#but good payin cases were few and far between in those days and i was just a hardboiled tom with a catnip habit he couldn't shake

[vamprisms]

grizzled kitty cat noir detective whose unsolved case that haunts him is a red laser pointer dot

[ask-de-writer]

IDOL TIMES (1 part), a Classical Fantasy

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IDOL TIMES

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

1988 words

written 2003

copyright 2013

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.

All sorts of fan activity, cosplay, stories, music, plays or skits or anything else is actively encouraged.

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“The thieves of Istar are a bunch of lowlife cowards,” declared Rumol, as he snagged a beer from a passing server’s tray. The server noticed the theft, so he tossed a copper fluket onto the tray.

“That’s the kind of talk that gets folk from Kelin beat to a pulp in Istar,” replied Durson mildly from the next bench. “We’re as brave as any thieves that you will find.” He reached over and took a swig from Rumol’s beer. “Now, suppose that you clear up that claim that you made.”

“Simplicity itself,” retorted Rumol, retrieving his beer. “Look about you. You see thieves on hard times. The whole country is in a depression. Nothing to steal that’s worth the theft, you say. Nonsense! The temple of the Chained One stands ripe for the plucking! It’s a whole orchard of treasures and you are starving! I rest my case.”

“You tell us nothing new. Where does the cowardice come from?”

“Why,” said Rumol indignantly, “if you know about a prize like that, and you don’t take it, what other reason can there be?”

“You might try prudence. We are not as stupid as you think us. The Chained One’s temple is guarded day and night by vigilant priests with pike and spear. The treasures cannot be had - bribery has been tried and failed.”

“Perhaps you have not noticed that the temple is only locked, not guarded, on the night of the full moon. The priests retreat to tightly locked quarters. There is a large round hole in the nave roof. It is the perfect time to make a small expedition, using simple skills, for great reward.”

“You are out of what passes for your mind! The Chained One is unchained on that night! Other thieves have tried what you suggest. None has returned. The Chained One is always in a different position after the full moon.”

“It will be safe,” scornfully stated Rumol. “See this?” He held up a chip of stone, smooth on one side. “It came from the Chained One̓s reverend rear, this afternoon. Common stone, very well worked, it is true, but stone nonetheless. If folk disappeared, they must have left a priest hidden inside the temple. We need only take a crossbow and pick him off through the hole in the roof.”

“None of us will help you,” replied Durson. “You still haven’t explained how the Chained One moves.”

“Preserve me from fools!” exclaimed Rumol. “The figure is probably jointed. The priests sneak back through a tunnel and rearrange it.”

“And the live pony that they leave for a sacrifice?”

“You just heard me say that they have a tunnel. They lead it out and sell it, or save it to use again.”

“Well, you have a glib answer for everything. We have lived here all of our lives. We will not risk it.”

“Then you confirm my first statement - you are cowards. I will see to the treasures myself. Don’t expect any share from me,” declared Rumol. “The local guild can do without my dues if I can’t get help.”

Rumol stood, a bit unsteadily, and strode out of the tavern. A few blocks down the street, on the way to his lodgings, he ran into some “friends”. Guild enforcers. One took his arms from behind, while the other faced him. “Heard some talk about a little rat not payin�� his dues,” he said through his Guild mask. “This may help you to reconsider.” He hauled back his arm for a mighty blow to the stomach.

Rumol erupted. He let the man who was holding his arms support him while he lashed out with both feet. As he connected, he straightened his back and smashed backwards with his head. Both men went down, taking Rumol with them. The fall broke the grip of the man holding him; he got up quickly and, leaving them on the ground, ran to his room.

He paused only long enough to gather his few possessions and go out again, without, of course, paying the landlord. “I’ll avoid the guild’s enforcers by camping in the jungle outside the city for the next few days, until the full moon,” decided Rumol.

Two days of shooing serpents out of his sleeping roll and swatting bugs made him wonder if any job was worth this.

The night of the full moon found Rumol, dressed in black, alongside the Chained One’s temple. Sunset and moonrise were nearly the same time and sun was just gone. He had to hurry. He had attended the ceremonial Unchaining only two hours ago. What he had seen had confirmed most of his plans.

Checking his equipment, he made sure that he had his small crossbow, a grapnel, rope, jimmy and a variety of bags for packing loot quietly away. Swinging the grapnel, Rumol heaved it at the top of the wall.

If there were any gods (Rumol had his doubts) they were with him. The hook caught on the coping at the first cast. He was up the rope like a serpent up a vine. Pulling the rope up after him made him reasonably safe from the city watch. The moon began to rise in a nimbus of orange glow at the horizon as he crept in a leisurely way across the roof to the large round hole. Spaced about it were plinths, each supporting a representation of a major moon phase.

Testing these for security, Rumol looped his rope about one. He tied it by wrapping the rope twice about the shank of the grapnel and letting the rope fall between the hooks. Simple, secure, and to be unfastened in an instant, if need be.

With owl’s eyes Rumol searched the temple for hidden priests. Seeing none, he let down the rope, with the bags tied to it as a decoy. Still nothing. Taking no chances, he cocked his crossbow and carried it in the crook of his left arm, as he lowered himself to the floor. The pony whikkered hopefully.

Rumol strode over to where the pony was tied, for his one minor last-minute change in plan. He stroked the pony’s nose and gave it a carrot. That attended to, he set about his work.

All of the altar-ware had been put away in stout cabinets. A few minutes’ work with his jimmy laid the cabinets open to his gaze. There, before his eyes, was the wealth that those fools were afraid to come for. So far, the job had been absurdly simple. Carefully packing each gold or silver vessel into its own smaller sack, he then put them all into a large bag. He left the candlesticks. They were brass.

His next target was the vestry where the jeweled robes, miters, censors, and other priestly gear were kept. The several services that he had attended told him which door to attack. It had only a small spring lock which broke at once under his educated assault. The cabinets where the priestly goods were kept fared no better. Soon, all were looted and their contents resided in Rumol’s bags.

As he emerged into the nave, he saw that the moonlight was partway up the idol. Its two lower eyes glittered green. Emeralds of that size would never happen, but they might be peridots or beryl. Any faceted stones that large would be worth a king’s ransom.

Never one to leave a job half done, Rumol began to climb the idol. Placing feet on huge haunch, thence to paunch, forearm and then to shoulder, he finally straddled the mighty muzzle. The Moonlight clearly showed the two lower eyes to be set in a cement that matched the stone perfectly. It was modeled to resemble eyelids. In a few moments the moonlight would reach the third eye, too. Rumol set to work on the lower right eye.

Just then, the moonlight came to the third eye, and the muzzle tilted as the great head shifted. The eyes blinked. A deep soft voice rumbled, “Please get that thing out of my eye.”

Hanging on for his life, Rumol squeeked in fright, “Let me down! I didn’t know that you were alive! I’ll just get my things and leave you in peace.”

“You do that,” the deep voice said. Great paws set him gently on the floor.

Quickly, he gathered his loot and began to climb the rope. The huge paws seized him gently but irresistibly, and separated him from the rope. “You said that you would take your things and go. Those things are mine.”

Rumol almost squeaked in fright, “Don’t eat me! Please!”

“Eat you?” the idol answered in surprise, “I would never do that! Where ever did you get that idea?”

“Everybody says that you eat a pony - and any thieves - every moon.” Rumol shook his head, “I didn’t believe them.”

“Well, the pony is my dinner, that’s true,” the idol held him closer to its eyes which were now thoroughly lively, “but I don’t often get a guest to talk to. The priests never stay anymore. They know that their spells keep me from escaping this room as long as my body is stone, which is not likely to change anytime soon.” The idol paused in thought and a devious expression came and went from its massive visage.

“You went to a great deal of trouble and danger to get these things, didn’t you?”

Enfolded in the mighty paws of the idol, Rumol contented himself with a nod of agreement.

The Idol set him down in front of the altar. It carefully emptied out all of Rumol’s booty. “I see that you have even taken the lunar divination die of silver and ivory. If you will stay and talk, I will give you a chance to win some or all of the of these things. Let us play for what you have taken. Each of us will roll in turn. The one whose phase is closest to full wins. Waxing phase is higher than waning. The blank new moon always loses. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

The game progressed swiftly. Sometimes the advantage was with Rumol, sometimes with the idol. Eventually, chance alloted all the loot to the idol. Rumol stood dejected.

He brightened when the idol proposed, “One more pass? All or nothing?”

“Certainly. You’re the best winner that I have ever known. Anyone can be a good loser. Graceful winning is the test.” Taking the die, Rumol threw a waxing gibbous moon. The idol promptly made its throw. A full moon came up. The idol took Rumol gently and said, “You lose. As you have nothing else to give, look into my third eye.” Rumol did as he was bidden; he really had no choice.

Rumol felt a great disorientation and confusion; there was the impression of something dark going up, near him. His right eye hurt. He felt hungry and felt a stiffening all over. There was an intense urge to get up on the altar. As the moonlight faded, he got stiffer and the urge to get onto the altar got stronger, until he could not resist it any longer. Gazing longingly at the pony, he got up on the altar. With the last of the moonlight, consciousness waned on the thought that he was going to be very hungry by the next full moon.

The next morning the priests were surprised at what they found. A young acolyte exclaimed, “This is terrible! The Chained One has refused the pony! Look, there he stands. I pray you, lord priest, what does it mean?”

“Use your eyes, young man,” the priest replied sonorously. “See you not the bags, the jimmy, the broken cabinets? Another fool has tried to rob us.

“Now, while we priests replace the chains, you acolytes clean up the mess. Be sure that things are put away properly and then run get a carpenter to fix these cabinets.”

-THE END-

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[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Retrograde (Pieces of the People We Love, Part 2.)

Description: Not many people had the chance to see a vault or to mean anything in the world of Pandora. Will a hardly built relationship in the loneliness of the desert have the potential to change anything in the world of anarchy and chaos - or will the friends try to murder each other?

A/N: One time, my friend asked me if I would like to drink Dr. Bob or classic Coke when she was making an analogy for a random movie. So Dr. Bob is sort of a long running jokw when comparing a bad movie.

Warnings: A lot of guns, violence, reader is a tough badass - not a vault hunter tho. They’re badass and don’t give a fuck. And Scooter is a dumb bitch, as always. All Psychos and Fanatics are various Vine references - oh, what luck that reader can understand them since she is friends with Bandits.

Word count: 3.6K

Tagging: @notaliteraltoad​, @nemodoren​

Series master list:  H E R E

You were looking straight into the man's face for what seemed to be infinity, it was almost half an hour, while your entwined fingers supported your resting chin. You sat there like that for the past hour while Scooterboy was eating like crazy. He was sure hungry like a wolf.

That was pretty acceptable and reasonable, as far as you could judge - he was pronounced DEAD several years ago. The worst part was that the whole Pandora probably mourned for the best-known, and basically only, mechanic in the business. And now, he was just looking at Pintley and ate almost everything from his plate, looking like a hamster. Scooter literally stuffed his faces with homemade fried Skag bacon and Pintley's bread - definitely one of the best combinations in the entirety of Pandora.

"Are you done with the food?" - A mumbled cold as ice filled the room when Scooter finally finished the fourth plate of food and his last can of the Dr. Bob cola. The drink was sure as hell not healthy and barely nutritious, but it was the only soda Pintley had in Hell's Cauldron's pub.

"Now, you're going to explain to me how the hell are you alive and why, for the fuck's sake, have you respawned here." - The rhythm of your words was slow, your tongue rolled every syllable on its top - as if Scooter had some brain damage. Each of you was staring at the mechanic with hidden curiosity; this was a miracle, to say the least. Was he inside the database the whole time? If he wasn't there, could it be that the systems had some hard time figuring where should it respawn him? It didn't matter how you approached the problem - any of the solutions was making sense to you.

"Ye man, I'm done for now. Thanks for payin' for me, anyway. I don't have any cash on me since..." - Scooter zoned out for a second, watching a small spot next to your head. He was doing that quite a lot throughout his eat-all-you-can episode. His eyes fixed on a precise point somewhere inside the room. It was unnerving.

Without wanting, your eyebrows had risen on their own after a minute of complete silence. You've counted every second of Scooter spacing out before deciding to drag him out of the trance. Slowly, you rose both your hands and clapped. The metallic one could clap pretty loud, so it made Scooterboy freak out, looking around with genuine fear on his face. You've given him another ten seconds to get it all together before you leaned a bit closer, still staring at him without any clear emotion on your face.

Scooter, at first, was staring back at you. Then, he chuckled and leaned his back into the chair. - "How can I know, man? I'm only Scooter, I do cars. Ye, I could repair you a network or stations when ya would like me to, but nobody except those Hyperion robots doesn't know how does New-U work. Can I have another Dr. Bob? I'm really thirsty." - Scooterboy asked you politely, raising the empty can to your eye-level. Oh, he was negotiating, that was what he was doing. He wasn't going to tell you anything without another can of the naughty mysterious cola, right? Well, if this was the case...

Slowly, you closed your eyelids so much that they became two small lines, thinking about murdering Scooterboy just for the fun of it; it wouldn't be that bad, since he would respawn at the station again. It would be maybe morally incorrect, but who were you to care about such bullshit? Being the responsible adult you pretended to be, you managed to overcome your sour feelings against Scooter and calmed down, leaning your back into the chair as well.

"Listen up, young man. You'll tell me everything you remember from the last time you were alive and I, as a little show-off of my gratitude, will buy you another cheap and disgusting cola. Are we on the same page?" - Another few seconds passed until Scooter nodded in agreement before you stretched your arm to Pintley; the old man basically tore the money out of your palm, making you shoot a furrow in his direction. With the speed of literal lighting, he fetched another red can of the soda; everyone was eager to hear Scooter's tale so they could piece the story together on their own.

That didn't mean you would completely wipe the thoughts regarding Scooterboy's sudden and unexpected death in your head. For a reason, when you managed to wrap yourself in some rather unpleasant bullshit, murder scenarios were your usual go-to tactic to calm down once more. Like most things on Pandora, this tendency couldn't be simply explained or treated by walking straight to a therapist's office. If you'd believe what Blindy told you here and there, another psycho named Jay had a small psychologist office on his own - but let's be serious, what good could a therapy by a psycho do? Your situation wasn't that bad for now; until you'd randomly go on a rampage, you weren't planning on booking an appointment.

The staring contest was going on for a few seconds, yet when neither of you cut the staring off, your normal arm slowly rose another two dollars, as you kept on watching Scooter intensely. Anticipation was in the air as the mechanic leaned closer to Pintley, catching the soda between his fingers. After that, he just gave you an innocent gaze. - "I blew up." - Scooter said simply, shrugging his shoulders. That made Billy, who was sitting two tables away from you, laugh out loud.

"BITCH DISGUSTING!" - Rayray yelled and every single one of you, including Scooter, looked at the bandit boy. Scooter was the only person in the room who certainly didn't know what Rayray just told him; given Blindy gasped for air, it couldn't be nice. "Dude, there's no need to be this harsh. Calm your tits and apologize!" - You yelled in Scooter's defense and so did Billy.

Not that you were a master psycho-to-normal translator, yet you could at least roughly understand what Rayray just said. Each of you had your mouth opened as you stared at the bandit boy. You could rarely hear him say something so outrageously accusing. What he said was so damn rude; he was accusing Scooter of lying just like that.

"There's no need to be so fuckin' aggressive, you deadbrain! You don't know if he's lying or not! Say that you're sorry. Do you even realize that enough people already think that we're nothin' but stupid idiots?!" - Billy said in a firm voice and stared Rayray down, almost smacking him like a bitch. Rayray and Billy had a father-son relationship which could simply be described as ridiculous. Yet, since they both lived in the same bandit colony, somebody had to lead Rayray to behave as well as he could.

“I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'VE DONE THIS.” - Rayray said in a low voice with his head hung low. Everyone shook their heads and looked at Rayray with disappointment just before shifting their looks back on Scooterboy. Each one of you was wondering about the story Scooter had to tell; as you looked over to him and observed the face his face was looking, he surely wasn't done with the story just yet.

“There was a group of weird people travelin' with my friends and one day they came to me and ask “Hey, Scoot, ya willin' to make us a rocket? Need to go to Helios ASAP.” and I was like “Yea”. So I and my pal Janey built them a rocket, but there was a small mechanical problem and my hand was stuck in the rocket... And it needed to blow up, so they could continue their journey to reach Helios, alrite? And it took me to hell and back, man, I tell ya.” - Scooter smiled a bit at that thought. - “I remember it blowin' up. Me bein' on it. And now I'm sitting here with new friends, sippin' some good old Dr. Bob. How is Helios hangin'?”

The silence that had suddenly surrounded you all was uncomfortable, to say the least. Quickly, you glanced over Pintley to look out of the window. Until that day, you could still pinpoint the exact location where Helios was hovering in the sky. Never in those long years since it had blown up, you'd look in the sky and think "Man, it's strange to not see an ugly-ass space station there". But, somehow, that was precisely what you've been thinking about at that moment. Obviously, if Scooter was dead for the past seven years, his first instinct wouldn't be to look up and search for the most hideous view you've ever had encountered. But not that you realized he wasn't fucking with any of you, it felt strange not to see the station there. As if it was your personal guilt that some jackasses had blown it up.

It was you, again, who decided to speak the first. With a gulp, you've leaned forward to lean your elbows to your thighs, trying to say it in the most natural way possible. - “Scooter... Helios was blown up by a group of pretty weird guys.” - It was nothing but a mere whisper. - “Five years or so ago.”

For a moment, Scooter didn't seem to be connecting the information. It didn't click until a few minutes later. - “Wait, what? And... Sanctuary?” - Scooter leaned even deeper into his chair with his gaze directed into the oblivion. Why did you have to be the one who had to tell the deadman all the news? Why wasn't anyone else speaking? But as you looked over to the men around, their gazes only answered "Well, you've started with it, don't be a pussy now and finish what you were saying". Did Scooter even know that Handsome Jack was dead now? That there were rumors about discovering about four or five new vaults on the sister planets of Pandora? Did he know that the Children of the Vault had risen all over Pandora? And if he didn't know... How much were you supposed to tell him if you didn't want him to have a hysterical seizure?

“Okay, we might have to trace what you know, get your timeline matching ours and we will have to tell you... So many new things that you may shit your pants.” - You mumbled and opened another Dr. Bob. It took quite some time before you managed to somehow connect your memories with his. It was almost ten p.m. when you ended. Occasionally, you managed to line-up his memories until the moment when the original Sanctuary was attacked by the flower-army or who (don't act so surprised - anything was pretty much possible on Pandora). As the tales said, the town was now blown up into millions of tiny rocks and the VHs had constructed a literal spaceship (which was Scooter's sister Ellie). Again, you couldn't tell how much of it was true. You couldn't be quite sure that anything on the planet Pandora you heard had actually happened.

But mostly, it all seemed to true - that Helios has fallen, that Sanctuary was teleported by the legendary siren Lilith, known as the Firehawk, or that Handsome Jack was posting a job wanted posts for Vault Hunters wanted just so he could easily kill them off. Carefully, you told Scooter about the chaos that started when Sanctuary was blown up and the vault key had been lost in the desert. Back then, it was hard to notice the entire Pandora changing since you've been living in a literal desert, but you could tell that something wasn't adding up. When you told him about the siren-powered Calypso twins, you couldn't leave out their cringy streaming career.

You told him all about how the COV had recruited most of the bandit and psycho clans all over Wastelands, starting their big suicidal cult somewhere in an old base, growing bigger with each month. They weren't a serious threat, serious pain in the pain at their best, but they could be quite something to deal with at times. Of course, were now including all the women that were insane enough to join them, which was among the first questions Scooter was wondering about. Now, there was a small amount of free-psycho-bandit-whatever clans remaining in the deserts and wastelands. Most of the bandits joined the COV; the places they've been living in before were now empty, lifeless and Pandora was a bit less fun without the random encounters.

“So, you aren't in contact with Lilith? Or Moxxi? Or Ellie? Or basically anyone?” - The man asked suddenly after being quiet for a moment. You weren't thinking of yourself as the most empathetic person in the whole of the desert; you've told Scooter all about the reality you've been living in for the past couple of years. For you, it was natural to take it all as the matter of fact - but you couldn't forget about Scooter being a man-out-of-time. It could take him some time to understand the rules of today's Pandora and you had to be patient with him for now. Until you'd get rid of him and get back to your old life.

The question about the VHs and Crimson raiders made you surprised. How could you be in contact with them when you never met them before? - “I don't even know them personally, dude. Hey... You okay, Scooterboy?” - The can with the nasty cola was laying on the table as if Scooter didn't even want it anymore. His face went two shades paler and the grin on his face had faded away. - “You look like you're about to puke.”

Now, he lowered his head and played with his fingers, fidgeting them around. Yeah. It was tough to get accustomed to. So many things had changed since his days on Pandora and even though, it all remained almost the same. It must've been feeling pretty surreal. - “Nah, man. I'm not about to puke, don't ya worry. It's just too much to take in. That's all. I'll be alrite.” - He answered. You could tell something's off. He was an exploding ball of energy and happiness just two hours ago; now, you managed to destroy his confidence, positivity, and to murder his good mood. Wow. Good job, you.

“I'm sorry if you think that your friends abandoned you here..." - At that point, Pintley looked on the back of your head. Was he dreaming or were you being... Nice to someone? What happened to you? Were you trying to calm Scooter down? Did you finally grow as a person? Oh, but then the rest came, destroying the nice-person aura you had for a bit. "But that's true, man. They left you here because they thought you were dead-dead... And that's kinda fair if you ask me. I both know it, you know it, Rayray knows it. We all do. Keep it together, yeah? You were fucking dead for the past couple of years. There are so many new things to get accustomed to. But if you'll chicken out of that, you're a pussy." - The tone of your voice was empty and emotionless.

Pintley, for a minute, saw some kind of humanity shining through the aura of I-don't-give-a-diddly-damn you've been keeping ever since he met you. The truth was - you simply didn't care enough to "do emotions", as you called it. You weren't good at it at all, so you didn't bother with trying. Maybe that's was why you were living on your own in the middle of a desert. That was a pretty plausible explanation.

There were some people you'd call friends, yeah. You even liked to joke around with them. You could do sarcasm, irony, and arse-biting jokes that were sometimes really offensive. But every other emotion was a literal mystery to you. You couldn't quite show them off even if your heart was warm and full of love. And it was even worse when somebody pissed you off. As soon as you turned on the killing-machine mode, as Pintley called it, you didn't care about being as subtle as possible. Nothing in this world couldn't stop you from shooting someone, killing them, or simply throwing them through the window? Oh, how many times did you have to pay Pintley a new window? He wouldn't be able to count it even if he'd like to.

Yet, even though your dead stare and emotionless expression, the man smiled and patted your shoulder. With a furrow, you watched Scooter slowly backing his hand back to his lap, since you seemed to be thinking about biting the said arm off. "At least I respawned here, where ya people are actually pretty friendly under playin' that "I'm a badass and cold" facade." - At that, Pintley grinned; since you didn't know what you should respond, you just nodded and made a weird sound. You didn't know what to answer - you never met anyone that would see you as a... Friendly person? Ugh. Sure, pretty friendly persons live in a cabin hidden far, far away from any signs of society and they have actually fun when they hunt Skags. Right... That was a description of your normal local weirdo, not a description of a damn nice person. As you finished your internal monologue, you snickered under your breath, shaking your head as you unconsciously sat in a defensive position; your knee was thrown over your knee, your arms were covering your torso.

"And where you're planning to sleep, Scooterboy?" - Pintley asked. Since he was done with all the cleaning, he lightened up a cigarette, leaning his shoulder into a near doorframe. - "You know. Just wondering."

Scooter seemed to realize it at the same time you did; where will the poor guy sleep? Pintley had a guest room, sure, but you could already tell something fishy was going on since Pintley himself was the one calling the shots. You knew a spot or two in the forest where Scooter could make a small campsite; you've been sleeping there when the hunt took too long. - "I hadn't thought of somethin' like that. Wow. I am a homeless person, isn't that quite funny?" - Scooter said, clearly being more saddened than before. Damn, were you and Pintley trying to outdo each other in bringing Scooter's mood lower than before? Clearly, you had more points for the entire Calypso mascarade, but this was an impressive move, to say the least.

Of all people inside the room, it was Blindy who answered. - "Y'all know we can't take him to Ham's Creek. Guys would eat Scooter alive, Cowboy." - Blindy shrugged his shoulders and you just nodded. It was clear Blindy wasn't joking around - every time you had to visit Ham's Creed, you had goosebumps all over your body. Even if you didn't think of yourself as an emphatic person, you surely thought you're courageous. Damn, your day-to-day job was to hunt Skags down. But Ham's Creek? That was a whole another universe of horror and things that were unseen until you stepped inside the psycho territory. They would grill him like a pig and you didn't second-guess that they would even manage to find an apple which would they stuff into Scooter's mouth. That wasn't a nice image.

Pintley, the traitor, sighed too. - "I would give him a room if Jocelyn wasn't over right now." - Pintley said in a low voice, which was merely indicating how deeply in love your friend was. That mothersucker. Oh, you knew her. You precisely knew who Jocelyn was. With a confused face, you've been the one to answer Pintley's confession. "Listen, man, love's nice and all... But... Just theoretically... If you have your girlfriend over, and you have sex with her... Why don't you guys sleep in one bed? As far as I know, it's kinda considered to be normal." - It was a frown on your face that made Pintley realize you didn't buy his bullshit at all.

The old man only reddened before mumbling an answer. - "Jocelyn and I aren't ready for such a commitment to sleep in one bed." - At that, you had enough. The next sentence kind of... Slipped out of your mouth before you could stop it. "Pintley, do you realize that Jocelyn is a figurine? You can literally put her anywhere else and let Scooter have a sleepover at your place before we figure out what to do with him." - The tone of your voice was so incredulous that your voice just slipped an octave higher. For a moment, you've been looking at each other; but it didn't make Pintley say "okay".

It was at that second when you realized what was going on. No, Pintley and Blindy didn't agree on this beforehand, yet both of them were sure it wasn't to be them who would have the boy in their home that night. The truth was that you had an ultra-old couch at your place that was just... There. - "Ah, you sons of a bitch." Right after that, you stood and expected Scooter to do the same; as he remained sitting there, you just snapped your fingers in front of his face, which freaked him out. As he was picking himself up from the ground, you walked through the pub while putting your significant hat back on.

"Looks like you'll be at my place, boy. Get up, Blindy will drive us home.” - And right before you left, you've shown Pintley your middle finger, making the man chuckle under his breath.

[concussed-to-pieces]

High Rise

Fandom: WWE

Pairing: Seth Rollins/Finn Bálor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Thirst Party Saturday Crew, welcome back aboard! Another installment in the Suplex City universe for your time. And to save you the head-scratching, for all intents and purposes Finn Bálor is essentially Nightcrawler (of X-men fame). Tagging @toxiicpop, @oraclegazes and OF COURSE, @hardcorewwetrash! And! A shoutout to @culturalrebel for the conversation many, many months ago that got this ball rolling. Enjoy!

The Brogue Kick Saloon

The Empire

Activate (Strong Style)

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains suicidal contemplation, paternal beatings and (greatly exaggerated) assumptions of character death. Stay safe everyone!]

“You want them t’ believe it was you that would burn the place down?”

The voice echoed and lilted, dripped into his ears and mind like tar. Seth found himself paralyzed, the empty gasoline can swaying to and fro in his hand.

“You want these silly, poor folk to tremble at’cher feet then? T’ fear ye as some terrible Prometheus creature, bringin’ them fire though they ask not fer it?” There was a shuffling through the pitch black and a pair of bright blue eyes glowed at him. “Ye would, I know yer heart's desire. I know everythin’ that goes on in yer head. Ye want t' say ye started somethin’. You want the history books to remember ye as a revolutionary.”

“Nah.” Seth finally managed to say. “Mostly I just want my ex-father to notice me.” There was a long pause. At least, he assumed it was a pause and hoped that whoever was talking to him hadn’t just disappeared back into whatever hole they had emerged from.

The eyes flickered to a different spot, barely in his field of vision. “…Ye’ve lost me, boy.”

“His building! His…archive. It’s the life work of the man who adopted me and I want to destroy it.” Seth spat. “He was content to toss me aside, hell, he’s giving me a funeral. I want to burn his life to the ground. Starting there. I’m not in this for anyone except me, so you can stuff that hokey bullshit about me starting a revolution.” He shook the empty gas can in the direction of those narrowed blue eyes. “I’ve got a king to slay. You gonna’ get in my way? Or are you gonna’ help me, Demon Bálor?”

“That all depends on what ye need.” Bálor replied after yet another contemplative pause.

“I know you can get into places. Places you shouldn’t be.” Seth took a deep breath. “Places you couldn’t be.”

“You know more than most, then.” Seth briefly saw a mouth filled with more teeth than he could count. “Revenge consumes, Rollins.”

“Trust me, I’m aware.” Seth replied grimly.

…

The day of the funeral was dreary. It poured for most of the afternoon, soaking the trash-riddled streets and their miserable denizens.

Seth sat on the fire escape of an abandoned building and watched the preparations get under way, canopies popping open over the cemetery far below. Cracked pots full of dead plants littered the deck around him and without really thinking about it he dug his fingers into the brittle soil of one such pot. It was like ash, crumbling away into dust in his hand. His brow furrowed. So much of his thoughts seemed to be taken up by fire and its byproducts nowadays.

Rain pattered on the boards clumsily placed over the gaps in the fire escape slats above his head, the noise dull and far-off as though it was from another world. Dead roots parted easily under the pressure of his absent-minded digging and then, there was something solid. Metal. Seth tugged at the object until it came loose, spent the next few seconds rolling it back and forth between his fingers. It was a coin, small, a thing to be put into a pocket and forgotten about.

Like me.

“Come up here, won’t you boy?”

Seth wasn’t sure if he would ever actually meet Bray Wyatt. Thus far in their interaction Wyatt seemed more than content to just speak through his Family. He claimed to have rescued Seth, brought him back from the brink of death. Rollins had hazy, sweat-soaked nightmares about plummeting off the side of the Spinnarooni to his landing on the concrete far below, pain shooting through his knee like a hot knife.

It was no miracle or benevolent act that permitted Seth to survive. He was to be held for ransom and Wyatt needed him alive if he hoped to get anything from his adoptive father.

But Hunter wrote him off. Cast him aside like garbage, actually. No manhunt, no media coverage, nothing. Stephanie delivered the surprisingly-teary announcement that he’d fallen to his death from atop the Spinnarooni, a cautionary tale to extreme athletes everywhere.

Watching his own funeral was…unnerving. Everyone had such nice things to say about him. People that he’d never met before, extolling his many talents and virtues.

The individual in a sheep mask beside him cocked their head when he made an irritated noise. “This is fucking stupid.” Seth snapped. “Why the fuck am I even here? It’s just one more nail in his coffin.” And mine, ha ha.

“My child, you must understand your purpose. You were built for so much more than some vigilante charades.” Wyatt’s voice crackled from the speaker in the mask after a brief hiss of static.

Seth shook his head. “You keep saying that, but I’m getting tired of the bullshit. Trips gave up on me so fucking fast. Didn’t even go to the cops with your ransom note, he just cut right to the chase. What the hell.” He shuddered uncomfortably. “Is there even a body in that casket?”

“You are a conqueror. The monsters have grown old and feeble in our deep domain.”

“You know I stayed on the rooftops for a reason, right Wyatt? I mean shit, I hate the Underground.” Seth groaned. “It’s dark and wet and it reeks like moldy garbage.”

“Is that why you abandoned your lunatic brother to us?”

Seth gritted his teeth. “I thought he was dead. Ro--uh, my other partner kept throwing himself at Acolytes and your Family and he made zero fucking headway. We had important things to-”

“Yes, nothing more important than getting the attention of your daddy dearest.” Rollins swung at that, his fist connecting with the jaw of the Family member standing beside him. They staggered back but Wyatt continued on unaffected, “Little lost boy, all you ever wanted was a family.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Seth shoved them back harder, closer and closer to the edge of the building.

“Listen to me, you scared child.” Wyatt demanded. “I dug you out of the garbage when your own brothers had forsaken you. I tended your wounds and guided you through the fever. I freely admit that I tried to use you as leverage to eke resources out of your father’s pockets, but I never anticipated that he would so callously abandon you like everyone else had. Seth, whether you like it or not, I’m the only person in your corner out of everyone in this whole damned city.”

Like everyone else had. Like everyone else had. Seth’s body felt cold all of a sudden. “Be quiet.”

“You have work to do to make up for me sparing you, boy. A lot of work to do.”

“I think letting me die would have been the better alternative.” Seth snarled. “You expect me to be fuckin’ grateful to you? For kidnapping me?”

“I merely found you--”

“Your sheep fuckers fucked me up and I rolled off the side of a fuckin’ Ferris wheel.” Seth ground his teeth together even harder. “Oh you found me alright, definitely dug me out of the garbage. But you can’t exactly claim you weren’t the one who put me there in the first fucking place.”

“--Alone and abandoned.” Bray continued smoothly as though Seth hadn’t interrupted him. “Now, I heard you’ve been tryin’ to get in touch with the demon prince. That’s an unwise choice. Bálor is not a bein’ to be trifled with.”

“It’s none of your fucking business-”

“Oh but it is, my dear boy. Every stir you cause puts me on the map. A map which I have done my best to shape to my own will. A map that requires more…delicacy.” The member of the Family put a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “You need me, just as I need you. Why do you fight this?”

“I don’t need anyone, you greasy shit. Not you, not Bálor, no one.”

“You would rail against your brothers forever, cut off your nose to spite your damn face. It’ll do you no good to push me away like you did to them, child.” Pain shot suddenly through Seth’s leg and he gripped the railing on the side of the building until his knuckles whitened. “You are mine, my dear boy. You’d best get that through your head. You’re much more useful to me like this, instead of in the vegetative state that the rest of my flock has been reduced to.”

“I will never work with you willingly.” Seth hissed, desperately trying to resist the urge to hold his knee and scream. It was agony, hot and searing as though that Acolyte from another lifetime was slitting his tendons anew. Rollins knew in the back of his mind that Wyatt was just toying with him, that the pain wasn’t real like he was.

It did little to alleviate the feeling.

The Family member finally departed, humming to themselves, and Seth was left alone to watch the rest of his ceremony play out. He was thoroughly soaked, his grip on the railing still tight as he tried to force his leg to hold his weight.

“Ye must find this spectacle odd.”

Seth didn’t even bother looking up. “Tonight. I’m doing it tonight.” He grated out.

“Oh?” Bálor asked, his tone nonchalant.

“Yes, I-” Seth almost dropped and he fumbled to grab the railing. “Fuck. I have to, have to prove that I’m payin’ attention. Prove I’m still here. Make a statement.”

“Yer set on this, then?” Bálor leaned against the railing beside him, his eyes searching Seth’s when the other man looked up. “Once I get ya’ in there, yer on yer own. No turnin’ back.”

“I know.” Seth dropped his head to rest on the railing. “I have to, though.” He breathed.

Bálor simply nodded.

And now here he was, winding through the building with a full can of gasoline. Room after room filled with memorials to colossi of old, ornate robes and glass cases of relics. Seth felt his gut twist with foreign guilt.

I shouldn’t be here.

The night watchman hadn’t been an issue. Seth had dragged his unconscious body outside to nap peacefully against one of the dumpsters.

While he meandered Seth couldn’t help but start to recall the good times in the Helmsley household growing up. Hunter had made sure he didn’t want for anything, indulging whatever fancy Seth showed interest in that week. With a fresh stab of shame in his belly Seth remembered how Roman and Dean had grown up apart from him, hungry and roaming the streets.

Rollins liked to tell himself that he hadn’t taken advantage of their trust. That he hadn’t used their loyalty to rope them into some ill-advised scheme. They wanted to join him. It wasn’t his fault.

He liked to tell himself that, anyway.

The gasoline scent clung thick to his nose and throat. Rollins regretted not eating anything before heading out, his stomach already in knots and getting worse. In a fit of irritation he wrapped his fist in his shirt, slammed it through a display case and picked up a baseball bat of untold importance. Barbed wire wound around the wooden body, the whole thing still bearing brick-red spatters from a more aggressive era. The black-taped handle sat wrong in his hands, but he barely even noticed.

The gas can laid forgotten on its side, spilling out onto the floor as Seth took the bat to the various set pieces around him. Rhinestones and sequins flew through the air while he destroyed chunks of the city’s colorful history, brocade and velvet shredded to tatters with the barbed wire. Seth realized dimly that he was yelling, infuriated animal sounds ripping from his chest to punctuate his blows. He couldn’t seem to stop it.

There was a puddle of gasoline on the floor now, splashing over his worn leather boots. Half-crazed, maddened by lack of sleep and old ghosts and the throbbing in his skull, Seth threw the baseball bat with all his strength and dug into his pocket with intent. The lighter clicked in heart-stopping disappointment before flickering to life and Rollins stared at the flame, through it to the display stand bearing a crown with a chainmail headpiece. Rage flared brighter than any inferno. Seth screamed at the display, his mind conjuring up the memory of his adoptive father wearing that ridiculous crown. “I’m burning everything you built to the ground!”

He pitched the lighter at his feet and for one breathless moment Seth Rollins welcomed death.

Arms wrapped around his waist from behind, gray fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt; the world slowed to a clarifying half-speed. The lighter continued its headlong tumble to the floor and the realization of what was about to happen hit Seth hard. Light refracted off the case of the lighter. He tried to lean forward, tried to catch it as it ignited the fumes lurking over the gasoline puddle.

Then they were gone, plunged through the silent in-between once more before exploding out the other side on a rooftop. “Yer fuckin’ daft, know ‘at?” Bálor hissed in his ear as he released him. “If y’ wanted t’ kill yerself, I coulda’ saved y’ the trouble.”

“What? I-I didn’t…I wasn’t going to…” Seth’s protests faded out as he realized that was exactly what he was about to do. He crumpled, propping himself up with his elbows and holding his aching head. “No, fuck.”

“Yer a fuckin’ idiot. So blinded by yer damn vengeance you never bothered t’ plan a way out.” Bálor snorted. “Fuckin’ stupid. I dunno’ if it’s worse that ye didn’t intend to kill yourself. Accidentally dyin’ on yer own arson scene isn’t much for sendin’ a message. ‘Specially since y’ know the man doesn’t give a toss whether yer still alive.”

“Shut up.”

“Nae, y’ need someone to tell you yer being a fuckin’ ass.”

“Nobody,” Rollins seethed through his teeth, “gives a fuck about whether I live or die. Not just Hunter. So it doesn’t fucking matter, now does it?”

“Yer a goddamn liar and a shit arsonist? Hit the jackpot with you.” Bálor grunted. “Too busy listenin’ to that poison-peddlin’ shepherd like the good sheep y’ are.”

“You were supposed to help me get in and that’s it, why the fuck did you come back?!” Seth snapped indignantly.

“I had a feelin’ you’d go tits-up. Figured that you’d choke more n’ anythin’.” Bálor shrugged at him. “Once upon a time we had a big fella’ who was real good fer startin’ a fire. He’s gone now though, otherwise I’d have sent him.” Bálor’s brow furrowed. “Instead I come across you tryin’ to self-immolate.”

“I got carried away.” Rollins muttered sullenly.

“Yer emotional about him. Good. Means that batsy farmer didn’t get all of you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I fuckin’ said.” Bálor growled, his eyes glowing in the darkness. “His flock are braindead. It’s reassurin’ that yer not even after all this time with him.” Seth looked away, not understanding Bálor’s game. A hand caught him under the chin and turned his head back. “It’s a good thing.” Bálor said, his tone a touch less agitated. “Wyatt’ll suck the life from yer fuckin’ marrow.”

“He seems more like he wants to suck the life from my-”

“Feck’s sake.” Bálor snapped.

“What, I can’t make a joke?”

“Y’ really want to be jokin’ about that man anywhere near yer naughty bits?”

Seth fairly wheezed with laughter, nerves making him giggly. “My…naughty bits-” Off in the distance, flames licked the skyline. The old archive had caught it and caught it good. The sick thrill made Seth laugh even harder, his empty stomach twisting with a combination of nausea and hysterics.

Bálor sighed heavily. “Yer over-exhausted. Quiet down before someone notices.”

“I want them to notice!” Seth practically shouted, grinning wildly. “I want them all to see what I did! I want them to know, I want him to know!”

“I said quiet.” Blue eyes crackled with strange energy, burning trails in the dark as Bálor circled him. “If I’d had any fuckin’ sense in my head, I’d hae left you t’ burn. I didn’t. Somebody out there wants ye alive, Rollins.”

Seth opened his mouth to retort and was abruptly halted by that twisting, ripping pain in his leg. He screamed out before he could help it, dropping to the ground and clutching the old injury. He was dimly aware of Bálor hovering over him but he couldn’t focus, couldn’t focus. You are mine, my dear boy. You’d best get that through your head. Seth grunted, biting back another cry.

Gray-tipped fingers touched his forehead. Brilliant blue eyes seared into his own from the darkness and there was a flash of too many teeth before Seth lost consciousness from the pain.

…

“Ye might have mentioned that he fuckin’ worked y’ over.”

Seth groggily pried his eyes open. Bálor was crouched across from him, his head cocked to the side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seth was getting a little tired of their conversations starting in the middle.

Bálor made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “He has his talons in yer knee.”

“It’s an old injury, I-”

“Ye mighta’ said somethin’ abou’ hi’ bein’ able t’ use it again’ ya’.” Bálor’s accent had thickened further. He was obviously irritated again.

Seth felt his own irritation flare. “Why the hell would I tell you? So you can figure out how to control me too?” He spat, struggling to sit up.

Bálor shoved him back down with one hand, making Seth sputter indignantly. “Ya’ misun’erstan’ me.” He said curtly. “I’m nae that kind of demon. Thought y’ knew that much.”

“Motherfucker bamfs through time and space, but expects me to believe that he’s above a little mental manipulation.” Rollins sniped.

“Only space. Can’t do nothin’ abou’ time.” Bálor gave him that smile with too many teeth. “So what’s your next move?”

Instead of replying immediately, Seth took a moment to stretch and look around. This was clearly Bálor’s living area. Seth was resting on a tangle of blankets all piled in a corner and, while the windows were mostly boarded up, a few slats had been removed here and there to let the light in. He could hear the sound of cars going by, as ever.

His stomach growled loudly and Bálor laughed, getting to his feet. “Hungry then?”

“Always.” Seth sighed, a little self-conscious. An apple was thrust at his face. “How long was I out for?” Rollins asked after he had taken a few bites. Food was like ash in his mouth, tasteless and gray, but he was always so hungry and thirsty. The apple at least took a little of the edge off.

Bálor shrugged, biting into his own apple. “Nine hours or so?” He seemed skittish all of a sudden, tearing chunks out of the fruit with single-minded fervor. “Look, I’ll be level wit’cha’ on this. Someone wants t’ see yer.” He said suddenly. “He’s asked me t’ bring y’ in. I…I think it might do ye some good t’ at least listen t’ what he’s gotta’ say.” Bálor fidgeted with the apple. “He jus’ wants t’ talk, y’know?”

“Somebody that could help me out?” Seth asked excitedly, his mind already a blur of fantastic ideas for the future.

“Ye, I hope so at any rate.” Bálor replied cautiously.

“Absolutely. When does he want to meet?”

“He mentioned any time after six. We’re only at half-past eleven in the mornin’ now, so if y’ don’t mind I was hopin’ t’ maybe catch a bit of a nap.” Bálor gestured at the pile of blankets. Seth hurriedly stood up, running a hand through his hair to straighten it out. “Thank ye.” Bálor murmured, slumping down onto the bed and wrapping himself in the many blankets before curling up like a cat. He was snoring in a matter of minutes and Seth was incredibly jealous of his ability to nod off so rapidly. He usually ended up laying on his back for hours, staring up at the ceiling and praying for sleep to find him.

Disgruntled, Seth turned to the windows. Peering out through one of the gaps in the boards, he realized they were up higher than he had originally thought. The skyline stretched out in front of him, interrupted by the occasional gap in high-rises. The city wasn’t dead yet, he supposed, watching idly as off in the distance an enormous crane worked to assemble another building. A plume of smoke still rose from the warehouse-turned-archive and Seth smirked.

The sun isn’t as bright as I remember. His smirk faded.

Seth put his back to the wall and slid down it to the floor, bringing one leg up to bend at the knee. His other leg, the one that the Acolyte had injured all those years ago, he left stretched out. The scar on the back of his knee shouldn’t still bother him but it seemed as though every time he was on his way to forgetting about it, the pain flared back up.

Seth rubbed his forehead wearily, resting the back of his head against the wall so he could stare at the ceiling. Sunlight filtered through the worn tiles over him. This place was clearly abandoned. Another skeletal structure for the neighborhood destitute to overrun, only to have it torn down and rebuilt over and over again.

He focused his attention on the man sleeping in the pile of blankets after a short eternity of studying the ramshackle tile framework. Bálor was a twitchy sleeper, it would seem, gray-tinged hands fluttering over the blankets and linoleum every couple of minutes. Seth wondered at the faded black marks on his extremities, wondered if it had something to do with how he could move through space.

And wasn’t that a thing to ponder, the way Bálor could Houdini his way around with no warning except for the nearly-silent displacement of air. That was definitely not a trait found in nature.

Seth propped his chin up on his hand, his head tilted to the side as he watched Bálor sleep. They called him a demon in the Underground, the Demon Prince. Could that even be possible? The only other identified demon Seth had ever come across was the huge man-machine, Kane. Their interactions had been mercifully brief as Kane didn’t seem overly interested in fighting him, instead usually getting caught in the crossfire of street scuffles. What if there were others like him?

Was Bálor more like Kane, augmented with science-fiction upgrades? Or was it just wishful thinking on Seth’s part, hoping in vain that logic could parse the unparsable? Was Bálor a demon? An honest-to-gods, hellfire and brimstone demon?

Did it even matter?

Reluctantly, Seth crept a little closer to where Bálor slept. For a so-called demon, he wasn't all that terrifying when he was asleep. Or when he was awake, if Seth was being honest with himself. Bálor had a strangely kind smile, well-accented by a thickly-stubbled jawline and of course, those piercing blue eyes and--

And nothing, Seth scolded himself for being so predictably attracted to someone like Bálor, all smoke and mystery with no substance. He folded his arms and grimaced sternly down at his knees. No, absolutely not. Bálor groaned, mumbling something in his sleep and snapping Seth's attention back up. His hands roamed aimlessly on the moth-eaten comforter, fingers digging at the fabric.

Seth glanced up a little higher, then squinted at a rickety shelf over the lump of blankets. Are those…? He pulled himself upright and tiptoed even closer, barely able to stifle a snicker when his suspicions were confirmed. Legos, a variety of sets posed out on the shelf. Off to the side, a small piece of paper read To Finn, from Saint Mick.

Seth’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest and he tore his eyes away, settling back down into a crouch and folding his arms.

At some point Seth must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew he was being shaken awake. “I tried t' let yer sleep as long as I could manage. We'll be late if we don't get a move on, Rollins.” Bálor extended a hand to pull him to his feet. “Shall we?”

Seth shook away the cobwebs and took Bálor's hand. For a moment, all he could focus on was Bálor's face and the way he was frowning. The demon looked pensive, almost worried. “Hey, if it would be easier for me to go alone...” Seth trailed off when Bálor shook his head jerkily.

“Y' need backup in case somethin' turns fecky.” The blue-eyed man said shortly, tucking Seth beneath his arm.

“Can...Can you go anywhere?” Seth asked.

“Nae. I have limits. And I need t' have either been there before, or seen the place in a picture. Need t' know where I'm goin'.” Bálor's grip tightened. “Time t' go.”

It was as dark as midnight in the brief in-between, Bálor's eyes the only light source. Seth wasn't sure if he would even be able to comprehend what the area looked like. He was, after all, only human, and according to his very limited understanding of dimensional traipsing, something like the in-between shouldn’t even exist. He wondered if he should close his eyes instead of risk the surefire insanity that would befall him if he tried to figure out the featureless space. He would have to ask Bálor--

An all-too-familiar room solidified around them and Seth realized as a fist connected with his stomach that he had been tricked. Behind him, he heard Bálor grunt. Seth dropped to the floor, his body already curling defensively in on itself. The side of an expensive dress shoe caught his shoulder, knocking him onto his back. “Welcome home kid.” Hunter said. His heel came straight for Seth’s face and Seth barely got his hand up in time, rolling the blow to his jaw. He bit his tongue and yelped in pain, feeling his lip split under the pressure of the smooth tread.

Hunter straddled his chest, pinning Seth to the ground with his sheer mass. “Helmsley, the fuck are y’ doin’?!” Bálor cried, sounding horrified. Hunter ignored him, obviously intent on pulverizing Seth’s face with his fists. Bálor tried to drag him off of Rollins and was thrown aside by a vicious shove.

“Wyatt promised me.” Hunter seethed finally, pausing in his onslaught. Seth choked in a breath, not daring to lower his hands. “He promised me that you’d been dealt with. Imagine my surprise when you turned up none the fucking worse for the wear. Good thing Bálor knows which side his bread is buttered on.”

“Y’ said ya’ wouldn’t hurt him if I brought him in quietly!” Bálor shouted.

“And you bought that story?” Seth coughed a mouthful of blood and spit up at Hunter. “Now who’s the stupid one?”

Bálor ignored him, still focused on Hunter. “We had a deal, Helmsley.” Hunter began to unbutton his cuffs, his motions slow and deliberate while Seth flailed his legs. “Y’ gave me yer word that all y’ wanted was to talk. Is that worth nothin’ to ya’?”

“What I choose to do with my property is my own business.” Hunter replied coolly.

“Yer prop--what?!” Bálor fairly roared, his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth for a split second.

“You’ve held up your end of the bargain, Little Critter. Payment was transferred to your account the second you popped in here. This is my show now. I suggest you scram.” Hunter made a shooing motion.

“I dinnae’ wan’ payment Helmsley, y’ swore t’ me--”

Seth missed the rest of what Bálor said when Hunter cracked him in the jaw hard enough to make his teeth rattle. Rollins’ vision slid sideways, the younger man almost passing out. Almost, until Hunter slapped him across the face. That snapped him back into agonizing focus. “You’re not getting out of this that easy, kid.”

“Fuck you.” Seth breathed.

“So quiet when you’re not fucking up my archives and wreaking havoc on my property.” Hunter growled. “We could hear you caterwauling even when we couldn’t see you on the tapes, you fuck-up.”

“’Member when I used to call you Dad?” Rollins murmured. “Shit, I woulda’ done anything for you. How times fuckin’ change.”

“You little asshole.” Hunter grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him upright, then shoved him back against the wall. Seth coughed up more blood, wondering if he’d bitten his tongue in half. Hunter seemed wildly frustrated, the vein in his forehead plainly visible. “Drawing attention to me with your free running bullshit, you and those gutter rats you hung around with!” He shouted, spit flying with every word.

“Enough Helmsley!” Bálor barked. “You said y’ wanted t--!” Hunter turned around and jabbed a finger into the middle of the demon’s chest, as if to shut him up.

“I don’t know how you do your little parlor trick and frankly I don’t give a shit. If you don’t get lost you’re going to be in the same boat as this little bastard.” Hunter threatened. There was that soft noise that Rollins associated with Bálor vanishing and Seth let his chin fall to rest on his chest, his heart sinking. Hunter grunted, seeming satisfied. “That’s more like it.”

A familiar body was suddenly wrapped protectively around Seth from behind, a handful of gray-tinged fingers extended in front of him to flip Hunter the bird. Seth barely heard Hunter’s infuriated yell before they were gone, pulled back through the in-between.

“I’m sorry.” Bálor said softly after a long silence. The area he had brought them to was as pitch black as the in-between; distant sounds of machinery and the oppressive, crushing heat told Seth’s shaken brain that they must be somewhere in the Underground. Seth silently pulled free of Bálor’s grip. “Please, Seth, I swear I d-”

“Shut the fuck up!” Seth screamed, his throat raw. “Just shut up! What the fuck did I tell you? What did I fucking tell you?” He wiped gingerly at his face, cringing when he caught the scape on his cheek.

“I know, I’m--”

“You sold me out to him! You dropped me right into his fucking lap!” Seth spat a mouthful of blood off to the side, fleetingly grateful for the lack of loose teeth in said mouthful.

“He played me, Rollins! He fuckin’ tricked me, alright? He said all he wanted was his boy back, called me a fuckin’ thief for stealin’ ya’ away!” Bálor shouted right back at him and Seth felt a hand on his arm. “I’m a weak bastard, the idj’it that I fuckin’ am, I believed he was concerned. I guess I…deep down, I wanted y’ to be able t’ reconcile with the man. So I told him I’d bring you. He promised he-”

“You could have fucking trusted me. Don’t touch me.” Seth growled. The hand on his arm tightened.

“I’m not touchin’ y--‘ey, hands off!” Bálor yelped and there was the sound of a sad little laugh.

“Wondered how long it would be before you noticed me.” Said an unfamiliar voice. White eyes gleamed from a spot by Seth’s elbow and he barely kept from flinching away.

“Fuck’s sake Jeff, y’ can’t just start a game a’ grabass out the blue.” Bálor scolded. “Rollins is liable t’ take yer arm off.”

“You’re the one who barged in without knockin’ ahead of schedule.” Rollins got the impression that he was being shrugged at. “Said you needed help with somethin’?”

“D’ya have a light in here?”

“Oh, yeah.” Seth heard skittering from both sides of the room and a nightlight clicked on, attached to an extension cord and held high by the tattooed hand of a man who looked exhausted.

The man (Jeff?) squinted at Rollins suspiciously, then gestured for him to sit down in the lone folding chair. Behind him, his shadow wavered on the wall. It seemed…darker than it should be. Seth quickly tried to dismiss the fanciful thought when Jeff handed the light over to Bálor and slid the leg of Seth’s pants up. “Knee, right?” Jeff asked, glancing up at Rollins and Bálor to confirm. “It’s hot to the touch. Red in the dark. You wouldn’t notice because you haven’t been down here as long.” He continued offhandedly, “We could see it though, plain as the nose on your face.”

“Ah.” Seth threw Bálor an irritated look. The other man grimaced.

“The sooner we get that trace off of you the better. I didn’t expect Helmsley to be so…hands on. I made an appointment for a bit later. I was goin’ t’ explain and such.” Bálor said hesitantly.

“He at least made an appointment. Normally people just…find me.” Jeff sighed.

“Jeff deals with a lot of things like this ever since Wyatt got his brother.”

“I’ll get him back.” Jeff fell silent then, probing over the back of Seth’s calf with his eyes closed. Seth watched him narrowly, wiping his bloody nose with his sleeve.

“How’s yer face?” Bálor asked, a note of concern in his voice.

“What, you concerned you won’t get money for damaged goods?” Rollins retorted, feeling a little guilty at how crestfallen Bálor looked. He quickly shoved it aside. “Obviously Hunter doesn’t care about a few dents or scratched paint.”

“I know I fucked up, alrigh’? I know it.” Bálor snapped back.

“Gently, princelin’.” Jeff murmured, giving no other outward indication that he was listening.

Bálor grunted out a breath, running a hand through his close-cropped hair. “I’m…I’m sorry, Seth. No excuses. I fucked up on this one, delivered you t’ the man you kept tellin’ me was no good. Intentions are irrelevant.” He said, his voice clipped and rough. “I ought t’ have listened t’ you.”

Seth shifted uncomfortably, flinching when Jeff dug his fingers in a little harder. He could have sworn he saw Jeff’s shadow move differently. He told himself he was imagining things, just a trick of the flickering light. “It wouldn’t be the first time that someone bought the crap Hunter sold them.” He finally muttered grudgingly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I fuckin’ will, actually. Yer a bloody mess on account a’ my sentimentality.” Bálor reached out and put a hand on Seth’s shoulder, and Seth surprised himself by covering the hand tentatively.

Jeff started to sing under his breath, half-humming a tune Seth felt like he ought to recognize. Jeff stroked carefully over his knee, fingers trailing neon purple in their wake. Is that paint? Seth wondered, confused by the way it shimmered when it caught the meager light. Jeff moved up slightly, rotating his wrist to cradle Seth’s leg. “Easy now.” He whispered, glancing over at Bálor. “Princelin’, could you…?”

“’Course Willa’, whatever y’ need to fix him up.” Bálor said gruffly, clapping his other hand down on Jeff’s shoulder after hanging the bulb from a rusty hook overhead.

Jeff’s eyes reflected like a cat’s in the light from the tiny bulb, the man blinking slow and thoughtful at Seth. “It’s worked upwards. I don’t know if we can draw it all.” He said worriedly.

“Do yer best. I’ll keep him from anythin’ else.”

“What’s gonna’ happen to me?” Seth asked finally, feeling a tremor of fear run through him at the unnatural shine of Jeff’s eyes and the grave tone of his voice.

“Close yer eyes.” Bálor ordered.

“I don’t-”

“It’ll be easier on you mentally if you close them. It can be hard to watch us work.” Jeff interrupted gently. Then, to Bálor, “Look, you can’t just demand that he does shit. Makes resentment, makes him think that you think he’s stupid.”

“Please, just…let’s jus’ get this over with.” Bálor muttered, looking appropriately chastised.

“Ready?” Jeff asked Seth, who nodded hesitantly and closed his eyes.

Another pair of hands settled onto his knee. Seth barely resisted the urge to leap to his feet and start swinging. He hadn’t heard anyone else in the room, who-?

“Trust them.” Bálor breathed, rubbing at the tight muscle in Seth’s shoulder. “Don’t need t’ trust me. Just trust them. Jeff won’t let anythin’ bad happen.”

“He’s a mess.” That was a new voice. Like Jeff, but also not. It sounded distorted, as though the person was speaking underwater. Seth clenched his fists nervously on his thighs.

“Don’t we know it, Willa’.”

“He needs us, Willow. Figured you’d wanna’ help. No bullshit explainin’, no run around. Just us and the princelin’.” Jeff’s voice was measuredly calm. “You don’t have to if it’s too much.”

“If he needs us…”

“Could help in the long run. Help us understand what Wyatt’s done t’ Matt.”

“The brother…of course.” Something flickered in Seth’s mind, the image of an older man with a single, jarring streak of white in his dark hair. “We can, yes.”

“Whatever y’ two want, Willa’, s’yers.” Bálor sounded immensely grateful and Seth wanted to wonder about that, but he quickly shoved the desire away.

“What happened to his face?” Gloved fingers brushed over Seth’s cheek and he cringed.

“My fault.” Bálor admitted.

“Not…entirely. You should believe him. Mostly.”

“Who…who are you?” Seth asked cautiously. God, he wished he wasn’t too scared to open his eyes!

“We’re Willow.” That gloved hand cupped his chin carefully, turning his head to the side. “Can see why the Princeling worries for you. Good face.”

“Willa’!” Bálor sputtered.

“Don’t tease him, Willow.” Jeff scolded. “Focus.”

“I am.” Fingers clamped down on Seth’s windpipe, cutting off his breath. He struggled to no avail; Willow’s grip was like iron. His eyes flew open in panic and he came face to face with…whatever Willow was. Seth got the fleeting impression of monochrome, then glowing white eyes had him transfixed, hypnotized into stillness. “It’s spread.” Willow hummed. Their thumb pressed to the side of Seth’s neck, his carotid thundering away beneath the skin. “Quicker now.”

“Wyatt’s on t' us, Jeff. We need to-”

“I know. Willow, keep up the pressure.” Fingers that Seth dimly assumed were Jeff’s traipsed up the other side of his neck. “Shh, relax.” Jeff soothed.

You are mine, my dear boy.

“I-” Seth wheezed.

Bálor placed his palm flat on the back of Seth’s neck, skimming the scar there and making Seth twitch inadvertently. “Three.”

“Two.” Willow blinked slowly at Rollins, blue-white eyes brighter than the lightbulb.

“One.” At Jeff’s words, it felt as though something jagged was pushed violently through Seth’s calf and out the front of his leg. He screamed, unable to turn his head to look down and see the damage. Jeff hushed him, pressing their foreheads together and breaking the trance that Willow’s eyes had wrapped him in. “Easy, easy. That was it.” Jeff whispered.

Seth couldn’t stop trembling, couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping. “How bad is it?” He croaked. “How long am I out for this time?” How am I supposed to protect myself if I’m hurt again? Roman told me to only come back if I was in real trouble, maybe-

“You’re entirely fine.” Jeff assured him, breaking his frantic train of thought. “I know it felt ugly. I promise you’re fine. Do you wanna’ check it out?”

Mostly all Seth wanted to do was vomit and then sleep for sixty years. He chanced a look down, exhaling hard when he saw that his leg was none the worse for the wear. “Oh thank fuck.” He gasped, going limp in the chair.

“I told you two, whatever y’ want is yers.” Bálor reiterated, his hands fever-hot and steady on Seth’s shoulders. Seth realized with a start that Willow was gone, his eyes hurriedly roaming the room and then coming to rest on Jeff’s shadow with a healthy amount of suspicion.

Jeff’s eyes flickered white momentarily. “We want Matt.”

“I know, Willa’. I’ll ask Jeff too, if y’ don’t mind.” Bálor said softly.

Jeff blinked once. “We need your support by Mick’s. Acolytes are gettin’ too aggressive. Kane made it out of here but they kept savagin’ him when he would leave Mick’s.”

“Done.” Bálor promised, “I’ll circle a few nights, get ‘em to clear off. Make sure Mick knows it’s me. I’m not over-fond of gettin’ my teeth kicked in by a man wit’ broken hips.”

“Absolutely.” Jeff angled a glance at Seth, who was still trying to get his pulse down to a normal rate. “How you holdin’ up, Buttercup?”

“Want to puke.” Seth replied faintly. “I’ll be okay.”

…

“You didn’t have to come along, y’know. I’ve handled this lot before.”

“Oh, I’m aware. But Mick is an old friend.” Seth wasn’t sure if that was quite the right term. Bálor quirked an eyebrow at him, his disbelief plain. Seth sighed heavily. “Look, when I ran with D--uh, the other guys, we had some trouble with the Acolytes. That’s how I ended up with the…the leg issue. Mick patched me up.”

“Ah, yer a veteran of his stitchwork.” Bálor grinned suddenly, pulling up his sleeve and dragging a finger down the line of scar tissue on his shoulder. “Same here. When y’ threw me and I caught that guardrail head-on. Damn near took my arm off.”

“When I…?” Seth trailed off, furrowing his brow. We fought?

“Oh ye, months ago.” Bálor seemed more rueful now. “Long before y’ asked for my help gettin’ in an’ out. You don’t uh, y’ dun’ recall?” Seth shook his head. “Ah, so he’s had them claws deep in ye then. Wonder how many things he's taken.”

Seth's mind whirled, searching back and to his horror, locating numerous, glaring holes in his memory. Passing out, waking up in the wrong places with blood on his hands and bruises on his body. You are mine, my dear boy. “Oh no.” He said helplessly. What else have I done?

“Eh, it's in the past.” Bálor waved off his concern with enviable ease, resting his chin on his crossed arms. “Y' had that Wyatt 'dead face' on the whole time, di'nt say so much as two words t' me. I figured ye weren't at the wheel.”

“That's not really any better.” Seth replied, leaning against the wall and rubbing a hand down his face.

Bálor shrugged up at him. “Y' can't change it. But you're you again. No tricks.”

Motion caught Rollins' attention and he straightened up. “Shh, look.” He gestured down at the street and Bálor fell silent, the both of them watching intently as four Acolytes slid from the shadows to tail a lone individual who had just left Mick’s soup kitchen. “Shall we?”

“’Course.” Bálor loped along the rooftop and then vanished, reappearing on the roof of the next building over. “Y’ comin’ or what?” He called to Seth, smirking.

“Fuckin’ cheater.” Seth announced, smiling without intending to.

Bálor gave him a roguish wink, jogging in place. “Ye’ll have t’ do better n’ that!” His smirk slipped a gratifying notch when Seth easily made the jump and sprinted past him. “’Ey!” He protested, floundering to catch up.

Seth flung himself to the next roof, focusing on the Acolytes who were still following their lone target. This was where he thrived, thinking on his feet, bolting across the high ground and creating a path as he went. The night air seemed clearer than it had been in months, neon lights bright in the darkness. He had been in the dark for so long, being poisoned and manipulated in the quest for his revenge and redemption.

He suddenly thought of Dean and Roman as he plummeted down to land on an old fire escape. It felt like an eternity since he’d seen either of them and Seth swallowed hard past the lump that materialized in his throat.

“Might be easier if y’ let ‘em think yer dead still.” Bálor murmured from the shadows beside him. “Otherwise Helmsley might use ‘em against ye.”

“He still will. He knows I’m alive.” Seth replied bleakly. “After we deal with these guys.”

“Whatever y’ want.” Bálor hesitated, then put a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “I’m...glad that y’ want to touch base with ‘em.”

“They’re my brothers. After all my dumb antics, the least they deserve is a warning.” Seth shook Bálor’s hand off of him after a moment. “C’mon, let’s end this.”

“Lead th’ way.”

Rollins hit the pavement in a crouch and sprang forward, arms outstretched. It was a move he had watched Roman do hundreds of times; momentum, tackle, the punch at the end. Two Acolytes were down before the others realized someone else was there and Seth hissed out a breath through gritted teeth. He was so lucid it was nearly painful, edges crisp and bright. How long has it been? He wondered, easily parrying a punch and cracking an uppercut into the other man’s chin, all knuckles and wrist.

Bálor was suddenly there, gray-stained hand on his ribs to shove him forcefully aside. A fifth Acolyte had slunk out of the alley while Seth was preoccupied, Bálor’s push the only thing that kept him from a knife in the kidney. The blade dug into Bálor’s abdomen instead and the blue-eyed man snarled loudly, grappling with the Acolyte.

Seth had frozen at the sight of the knife and gotten punched in the jaw for his momentary lapse, reeling back from the blow. “Run home to your shepherd!” The Acolyte taunted, chuckling. “Go on, run!”

Run coward, run.

Rollins squared up, his teeth bared in a fierce display. “Not happening.” The Acolyte swung wildly and Seth ducked, countering by way of a vicious stomp to the other man’s instep that crumpled him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and Seth barely dodged in time, feeling the brush of knuckles against the side of his head as another Acolyte whiffed his punch. “C’mon!” Seth jeered, feinting forward with a lightning-fast right and then slamming the heel of his left palm into the other man’s nose just like Dean used to. “That all you got?”

The fact that he was able to enjoy fighting had Seth practically giddy, flinging his body into the combat without a care in the world. It felt like an eternity had passed since he had enjoyed anything. How long has it been? How long has it been?

Bálor was back in the fray, blood blotting the hole-ridden t-shirt he always seemed to wear under his leather jacket. His motions flowed between combatants, vanishing and reappearing with an ease that was supernatural, fluid, graceful. Seth wished privately that he could watch him closer.

It felt like it was over too soon, the two of them standing over five bodies waiting for any sign of consciousness. Bálor finally stepped back, grimacing and pressing a hand to his stomach. “Think that’s it.” He said quietly, glancing up at Rollins.

His breathing was more harsh than Seth would like and Seth was immediately on edge. “Are you okay?” He asked sharply.

“Little deeper n’ I expected, but I’m fine.” Bálor winced. “Been ages since I was hit, normally I’m too fas’ for ‘em.”

“You took that one for me. Why? You didn’t have to.” Seth asked, wishing he didn’t sound so petulant.

“Man needs a reason t’ not be an asshole now? Ah, I suppose y’ can chalk it up t’ common decency then.” Bálor offered wryly. “Does it really matter? The point is, I fuckin’ did it an’ that’s that.”

“Now I owe you.” Seth said uncomfortably.

“Lord Almighty, nách mór an diabhal thú.” Bálor huffed. “You don’t-”

“I definitely do.” Seth interrupted him, his eyes narrowing. “Also what the hell did you say?”

“En’t you th’ devil.” Bálor sounded far too amused. “Reserved for the fondly fuckin’ obnoxious.”

…

“You don’t get to come into my house and talk about Dean that way.”

A headache had been pounding behind Seth’s eyes for the better part of a month. Ever since they had their run-in with the Family, ever since Dean had gone missing. He grimaced and Roman noticed, the larger man’s stern expression softening a fraction.

“Seth, I’m not giving up on him.”

“Why not? Reigns, he’s gone.” Seth whined, rubbing his temples. “He was dead weight anyway, c’mon. You know it, I know it.” Since when did he talk like this? Seth could barely think through the throbbing in his skull.

But Roman was already shaking his head. “Absolutely not. You can give up if you want, but I won’t. Not until I’m identifying him in a freezer.” He had always been so stubborn.

Seth groaned, dropping his head to rest on the desk beneath him. “Romannn…”

“No, and that’s final. What the hell is your problem, man? You’re the reason he’s--"

“I didn’t hold a fuckin’ gun to his head. He probably went down there because he was bored or something. You can’t blame me for the fact that he’s fuckin’ nuts, Reigns.” Seth protested. What the hell is my problem?

“You’re Hunter and Steph’s.” Roman said, his teeth gritted hard. “They’ve got a hell of a lot of money and influence. Dean is…he’s a few steps up from homeless, Seth. No family aside from us, no ties, nothing. It’s easy to make someone like him disappear. As his brothers, it’s our responsibility to--"

“I’m not going back down there.” Seth interrupted, trying his hardest to shove away the memories of winding tunnels, dark and hot, wavering lightbulbs in the distance. “He’s fuckin’ crazy and I’m not risking my ass because he’s finally gone off the deep end.”

“Seth, this guy has-”

“I said no!” Seth snapped, standing up quickly. “He’s always been a few sandwiches short of a fucking picnic, man. We’re better off without him. Stronger. Smarter.” This was awful, it felt like his mouth had been hijacked. What did I just say?

“His sanity didn’t seem to matter when he was taking punches meant for you.” Roman snarled. “Now all of a sudden we’re too good for him? I don’t think so, Rollins. Either tell me the real reason you don’t want to go back down there or get the fuck out and let me work.” He yanked open the door to the back alley and made an impatient motion with his hand. “You’re not welcome here, Rollins. Don’t come back unless you’re in serious trouble, got it?”

Seth was reeling. Roman looked more serious than he had ever seen him, the larger man’s brow furrowed angrily. “Well fine.” Seth replied lamely--

Seth shook himself all over, doing his best to shake the memories off with the motion. From his place beside him, Bálor shifted warily. “Sorry, I’m going.” Seth apologized for the sixth time, staring at the door to the storage room of The Empire and trying not to panic.

“Take yer time.” Was all Bálor said in reply, fiddling with the zipper of his old leather jacket.

Seth finally slid down the brick wall to land silently in the alley, skulking in the shadows on his way to the old wooden stairs. Bálor appeared at his elbow after a momentary hesitation and Seth found himself stupidly grateful for his presence.

Mustering up the nerve to press the delivery bell took another five minutes, Seth curling and uncurling his fingers over and over before he squared his shoulders and slammed the button with his fist.

Barely three seconds went by and then Roman opened the back door, his head still turned to call more instructions to Baron. Seth was somewhat mortified at the way Roman’s whole face went pale when he met his eyes. Seth raised a hand, wiggling his fingers in a meager half-wave. “Uh, h-hi Roman.” He swallowed hard. “I have some…um, some news. For you and Dean. Information, y’know. Like old times.” Roman still hadn’t moved an inch. Seth cleared his throat awkwardly. “Roman?”

“Seth, I…I mean, y-you’re…” Roman stammered, one hand shakily reaching out to touch Seth’s cheek.

“I know I don’t deserve to talk to you. I know that I let you down, fuckin’ abandoned you and Dean when we should have stuck together more than anything.” Seth rambled, trying to fill the empty space before Roman slammed the door in his face. “I know that…I mean, you told me not to come back unless I was in real trouble, but I--” The next thing Seth knew, he was grabbed by the arm and dragged into a hug that threatened to crack his ribs. Roman buried his face in his shoulder, fingers tangling in the shaggy curls at the nape of Seth’s neck. Rollins felt Roman’s whole body shake and he realized that Roman was crying. “Ro I’m so…I’m so fucking sorry.” He managed to say.

“I’m hallucinating. Or this is a trick.” Reigns muttered against the side of his jaw. “You’re dead.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easy, I guess.” Seth was horrified to find that he himself was tearing up. “I’ve had a wild time.”

Roman pulled back, cupping Seth’s face with his hands and staring at him anew. “Christ, Rollins.” He whispered, still obviously not believing his own eyes as he wiped Seth’s tears away with his thumb. “I just…we went to your funeral, man.”

“Hunter was thorough.” Seth could almost pinpoint the second that Roman understood what he meant, the larger man’s posture stiffening. “I’ve had to keep a low profile.”

“Did you come alone?” Roman asked, all business despite his teary eyes and red nose.

Seth shook his head, beckoning for Bálor to come into the light. “Been a few months since yer holiday fête, Reigns. I trust yer keepin’ outta’ trouble?” Bálor inquired with a nod in Roman’s direction.

“Wonderful.” Roman sighed. “At least you’re a baby abomination. Small favors. Come in, both of you.” He urged, opening the door wider. “I’ll call up Shea, see if Dean is free.”

“Dean’s out front talkin’ with Zayn, what do you need him for?” Baron asked curiously from the door to the main room. His brow furrowed when he looked past Roman and spotted Rollins and Bálor darkening the doorway. “Uh. Boss?”

“Just ask Dean to come back here.” Roman instructed quietly.

“Boss is…is that--?”

“Yes, it’s him. Please get Dean.” Roman rubbed his eyes once Baron had bolted off to the front area of Empire. He looked exhausted. Seth awkwardly shifted his weight back and forth, old boots clunking on the floorboards of the storeroom.

“Alright, alright! I’m here man, you need somethin’ lifted o…or…” Dean’s words ground to a halt as he leaned against the door frame. “This is a joke, right? A really, really shitty joke?” He rasped after a moment. “There’s no way.”

“It’s me, Ambrose.” Seth felt like he was being studied under a microscope, Ambrose’s eyes narrowing to nothing but blue slits in his face. “I swear it’s me.”

“Yeah?” Dean asked, not sounding convinced in the slightest. He shoved off of the door frame to saunter directly into Seth’s personal space, baring his teeth and tugging at the threadbare shirt Rollins was wearing. “You have a fallin’ out with Daddy dearest? This is a little less flashy than your usual black and neon green spandex number.” Casually, like he didn’t think Rollins would notice, Dean’s fingers slid to the back of his neck. “Pretty good fake, they got your scars right.” Dean said, slapping at the inside of Seth’s wrist. “And your tattoo! But did they get-” Ambrose easily spun Seth around and yanked up the back of his shirt to expose his other tattoo. “-Fuck, thorough. Even got those buns of steel right.”

Bálor snorted at that and Seth couldn’t choke back his own little cackle. Dean went still at the sound. “Jesus Christ, if you want me to strip at least let me do it by myself.” Seth complained finally, pulling away from Dean. “It’s me, Dean.”

Dean’s stare was wider now, less hostile. “Seth?” He asked, his voice slightly shaky.

“I told you it’s me.” Seth grumbled. “Why-” He was unable to finish his question after Dean threw himself at him. Ambrose’s fingers clawed for purchase on his back through his thin hoodie and Seth knew better than to ask whether he was crying, just resting his face on Dean’s shoulder. “It’s me, man. I promise.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I can give you a really, really brief synopsis. The longer I stay, the worse it could be. If Hunter finds out that I’ve been here-”

“Fuck Hunter.” Dean’s teeth snapped down on his hoodie and Seth felt more than saw Bálor flinch.

Roman ushered everyone out of the storeroom and into his office. It was a bit crowded but Seth secretly luxuriated in it, feeling almost like he was back in a dogpile with his brothers. Once he was done giving his very quick summary and trying to answer as many of their questions as he could, he settled back into the couch and let the other two talk with Bálor. Seth closed his eyes for a second. Only a second...

Seth had no idea how far the damage extended, his body sunken into the dull ache of too much. He laid on his stomach, feeling the cool metal of the Ferris wheel frame through the material of his shirt and that familiar, splitting pain in his head eased off a little. Shadows struggled up the sides of the wheel, no doubt finding the footing even more treacherous than he had. Seth closed his eyes and waited. He was all used up. He didn’t even have the strength to raise his head when he heard a quiet chuckle.

“And now, we come to the end.” A ratty sneaker battered against Seth’s ribs and he wheezed painfully, the yawning chasm of darkness beckoning him ever closer to the edge. “You should have listened when Hunter told you off, my boy.”

“Fuck you.” Seth choked out. The shoe hit the side of his head. “Fuck you, fuck you and especially fuck Hunter.” He continued blearily, rolling onto his back and flipping the bird at the Family member before sliding the rest of the way off the top of the Spinnarooni.

The fall should have killed him. Hell, he’d been counting on it. As Seth dropped down, down, he had closed his eyes and waited again, this time for the inevitable impact.

But it never came.

Someone’s forearm slammed into his stomach and knocked the breath out of him; there was a sudden absence of noise that made his ears ring loudly and then Seth crash-landed on top of another body. The drop had apparently gotten significantly shorter, not to mention the fact that the pavement felt suspiciously like a pile of half-full trash bags. Seth struggled to inhale, his whole being in painful spasm.

“Feck's sake, fuck's sake. Ass. Fuck.” Whoever he had landed on was clearly displeased. Seth was pushed aside and he hit the ground with a thud. “Fuckin' shet.” Cold pavement met his cheek and he groaned. “Fuck, yer alive. Jesus.” One of Seth's eyelids was pried open and he did his best to roll his eyes forward, barely managing a twitch before the effort grew to be too much. “Jesus, y' bleedin' bad. Alright, alright, great catch.” The person appeared more than content to carry on both sides of their conversation. A hand cradled the back of his neck, supporting his head. “Look at ye, gods what a mess.”

Seth tried to speak and failed, swallowing hard and then licking his cracked lips. “P...Please...”  He managed to whisper.

“Easy, don't talk. Save it.” That voice murmured, a bottle of water pressed to his mouth. Seth drank greedily; he had been on the run for what felt like weeks without rest and the coolness of the liquid was welcome on his dry throat. “Got t' get y' patched, can’t have ya’ passin’ on ahead of schedule.”

Seth dimly recognized the sound of traffic going by.

“They’re goin’ t’ come for ye soon, I can’t stay.” A cloth continued to daub at the blood trickling from his nose. “He’s got a plan for ye, not sure what. But he’s not goin’ t’ kill y’. He said…he said y’ won’t remember that I was here, when it’s all said an’ done. I suppose that’s fine.” Fingers wrapped around his own, pulling his hand up to graze an ugly, thick line of stitches.

-flinging himself forwards at his opponent, the rasp of air in his lungs and the chafe of sweat-soaked fabric on his skin what’s happening to me, his jaw glued shut where am I-

Seth wanted to recoil desperately.

-finally catching hold of the demon bastard and just throwing him blindly with all his strength against the guardrail, the horror he felt when Bálor staggered back up holding his bleeding shoulder-

“Bá…lor…” Seth whispered, the name strange in his mouth.

“I imagine it’d be miles easier on ya’ t’ not recall. That’s alrigh’.”

-blue eyes glowing in the black as he fell, one soot-stained arm tattooed with haphazard stitches at the shoulder outstretched to catch him-

“I doubt this is the last we’ll be seein’ of each other.” The sweaty strands of hair stuck to Seth’s forehead were smoothed back, the familiar-unfamiliar motion making him relax slightly. “Sleep now.”

“Wait, please…” Seth tried to grab his hand, tried to keep him there. Bálor’s fingers vanished from his grip and his arm fell limply to the asphalt...

Seth’s eyes flew open, glancing around wildly as he tried to remember where he was. He had passed out on the couch in Roman's office, it would seem. Bálor's jacket was draped over him. Seth wondered when that had happened, shrugging the coat on and wrapping it around him. The jacket smelled like Bálor (or maybe Bálor smelled like the jacket), clean and sharp with warm leather undertones. Seth might have buried his face in one of the lapels.

Across the room at the door, Dean was speaking with Bálor in hushed tones. “...Sami got away, so did Kane and I. You think other people-”

“It’s gettin’ worse.” Bálor said grimly. “Acolytes are stalkin’ th’ ones that do escape, draggin’ ‘em back to Wyatt so he can make sure they can’t get free again. Goddamn farmer’s market down there, three quarters are vegetables wearin’ the masks. His mouthpieces, eyes an' ears.” Bálor panted for breath, his fingers raking at the bandage on his stomach. “Feck.” He hissed after a second.

“Is it bad?”

“Just…tickles.” Bálor half-groaned, giving Dean a wink and receiving a gentle cuff on the side of his head.

“Still an asshole, I see.” Dean snorted. “If it gets to be too bad, give one of us a holler. We’d be more than happy to knock you out.”

“It’s good to know that yer still all heart, Ambrose.” Bálor teased.

Ambrose chuckled, rumpling Bálor’s hair in a fond gesture. “I almost forgot to thank you for bringing our little bro back.” He said softly.

“He came here of his own will. I did nothin’.” Bálor protested. “En’t like I brought him back from th’ dead.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Dean replied, so quietly Seth almost missed it. “He would have died if you hadn’t grabbed him off the Spinnarooni.”

“Wyatt wanted him. Wanted t’ break him.” Bálor shrugged. “I hardly had noble intentions, Ambrose, was just-”

“You didn’t have to go along with it.” Dean interrupted. Bálor tilted his head after a silent moment. “You had every reason not to go along with it.”

“Guess I still got some a’ tha’ damnable human decency in me after all.” Bálor looked over and caught Seth staring at him. He looked uncomfortable for a minute, before he simply shrugged and extended a hand. “Ready?”

Seth nodded, getting to his feet. Ambrose slapped him on the shoulder, his expression incredibly serious. “Come back sometime, alright?” Dean said quietly. “I'm glad you're okay.”

“Likewise.” Guilt strangled Rollins and he swallowed hard, trying to avoid Dean's eyes.

Ambrose knuckled his shoulder, making a dismissive noise. “Cool it. What's done is done. We got lucky.” He said, his tone gently chiding. “Don't make it be all for nothin', Rollins. And don't you never pull this dead shit again.”

“I won't. I promise.” Seth's smile felt rusty but he did it all the same.

He was surprised when Bálor brought them back to the roof of the building where he slept. Seth had figured that since he had done what he set out to do, he and Bálor would part ways. But the demon seemed in no great hurry to push him out the door, so Seth made himself comfortable on the rooftop. Bálor sat down beside him after reclaiming his jacket and for a few blissful moments the both of them just...existed.

The sky overhead sluggishly lightened, stars fading into the backdrop.

“Are you human?” Seth blurted out. Bálor raised an eyebrow so high it threatened to vanish into his hairline. “I-I mean, what I meant was--uh, well-”

“’Am I human?’” Bálor repeated, sounding bemused. “I suppose tha’ depends on yer idea of what human is. I bleed, yeah? I breathe. I had a heart in my chest, once. Pretty sure it’s gone.” Bálor paused. “But a’course, I do another thing. I assume that’s what yer referrin’ to? The…other thing?” He vanished and reappeared inches from Seth’s face, his teeth bared. “The unexplainable, the unsolvable. Throwin’ my body through the fabric a’ space to get t’ where I oughta’ be.”

“You know what I fuckin’ mean. Not that.” Seth grunted. “Do you…y’know, do you feel?”

“Pain?”

“Oh for the love of--fuck, Bálor, you’re just gonna’ make me spell it out? I…what the fuck man.” Seth blustered, more and more embarrassed by the second.

“What?” Bálor looked genuinely confused. “I don’t think I un’erstan’.”

“Emotions. Interest. I dunno’.” Seth mumbled.

“Oh. You--oh.” Bálor stopped talking abruptly, his eyes flaring neon blue in the dim light of dawn. His whole body practically bristled with nervous energy and Seth swallowed hard.

“Yeah. Something like that.” Rollins said awkwardly after several minutes of Bálor just…staring at him, zipping and unzipping his jacket absently.

“Never thought about it.” Bálor whispered finally.

“Oh.” Seth hated how weak he sounded.

“Do…” Bálor hesitated momentarily. “D’ya want me to?”

“N-No! No, of course not. Hey, if you don’t then you don’t. It’s no skin off my nose, man.” Rollins felt panicky, his voice cracking. The last thing he wanted was to make the demon who could shift through dimensions uncomfortable.

Bálor cocked his head to the side. “It bothers ye.”

“Hell no, man, I’m-”

“Don’t lie t’ me. I’m not like you lot up here.” Bálor narrowed his eyes. “Spell it out fer me.”

“You…that is, I…” Seth floundered and then shook his head, grabbing Bálor’s lapels. “Tell me to stop if you want me to stop.” He said softly, searching the other man’s face.

Bálor looked as nonchalant as ever, simply inclining his head. Seth brushed their mouths together and he felt Bálor shudder. “Stop.” The other man breathed. Seth immediately pulled back. “Wait, not so far away.” Bálor amended, cupping his face. “Ye…wanted t’ kiss me?”

“Yeah.”

“No one’s ever wanted t’...look, I’m a demon. A-A freak.” Gray fingertips stroked through Seth’s facial hair. “Why d’ you...?”

“I dunno’.”

Bálor groaned and pressed their foreheads together, blue eyes boring into Seth’s brown ones. “There’s no comin’ back from me, Rollins.” He warned. “Y’ need a better reason.”

“Do I? Last time I checked, I’ve done smarter things for dumber reasons.” Seth retorted, earning himself a wry grin. “You obviously think very highly of yourself if you believe I can’t recover from you.”

“Of course, that’s what I think.” Bálor drawled. “Far be it from me t’ worry abou’ yer wellbein’, I’m only here t’ talk m’self up.”

“You make it sound like you have acid spit.” Seth teased.

“I suppose that’d depend on whether y’ want my mouth on ye, now wouldn’t it?” Bálor’s burr had taken on a husky, softer tone. “We might have incompatible bits, Rollins.”

“I find that extremely unlikely.”

Bálor took Seth’s hand and wordlessly brought it down to cup his groin. Seth’s eyes widened. “It seems I’ve discovered how t’ shut ye up.” Bálor commented dryly when Seth failed to make any sort of comment.

“A-Absolutely no compatibility issues what so fucking ever.” Seth finally stammered out once he regained his ability to speak. Bálor actually laughed at that, his eyes crinkled with mirth.

“’King Slayer’ sounds a mite bit more impressive than ‘Demon Fucker’. But it’s...it's difficult t’ hide my interest in ye, mainly because I have nae practice in doin’ such and I don’t particularly want t' hide my interest in the first place.” Bálor hummed in his throat, rubbing their foreheads together again. “I been curious t’ see how y’ might react. Didn’t want t’ frighten ye.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Seth was startled when Bálor caught his chin and kissed him hard.

“Yer the furthest thin' from a disappointment, Seth.” Bálor said firmly between pressing kisses down his neck. Seth closed his eyes and dug his fingers into Bálor's shoulder blades. “M' serious.” Bálor took his hand again, but this time he pressed it to the bandage on his stomach beneath his shirt. “I don't move like that for just any ol' reason. I don't step in the line a' fire for no one, an' yet here I am lettin' myself get banged up for you. The hell have y' done t' me?”

“I don't want you getting hurt.” Seth managed to say.

“First one is free. Make it wort' my while an' maybe you'll get a few more outta' me.” Bálor's smirk was wicked. He was a creature stained by in-between, full of too many teeth for anyone to feel safe near him. And yet...

Seth stood up and offered Bálor his hand. The smile that he got in return was blindingly, achingly grateful. Bálor all but threw himself at him, trembling gray-tinged fingers winding through Seth's shaggy hair when he kissed him again. Rollins managed to open the door behind him and they both stumbled into Bálor's living space, Bálor seeming reluctant to part from him for even a moment.

“No one's ever touched me like this.” Bálor breathed when Seth grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged his head back so he could mouth over his neck. “Fuckin'...gods, yer makin' me a mess Rollins.” He admitted shakily.

“How much of a mess?” Seth asked, delighted when Bálor clung to his shoulders and ground their bodies together.

“A desp'rate mess.” Bálor bit the words out. “I need y', need yer hands on my skin. Fuck, I don't know what I need but I need you, dammit.” He sucked in a breath when Seth pushed his shirt up, tearing his jacket away so Seth could finish getting his shirt off. “I've never...”

“You mentioned. It's okay.” Seth chuckled, smoothing a greedy hand down the expanse of Bálor's abdomen. “You're perfect.”

“Fuck, wouldn't I like t' believe that.” Bálor huffed. “But I suppose when y' have Adonis tellin' ye yer alright, y' ought t' take the compliment.” Seth fondled him gently through his pants and he went still, his fingers loose on Seth's shoulders. “Hah.” Bálor exhaled raggedly. “Differen' when someone else is doin' the gropin'.”

“Bad or good?”

“Good, good, Christ, more.” Bálor rambled and Seth felt him twitch against his hand. “I don't know what I ought t' be doin', I've seen a few things-”

“I'll tell you what, the first one is free. We'll see where this takes us.” Seth teased him, sliding his hand into the other man's pants. Bálor's head lolled forward and he groaned loudly when Seth wrapped his fingers around his cock. “Is that what you've been waiting for? Christ, you're a handful, aren't you?” Seth murmured in his ear, feeling Bálor shudder all over at his words.

“I...I guess?” Bálor stammered, his normally-cool demeanor seeming to go to pieces under Seth's attentions. “Haven't done much measurin'.” He moved a hand down Seth's chest, tugging at the hem of the other man's hoodie.

“Trust me on this one, then.” Seth easily maneuvered out of his sweatshirt and t-shirt, unable to keep from snickering when Bálor hungrily dragged his fingers over his abs with an awestruck expression on his face. “Returnin' the favor, Bálor?”

“Call me Finn.” Bálor mumbled, making the barest eye contact before looking back down. “M' name is Finn.”

“Okay. Finn.” Seth agreed, startled at the way the other man bared his teeth. He didn't have very long to wait before Bálor was surprising him anew, those teeth nipping at his jaw and neck. Seth made an incredibly embarrassing noise and Finn obviously heard it, if the way he smiled was any indicator.

He unbuttoned Seth's jeans and wiggled the tight fabric down over his thighs, freeing Seth's cock. “Feckin' hell, y' need t' size up.” Finn muttered, sounding exasperated as he struggled to peel the jeans lower.

“They're supposed to be that way.” Rollins tried to explain. “It's a fashion thing.”

“Oh ye? Th' hell d'ya get 'em on in the mornin'?”

“Lots of prayer.” Bálor rolled his eyes at him, trying to stifle his laughter and failing miserably. Seth luxuriated in the happy sound for a second, stroking Finn's cock and letting his giggles dissolve naturally into moans. “You seem like you're enjoying yourself.”

“I am, fuck I am.” Finn licked his own palm and took Seth's cock in hand. “I know what I like, but what d' you like, mm?” When he closed his fingers down Seth lost his breath; it had been ages since he had been touched. He felt like every nerve in his body was standing at attention, Finn's grip providing a slick tug that had Seth wanting to beg for more. “Oh, that's good.” Finn said softly, “Gods, yer lovely t' look at. The sunrise comin' through t' boards over there, it's catchin' y' jus' right an' fuck, pretty as a fuckin' picture.”

Seth flushed, a little embarrassed by Finn's lavish praise. In an attempt to distract the demon Seth tightened his grip, smearing Finn's abundant precome over the sensitive head of his cock. Finn gritted out a curse when Seth fondled his sac, his voice cracking as he cried out. “What's wrong, Finn?” Seth murmured, rubbing his thumb in a lazy circle. “Are you gonna' come?” Finn dug his forehead into Seth's shoulder, trying to stifle another cry while his hips rocked up to meet Seth's fist. “Are you gonna' come all over my cock, Finn?” Seth moved to jerk their cocks together, having to use both his hands in order to stroke them at the same time.

He felt Finn's dick twitch against his own, the sheer size of it still slightly overwhelming to him. Finn's breathing hitched and he latched his mouth down on Seth's neck. Seth didn't even care that he was going to have the love bite from hell, too overwhelmed by the orgasm screwing tight in his belly. “Gonna'-” Finn grunted, his facial hair teasing the sensitive skin he had just savaged. “Y' need t' fuckin'...gods, Seth, please-”

“I know.” Seth breathed, shutting his eyes and tipping his head back. Finn groaned and came hard, Seth not far behind as he felt his cock slicked anew by Finn's release. “Fuck, fuck fuck. Holy fuck.” Rollins gasped when he could talk again, loathe to let go of Finn's dick and choosing to rub against it for a few more seconds before he became too sensitive. “Fuck.”

“I like that word comin' out yer mouth.” Finn shoved the hair back from Seth's face, cupped his jaw and kissed him just as hard as before. “Christ, I'm fuckin' exhausted.” He said bluntly, his voice pleasantly gritty. “It's half-past my fuckin' bedtime, I imagine.” Seth tried to stifle his yawn to no avail, struggling the rest of the way out of his jeans after grabbing a tissue to wipe off his hands. “If y' have no qualms abou' bein' in the same bed, I...er...” Finn trailed off, shrugging awkwardly and simply gesturing at the pile of blankets.

Seth nodded sleepily, wasting little time before flopping down to hog nearly all the blankets. Finn weaseled his way in beside him, tucking Seth protectively into his chest after a momentary tussle. “Not so bad f' a demon.” Seth mumbled.

“An' yer nae so bad fer a bedmate, I suppose.” Finn allowed, snuggling him even closer. “Wouldn't mind y' stickin' around, if yer so inclined.”

I doubt this is the last we’ll be seein’ of each other.

A Very Suplex City Christmas

[katsukou-bakugi]

Hello sweetheart!! Can I ask a Bakugou scenario where his girl crush convinces him to sneak out of the dorm past curfew to have fun together in the city at night, so that she can confess to him at the end of it? Thank you so much ily and have a nice day! ♡

It was a late night. Way too late for him to be having this conversation. The only light in his room was that of the full moon streaming in through his blinds, and the fluorescent glow of his cell phone. What the fuck was she still doing up?

Please?

i said no. go to bed already dumbass.

But I can’t sleep! Just for a few hours?

He knew his options were limited. Either humor her, or be kept awake by her nagging texts all night. He’d tried ignoring them of course, but knowing it was her texting him made it feel like an itch in his hands, and he couldn’t help but look. Then, he couldn’t help but answer. Besides, he was finding it difficult to sleep too. And while the idea of sneaking out didn’t exactly appeal to him, the thought of spending time with her did.

Not that he’d tell her that.

fine. just let me get dressed and i’ll meet you downstairs.

He couldn’t believe he was getting roped into this. He threw off his covers and stumbled out of bed, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes as he yanked a random t-shirt from his closet and tripped his way into some jeans. By the time he got down to the common room, she was already there. 

She looked like she’d been ready for a while, actually. She looked way too put together to have just gotten out of bed and come down at a moment’s notice, as if she’d known he’d eventually agree. As much as he hated that it even came to mind, he couldn’t help thinking how cute she looked, waiting for him so patiently like that, all dolled up… just for him?

“Let’s get this over with,” he grunted as he walked past her to the door. He opened it and leaned against it to hold it in place, looking to her expectantly. “What’re you waiting for? Get your ass moving.”

He couldn’t explain the little smile she gave him, but it made his stomach knot up. Like she saw right through him. “You got it,” she chirped blithely, making her way through the door while he followed suit. 

“So where the hell are you taking me?”

“Well,” she hummed thoughtfully, “I saw that there was a carnival in town. They have those silly rigged games and even a few rides. That sounded fun.”

Awfully convenient, he couldn’t help but think. She planned this… what’s she up to? He kept his questions to himself, stuffing his hands in his pockets and offering a short nod. “Fine. I’m not payin’ for any tickets, though.”

At that she seemed to snicker a bit, waving her hand dismissively. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

He felt goosebumps on his arms, trying not to glance at her while they walked side by side. They were close enough that their arms brushed tantalizingly together, and every little touch made his heart race. She seemed… way more chipper than usual. She definitely was up to something. 

She lead the way into the city, Bakugou trailing not far behind. The way the moonlight hit her surrounded her in a soft halo of light. He grit his teeth, his fists clenching in his pockets. It was frustrating, how easily she got under his skin like this, only to act as if she had no idea what she was doing to him.

When they arrived, she bought the tickets just as she’d promised. She said she had a bit of money set aside for snacks and games too, and the rides were free with the ticket. “What do you want to do first?” she asked him as she seemed to dizzy herself with all the options. “It all looks so fun!”

“I don’t care, just pick something.”

They started with the spinning teacups. She’d had to plead with him to help turn the wheel, because she wanted to spin faster; so he decided he’d definitely show her “faster.” As they spun and spun around, their surroundings steadily blurring, the only thing he could still see clearly was her; her broad smile and flushed, laughing cheeks as she wobbled with the motions of the teacup. He bit down his amusement, and spun them faster.

When they finally stopped, she could barely stand up straight. He was a bit off balance himself, but she was practically tripping over herself. At one point she literally tripped, and he barely managed to catch her by the waist and steady her. Their eyes locked, and he cursed the heat in his cheeks. He righted her and coughed under his breath.

“You’re gonna be the clumsiest hero in history,” he remarked flatly before carrying on to their next activity.

She suggested playing a few of the games. The first one they saw was one where you threw a ball to knock over the pins, and if you knocked them all down you won a prize. She tried it first, and only managed to knock over a single pin, at which he scoffed teasingly under his breath.

“Let me,” he jeered as he pushed his way in front, picking up the ball. They paid for another play, and he rolled his shoulder to prep his throw, just like during the fitness tests. As much as he wanted to blow them all away, he knew it was probably best not to do something extreme. So instead he threw it as hard as he could without his quirk.

The ball hit the pins with a clattering sound, and still flew with enough force to create a loud crash against the wall of the game stall. When he looked, he saw that there were three pins still standing. Clenching his jaw, he made it his goal to send all those pins to hell by the end of the night.

It took several tries, and suddenly her joke about the games being rigged didn’t seem like a joke anymore. Finally, after drawing a small crowd of onlookers and scaring the booth attendant into the farthest corner of the stall, he wound up one last throw. It was the last of the money she’d saved for this excursion, but she’d given it to him happily; this seemed about as close to having fun as he could get, after all.

“Die!” he shouted as he threw the final ball, the sound of the pins falling an explosion in its own right. For a moment he didn’t dare look, and when he finally did he felt himself grin with satisfaction. Every single one had fallen.

“C-congratulations,” the attendant chuckled sheepishly, gesturing to the shelf of oversized stuffed animals behind him. “Go on and pick out your prize. You’ve earned it.”

He huffed, glancing pointedly at her, then at the selection of plushies. “I don’t want that crap. Just pick one.”

She beamed briefly at him before pointing to a big, velvety starfish plush on the top shelf. As it was handed to her, she hugged the big, pink monstrosity to her chest tightly. “Thank you, Katsuki,” she said sweetly with a grin that made his whole core turn all melty and warm. “I love it.”

He shrugged, looking away to try and hide any possible sign of endearment. “It’s just a stupid toy. Would’ve been cheaper to just buy the thing than to play that shitty game for it.”

“Yeah, probably,” she agreed, looking to the side as she nervously brushed a hand through her hair. “But it wouldn’t have been as sweet.”

He hadn’t realized it until then that the game hadn’t just been a matter of pride or whatever it was that usually motivated is ridiculous ventures. He’d wanted to win for her. His throat went tight and he growled to clear it, feigning annoyance. “You get one more lame thing, then we’re going back.”

She nodded, taking his hand gingerly. When he didn’t pull away, her grip seemed braver as she lead him to their next and last activity. The line for the ferris wheel was short, and she couldn’t help but think that it was a perfect conclusion to the night. “You’re choosing this dumb ride as your last one?”

“Hush, it’ll be fun,” she insisted as they climbed into their seats. Pretty soon they were rising above the stalls and buildings and other rides, until they could clearly see the moonlit skyline and a vast expanse of stars overhead. Pretty soon they’d come to a halt at the top. “So pretty,” she mumbled, seeming awestruck by the view.

He looked at her for a long moment, while she was distracted and not paying him any mind. “Yeah,” he agreed. But he wasn’t talking about the view.

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them, a cool breeze feeling frigid against his hot, flushed face. Finally, she turned to him with a somewhat serious look in her eyes. All her enthusiasm seemed muted now, like she was nervous all of a sudden. “Katsuki,” she began with a thick swallow, hugging her plush starfish tightly. “I… I was dishonest with you. I didn’t ask you out here just because I couldn’t sleep. I just… wanted to be alone with you.”

His heart seized, but he was silent as she continued.

“I… I wanted to talk to you alone. Somewhere private. I heard about the carnival a few weeks ago, and I’ve been planning to ask you ever since.”

“And we couldn’t have gone during the day?” he asked in an attempt to keep his stoic facade intact.

“We could’ve, but… I almost chickened out. It wasn’t until earlier tonight that I decided I’d regret it if I didn’t go through with it.”

Go through with what? He had his hopes of course, but he tried to smother them as best he could. Both for his pride’s sake, and in case he was somehow misinterpreting the whole situation.

She took a deep breath and sighed, looking out over the landscape again. “You’re amazing, Katsuki. You’re strong and brave, and… it may not be obvious, but you have a good heart. I just wanted to tell you that. And say that I-”

He acted on impulse. His hand reached out in the blink of an eye to cup her cheek and tilt her head towards him. Their eyes locked for but a brief second, but in that second he saw more than any amount of words could explain. He wasn’t sure who closed the gap between them as their lips met. As his fingers tangled needily into her hair, he heard the whizz, scream and pop of fireworks as they lit up the sky around them.

He was hesitant to separate from her, but when he did he lingered close, relishing her soft breath on his lips. “You were rambling,” he explained dully, and she smiled with a soft, flustered shyness.

“Yeah… sorry about that.”

They walked home hand in hand, so close that their hips brushed together. He lead her up to her room and gave her quick kiss goodnight before hurrying away to his own dorm. He missed her warmth as he laid in bed; she clutched her fluffy prize in lieu of his body.

Okay so this got really long?!? I maaaaaay have gotten a bit too into this one but it was such a cute fucking prompt and I’m a sucker for sappy romance. (Hence the obligatory ferris wheel scene and giant plush.) Thanks for the request!

[sassyhottubstrawberry-blog]

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I've always had Geico and it was the cheapest a couple years ago. Is that still the case?

How much would car insurance cost for a 16 year old?

I'm 15, and I am thinking about paying for my own car insurance next year to help my parents out. I was wondering how much it would cost per month given the facts that I am a guy, and I was thinking about buying a used 2005 or 2007 Mustang for my first car. How much would is cost per month for my circumstances?""

How does my 2nd speeding ticket affect my insurance?

I recently got my 2nd speeding ticket. My first speeding ticket was about a yr ago, so I cant redo traffic school. If I am correct, this means I will get a point on my record. Is that point on my drivers record only? or does that point show up on my insurance too? So will it raise my insurance? and by how much? I have AAA and I live in California. Thanks""

How much will insurance cost on a 1973 Dodge Challenger?

I am looking to buy one and its going to be under my parents name so I was just wondering if anyone can give me an estimate. Thanks!

Approximately how much is Home Owners Insurance?

I'm sure it varies by location and value of the house, but approximately how much is homeowners insurance?""

""I bought my first car and need to get insurance on it, do I have to put my parents on my policy?""

I've talked to a few different insurance companies and half of them insist I need to put my parents on my policy since they're family and I live with them. The other half of the companies don't even ask. If I add my parents to my policy it makes the price per month go up a ton, and know one that I've asked has been able to tell me if I should have to add them or not, I'd rather not add them, since they don't drive my car anyways, we all have our own cars to drive.""

Which insurance company will insure a rabbit?

Looking for pet insurance. VPI is out of question. They confused this rabbit with a previous rabbit I have. I tried to appeal but they ignored, so I can't get insurance from them. Any other insurance will insure a rabbit? My bunny is young and healthy.""

Seeking an auto insurance company who offers independent spouses insurance?

married, but want to buy separate auto insurance""

car insurance quotes idaho

car insurance quotes idaho

""What is the cheapest insurance for a teenager in alex,la for a motorcycle?""

What is the cheapest insurance for a teenager in alex,la for a motorcycle?""

If men have to pay more for car insurance then why aren't women paying more for health insurance?

You can use the same exact argument they use against men to increase their car insurance. http://www.jfponline.com/purls/Pages.asp?AID=2450 From the departments of Family and Community Medicine (K.D.B., E.J.C.) and Internal Medicine (J.A.R.) University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento; and the Division of Statistics (R.A.) and the Department of Economics (L.J.H.), University of California, Davis, Davis. Reprint requests should be addressed to Klea D. Bertakis, MD, MPH, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 4860 Y Street, Suite 2300, Sacramento, CA 95817. E-mail: kdbertakis@ucdavis.edu. BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that women use more health care services than men. We used important independent variables, such as patient sociodemographics and health status, to investigate gender differences in the use and costs of these services. METHODS: New adult patients (N = 509) were randomly assigned to primary care physicians at a university medical center. Their use of health care services and associated charges were monitored for 1 year of care. Self-reported health status was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). We controlled for health status, sociodemographic information, and primary care physician specialty in the statistical analyses. RESULTS: Women had significantly lower self-reported health status and lower mean education and income than men. Women had a significantly higher mean number of visits to their primary care clinic and diagnostic services than men. Mean charges for primary care, specialty care, emergency treatment, diagnostic services, and annual total charges were all significantly higher for women than men; however, there were no differences for mean hospitalizations or hospital charges. After controlling for health status, sociodemographics, and clinic assignment, women still had higher medical charges for all categories of charges except hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Women have higher medical care service utilization and higher associated charges than men. Although the appropriateness of these differences was not determined, these findings have implications for health care.""

""What is good, affordable health insurance in Arizona?

My job is no accepting aps for insurance till October but I need some now. Any good suggestions?

Health Insurance?

Will my health insurance cover going to a psychiatrist regarding anxiety issues?

Does insurance go up for out of state speeding ticket?

I hae a New York drivers license, i was pulled over going 45 in a 30.....$150 ticket....................i looked it up and i know i do not get points on my record, but does my insurance go up? does anyone knoow and have a good source they can provide? Thanks""

I'm added to my parents car insurance policy. . .?

I'm added to my parents car insurance policy. But the insurance card (the copy of insurance you keep in the glove box) don't have my name on it. Is this normal for insurance ...show more

What is the cheapest car insurance in michigan?

I am looking for cheap car insurance I live in battle creek mi. I am 22 years old and on ssi. I have autism diagnosis. And I want to be able to get a car I do not have a license right now. But can get one social worker told me that. I would be allowed to drive. I do not own a car right now. But I have $2000 save up for a car. Before I take anymore steps I need to find out if i can afford insurance. I have about $30-$45 to spend a month on insurance for a car. That cost about $2000 I only need the bare minimum that will allow me to drive with a license legally. Dose anyone know where in i can get cheap car insurance? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

Astra van Mk4 Insurance for 17 year old...?

Hey, I know its probably thought as weird but for my first car/van I want a Vauxhall Astravan as I love the shape and the car/van itself. The thing is the New model (06-TO current) have the 1.3 CDTI engine which is good but if you want a decent one there all 3000+... The Mk4 astravan (98-06) only go as low as a 1.6 Deisel. Could I be insured on this or would it be a big bill, or is it just worth getting a normal car? Chris""

""How much is insurance for two adults, two small kids under 10, and two cars?""

I know for each company, it's different and varies, but how much do you guys pay personally for your company? Also, do you have to notify insurance after getting married. what happens if you forget? Do they call you personally or do you get fined?""

Car Insurance...????

How much would it be for a 16 Year old boy to be added on his parents insurance policy... Completed Drivers Ed Lives in Baltimore, MD Has really good grades It would be liberty mutual if that helps... thanks!""

How much will my car insurance go up?

I got a ticket for speeding (66 mph in a 45 mph work zone). My ticket total is $438. I am trying to decide whether to get a laywer and fight it or just pay it off. Approximately how much with my auto insurance go up? Cost of lawyer? How many points will I get on my license? I am 22 years old living in North Carolina and have never had a ticket. Advice?

Insurance company charging my PARENTS?

i recently got my license and the insurance company called my parents (21-century), and told them that the have to pay a ridiculous amount of money because I live in their house and I have a license. I don't even have a car. I thought u had to have a car to pay for car insurance. They guy who spoke to my mom told her it was a new law even if i don't have a car. By the way i live in california.Do i have to pay insurance just because i got a license? Do i have to forfeit my license in order to live with my parents without getting charged for insurance?""

New York city question regarding insurance?

How are the insurance premiums in New york city (queens borough specifically) ? i.e. how much would someone like I have to pay for insurance say per year (for a car that has about 80,000 miles on it)? I have New York driving license for 2 1/2 years now, and prior to that had Pennsylvania license for 3 years. I had my own car for the 3 years I had Pennsylvania license, and have been renting cars (twice or thrice a year) for the 2 1/2 years I have been in NYC. In all these 5 1/2 years, I had no accidents. Also, how much is registration fee to register a vehicle in New york city?""

Why might a 19 year old driver be glad that insurance companies pool risk?

Why might a 19 year old driver be glad that insurance companies pool risk?

How far will my car insurance go up?

i hit my friends car at school today, there's just alittle dent and some red paint from my car on his car. im 16, and i have a red mustang convertible..im just wondering how much my insurance will go up?""

How come I haven't been forced to buy car insurance?

I keep hearing from some people on here that the government forces us to buy car insurance. How come nobody has forced me to buy it?? My roommate also doesn't have car insurance. We live in the city and take public transportation so we always thought we didn't need to buy car insurance. Are we breaking the law? Also, my brother lives in New Hampshire and he drives a car but said he doesn't have car insurance!! Is he breaking the law?""

What is the best kind of life insurance?

should one buy to take care of their final expenses . What is term life ins? I am in my 60's and don;t want to burden my children to have to pay for my funeral someday.

Why should I compare home owners insurance companies?

We have owned our home for 13 years, and we have always just stuck with the same insurance provider we had when we first got our mortgage. I am not sure if the premium we are paying is fair or not. I have no idea what the rate would be to insure our home with some other insurance company. Is it really worth the time and effort to compare home owners insurance companies to see if we can get a better rate? How much lower could the premiums actually be, and could we really end up saving that much money in the long run?""

""Car insurance help, for new driver!?""

I passed my driving test 3 months ago and am looking for insurance to drive my parents car, however every company i have tried is way too expensive (one quoted 11000?!?!) anyway, does anyone know of any UK insurance companies that do good deals for new drivers?? please help, i am so desperate to drive! thanks :)""

Young adult health insurance?

Young adult son cannot find job, not in college, has no health insurance - any ideas?""

""If a teenager gets into a car accident, how long until their insurance rate goes back down?""

One of my friends was recently involved in a car crash which I believe he was at fault at. The other car didn't sustain much damage, but his car took quite a beating. He's only 17, and he's basically in a shell shock right now since it was his first accident. He told me that he feels really guilty about the fact that his insurance his gonna spike up (State Farm) and he feels so bad for the fact his dad is gonna be having to pay for it. So my question is..will his insurance always be that high for the rest of his driving life until he's old? Or will it steadily go back down?""

Do i need insurance if i have drivers permit?

i got my permit yesterday but my parents wont let me drive until i get insurance. my moms car is insured. the insurance is 1000 dollars and thats how much i have in my savings account and if i spend it all i'll be broke. im 18 and still in high school and im looking for a job i applied but no one is hiring me and its frustrating!! im gonna waste all that money i did save on some stupid insurance??? ?????

Driver license test without insurance?

Im 18 and have not taken drivers ed I was wondering if I could take the drivers test without insurance and then if I pass get insurance then recive my driver license once I get insurance.

If a car audio system is stolen will regular car insurance cover it?

I live in the suburbs of Missouri where i am not very worried about my car audio system being stolen but i was wondering if something was to happen to it would my regular monthly car insurance cover it? Or is there a additional fee? Should i waste 300$ on a alarm? Or do i already have insurance for my system because im paying car insurance? Because my subs box and amp only are 1000$ plus all the other stuff i have. If im not covered is it even worth paying it? How can i prevent it from being stolen like screw it to the floor board? Basically im paranoided about it being stolen! Give me tips! Thanks!

How long does it take for a traffic ticket to show up on your driver's license and insurance?

So i got a ticket on july 17th (of this year) and the deadline to pay, contest, or do traffic school for it was september 17th, two days ago. i checked yesterday for the update because i thought i had a few more days and it said i can extend the ticket (to pay or to contest or to attend traffic school) to november 16th. i chose that and i will eventually go to traffic school but my question is, is point already on my record and will it affect my insurance rates? My friend was saying no because i extended the date and by doing so i havent plead guilty to the ticket (by paying it or attending traffic school for it) so right now because i have the date to fix the ticket extended by two months, it will not show up on my license or my insurance. What do you guys think? thanks a ton for any help :)""

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car insurance quotes idaho

""After a DUI,about how much a month does your car insurance go up?

First DUI and I share a policy with a family member.

Insurance on 2009 A4 TFSI (I'm 19)?

What would be the insurance rate for a 2009 Audi A4 TFSI (4 cilinder 2.0 turbo) for me, I'm 19 years old and I live in Florida. I have a 2008 335i which is V6 twin-turbo and the insurance is high, can't afford US$6000 a semester. thank u""

How come my name isn't listed on the auto insurance card even though i AM insured?

My parents have bought auto insurance but whenever they send the insurance card (proof of insurance), only their names are on there. However, if you look up our policy number, I AM an insured driver. Why is that? How am I suppose to carry an insurance card? Is it because I'm under 18?""

""I will turn 64 in March, I am a widow, how can I get affordable health insurance?

Dental and Vision most important No current health concerns

Who is the cheapest car insurance provider in Nichigan?

Who is the cheapest car insurance provider in Nichigan?

Pregnant and scared...?

I just found out I'm pregnant, my boyfriend and I are keeping it and we're planning to get married. I'm 24 yrs old, I'm in serious debt (I have not been able to get this problem resolved for the last couple of years and I'm considering bankruptcy), he doesn't have much of a job either....we're going to try our best with that but I have no idea if I should go through with the bankruptcy or if there's any other option for me. Also, (even worse) I don't have insurance at the moment. My work has open enrollment for health coverage in November (I missed it last year cuz I was out of town) so I don't know what to do there, either. And another problem.....I have yet to tell my parents and theyre gonna kill me. How can I approach/tell them? There are no family members I trust that I can talk to about this and this all really sucks but I really want this baby. Any advice? Please refrain from telling me I'm stupid, because I already know that much, and I'm gonna hear it from my parents.""

Car accident without insurance?

So today I rear ended a 2011 Honda Civ, a small strach [sp], some paint missing and a possible dent. My car on the other hand suffered some significant damage. Now as we were preparing to exchange info, I find out my car doesn't have insurance (its my parents and I wasn't informed) and I told her I will pay for damages and apologized, etc. Now I asked how much would it cost, etc. Her insurance company told her I would have to pay $20+ per day for her rental car how ever many days its in the shop. That I can handle. But say worse case scenarios: How much would it cost to replace a back bumper for a 2011 honda civ? Or to fix a dent, color, paint, etc? Has this happened to anyone else without insurance, etc?""

How come I can't keep my health insurance coverage?

President Obama stated that under the Affordable Health Care Act that any American that wanted to keep their existing coverage or doctor would be able to. I signed up today and they ...show more

Does State Farm Insurance go up after ONE speeding ticket?

I'm almost 18 years old, and I'm on my dads insurance policy. They've been customers with state farm for almost 15 years. I got a speeding ticket a few months ago, but ...show more""

How much would car insurance and tax cost?

I was just wondering how much car insurance and tax and anything else i would have to pay other than the price of the vehicle would cost a 23 year old in England on an Automatic Chevrolet Camaro, Automatic Range Rover Sport or an Automatic Ford Mustang GT.""

""So I am 19 years old and received my first speeding ticket, will it increase my insurance?""

I've asked this before and want to clarify. Some people told me the first ticket is a freebee and my insurance won't go up. Others have told me yes, my insurance will go up. I am in the state of California, I have Allstate insurance, and I'm on an insurance plan with my mom. I've been driving for a little over a year. Thanks everyone!""

How much is car insurance for a new driver in London?

I'm 27yrs and I'm looking at buying 2000 VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.0 E 3dr Hatchback. I want to get my full driving licence before I buy the car which means I would be a new driver when I want to get the insurance. I just want to have a rough idea of how much I will be paying annually. I know i cant get the right figure, just need a rough idea of the minimum/maximum i would have to pay. Any contribution will be highly appreciated.""

What is the cheapest auto insurance for a 19 year old female?

I am soon going to buy a used Toyota Corolla and I live in North Carolina. I am just starting to get my driver's license and I was wondering what auto insurance is cheaper? Would it be cheaper if I was on my parents auto insurance?

Being sued by an insurance company?

Hello, I got in a car accident about two years ago and i didn't have insurance, i was found at fault and now im getting sued for $20,000 by the other driver's insurance company, The original amount was $17,000, They have been trying to collect for a longgg time now. I know i blew it off for a long time but now im ready to take responsibility and start trying to pay it. The car i was driving was under my moms name and they are trying to go after her also but i want to take full responsibility. I have to go to court next month, and im wondering if I should get a lawyer to represent me even though i'm guilty. I'm hoping that I can make a payment plan or anything I need to get my life back on track""

I want a baby but don't have insurance?

My husband and I just got a new apartment and then got married courthouse style. We have both decided that we want a baby soon but right now we don't have insurance. Is there any cheap option that would cover the entire pregnancy?

Rental car insurance?

I want my sisters friend to rent a car for me, because i am only 19. But i want to make sure if i buy rental car insurance that i will be covered because she wont be with me. Anything helps""

When can I drop full coverage insurance?

I have a 2010 nissan versa I have full coverage I wanted to know how long until i can drop the full coverage and will my insurance rate be lower?

Medical insurance?

my husband has medical insurance & i do not one medicine we both take without the insurance it is only $7.89 WITH insurance he still has to pay his $25 co-pay How Come ??????????????

What would insurance roughly cost for a 17 year old as a second driver to some one who has no tickets/fines?

im looking to buy a 1994 nissan skyline gts-t for my 1st car and am wondering roughly it would cost im also looking a 1992 dodge stealth

What kind of insurance overage should I get for my bike?

I have a 98 Honda Superhawk (996 CC). I'm unsure what kind of coverage I need since I'm learning to pay for my own insurance. It's a bike that I'm just planning to ride for small commute and weekends. I'm also trying to pay as little as possible. I was thinking of going with progressive. I got a rate of $300 Any idea of what coverage I need will be appreciated! Thanks

What is the best 50cc moped/scooter's around insurence wise?

For my 16th Birthday my dad is going to buy me a second hand moped, I have a budget of 400. I have to pay for my own cbt, licence and insurance. What are the best mopeds when considering insurance? Or are they pretty much all the same? Some friends have told me to avoid the 'Chinese/Japanese' makes if I want to get a good insurance deal, is this true? Are there any other types I should avoid? Thanks so much!""

I NEED A CHEAP AUTO INSURANCE ONTARIO?

I have my g2, i am 19 years old, and i am trying to find a cheap insurance to quote me on a cheap car....its only a 99 cavalier 4 door. I have done a lot of online quotes and i have basically gotten the same quote around $430. I would like a quote more around the $200 range!! Help! Anyone know of any cheap auto insurances?? Thanks!! Carley.xo""

How much is a moped? Test and insurance?

Struggling to afford a car, so looking at buying a mope until I have a decent wage to afford a car. How much would the test be and on average how much would insurance be?""

How much more would my car insurance cost if I went from having a 96 honda civic to a 2000 BMW 328i?

I'm getting a 2000 bmw 328i... I have a honda civic already. My insurance was like 1200 for the whole year I think... already paid it in full. I'm 19, with no accident history, no speeding tickets, never arrested; I don't really have anything that would make my insurance go up to my name. I live in MA, so i guess I can't get gieco or allstate or whatever..""

Does my insurance background disappear when i cancel my insurance premium?

What i mean is you know how some insurance companies give you a little discount if you havent gotten into an accident or received any tickets or any sort for a year? Well say After one year you cancel your insurance for about 7 months, and then you want to get re-insured, would that discount still be available? Or canceling the insurance would mean your background is gone? I plan on leaving for basic training for the Army and ill be gone for 7 months. Ive been driving since i was 17 and almost have a year in clean record and wouldnt mind the good drivers discount?""

car insurance quotes idaho

car insurance quotes idaho

Corvette insurance?

does any one own a corvette? How much is insurance??

What is the cheapest insurance company?

I just bought a car, and I have no driver license. Which company offer the cheapest insurance?""

How much will insurance cost for my painting business i am a sub contractor and i have no employs just my self?

what they require is $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 personal injury and $2,000,000 general aggregate . thanks""

Anyone want to give me a rough estimate on this car insurance quote?

My friend drives a '98 Mercury right now. She's been into four accidents (three of them were caused by her), is one point away from getting her license taken away, and got a DUI last summer. Consequently, when she got her car back, she tried to get it insured only to find out her insurance premium for NO FAULT is almost a thousand a month. That's for a standard insurance company. She went to a small rinky-dink company for a lower quote and got a lower quote but I'm not quite sure what that quote was. Since she can't afford to pay that much in insurance, she (stupidly) has decided to get fake insurance proofs that she thinks will get passed secretary of state so she can renew her tags. I told her she needs to have real insurance or she could get into lots of trouble (not to mention end up owing tens of thousands of dollars if she crashes). She didn't listen to my advice and went with the fake insurance proofs which did NOT get passed secretary of state; her new plan is to pay for one months insurance and then stop paying for the next few years until her insurance goes down. She told me the other day that she wants to buy a BMW by the time she's 22. That means in one and a half years. Not only will her insurance still be high, but it will probably be even higher since she will have gone two years without it. So, considering the facts I've given you and that she has to pay almost a grand a month for no fault on an older Mercury, how much more do you think she will be paying for FULL coverage on a BMW?""

Young Drivers Car Insurance?

My son is 17 in January and already owns a car, im looking for car insurance for him as a learner then obviously as a passed driver. Most comparisson sites wont search as he is not 17 at the moment. He insists that he does not want one with a box fitted to the car. Any ideas of companies that will give a reasonable quote would be appreciated.""

Camaro Vs. Mustang which is cheaper?

Camaro vs. Mustang which is affortable? Would a 2012 Camaro Coupe more affortable than a Mustang 2012 Mustang. By affortable i mean like insurances/ gas/ and all that other stuffs. Which one is cheaper in total to own? TY

Can you find a insurance quote for a car ie rover 45 on a y registered plate?

please find list of car insurance firms

How can we get our own health insurance?

What do we need to do to get our own health insurance and how much is insurance usually?

Question on buying new insurance policy with previous insurance company?

Recently I was involved in a collision where the other driver was at fault and their insurance company paid out for my written off vehicle. Now I have 7 days to find another car before my courtesy car gets taken away, so after using money supermarket website the cheapest quote that came up is with my current insurance company. But the issue that makes me concerned is that I recently also go a renewal quote as my insurance is about to run out and the quote was ridicously HIGH but why it is so much cheaper if I go through the comparison website? so does this mean they will make me pay that high fee of I'm not joking 29,509.43 even though the other insurance company paid out and I was not at fault? On the website the quote is 1,454 for the year which is a bit more than what I paid last year but I don't mind but I'm just worried if I bought that online would they later ask me a different price that I must pay.""

Young Driver Insurance?

I am 18 and have recently passed my driving test. I have bought a car, a 55 regVauxhall Corsa 1.2 SXI 3 door, and before I bought it all of the insurance quotes were cheap - none above 2500 a year. I looked today and all of them are over 4000, even if I put both of my parents as named drivers. Does anyone know any good, cheap young driver car insurance companies or have any advice on how I could lower my premium? I have checked the majority of comparison sites.""

Can you insure two people separately on the same car?

My girlfriend is doing her lessons and driving to work and having her own car would cost more than it does to get the bus with price of parking, and I don't want to put her on my insurance so would she be able to insure her self on my car as well on a different policy?""

Ticket for no insurance?Car insured but Name not on it?

i got stopped for speeding no licence and no insurance in Texas. can i show proof of insurance without my name and get it dismissed?

Car insurance on Mitsubishi Eclipse?

Im only 16, almost 17. Female. First time driver. No accidents. We have Geico. The car is a 2007. 47500 miles on it. 2 door. I tried looking online for an insurance calculator.. I just wanna know about how much a month it would be.""

How is mandating health insurance socialism? Why is no one rioting about car insurance?

Healthcare is still run by the private sector. Just more people will be able to get it. How is ensuring everyone has insurance socialized medicine? Healthcare is run by the private sector either way.

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old male for a 2006 corvette that is used and cost 15000?

the person has never had any tickets or got into any trouble ever.

What type of driving course reduces insurance?

What type of driving course from the driving school reduces insurance for new drivers?

""If I already have health insurance, but get hired somewhere where they also have health insurance as a benefit?""

does that mean I HAVE to have their insurance? I want to keep my own insurance, which is under my parents health insurance.""

How do I find health insurance for myself as an individual?

I am currently a sophomore in college, and I really hate student insurance, as it covers and pays for almost nothing, and doesn't include dental. Where do I go if i need to get a different provider?""

Insurance cost for 2.3l fox body mustang 16 year old?

I am 16 and considering purchasing a 2.3l four cylinder mustang. These were made from the mid 80's to early 90's. They have like no power but get good mpg. I am worried that insurance companies would see the word mustang and give me a high rate. BTW my sister is 17 and pays only 50 a month on a family plan for a 1995 suzuki sidekick.

Are young adults covered under their parents health insurance till 26 under the new Obama law?

Is it true that the new Obama law states that children/young adults will receive health insurance coverage until they are 26 even if they are not in school, married, and living out of ...show more""

Does the condition of the car affect car insurance?

Does the car appearance (good or bad) affect how much we pay for car insurance. I know insurance companies always ask What condition is your car?..any dents, etc does saying its in good condition make the rates go up or down?""

Car insurance and licence time held?

I have a question about filling out CAR insurance quotes. it asks for the type of licence & how long i've held it... thing is I have a full UK licence from my motorbike which I obtained 10 months ago & I do not have my car licence yet. Do I put UK full and time held 10 months? My guess is that the car part (Licence part B) is an addition onto my current full licence? Take a look at this picture to see what I am trying to fill out: http://imgkk.com/i/xhg3.png Thanks!

""How much do you pay for these items,Gas,Food etc Monthly?""

rent, water, electric, gas, car insurance , gas, food, internet service, phone bill, medication""

Have I been ripped off? Car insurance?

Need a bit of help! I recently turned 18 and passed my driving test I drive a c1 and I paid 3060 for my car insurance this is with a black box fitted! I don't know if this is bad or good?? Considering I am being monitored?? Please help

How do i set up a car insurance company?

im looking to set up a car insurance company in the uk. I am quite business minded but am not in a position to be spending thousands of pounds to set it up. would be greatful of any info on how I go about things thanks

car insurance quotes idaho

car insurance quotes idaho

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