

“I think it should be about time…” Sora said “It’s been 15 minutes. Jou-senpai, Marina-chan….”

“Alright!” Marina said cheerfully, hugging her boyfriend’s arm “you ready, Jou?”

“You’re awfully excited about this….” Jou said with a frown.

“I am excited! Are you not?”

“No...I still think this is reckless…”

“Oh, come Jou. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“You are brave, Marina-chan.” Sora laughed “ unlike somebody I know…”

Sora nudge her head at Yamato’s direction. He was crouched by her side , with his head between his arms. 

“Please be careful.” Hikari whispered “I know you like this whole spirit thing, but don’t let it carry you away.”

“DOn’t worry! If anything happens, I already memorized the Kuji!”

“Hehe...I don’t know if using the kuji, recklessly will help in a bad situation, though.”

“Kuji?” Sora asked.

“The nine hands seals…” Takeru replied “It is often used to ward off evil spirits.”

“You’re getting awfully good with shinto lore. Hikari’s been teaching you, huh?”

“A little” Takeru shrugged  “It’s for creative purposes.”

“Either way. I promise not to use the kuji mindlessly.” Marina smiled “Shall we, Jou?”

“Yeah, let’s get done with this.”

Jou and Marina walked through the door and just like Mimi and Koushiro earlier, they disappeared into the house. A shudder ran down Jou and Marina’s back as a gust of icy wind blew past them. “Oh boy, this is worse than I imagined it.” Jou sighed.

“Yeah, it is even scarier in real life.”

“Ok...let's go.” Jou sighed “ Be careful, Marina. These floors could be rotten for all we know.”

“Yes, yes….” Marina siad cheerfully “Ok...according to the map, we should go...that way.”

Jou used his flash light to point at the direction that his girlfriend was indicating him. A large wooden door laid closed in front of the Jou groaned. 

“Oh, great...doors. WHy couldn’t they trace a straight , no way to get lost, route?” Jou complained “These old japanese houses are like mazes, you know that?”

“Yes,yes...but we will be ok. If we get lost, all we gotta do is use our phones.”

“Knowing our luck...we won’t have a signal.”

“It will be fine. At least we are not alone and worse case scenario, we just need to wait til morning to get out.”

“This is a bad idea…”

 Hehehe

“Huh? DId you hear that?” Marina said, pulling Jou’s hand. 

“WHat?” 

Kekekekek

“That…” Marina said loudly “I heard kids.” 

“You’re auto suggesting, Marina. I didn’t hear anything…”

“I swear, Jou…”

“It was probably the… AHHHHHH!”

“What? What?”

Jou looked at his reflection on the old dirty mirror. 

“Who is so crazy to put a mirror here?” Jou said annoyed.

“Ahhhh...creepy.” Marina said, pushing up her glasses.

“Let’s get done with this. I am sure someone is bound to get hurt today.” 

 “Don’t be so pessimistic.”

“I am not. I call being realistic…” Jou said” just look at this place. If someone panics and runs away...they might stumble with something or fall into a hole…”

“And that’s why we are keeping our cool!”

“Yeah, I am calm….why wouldn't I?Right?”

Kagome kagome...the bird in  the cage...when . oh wen will it come out?

“Jou...tell me you’re hearing that.”

“I….” Jou said. THe color had drained from his face. Suddenly, his flashlight began to flicker until it finally turned off leaving them in darkness.

Marina screeched and grabbed Jou’s arm in panic. 

“Damn thing...the batteries were new! Ok, calm down. Good thing I brought a second one.Let me get it out…”

Hehehehehe...hehehe….

“Jou...you must have heard that right?”

“Keep calm, keep calm….Ah here it is!””

Jou switched his new flash light on, but to both’s horror. They found themselves face to face with a white, masked face.

Hehehe….I found ...you!

Jou and Marina let out a terrified screech the pierced through the night. The doctor grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and ran off in a burst of fear, not looking back even once. 

Sora, Taichi and Yamato

“Are you guys going to be ok out here alone?” Taichi asked, looking at the two youngest of the group. 

“Are you sure you three will be okay in there alone?” Takeru asked instead, with an amused look.

“Touché. YEah...I guess you guys are probably the least scared here, huh?” Sora chuckled.

“I’m not scared.” Taichi said “I don’t have the crest of courage for nothing.”

“Courage doesn’t mean fearless.”

“Are you sure, Yamato-san will be alright?” Hikari asked. 

“Don’t worry about him. “Takeru smiled “ He’s doing his “Courage “ mantra. He doesit all the time before concerts and...finals.”

“Yamato...you okay? It’s our turn now…” Sora said softly.

“Ok? Yeah...I’m ok…Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Yamato blurted “It’s just and old house. There are no ghosts there, just mold and maybe rats, right?”

“Right, buddy and maybe a few corpses as well.” Taichi smirked.

“Taichi!” Sora said, glaring at the boy.

“Oh, god…”

Hikari crouched by his side and put her hands on his shoulders.

“It is alright. There are no evil spirits in there. I promise you that.” she said in a soft soothing voice, that seemed to calm him a little. 

Yamato took a deep breath and stood up. 

“Fight hard, aniki!” Takeru grinned patting his brother´s back.

“Shut up…”

Taichi, Sora, and Yamato cautiously entered the house. Taichi was holding his head and Yamato reluctantly followed, looking around nervously.

“Woah...creepy. It does look like a horror movie setting, huh?” Taichi said, running his flashlight all over the place.” “It also looks like it is falling in pieces.” Sora added” Don't do anything stupid, Taichi.”

“What are you talking about?” Taichi said. 

The piece of wood that Taichi had been touching fell apart and one of the pieces fell to the ground with a strong thud that made Yamato jump.

“I’m talking about something like that…” Sora said, rolling her eyes” Stop messing around and let’s move…”

“Eheh...sorry.”Taichi chuckled “This way…”

Yamato was taking long deep breaths behind them.

“Yamato, if you are scared you can take my hand.” Sora offered.

“Or mine…” Taichi smirked “Like a kid…”

“Shut up, Taichi. Can we get done with this?” Yamato said, rubbing his face.

“Ehehe…” Taichi laughed “Right. Follow me...don’t worry Yama-chan, Sora-nesan and Taichi-nisan will keep you safe.” “Taichi...I swear that if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna punch you.”

“Not cute….” Taichi said putting, the flashlight under his chin and making a “ghost face”  “Not cute at all….”

 Niiisan….niiisan…..

“Huh?” Taichi said, looking around “Hey guys...did you hear that?”

“It’s not fun, Taichi…” Sora sighed.

“No, I...I’m not joking. I seriously  heard something.” Taichi said, looking around with his flashlight.

“Very funny, Taichi.” Yamato said grumpily, looking around with his flashlight as well.“You just want to scare me…”

“No...I swear...I heard something.”

“It’s an old house. Old houses make noises. You probably heard that…” Sora reasoned “come on let’s move. Haunted or not, this place makes me uncomfortable, so let’s hurry up and finish this.”

“RIght...old houses make noises...yeah.”Yamato repeated “ old houses make noises….old house….AHHHH:”

“What? A ghost?” Taichi said, rushing to where YAmato was.”Oh...come on...you got spooked by your own face?”

“WHat did you want me to do? I wasn’t expecting to find a mirror there?” Yamato replied.

“Wow...well. In Yamato’s defense, that mirror does make you look creepy.” Sora said  “This thing is old, it is incredible that it is still intact…”

“Yeah, I don’t really care about old things. Can we get moving?” Yamato said impatiently.

“Why? ARe you scared that someone is gonna try to pull you into the mirror?” Taichi said, tainting him with his hands.

“I warn you, Taichi...if you…”

Yamato paled and both Taichi and Sora looked at him dumbfounded.

“Yamato?”

“Eh….you okay, buddy?”

“Something pulled my sleeve.” “What?” Taichi repeated. 

“I said...SOMETHING pulled my sleeve.”

“It was probably an old nail…” Sora suggested.

“How…? There’s nothing here!

“Chill...Yamato. I’m sure you’re scaring yourself….”

Onisan!

“What the hell?” Taichi said, turning to look behind him “Guys...you must have heard that.”

“Maybe...we should move.” Sora said nervously “now?”

“I second the idea…” Yamato agreed “Move…”

The trio hurried through the old corridors and sliding doors. The sound of their footsteps against the worn floorboards echoed in the burying silence of the manor.

It was then that the group noticed that the steps that they were hearing,  were not theirs alone. There were at least a fourth set of steps that definitely didn't belong to any of the three. They were smooth and light steps, as if they belonged to very small feet.

“Eh...guys….?” Taichi said looking around “Is it just me or something is following us?”

“Stop joking, Taichi.”

“Yeah, shut up…” Yamato groaned.

“I swear guys...I…”

Hehehehe

Eheheheheheeh

“What the…?Oh god, no…” Yamato said, losing all his color “No,no.no…”

“Yamato, put yoursefeñ together.”

“Are hearing that?” Yamato cried “Those are damn ghost voices. They are going to drag us all the way to that pit and we’ll be dead. It’s like one of those damn horror movies…” 

“This could be something that Mimi did to scare us…”SOra reasoned “it’s not a ghost, calm down.”

“I hell...I saw something over there….”Taichi said suddenly “We’re screwed…. We’re gonna get spirited away and Hikari will have to go through the place trying to contact our souls to see if she can brings us back…”

“Taichi, you’re not helping.”

“I knew this was a bad idea. Why did I agree to this?”  Yamato said in panic “Taichi...I swear, if I die I am going to haunt your ass…”

“Yamato….”

“Buddy, you might end up  haunting my ghostly ass!”

Sora looked at the two panicking boys trying to figure out what she was supposed to do, when suddenly...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Taichi and Yamato automatically jumped to hug Sora in terror. The screams had come from somewhere deeper in the manor and after thinking about it, there was certain familiarity in the voices.

“Jou-senpai and Marina-chan!” Sora said in realization. 

“Oh, no! The ghost caught them!” Taichi said   in panic “What do we do? We are next now, aren’t we?”

“Ahhh..! Something touched me again.” Yamato cried.

“OK, STOP IT!” Sora shouted impatiently “Taichi get a hold your reins, your panic is not helping. Yamato, for god’s sake. I promise you, there are no ghosts touching you. Now, we should hurry and try to catch up with Jou-senpai. Something bad could have happened to them and… What, Taichi?”

Taichi’s eyes were wide as plates. He was absently pulling Sora’s blouse as he pointed at Yamato with a trembling hand. Sora turned to the blonde slowly and she opened her mouth to scream, but her voice died away as the light of the flashlights died one, by one.

Takeru and Hikari

Takeru paced in front of the entrance looking at his watch. Meanwhile, Hikari was standing pensively a few steps from him. Her hands were clasped in her lap and her head was slightly tilted.

“Should we give them a couple minutes more?” Takeru asked “I’m sure my brother is delaying them.”

“Sure…” Hikari nodded “knowing my brother, he’s not helping either. He’s probably touching things he shouldn’t  all over the place. I just hope he won’t break anything.”

“Sounds like, Taichi,” Takeru chuckled “So what’s the verdict?”

“Uh?” Hikari replied, confused, 

“Ghosts or no ghosts?” Takeru asked.

“Oh, about that.  Well...there are no evil spirits.”

“Uh...so no ghosts. Too bad I guess. “

“I said no evil spirits. I never said there weren’t spirits.” Hikari chuckled “I just thought that whether they were evil or not, was irrelevant for Yamato-san.”

“Yeah, under this conditions...he’s probably scared of his own shadow.” Takeru laughed “Ok...I think we can go in now.”

Hikari nodded and turned to the door. To her surprise she found Takeru offering her his hand. 

“Uh? You do realize I am not like those girls and I won’t be jumping and hugging you because I am scared, right?”

“Yeah, I know that. I think this is more for my own moral support.”

“Oh, so the hugging went both ways around.”

“You wouldn’t be jealous, would you?” 

“Should I be jealous?”Hikari asked, taking his hand. “Nope. For the record, I would rather go through this with you. Those girls jump at anything.”

“Getting scared in that situation is the normal thing to do.”

“Yeah, I guess I just got used to my little shrine maiden who’s not afraid of anything.” he  chuckled.

“Flirt. Don’t let my brother hear you…” Hikari said, shaking her head.

“Well, Mimi-san isn’t helping. She promised not to say a word, but her teasing is becoming a little too obvious, don’t you think? Lovebirds?”

Hikari shrugged.

“No one seemed to catch the hint. Mimi is like that, I suppose no one takes it too seriously.” Hikari sighed “ what? Are you getting tired of the secrecy? We can say it...but remember that would mean I win the bet.”

“When did you become so greedy, huh?” Takeru snorted.

“Learned from you.” Hikari replied, winking at him “Uh...yeah. Not the most romantic place for a date?”

“Didn’t know you were taking this as a date.”

“Wasn’t that Mimi’s whole idea?” Hikari asked “She did arrange that sorting to leave all couples together, after all.” 

“Including my brother a third wheel?”

“I don’t think she foresaw that outcome. Probably a miscalculation.”

Takeru laughed.

“I pity Sora. She’s probably going crazy with those two.” “Mmmm… My brother can handle the pressure, unless he sees something. Then he’ll just snap and panic.”

“Talking from experience?”

“More or less.”

“My brother is a lost case. They will be lucky if they can get him to walk at all…” Takery laughed “He can’t even see a horror movie without finding an excuse to leave the room every five minutes. I am actually surprised he agreed to this trip.” “Social pressure…” Hikari shrugged “but you telling him those stories didn’t help at all.”

“Sorry?” Takeru smiled apologetically “You know having the chance to tease your older brother is a rare opportunity. “

Hikari shook her head. 

“Poor Yamato-san. Uh?”

“What?”Takeru asked “Saw something interesting?”

“Yeah...kids. Very mischievous kids.” 

“Do you think they will want to play with my brother?”

“For his own sanity, I hope not.”

“So between everyone. Who do you think will go through this smoothly?”

“Mimi-san and Koushiro-san, probably. Mimi is hot headed, but she’s not easily scared and Koushiro is very rational, so I don’t think some random noises and a couples of shadows will make them lose it.”

“Uh...agree.” Takeru replied “So between the other two teams?”

“Hard to tell.” Hikari shrugged “ Jou-senpai gets scared easily, but having my brother and Yamato-san together, puts Sora in a very difficult position.”

“Do you think we’ll end up having to rescue those five?” 

“It’s possible…uh? Weird…” Hikaris said looking around “I think we might have taken the wrong turn.”

“What? Why?”

“This doesn't seem like the right place.”

“Night time makes things look different…”

“I wonder…” 

Suddenly, the two teens stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other. There was a soft rustling  accompanied by muffled voices that seemed to be in some sort of conversation. 

“Did you...hear something?”Takeru asked

“I did...and those are no ghosts.” Hikari said with a frown. 

“Huh. Hold on a second.”

Takeru grabbed his flashlight and began looking between the boxes and fallen logs until he finally found the source of the muffled voice.

“Patamon? Tailmon? What are you guys doing here?”

“Takeru!” Patamon chirped happily “Look, Tailmon. We found them!”

“Good...but we still have a problem. AGumon and the others are pretty much still missing.” Tailmon sighed. 

“What are you here?”

“We heard you were having an adventure and we wanted to join.” Patamon explained “It was agumon’s idea. We thought we would surprise you.”

“I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen.” Tailmon said shaking her head “then we arrived here and they all said they would search for their partners and  went running on their own. Now we don’t know where they are.”

“Wait...so the digimon are running free around this place?” Takeru asked, surprised, “Well, that’s an interesting twist.”

“A twist that will certainly complicate things. What are the odds that everyone mistakes the digimon for ghosts?”

“Extremely high.”

“We must find them before they get in trouble.”

 Takeru, Hikari, Patamon and Tailmon spent the rest of the night tracking down their friends and their digimon. As they had guessed, everyone had mistakenly seen the digimon as ghost causing them to run away in panic and passing out. By the time they had managed to gather everyone in the great hall -with the digimon’s help, of course -  the first rays of the morning were already getting in through the holes of the ceiling. 

“Good morning…” Hikari said when their friends began to wake up.

“”Morning…” Taichi yawned “Wait...where are we?”

“Mmm...where do you think?”

“Ahhhh…” Mimi screamed “ don’t tell me we fell asleep?”

“ How can that be?”

“We actually spent the night in a haunted house?” Yamato said with a shudder.

“Congratulations, aniki. You can now cross out “sleeping with ghosts” from your bucket list. “Takeru said with a sheepish smile and Yamato glared at him.

“What happened?” Sora asked.

“Well...it seems our little test of courage got hacked by digimon.” Hikari chuckled “Right guys!”

“Sora!”

“Biyomon! What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to play too!” Agumon said.

“And we thought we would give you a surprise.” Gabumon nodded.

“Wait...then...the ghosts…” Taichi said with wide eyes “The ghosts were actually our digimon?” “Uhm...yes, probably.” Hikari nodded.

“No, that’s impossible!” Jou said “I saw it clearly. THe ghost I was wearing a noh mask! Right, Marina?”

“That’s right! I saw it, too.”

“You mean...this?” Gomamon said, showing him the old mask. “I found it lying around...I thought it looked funny.”

“Gomamon…!”

“Sorry,,,I didn’t mean to scare you.” Gomamon apologised. 

“We tried reaching out to Koushiro-han, but they ran off screaming when we tried.”

“Yes...Mimi you went off running when I pulled your skirt!” Palmon said sadly.

“Well, of course I would! You scared me to death, palmon!”

“The digimon didn’t intend to scare you. It was...a very amusing outcome…” Takeru laughed.

“I fail to see the fun in that!” Yamato said, annoyed.

“Sorry, but if you had seen your face...though…” Taichi laughed.

“Hey, you were scared as hell too.” 

“I saw a friggin blue fire floating over your shoulder. Of course I was going to be scared!” Taichi laughed.“Well, at least I am glad it was the digimon and not the actual ghost. That was intense.”

“We are sorry…” the digimon apologised.

“Forget about it. It was fun...wasn’t it?” Sora smiled. 

“Horay...it was, but wait...none of us took the picture...right?”  Mimi said. 

“We did…” Takeru said “While you were sleeping, of course.”

“You mischievous lovebirds.“ 

“We actually got some additional ...bonus photos.” Hikari smiled innocently “but since everyone is awake, why don’t we take one together before we leave?”

“Sounds like an awesome idea!” Mimi said.

“But...wait…” Jou said out of sudden “When did the digimon learn to sing Kagome, Kagome?”

“What?” Mimi asked.

“Ah, you’re right. We heard someone singing that, didn’t we?” Marina said..

“Oh... The song? Those were kids that helped us find you!” Gomamon said. 

“They said it was a game, and they wanted to play with us, too.”  Tentomon nodded.

“WHAT?”  everyone,  except Takeru and Hikari, said.

The two teenagers looked at each other and laughed. Perhaps the trip hadn’t gone as planned, but one way or another, it had become a great summer memory. 

Ok....very crappy art because this was already pretty long. 

[shineonmalcolmbright]

Shine On, Bright: Chapter Twenty-Four

Table of Contents

Present

How does one mentally prepare themselves for a family get together? Ainsley runs her own news story in her own head. There has to be answers to such a question then again it sounds closer to Buzzfeed clickbait for the regular family, not the Whitly family. It’s a question for people who needed to wrestle with the fact their uncle is a racist or their grandma has too much pent up internalized misogyny.

How does one mentally prepare themselves for a family get together after you interview your serial killer father despite your mother’s wishes? You come bearing gifts and pray to the heavens you can survive a night of consistent passive-aggressiveness.

Reporters crowd the front door as if there’s story to share. She pries her way past them, steps up to the door, and looks out over them. Everybody there comes closer ready to eat her alive. Jokes on them. Her fears are none, it’s what happens when you’re a young girl who befriends ghost kids and never really gets to know her dad because he killed people.

All of the reporters act as if she’ll throw them a bone and let them know the truth, a truth about the Junkyard Killer and The Surgeon. Instead, she looms above them with a smirk and a prepared comment in her mind.

“Any breaking news about my family is mine to report, thank you.”

The gall of them to think she’d answer a single question other than the words that just fell out of her mouth. Please. This is her life, this is her story, she herself is a reporter and it's her narrative to tell.

The reporters call after her begging for more but she whisks herself away into the house. There are bigger sharks to battle. Her mother being the main villain of the day. Her and all her disappointment locked up inside her castle.

Piano music plays, it adds to the play-acting of a happy holiday. Maybe for somebody who eats up nostalgia, they’d be happy to hear it in the air. Christmas lights decorating note one tree, but two. The first being smaller and near the doors where Jessica stands looking at ornaments. None of which were really dedicated to their lives because what was there to say about the lives of the Whitlys?

Each would have a different answer.

Malcolm would say their past haunts them.

Jessica would say she half remembers laughter in barbiturate induced sleep.

Nobody was going to ask Martin.

And Ainsley also did not have an answer.

“Hello?” Ainsley calls out as she enters their not so humble abode. Her fingers are crossed that Malcolm beat her there. Please let Malcolm already be there.

Jessica turns to face Ainsley armed with her trademark smile (if she were so allowed to file for on). She acts as if she isn’t lost in some thought. To be honest, Malcolm’s the only one who’s right: Their past still haunts them. Either way, Ainsley reaches out her gift of wine pretending nothing’s wrong. It’s a regular family about to have a regular family Christmas dinner! A game they both could play all day and night if she so chose. Jessica says no greeting but an Ah as she continues her charade of a smile. For most families, charades is a game where you have a partner and guess what the other is acting out. For them, it’s “What the hell is on [insert Whitly in Question]’s mind?”

Taking the wine bottle she looks at it and by look, it really is a glance. “You. . .brought a twist-off.”

Still no hello, Hi, There you are!, Malcolm’s on his way, or Glad you could make it.

Jessica is the first to lose at their game of charades, sarcasm enters her chuckling as she pulls the wine away leaving Ainsley there holding onto nothing but air and not ready for this, not any of this.

Jessica: 0 Ainsley: 1 Malcolm: TBD

She should’ve taken her advice to mentally prepare for this night. And where the hell is Malcolm? He needs to be around, right there at the moment, but no, he’s probably too far gone obsessing over murder forgetting his family remains in the land of the living.

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” Ainsley grumbles, looking at the pristine tree.

There were little white birds perched on branches. The only current statement of Malcolm in the house. How odd something like that is what lasted in their decorations. A not so bad Whitly past, Malcolm loved birds for whatever reason. Then again only a child like him could be obsessed with ornithology and forensic psychology or whatever it was he loved.

Ainsley fumbles with her hands and turns to watch her mother drop the bottle of wine off with snow globes and other miscellaneous Christmas decorations, each and every one curated to look the best as if people wanted to visit their murder abode.

For someone so careful about spearheading the correct questions, Ainsley slips. Her hands slip free from one another as if she can casually grab onto some parental approval. Somehow the words just happen to fall from her mouth, “Did you watch it?”

Really? Really? She had to ask her mother that? Today was not going to end well.

Jessica faces Ainsley with such an exasperated sigh. “No comment.”

Again with the slipping, all of the slipping. Somehow something knocks something loose and Ainsley needs her mother and her brother and needs them to be there for her. She wants their support, she wants their compliments, she wants instant gratification and for a chance to not let a past haunt any of them.

“Can’t you at least try and be happy for me?”

It’s another wrong question to ask and so obvious by the way Jessica stares at her. Charades no more.

####

Malcolm fidgets with a present in his hand. He’s picking at the edges of the bow on the box knowing it’ll mess it up but he can’t stop. His other hand starts a beat on the edge, he scans the area around him. Making sure he’s safe. Tries to convince himself he’s safe as his brain protests: Danger, danger.

It’d be great if danger actually lurked behind corners. Instead, there’s people walking by him, lost in fits of giggles or chuckles as holiday spirit does its best to eat them all up inside. There’s a part of his brain that for some reason doesn’t accurately compute situations right leaving his brain to protest again and again: Danger, danger.

He grips the present a little too hard but doesn’t want to ruin it. Somehow this gift needs to survive its journey to his mother’s, but he can maybe spare some time to purchase something new if tragedy befalls. Only she’s expecting him soon. But anxiety rings in his brain, it swells up with its warning: Danger, danger.

Danger grabs his shoulder, whirling him around with one loud grunt of a Hey. It’s Owen right there. Shoving his shoulder as he glares at him. Malcolm’s stuck in fight, flight, or freeze all over again at the sight of him. Whatever happens, he can’t fall back in time. It’ll let more danger sink in especially with Owen snarling at him right before so many people casually moving around on all sides. Not that anybody looks up and away from their holiday cheer.

“Malcolm Whitly,” Owen spits out at him. His boozy breath is stale, he’s not drunk but he’d been drinking for some time that day. So much anger is built up in those words, his name. Malcolm Whitly. “I always knew that you were a liar.”

Anger is seething through Owen’s brain, it’s coursing through his veins. It’s as if somebody created him from the raw emotion itself. Even with being in the open and the world ready for Malcolm to run, he feels as if he’s stuck in a corner or stuck in a room like so many years ago, trapped. Trapped, trapped, trapped. He’s trapped in his tracks all over again with Owen sizing him up, volcanic and without any chance for cheer.

“And I didn’t recognize you till I saw your hand.”

Malcolm looks down, his handshakes. He covers his movement as if he doesn’t quake.

“You can change your name, but you can’t change who you are.”

The words slice straight through him. It’s enough of a push to start the slow fall, him falling out of the present and into the past. Then again, the past and present are always happening at once, two timelines wrapped up with one another, both of which he can’t escape, not at all. Trauma can turn anyone into a time traveler, but if only it were half as romantic as it sounded.

Malcolm clenches his teeth letting pain break apart his thoughts, Don’t fall, don’t fall back, don’t fall, don’t fall out of time again. . .

Except there’s two of him and two of Owen. A Young Malcolm stuck inside the Overlook again and again, it’s like he picks up the phone daily to make the call, all after the hotel got to him, his father that is so there’s him making the call about his father after he wants to hurt Gil then the local police showing up.

Not that Colorado is halfway across the world, but it seems like it really does even with Young Malcolm there and here in New York City with Younger Owen who is all fury, more so then Now Owen.

Younger Owen with Young Malcolm inside a room with so many memories of his father moving at his fingertips across the table while Younger Owen demands: Tell me the truth. Tell me what you did. Are you Daddy’s little helper? You Know more than you are saying. His words sped up, full of fire, nonstop. Tellmehowhedidit. TELLME!

Malcolm squeezes his eyes shut, his jaw is cracking under such pressure as his headache grows. The ringing in his ears block all the cacophony New York. Younger Owen and Young Malcolm may be gone but he still has Owen to worry about in the present as he teeters off balance. Maybe he can fall into a car and let it break him away from the situation thanks to a necessary ride to the ER.

A small voice reminds him.

Inhaaaaale. . .

One.

Two.

Three.

He doesn’t even make it to four out of the five seconds he needs and looks straight at Owen who’s keeping a close eye on him. But something about Owen has changed. The ringing’s too loud for Malcolm to parse through any of his thoughts. Maybe it’s for the better. He doesn’t want to really go there.

“I’m not my father,” Malcolm informs him, he shakes his head like it’ll get the ringing to start. It hurts, hurts his brain and his jaw clicks as he speaks.

Owen doesn’t laugh out loud but Malcolm can still hear it, his thoughts becoming either clearer or louder. Either way, there’s laughter. Owen points at himself, “Are you trying to convince me?” Then he points at Malcolm. “Or are you trying to convince yourself?”

Malcolm hangs tight to the present letting it weigh him down in the present where he belongs. His jaw pops, pops, pops while Owen won’t shut up. He looks at the way the ribbon frays feeling the urge to pick it apart again.

“‘Cause if you’re trying to convince me, save your breath!” The last word Owen shouts, spittle sprays with each letter b-r-e-a-t-h. Each covered with the stale alcohol of Owen’s morning. He grabs Malcolm’s coat and Malcolm continues to hang there. His jaw pop, pop, popping in an attempt to breath. “‘Cause I was right.” Owen’s fingers dig into his chest. Feels as if bruises are already blooming there. Malcolm kind of, sort of, looks up at him while still avoiding eye contact with Owen to watch the fraying ribbon of his present. “There was someone else.”

There was someone else.

There was someone else.

There was someone else.

“But you always knew that,” Young Malcolm says while he’s standing off to the side, one step off the curb and watching the scene unfold. Malcolm glances at him, it’s more or less of an accident because Owen might be mad if he looks anywhere else. “You always knew there was someone else.”

Malcolm returns his focus to Owen finding words for the present. “I know why you’re angry. You dedicated your life to The Surgeon’s case.” He pauses allowing a moment to survey any change in Owen’s expression. “You were right.”

He hesitates again even though Owen’s not really registered yet what’s been said for Malcolm to read. “I did know something. At the Overlook, my father had-had a person. . .who stayed with us and I forgot about him, but I have reason to believe he was or he is The Junkyard Killer.”

Some reason Malcolm keeps closing the space between them. His jaw is popping and his hand is quaking. It’s a lot, so much. “All I have are-are fragments of a memory.”

11/08: Woke up in library. Thought I went to bed.

The past is back, intertwined with the present. Young Malcolm with a knife as he runs through the hedge maze sinking deep into snow with madness chasing after him. My boy! Come on and take your medicine!

11/08: Woke up in library. Thought I went to bed.

Him trying his best to journal and to remember as he keeps falling through time and waking up, waking up, waking up in strange places. Yet with so many stories about death at his fingertips and ghosts whispering all about him. A woman who threw her children off the roof and hanged herself in the basement. A girl last seen in the elevators only to go missing. Mob violence as shooters took out a hit on somebody in a room. A man who lost it and annihilated his entire family because the hotel told him it’d be better for all of them. There was a man stuck inside a bear suit, he died of asphyxiation. A woman who slit her wrists in her bathtub and then another woman without a story who he found in a tub in Room 217. (Maybe he could’ve saved the woman he found in Room 217.)

11/09: Woke up in ballroom (?). Remember going to bed. Mother said something about taking a pill to sleep better. Don’t remember falling asleep.

Owen is hanging onto each and every single one of Malcolm’s words. This is what he’s known and waited for all his life. It’s bouncing all around him as exclamation marks, Malcolm tries to ground himself into the present still letting his Christmas present weight him down.

11/10: Is it possible to not remember falling asleep but waking up? Feels like haven’t slept for days. Ask somebody about it.

“Only The Surgeon and Paul Lazar know what happened. . .” The words are coming so fast. He can’t stop any of them now. They’re falling right in the open for anybody to collect but especially for Owen to piece through.

11/11: Woke up in bar, heard music, heard voices. Father found me, we talked, said to talk to him, didn’t hear all the noise. Ask him about it later?

Malcolm’s practically shouting at Owen. “. . .But my father is in solitary and when I tried to find Paul, the FBI kicked me off the case for being too. . .”

Before Malcolm can finish his own words, Owen butts in finishing his sentence for him. He knows, he knows, he knows. “Obsessed?”

11/12: ????

Malcolm stares at him at such a loss. There’s nothing else to say because Owen said it all and he’s still saying it. He knows. He knows, he knows, he knows.

“Unhinged? Making it personal?” All the anger of Owen has since peeled away, his hands dig deep into his pockets as empathy becomes him. Malcolm nods. “I kind of know the feeling.” They stop talking for a split second. Owen looks him up and down with a new emotion crossing his face, one Malcolm can’t quite read. There’s a softness to him. “Where are you in the Turner case?”

11/13: Woke up in bed. Last thing I remember, boiler room. Looking at newspapers. Then nothing. Is there something wrong with me?

Malcolm sighs unable to make eye contact again. “We think the killer has something to do with one of his old cases, but we haven’t found anything yet.” Words that probably should have stayed locked up in his mind and not out in the open as puzzle pieces for Owen to play around with. But he knows, he knows, he knows.

Owen kind of smiles, it's a brief thought, a memory that’s just out of reach for him. Good thing he explains out loud though, Turner had a-a place where he kept everything that he didn’t want to release to official case files. I can take you there.”

He means it, too. Malcolm doesn’t even know how to emote because Owen really means it, too. His brain is working its way already across the city to this location, ready to dig into some research to help Turner out, not Malcolm, but Turner. He huffs out a Come on, which is so easy to miss. Maybe Malcolm imagined it or heard it in Owen’s thoughts because he’s already walking away forcing Malcolm to half walk-half run after him to discover the secrets Turner hid.

11/14: Woke up in the bathroom. Don’t remember falling asleep there, but I tracked mud all across the floor. There were leaves in my hair. I was able to hide my notes before mother found me in the bathroom. She was furious asking me where I had been and didn’t like that I kept telling her: I don’t know. Because I don’t, I don’t know where I was or where I went and I don’t know what’s happening to me.

[abs0luteb4stard]

My spiritual war began half a lifetime ago. And I will carry it on even after I'm dead one day. Ω

Most people are raised with a religion or beliefs.

Some of them lose faith. Some become atheists. Some stay where they are in believing.

I I suppose I haven't fully stopped believing in a spiritual power/experience.

Call it the "God Gene" (VMAT2) or illogical stupidity, But I just can't purge that notion from my head.

According to the God Gene Hypothesis: "Spirituality is supposed to provide an evolutionary advantage by providing individuals with an innate sense of optimism."

I do not feel that optimism that there is a God or sentient universe out there. Or that "God has a plan".

I feel unspeakably betrayed.

When I was a young kid. I think I was very well behaved. I cared. I had a great heart. If that wasn't good enough for any god. Then they don't follow their own teachings.

When I got to middle school. I was scared. Three local schools were merged all my friends were lost in the shuffle. I thought it'll be difficult to make new friends, but I had hope.

Well, that hope wasn't lost. It was gouged out and raped from my spirit. Not just spiritually but my spirit of hope caring and goodness.

The bullying. They called me faggot, poor boy, foreigner (born here but was given a "foreign" name) on and on. They spit in my books. They knocked my books out of my hands everyday, between every class. Choked me, beat me, spit on me. There wasn't just a group, the group spread rumors and enlisted others in their attacks on me. Even my old friends from elementary school abandoned me because association with me was repugnant to their social standing. I once saw a buddy from elementary and said hello at his locker only to be ignored like I didn't exist.

Those 2 years of middle school left me completely empty. I remember I went to sleep every weeknight praying to die in my sleep. Ashamed at how that would hurt my parents if it came true. Then I would be woken up for school the next morning secretly crying because I was still alive and had to go through another day.

If there was a gun I would have gladly killed every one of those motherfuckers who were bullying me.

Especially Chas. He was the one who got the ball rolling on my destruction. How a dickhead who was seemingly proud of his failure of the 7th grade the year before I came there had such social clout with these pieces of shit I'll never understand.

High school was hell, but it slowly matured. Not without its own degrading moments where I was bullied or attacked or pushed down or spit on. But I think those who were there were preparing for their college or next step.

My grades were average. My spirit was broken already. My hope was nowhere. I was lucky to graduate probably.

I'm no longer normal. Those years of abuse at school changed me irrevocably. Everyday for 2 years. Non-stop. Physical, emotional, mental, pen tips pressed into the back of my neck till a bled. A pen cap pushed into my ear luckily it didn't hit my ear drum.

Principals, counselors, nobody did anything. Anything they did do was either a warning or giving me a punishment for retaliations.

I was punished for someone abusing me.

So I dropped out of local community college after a spotty 2 years. Continued schooling just came with anxieties and fear. I'd already had my life's share of that. I needed surgery and after I just let go of further education. Of a career of any kind.

Now I'm 33, soon to be 34. And these things that have effected me since half my life ago still affect me today. Call it C-PTSD or anxiety or trauma, social phobia, agoraphobia. It's all the same to me.

The bullies are gone but make no mistake theyre haunting me.

So where the fuck was God?

Where was his miracle for me?

Why didn't he spilt the red sea for me? I'm not as important as Moses. Where was his warning that I should build a boat like Noah?

No burning bush, no "hey Abraham, go kill your son", nothing. Not from this god or any fucking god.

Not once.

But some stupid genetic marker (VMAT2) anchors me to believe?

In the years since school I went through the divorce of my parents which was particularly hard if you knew me you'd understand.

My dad needed a 2nd open heart surgery which led to a big stroke from a clot that broke off. His arm and leg that were effected mostly came back. But his mind was effected permanently. The parts of the brain that were injured left him with memory problems. He couldn't live on his own, he'd already come back home with my mom and me before that to live with us after a hard hip replacement surgery.

Then I went through my mother's surprise lung cancer diagnosis, surgery, and so far no signs of it returning. Luckily it was found early after she had a cold and cough they wouldn't go away and got a chest x-ray.

Now my dad 4.5 years after his stroke and ongoing memory problems, he woke up yesterday the happiest man who ever lived, he had so much love and kisses and hugs to give.

But shockingly he completely forgot who I was. He thought I was a visiting neighbor. He forgot who my mom was. But he was happy to meet his son and wife for the first time again in this new place (it's the same place and the same people he'd always known before).

But I am crushed. I'm so deeply affected. He's happy and jolly enough for 3 people to meet us...

But my mom and I are very sad. It's such a shock. While he is thankfully happy and comfortable with his 'new family' that we are. I've cried more than my muted emotions have let me cry in the last 15 years.

He told me he's sorry that he missed being part of my life before now. Nothing cut my heart up quite like that. He apologizes for not knowing or recognizing me.

I've been betrayed by God all my life or at least that VMAT2 gene chemically telling my brain there's a higher power.

I'm just not important enough. No miracles to help me get out of this PTSD or my other medical issues. No reprieve from these life threatening illnesses my parents got one after the other. And now my father doesn't know who I am anymore.

Maybe god like those bullies just hate me too? If were created in his image then he's as capable of hate and torturing as we his human creations are.

After all he made a bet with the devil that Job in the bible would keep the faith in God no matter what god did to him. He gave him diseases, killed his livestock, killed his family with sickness, and burned down his house. But the dumb motherfucker still loved god.

He gave him all be house, animals and family after the ordeal, but the other wife and children didn't deserve to die for a bet. "But they went to heaven". They still had potential energy, lives to live grow old and have their own families, but "God" killed them to prove he was right in bet to the devil. That an idiot would still love him after all that.

So maybe I can't stop believing in God, or have some leftover spirituality.

But I'm not as fucking forgiving ad that dumb motherfucker Job. But I'm also not willing to just walk away from God's game. I'm more than ever cemented my hate for God. I'm giving the devil sympathy or joining his side. If there is such a thing.

I'm instead giving God - ALL MY HATE.

I've got infinite amounts of anger and hate in me. For every millisecond of my torture in school I hate those pieces of shit, at one point that was all that kept me from killing myself. I'm filled to overflowing.

Now there's nothing and no one I hate more than God. I don't care about abortion, I don't care about pollution, I don't care about animals raised in cages and mutilated.

My dad is apologizing to me for what his stroke did to make him forget me. He's apologizing to me with regret, shame and love in his eyes for something that's not his fault.

WHERE IS GOD!? hmm? His love and miracles? His bullshit?!

God. Guardian Angels? Any God or Goddess. Any religion, pagan gods, gods that we don't even know existed. Where are they? Spirits? Demons? Satan himself? Useless.

I have declared a war on God deep down in my soul. I'm not here to preach or change your religion, make you an atheist or garner views or to promote the devil.

But rest assured I am going to kill God. My determination is absolute.

Not in a social or political sense, I'm not going to become Nietzsche 2.0.

I'm going to prepare my heart and soul. My physical body, my mental attitude, my spirit, my soul. My life might go until I'm 120 years old and I'm fine with that.

But God will know fear because I will teach it to him. God has a death wish and I'm that wish come true.

You think Abu Ghraib looked terrible? What I do to God will make that seem like a Kumbaya summer camp.

I don't know what god is, what makes a deity, fucked if know if such a thing even exists. But I will torture, maim, and kill God.

These neo-pagans with their "All Gods are one God."

That's fine by me. Get the all Gods in one place so I can kill that motherfucker with a smile on my face. Even if he's holding the universe together, like Atlas holding the world. If it means the end of all things then I'm more than satisfied to end reality.

If there's a physical aspect to him on some spiritual realm or whether it's simply a psychic thought of the living mind or some genetic predisposed delusion. Maybe I've lost my mind too, maybe there's nothing left but my madness.

My wrath makes God in the old Testament look like a spoiled 3 year old child. God will get what's coming to him.

He is mine and I am his.

·

"Nor sleep, nor sanctuary, being naked, sick, the prayers of priests, nor times of sacrifice shall lift up their rotten privilege and custom against my hate to Martius. Where I find him, were it at home, upon my brother's guard, even there, will I wash my fierce hand in his heart."

—AUFIDIUS; Shakespeare's "Coriolanus"

·

·

"I'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee."

—Caius Martius Coriolanus; play of the same name.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Ghostfacers- Part 1

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2,061

Warnings: Typical Supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

“Dean, are you sure you know where you’re going?” You asked, looking at the house in question on your phone. You, Sam and Dean, picked up a case at a famous house called the Morton House. The story you read online is that a janitor was killed at the local hospital and his spirit started killing people. Every leap year, at midnight on February 29th, the spirit of that janitor haunts his house and the restless spirit along with any human to enter the house after midnight, become trapped until the next day.

“Yes, I know where I’m going.” Dean mocked you. He drove slowly through the narrow path leading to the house. He’d been driving through the woods for a while and you thought Dean became lost. However, if that were the case, it wasn’t like you could stop and ask for directions. Dean drove a little more until you saw the house in question.

“Wow, this just screams creepy.” You muttered. Dean drove up to the house and slowed it to a crawl. You held up your flashlight towards the house to see if you could see anything but you were still too far away.

“I can’t see anything. Just pull around back.” You said, turning off your flashlight. Dean grunted and he pulled away from the house, driving around the back. When you got there, you frowned when you found a car already there.

“Who the hell is here?” You asked as you got out of the house.

“Great, some teenagers probably.” Sam sighed as Dean opened the trunk. You grabbed your shotgun and your regular gun, Sam and Dean doing the same.

“What are we going to do? We can’t do our job and worry about a bunch of kids. This ghost is going to be gone for the next 4 years. We need to do this now.” You said, walking away from the car and towards the house.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them out,” Dean said, confident in his decision. You sighed and climbed the back steps before opening the door. You were thankful it wasn’t locked. You crept inside, your flashlight on with your gun in front of you. Even with people in here, you needed to be safe. You walked down the hallway, the Winchesters right behind you. You heard voices come from one of the rooms and you sighed, walking in,

“Okay, oh no!” A man yelped when he saw you and the Winchesters come in.

“Freeze! Police officers! Don't move!” Dean yelled at them and whoever was in the room froze, scared.

“Alright. Alright. Alright. Take it easy, take it easy.” Sam tried to calm down the other people in the room. Dean didn’t like his hunts becoming messy. He needed these people out of here.

“Let's see some identification,” Dean stated.

“Come on. Let's see some I.D.” Sam repeated.

“What—are we under arrest?” The same man as before asked.

“We are unarmed.” Another man with scruffy ginger hair said. You frowned and shined your flashlight on the man’s face, recognizing him immediately. That was Ed Zeddmore from HellHoundsLair.com. You did a job with them back in Texas with the Tulpa. They were the amateur ghost hunters.

“I know you,” Ed stated.

“Yeah, sure you do. Give me some identification.” Dean said, not recognizing him.

“Holy shit, Dean, we know this man.” You said.

“We do? What?”

“Uh, West Texas... the... the Tulpa we had to take out. Those two shitheads that almost got us killed... The hellhounds website?” You said, looking at Ed who stared at you.

“You remember me? I certainly remember you.” Ed smirked a bit. You knew they had a bit of a crush on you back then but you thought they would forget you.

“Hey, fuck off.” Dean glared at him, his jealous side coming out.

“Yeah, we're not hellhounds anymore, okay? It didn't test that well.” Ed said.

“Ed, what is going on?” The first man asked.

“Corbett, they’re not cops, buddy. No, not at all.”

“Ed, you had a partner, right? Harry? Where is he?” You asked and he looked surprised.

“You remember our names? Have you been thinking about us?”

“Just answer the damn question,” Dean growled.

“He's running around, chasing ghosts,” Ed answered.

“Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here,” Dean ordered and Ed just chuckled before taking a step towards Dean as if he were the alpha male.

“Alright. Listen here, chisel chest, okay? We were here first. We've already set up base camp. We beat you.” Ed smirked. Dean looked at his brother before looking at you.

“They were here first,” Dean repeated and Ed nodded. Suddenly Dean grabbed Ed and pushed him against the wall.

“Oh, God,” Ed muttered, scared.

“Ed…” Dean trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“...where’s your partner?” Dean wasn’t going to back down and Ed finally knew that.

“He’s upstairs with two other people,” Ed confessed and you sighed, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder. He peered at you before letting Ed go.

“You need to get out of his house.” You said. Ed looked at you before leaving the room he was in. You sighed and went to follow him but found yourself face to face with a camera.

“Get the hell out of my face.” You pushed the camera away before following Ed into the living room where a desk full of laptops and equipment was.

“What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed—on a leap year—what are you thinking?” Dean asked, walking into the living room.

“We're here to spend the night, okay? It's for our TV show.”

“What? Great. Perfect.” Sam sighed.

“Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before,” Corbett said and you looked at him even though the camera was in your face.

“Uh, actually, yeah, they have.” You corrected him.

“Uh, we've never heard of them,” Ed argued. You looked at him and glared and he quickly looked away.

“Yeah, you know why? Because the ones that have, haven't lived to talk about it!” Dean yelled, looking into Corbett’s camera.

“Oh, come on, I don't believe you.” Ed scoffed.

“Look,” Sam said, pulling papers out of the duffel bag he carried into the house. “Missing-persons reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare: gone. Julie Wilkerson: gone. There are tons more. All of them came to just stay the night through, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett.”

“These look legit,” Ed said, filing through the papers.

“They are legit. Look, Ed, we ain't got much time here. Starting at midnight, your friends are going to die.” You said, trying to get it through his thick head how serious this is. Suddenly you heard screams and footsteps rush down the old stairs. You turned around and raised your gun, your flashlight pointed at the source of the noise. Three people came running down the stairs and you sighed when you recognized one of the men was Harry Spangler, Ed’s partner. You groaned and put down your gun but kept your flashlight trained on them.

“Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one!” Ed freaked out, yelling over the other two voices, yelling into the camera that Corbett was holding.

“Get outta here!” Ed said with an excited look on his face.

“It was a full apparition! It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It…” Harry rambled but the only girl cut him off.

“It was amazing!” Harry was about to say something else when his eyes landed on you, Sam and Dean. Suddenly, everything went quiet.

“Hey, aren't those the fuckers from Texas?” Harry spat out before making eye contact with you.

“Yes,” Ed confirmed.

“Hey, I remember you.” Harry suddenly smirked. He had the biggest crush on you but you thought you made sure to let him know you’d knock him on his ass.

“I’ll still knock you on your ass.” You threatened and he lost his smile because he knew it was true.

“Alright, let's have this reunion across the street, guys.” Dean broke it up, trying to gather everyone up.

“Crap. What are you guys doing here?” Harry asked you and the brothers.

“Come on, come on. We'll get you ice cream—our treat. What do you say? Let's go.” Dean tried again but no one was listening to him. Everyone gathered around the laptop, everyone talking all at once. You groaned and put your fingers to your head, suddenly getting a headache.

“This is not happening.” You said to the brothers.

“Look at this. Look, look. Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, alright?” The girl said, bringing whatever they saw upstairs on the laptop to show everyone. You sighed and walked behind everyone because you may as well see this. It might be something useful. On screen, a man in a suit suddenly appeared and began talking to someone who wasn’t shown on camera. Suddenly, he was shot twice and began to fall, disappearing out of sight before he could hit the ground. You looked at Sam and Dean but they sighed simultaneously.

“Are you kidding me?” Ed asked excitedly.

“Yeah. no, not kidding.” Harry answered.

“What kind of reading did we get?” One of the other men asked.

“Uh, Maggie, what was it again?” Harry asked the girl.

“It was a 10.9.”  

“10.9?” Ed asked in shock.

“Yeah, it was 10.9. It was almost 11. I came out, and I was like, ‘what's going on?’ And I was like—wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy.” Harry rambled, getting excited about this stuff. You felt a hand on your elbow and looked at Dean who motioned you to follow him. You walked away from everyone to discuss this with Sam and Dean. You failed to notice someone following you three.

“Think we were off on this? I mean, that was just a death echo.” Sam stated.

“Yeah, but what's it doing here? Did anybody get shot here?” You wondered.

“No, not that I could find.”

“What’s a death echo?” You jumped at the voice and saw that the nameless man had followed you with a camera. You groaned and hated cameras on you when you were working.

“Look, we got a problem here. That ghost ain't it.” Sam said, gaining your attention.

“What’s a death echo?” The man asked again.

“Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay? They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie.” You answered, frustrated with this whole situation.

“So, maybe the echo's not dangerous, but maybe something else is,” Sam said. You and Dean knew that this was worse than it seemed. Echo’s don’t hurt people because all they could think about is how they died. They leave people alone so that isn’t what was scary about this house. Something else was at work here.

“You’re right,” Dean agreed before turning to the man with the camera, walking back into the room. “Alright, we need to get out of here, guys. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Pack it up.”

“Guys, time is running out!” Sam urged them. If anyone was stuck here after midnight, they wouldn’t be able to leave… ever.

“We’re moving!” You yelled, pushing people towards the exit of the house.

“What about all of our equipment? What are we gonna…” Maggie trailed off, walking where Dean and Sam were guiding people to go.

“Lots of fun, let’s go,” Dean said, not paying attention to her.

“We got more material. We got all kinds of stuff. We'll make you guys recurring guest stars.” Harry bargained but you just pushed him to keep walking faster.

“Wait! Wait!” Ed yelled, making everyone stop. “Where’s Corbett?”

“We need to leave, like right now. Otherwise, you will get hurt.” You urged but Ed stood his ground.

“No man left behind.” He stared at you. Suddenly, an anguished scream came from upstairs and that is when everyone went nuts.

Series Rewrite Junkies:

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[kootenaygoon]

So,

I was watching music videos again. 

Dragon smoke unfurled before me, my living room throbbing with purple Targaryen magic, while Tove Lo sang from my glowing laptop. I gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind. I was shirtless in my Shambhala tights, allowing YouTube to send my mind careening through what some algorithm had decided should be my mental breakdown playlist. Repeatedly it returned to a haunting electronica track from Disclosure: You help me lose my mind, and you believe something I can't define. Help me lose my mind. Mika was at class at Selkirk College while I raved, trampling her rabbit’s shit pebbles into the carpet with my slippers.

All around me were canvases, procured with my final cheque from the Star, at various states of completion. I’d finished a couple more flamboyant self-portraits, but now I’d moved on to psychedelic dinosaurs, shape-shifting jelly-fish, and paintings of both Mika and my barber Jesse Lockhart. Right now I was working on my first nude, a beach scene set on the fictional island of Quatsino, with my UBC manuscript’s protagonist knee-deep in the surf. Paisley’s dreadlocks hung blonde around her shoulders, and on her forearm I had painstakingly recreated the rose tattoo her real-life counterpart got back when we lived together in Victoria. I could’ve easily been painting Kessa. A joint hanging from my lips, I felt tears slide down my cheeks like fat slugs, my mind flashing back and forth between fiction and non-fiction. Sometimes it seemed like there was no difference — these were all just characters in my mind, and real or not they spoke to me. 

Stacked on the kitchen counter was three or four copies of my last issue of the Star, the one featuring the #MeToo story with Mharianne and Laela. I’d asked Ed about the story while collecting my things from the office, and he’d hinted that it may be on the chopping block due to my departure. I insisted it was done, everybody was interviewed and signed off, it was all ready to go — “you would literally be silencing sexual assault survivors,” I made sure to say. Then I called the president of Selkirk College, begging him to talk sense into Aaron Layton and letting him know I was planning to publish it online myself. They couldn’t kill it, not now. They could take my job away, but they couldn’t take that story. They ultimately ran it without my byline—a masterpiece without a proper signature.

Meanwhile, I had other things on my mind. 

“You didn’t wear a condom?” Mika asked, when I told her about Natalya’s potential pregnancy. She was looking increasingly more concerned when she returned to the house to find me manic and monologuing.

“I hate condoms.”

“So what were you using for birth control? Wasn’t this chick married?”

I dragged my knuckles against my temple, my skin trembly and sweat-slicked. “I thought she was too old. She’s like 42 or something. And she’s already got kids, right? I thought she was on top of this shit.”

Mika rolled her eyes. “You have nobody to blame here but yourself. Seriously, you don’t get my sympathy.”

I had initially intervened in Mika’s life because she was in the midst of a break-up, and I empathized with the struggle of going through something so publicly embarrassing in such a small town. It wasn’t until we moved in together that I encountered her real personality — she was a hyper-nerd, into science and learning and the weekly Bingo night. She was one of the bud tenders at the local dispensary, which was a convenient way for me to meet the owners.  Amidst my chaotic and prolific dating life, I was trying to keep her on a platonic level. 

My Nelson sister, something like that.

“This is toxic masculinity, right here. I’m such a fucking asshole,” I said. “This is what Me Too is all about.”

“Not everything is about Me Too. You’re just obsessed with that lately.”

I shook my head. “Kessa’s dead, Mika. That’s a real thing. Fucking pedophile rings and rape everywhere. This is what the woman are raging about. They’re dancing.”

“Dancing?”

“Like those girls on roller skates, in the Chet Faker video. You know the one?”

By this point she knew me pretty well, and as her eyes narrowed I realized this was more than a normal high. I was operating from an extra elevated plane, like I’d lost sensory hold over my body. It was an intoxicating place to be, far from the shame and darkness of the banal. I’d tried one of the pills Natalya gave me, and it was making the room vibrate.

“You’re on something,” she said.

“Natalya gave me this shit to micro-dose. Like mushrooms and speed or something. I just had one like an hour ago.”

She sighed. “You need to be careful, Will. You’re acting strange.”

However I was acting, things finally made sense. I felt like I’d peeled back a layer of existence and discovered the writhing snake-belly of reality. Trump was grabbing everybody by the pussy, waging Twitter war with Kim Jong-Un, while here in Nelson there was some sort of conspiracy to ruin my fucking life. Was it really the Kessa situation that did it? How did they convince Ed to betray me? I thought of that cop who punched a woman, how he sat on the pay roll for years while they figured out his outcome. Was I worse than him? Did I deserve to have my life up-ended for going to a fucking funeral? What were they afraid of? I rattled through my theories on this as I drove Mika to school, and she mostly looked out the window. I wondered if she regretted moving in with me. I’d become that mentally ill freak people talk about, posting my shit all over social media. I just didn’t care anymore.

“So is she going to get an abortion?” Mika asked. “Did she say?”

I shook my head. “She hadn’t even taken a test yet. She said she was just feeling funny, and when she was leaning over she felt something weird.”

“Something weird like what?”

“She said it felt like a tear, like a muscle tear maybe? I don’t know, I was fucking panicking. I told her to call my sisters.”

“Your sisters?”

I didn’t feel like explaining this to Mika. She wasn’t tuned into the greater conversation that was going on, the one coming at me through social media. Men were failing to acknowledge their complicity in rape culture while women bled in public. Nobody was willing to admit they were wrong, because everyone was worried they lived in a glass house. Lately, though, I was wondering if I could break my own glass house. That way I could throw some stones.

“What do you mean throw stones?” she asked.

“These men need to be held accountable.”

“What men?”

“These rapists and abusers and pedophiles who took away my job.”

“I thought you got fired because of Kessa.”

I grunted in annoyance. “I wasn’t fired. I was let go without cause.”

Back in my bedroom, Lt. Aldo Raine marched before his carefully assembled killing team in Inglorious Basterds. I’d watched this clip multiple times, and had the words memorized. Brad Pitt sneered, his throat sporting a nasty scar. I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half of Sicily and jump out of fucking aero plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazis ain’t got no humanity. They’re the foot soldiers of a Jew-hating, mass-murdering maniac and they need to be destroyed. 

That’s what was happening here in Nelson, but with rapists instead of Germans. Andrew Stevenson was sitting on the edge of my bed, wiping down the barrel of his shotgun, as I lit up another joint. Now I was watching that scene from The Sopranos, the one where Tony wants to kill the local soccer coach for molesting one of the teenage players. This shit was real life, right here. Like my Trent situation. I thought of the local soccer team, and all the abusive shit-heads that were coaching there. I wondered if one of them had crossed the line, if I’d have to add him to my kill list.

I want my scalps. 

Somewhere around that time, I realized I was expected soon at Tony’s Taphouse for my Friday night shift. That was how I was battling rape culture now, working the front lines on the bar scene. My favourite moment of each night was when frightened women approached me at the end of the shift to ask me to stand guard until some creep moved on. I took this role very seriously. This week I’d purchased a new accessory to my vested get-up: a bright red bow tie. I checked myself out in the bathroom mirror, trimmed my moustache, and thought of how Tony stumbled home drunk after choosing to spare that soccer coach of his mobster justice. 

“I didn’t hurt nobody,” he said to Carmela. “I didn’t hurt nobody.”

As I grabbed my things and headed out the door, I noticed the Ziploc of pills. There were four left now. The first one had gotten me into this productive headspace, so maybe another would help me tap-dance through this rest of this night. Why the fuck not, right? I’d been receiving upsetting emails, crazy messages, death threats. I couldn’t comprehend it all. Unzipping the bag, I cradled one pill in my palm then threw it back, washing it down with tap water. I was tired of feeling morally exhausted, defeated, exiled. I deserved a little pick-me-up. The clientele at Tony’s Taphouse would have no idea their doorman was rip-roaring high. I would be like Bodie from The Wire, standing on his corner while the hitmen descended. 

This is my corner! I ain’t going nowhere!

Before leaving, I decided to re-listen to Eminem’s duet with Rihanna, “Love the Way You Lie.” I watched my favourite rapper rock rhythmically back and forth amidst hip-high grass, his voice filled with regret and grief. Here was the ultimate embodiment of rape culture right here, the meta-Chris Brown taking swings at Megan Fox while Rihanna curls her lip. Thing was, Meghan Fox looked exactly like Paisley. The real one. And as Slim Shady rapped in front of a burning trailer, I couldn’t help but think of Ryan Tapp. I can’t tell you how it is really is, I can only tell you what it feels like. And right now it’s a steel knife in my wind pipe. 

Andrew Stevenson was waiting at the door, in a black balaclava, with the shotgun sticking out of his backpack. He cracked his knuckles together as I reached the top of the stairs.

“I need your help. You can never ask me about it later, and we’re going to hurt some people,” he said.

I blinked in surprise. “You’re quoting from The Town. That Ben Affleck bank robbery movie. Right? That scene with Jeremy Renner?”

He opened the front door.

“We’re going to hold court in the streets.”

The Kootenay Goon

[sugarpinecrews]

title: get with the program word count: 1,550 warning(s): mentions of weapons and murder a/n: here’s another gta au origin story, this time for our boy steven. meant to accompany the parker origin story.

         The world always liked to deify those who caused chaos, those who wrought death into innocent lives, dredged bloodstains across clean civilian homes, and Los Santos existed as the epicenter of it all. The heart of the beast, as most came to call it, standing tall with its skyscrapers awaiting heist, its banks with doors practically held open for robbery --- the city existed this way long before Steven Suptic stepped foot upon its soil, and he supposed it would always be this way, always encouraging destruction, always enabling the very violence it supposedly tried so hard to prevent. The city was corrupt, and Steven relished in this fact the moment he arrived.

         Steven never dreamt of being a world-renowned criminal. He suffered through a decent childhood, fumbled his way through teenage years with little to no fuss. Hell, he even considered going to college, maybe going into film, or directing, or something else worth putting the rest of his life into. Of course, things never seemed to go as planned, and he instead found himself surrounded by a handful of shady kids involved in all too illegal dealings. One thing led to another, and he soon found himself housing a run-away kid from up north --- a boy two years younger than him, the teenager was the focus of a drug bust gone terribly wrong. With no way to escape his current position within the local underground, the two skip town, beginning a crime spree that would later go down in history as...well, just okay.

          The next few years are spent in constant turmoil, with the pair never really being safe enough to settle. Birthdays are spent in dingy motel rooms, the new year is rung in with stolen champagne and friends they would later forget. Every now and again, they would discuss bigger plans; maybe forming a crew someday, maybe permanently residing in some dirty little town and ruling it with an iron fist. All silly hopes, he would say, brushing the thought away for a later time --- they needed to be safe to settle, and they needed to be powerful to be safe. The road to the latter was a long one, but Steven eventually found himself determined to reach the end of it. 

          Unbeknownst to the pair causing chaos just for the fun of it, word began to spread across the state of their talents. Late one evening, while his partner in crime was fast asleep at his side, Steven found himself on the phone with an up and coming crime lord from the very center of it all, the world renowned Los Santos, California; the man had a crew already running, and he wanted to speak with whoever was behind this crime spree across the coastline and this, as Steven would retell it, is where things got a bit messy ( and not just because he had to slide his way out of their shared bed, miraculously managing to never wake his sleeping friend from slumber ).

        By the end of the night, Steven had plans of meeting with this crew leader exactly two weeks to the date, and with his current headquarters being a nightly motel rate maybe half a day away, he was now faced with a dilemma; the man on the other end of the phone didn’t wish to recruit them both --- he only wanted Steven, who immediately insisted upon the fact of that’s fine, he wouldn’t want to come with me, anyway --- and this meant, of course, that a choice had to be made. Did he allow his friend to accompany him, despite the proposed employment spoken to him alone? Or did he simply disappear, a ghost in the night? He tries his best to decide, but time inevitably sneaks up on him.

        The night before his departure, he sits his best friend down. He ignores the goofy smile, the dumb voice the man keeps using. He takes a deep breath, averts his gaze elsewhere, before uttering only a partial lie; I’m leaving. I don’t know where I’m going, I just --- ...I need a fresh start, and the conversation is still crystal clear in his mind. The moment of pure silence that followed the words spoken too soft, the way his best friend seemed to lose himself completely for a few seconds. The rest of the evening is spent in unspoken tension, and Steven packs his things and leaves first thing the following morning. His best friend was still sleeping in their shared motel bed when he left, and if Steven forgot to pack a hat or two, well, that was up to his now ex-friend to find out.

         Many criminals in the city of Los Santos boasted a life of crime, an upbringing tainted with toddlers aiming guns at strangers, with pacifiers in the form of secrets they were still too young to understand, and Steven very soon learned to simply accept this fact as the norm. It seemed every criminal he met had a story to tell, and in the beginning, he was always just a little too afraid to ignore it; maybe the tale would have an untold meaning, an order they couldn’t yet allow to be plainly spoken. It was a ridiculous notion --- one he would eventually learn to just leave behind --- but at the  time he was still, admittedly, a very naive newcomer. Despite his background in the illegal, despite the very reason he moved to this town soaked red, he still thought himself infantile, fresh meat in a sea of carnivorous beasts, careless to a life story he never wished to share. 

          Life in Los Santos was hectic, sure, but it was a welcomed sense of confusion. He immediately fell into almost constant contact with a local crew, a leading threat in the underground scene of the city, and he slowly but surely began to climb the ranks of this group. Months flew by, and more shots are fired by his hands in this span of time than in any other, but before he even has the chance to move any further up this crew’s chain of leadership, the group begins to fall apart. Pairings split off, smaller groups slip into sides of this world they were never meant to enter. By the end of it, Steven stands alone among the wreckage, left only with a large collection of friends and a nearly nonexistent collection of actual criminal partners. With few options remaining, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

           One of his first friends in the city --- a woman with a history too terrifying to mention --- worked frequently with him within the now disbanded crew, and Steven thought it best to simply continue what the two had going to start with; a crew consisting of only two, the Boys Only Crew, formerly known as a name even lamer than their current one, was born. The two bore pale pink hats, tried to tag each job with a different variation of the same logo, and they even discussed filming their shenanigans to eventually post online. In truth, they just tried to have fun with it; unlike before, they were now held to no standards, no expectations of greatness or even being decent, and Steven reveled in this newfound freedom. It reminded him of his past, of a best friend he didn’t wish to think of, but more importantly, it reminded him of the very reason he moved to Los Santos in the first place: to make a name for himself, to amount to something. 

          These thoughts of someday ruling the city that barely knew his name haunted him, lurking in the back of his mind as he robbed local gas stations, new best friend at his side; repetition was a cruel beast, and routine was just another name for suicide --- disappointment soon presented itself, clear as day, pulling apart his poor choices each and every night. He wanted to become something greater than what he currently was, just a nobody with a handful of now washed-up criminal friends; he wanted something more, he just lacked the motivation to try...at least, that was until he received a surprise visitor in the dead of the night.

           It is two in the morning, and he hears a knock at the front door. Instinct insists upon him grabbing a gun as he approaches, and it also pushes him to aim the firearm forward as soon as he swings the door open; unexpectedly, he is greeted by a familiar face, one who still, to this very day, refuses to share how he even found Steven’s new residence in the first place. Despite this fact, he is forever grateful to face his supposed ex-best friend once more, to see that goofy smile, to hear that ridiculous voice that haunted his dreams ever since the two first parted --- this resurgence of motivation drives Steven to actually focus on his career for once, and within the next few months, the Sugar Pine Crew has officially been born. A crew comprising of himself, his friends, and a handful of useful contacts, they hope to someday rule this city with an iron fist ( or...at least to be well known enough to considered important --- that’s not asking too much, right? ).