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lady-october · 3 months ago

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Pairing : Oli Sykes x Female Assistant Genre : Romance, Smut (18+ Only) Previous Chapters : Available on Ao3 & Tumblr

Story Content : Smut, Drama, Choking, Power dynamics, Romance, Rough sex, Sadism/Masochism, Dom/Sub, Mentions of addiction & self harm, Degradation, Praise kink, Exhibitionism, Orgasm denial, Breath play, Dirty talk.

Summary :

“Don’t you see what a dangerous game you’re playing? Why did you have to look so fucking delicious tonight, I couldn’t stop undressing you in my mind, thinking of all the twisted things I want to do to you.” She had only worked on the touring team for three weeks, but her mind had been hijacked by dirty thoughts of a man she barely even talked to. Sure, he was very attractive, but were there other reasons she was so uncontrollably drawn to him? This is a filthy story of pain, self discovery, and love.

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Chapter 27: You monsters are people

Chapter title is lyrics from “Obey”

This chapter is from Oli’s perspective.

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I can’t believe she stayed.

As soon as the words had left my mouth, I’d regretted it. But being inside her, being surrounded by her scent, her legs wrapped around me, her large blue eyes set in that flushed, soft face, how was I supposed to keep the words to myself?

How was I expected to not express my love for such a perfect sight?

I’d been working overtime for days to keep from telling her I love her, knowing it was too soon, especially for someone like Alice.

And then I’d gone and told her twice within the span of a couple of hours.

I let my hands rake over my face as I shook my head under the shower head, the warm water cascading around my vision, turning the tiles wavy.

I’m so fed up with myself.

Regardless of my self-indulgent recklessness last night, she’d still stayed, faced her demons, and let me know she’s trying.

And now it was my turn to return the favour.

But how was I supposed to deal with my current problems, when dead and buried demons were suddenly crawling out of their overgrown graves, reminding me that maybe they hadn’t been properly dealt with in the first place?

I thought I’d shed the shackles Fay had put around my ankles at this point, but in so many ways I’m still the same person I was a year ago when I read her texts. I still crave the validation, the attention she offers me so readily. So greedily.

I’m not completely daft though, I know she’s just manipulating me, just like she’s always manipulated me. Controlling me in ways I feel powerless against. The difference is that I didn’t use to care. In fact, I welcomed it, because I wanted to spend every moment with her regardless of her intentions.

It only became a problem when we were no longer on the same page.

I also knew why she was the way she was, which made it even harder to judge her for it.

You see, I may have always been drawn to troubled women, but Fay’s the most troubled of them all.

By a long shot.

She may not be suicidal in the typical sense, but she lives her life like there’s no tomorrow, continuously reckless in ways that usually guarantees becoming worm food prematurely.

You’d think most of her wild traits could be chalked up to growing up with her addict mum, who were either not home for days on end, or blacked out on the sofa when she was. Or maybe even by the fact that she croaked from an overdose when Fay was barely a teen.

But personally, I think most of it could be explained by being left in the care of her extremely abusive stepfather once her mum was out of the picture.

About two years ago when it was still Mat and Fay, we’d all gone to stay in Birmingham to hunker down and spend a full week focused on writing and recording a new EP.

This also happens to be the week me and Fay fell in love.

Every night was sleepless, which wasn’t uncommon for me, but it turned out Fay also had her slumber related problems. This meant we’d spend hours every night together, oversharing, getting to know each other on an inappropriately personal level considering her relationship status with my best mate.

I wasn’t used to opening up to people, but the very first night Fay had told me about her childhood, and it all just spiralled from there. Naturally – and because I’m a fucking mess – I was immediately enthralled by this seemingly mythical being, so fun, yet terrifyingly disturbed.

What was so shocking about her was how casually she talked about her life, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Which, to be fair, to her it was.

My earliest taste of this came on the second night of the trip. We’d been talking about our mutual love for animals, when she interjected with a long list of stray pets she’d rescued off the streets and hid from her stepdad.

Only to follow it up with how she kept coming home to them having their necks broken once he’d found them.

I’d been horrified, wondering how that would’ve affected her – how it still must affect her, when without skipping a beat, she’d move on with the conversation, going on a passionate tangent about climate change out of nowhere.

It was bizarre, it was refreshing – it was alarming and worrisome. But in some weird way it was also strangely comforting, knowing that even though she was deeply traumatised, and clearly unhealed, she still had a zest for life.

Albeit maybe a bit too much zest.

The last night of the trip was the most memorable to me.

She’d been laying on the balcony table for about an hour, staring up into the night sky as it slowly shifted and changed to brighter colours. I’d been distracted by the silk robe she’d worn, and how her long, bright red hair was hanging over the edge of the table, halfway to the concrete floor. She was reminiscing about a hike she’d gone on with a group of friends, when she broke out into the most delightful laughter, smiling from ear to ear before rolling over to finally face me. It was like I was staring into the eyes of a deity, some ancient goddess, when she reached out to trace one of the skull-motifs inked into the skin of my arm.

“I have something so similar to this one,” She’d started, her fingers still playing on my skin, the innocent touch feeling so charged, so forbidden in the deep hours of the night, it threatened goosebumps to form as I fought off the urge to stare straight down her cleavage, “I’d show you, but I don’t think Mat would be too happy about it.”

While she wasn’t as covered in tattoos as me, she wasn’t too far off. And from her implication that the placement of the art piece in question was somewhere I shouldn’t be looking, I could immediately imagine it on her inner thigh, considering I may have caught a glimpse of the bottom of it earlier tonight.

Which in turn had me imagine more things that caused blood to flow in places they shouldn’t be as I inevitably allowed my eyes to fall to her chest, so poorly covered by her robe.

But through the fog of dirty thoughts and fought off impulses, I realised she was trying to seduce me, which forced me to take a step back and analyse what’s been going on the past week.

And that maybe we’d both been trying to seduce each other.

“Think it’s time to sleep.” I muttered before getting to my feet, knowing I was in deep, deep shit.

“Stay,” she breathed, taking hold of the arm she’d been tracing, “It’s our last night here, and you haven’t told me about your addiction yet.”

I was confused, as I’d already shared how it all started, and about my time in rehab. As far as I was aware, I’d told her everything there was to know about my addiction.

“What are you on about, of course I have.” I countered, thrown off once again by the continuous sudden change of topics and moods that Fay seemed to come pre-programmed with.

She let go of my arm, sitting up, and allowed her legs to dangle over the edge of the table before she spoke, “You’ve told me nothing I can’t read online,” She scanned my face with her dark eyes, such a deep brown they were pitch black in most lights, “What’s so terrible about you that you don’t want to be yourself?”

I wanted to tell her I wasn’t there mentally anymore, that I was better now – happy and recovered.

But I knew I’d be lying.

Addiction is like weeds; you can clear them as thoroughly as you want, but if you don’t tend to them regularly, your whole garden will be overgrown before you know it.

And I was a master of pretending everything was fucking dandy when they weren’t.

“You sure you want to talk about that?” I asked, thinking of her mother’s history with drugs.

She let out a laugh I’d heard her do several times before – mostly when discussing a sensitive subject. It was slightly manic, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “Why, because my deadbeat mom overdosed? Oh please. Just tell me, Oliver.”

I hated it when she called me by my full name, and she knew I hated it from the moment we were introduced.

Yet she didn’t stop until months into our relationship, claiming that Oli was a stupid British nickname, and since she’s American she was very adamant about rejecting the shortened version of my given name.

Despite my better judgement, I sat back down, not wanting our week to end on a bad note.

Even though I knew we’d have to stop hanging out alone after tonight, no matter how sad that thought made me.

Especially because of how sad that thought made me.

“It’s not that I think I’m terrible, necessarily. But it’s like my emotions are always dialled up to max, and there’s no shutting them off.”

She grimaced at my response, “I feel a lot too, but that’s a great thing, and I would never want to turn them off. They’re what makes me feel alive; I cry, I scream, I laugh, I love, I fuck – and I feel better for it.”

She forgot to mention that she plays Russian roulette with her life every so often by being an adrenaline junkie in the worst of ways.

And no, I hadn’t overlooked how she put emphasis on the word fuck. Or the way it had me imagine her dark eyes looking up at me as her full lips closed around my shaft.

“I wish it was that simple for me, love.” I responded under my breath.

“Why can’t it be that simple?”

“Because I’m a bomb.”

There was a short pause as she considered my words, “Explain.”

I got more comfortable in my seat again, preparing to unpack such a deep part of myself, unsure whether it was the early morning hours that made me comfortable enough to do so, or whether there was just something special about Fay.

I took a deep breath, “If I let my feelings run amuck, I’d probably burst wide open. I’d get so fucking furious with the state of the world, or with how little anyone seems to give a shit, that I couldn’t think straight. On the other side of that, if I let myself love to my full potential,” I shook my head, “That’s a terrifying thought to be honest with you, cause I don’t know how far I’d take that. Pretty sure I’d completely lose myself, and drive anyone on the receiving end of it fucking mad in the process.”

As I spoke Fay’s eyes burrowed into me, lighting up with the passion of a thousand suns.

I’d later found out that it had been those words that made her fall in love with me, that she’d been searching high and low for a man that loved with as much intensity as she does, and after that night she was determined to become mine.

I had to look away from her deep stare in order to finish making my point, “But when I get high, my feelings shut off, and for a while I’m free of all that. I get to just exist, without being exhausted from keeping myself restrained all the time.”

“You’re talking about yourself like you’re some kind of monster that needs to be put down.”

“Not put down, but I don’t think I should be let off my leash.”

“Unless you’re talking about some kind of kinky play, I disagree.”

I laughed.

“You should try it. Next time you want to get high cause you hate your feelings so much, just let them do their thing.” She leaned forward, giving me a better view of her cleavage as her demeanour shifted; it was a very subtle shift, but it was more than enough to highlight the already undeniable sexual tension between us, “And whatever urges you get, give in to them. It might not be as bad as you think.”

In a desperate attempt to keep my mind out of the gutter, and to prevent myself from pulling her into my lap right this moment, I conjured up images of my parents.

And thankfully, it worked quickly, and well enough to keep myself in check.

“Don’t think that’s a good idea, love.” My voice had dropped several octaves, giving away that I’d been considering doing what she was very clearly suggesting.

A seductive smile bloomed on her lips, “Why?”

“Because I have enough regrets as it is. I’ve no plans to add to my list of things that keep me up at night.”

The look she gave me was that of a child who had their favourite toy taken away from them.

As I got out of the chair to head to bed – alone – I couldn’t help but wonder what had Fay as sleepless as myself.

Or how much regret she was repressing from living her life the way she did.

But one thing I knew for sure was that she’d been hurt – badly. And hurt people who haven’t dealt with their pain, very easily hurt others.

While I didn’t give in to my urges that night, once me and Fay did become a couple, I would quickly discover the full range of ways she’d inflict pain on me.

It started with harmless manipulations to get her way in minor arguments, which was easy enough to overlook, especially when you’re falling head over heels for someone.

Which I definitely was.

Considering how hard and fast I was falling, it didn’t take much convincing for me to do as she’d suggested that night on the balcony. So, I gave in, submitting to my feelings in a way I hadn’t quite done before when it comes to love.

It was so liberating, so wonderful, to just let myself worship her; to tell her I love her a million times a day without judgement, to have it so readily reciprocated, and allow myself to request as much of her time and attention as I craved.

I was so convinced that she was the best thing that had ever happened to me, that of course I didn’t bat an eye when I noticed the small white lies. Surely she only lied to protect me, because she loves me so much.

But the small lies grew bigger, the innocent manipulations turned sinister, and about 10 months into the relationship she’d almost always choose revenge over peace whenever we’d argue. She’d do things like ramp up her thrill-seeking behaviour to get me worried for her safety, or intentionally make me jealous – which, I am not proud of having done to Alice.

But there’s a reason they call it the cycle of abuse.

And now I’m the hurt person who apparently hasn’t dealt with their pain, hurting others in the process.

Turning off the shower I wrapped a towel around myself before stepping in front of the fogged-up mirror over the hotel sink, giving it a wipe to take a good, hard look at myself.

The eyes looking back at me were bloodshot, accompanied by dark circles and a scowl.

While I’d fallen asleep fairly quickly last night, I’d been jarred awake by the usual nightmares so early it was still dark out, and I’d spent the hours since pondering what to do next.

And while there were several pressing matters, all roads seemed to lead back to Alice.

Do I tell her the truth about everything, or do I share the watered-down version I’d planned to relay last night before we got interrupted?

I exhaled a shaky breath as the man in the mirror’s features turned increasingly panicked.

Alice wasn’t wrong; you really are a fucking coward.

Suddenly a loud bang could be heard from outside the bathroom, and I quickly realised it was the sound of the hotel room door slamming shut.

Almost as if someone had stormed out of here.

I launched for the bathroom door, ripping it open only to be met with an empty room.

In the middle of the floor, I could see my phone lying face down, moved from its original position on the bedside table.

Fuck.

Dread washed over me, knowing what Alice must have seen on my phone to make her dash out of here in such a rush – the same thing I’d seen every time I’d looked at it since I’d accidentally messaged Fay.

I wasted no time, collecting my phone and dashed towards Alice’s room, only for the shortest of moments registering that I’m soaking, and just clad in a towel around my waist.

“Alice!” I yelled after several vigorous knocks on the door, “Let me in, it’s not what you think!”

I threw a quick glance at my screen to see what Alice might have read.

“Fay: I can’t wait to see you.”

“Shit.” I breathed through clenched teeth.

“Alice!” I yelled louder as more panic set in, knocking the door so hard it rattled.

Realising she might’ve not even gone to her room, I pressed my ear to the solid wood to listen for any sounds inside, only to almost fall face first into the room when the door suddenly flew open. But instead of falling I was shoved by a furious Liam, who had sent me stumbling backwards, nearly hitting the wall on the opposite side of the hotel corridor from the force he’d used.

He was clearly a fair bit stronger than he looks.

“I don’t know what the fuck you did to that poor woman, but there’s not a chance I’m letting you see her.”

“She thinks I’m chattin’ up another bird – I’m not!” I raised my voice, hoping Alice would hear as Liam had left the door ever so slightly ajar behind him.

“Whatever.” He muttered, rolling his eyes, clearly not giving a rat’s arse about the specifics of the drama he’d been forced to take part in, before giving me a once over, “I need to go back in there. Get dressed, there’s kids staying here for fuck’s sake.”

The door shut, and locked, with both Liam and Alice behind it.

And I’d never felt so helpless.

I took another step back and let myself lean against the wall I’d nearly slammed into moments ago, sliding down it as I tried to keep my heart from breaking entirely.

My eyes were so full of tears that it took me a second to realise there was a pair of shoes in my peripheral vision. I looked up to see Mat standing next to me, pity painted all over his face.

I hadn’t heard any other doors open or shut, which meant he must have been in the corridor for the entire interaction.

“Would you like a hand?” He asked, sounding sombre.

I took his stretched-out hand and pulled myself up on unsteady feet, “Did you catch all that?”

“Yeah. Wanna talk?”

I wiped the tears away while attempting to keep the towel around my waist from falling to the floor.

I was torn, because I knew Mat had asked me with the intention of being there for me.

But it wasn’t just Alice I needed to have a serious discussion with. And I doubted he would want to console me after I come clean to him about everything.

“Yeah.” I responded after I’d made my decision.

We walked to my room where we once again took a seat on the floor, leaning against the bed. Only this time it was the bed me and Alice had just spent the night in, made abundantly obvious by her pile of clothes on the floor, next to the bag which she’d left during her swift escape.

I watched as droplets fell from my soaking hair and hit the carpet as we sat in silence for a while, probably to let me collect myself. The cheery, sun-lit room a stark contrast from my dark and hopeless emotions, which seemed so impossible to fight.

But I had to start somewhere.

“I almost got high last night.” I said, breaking the silence.

I threw a quick glance at Mat; he looked hurt.

I couldn’t blame him.

“I almost got high when we were in London too, sent an old dealer a message and everything.”

The problem with saying things out loud is that they immediately become all too real.

But since I was walking a dangerously fine line considering I didn’t know if things would work out between me and Alice, I needed it to become real.

And I needed it to become real right now.

I looked over at my trousers laying on top of my luggage.

“I got some,” I started, whispered, the words feeling like acid pushing up my throat, knowing that as soon as I’d let them leave my lips, I wouldn’t have the option of going numb anymore. I inclined my head towards my belongings, “Last night at the club. It’s in my pocket.”

I’d been staring at the seemingly harmless article of clothing all morning before going for a shower, being so incredibly tempted by it, only able to talk myself out of it because she stayed.

Which I realise is extremely problematic.

Mat sighed deeply, leaning forward to rake his hands through his hair.

“I’m sorry man. I know we said I’d come to you if I ever got the urge to use again.”

He looked so disappointed, and I hadn’t even gotten to the worst part yet.

“I had some suspicions you weren’t doing great, but I had no clue you were on this thin ice. I just thought I’d give you a chance to come talk to me when you were ready.” He released a nervous laugh, “Actually I thought that maybe you were doing better the past week or so. You’ve been a bit off, sure, but you’ve also seemed quite happy a lot of the time.”

I hadn’t expected such a peaceful response after my admission. In fact, I’d suspected him to tear me a new one.

But then again, I wasn’t done talking yet.

“Mat, I’m a lying piece of shit, and I have no excuses.”

“I’m just happy you’re talking to me before you did something, this way—”

“I’ve been hooking up with Alice since London.” I interrupted, the disbelief on his features adding to my ever-growing mountain of self-hatred, but I knew I needed to continue speaking, to rip the band aid off once and for all. My mouth hung open for a beat, suspended, as I gathered the courage to tell him how I feel, “I’m in love with her.”

Mats’ features grew cold as he processed what I was saying, readjusting his position on the floor.

“Why’d you let me look like a twat, thinking I had a shot with her?” He asked, an anger lacing his words.

I watched more drops fall from my hair as I hung my head low, “I wish I could say it’s cause she wanted to keep it a secret, and sure that’s how it started, but she understood why I needed to be honest with you lot, considering our past.” I took a deep breath and forced myself to face him again, “The long and short of it is that I wanted to see if I could trust her – see if she’d run off to you instead.”

He watched me under furrowed brows, “So, you were using me.”

“Yeah.” I confirmed, feeling like a useless wet fucking rat.

Mat let out a long exhale as he leaned back into the mattress behind us, “You remember that week in Birmingham, when we were recording about two years ago?”

I tensed, remembering it as the week I wanted to steal his girlfriend, “Of course.”

He sucked on his teeth, contemplating, “I didn’t sleep much that week. I would sit with the window cracked and listen to you and Fay talk for hours.” I was surprised, not just by what he was saying, but by how guilty he looked as he told me, “The whole week was hell, but I needed to know if I could count on her. Turns out I couldn’t.”

Apparently, it wasn’t just me who was riddled with trust issues after all our overlapping romances.

“How come you never told me?”

Mat shrugged, “I don’t know, bit embarrassing, I guess.” There was another short pause as more guilt made an appearance on him, “Also, I didn’t just want to see if I could count on Fay, but you as well.”

I could see why, especially with how much lying I’d done over the years.

“Well, how did I do?” I asked awkwardly.

“Better than me.” He said with a bitter smile, clearly referring to the fact that he’d slept with Fay when I was technically still with her.

Appearing as if he remembered something, his features grew worried, “I never slept with Alice, but you should know there was stuff going on.”

I sighed deeply, “I know.”

The look he gave me was filled with confusion, “And you’re alright with that?”

All I could do was shrug, “We’re not a couple. And at this rate I’m not sure we’ll ever be.” I said, knowing there was a real chance I’d scared her off for good this time.

He opened his mouth, probably to say something hopeful and kind that would only serve to make me feel worse, so I hurried to speak before he got a chance to.

“There’s one more thing.” I could see him bracing himself mentally for whatever I was about to say, but I knew he’d never expect this to come out of my mouth, “I’ve been talking to Fay.”

“Fucking hell, Oli.” He looked utterly disgusted with me.

Which reflected my own feelings about myself perfectly.

“She’ll be at our next show.” I continued.

Mat got to his feet. At first, I thought he was about to leave, but instead he just began angrily pacing back and forth in front of me.

I felt like a kid who was about to get a scolding from their parents.

He stopped and looked down at my pathetic self on the floor, “Did you invite her?”

I shook my head, causing more droplets to fall all around me, “No, she was already going. She’s been going to a lot of our shows the past year.”

His eyes began darting all over the room, his mind obviously racing with thoughts – probably the same thoughts I had when I found out. After a handful of seconds, I could see the anger inside him deflate before he returned his attention to me, “Do you still miss her?”

I shifted awkwardly, “I’m not sure.” I said honestly, shame filling me at my admission, “Thing is, the thought of seeing her again makes my skin crawl, but there’s just so much unresolved there. I want answers.”

The pity reappeared in his eyes before he sat back down next to me, “You think she’d actually give you answers?”

The question could have been perceived as mocking, but I could tell it was asked with sincerity.

“I don’t know. All I know is that I’m nowhere near as healed as I thought I was.” And it was messing up my life in ways I couldn’t stand anymore.

It also had me wondering how many unhealed wounds she’d left Mat with.

“Do you want to meet her?” I asked quietly.

He let his head fall back onto the mattress, looking almost as defeated as I felt, ��I don’t know. She has a way of fucking with your head. I should hate her guts for everything she’s done to us, yet…”

“You feel bad for her.”

He huffed out a laugh, “Yeah.”

“Yeah, me too.” I muttered.

Mat studied my face for a moment before getting to his feet again, throwing a look towards my pile of clothes on my luggage, then back at me.

I knew what he was silently asking, so I just nodded.

He took the short steps over to my trousers, picking the pockets clean and headed towards the bathroom.

When I heard the toilet flush, I was both relieved and terrified in equal measures.

“I really need to go check on Lee.” He announced as soon as he came back out, almost as if pretending what he just did for me never happened, “Only the Matt’s of the group have it together lately.”

Ah, never mind.

“Why we needed two.” I said with a tired smile.

He smiled back at me, “I’ll be back in just a couple of minutes, yeah?”

My tired smile blossomed, feeling incredibly grateful for his continued support, especially when I was pulling so much stupid shit.

“Mat,” I said right as he was about to leave, “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” He responded casually before latching the door shut.

I looked towards the dress I’d peeled off Alice’s exhausted body to help her get ready for bed last night, and I felt as if I was at a crossroads; either I fall apart, wallow in self-pity and let the melancholy take root.

Or I continue clawing out of the grave I’d dug for myself, and fight.

Springing into action, I started rummaging through Alice’s bag, to see if she’d left her phone behind or not.

After having made an absolute mess of the room in record time, I deduced she’d taken it with her, so I sat down on the bed and began taking screenshots. I wasn’t sure if Alice was anything like myself when it came to these sorts of things, but personally I’d require proof.

Mat came back as I was in the middle of cataloguing my conversation with Fay the past two days, hoping that the context would shine a better light on the situation, destroying any conclusions Alice had drawn from the individual damaging messages that had been present on my lockscreen.

“Just a minute, mate.” I mumbled to Mat, who collapsed into the chair next to the bed.

But I must have taken more than a minute, as I suddenly heard the TV turn on, pulling my attention away from the message I was typing up for Alice.

I looked up at Mat through my now slightly dryer hair, “Sorry, I got a bit caught up.”

“Wanna tell me what you’re doing?” He asked with an amused smile.

“I can’t let Alice think I’m trying to get back with Fay, so I’m sending over the whole chat… Along with a message.”

He stared at me for a beat, “Let me see before you send it.”

It might seem like an odd request to some, but me and Mat had often helped each other out when it came to delicate communication. It started when we were teens trying to convince our parents we weren’t out partying every night, but it quickly evolved into helping each chat up girls on MSN.

When we were kids it pretty much only served to get our way, no matter what. But once we got older, we stopped lying, turning the intention behind putting our heads together significantly less self-serving.

As an example, I helped him write the eulogy for a childhood friend that passed away some years ago.

“Alright.” I responded without giving it a second thought.

Once I was done, I handed the phone over to Mat. From the amount of time he took, he was clearly also reading over my chat with Fay.

I grew increasingly anxious the longer he took, knowing that he was close to reading the things I’d told Fay; how I’d finally responded to her relentless stream of messages, showcasing how pathetic I am.

Highlighting that she clearly still had some type of hold on me.

“She seems different.” He finally said.

“Yeah.” I agreed.

“Like she’s happier. But who knows if that’s just for show or not.” Mat handed the phone back to me, “How come you haven’t told her about Alice?”

While the messages I’d sent to Fay were cold, short, and could be counted on one hand – versus the vast amount she’d sent me – I had given her a life update, intentionally not mentioning Alice while doing so.

“I almost did, but I’m not sure she’d still want to meet up if she knew I’d fallen for someone else.”

Fay matched me in possessiveness, and considering she was still obsessed with me, I knew she’d take it poorly.

He took a moment to consider my reasons, “Besides that bit potentially looking a bit sus, I think you’re ready to send that.”

“You think it’s enough?”

He shrugged, “Hopefully. Depends on Alice really. Like you said, you two aren’t a couple. But I think that’s the best you’re gonna get – it’s a good message you’ve written.”

I looked at the message, explaining how I’d accidentally messaged Fay, and my reasons for responding at all, and wondered if it contained some hidden meaning – some hidden trigger that would send her into another spiral, considering I was essentially speaking to Alice like she was already my girlfriend.

‘Are you breaking up with me?’

Her panicked words from last night echoed in my head, a most bewildering concoction of emotions lingering from them.

Copying everything into Alice’s message box, I pressed send, and fell backwards onto the bed.

“Don’t get lazy now, you’ve got to hold yourself to your word.” Mat said.

In the message I’d let Alice know I’d be waiting by her door until she was ready to talk to me.

My tired eyes met Mat’s, and I told him something I don’t tell him nearly enough, “I don’t know what I’d do without you to be honest.”

“There are other drummers. None as good as me of course, but I’m sure you’d make do.” He joked, keeping the mood light as always.

I just shook my head, “You know what I mean, man. I really don’t deserve this type of treatment from you. I’ve been a fucking bellend at every turn, and you’re over here giving me advice about a bird I know you also feel some type of way about. I just want to keep my shit together long enough to feel like a decent friend. Just for once.”

Mat braced his arms on his knees as he leaned forward, giving him an air of seriousness, “You’ve been a shit friend many times,” he started, pinning me with his eyes, “truly fucking awful actually…” he muttered, and I felt my heart drop for a moment before he continued, “But you’re not like that anymore, and you haven’t been for a long time. You’ve shown me time and time again that you can be trusted – that you care, and that you are trying bloody hard to better yourself; and that’s all that matters to me. You’ve been there for me through some truly horrible times as well, so you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself Oli. You don’t give yourself nearly as much credit as you should.”

Silence fell for a beat as I tried to keep the tears out of my eyes.

“The Oli I knew from five years ago wouldn’t have come clean about any of the things you told me today.” He added, “I would’ve had to pry that out of him, kicking and screaming.”

I knew he was right, and while I knew I had changed, it just wasn’t good enough.

“I want to do better than this.” I whispered.

He slapped his knees and got to his feet, indicating that it was time to get up and deliver on my promises, “And you will – you’ve got an excellent track record for improvement.”

Once I’d gotten dressed, I grabbed a drink from the mini fridge and sat down next to Alice’s door.

“Hiya.” I awkwardly said under my breath to the second couple walking past me the last couple of minutes, shuffling my legs out of the pathway to not be more of a nuisance than I had to be.

Lunch time was coming up so most of the guests were about to head to the restaurant located on the first floor, causing some hope to sprout, that maybe she’d want to head down as well.

Every so often I’d hear the faint sound of talking coming from behind the wooden door, and butterflies would come to life in my chest whenever those inaudible words were spoken by her soft, delicate voice.

As I listened to her, my mind wandered back to when my obsession with Alice had developed to the point of no return, about a week before I grabbed her and fucked her on that table in London.

She’d been using the laundry facilities at a house we were renting down south for a three day stay between gigs – something we did at times as it was often more comfortable than staying at hotels. When she’d suddenly stormed out of the loud utility room, running into the living room where I was currently reading.

For a moment I’d thought the place was on fire from the way she’d legged it, in combination with the sheer panic all over her flushed face, causing me to bolt upright from my previously sprawled position.

“Is everything alright?” I asked over the washing machine which was clearly in the centrifuge part of the cycle.

But Alice just fell to the floor in front of the coffee table between us and began searching through the pockets of a jacket that was bunched up there, too preoccupied with whatever she was searching for to provide me with an answer. I thought that maybe she was having some sort of medical emergency, potentially looking for an inhaler or an EpiPen, but then I saw smoke escaping the utility room door frame, lapping onto the ceiling, which caused me to immediately spring into action.

Heat smacked me in the face once I stepped into the room, only to realise it wasn’t smoke I’d seen, but steam. The place was like a sauna, and after taking one look at the pile of folded clothes next to the iron, I quickly deducted why.

Realising that whatever crisis was occurring didn’t have anything to do with the utility room, I turned around, only to immediately be face to face with Alice.

The panic was gone from her features, instead she appeared embarrassed, and so apologetic you’d think she’d kicked a puppy. While holding her phone, she opened her mouth to explain, and before she even got a word out, I let myself relax, understanding that there was in fact no danger.

When words began leaving her lips, I was about to interrupt her, to let her know I couldn’t hear a thing she was saying over the loud machinery. Only the faintest, most delicate tone of voice could be heard – which is exactly what I could hear now, listening to her in the hotel corridor.

But I never got to speak up, as I got incredibly distracted.

A drop of sweat running down the side of her neck had caught my attention, so clearly visible due to her hair being haphazardly put in a bun. My eyes followed it as it slowly snaked along her skin, enthralled, hungry, only to realise that her whole body seemed to be glistening with sweat, just covered by a flimsy crop top and shorts.

I felt as if I was going mad.

Like I’d been wandering in the desert for days and she was a lake, suddenly appearing right under my nose.

Only it had been over a year since I’d fucked anything but my own hand.

She hadn’t been talking for more than ten seconds when she gave me a questioning look. Having no way of knowing what she’d asked me, I just nodded in response, hoping it would be appropriate.

Hoping my erection hadn’t become visible yet.

It seemed to have worked, as she gave me a shy smile before walking off to the kitchen, shutting the door behind her. I sighed in relief, heading for the bathroom as I had nothing better to do than to use the fresh mental images of her to release some tension.

But the laundry cycle ended, and the house fell quiet enough for me to hear that she was on the phone.

I stopped, looking towards the kitchen door, then back to the bathroom, contemplating.

But curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself taking gentle steps in Alice’s direction, wanting to hear what she was saying.

Unlike the thick wooden door of the hotel room next to me, the kitchen door was so thin it might as well not have been there at all. And once I got close enough, I could make out her words if I focused hard enough.

“I can’t believe I just remembered, I feel horrible about it, mum.”

“You called her, you got her a gift, and we always put your name in the card we give her. I’m certain she’s not expecting a card from you as well.” Her mum had responded, which I’d heard clearer than I’d heard Alice – and the call wasn’t even over speaker phone.

“But I always give her and all her sisters their own cards, I wouldn’t want her to feel left out. I know it’s been a couple of weeks since her birthday, but should I just send one now?”

The longer I listened, the more puzzled I grew.

Could all that panic really have been over a bloody birthday card?

I was so extremely bewildered by the fact that this creature felt so much guilt over something so extremely trivial – especially since I was used to someone regularly treating me like a doormat and expressing no guilt at all over it.

Or at least not until they feared losing me – until it affected them.

Fay was wrong about a lot of things, and until that moment I’d thought she’d been entirely wrong about letting myself relax when it comes to how I experience love.

But was it possible that I’d simply let myself fall for the wrong person? Given my heart to someone who wouldn’t handle it like the fragile thing it is; so quick to bleed.

And then the idea of giving into my emotions with someone like Alice consumed me.

I was terrified, attempting to reject the longing inside me. But it was a pointless battle, the hope that I’d found someone worth handing my aching, scarred heart to was simply too strong.

Of course, falling for Alice had come with its own set of problems.

Problems I needed to resolve.

The hotel room door suddenly opened, jarring me out of my thoughts.

I shot to my feet, knocking over the empty energy drinks next to me with a clatter.

Hours had passed, and I’d kept going back to my room for more caffeine as staying awake wasn’t the easiest at this point considering how little I’d slept.

Disappointment washed over me as I was staring into Liam’s fed-up eyes.

“She wants to talk to you now.” He proclaimed before pushing past me to head towards the elevator.

The door slowly swung open, and I finally got to see her.

Her eyes were slightly puffy, and she was holding her arms defensively.

She was as beautiful as ever.

“Hi.” I breathed, leaning against the door frame, feeling disproportionally happy to see her considering I didn’t know if it was just to tell me to fuck off for good.

She rubbed her arms, her messy blonde locks falling over her shoulder as she did so, “So, are you gonna meet up with her?”

She sounded so shy, so scared.

“I think so, yeah.”

There was a disappointment that settled on her, reflected more in her posture than on her face, which still held a sense of fear.

I looked around us, wanting to elaborate, wanting to talk to her privately, only to see someone coming from the end of the corridor, “Can I come in?”

She nodded and moved to the side.

Allowing me the privilege of her company, and hopefully to set things right.

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#oli sykes x reader #oli sykes #oliver sykes #oli sykes fic #oli sykes fan fiction #oli sykes smut #smut #bring me the horizon #bmth #romance #you got a taste now #I can't express how much fun I had writing this.

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chatterbox-73 · 8 months ago

Text

.Sugar Daddy.

Older.

Kenny Ackerman x Reader

This story is a smut story, I’ll more characters x reader one shots in the future and if you want to see a character please let me know.

You must be 18 years or older to read this...

🔞⚠️NO MINORS ALLOWED⚠️🔞

Summary/inspiration/prompt: you didn’t know you needed someone older until you got him.

Word count: 2.9k

CW: NSFW and adult content, fingering, oral (m&f!receiving), unprotected s*x, filming, drinking, smoking, dirty talk, name calling/degradation,

You sat in the booth with the hair stylist next to you, “I’m telling you, today’s shoot was really good” slurred the director, as he placed a hand on yours while he leaned over the table, “if you and Kenny had just a little bit more chemistry, we’d all be rolling in money” he hiccuped and looked to Kenny and the older man just puffed on his cigarette, “come on, you enjoyed yourself… you can’t deny that” the director continued on as if he was trying to set you and Kenny up on a date, “director Vanché, I think it’s time we finished, the actors are probably tired and you promised to show me your new kitten” smiled the producers, you looked to the young man and offered him a smile as to say ‘thank you’. The two man left and you sighed in relief, the hair stylist next to you giggled and you looked at her, “what?” You asked with a raised brow and she shook her head, “I don’t think you’re gonna like it, but he’s right… if the both of you had a little more of a spark, you’d be very popular… and not just for our company” she raised her drink to her lips and took a sip of her beer, giving everything a minute before continuing on, “it’d be very big paycheque for both of you… and honestly I think you’d both think it’s more then worthwhile, at least considering how much you’d both enjoy yourself” she chuckled along with the other two stylists sitting at the table, while you could only blush.

Of course you enjoyed it, Kenny has a perfect cock and he knows how to use it perfectly, he’s had many years to become an expert at sex and he’s been with more women then you could ever imagine, while you have really only ever relayed on your looks and body, which is exactly why you got into porn because you didn’t need to be good at pleasing others you just needed to look good while taking it.

You just couldn’t possibly imagine Kenny wanting to be with you outside of work, because why would he waste his time on a little girl who is as useless in bed as a bag of cold sand. You looked down at your drink, before quickly drinking down all of it in one go, your face beginning to instantly heat up as the alcohol began to effect you, “wow… that was quick, what ya so desperate to get drunk for?” Asked the man that had been silently sitting and puffing on his cigarette this entire time, you looked up at him, “can you believe this bullshit? They want us to fuck again… haha! Yeah right, like you’d want to do that” you laugh and throw your head back against the back of the chair, you heard chairs shuffling and moving, when you looked up again you noticed everyone but Kenny had left, “and what if I do, then what? Ya gonna deny me? Not let me have ya?” He asked as he put out his cigarette and stood, “or will ya only open those sweet legs, if yer gettin’ paid? Cause I can arrange that” he chuckled and leaned back in his chair, you stiffen for a moment, “you want to again?” You looked off to the side and he laughed sitting back in the chair before crossing one leg over the other, Kenny eyed you down and waited for more from you, however you just stayed silent and watched one of the wall intensely. “Alright come on… get up, we’re leavin’” he hummed and stood before leaning over the table and grabbing your arm pulling out of the booth with him.

You stayed silent as Kenny led you to some very flashy and modern looking love hotel, you stood on the other side of the lobby watching as Kenny chatted away with the receptionist who happened to be a very beautiful woman who was probably in her mid forties, she hand him the key and a paper bag before looking to you and giving you a wink, you smiled shyly and she chuckled, Kenny ushered for you to follow him down the dimly lit hallway, before you both reached a door with the number 850.

You sat on the bed only in your underwear, Kenny had discarded your clothing somewhere in the room, the man stood before you as he removed his shirt, he grabbed your face as he unbuckled his belt, “ya look so pretty, uh bet people love havin’ such a cute girl under ‘em” he chuckled and tucked some hair behind your ear, however you only blushed and looked away, “no no… don’t look away… look at me… focus on me… only me, doll” Kenny leant down to you and once getting your attention he stood again before opening his pants and pulling out his member.

You watched intensely as Kenny pumped his semi, you noticed he dropped his member and looked at you expectingly, “yer ain’t gettin’ fucked, if ya ain’t workin’ for it, sweetie” he smirked and you looked down at his still slightly soft member.

You move forward on your hands and knees, moving a hand up Kenny’s leg before gripping his shaft, you pumped him slowly as you looked up at him, Kenny chuckled at your doe eyed expression and gently rested a rough hand on your cheek, “suck me, doll” he spoke in a rasped whisper, you felt your cunt clench before you giggled, you bit your lip and shook your head. Kenny gave you a raised eyebrow however before the man could speak, you leaned in and began kissing over his hips, at first you gave his hip soft feather like kisses that made goosebumps form on Kenny’s arms and legs, before you moved onto more sloppy kisses and licking over his hips and lower abdomen, this caused Kenny to pulled your hair into a makeshift ponytail and pull your head back and up towards him. The man leant down getting right in your face, “start fuckin’ suckin’ bitch” he grunted out before yanking you back down to his member, Kenny straightened up and looked down his nose at you, you pressed a soft peck to his tip before slowly sliding him into your mouth.

Kenny’s pre-cum tasted funny, it was salty and bitter but it somehow made your cunt tingle and your mouth water, suckled on his tip, licking over his slit and wrapping your tongue around him with shallow bobs of your head, honestly you were more then ready to shove the man onto the bed before climbing him and going to town on his one-eye monster, however he told you to suck him, so that’s exactly what you were going to do.

Kenny groaned and brushed his fingers through your hair, you moaned and took him deeper, gagging and choking in the process, “woah woah, darlin’ yer tryin’ to kill yerself?” He questioned with a grin, looking up at the man had your cunt quivering, you ignore all your throats protecting and took him as deep as he’d allow, until nothing was left, your lips met the scruffy bush of pubs as your nails dug into his thighs, Kenny’s lips were turned up into a smirk and his eyes were narrowed while he watched you, the man took a sharp breath in and let out a hiss before pulling you off him, “that’s enough, yer pretty good at that” he chuckled before grabbing your hips and forcing your hip to the edge on the bed before placing a pillow under them, Kenny grabbed under your knees and forced your thighs apart and then pushed your knees right up to your chest, you groaned at the strain on your hips, however Kenny only chuckled and rubbed his thick tip between your quivering folds, “oh fuck… Kenny please!” You whined as the underside of his shaft rubbed over your clit, however the man only smirked and pulled back.

Whining and complaining you reached a hand down and began rubbing yourself before slipping a finger in, you moaned and moved the finger quickly in a desperate attempt to get off, “ya know, I’m likin’ the look of this… keep playin with that pussy baby girl” the man watched your finger disappear deeper and deeper inside you, though no matter how much you push and press you weren’t able to put enough pressure on your g-spot, “I- I can’t… not enough” you cried and felt Kenny release one of your leg.

Without warning the man push two of his fingers into you, not giving you a chance to pull out your own finger before his hand cupping yours, you gasped loudly at the fullness before the man began to move yours and his fingers in and out guiding them into your spot, you moaned and grabbed his wrist. “I can’t… it’s- it’s too much… dear god!” You cried out and involuntarily rocked your hips into his slow motion of both your fingers, “too much?” Kenny questioned with a chuckle before he leant down and wrapped his lips around you clit, the man switched between suckling and blowing raspberries on your sensitive bud, you cried and moaned grabbing his head pulling him impossibly close to you while your free leg squeezed around his shoulder, you pushed yourself into him as you quickly reached your high, you felt your cunt squeeze tightly around both yours and Kenny’s fingers.

Kenny felt his member throb and pre-cum leak from him, he was certain that if everything kept up like this he’d cum, he honestly began to feel like a young teenager again, desperate and unable to control himself, he felt eager and ready for you, your moans and pleas only encouraging him, Kenny pulled back while keeping his tongue on you, he laid his hot muscle flat on your clit, slowly beginning to massage it while watching you intensely as your body quivered and your face contorted, you fell over the edge as you watched him watching you, “oh dear god…! Fuck me kenny! Please Kenny… please” you cried loudly moaned between every word only getting louder the longer Kenny continued to lick you cunt, even after removing his and your fingers from you, his tongue continued to work you to a other orgasm, pulling away and grabbing your leg that was resting on his shoulder before moving it up to press it against your chest, after a few more slow licks over your cunt Kenny leaned up and quickly slipped his member into you.

It was silent as his hips slowly moved back and forth as his lips captured yours, you moaned and whined against his lips but the sound was just swallowed up, you wondered for moments if this was what your coworkers meant by good chemistry but that thought was quickly forgotten when Kenny pressed into your spot.

You completely lost yourself, your eyes watered and lips quivered as your toes curled and back arced, you moaned nonsense as the man’s hips pressed into yours, it was a stark contrast to your interaction earlier in the day.

Kenny was being sweet, slow and oh so gentle, it felt like heaven, it was so out of the ordinary, you had been railed plenty of times, almost with every partner you’ve had, however this was different in so many ways, “yer so warm baby” Kenny moaned as he pulled back and looked down at where your hips meant, “yer swallowin me up” the man groaned and let go of your legs, moving his hands to your waist holding you tightly in place, he took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, tilting his head back and contacting all his muscles.

Kenny’s muscles on arms and legs flexed and his chest expanded with his deep breathes, while his stomach tightened making his abdomen tensed up and his waist appeared smaller. The man looked like heaven itself, like a Greek statue, you could feel the throbbing of his cock and could tell why the man was calming himself down.

Kenny wasn’t ready to cum, but you sure as hell was ready for him, regaining all your senses you squeeze around him, trying to encourage him to continue, however this caused the man to slowly begin to pull out, in your desperation you wrapped your legs tightly around his hips, while also leaning up and grabbing roughly at his waist, your nails dug and stretched at his skin causing him to hisses sharply and glare down his nose at you. “Kenny… please… back in…” you moaned your legs tightening more and your fingers finally getting a good grip on him, as you push him back into you and locking him in place with your legs, “back in… nice and deep” you moaned as one of your hands move up Kenny’s arm while the other rest on the mattress before helping you raise up from the bed. You wrap your arms around Kenny neck and you lick his earlobe “Kenny… you have to fuck me… you have to fill me” you whisper dirtily and play with the hair on the back of Kenny’s neck, the man raised a leg on to the bed and began to slowly bounce you on his member.

Your hands grip onto his shoulders tightly as he moved his body to sit back on the bed, “yer being real confident baby…” he chuckled breathlessly while he laid flat on his back, he then guided your hips into as soft rock, “ya better get workin for this cum” he looked down at you swallowing him up, you moaned beginning to grind and roll your hips, Kenny’s eyes moved up your body, he seemed to be mesmerised by the way it moved, “ya got some nice tits on ya” he groaned as he moved his hand up your waist and to your chest squeezing and massaging the flesh.

You were certain you’d cum soon, despite your best efforts Kenny still looked calm, relaxed and nowhere near ready to cum, though the occasional twitch or throb made you second guess that, you mustered all the courage you had, “raise those knees for me, would ya?…” You slightly mimic Kenny’s accent still unsure, he look up for your breasts and gave a crooked smile, “now why’d I do that?” He grunted eyes shifting back down to your cunt before quickly back up to your face, “how else ya gonna see my pussy swallow up yer cum” you fully committed to the accent and moved yourself into a squatting position.

With a laugh Kenny lifted his knees and you leaned back resting your hands on them, you opened your legs and began grinding up and down on his cock, giving him a full view of everything. Kenny reach down the side on the bed and grab his phone, resting his other hand behind his head he tapped away on his phone before hitting record, “let’s show the boss how well we’re gettin along” he chuckled looking at you through the phone, you moaned surprisingly enjoying being recorded despite it normally feeling like work, you whined as you quickened your pace, “fuck Kenny… I’m gonna cum” you throw your head back and whined, reaching a hand down you began to fondle Kenny’s sack determined to get him to cum, the man hissed reaching up and grabbing one of your breasts, before giving it a good slap keeping the camera focused on you, “fuckin slut!” He grunted and grabbed you breast, squeezing it roughly this time, “dirty cum hungry slut!” His accent coming through heavier as his words slurred together. Kenny let out a loud groan then a harsh grunt before rutting his hips up, this caused you to lose your balance and almost fall forward, but it hardly mattered as you felt it, Kenny had finally given in, it was hot and felt amazing, you were certain you could get used to this feelings.

You quickly pulled Kenny out of you and turned over, you felt Kenny grab your ass, massaging the flesh before spreading your lips, getting a good view of your abused hole, you then decide to push and force a large amount of Kenny’s cum out of you, the man groaned and your felt his fingers start playing with your folds smearing his cum all over your cunt and then fingering it back in you, “baby, ya think we’re gettin along well enough for ‘em” he asked and you moaned as he scissored his fingers in and out of you, before pulling them out completely and showing the camera just how dirty they were.

“Ya sure…? Uh don’t have to send it, just keep it between us sweetie” Kenny rested a hand on your stomach while the other tap away on his phone, “well does it look good? I only want to send it if it looks good” you moved your foot up and out of the bath water, playing with the tap as it dipped water, Kenny laughed and moved his hand up your body to your throat tilting your head back against his shoulder, “yer fuckin kiddin me, right?!” He laughed more before kissing your cheek and leaning into your ear, “ya looked fuckin perfect” he whispered and moved your phone into your view, before hitting play on the video.

Hours later you sat in your living room watching all the replies to the video, Kenny had opted to sending the video file to the work group chat under the name ‘team building exercise’, and the replies have been coming in ever since, it was safe to say your boss was pleased with the outcome and had already begun planning the next few projects.

Masterlist

More from the ‘Sugar Daddy’ series:

Sugar Daddy Masterlist

Previous - Kōtarō Bokuto: Training Exercise.

Next - Levi Ackerman: Taking me.

#fem!reader #kenny ackerman x reader smut #kenny ackerman x reader #kenny aot #kenny ackerman #smut #aot smut #snk smut #snk Kenny #ackerman aot

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aprocessionofthoughts · 2 years ago

Text

Day 13: monster

eldritch Danny

Constantine was not happy. He hated falling back on last resorts, but here they were. Earlier that day they had spotted an alien fleet approaching and all efforts to communicate had ended in violence. It was Manhunter who had finally recognized them. They were a race known as the Zacrin whose goal was to eliminate ‘unworthy’ species. So far, nothing they had done was working.

And so here they are now. About to summon the King of the Infinite Realms. All accounts of the new King claimed they were peaceful and nothing like the conqueror Pariah Dark. But Constantine despised getting involved with anything to do with the Realms.

Nevertheless, he approached the summoning circle and began chanting. A breeze started up fluttering Batman’s cape. Constantine was halfway through the summoning when the candles around the circle flared, their fire turning green and reaching almost to the conference room’s high ceiling. The wind picked up pushing the heroes back. Constantine held his ground and a swirling green pool started to form at the center of the circle.

Something began to emerge. Something like feathers and flames began to materialize and then a writhing mass with several mouths full of glinting teeth.

He reached the end of the spell and the creature fully materialized. They towered over everyone, flames dancing above what might be their head. What might have been a face held two black pools that seemed to suck all the light out of the room. Its skin glistened with galaxies, an ever shifting void full of colors that burned their eyes. Below the beings waist there were what seemed like writhing snakes each with a mouth full of sharp fangs. And then unfurling behind the being were two pairs of wings covered in eyes that all gleamed with different colors, none of them found on earth.

As the wings flared out behind the King some of the Leaguers collapsed their hands covering their faces. Constantine gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, sure that if he were not used to the occult he would have collapsed as well. The Bat was still standing, but well… he was Batman.

“Why have you called me?” came the creature's voice seemingly from all around them and Constantine’s head felt like it was about to crack open, someone behind him let out a muffled shriek and Batman grunted.

“Your majesty,” constantine began, “King of the Infinite Realms, Ancient of Space, Balance of Life and Death, Gateway between the Realms, Protector of–”

“Enough!” a wave of power shot out causing Constantine’s knees to almost buckle.

“Why is it you have called me?”

“We have a deal to offer.”

“A deal?”

“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. “And we would be bleedin' grateful if you could put a dampener on your form, my companions,” he said gesturing over his shoulder, “are not faring well.”

There was silence except for the static hissing and crackle of electricity that seemed to emanate from the being.

“That is a reasonable request.” the creature said and though nothing about his appearance changed there was a drawing in that seemed to happen that made them much more bearable to look at.

“Thank you.”

“Now, what is it that you want from me?”

“There are a bunch of ships that are planning on destroying earth and we’d be really grateful if you could help us deal with it. And we’d of course offer something in return. I’d be willing to give you my soul.”

The sound of crackling ice and static hissed through the room, and when the creature next spoke they sounded amused.

“You’re soul, John Constantine? What use would I have of something with so many holes? As it is, your constant selling of it causes enough paperwork.”

John gulped.

“However, I would be willing to help in exchange for a favor. There may be a time in the future when I may call you,” the being looked over all of them, “and when I call you will come. Does this sound agreeable?”

“It does.” John answered and he could feel Batman glaring at him. But screw that sorry sod, John was not about to tempt fate by asking the King of the Infinite Realms to wait while Batman looked at this from every possible angle and figured out a million contingencies.

“Very well then” The creature said before vanishing.

The League watched through the monitors as the being appeared in front of the lead ship. They had grown massive, three times the size of the ship, and the League watched in horror as clawed hands emerged from each of the eyes on the beings wings. They latched onto the ship and dragged it toward where the being’s chest might be where a swirling black void lined in teeth opened up. The ship was shoved into the void that then closed behind it. A staticky screeching could be heard even through the thick walls of the Watchtower and the Leaguers watched as the rest of the ships turned and fled.

The creature turned towards them, their face staring directly through each of the screens even though the cameras were all at different angles.

“Remember our deal.” came the King’s words, the King’s command, echoing in all their heads, before the King vanished.

“Well, I’m leaving, gotta go find a bar.”

“Constantine! Wait just a moment.” Batman started towards him but it was too late John had reached the Zeta Tubes and was gone.

#dannymay2023 #dp fanart #eldritch #danny phantom #danny fenton #king danny phantom #dp fanfic #drabble #eldrich danny #john constantine #dp x dc fanfic #dc x dp #dp x dc au #day 13 #monster

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ternfic · 1 month ago

Text

Reboot

Chapter Nine

They finished rebuilding the spacecraft. It still had some of Rex’s signature dark blue and bright green, but mixed in with black, sky blue, and red, it wasn’t immediately recognizable as something of his anymore. He had to admit, the three of them really did work well together; the new ship was sleek, built for speed and stealth. Emmet crawled into one of the passenger seats in the back, and Lucy scooted in next to him, leaving Bad Cop as Rex’s copilot. Which suited him fine, really, Emmet was next to useless and having Lucy sit next to him was… well, he may have decided not to be mad at his old friends anymore, but it was still awkward.

“So do we have a plan for stopping the wedding yet?” Lucy asked.

“…We hadn’t gotten that far,” Emmet admitted.

“Well one way to do it would be to stop construction of the Temple-” Rex started.

“We’re not destroying it, Rex,” Emmet interrupted. “That’s what causes Armomageddon, and we don’t want that.” Lucy gave him a surprised look at how forcefully his words had come out.

“Aw, shit.”

Emmet gave Rex a startled look. “What?”

“We’ve got someone on our tail,” Bad Cop said, taking notice of the ship behind them as well.

“Buckle up!” Rex commanded. Emmet hastened to obey, knowing full well how his counterpart flew, and watched wide-eyed as a black and gold cruiser drew near and started firing on them.

“Who is that?!” the construction worker yelped.

“I saw that ship not too long ago, it landed at the spa and the two people in it talked to the General,” Lucy said, scowling in its direction.

“Mayhem’s two best scouts, Havoc and Discord,” Rex muttered, concentrating on evasive maneuvers. “They must have figured out I’m here, and they do not like me. Thought we’d have a little longer before they found us, though!”

“Anything I can do to help?” Bad Cop asked.

“Yeah get ready to shoot, I’m gonna try to get you lined up-”

Lucy could only stare in amazement at the aerobatics Rex put their ship through before finally shooting straight up in such a way even the Systarian ship couldn’t keep up with, and looping back so they were pointed right at it. Bad Cop took the opportunity and fired, managing to shoot off an aileron. The space orb wobbled a bit, but whoever was flying was easily as good a pilot as Rex, and they shot back. Lucy barely had time to gasp out a curse before the shot hit their ship, shattering it and scattering its occupants.

She flew helplessly through space, and realized with no small amount of wonder that she could still breathe. She barely had time to ponder that before the pod popped open to allow a figure in black armor to exit, and they flew straight for her. Unarmed and unable to control her flight path, she had no choice but to submit to capture.

Bad Cop could only lay on the floor in a daze after crashing through the window of one of the party buses. The loud music cut out immediately, and three familiar faces peered down at him with surprise and curiosity. They backed off as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes under his sunglasses.

“Bad Cop!” Unikitty cheered.

“You know this guy?” a Systarian asked, giving him a wary look.

“He’s a friend,” Benny answered, offering a hand to pull him back to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

Bad Cop’s first response was to curse softly before hurrying to repair the damaged window, lest the scouts come looking for him next. He’d just managed to get a glimpse of one of them grabbing Wyldstyle. That taken care of, he turned to his fellow Alterrans. “Looking for you, actually,” he finally answered.

What are the odds we’d crash into the bus they were on? Good Cop piped up.

Luck finally favors us for once, it seems.

“Well ye found us.” Metalbeard eyeballed him curiously. “Almost didn’t recognize ye, matey.”

“That’s rather the point.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Unikitty asked, giving him a worried look.

“We’re fine.”

“Why were you looking for us?” Benny pressed.

Bad Cop glanced around. There were maybe four Systarians present, including the driver, and they seemed even less capable of putting up a fight than Emmet. Unikitty let out a cry of shock as he leapt into action and knocked out the three humanoids, grabbing a rope light to tie them up with. “Put that radio down,” he growled at the driver, “and keep driving.” The zebra ducked his head and obeyed without question, and Bad Cop slammed shut the door between the cockpit and the cabin so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“What are you doing?!” Benny demanded.

“Rescuing you,” Bad Cop snapped back. “You’ve been brainwashed.”

“We have not!” Unikitty protested. “Just because we’re enjoying ourselves for the first time in years doesn’t mean we’ve been brainwashed-”

“No?” Bad Cop interrupted. “Cause you sure seemed taken in by the Queen’s song, back at the palace, won over in an instant by the promise of mere stuff.”

“Ye were there?”

“Yeah, we were, along with Emmet and his brother.” The three gave him a blank stare. “…You don’t remember. Of course.” He growled out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair as he thought, his gaze landing on Benny’s right arm, seemingly restored. An idea came to him. “Ben, take off your glove. No, the other one.” The astronaut gave him a strange look but complied, pulling off his right glove.

“What’s this about?”

“Do you remember how you lost your arm?”

The three of them stared at him as though he’d grown two more heads. “You sure you didn’t hit your head on the way in?” Benny asked in growing concern and held his arm up, wiggling five fingers. “Cause it sure looks like my arm to me.” He fell still when Bad Cop grabbed his bared hand, rubbing his thumb over the back, and slowly started to hyperventilate.

He couldn’t feel the cop’s touch.

“What-”

“What are ye doin’ to him?!” Metalbeard roared.

“Benny! Benny it’s okay, breathe-”

“I’m not doing anything to him,” Bad Cop said, keeping his tone calm and even. “It’s a pretty convincing replacement, but it’s still a prosthetic.”

“My- my arm-” Benny gave Bad Cop a pleading look. “What happened??”

“I need you to try to remember yourself, Ben. Okay? But I’ll start you off- you lost it about two years into our fight against the Duplos.”

Benny took in a shuddering breath, staring down at where their hands were still joined. He still couldn’t feel a thing, no matter how hard he tried to imagine it. He focused hard, trying to remember. Fighting against the Duplos- that was a good place to start. Slowly it started to come back to him.

“We… we were fighting the Duplos, weren’t we?” Bad Cop nodded. “It was night…”

“That’s right.”

“They caught us by surprise that time. Someone threw a grenade- I got caught in the shrapnel-”

“It sent a sheet of steel right through your arm.”

“And several big pieces of glass elsewhere… I almost didn’t make it.” He closed his eyes, shaking. “How could I have forgotten…”

Unikitty worked her jaw wordlessly for a moment. “We really were brainwashed, weren’t we?” she finally asked. “I forgot, too- you destroyed Cloud Cuckooland.”

“I did.”

“And I still haven’t forgiven you for that.”

“You haven’t.”

“Ye mentioned Emmet- he be the Special, aye?”

Bad Cop nodded, relief washing through him. “That’s right.”

Benny sighed. “The one person in Apocalypseburg that never changed…” He startled. “Wait- he’s here too?!”

Bad Cop managed a smile. “Of course he is, you’re the best friends he’s ever had.”

“And we forgot him!” Unikitty wailed. “I feel so awful now!”

“It was the song, wasn’t it?” Benny realized. “We didn’t start to forget until she started singing- and then at the spa, that really catchy song-”

“Wyldstyle were right,” Metalbeard groaned. “And we were so ready to just write her off as paranoid…”

“But at least now you remember,” Bad Cop said. “Which is good because we’re going to need your help to stop the ceremony.”

“LUCY!!” Emmet screamed, reaching for her even as they were thrown from the ship in opposing directions. Rex had been quick to grab him, then tugged up a sleeve to press a button on his watch. “Rex, what-”

“Give it a second,” his counterpart said. After a minute, Emmet spotted Rex’s spacesuit flying toward them, and nearly panicked when he was released so the suit could wrap around its owner unimpeded. Properly suited up once again Rex grabbed hold of him and pulled him close once more. “Hold on tight.” Emmet nodded and squeezed as hard as he could manage. The suit’s wings flipped out and the jetpack’s thrusters kicked on, and Rex carried him toward the closest planet. It looked like they would be hiding on Suburbia yet again.

Rex touched down gently and finally nudged Emmet into letting go of him. Emmet made sure he had his footing, then bounced. “That was so cool, the thing with the suit! I mean it just went zoom right to you! How’d you figure out how to do that?!”

“I saw it in a movie once,” Rex said.

“You gonna keep it on this time?”

“Yeah,” Rex sighed. “No doubt they already told Mayhem I’m here. The whole system’s gonna be on alert now, no point in trying to hide anymore.” Emmet nodded. “Come on, we gotta figure out another way to the Temple.”

“But Rex, we gotta get Lucy-”

“She’ll probably be taken there anyway. As it is, we don’t have the time to focus on just her anymore. She can look after herself. We gotta stop the ceremony before it seals everyone’s fates.”

Emmet debated remaining stubborn, then deflated with a sigh, and nodded. “You’re right… Hey, you think it’d work if I just marched up there and yelled ‘I object’? That’s supposed to stop a wedding from happening, right?”

Rex chuckled. “Certainly seems to in the movies, but I’m not so sure it’ll work for this.”

“What if we can get to Batman, convince him to say no-”

“He probably won’t be outside the Queen’s company from now on,” Rex mused. “They’re too desperate for this to work to leave him alone to have second thoughts for even a moment.”

Emmet huffed at him. “Sure, just keep shooting down all my suggestions. You just want an excuse to fight, don’t you?”

“Em, I don’t think we’ll have a choice. Especially not now that Lucy and I have both kicked the hornets’ nest.” Emmet folded his arms and sulked for a moment, trying to think of any other ideas that might work, when something- or rather, someone- caught his eye. He dropped his arms and stared. “Emmet? What is it-” He followed the construction worker’s gaze, tilting his head. “…Huh.”

“President Business??”

#the lego movie #benny the spaceman #gcbc #emmet brickowski #rex dangervest #unikitty #wyldstyle #metalbeard #batman #emmetstyle #coppernauts

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jujumin-translates · 4 months ago

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[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 14 - DREAM CATCHER | Episode 16 - “Challenge”

Tenma: “If he’s a wizard, then maybe he knows something about the fantastical paradise oasis.”

Yuki: “Still haven’t given up on that, have you? Whatever. As your wife, I’m worried, so I’ll come with you.”

Misumi: “If you’re going on a journey, I’ll go with you too. Or rather, I ask that you take me with you.”

*Misumi jumps*

Tenma: “Hey, don’t just hop into my bag without my permission.”

Izumi: Tenma-kun, can you put a little more emphasis on that last line?

Tenma: …

Izumi: Tenma-kun?

Tenma: Ah, yeah, my bad.

Izumi: Alright, that’ll be it for today then.

Tenma: Okay… Good work.

*Door closes*

Yuki: What’s his deal… Still jet-lagged?

Muku: I haven’t seen Tenma-kun looking like that in a long time.

Kumon: I wonder if something happened.

Kazunari: But he was so hyped when we got the script~.

Misumi: …Actually, I saw Tenma talking on the phone last night and he was acting kinda weird.

Yuki: Jeez… He’s bottling things up again, isn’t he?

Kazunari: Hm~, and for situations like that we need--.

Kumon: Huh? What?

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Kazunari: TenTen, c’mon. c’mon!

Tenma: It’s about rehearsal time, right? We’d better go and get r--.

Muku: We have today off.

Tenma: Hah?

Yuki: C’mon, let’s go.

Kumon: The car’s already here!

Tenma: The car…?

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: C’mon, c’mon~! I’m driving today~!

Tenma: Wait, where are we going!?

Yuki: Just hurry and get in!

Tenma: --Gh.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Waves crash*

Tenma: The ocean…?

Kazunari: Bingo!

Misumi: We’re taking a break today, so let’s have as much fun as we can~!

Tenma: …I’m not really in the mood for that right now.

Yuki: Ughh~. --Tch.

*Yuki pushes Tenma*

Tenma: UWAGH!?

*Tenma falls into the ocean*

Tenma: Pfph, don’t just push me outta nowhere!

Yuki: If you’ve got something to say, just say it. It’s a real pain in the ass when you don’t.

Yuki: Rehearsing with you when you’re in this state isn’t gonna get us anywhere. Do you really think we have a chance of winning the New Fleur Award when you’re acting like that?

Tenma: --.

Kazunari: Yukki, dontcha think you’re being a little dramatic~?

Kumon: We’re all worried about you, Tenma-san.

Misumi: Cheer up, Tenma~.

Muku: As Summer Troupe, we really do have to do our best for the sake of the company, but…

Muku: I’m sure you’ve got something other than that on your mind, don’t you, Tenma-kun?

Kazunari: …We’re friends before we’re Summer Troupe, right?

Kazunari: And if a friend’s feeling distressed, it’s only natural to ask them what’s wrong, so don’t worry about it too much and just say whatever you wanna say~!

Tenma: …

Tenma: …Actually, when we went to the U.S., that director I was introduced to offered me a part in a movie.

Tenma: I’ve been overseas for filming before performances before, but it’s a bigger role than I’ve had in the past, and the filming period is longer too.

Tenma: I’ll have to devote more of my time to the movie.

Tenma: But it’s such an important time for the theater company to all come together and put the New Fleur Award first…

Tenma: I know I should’ve refused, but I wanted to give it a shot because I thought it’d be a chance to get one step closer to my dream of winning the Best Actor Award…

Tenma: I’m not qualified to be the leader of Summer Troupe. Sorry.

Yuki: It’s not like someone as full of himself as you to apologize so honestly like that. Well, I guess you really have grown.

Misumi: You don’t have to apologize, Tenma. We’re friends, aren’t we?

Misumi: And everyone wants to support their friends’ dreams, right?

Kazunari: Exactly. You don’t have to give up. You can do both.

Kazunari: ‘Cause that’s who we are, right?

Kumon: I’m sure that everyone in the company would agree that challenges like that lead to growth!

Tenma: You guys…

Muku: If you’re going to do it, then why don’t we all do it together? Take on a “challenge”.

Yuki: Huh?

Muku: Actually… I’ve been kind of thinking about something like that too.

Muku: When I saw all those different kinds of actors performing in the U.S., it made me think that I also would like to be on a bigger stage.

Muku: I thought I wasn’t good enough to be on a big stage, that I wasn’t ready for it yet, but…

Muku: I feel like if you’re free to take on that challenge, then we all deserve a chance to take on on too.

Muku: It’s scary and I’m not that confident in myself, but I still have to take that first step to get started.

Muku: Tenma-kun, I think you should also do it “now” rather than “someday”.

Kumon: …Then I’m gonna do it too!

Kumon: I was inspired while we were in the U.S., of course, but…

Kumon: When I saw Sumi-san’s performance, it made me wanna become a better actor so that I can perform on lotsa stages like that!

Misumi: I’m sure you can do it, Kumon.

Kumon: Hehe. Thanks! I wanna “challenge” myself more so that I can grow as an actor!

Yuki: …Since we’re on the topic, I got an offer at my part-time job, too.

Yuki: I wanna try to “challenge” myself with the chance to work with a world-class designer.

Yuki: I just feel like I need to do it now. I’m sure there’s something I can bring back to the theater company.

Kazunari: Then I wanna take on my own “challenge” too. I wanna go to Europe to study design again and get inspired to do lotsa things.

Misumi: I wanna take on a “challenge” too! I wanna do a performance at Syu’s ‘cause he worked with Gramps on stage!

Misumi: That way I’ll get even better-er at performing!

Yuki: This time, we’re not just gonna wait for you to get back, but we’re gonna take on our own “challenges” with you, Tenma.

Yuki: That way, you don’t have to overthink anything.

Tenma: …H-Hmph. So you guys have grown, too, huh?

Yuki: Excuse me?

Tenma: That’s what you just said before.

Kazunari: It’s like Ibukichi said, you only live once, so you don’t wanna waste even a second of it.

Kumon: Yeah, yeah! Let’s do all the things we wanna do!

Muku: Right. These “challenges” will be good for both Summer Troupe and the company.

Misumi: That’s why we’re gonna chase our dreams together, right, Tenma?

Tenma: …Thanks.

Yuki: We’re not doing it just for you, you know.

Tenma: You know, it’s okay not to say things sometimes!

*Tenma splashes Yuki*

Yuki: --Don’t splash me!

Muku: Ahaha!

Misumi: I wanna do that too~!

*Misumi splashes Kumon*

Kumon: Whoa! My turn--!

*Kumon splashes Misumi*

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

#a3!#a3! translation #tenma sumeragi #yuki rurikawa #muku sakisaka #misumi ikaruga #kazunari miyoshi #kumon hyodo

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ofthecaravel · 2 years ago

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If Walls Could Talk

The second part to a Danny Wagner/Sam Kiszka oneshot cause I'm a damn dirty liar

Part 1

Summary: Jake and Josh are convinced Sam has a secret, so they rope Danny (the secret) into their investigation.

Tags: Brotherly plotting, goofs, minor steaminess towards the end

Words: 3k

A/N: Yeahhh I decided to expand on this idea. I got the idea of Jake and Josh getting involved and being goofuses and couldn't resist. And maybe I have plans for future installments...

~~~

Sam had been 21 for a month now, and something was horribly wrong.

“Alright, I want theories,” Josh said, throwing his bag on a chair as the door to Jake’s apartment slammed behind him and he collapsed on the couch. “Go.”

“Demonic possession,” Jake answered immediately, spinning in his computer chair to face his brother. “Ghost possession.”

“Mmm, I’m not sure,” Josh countered. “Haven’t seen his head spin yet.”

“Doesn’t mean it hasn’t.”

“So true, so true,” Josh muttered, wrinkling his nose in thought. “I was thinking cult indoctrination. We don’t know what he’s being taught at that fancy shmancy school of his. All old, prestigious universities have at least one underground society.”

“They’d be getting to him kind of late,” Jake pointed out. “If I wanted to rope someone into my cult, I’d get them when they were a freshman, not a senior.”

“A cult would explain the cheerfulness, though,” Josh argued, kicking his legs up against the wall, his curls grazing the carpet as he looked up at his twin’s upside down face. “What with the love bombing and all. He’s just so uncharacteristically…”

“Bubbly,” Jake finished for him, giving sarcastic jazz hands. “Bright and happy!”

“I’m so glad it’s not just me who noticed,” Josh said, recalling how his lunch with Sam just hours before had gone by without a single complaint about…well, anything. Usually, Sam had a list of gripes about his professors, his classmates, or his job in the chem lab that he’d go through. But this time, he had just cheerfully tucked into a big cranberry salad and babbled about the many petri dishes he was tending to for his capstone class.

“We need to consider plain old hysteria,” Jake offered, thinking about how he had taken Sam and Danny out for brunch in the afternoon after the party and observed how the dark cloud that usually accompanied Sam’s hangovers had been noticeably absent. Now that he thought about it, Sam hadn’t seemed hungover at all. He had been practically bouncing out of the booth, giggling and bothering Danny every 3 seconds between bites of pancake. It wasn’t unusual for him to bug Danny, but it had been a little much even for him. Jake had even asked around to see if anybody at the party remembered giving Sam any kind of upper, but he had only been more confused to hear the overwhelming majority had barely even seen Sam that night. Putting pieces together, Jake suddenly sat upright and his eyebrows shot up.

“You don’t think he has a…?” Jake trailed off, Josh picking up what he was insinuating and clumsily climbing back onto the couch so he could see Jake face to face.

“A girlfriend?” Josh whispered, and Jake couldn’t help but let out a low whistle at the possibility. He crossed his legs and arms, his foot bouncing as they quietly pondered the thought. Sam wasn’t one to keep a girlfriend for more than a month. But he had always been a little perkier when he was dating someone, so it wasn’t out of the question.

“Do you think we’d know her?”

“No way,” Josh said, shaking his head. “Probably one of the super smart nerd babes in one of his classes. I don’t think he’d ever get together with anybody outside of school. He likes girls with brains.”

“And heart,” Jake added. “He’s actually kind of a romantic when he’s not being entirely insufferable.”

“Ew.”

“I know.”

“This is so crazy,” Josh marveled. “Do you think he knows we know?”

“No way,” Jake laughed. “He definitely thinks he’s being subtle.”

“Sam is as subtle as a groan tube.”

“Amen to that,” Jake agreed, slapping his knees and getting to his feet. “I need a beer. Want one?”

“Let’s toast to Sammy and his little girlfriend!” Josh crowed, reaching a hand out and catching the can with shocking grace when Jake tossed it from the kitchen.

“Cheers!” Jake cheered, clinking his can loudly against Josh’s with a celebratory whoop. “You know who we should ask about this?”

“Oh yeah!” Josh hummed through a sip. “That’s a great idea.”

“If anyone would know what’s going on-”

“It’s Danny.”

“Would you happen to know why Josh is spam calling me?”

Danny was laying on his bed with Sam sprawled over top of him, his cheek resting on his chest while they watched a show on his terrible, small TV. This was a new routine of theirs and it was quickly becoming one of his favorites. He selfishly wished that Sam would just stay with him in his crappy little apartment all day everyday just so Danny could devote as much time as possible to raking his fingers through his soft hair and blowing raspberries on the top of Sam’s head that made him squeal in outrage. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the show and his gorgeous best friend in his arms when his phone on the nightstand kept ringing repeatedly, the vibrations buzzing furiously on the wood like a fly in his ear. Everytime he checked, it was Josh’s contact photo flashing on the screen.

“Beats me,” Sam mumbled against Danny’s shirt.

“Should I pick it up? He never calls me,” Danny worried, watching his phone start rattling a new round of his ringtone. “Maybe it’s serious.”

“Nah,” Sam drawled, smacking Danny’s hand so his phone fell back on the nightstand. “If it was serious, he’d call me first. More hair playing, please and thank you.”

“That might be the first time I’ve heard you say either of those words,” Danny teased and Sam harrumphed in protest, gently smacking Danny’s face next. “Hey!”

“You’re being a bad cuddler,” Sam whined, nuzzling his cheek more against Danny’s chest and fidgeting. Danny scoffed and smoothed Sam’s hair back, still hopelessly endeared by him even when he was being annoying.

“Then you can go find somebody else to lay on,” Danny leaned in and whispered in Sam’s ear, suddenly shifting and flipping onto his side, sending a screaming Sam flailing off of the bed and onto the floor while Danny scooped up his phone and answered it.

“Hi, Josh,” Danny answered cheerfully while Sam hurled obscenities from the floor. Danny peeked over the edge of the bed, sticking his tongue out when Sam threw him the middle finger with both hands. “What’s up?”

“Finally!” Josh sighed, his voice so loud that Danny had to hold the phone away from his ear. “I thought you were never going to pick up.”

“You couldn’t just text me?”

“Absolutely not,” Josh replied as if it was the most ridiculous suggestion he had ever heard. “This is a matter of the highest security and discretion.”

“Do tell,” Danny said casually while Sam, still on the ground, reached up, grabbed the pillow out from under Danny’s head, and half heartedly tried to smother him with it. “You have my full attention.”

“Jake’s here too, say hi Jake,” Josh said, and after a moment of rustling, Jake’s voice piped up. “Hi, Dan.”

“Hi, guys,” Danny replied, curiosity creeping into his tone. “Care to explain what’s going on?”

“We have a conspiracy theory,” Josh whispered into the phone, and he heard Jake making ghostly noises in the background. “And we need your help investigating it.”

“Okay?”

“You’re not with Sam right now, are you?”

Danny looked down at Sam on the floor, who had put the pillow under his own head and was scowling up at Danny, flipping him the middle finger yet again.

“Nope,” Danny answered, giving Sam a kissy face and flopping back onto the bed. “Why?”

“Do you know what he’s up to right now?”

“Uh,” Danny paused. “I think he just said he was busy today. Again, why?”

“Interesting,” Josh hummed. “Has he been vague about his whereabouts with you, too?”

“Sort of,” Danny stammered, rolling over and throwing Sam a concerned look, who gave him a questioning look back. “He’s been busy, that’s all I know. I mean, it’s the end of the semester so that’s not too shocking.”

“We think he might be seeing someone,” Josh proposed amusedly and Danny’s heart started racing anxiously. He sat straight up and did his best to make a shocked noise.

“You think?” Danny squeaked. Sam sat up and gave him another confused look.

“For sure,” Jake answered, taking the phone from Josh. “Haven’t you noticed he’s been super weird lately? He’s been so cheery and downright merry. He’s usually miserable this time of year.”

“I guess he has been a little more upbeat lately,” Danny agreed, feeling a little warmth in his stomach. Did he really do that to Sam? Did he make him so happy that everyone around them could see it?

“But he hasn’t said anything about a girlfriend to you?” Josh asked.

“Nope,” Danny answered truthfully.

“Wow. I’m shocked he wouldn’t even tell you. He tells you everything.”

Sam was starting to get impatient and got up and scrambled onto the bed again, straddling Danny and making a move to grab the phone.

“No!” Danny whispered, palming Sam’s face and holding him back while Sam struggled, whispering obscenities and swinging his arms. “Give me a second!”

“Are you talking about me?” Sam asked, his voice barely audible, both of them still respecting the rules of being on the phone even though both sides had gone silent.

“Just be patient!” Danny hissed, pushing square against Sam’s chest and pinning him to the bed with one hand while he cradled the phone in the crook of his shoulder and brought it to his ear. “Sorry, Josh, what?”

“Ooh, do you have a guueesst over?” Josh whistled, no doubt wiggling his eyebrows while he said it. Jake wolf whistled in the background and Danny groaned.

“Shut up, you guys,” he complained. “Stay focused. What do you want me to do?”

“We just want you to poke around,” Josh explained as Danny tried to keep Sam quiet, who was still wiggling and grinning wickedly in Danny’s firm grip. “Ask him if he’s been hanging out with anybody.”

“Try and hang out with him as much as you can,” Jake added. “We’re trying to get a name out of this. We want socials we can stalk.”

“Wouldn’t you rather wait for him to bring it up?” Danny countered, making a “ssh!” face as Sam giggled under him. “Maybe there’s a reason he hasn’t said anything.”

“No, we’d rather be nosy,” Josh said in a deadpan, and Danny heard Jake cackle in the background. “He clearly likes her enough to not mention her to us.”

“And that’s so much worse,” Jake continued. “So, are you up for it?”

“I suppose I could do some sleuthing,” Danny smiled, starting to become increasingly distracted by the color flushing in Sam’s face as Danny held him down. “I’ll get back to you with what I know as soon as I can, okay?”

“You’re a peach, Wagner,” Josh grinned through the receiver. “We knew we could count on you.”

“Give him hell, Swaggy!” Jake crowed, and Danny laughed.

“Love you guys, talk to you later!” Danny chirped hurriedly, cutting off Josh’s loud kissing noises by hanging up and tossing his phone onto the nightstand.

“What did those hippies want?” Sam asked, running his fingers through Danny’s curls as Danny hovered over him, propping himself up on an elbow with a hand still firmly on Sam’s diaphragm.

“They’re pretty sure you have a girlfriend,” Danny said, and Sam let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head.

“God, they’re the worst,” Sam laughed, rolling his eyes. “I can’t keep anything from them. They’re going to be poking their noses in my business until I’m 102.”

“And they want me to find out who she is,” Danny went on.

“Oh, man…” Sam sighed.

“Is there any particular reason you haven’t told them yet?” Danny prodded, his thumb swiping soothingly, wrinkling the thin fabric of Sam’s shirt. “They think it’s some kind of a big deal.”

Sam hesitated, watching the movement of Danny’s hand on his chest before covering it with his own.

“My brothers think everything is a big deal,” Sam muttered. “I don’t know. I mean, they’re going to be jazzed about it, they love you. I just…I don’t know.”

“No, I get it,” Danny replied, his stomach sinking a little bit. He knew Sam wasn’t embarrassed of him or anything, but…

“I’ll tell them soon,” Sam promised, flashing the doe eyes he knew made Danny melt. Danny’s face immediately softened and the jackrabbit panic in Sam’s chest calmed a little at the sight. “I swear. I know it’s important to you.”

“You’re pretty sweet sometimes, you know that?” Danny grinned, dipping his head to plant a kiss on Sam’s cheek, who chuckled at the contact. “Could be fun to play along for a little bit, too.”

“Yeah?” Sam asked, nuzzling his nose against Danny’s. “You wanna do a big, dramatic reveal?”

“It’s probably the last thing they expect,” Danny pointed out, pausing to peck Sam lightly on the mouth, who chased after his lips with a frown when he pulled back just as quickly as he had struck. “Imagine the looks on their faces when I tell them I’ve done all this investigative work just to find out that Sam’s super secret girlfriend is none other than…wait for it…”

“Oh, let me guess!” Sam mocked in Josh’s parroting voice, arching an eyebrow and pretending to think deeply. “The Queen of England?”

“No, no, she’s too good for you!” Danny growled in Jake’s beloved yet atrocious fake British accent. “It’s gotta be…the lady giraffe at the zoo!”

“She’s a little short for my taste,” Sam teased, holding Danny’s hair up over his head and waving it as if caught in a wind. “I like ‘em tall.”

“How tall do you think I am?” Danny scoffed, straightening his arms so he was planking over Sam, his hair falling in a dark curtain that made the rest of the room fall away so the only thing he could see was Sam. And he certainly didn’t mind the view, especially when it was looking up at him with a light in his eyes that seemed to shine only for him.

“Not tall enough,” Sam smiled cheekily and Danny raised an eyebrow at him.

“Whatever.” Danny lowered himself again so that he was draped over Sam, the tips of their noses touching again. “I’m still your super secret special girlfriend.”

“You’re my super secret special dumbass,” Sam assured him with puckered lips, jutting his chin out in a lazy attempt to steal a kiss. “Come here.”

“I want to hear you say it,” Danny breathed, stopping Sam’s lips with his pointer finger, gingerly pressing the tip of his finger against the soft, pink flesh before tapping his nose. “And then I’ll think about it.”

“To be fair,” Sam retorted, biting at Danny’s finger when he pulled it back. “You never officially asked me.”

“I didn’t realize you were expecting a whole big thing.”

“I was expecting bread and circus. Doves and rose petals.”

“I confessed to you under the stars on your birthday, what more do you want from me? Sheesh. Picky, picky.”

“You’re the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had,” Sam declared.

“I’ll take it!” Danny beamed, colliding the grin that was breaking out over his face into Sam, who accepted it with his own smile. Sam then drowned him in a long kiss, holding him close with his hands tangled comfortably in his curls and his legs slotted between Danny’s in a way that he had started to make a habit.

In fact, since their night on the roof, Sam had found it extremely difficult to keep his hands off of his best friend. He had been into Danny for what felt like forever, so now that he had his chance to have him all to himself, he was doing everything in his power not to waste it. His brother’s suspicions made sense when he put into perspective just how often he had begun to ignore their texts or offers to hang out in favor of beelining to Danny’s apartment after school or work and staying for as long as he could before his next class. But how could he not? Danny was all over him too. A kiss on the roof had led to a locked door, shirts on the floor, and a few days recycling the same turtleneck until the marks that had bloomed under Danny’s teeth had faded. Not much had changed in that regard, except that now Danny had the restraint and wherewithal to leave bruises where they couldn’t be seen by curious coworkers or ridiculously nosy brothers.

“Okay, fine,” Sam whined as Danny worked his shirt over his head and left a barrage of light kisses against the achingly sensitive skin on his neck. “Maybe you’re not the worst boyfriend in the world.”

“Gee, thanks,” Danny murmured against his skin, his tongue darting out and making Sam hum as he cradled Danny’s head against him. “Good to know I just need to get you worked up a little bit to be nicer to me.”

“Take me all the way and I’ll be more than nice,” Sam purred, flattening his hands against Danny’s back under his shirt and raking his nails down, making Danny groan into his neck.

“Kinda slutty of you,” Daniel chuckled, coming back up for air and gazing down at Sam with pink cheeks and the freckles on his nose so close that Sam was tempted to nip each and every one.

“You love that about me,” Sam teased, smoothing his palms over Danny’s lower back and hips as he watched his eyelids flutter and the warm hazel of his eyes get swallowed up by his pupils.

“You have no idea,” Danny groaned lowly, descending on Sam hungrily.

If he was being tasked with keeping an eye on him, he figured he might as well make it both worth their while.

Taglist: @s0livagant @holdingup-fallingsky @t00turnttrauma @the-starcatcher @streamsofstardust @spark-my-nature @joshkiszkashusband

#i am not immune to shenanigans #gvf #greta van fleet #danny wagner #sam kiszka #sanny gvf #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van art #you dont go to parties #karoufiction

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crinkled-emotions · 9 months ago

Text

Day 31: Free Day (Surprise fic!)

This one... oof. I can't believe it's finally here.

I'm super grateful to those people who have sent in asks or commented on the fics, I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get to 31 🥺 I talked more about it on the Ao3 version of this because tumblr is a NIGHTMARE for hate asks atm.

Warnings: Carole's cancer diagnosis and discussions of cancer-related complications, Goose's accident, Hangman's fear of not being fast enough to get to Mav and Rooster during the Dagger mission. Rooster also puts himself back into therapy.

This fic also contains Hangster and a couple of very special guests!! I really went loose with this one, I didn't edit it particularly hard nor did I think about whether it would be received well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it 🥹

“Jake Seresin, you have three seconds to get over here and explain yourself!”

Hangman’s head shot up, glancing over the back of the couch in Maverick’s hangar. Coyote frowned from beside him, following his gaze to see three figures coming into the space.

“Oh shit,” Hangman hissed, “I gotta hide.”

He got up and made an abrupt disappearing act into the hangar, Coyote calling after him but to no avail. Phoenix was standing too, beaming as she ran to give one of the people coming toward them a hug.

“Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in forever! How are you?”

“Honey we are doing just fine.”

Phoenix folded into the older woman’s arms, surprisingly affectionate with her which the others were now watching closely considering Phoenix was more likely to bite someone’s head off rather than giving them a hug.

“You’re here!”

Maverick came out of the airstream, Rooster following shortly after. He stopped dead in his tracks halfway down the stairs, eyes widening.

“Mom? Dad?”

Carole surged forward, leaving Goose in his wheelchair for a moment to wrap her son in a hug.

“Bradley,” she breathed. Nothing more needed to be said.

“What the fuck?”

Sorry. Except for that. Thanks Fanboy.

“Uh- guys, uh... meet my parents. This is my mom, Carole... and my dad. Goose.”

Rooster helped his dad join the group, gently touching his shoulder.

“You okay, dad?”

“Better than you,” Goose retorted, earning an eye roll. Carole swatted Rooster’s shoulder and then extended her arms to give Maverick a hug too.

“And you, Maverick, what were you thinking?!”

“Carole, I-“

“-god, if we’d lost both of you...”

She pulled away, tears in her eyes as she looked between Rooster and Maverick, then sighed.

“Is Jake here?”

“Mom...” Rooster started carefully but she held out a hand.

“I just want to talk to him for a moment.”

“He’s down the back, ma’am,” Bob offered. Carole waved at him, pressed a kiss to Goose’s lips and Rooster’s temple then made her way through the collection of vintage cars and a plane or two. The Daggers turned toward Rooster, gobsmacked.

“Why the hell are your parents all buddy buddy with Maverick?” Payback demanded. Rooster just smirked.

“Have you not been listening for the last six weeks?”

“Jake, I know you’re back here.”

Hangman grimaced, slowly turning toward Carole. The older woman stood by the photo wall, arms crossed.

“Ma’am, I-“

“-since when have I been ma’am to you? Honey you were there for three Christmases, you don’t ever need to ma’am me.”

Hangman grimaced, leaning on the workbench.

“I said some really awful things to Rooster- Bradley. I said things I didn’t mean and now he’s mad as hell. How are you not pissed at me for everything I’ve done?”

“I don’t think he is, and I’m certainly not. Yours and Bradley’s relationship ended but that doesn’t mean I stopped worrying about you.”

Carole and Goose had taken Jake in all those years ago when Rooster took him home for the first time, constantly looking to him for reassurance because he didn’t know what it was like to have a supportive, welcoming family. Goose was paralysed from the neck down but he didn’t let it affect his charm and his sense of humour; Carole had survived what was almost terminal cancer and she still held her own against her incredibly stubborn son and husband. Hangman cleared his throat, eyes falling to the concrete flooring.

“I thought they were dead.”

“I can’t imagine how scared you must have been. You and Bradley...”

Carole Bradshaw was fun loving, loud and the life of the party at all times but she also raised what could only be described as a handful of a son with a gentle hand and her maternal instincts came out with almost everyone she met, Hangman included. He’d spent many a night sitting up with her, the two of them the insomniacs of their relationships, just talking about anything and nothing.

She was the mother figure he’d never had.

“Jake. Are you okay?”

“No,” he choked out. Carole’s eyes softened and she stepped forward to pull him into a hug.

“So what Bagman said, about Mav and your dad-“

“-it’s true, my dad and Mav were at TOPGUN when the accident happened. My dad was in a coma for... a really long time. When he did finally come around he couldn’t feel anything from his chest down. All the PT in the world can’t fix the kind of paralysis he has.”

“Man, that must have been really difficult for you. I’m sorry.”

Bob’s voice broke the silence first. Rooster hummed.

“I remember my mom was doing the laundry once and she just started bawling. Mav said she found a load of my dad’s clothes she’d forgotten about and it just... yeah. I don’t actually remember seeing dad all that often, one minute he was gone and the next he was sitting in his new wheelchair at home and he couldn’t pick me up anymore.”

Phoenix’s brows furrowed.

“I can’t even imagine. Your mom was sick too, right?”

“It was three years of hell.”

Maverick and Goose joined the Daggers by the couches, Maverick ruffling Rooster’s hair as Rooster glanced over at his dad.

“You handle the drive alright?”

“Yeah, fine. How about you kid, you doing okay?”

“Just glad to be on the ground,” Rooster said quietly. He felt Goose gently touch his shoulder.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

Rooster hummed, glancing around.

“Where did mom go?”

“I’m here honey. Have you told them about the Walmart diaper story yet?”

“Mom,” Rooster groaned as Carole and Hangman appeared from the back of the hangar. Phoenix’s eyes lit up and she scooted over on the couch to make room for Carole.

“Wait, I haven’t heard this one. I thought I had all the BB Blackmail.”

“The what?”

“Oh, Roos,” Hangman shook his head, “you have no idea.”

That evening Carole and Goose retired to the house beside the hangar- Maverick tended to sleep in the airstream in the hangar itself but the house had been specifically fitted with everything Goose needed for his wheelchair access including the bathroom and kitchen. The Daggers rolled out their swags across the hangar but stayed up a little longer to talk. Everyone started to drift off except Rooster and Hangman, sitting up on the couches together with a beer in hand.

“I don’t get it,” Hangman said, “you almost lost your parents and you still cut Maverick off.”

“Jake I don’t want to get into this with you,” Bradley groaned.

“No, you listen to me. Mav might have a couple screws loose but he must have done it for a reason.”

“I think my mom had something to do with it. She always went quiet when I started talking about the Navy or begging to get my licence.”

“Can you blame her? She almost lost her husband and her best friend in one hit.”

“Yeah, I do blame her. This was so fucking important to me, it was all I could talk about.”

“I know, Bradley, I remember when you found out why you were four years behind everyone else.”

Hangman took a sip of his beer, eyes to his lap.

“Left me in the dust.”

“Jake, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I’m going to bed. Drink some water before you try to sleep.”

Hangman stood, collecting the beer bottles around the hangar to put in the trash before rolling out his swag. Rooster sighed.

“Jake, I’m sorry.”

“Goodnight.”

Carole and Maverick stood out in the bright morning sunlight just outside the hangar doors, drinking coffee and looking over the desert.

“How long were Hangman and Bradley together?” Maverick asked.

“Almost four years. Bradley was never the same after he found out about his papers.”

“Couldn’t get off his perch?” Maverick supplied. Carole laughed.

“Sure.”

Then she turned to face Maverick properly.

“What happened on that mission, Pete? Bradley calls after deployments but he doesn’t spend hours just sitting there listening to us babble. I’ve never seen Jake that haunted either.”

“You really want to know?” Maverick asked. When Carole just glared at him he sighed.

“Alright, we better sit down. Let’s go inside.”

They headed into the house, taking a seat at the dining table. Carole reached over and squeezed Maverick’s hand.

“I know this one was different.”

“I didn’t expect to come home from this one.”

“Pete you say that all the time-“

“-no I mean it. I saw the mission plan and I knew someone wasn’t coming home. If that was going to be the case, I wanted it to be me.”

“Pete, you did that. Everyone made it thanks to you.”

“How much did Bradley tell you?”

“Enough to know I could have lost both of you.”

“It’s a good thing Jake was spare; I knew if it came down to it he would be the one who’d push their jet to the limits to help in time without hesitating. He might be an ass at the best of times but he saved our lives. I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

Carole glanced down at her coffee cup.

“I think something shook loose in Bradley this time.”

“Me too.”

Maverick touched her hand, gesturing toward the bedroom.

“How’s he doing? Anything from the docs?”

“Oh, the usual. The nerve pain isn’t any better but he doesn’t want to tell Bradley.”

“We spent too long keeping secrets from Bradley, Carole.”

“I know, I just... he’s doing so well at work and the way he was last night- that’s the Bradley I know and love. He was smiling and laughing like I haven’t seen him in years.”

Maverick smiled.

“Yeah, I thought so too. Just... talk to him.”

“I will.”

Carole got up, rinsing out her coffee cup.

“You think he’s going to be okay?”

“He’s tough.”

“But is he going to be okay, Pete?”

Maverick frowned.

“I don’t know, Carole. All we can do is make sure he knows we’ve got his back.”

“So your mom looks good.”

“Are you flirting? Phoenix, she’s my mom.”

Phoenix gaped at Rooster for a second, then she burst out laughing and took his cup of coffee from him.

“Shut up, god knows you’re still flirting with Hangman after all these years.”

It was Rooster’s turn to stare hopelessly at her. She elbowed him in the side.

“Seriously. I haven’t seen your mom smile that hard in years-“

“-Bradley! Come help with breakfast!”

Carole called out the front door of the house and Rooster smiled at her over his shoulder.

“Be there in a second, mom!”

He took his coffee back from Phoenix and drained the mug, planting it back in her hand.

“Thanks for... everything, Tash.”

He headed back for the house when Carole yelled again, leaving Phoenix staring blankly after him. She heard someone else approach her from behind and smiled when she realised it was Bob and Fanboy.

“I didn’t think he knew how to smile,” Fanboy started. Bob nodded.

“It felt like I was talking to a brick wall sometimes, but this Rooster? It’s almost unsettling.”

“You know the story about his papers?” Phoenix asked them, both men shaking their heads. Phoenix sighed.

“Well, uh, after Mav and Rooster’s father were in a really awful crash, and Rooster’s mom beat cancer by the skin of her teeth, Rooster thinks she wasn’t down for him risking his life like Maverick still does and his father did. Apparently it was all he could talk about from the moment he was old enough to understand the Navy.”

“My dad’s a rancher, I wanted to be one for years too,” Bob supplied but Phoenix cleared her throat.

“It went so much deeper than that. Mr Bradshaw almost died from his injuries and then the infection he sustained later on. I don’t think Carole could have handled losing Bradley too, so Rooster thinks she might have asked Mav to pull his papers from the Naval Academy. It set him back four years which is how we ended up in the same TOPGUN class with Hangman. I don’t know all the details but I think Rooster’s finally made peace with whatever happened between then and now.”

Bob was quiet for a moment, processing everything, but Fanboy’s brows furrowed.

“Why was he so damn bitchy with Mav if it was his mom that pulled his papers?”

“You’d have to ask him.”

“No thanks,” Fanboy and Bob said simultaneously, earning laughter.

“He lived with him.”

They all jumped when Hangman appeared beside them, eyes on the desert in front of them rather than looking toward his teammates.

“What?”

“When things got really bad, Rooster moved in with Mav.”

Phoenix sighed.

“That tracks.”

“Is he gonna be pissed you can’t keep your mouth shut?” Phoenix asked Hangman, who just shrugged.

“He’s already pissed.”

“Daggers! Breakfast!”

The conversation was cut short by Maverick calling out for everyone to come eat, Payback and Coyote emerging from the hangar and Phoenix following the others down the hill where they’d been talking.

“Mrs Bradshaw, can I ask- Bradley Bradshaw?”

Carole smiled at Payback, patting his hand.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Mom,” Rooster started quietly which immediately had everyone’s attention. Phoenix put her fork down, raising an eyebrow.

“No, please tell us. What are we missing?”

“When Bradley was born, his mom was-“

“-dad.”

The Cheshire-cat grin on Hangman’s face told the others he hadn’t heard this story either. Goose glanced between the Daggers then he smiled. Rooster put his head in his hands.

“So Mav and I were on base when Carole called to say she was in labour. It was just lucky that we were only a half hour away instead of being deployed so we were able to get to the hospital fast.”

Goose’s eyes met Carole’s and he smiled softly at her. Phoenix wondered what it was like to be that in love, then almost choked when she realised Hangman had a matching fond look on his face... directed at Rooster.

“Anyway, so we get in the room and Carole is doing her thing and she looks me dead in the eye... says she wants to call him Bradley then just starts laughing. I thought it was a joke, but the second Mav held him he says he looks like a Nick Junior. We compromised; my middle name is James, so...”

“Oh my god. Your middle name is James?” Phoenix says. Rooster sighed.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

“We didn’t mean to call him BJ, it just happened.”

The Daggers frantically tried to avoid eye contact with one another so they didn’t burst out laughing, but Phoenix rested her head on Bob’s shoulder to stifle her giggling and that was it for the rest of them. Rooster rolled his eyes.

“I’m spitting in your food tonight.”

“How sweet, BJ!” Phoenix grinned. Even Maverick was smiling as he shook his head.

“I swear I work with teenagers.”

“How are you doing, kid?”

Rooster glanced over as his dad came into the living room, sending him a soft smile.

“I’m okay.”

“You’ve been quiet.”

“Dad. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know, B.”

Neither Goose nor Carole called him any variation of Rooster; it was always his first name or a nickname. Bradley’s shoulders relaxed and he shrugged.

“Look, it’s fine, it’s no big deal.”

Goose frowned.

“Well, from experience, almost dying is a big deal. Almost dying twice? I mean, I’m surprised you’re not drunk under a tree kid.”

That earned a snort.

“Bradley, you came home different.”

His eyes dropped to his lap and he took a deep breath.

“I know.”

“Kid, no one expects you to have it all together.”

That seemed to unlock something and Bradley hummed, then cleared his throat.

“Bradley?”

“Dad I can’t- I can’t breathe.”

“Alright, put your head between your knees. You’ve done this before, it’s okay.”

“Is he okay? Bradley, sweetheart what’s going on? Goose?”

Carole appeared from downstairs, rubbing her hand over her son’s back and cupping his forehead.

“Just breathe, honey. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Bradley did as his father had said, focusing on the air moving through his lungs. He heard his mother talking to him and his father softly, her hand firm on his back. He might have been in his thirties but times like these brought him right back to his teenage years when everything was too much, or when he and Jake broke up and the only person more upset had been his mom.

“Fuck, Roos. You good? I thought you said these stopped.”

Somehow Bradley had missed the door opening. His head shot up to find Hangman standing by the entrance to the living room, arms crossed over his chest. He strode across the room and pulled the curtains shut then went into the kitchen. Carole gently brushed Bradley’s curls from his face.

“Say the word and he goes.”

“No, no it’s okay,” he managed to get out, carefully working himself back upright. Goose watched him for a moment.

“Feel okay?”

“God, no.”

“How long has it been since you, your parents and Mav were all in the same room?”

Rooster glanced down at Phoenix’s head on his shoulder as they sat on a picnic blanket, looking over the sunset. She glanced up at him, waiting for an answer.

“Too long,” he sighed. Phoenix smiled.

“It must be weird having all three parents in the same room.”

“Scary to think I could have had none of them. I can’t- if I’d lost them...”

Phoenix touched his shoulder.

“But you didn’t.”

“I almost did. All three of them, at various stages. For a while there it felt like the moment I caught my breath it would all go bad again.”

“I know.”

She did, of course she did. She’d been the one to find him in the barracks, staring helplessly at his phone. Hangman was long gone at that point, so Phoenix had booked him a flight home and urged him to speak to his CO about leave. Initially his leave request was denied but a call from a certain Admiral had made it so he had a couple days to go home and be with his family when his mom had a scare at a check up scan.

“I think I’m going to lose them, Tasha.”

“Oh, Roos.”

“Mom’s been in remission for almost three years and dad’s not in any immediate danger but Mav... it’s so fuckin’ stupid.”

“It’s not; Mav lives life on the edge,” Phoenix reassured. Rooster snorted.

“Yeah.”

“Well, have you spoken to him about it?”

“Pot, kettle, black.”

Phoenix punched his shoulder.

“Maybe he could use a reminder about what he’s got to come home to. It must have been difficult juggling holidays if you couldn’t even be in the same room together.”

“Oh no, we had it down to a fine art. I got Christmas but I made sure to be busy at Easter-“

“-you mean drunk.”

“I mean drunk.”

Rooster sighed, nudging Phoenix’s shoulder.

“I gotta sort my shit out with Seresin, I’ll come find you later.”

“Go get ‘em, Roo. Get laid.”

Rooster rolled his eyes as he stood, dusting off his jeans before he headed to find Hangman sitting with Payback and Fanboy arguing about college football.

“Hey, Seres- uh, Jake. Can we talk?”

“Sure.”

He scooted over on the couch but Rooster shook his head.

“Not here.”

Fanboy and Payback exchanged a look.

“No, man, you guys stay here. We can argue about football elsewhere.”

Payback stood, grabbing Fanboy by the end of his jacket to get him to follow. Hangman stood.

“Look, Bradshaw, I-“

Rooster gently took him by the arm and led into the airstream, closing the door behind him.

Hangman’s brows furrowed.

“What are you doing?”

“Thanks for earlier. When I-“

“-yeah, don’t sweat it.”

A pause.

“So... was that it-“

“-I’m sorry for what I did to us.”

Jake’s eyebrows shot up.

“Bradley... that was three years ago.”

“Did you move on? See other people?”

“Not like I saw you.”

Rooster leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

The tension in the tiny airstream could have been cut with a knife. Hangman crossed his arms over his chest; Rooster reached out to touch him but stopped at the last second. The last thing he wanted Jake to think was that he was apologising for sex. To his surprise Jake met him halfway, lacing their fingers together.

“All I ever wanted was for you to talk to me.”

“I didn’t know how.”

“Do you now?”

“I want to try.”

Jake’s shoulders settled.

“Bradley, this... I can’t go another round if you’re going to get cold feet and leave again.”

“I’m not talking out of my ass, Jake.”

“Fucking prove it, because I won’t do this again.”

Bradley reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping away for a moment. Jake watched him, brows furrowed.

“Are you seriously answering a text right now?”

“No, I’m pulling up an appointment. Look.”

He thrust the phone into Jake’s hand. Sure enough, it was an appointment confirmation booking for a therapy centre in San Diego.

“Wait, this isn’t the VA-“

“-I don’t want to talk to someone who’s associated with the Navy, my... issues aren’t with the Navy. They’re issues from my childhood, shit I never talked about. Not even with my parents or Mav.”

Jake swallowed, passing the phone back.

“Is this some adrenaline thing? Get back on dry land, sleep with your ex, trauma gone and appointment cancelled?”

“No.”

For some reason, he believed him. Maybe it was because he could hear the sincerity in Bradley’s voice, the way he ducked his head to meet Jake’s eyes. He didn’t tense up when Jake put a hand on his chest, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“If we’re serious about this, we do it properly. No sex, no making out to avoid talking about our feelings. I don’t care if it sounds dumb, I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“I know. I’m going to try. I don’t want to let you down ever again.”

Jake didn’t know if he was a weak man, a dumb man or a whipped man, but he didn’t shy away when Bradley leaned in and kissed him softly.

“I missed you, darlin’,” he whispered, hands finding Bradley’s hips.

“I missed you too. I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

Jake wrapped him in a hug, burying his face against Bradley’s neck. When he opened his eyes, he groaned.

“We have paparazzi.”

“What?”

Bradley pulled away, glancing over his shoulder.

“Guys,” he groaned

“Carry on!” Phoenix called through the open window, Coyote holding up a bowl of what looked like popcorn.

“Are they back together yet?” Carole called from the couch.

“Yes, mom, we’re back together.”

Jake and Bradley exchanged a look, then Jake took him by the hand.

“We can talk more later when we get back to San Diego.”

“I’d like that.”

“We did good, Goose.”

Goose hummed, watching the Daggers playing dogfight football on the empty tarmac.

“We did, honey.”

Carole squeezed his hand.

“You owe me twenty bucks.”

“You bet they’d be back together when we got here!” Goose protested. She sent him a look and he sighed.

“We share an account honey.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I have a better idea.”

They exchanged a look, then Carole squeezed his hand and stood.

“Mav! You lost!”

“Fuck.”

11 notes · View notes

dozenssporks · 1 year ago

Text

*the video opens with a distant shot of Vash laying in the shade of a sand dune making a ‘snow’ angel*

Wolfwood, speaking from behind the camera: there he is, ladies and gents, the most feared outlaw in the tri-state area

Vash: only that infamous? my ratings have dropped.

Wolfwood slowly zooms in until it’s a close up of Vash’s face as he stares at the sky: you’ve been laying there for, like, an hour. Don’tcha have anything to do, you lazy bum?

Vash: I am contemplating. The life. The Universe. The everything. That cloud looks like a jelly doughnut. Now shush.

the shot slowly zooms out again and wolfwood whispers: I am bored out of my mind so I am going to do something drastic. Ready? Okay. *raising his voice* Hey, needle-noggin! What’s your opinion of America’s public transport system?

Vash, sitting bolt upright in a shower of sand: it’s The Worst! It’s patchy, incomplete, inconsistent! There are hundreds and hundreds of desolate miles where the only option is a car because nobody bothered to put a train there. Do you know what that means when you can’t drive? It means you walk! My boots have racked up more miles than a soccer mom’s SUV--

Wolfwood, whispering again: and off he goes . . .

^Vash gets up and begins to march around, waving his arms dramatically to emphasize his points or express his frustration. The camera calmly follows him back and forth. There are several cuts so Vash’s ranting jumps from point to point and country to country, a timer in the corner of the screen records how long he’s been talking, more than twenty minutes. The smooth dune becomes a a churning sea of footprints*

Vash, pointing sharply: --and that’s why England’s railway--!

Wolfwood, suppressing giggles: what about, dunno, Italy?

Vash: Italy, well, I got pick-pocketed on public transport there actually

Wolfwood: for real? someone picked the humanoid typhoon’s pocket?

Vash: yeah--oh! That reminds me, hang on!

*Vash dives forward, sliding to a stop at his destination on his knees. He pulls open his bag and rifles through the contents. Odds and ends spill out and a couple odd shirt-sleeves are trailing in the sand before he pulls out a wallet*

Vash: so um *pulls an id card out of the wallet and glances at it* Drusilla Zuccaro if you are watching this I’m sorry I took your wallet and forgot to give it back and forgot I still had it until just now. It was going to be a great bit where you thought you’d got my wallet but I’d got yours and I’d give it back and we’d laugh and you’d turn over a new leaf and never pick-pocket again. I, uh, kinda had to hoof it due to various misunderstandings and it slipped my mind. I’d offer to send it back to you but it’s been, uuhhh, five months? You’ve probably got a new id and stuff by now . . .

Wolfwood, voice shaking with suppressed laughter: there wasn’t any cash?

Vash, looking sideways: . . . it was only maybe fourteen euros and a guy on the run has gotta eat, you know

Wolfwood: vash the stampede committing petty theft? you disgust me

Vash, on his knees, hands pressed together: Scusami tanto, ti chiedo scusa dal profondo del cuore. Sono mortificato, chiedo scusa.

Wolfwood: yeah, yeah, so what are you gonna do about it?

Vash, sadly and a little sulky: Ti rimborserei ma non ho soldi

Wolfwood: Imma take a wild guess and say you’re saying you’re broke

Vash, muttering and drawing circles in the sand: sì

Wolfwood: you’re a total deadbeat you know that, spiky?

Vash, throwing himself down into the sand, tears streaming down his face: leave me and my deadbeat feelings to die

Wolfwood: want some absolution?

Vash: keep your stupid little confession box away from me! Didn’t you hear me? I have no money! I’m already in debt!

*Vash continues to weep noisily as the camera pans over the dunes and setting sun*

Wolfwood: that was fun. next time I’m gonna ask him about, um, types of socks maybe. This is where I’d ask you to like and subscribe but y’all know we don’t work like that. Otherwise we’d be scamming you for donations and ol’ needle-noggin here would have money for bus fare. Buh-bye.

*video ends*

#trigun #trigun on the run au #trigun modern au #a dozen sporks speaks #ww: how can you tell the cloud is specifically a jjelly doughnut #vash: well it doesn't look like a custard filled one. Obviously.#this nonsense makes me smirk to myself at work and that's all that matters #trigun snippets

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snailsandpuppy-dogtails · 1 year ago

Text

Communication Breakdown

part 3 of the garvez solstice story is a year old today. In this part Luke takes a drunk Penelope and JJ home from a failed girls night. WC: 2,071 of funny drunken flirting Ao3

“Why’s Newbie here?” It was cool out, it was dark, but neither bothered them much due to the alcohol they'd consumed. It was meant to be a girls night, but Tara and Emily each had something come up, so it was just Penelope and JJ. They’d gotten caught up in shots for shots and then a sweet group of girls bar hopping for a bachelorette party had included them in their celebrations, and then people were buying them drinks… and so they’d both had a bit more than they normally would.

JJ grinned, “I called him. Better someone we can trust, than some rando moonlighting driver.” Penelope didn’t need to know she picked Luke over literally everyone else for slightly devious motives... JJ had noticed how Morgan’s little push at the party a few weeks ago had helped things in the moment, but since being back at work things had gone…cold. Her “fluffy armor” as Luke called it had gone back up, Penelope reverting to her “I grudgingly accept his existence” stance and poor Luke just accepting it. She was hoping arranging them together would encourage someone to make a move. And Penelope couldn’t stop talking about him all night “Did you see what Alvez…” “Could you believe he said that? To ME?!” “You know he puts…”. honestly, even her subconscious sucked at keeping secrets. The girls in the bachelorette party had demanded to see his picture after Penelope emphatically denied being interested in him and insisting they were not dating, that she wouldn’t even if she could, but she “couldn’t anyway because they work on the same team”. The consensus after seeing photos of them together, of course, was “girl quit your job and marry him before I do.”

“Ughh. Have you ever been in the car with Alvez driving?! I think I’m gonna be sick thinking about it...” Her face blanched and she made a retching noise.

JJ laughed walking with Penelope over to Luke, “He's not that bad of a driver.”

“Uh-huh.” she mocked in a sick voice, shuffling along. Secretly, she was happy JJ had asked Luke to get them and that he had agreed, but she wasn’t about to say it. She’d been saying enough all night, she knew, but when she got a few drinks in it was like a broken faucet, she couldn’t stop herself. Plus he’d really been getting on her nerves lately, just doing or saying stupid things, always smiling and laughing and offering to carry things and leaning on Spencer’s desk all relaxed with his arms folded pushing out his muscles and... Tonight might turn out bad...

Luke opened the doors, waiting on the two. He was glad JJ had called him even if he was just getting to sleep (a fact he didn’t let on to, not wanting her to feel bad for disturbing him). He liked being able to help out his team, his friends. And he’d get to see Penelope, talk about things besides work, without the shadow of what they were going into or had just come out of hanging over them. Getting to see her just happy and alive.

“Fun night?” he asked, amused at their disheveled appearances. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Penelope looking anything other than picture perfect. Even barefoot and tousled after the football game, not a thing was out of place, but right now she looked like a storm had hit: one of her feather pompom barrettes was falling out, her cardigan was askew, and she had rolled up tights cascading out of her bag. They clearly had partied hard, she looked like the tail end of prom night.

Penelope turned to him as JJ helped her into the vehicle, dazed smile appearing instead of the scowl she was aiming for and replied, “No, Newbie, it was terrible, we just thought we’d keep going until it got better.” and finished by rolling her eyes and giggling.

“It was supposed to be a girls night,” JJ explained, “well, still was, just different. Thanks for getting us.” JJ gripped his arm and gave a squeeze. “Would you mind dropping me off first?.”

"And leave me alone with this sarcastic monster? Um, why was it you didn’t call Will, again?” he joked helping JJ in to the vehicle.

“Someone had to watch the kids, Alvez, geez.”

They were loaded into the comfy surroundings and quickly on their way, JJ first as requested. Luke had asked, and they immediately launched into a narrative of the night. From first arriving at the bar and finding a trivia night happening, Penelope and JJ deciding to make it into a drinking game against each other drinking each time one of them got an answer wrong, to getting sucked in to the bachelorette party.

“…so they pulled us up on the bar and we were all dancing and singing but some of the words you couldn’t say or else you had to drink!” explained Penelope energetically. "Yeah, I drank a lot for that one…” said JJ. “So is that how Penelope lost her tights?” he asked, glancing back in the rearview mirror. “What? Oh, no!” they said, looking to each other. “That was later when Penelope gave the bride-to-be a lap dance.” JJ said, dead pan. Luke's eyes bulged, choking on it. “You what?!” His head whipped to the back seat. “LUKE ROAD!” shouted JJ pointing, as the backseat erupted into laughter. He had been hanging on every word, only just then realizing they’d been lying.

“For a profiler, you suuuuuck” teased JJ, grinning.

“Yeah, you work for the BAU? Someone should talk to your boss.” added Penelope.

“Excuse me for driving and trusting the two of you. Lesson learned. Was any of that true?” He’d gone a little red from embarrassment at his outburst and at having been so gullible.

“Eh, what makes a good lie?” Asked JJ.

"Heather really was the sweetest girl and pretty! And man can she drink!” Penelope said in awe. “All of them were! And all stewardesses! In their 20s!” Penelope exclaimed, her and JJ laughing.

He shook his head smirking. “I’m not believing anything either of you say for the rest of the night. You are cruel.”

“Well, looks like my nights up any way.” JJ said with a sigh as they approached her house. As JJ got out, Penelope moved to the front seat, not wanting to be alone in the back. JJ kissed Penelope’s forehead before calling out “Night, Alvez, thanks again for the ride. Make sure my girl gets home safe.” and walked up the path. They watched her make it into the house before he put the truck in drive and headed on for Penelope’s apartment.

With JJ gone, the night’s story told, and them all alone now, a strange tension started to grow. Penelope's head lulled to the side of the seat facing him, he could see her watching him in his periphery. She brought a hand up and dragged it down his stubbled face, cheek pulling under the friction. “Yur so pretty, Newbie.” He smiled indulgently, dimples peeking through and let the silence that fell between them fill the car. She was drunk, he knew he was attractive, he knew there was something between them, but this was not the time to bring any of it up or discuss it. He shrugged off the hand, she let it fall to the seat beside her contemplating the planes of his face.

“...It hurts.” she whined after a while, with a little frown. Luke jerked to look at her, instinctively releasing the gas and slowing, eyes darting from road to Penelope, looking her up and down, scanning her body. They hadn’t mentioned anything and there were no obvious signs of injury. “What does? Penelope, are you ok? Should I pull over? Are you gonna be sick?” She’d been fine, she looked fine...

That hand again came up and made contact, pushing his face back towards the road she made a noise of exasperation. “To look at you. Some times. It hurts. 'can’t do it. too pretty. ’Specially when you smile.” Her gaze took on a dreamy quality and the concern that overtook him a minute ago dissipated, mouth quirking as he rolled his eyes. This was too much. If he were a lesser man he’d be plotting all the ways he could bring this up at work tomorrow, as it was he’d just fantasize about it later.

She really should shut up, stop talking, stop touching him, but broken faucet and all that…She wondered if he’d kiss her if she asked, if she kissed him, would he kiss back?

For a third time, she was touching him and it was driving him crazy, her fingers gently running over the side of his head, twisting at his short strands. He always initiated contact between the two of them, never her. His hair raised at her touch. She took a deep breath and let it out, “You’d be prettier if you grew out your hair though. Something to grip.” She growled the word and let her fingers tighten and slip from his hair. His mind helpfully jumped to why she’d need to grip his hair, cheeks heating at the images conjured up. He’d always hated the feel of it behind his ears, but he briefly considered that he’d do it if she wanted. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, sitting up a bit straighter.

She was drunk she was drunk she was drunk.

“Penelope-”

“Ohh, not terribly long, just….enough.” She continued, "A few inches of curls to tangle through.” she cooed. It was sweet, and feminine, and high. A side of her he saw from time to time but never got to experience for himself. Would it be selfish or wrong to let her keep going? To not put a stop to her flirting and flattery? It’s what he’d been trying to earn all this time, wasn’t it?

She’s drunk she’s drunk she’s drunk.

He glanced over again head turning a quarter, and smiled “And who would be tangling their fingers through my hair, Chica? You?” his eyes flickered from the road to Penelope. There was nothing wrong with some innocent flirting, he wouldn't let it go further.

She gave a small smirk, eyes lighting up “Naughty, naughty, Newbie.” she chastised, "Careful…could be trouble for HR…”

Luke laughed, “Uh, huh.” He agreed, and turned his attention back fully to driving, not far from her apartment now. Her eyes slipped closed, and he thought about how unfortunate it was that she was drunk. Opportunity was presenting it’s self left and right, but none of it meant anything with her in this state, not really. He knew there could be kernels of truth connected to the things she was saying and doing, inhibitions lowered and all that, but until it was fully present Penelope telling him these things, taking these actions, they were meaningless. And it’s not as if opportunity presented itself much between them in their daily lives. She was right about the HR thing, of course, and they never hungout just them…Not since Phil anyway. He chewed at his lip considering how he could create space for an opportunity, it really would need to be at work unless he wanted to wait for another game night or drinks after a case and hope for the chance of them being left alone for a few minutes. No. He needed to take action. And what was the problem with that anyway? He could do it, he’d done much worse, faced much scarier things than confronting Garcia.

“Whatcha thinking about?” She’d gone back to watching him, he’d been so caught up in contemplating his next move he hadn’t noticed.

He looked back as he pulled to a stop and put the truck in park. “Nothin. We're here. Unbuckle yourself and I’ll walk you up, gotta make sure our queen makes it in safely.”

“Flatterer. Are you my knight?” she asked, not moving.

“One of many, Penelope. Come on, let’s get you home.” Luke undid his buckle and walked around the front of the truck, helped Penelope out, walked her to the door of her apartment and made sure she made it safely in before heading home. Solstice had been a good step forward between them, but it was time he leapt when talking.

#garvez #criminal minds #penelope garcia #luke alvez #jj #fan fic #snails tales #fluff and flirting #ao3

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misunderstood-muses · 2 years ago

Text

Promise (Part 2)

Waking up beside Seonghwa always felt like a dream. I had seen pretty beings but he surpassed most of them. I still wasn’t sure he was completely human. The sun was just rising, casting blueish light across his face and accentuating his sharp features. I traced my finger lightly over the scar that ran from his right shoulder down across his chest. He’d gotten it from a rival pirate crew when he’d thrown himself in front of Yeosang. It had taken them four days to get him to Marh, but they’d had to get here because they were low on supplies and it was the closest port. Maria had actually gotten them to the Inn.

When four disheveled and distressed men had stumbled through the door, two of them holding another one up, I’d almost spilled an entire bottle of ink across the small desk in the foyer.

Maria had come in right after so I’d relaxed a little. I hadn’t questioned her when she said she’d picked them up by the docks, I’d just helped her move them to a room upstairs and we got to work. The gash across Seonghwa’s chest had been brutal and Yeosang had stayed by his side the entire time we’d worked. At some points Seonghwa had woken up, feverish and delusional, and asked what kind of being I was and if he had any chance with me. He hadn’t known how right he’d been to ask, but I’d just laughed and told him if he made it through this he could take me out. It had taken the entire week to pull him back from the brink of death, but he’d made it and had taken me up on my offer as soon as he could walk.

I kissed his bare shoulder once before getting up and slipping on a light shift and a few skirts. The weather was already hot and humid, signaling a storm by the end of the day. I hoped they weren’t planning on sailing out just yet.

Maria was already in the kitchen when I arrived and grabbed a muffin off the table. She pinned me with a look. Her infamous half smirk made its way onto her face as her brown hair fell out of its messy updo. The look she always gave when she knew someone had done something risky or risque, and she was pleased with them.

“What?” I asked, feeling heat in my ears.

“I didn’t say anything, miss.”

I frowned at this. I had tried to get her to stop calling me “miss” for a while now.

“Your face said enough.”

“Just wondering when you’re going to make him settle down.”

“That would be impossible.” I scoffed.

“Not for you.”

“He won’t leave the sea. He’s more hers than mine.”

She looked as if she wanted to say something else but finally decided on, “Maybe you should run away with him then.”

“And who is going to run this place? Eliza?”

Both of our faces soured at that before we laughed. Honestly, I knew that Maria could do it. If it ever came down to it or that she could at least make sure that everyone was taken care of. She’d tried to goad me into telling her all the details about Seonghwa and his shipmates the first time they’d come back to visit again, and any time after in fact. While most of the other girls had been scandalized by them, and by me for my nighttime activities, Maria had just shot me that look and asked me who I thought would be better, him or “the mouthy one.” I swatted her away after.

“Good morning, ladies.”

We both turned to the door to find the “mouthy one” himself. Wooyoung was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. Maria straightened out her skirts and I rolled my eyes. She had a soft spot for Wooyoung. Hell, everyone did, but I’d told him early on not to scare any of my staff away after he’d almost had one swooning his second visit here. I’d been so mad that he had to sleep on his ship that visit.

“Getting an early start?” I asked him, putting a muffin and some fruits on a plate and setting it down in front of one of the two chairs in the room.

“I have some things to look for,” He said, sitting and shoving half the muffin in his mouth, “What about you? I’m surprised you're up after your...late night.”

“Say some more, Wooyoung and that’s the last meal you’ll get from me.”

“Are we only talking about food? Because there are other things that are satisfying that I’d like from you.”

“Jung Wooyoung!” I went to actually smack him. This may have been the boldest statement he’d ever said to me. My hand never made it though because long fingers caught my wrist and instead brought my hand up to kiss my palm.

“Good morning, love. You should have woken me.”

“She probably thought you needed the rest.” Wooyoung said, grinning.

“That’s enough out of you, or I’ll assign you to barnacle duty.” Seonghwa threatened, voice light but deadly.

Wooyoung quickly focused on his breakfast.

“Why are we threatening Wooyoung so early in the morning?” Yeosang said, appearing in the doorway. I couldn’t stop the blush that touched my cheeks as we both looked at each other before quickly averting our gaze.

“He’s being rather rude. He’s lucky I’m not kicking him out again. Breakfast is out. Maria can tell you what you can have. I have guests to attend to.”

I grabbed the rest of my own breakfast as Maria eyed me, eyebrow raised.

“Interesting.” She said, eyes traveling between all of us.

“Shut up.”

By mid afternoon I was done with most of my work, and after not hearing anything about anyone new arriving at port, I decided to go into town to buy some supplies we were running low on. Seonghwa had spent most of the day reading in the parlor so he was happy to oblige when I asked for his company. We spent a good part of the afternoon walking the streets hand in hand. We stopped in at a bakery and he bought pastries for us and his crew mates and we paused to eat ours outside the shop, him chasing me down the street after I had licked the powdered sugar from the tip of his nose. It was days like this that reminded me how much I missed him while he was away. It was strange to be so in love with someone that I saw maybe a few days out of a month, if I were lucky. He seemed to feel the same way. He was always finding a way to touch me. Even now as we lingered in a small spice store he was wrapping his fingers with the strings on the back of my dress as I bargained with the owner. It was hard to think about him leaving again soon so I tried to ignore the lump in my throat.

A deep roll of thunder met us when we stepped out of the shop. I looked at the sky, trying to gauge if we could make it back to the Inn in time before it started to rain. The storm still seemed far off so Seonghwa grabbed the few bags I had and we both nearly ran back to the Inn. The first drops began to fall as we stepped onto the porch and I sighed in relief.

San, Yunho and Wooyoung weren’t so lucky. All three of them fell through the doorway, sopping wet and laughing.

“You’re getting my floor dirty.” I told them as I came down the steps, towels in my arms.

“We’re sorry, Leah.” San said, still grinning.

“No you aren’t.”

“You’re right.” Yunho said, and started shaking his head, his longer hair making droplets fly towards me. I shrieked, holding up the towel in defense, which just made it more of a challenge for all of them and soon they were chasing me around the Inn.

“I have guests,” I called out to them, “I don’t have time to clean up your mess or change. Do not get your rainwater on me or I’ll gut you in your sleep.”

If I thought this would stop them I was wrong.

They were closing in when a hand shot out and pulled me behind a door, covering my mouth as a squeal tried to escape. I heard them thunder past before I breathed and turned to my savior. Yeosang was smiling.

“Thank you. Now I just need Hongjoong to call them off.”

“They’ll get tired soon enough. Maria was putting out afternoon tea so I’m sure they’ll be distracted.”

“Thank the goddess.”

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. We both seemed to realize at the same time the small amount of space that was behind the door. Yeosang cleared his throat before stepping out.

“Seems like the coast is clear.”

“Thank you again.” I said and hurried off, finding Eliza on the way and asking her to dry up the mess the boys had made. She glared in the direction of the kitchen and said something under her breath. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she could handle this place.

They were all in the kitchen when I headed there to get the actual guests’ tea and cakes.

“You’re on my list.” I told them, eyeing each one of them.

“Worth it. You look beautiful all flushed.” Wooyoung said, not looking up from his cup.

“San, what have you done to him?” I accused.

“Me? Why me? He’s always been like this.”

“He has gotten worse though. Probably because Seonghwa doesn’t shut up about you whenever we are getting close to Marh. There are very little details we don’t know at this point.” Mingi said, coming into the kitchen.

“Excuse me?” I said, blinking a few times.

“Mingi!” San yelled and I heard Mingi mutter something about giving Seonghwa rum.

“Miss, the rain has stopped so I’m going to grab a few things for dinner tonight.”

“Maria, don’t leave me with this.” I shouted after her. She just sent me that look.

“Don’t eat too much. I bought pastries.” Seonghwa said. He’d changed into new trousers and a loose shirt that opened most of the way down his chest that I tried to ignore. When he went to pull me into him I pushed him back and grabbed a tray of cakes.

“I’ll deal with you later.” I said and left the kitchen. I could hear laughter as the door swung shut.

When Maria hadn’t returned close to dinner time, I got to work for her. I had done most of the cooking before she’d shown up. I was just about to set some meats into the oven when I heard the front door open and Maria yell for me. I dropped the tray onto the counter and went to meet her in the parlor. She was sweating and breathing hard, like she had run all the way here.

“Maria? What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry, miss. We’re in danger.”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“It’s my fault.”

“Maria, sit down and explain.”

“There’s not time. I know you’ve never asked questions about me and I’ve always been grateful…”

“Of course. It’s not like we all don’t have our secrets.”

“Yes, but they’ve been searching for me. For all of us and you’ve helped us all. You’re just as bad to them.”

“Slow down please. What is going…”

She didn’t have a chance to say any more because the door burst open and a few of the guys tumbled through.

“What has gotten into everyone?” I asked.

Hongjoong ignored me, giving instructions quickly about grabbing their things. Seonghwa said he’d grab ours.

“Ours? What do you mean ‘ours?’”

“The Navy. They’re coming.” Hongjoong said, ignoring my questions still.

“I was trying to tell you, miss.” Maria said. She seemed to think that Hongjoong would be able to explain better because she slipped into the kitchen and I heard a few bangs and shuffling.

“The Navy has been here before.”

“They know that pirates are here. The new Captain is coming down harder on former ‘pirate’ islands. This port is known for harboring all sorts of people.”

“This isn’t a bad town.” I said.

“It’s not. Far from it, but they don’t care, Aleah.”

“Well, if you’re gone then I have nothing to worry about.”

“Not true, miss.” Maria said, coming out of the kitchen, a few sacks in her hands. Her skirts were tied up, a pair of trousers beneath them and over that a short-sleeved tunic. Her long hair was now wrapped in a cloth. Her regular boots were replaced with a more sturdy pair.

“Have you...where have you been hiding all this?” I asked, dumbstruck.

“Like you said, we all have our secrets.”

Hongjoong looked at me questioningly.

She shoved two of the sacks into Hongjoong’s hands and I saw her tattoo on her inner wrist, unmistakingly that of a pirate crew. Hongjoong’s crew had one. An hourglass.

“Are you kidding me? How do I keep finding all of you?”

She laughed, setting her hand on my shoulder, “I’m sorry about this, but I have to go and so do you. People in this town will talk.”

“How do all of you know this? They aren’t in port yet I’m assuming.” I eyed both of them.

“I have my sources. Thank you and take care, miss. May our paths cross again someday.”

Seonghwa came skidding into the room and she walked to the two of them.

“Take care of her. She’s more special than you know.”

Hongjoong gave a small bow, “I intend to.”

She shot Seonghwa a look but said nothing before she was gone. I wasn’t sure where she was going or how she was going to get off the island, but she seemed to have a plan and I watched with awed silence as she left.

“I have our things. The others are already headed back to the ship.” Seonghwa said.

“Alright. Leah, let’s go.” Hongjoong cocked his head towards the door while looking at me.

“Me?” I asked, half shouting.

“Let’s go, now.” His tone gave no room for argument, but at this moment I was more scared of the thought of the ocean than him.

I crossed my arms, “I don’t know who you think you are, Kim Hongjoong, but I am not going anywhere. You may be a Captain, but you aren’t mine.”

“I would ask you if she’s always like this but I know the answer.” He said to Seonghwa.

“Love, please. We have to be out of port before they even see the ship.” Seonghwa said softly.

“Then get going. I’m not a pirate. I have nothing to fear.” I knew that wasn’t true and I could feel the fear creeping up on me, but staying here was better than being on that ship.

“They don’t care. You’ve helped us. Are friends with us. Do you think your staff will keep their mouths shut when you’re all threatened? You’ll be right up there at the gallows with anyone they find guilty.” Hongjoong said.

“I’m not getting on your ship. I’m not going anywhere near the water.” I said firmly.

Hongjoong whispered something to Seonghwa and I could only make out Yeosang and plan, but nothing else. Seonghwa sighed but nodded his head. He moved to me, placing his hands on my elbows.

“Please, Aleah. Please just come with us...with me.” I could feel my heart crumbling. I knew that they were in a lot of danger, that I was as well, but I would be even more dangerous to them on their ship, on the open water with no way to escape.

“I can’t.” I choked out.

“Okay.” He said.

“Okay?” I asked, not believing that he’d given up so easily.

“Yeah, love. I won’t make you make that choice.”

I closed my eyes, sighing as I felt his lips touch mine.

“I just won’t give you one.” My eyes flew open as a cloth was placed over my mouth and nose. Whatever it was laced with took effect immediately and I only got in one weak hit to his arm before everything went black.

“Please forgive me.” I heard his voice say before I knew nothing else.

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