#can't decide shit on spot in their personal life if said life depended on it

[poetess-trobadour]

"Will I have the choice to decide?

If I wanna believe like my life is mine"

My (unpopular) take on zodiac vibes, part 7 ♎️✨️

[sunscorpiomoongeminilady]

Yandere Arthur Hastings headcanons

WARNING : Drug abuse, kidnapping, stalking

A/N : I'm writing this to overcome my writer block. Then again, work kept me busy...*sighs* oh well, happy reading.

⚠️MINORS DO NOT READ THIS⚠️

Few months back, the first time he saw you was a silly, clumsy person who didn't get the job done correctly ; misplaced files, wrong censors, wrong editing and so on he couldn't keep track of. Then again, he can't be mad because he was on Joy.

He always sighs before helping you out, almost begrudgingly even though he still has many piles of old newspapers that he should get done before the deadline.

You always thanked him, something he'd actually appreciated mentally. Although, sometimes he lets himself be sarcastic towards you, even on Joy. Oh well.

In return, you offered to help him sort out his works and he flatly rejected.

You kept bugging him to let you help him, until he asked Miss Byng to have Clive that little shit help you or transfer you somewhere.

The reason you want to help him is because you have had a crush on him ever since he helped you. But, you heard from some co-workers that Arthur has a crush on a woman named Prudence.

So, you decided to make yourself a dependable person for him.

Unfortunately, Arthur keeps turning down your offer every time and starts to grow annoyed towards you.

After that, you slowly distanced yourself from him, feeling defeated and sad…pop some Joy, for God sake!

One day, you didn't show up for work. Then, day became week, week became months and months became one year you're absent from work.

Many of your coworkers think you have already gone on vacation ever since then. Arthur himself thinks so, and didn't care too much about it. All he knew was he was happy that you're gone.

But, that fateful day where he came across that newspaper about him and remembered his older brother Percy, he remembers about you too.

Where have you been? He thought. Surely you can't be dead, right?

It was decided. He will go looking for his older brother and you. Although, he was having a hard time venturing around the town. I mean, those Bobbies and Joy Doctors, honestly… Not to mention those bloody Mistresses…

But, he managed and got himself some nice skills…for safety reasons…(Yeah…not sure about that tho)

And one day, he saw you. Happy as always…but you're working at a tea shop. Chatting without any care with Bobby and the old lady. He came closer to you and said hello.

But, when he tries to make you remember him, you shake your head, telling him that he's got the wrong person. "Maybe that person was my doppelgänger?"

Something deep inside of him suddenly snapped. He was standing there, wide eyed. 'It can't be…' he repeated his thoughts over and over and over and over…

Looking at your confused face then pretty smile curved from your lips, you excused yourself and went back to working, wiping the table, leaving him there standing at his spot like an idiot.

How…how did it happen? There's no way that you could've forgotten about him within a month! His face was slowly turned into anger.

He decided to investigate why you suddenly forget about him while searching for clues about his brother.

Some weeks later, he met Sally, his ex-best friend in the alley. Honestly, he didn't expect that coming.

But, out of impulse, he tried asking her if Sally knew a person named (Y/n) came into her shop.

Sally avoided the question, and instead she asked him a favor to fetch cod liver oil.

He begrudgingly helped her and went a big length to find that goddamn oil, risking his life. By the time he got it, he immediately ran back to her shop and asked again.

Sally pursed her lips. She's shaking her head. When Arthur started to glare at her and clenching his fist, Sally sighed heavily. "Yes, they came here…asking me to make a pill that can erase their sad memories…" and went over to her table to take the black bottle from the drawer, which was labeled as "Oblivion".

Oh boy. Arthur only sees red. He took the bottles away from Sally's grasp and stormed out, leaving her blinking her eyes, not knowing anything.

He swore by the name of God, he WILL make you remember him at all cost.

And thus, his plans began…

You know that skill called Big Game Hunter? He will do anything, ANYTHING to protect you from any silly Bobby who tries to flirt with you, or any Doctor who constantly nags at you to take your Joy, despite being a big coward himself. But he didn't care anymore, big or small, he would kill them without any remorse.

Not only that, he's a stalker. He was following you around, hiding from plain sight, watching you living your life so blissfully.

Whenever you try to take your pill…somehow, a rock was thrown in your direction and knocked the bottle away from your hand. You look around to see the perpetrator, only to see the glasses flashes for a brief moment before it disappears into the darkness.

Arthur was very attentive when it comes to your needs.

Ran out of tea or coffee? He will buy/steal it and sneak into your house before he puts it on your kitchen table. Not enough money to buy food? He will slip a few pounds into your purse. Some male Wellies trying to hit on you? Yep, they'll go missing the next day.

He still does make finding his older brother his first priority, but he cares about you a little too much…

"Almost there…" he smirked when he made some crash syringe...to de-joy you.

That night, like any other night, it was quiet and the fog was thicker than before…perfect cover for him to sneak into your house with a big empty sack to carry his beloved.

He slowly went upstairs, where was your room located and lock picked the door and swung it open, quietly.

He saw your figure sleeping soundly, not aware that some lovesick man was watching you sleep, with a crash syringe gripped tightly in his hand, along with a handkerchief that had chloroform dabbed, in the dark.

Not wasting any time, Arthur brings down the syringe to your body and pushes down the liquid, instantly waking you up.

You tried to cry for help, but Arthur was fast to cover your mouth with the handkerchief and shushed you, wiping any tears from your cheeks.

"Shhh…love, it's going to be alright…I will take you away from this town. It's not safe here anymore…" he cooed as you slowly lost consciousness.

He let you fall back on the bed and got ready to put you into the sack.

After it was all done and destroyed any evidence, Arthur cradled you lovingly, knowing that you'll need him as soon as you wake up and he softly smiled.

"Love, I will make up for any mistakes that I've made in the past…and protect you from harm and danger…" That was his promise to you, kissed your forehead and both of you disappeared into the thick fog, not being seen again.

[rueanaddict]

He knows he fucked up (part 2)

premise: reader gets into an argue with elliot. it turns out that he has betrayed the reader with jules

pairing: elliot x f!reader /one shot/

warnings: swearing

word count: 1432

Part 1

English it’s not my first language so if there are any mistakes here I’m so sorry.

hope you’ll enjoy it :)  

You cried as you walked on. You were broken. Why did he do this to you? He didn't love you anymore? You weren't enough for him? Did you do something wrong? Why would he choose Jules and not you? At all costs you wanted to know what the reasons for his actions were, but on the other hand you were afraid of what you might hear. Even if you were pissed off at Elliot, you still loved him. Even though he hurt you in the worst way he could, you still wanted to be with him. You were addicted to this man. But now Rue was the most important thing. You had to overcome the fact that your head was a walking mess and focus on finding your friend.

3 hours later

You felt like you were everywhere. You went to strategic places where Rue would go in case of trouble but you didn’t find her. You were terribly tired of all this. You decided to go to your favorite creperie to get some rest. When you entered there, you felt safe and comfortable. You loved the atmosphere there. Peace of mind is all you needed right now. You started walking along the tables to your favorite spot but it was busy. You immediately recognized the person who was there.

-’’Look who the cat dragged in.’’- your friend Ali said with that sly smile on his face.

-’’Yeah, yeah I get it old man.’’

-’’Ay no exaggeration kid.’’

You sat down in front of Ali avoiding eye contact and it was a mistake because he noticed immediately that something was wrong.

-’’Okay c'mon kid tell me what hapennd.’’

-’’Nothing happened. What do you mean?’’- you looked up and answered.

-’’You know you won't lie to me."- he replied.

-’’Fuck off dude. I don’t need a lecture from you right now.”

-’’Fuck off? Excuse me?’’

-’’Shit sorry man.”

-’’{your name} I know you. You need to talk. So let's talk.’’

-’’Alright, so it's about Elliot.’’

-’’Damn, are you still with him?’’

-’’Yeah I think so...’’- you said sadly.

-’’But do you still want to be with him?’’- there was silence. You had no idea what to say. You loved Elliot and wanted to be with him, but you couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you again.

-’’Umm kinda.’’- you said questioningly.

-’’So you love him?”

-’’kinda”

-’’Are you fucking with me right now?’’- you laughed lightly at those words.

-’’No... I just feel bad, cause the person I care about and who is everything to me fucking betrayed me, you know.’’- tears started to run down your cheeks.

-’’Did you talk to him about this?’’

-’’not really’’

-’’You mean?’’

-’’I just yelled at him and he started to say how much he loves me and stuff...the fact that I feel like I could forgive him scares me the most, because I'm afraid he'll do it to me again.’’

-’’So you don't trust him?’’

-’’You can say that...’’- you weren't sure of your words. You weren't sure of anything. You didn't know what to think or what to do.

-‘’Ali, what would you do in my place?’’

-’’I sincerely believe that relationships are built on trust. If he cheated on you, I wouldn't get into this shit again.’’

-’’What if you can't live without someone?’’

-’’Ohh c'mon that's bullshit.’’

-’’Why?’’

-’’People tell themselves that their life depends on the other person because they want to feel important and loved.’’

-’’Ain't that the point?’’

-’’You can't make your life depend on someone. People are shit and they can leave at any time. They promise you will be together forever, you plan a future together and when you need them the most, they leave you.’’- you just cried listening to Ali. His words hurt but unfortunately they were true.

-’’Nothing lasts forever. You have to understand that.’’

You looked sadly at the window. It was already dark outside. You talked for a while longer with your friend. It didn't take long for him to notice you were tired.

-’’Let me give you a ride home.’’

-’’There is no need.’’- you got up from your seat.- ‘’I can handle it.’’

-’’Don’t lie to me.’’

The way home was silent. "Will you drop me off at Elliot's house?"- you asked  hesitantly.

-’’Are you sure?’’

-’’Yeah, i think so...’’

After a few minutes you were in front of the curly boy's house. You got out of the car.

-’’What you want to do?’’

-’’I don’t know yet.”- Ali just nodded at your reply.

-’’later”- you said.

You were walking towards the entrance, but you stopped for a second. You were still worried about Rue but at this moment there was no chance of finding her. You looked up.- "Please God don't let her die today."

You walked to the door and knocked. 

nobody answered...

You knocked again.

still silence...

You pulled the handle. The door was open which was weird because Elliot always locked the door. You ignored it and started walking towards his room. You don't hide that you were fucking stressed out. You didn't even know exactly what you wanted to do and then you saw Elliot. He was... sleeping? You walked over to the bed and lay down gently next to him. You began to watch closely and remember his features. He looked so innocent while he was sleeping. You could watch him for hours. How could such an adorable and sweet creature do something so terrible to you? You admired at the innocent Elliot for a moment longer. You didn't want to wake him up, but you couldn't resist cuddle gently against his chest. His smell, touch and warmth are all you needed now. Elliot opened his eyes and didn't know what was happening. When he saw you in his arms, his heart started to beat faster.

-’’{your name}’’- he said very softly.

-’’shhh”- now you just wanted to fall asleep and forget about everything.

-’’You have to know that I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry. I don’t deserve you. You're the only person in the world I care about. I promise I’ll change...”

-’’Elly just shut the fuck up I wanna sleep.’’- you said quietly.

-’’No {your name}. I acted terrible to you. Let me fix it now. I love you and want to be with you. I can't do without you. I know I'm a piece of shit but please try to forgive me.”

-’’No, you’re not.”

-’’What? What are you talking about?’’

-’’I admit you made a huge mistake. You hurt me. It'll probably take a long time to sort things out, and it's your fault. And yes, I suffer. But I realized that the greater suffering for me would be my life without you.’’- you looked him in the eyes. You saw a few tears on his cheeks.

-’’You're too good for me.”

-’’I know.’’- you smiled.

-’’Can I hug you?’’- his voice was breaking.

-’’You don't have to ask.’’

Elliot moved closer and put his arms around you. You nestled your head against his neck. After a while you got closer to his shoulder and bit him.

-’’Au!’’- he said through a laugh.

-’’You deserved it’’- you said, looking into his eyes.

-’’And you deserve it’’- he said still keeping eye contact. He hovered over your body and began to give quick kisses all over your face, your shoulders and your entire body. You just laughed a little at him. When he was done he moved closer to your face and kissed you gently on the lips. You kissed him back. You stepped away from each other to catch your breath.

-’’You are everything to me. I love you.’’

-’’I love you too, but...”

-’’but?’’- he asked anxiously.

-’’But please... promise me you'll never hurt me like this again.’’

-’’I promise.’’- he said and kissed you passionately.

You were still mad at him but you knew it wouldn't be for long. That was Elliot's charm. Whatever he did, you would forgive him. You didn't know what was going to happen with Rue and Jules now, but you hope everything will be fine.

Right now, you didn't want anything more than to fall asleep in the arms of the person you love.

-"Goodnight my love.’’- he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: thank you so much for your activity in the last post   🖤 

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

"Can you write one where Hero is in an abusive/toxic relationship with SuperHero but thinking it's normal while Villain is worried and tries to get them out of the said relationship? (also Villain does have feelings for Hero in this)"

Request #7

Warning: toxic/abusive relationship, physical & mental abuse.

This was a fun one! Definitely gotta write a part two later!

Enjoy! ^_^

~~~~

"Boss, we're in." - one of Villain's subordinates called from the side as they and a group of others operated the new spy drones the villain had recently got their hands on. The machines were tiny, smaller than a fingernail, and could be easily mistaken for an insect. Equipped with the best cameras around, they allowed Villain to easily snoop for information.

And what better first target to try them out on than Hero? Their hero, their nemesis. They would never admit it out loud, but Villain quite enjoyed the battles the two shared. Perhaps even a bit too much...

"Perfect!" - the villain exclaimed from their chair, excited grin adorning their face, "Let's see what we can find~."

The camera feed came to life on the giant monitor before them, and the sight that greeted them... made their stomach twist into a thousand knots.

"S-SuperHero, please! I-I'm sorry!" - Hero begged, lying on the floor of what appeared to be a bedroom. Their upper body was exposed, skin bruised in so many places Villain couldn't keep count.

SuperHero stood over them, hands clenching and power crackling in the air around them. They looked just about ready to murder the other hero.

Murder? The thought made Villain's heart grip with worry. But why should the villain care? They wanted their nemesis gone, didn't they?

No, they didn't. They knew that they didn't.

"I told you not to fuck this up, and what did you do?" - the superhero growled out, their anger unlike anything Villain had ever seen from them before.

"YOU FUCKED IT UP!" - SuperHero yelled, grabbing Hero and throwing them across the room and into a wall. A pained cry left them, and they could only whimper as their body sunk to the floor. The hero didn't dare get up as the other approached them once more.

"VILLAIN FUCKING GOT AWAY AGAIN!" - a kick to their stomach made Hero cry out in pain a second time. SuperHero grabbed them by the hair and pulled them closer, screaming directly in their face, "ALL BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH A WORTHLESS FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!"

Hero was tossed once more, every part of them screaming in agony. They shook in terror as the superhero moved closer yet again. Their muscles tensed as SuperHero's form loomed over them. Hero prepared for their punishment to continue, for the pain to keep on coming.

Only for their partner to pass by them and go out the door, slamming it shut. The familiar click of a door locking entered the hero's ears as they released a shaky breath.

Villain sat there, frozen. Out of everything they had expected to see, this was not on the list. Weren't these two in a relationship?! Weren't they supposed to- to love each other or something?!

Hero's sobs and sniffles echoed across their lair as the villain silently watched their broken form curl up on the hard floor. Their gaze grew dark at the sight, a tinge of worry drowning in their rage.

"Cut the feed." - Villain said sternly after a moment, voice devoid of emotion. They stood from their chair and immediately went for the door.

"B-Boss, wait! Where are you-" - one of the henchmen tried but cut themself off as their employer turned around. The look in the villain's eyes made their blood run cold. Villain was never a bad boss by any means, as they never hurt or threatened their employees.

But that look... It made everyone in the room tense up. It was like locking gazes with a hungry predator, and it made the henchmen feel like prey. It made them realize...

Villain was out for blood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hero had been lying on the floor for what felt like hours, and it probably was. They had run out of tears a while ago now. They wanted to move but couldn't bring themself to. Everything just hurt so much. Even breathing was a struggle.

At least the cold floor helped numb some of their pain, but still... Hero knew they deserved this...

They let Villain get away again. They should've captured the criminal, but they failed. They failed like they always do. Hero was such a waste of space. Why was SuperHero even still with them? Hero was truly nothing but a burden on their partner. They always had to take care of Hero, always had to waste their time and remind them how pathetic they were. SuperHero was too good for them. They deserved better than Hero. They should just leave them already. They should get rid of Hero. They should-

The door unlocked.

The hero tensed up, curling up into a tight ball, preparing for the pain as the door was opened, and a pair of footsteps slowly approached them. The person walked in front of them and kneeled down to their level. Hero's breathing grew shakier with each passing second. Why was nothing happening?!

They were about to beg, but before a single word could leave them, they cringed as a hand landed on their head.

Hero was prepared for that hand to roughly grab them, to pull them up by their hair, to hurt them. In their terror, they failed to realize that the stranger was gently petting them, their fingers running through their hair. Only when they spoke did Hero's mind register what was happening.

"Hero?" - came a hushed whisper. That voice... Hero knew that voice. It... It was...

"V-Villain..?" - the hero mewled, voice broken and hoarse. Confusion overtook their eyes as they continued, "W-What are you... doing here..?"

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here to get you out of here." - the villain comforted them or tried to anyway. Their response seemed to have only terrified Hero that much more, their eyes widening with fear.

"B-But- But SuperHero..." - Hero whimpered, their body shaking once more. The villain hushed them again and gently picked them up in a bridal carry. Villain noticed how the other shuddered from their touch but snuggled into their chest nonetheless, their arms loosely wrapping around the villain's neck.

"So terrified of contact... and yet so desperate for it..." - Villain thought to themself, pity making their chest ache. Even they weren't this lonely! And for the hero to be like this... For their Hero to be so ruined...

It was unacceptable.

Villain swore that they would make sure Hero knew what real love and care looked like. They would show them how a real relationship worked.

They would make sure SuperHero paid for this.

Returning to reality, the villain insured that they had a good grip on their hero and walked out of the room. They moved with haste through Hero's house, as they had no time to spare. In their earlier fury and concern, all logic had left them. Villain had just rushed over to save the hero, without even considering that SuperHero might still be lurking around.

"Gah! Why is this house so damn big?!" - the villain thought to themself as they turned another corner, concern starting to eat away at them. They could technically just fly out the window with the help of their powers, but they wanted to avoid drawing attention. The streets were littered with people and other heroes, and Villain would have an advantage if nobody saw them stealing the hero away. Sneaking in here was already hard enough, but now they needed to get out before-

"You... YOU..."

-SuperHero saw them. As Hero's 'partner' began to charge straight at them down the long hall Villain froze at their enraged gaze, but their hero's shaky grip on their shoulders brought them back into reality.

The villain turned on their heel, and just as the superhero's hand brushed against their back, as the air around them crackled from SuperHero's anger, they summoned their power and jumped into the air. They flew through the house, speeding like their life depended on it.

Because, well, it did. Not just Villain's life... but their hero's life as well.

Flying around the inside of a building was already difficult enough, but doing it while panicking and carrying someone in their arms? It was a nightmare, but Villain was determined. They were determined to never let SuperHero lay another finger on Hero.

As Villain turned another sharp corner, they nearly crashed into the wall, barely catching themself just in time. As they regained their bearings, a giant window greeted them at the end of the hall, and seeing as they have already been spotted, Villain decided to just go for it.

They bolted for the window, tightened their grip on Hero, and, at the last second, twisted their body around midair. They winced as they crashed through the glass with their back, shielding the hero from the sharp shards.

As blood dripped from their fresh wounds, the villain ignored the pain and dashed up into the sky, hiding amidst the dark clouds looming over the city. Once they were out of sight, they headed straight for their lair, never looking back.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, SuperHero looked up into the sky where the two had just disappeared, a tiny disabled drone sitting in their hand that they could barely stop themself from breaking into pieces.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hero groaned as they awakened from their slumber. At some point during their and Villain's escape, they had passed out. The hero vaguely remembered the villain taking them high up into the clouds and nothing else past that. They tried to open their eyes and take in their surroundings but only managed to whine as their head exploded with pain.

The hero felt like they were burning up, it was just so hot for some reason. They have been feeling rather sickly the past few days, so perhaps they were running a fever? They tried to pry their eyes open once more but stopped as something gently landed on their forehead and made them flinch out of reflex.

They whimpered as a hand touched their head, petting their hair. However, a familiar hushing sound brought some of their senses back. They finally recognized the coolness on their brow as a wet cloth. And that hand and voice, it was unmistakable.

"V..Vill..ain...?" - the hero tried but only ended up getting themself into a coughing fit. Their throat felt drier than a desert, with some cactus spikes scratching at it as a bonus.

As if their mind was being read, a cup of water was brought to their lips. The hand from before carefully lifting their head so that they could drink. Hero swallowed every drop of the precious liquid, the pain in their throat easing as their head was laid back down.

Finally, albeit with some difficulty, they managed to blearily open their eyes, blinking a few times to adjust their vision. They were lying in a soft bed of what appeared to be a guest bedroom, a fluffy blanket covering their still naked torso. Looking up, Hero was met with the concerned face of Villain.

"Wait... Con...cerned...?" - they pondered, why would their nemesis be worried about them...? And now that they thought about it more... Why...

"Why... d...did...you...?"

"Someone had to get you out of there." - Villain cut in, wanting to spare Hero's throat the struggle. "And before you ask how I even knew you needed help, I happened to be... ah... spying on you at the time."

"H...Help...?" - the hero voiced their confusion, completely ignoring - or perhaps not registering - the 'spying' part as their eyebrows slightly furrowed, "I... didn't need... help..."

Villain frowned at their words. Hero could see the concern on the other's face growing even more as they voiced their own confusion, "What do you mean you 'didn't need help'? They were hurting you."

"No... That's... normal... They were just... trying to... help... me... be better..." - Hero muttered out, they thought this would clear things up, but their explanation seemed to only upset the villain more.

"Hero, that's not- Partners aren't supposed to hurt each other! That's not helping in the slightest!" - in their momentary anger Villain raised their voice too much, and regret immediately flooded them as they watched the hero flinch and cower away from them, fresh tears making their eyes glossy.

"No, Hero- I-" - the villain tried hastily but stopped themself, seeing as their sudden movements only rattled the poor hero even more. Instead, they took in a small breath, did their best to relax their tense posture, and slowed down, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I..."

"P-Please don't be angry..." - the hero whined, scared the villain would suddenly do a one-eighty and hit them. However, to Hero's confusion, Villain's face was only decorated with pain and concern, no anger or rage to be seen. They weakly gripped the blanket covering them in their nerves.

In a hushed whisper, the villain responded, "No, I'm- I'm not angry with you." They gently took hold of one of Hero's hands and did their best to comfort them, "It's okay. I promise I'm not angry with you. Nobody here will hurt you, I promise. You're safe here."

As Villain left a small kiss on their knuckles, Hero watched them, still rather unconvinced, "B-But if you're not angry... T-Then why did you y-yell?" - they whimpered, the sound twisting the other's heart even more.

"I am angry, but not with you, Hero." - the villain's words only confused the hero even more. If Villain wasn't mad at them, then... then at who? Hero was the one who messed everything up all the time!

"I'm angry with SuperHero. They hurt you. They hurt you, and you don't even realize it..."

"B-But..." - Hero tried to argue, but Villain gently hushed them again, putting their hand back down.

"For now, just get some more rest, okay? And when you wake up, I'll have some food ready for you so you can eat."

Hero wanted to protest but found that they were too exhausted to even try. They only whined tiredly as Villain gently flipped the cloth on their forehead over, refreshing coolness spreading through their head once more. And combined with the villain softly petting their head, Hero was out like a light within moments.

Villain stayed like that for a few minutes, watching the hero sleep. Their gaze grew fond as they observed the slow rise and fall of the other's chest. Soon, however, they retreated out of the room, letting their rage overtake their features. They were well aware that SuperHero would come and find them. So, they had no time to waste. The villain had to prepare.

They had to be ready to protect their Hero.

[vannybarber]

The Prenup

Summary: After four years of being together and finally being engaged, Chris wants you to sign a prenup.

Chris Evans x Reader

Warnings: angst, swearing, chris getting his ass handed to him, a lot of pain.

Part Two Part Three Part Four Final Chapter

Scrounging through the little desk in the corner of Chris and you's bedroom, you hear him let out a boisterous laugh.

He was watching some movie and there was a certain part that he found so hilarious. After 4 years of watching it with him constantly, you still don't get what's so funny. But it makes him happy so that's what matters.

You were searching for the wine opener so Scott could get his middle-aged-4-kids-divorcee vibe on. You cleaned the other day and stuck it in there after a nightly dose of freakydeaky from Chris, which consisted of wine, whipped cream, and a many different forms of chocolate.

After what seemed like forever, you find the corkscrew and grin at your accomplishment. You take one more look in the drawer out of habit and you spot a big orange envelope with Chris' name on it. Being the nosy curious person you are, you take the envelope out and get a good look at it. You see the words Prenuptial Agreement in bold and your heart drops.

Chris had proposed to you 9 months ago and you were happy beyond words. After being together for 4 years, he finally put away his commitment troubles and made you his fianceé. And now you find out he's going to get you to sign a prenup. A fucking prenup.

You look around the room at loss for words. You were angry, hurt and confused. After 4 years of being together, he doesn't have faith in his own judgment that you guys would be together forever? You both have been through literally everything. There isn't one thing you don't know about each other. Your relationship was rare and it was special.

After moments of contemplation, you decide you would confront him on it. There's no way you could carry on the night and sleep after this. Not until you get your answers. Closing the drawer, you take a sharp breath and exhale before walking out the room. You get back to the dining table where Lisa and his siblings surrounded.

"Here you go Scott" you say slamming the corkscrew on the table in front of him. He looks up at you, puzzled. You glance at him then at Chris and he's looking at you just the same. Evidently your tone matched your movements because everyone went silent. You draw back and put both hands behind your back and huff.

"Babe, are you alright?" It was Christopher talking to you now. Your attention goes to him and your lips are in a thin line. Refraining from blowing up at him, you force smile on your face and change your tone of voice.

"What do you mean, honey? I'm fine." You should leave the acting to Chris honestly. That's definitely not your field of expertise. Shifting on your right foot, you stare at him. He shuffles and tilts his head with a knowing look.

"Spill it Y/N. What's up?"

"The flames when I burn this damn house down." So much for not blowing up. You snatch the envelope in front of you and chuck it on the table. Everyone watches the exchange and the envelope fly to the table. All their faces change from confusion to shock and even more confusion.

Chris didn't even need to look down to know it was the prenup. His eyes went from you to the wall. Guilt written all over it, you almost wish you gave a shit. You wonder how long he was going to keep this hidden from you. No need to wonder now.

"You want to explain to me why you have a prenup?" You place your hand on your hip and roll your neck at him.

"I got that for us."

You swear to everything you wanted to lunge at him right then and there. 'I got that for us'. Why do people always use that excuse for everything? They weren't thinking about you, just themselves and expected you to go along with it.

"You got it for us? I know you didn't do this on your own. Who put you up to it?" You look around the room. Scott has his hands up shaking his head. Carly and Shanna both let out a quiet "not me". You look at Lisa who had this look of hurt.

"Chris, you tell me everything. How did I not know about this? Why didn't you tell me?" Well now you know she didn't suggest it. You feel slightly guilty for letting it cross your mind, but you had your reasons.

"Ma, I had my reasons. I kept it hidden because I didn't know how I felt about it myself" he says rubbing his face and fixing his hair under his cap. Still didn't answer your question.

"Christopher, who put you up to this? Tell me now!" You're getting fired up by the minute. You have an idea who it could be too.

"Megan. She thought that it would be smart to consider. Just to protect me."

"Megan." Your voice is laced with absolute venom. "You know Chris, she does a good job keeping you out of trouble and bullshit so you're not all over the tabloids, but sometimes, her ass is too much!"

Chris is never in the news for anything negative. He's always minding his business and moving quietly. Megan is a great publicist, but she can be pretty overbearing about his personal life. She gave you side eye for like the entire first year of you guys' relationship.

"Baby, she was just looking out for me. You know how it is, women getting with you for your money. Guys loose half of everything they have when getting divorces."

You can't even believe it.

"I am not 'women'. I'm your fianceé. We've been together 4 years, Chris! After all this time your material things come before me?" Tears are puddled at your eyes now and your voice is cracking. This catches his attention.

"I told you from the start Chris, that I never cared about your money! Never have and never will. I am used to not having much. I'm not money hungry or concerned for having top tier everything. I've learned to settle."

"Y/N, I didn't mea-" you slam your hand on the table, making everyone jump. Chris shuts his mouth.

"I'm. Not. Finished. I am not marrying your bank account. I'm not marrying your cars. I'm not marrying your house. I don't give a damn about any of that shit. And you literally are still concerned about all of that?" Your face is wet and your nose is runny. You wipe your nose and cross your arms.

"It's not even like that!" Now he's getting upset. For literally nothing. This is his fault. "It's just in case it doesn't work out, we don't need to deal with all the extra mess."

That completely shattered you. In case it doesn't work out. He actually has thoughts that your marriage couldn't work. What would even cause that? You guys don't even argue. You don't even remember the last time you did. You've learned to understand what each other needs and mastered that. What is he on about?

"You know what the sad part is? Us not working out crossed my mind in, like, the first year of our relationship. And I decided that if we did get married, and God forbid we divorced, I wouldn't take anything from you."

He looked at you like he just found out he wasn't the father of your baby.

"Yeah, Chris. That's your money. You made it, not me, so why would I ask for any of it from you? You gave me an amazing relationship and thats enough for me."

"Oh my goodness." Everyone directs their attention to Scott. "So you wouldn't want anything from the divorce?"

"Of course not! I came in this relationship for him. Plus a make my own money. I don't need anyone else's."

You had your own business. Many employees at different buildings in Boston. You didn't have much growing up and you were proud of yourself for not having to worry about financial issues. Chris liked that you had your own thing going and didn't have to adapt to his life and depend on him financially. And he still got a prenup.

Feeling like you were gonna cry again, you rub your temples and take deep breaths to prevent it. But you failed and started crying more. Chris got up and moved to stand in front of you.

"Baby, I'm sorry I upset you. I thought you would be okay with this. Like you said, you don't care about my money so what's wrong with the prenup?" His hands were on your sides, but not for long as you shook them off of you.

"What's wrong with it? What this is telling me is three things. You have doubt that our marriage won't work out, you think I might change my mind and ask for alimony, and that your money comes before me."

"I..." he struggles to form words. You take this chance to get out of there.

"I really don't want to be here right now." Chris looks up and grabs your arm.

"Babe, you don't need to go. Where the hell are you gonna go?" You turn and grab the envelope from the table. You open it and pull the papers out, shoving it in his face.

"I'll go to a hotel or something, but I'm not staying here if this is the shit you're trying to pull with me." You turn the paper to you and look in disgust. You scan over it and your eyes fall on the dotted line where you need to sign. Beside it is where he needed to sign his.

Well not anymore.

You read over his signature on the line. Chris Evans.

He signed the prenup already. Now he was just waiting for your signature. He really was leaving you zero choice.

"You signed it already??" Everyone at the table head snapped up. Shanna gasped and covered her mouth. Lisa mumbles an "oh no" under her breath.

"So you were just going to bring it to me and expect me to sign it with no fight, huh?"

Chris says nothing, but his face is red. You don't wait for a response and walk to your shoes and your bag. Already having everything in there, you slip your shoes on and walk back to Chris.

"Just a heads up, you brought this on yourself."

You whip around and walk to the fireplace. You chuck the papers and envelope in the blaze and turn back to him.

"You can forget about that damn prenup, cause I'm not signing it. As a matter a fact, you don't even have to worry about that because there won't be a chance of us divorcing." You force a smile and clasp your hands together. Lisa and Scott rise from the table panicking.

"Babe, no-"

"Forget the wedding, this engagement and all of it. You can take this fucking ring too." You pry the ring off your fingers and throw it at him. It hits his chest and falls at his feet.

"I'm not marrying you."

You turn on your heel, grab your purse and jacket, walking out the door, leaving the Evans' speechless.

Was this too dramatic? I have my own opinions on a prenup, but maybe it's not as big as it seems? Idk🥴.

masterlist

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter twelve - “it’s hovercraft time, bucky barnes”

delicate masterlist

word count: 2.4k

synopsis: neither bucky nor y/n can sleep... until they do. and the next day brings them an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

It was four in the morning when the psychologist and the super soldier got in their respective beds after the nightmare. Y/N laid on her side in the bunk across from Bucky, facing away from him and staring at the wall. Her body wanted to sleep but her mind kept whirring on and on, worrying about him.

It wouldn't be that bad if she could just ignore it. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't wide awake also thinking about how it would be utterly impossible for him to have any eye color other than blue.

She sighed. Christ almighty, just go to sleep.

About twenty minutes passed before she heard it.

"Why are you still up?" he mumbled.

She turned over to her other side, dramatically, staring at his silhouette in the dark.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I'm a trained assassin," he said, as a matter of fact. "I can recognize breath patterns."

"Yeah, well I know for a fact that you aren't even trying to fall back asleep."

"How could you possibly know that?" he repeated her question.

"I just do," she stated before turning on her back and staring straight up.

He scoffed playfully.

"What?" she asked.

Her tone wasn't as playful. It wasn't angry or annoyed; she could never be with him. But, it was void of emotion and her usual sarcastic cadence. She didn't enjoy people reading her like that. She knew he wasn't, but it felt like she was being called out for caring so much. She wanted to rein in her own compassion, but she couldn't help the way he softened her.

"That's just code for 'I'm a trained psychologist and I know how you're gonna react to nightmares.'"

She replied with silence, desperately trying to end the conversation so she could try to sleep and leave this night behind.

"Sorry, did I- did I say something?" he asked.

"No, you're good."

Part of her felt bad for being short with him, but she needed it to be over. She needed to somehow distance herself from her own feelings.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up with the nightmare and messed with you being able to fall back asleep. I know it's... a lot."

He's sorry. He's sorry?

"Don't you dare apologize. It's not your fault, and it's not even why I can't fall back asleep."

"What's the problem then?"

"It's nothing. Just try and get some sleep."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Will you have another?"

"Not  sure. I don't wanna find out."

"I know. And I'm sorry. Sleep shouldn't be this menacing, but you should still try anyway. Your body needs it."

"So does yours."

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh. There she went caring again and he kept deflecting. Her frustrations about her own emotions came out in stubborn defiance.

"I'm not sleeping until you do."

"Guess we're both stayin' up then."

"Bucky," she gently admonished.

"Y/N I can't- that... was the worst one I've had in a while."

That was it. Any and all aggravation faded to nothing, and her cheeks were hot with guilt. To hell with it; she refused to leave him to pain. She then got out of her bunk. Carefully, she maneuvered out and kneeled on the floor, facing him. She felt bad; she didn't mean to push him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I should know better."

He mirrored her actions, slipping out of his own bunk and kneeling on the floor in front of her

"It's okay," he didn't miss a beat. His voice was as soft of hers. "Thank you."

He was closer now, so she could see a more detailed outline of him. She never really noticed just how large he was. Just his arm looked as big as her head. He was supposed to look frightening, but... she just couldn't see it.

"If you don't wanna sleep that's okay. I'll stay up with you so you don't have to be alone."

"Y/N..."

"I'm already up, I don't mind," she countered. "Seriously. I'm wide awake now. Honestly, I don't even know if I could fall back asleep if I tried."

"I can't ask you to stay up and babysit just 'cause you feel bad."

She scooted forward, determined not to lose to deflection again. Babysit? and Cause you feel bad? How could he truly think so little of himself?

"I am definitely not babysitting. I just happened to be awake at the same time you are... and not because I feel bad."

He scooted forward a couple inches, squinting, trying to decipher her facial expressions. "I can't tell if you're joking or not just from your tone of voice."

In the very back of her head it returned: that hazy enchantment feeling that swelled from her lungs through her brain stem every time she was this close to him. It is important to note - it was in the very back of her brain, and if you ignore something long enough, you can convince yourself it's not there.

"James Buchanan, I am awake and there's not a thing you can do about it."

"Alright," he sighed. "I don't know if you're expecting some kind of entertainment, but I can't really juggle with one arm..."

"I can't juggle with two."

"Ever been to the circus?"

"No."

He laughed. "Oh man, you're missin' out."

"No, I got the clown right here."

"Wow, is that how it is?"

"Depends. You got face paint and a rainbow wig?"

"Smartass."

The air was quiet after their breathy laughs fizzled out. A few moments of awkwardness quietly passed, both unsure of what to say next.

"You know when you're in the dark, your pupils dilate to take in as much light as they can in order to see better?" Y/N asked.

"I think I knew that? I'm not sure, I might've heard it somewhere. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I can't see your face super well, so it made me think of it. I can barely even see your eyes."

"Maybe that's better," he chuckled. "I don't know if they're still blood shot from earlier."

"Like I'd care."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"What?"

"Why wouldn't you care? I feel like seeing someone's puffy face and post-cry eyes would be kinda gross."

"You really think I care if your eyes are red or puffy?" she questioned. "Buck, I know I'm probably not supposed to say this because technically I'm your doctor, but I honestly consider you a really good friend. I'd be more worried to see that you've been crying than be aversive to it."

He scoffed in honest disbelief.

"What?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you think that way about me..."

"What do you mean?"

"...the person I am, the things I've done, the..." he shook his head, "the horrors I've committed..."

"The horrors you've committed are not who you are. I know you see yourself in a lot of different ways because it's hard to un-learn what other people have decided you are: a monster, a ghost, an asset, a machine, an assassin, a weapon, whatever. But have you ever considered that you're just human after all? You're a man who got dealt a shit hand in life. But there is still light in him... light that never left, no matter how hard they tried to beat it out of you. You're a survivor, Buck."

Bucky took a deep breath in, contemplating, before turning and laying on his back. They both remained on the floor, Y/N kneeling a few inches away from the side of Bucky's supine figure. He stared straight up at the ceiling.

"Sometimes I think I'm a better 'ghost' than I am a human being. My mind's a mess, and even though I'm trying, I still can't help but feel like I've lost who I am."

"You haven't lost who you are. You're just different now, and that's okay."

He looked up at her. "How do you always know what to say?"

"I know everything."

Y/N smiled, following Bucky's laugh, allowing the somber atmosphere to lighten up a bit. They so easily slipped in and out of the therapy dynamic, but now it seemed more like a heartfelt conversation between friends rather than treatment between doctor and patient.

"I consider you a really good friend too by the way - closest one I've had since Steve."

"Wow, really? That's an honor."

"Not really," he chuckled. "Steve's a punk."

And there she went laughing again. In one way or another she always found herself laughing around him.

However, she found it more confusing than funny when she woke up the following morning to find herself sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the beds with Bucky's head in her lap. She found her hands resting on his head protectively, fingers slightly carded through his long hair. She woke up before him... That's a first.

Y/N looked down at him. He was fast asleep; he looked peaceful and so relaxed. It was such a rare state to see him in, so she gave herself a few more seconds to study how his face looked when it was completely tranquil before she smoothed her hand along the back of his head and replaced her lap with a pillow.

-

"Hey," a raspy voice called out.

Y/N turned around from her seat at the table, hands still wrapped around the cup of tea she made herself a few minutes prior.

Bucky was awake, sitting up, but still in his previous spot on the floor.

"Hey. You want some tea?"

He stood up, nodding and stretching his back. "Did I fall back asleep?"

"You did," she smiled. "I'm pleased. I told you you needed the rest."

He seemed pleasantly surprised. "And on the floor too. Very classy."

She raised her mug to him, as if to make a toast. "Classiest man I know."

He laughed before grabbing the kettle and realizing it was empty.

"Shoot. We're outta water."

"It's alright. We know where to find the waterfall. You want to go get more?"

"Mm hm."

"Alright, I'll just finish my tea and go out in a few minutes."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm coming too."

"You sure? You just woke up. You can take some time to just relax if you want."

"No. I'm going."

"Stubborn. I can go myself, you know. I know the way."

"Would you let me go by myself?"

Y/N was silent for a moment before sighing.

"Get your shoes."

-

"You know, there was really no reason to almost push me into the water," Bucky commented as they were making their way back to the shelter after restocking their water supply.

"I wasn't actually going to!"

"You might as well have! My life flashed before my eyes!"

"Bet that took forever. You wanna backtrack? I can do it for real this time."

"I'm throwin' you in next time."

"You couldn't throw me," she challenged.

"Like a football," he countered, smirking.

"I don't wanna test that theory."

Their banter continued as they continued walking, making sure they were in the tree line and not out in the open. Bucky was always cautious. He was able to laugh with her while still making sure they were safe. That was until his arm was suddenly around the front of her shoulders, and holding her against his chest as his back was flush against a tree, effectively hiding them both from sight. She just stared forward, barely registering how fast he swiveled both of them around.

"There's someone at the bunker. I'm sorry- didn't want us to be seen."

He removed his arm, but her feet were stuck. She had never been close to him like this before; she didn't know what to think of it. She stepped forward a bit, breaking the contact but still facing away from him. She was hyperaware of their proximity but that quickly dissipated as she registered what he said.

"What did you see?"

"There were a couple people, but I didn't get a great look 'cause I moved out of sight fast. One woman, two men? I think."

His tone and demeanor reminded her of that day Shuri told them they had to go in hiding. He was so calm and collected. She forgot situations like these were practically muscle memory to him.

"Do you think someone found us? What were they doing?"

"I only saw 'em for a second, I'm not sure. Stay still, I'm gonna look."

As soon as his head peaked around the tree, so did Y/N's, ignoring his order.

"Wait, I think that's Shuri."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I don't know if I'd bet my life on it."

"What's that other thing?"

"The hovercraft?"

"Hovercraft? God, I love this place."

"Wait, see the crest on the hovercraft - that's the one only Shuri can unlock."

"Alright, just... stay behind me. Okay?"

"Okay."

The two slowly made their way towards the three Wakandans. Y/N actually listened this time and stayed behind Bucky. As soon as they were in sight, Shuri came running up to them.

"Y/N!" she exclaimed, immediately throwing herself into the psychologist, embracing her.

She was startled at first, arms awkwardly hanging by her sides before her brain finally caught up to her and she brought her arms up lightly, returning the hug.

"Shuri! What happened?"

"We won!" Shuri grinned. "It's a long and complicated story, but the rightful King never died. My brother has reclaimed his place on the throne. Wakanda is ours once again!"

A monumental weight was lifted from Y/N's shoulders. She sighed in relief, knowing she was no longer in danger, knowing Bucky was no longer in danger.

"That's incredible. I'm so glad everything's okay, and I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, my partner," Shuri hugged her once more before addressing Bucky. "Sergeant Barnes. I'm sorry for all the trouble. I hope everything was alright?"

"We've been getting along just fine," he nodded. "Thank you."

Shuri called over the two other men - royal guards that came with her - before turning back to Y/N and Bucky.

"You've been camped out here in hiding long enough. Let us go home."

As they walked behind the Wakandan princess, Y/N nudged Bucky with her elbow.

"It's hovercraft time, Bucky Barnes," she managed to say through a face numbing smile.

delicate taglist: @bakugouswh0r3 @thefridgeismybestie @strivingforelegance

[anxious-ace]

Some SCP AU shit:

Since River was a FNAF OC originally and has since evolved into more of a SCP OC, the two media's are in the same world in this au (it's also because of the Phantom family in general)

However, it doesn't mean that it's a broken masquerade scenario (yet, that comes later when the foundation finds out about the town of Gravity Falls and, albeit later, the Afton Family when someone spots the logo on a foundation truck outside of the Pizza Plex and alerts the news)

The Phantom, Bright and Afton families have major competition with each other for the title of the most fucked up family (the Gierisons would be competing if this was the "real" world but since it isn't, they can't, they'd be up there though)

Since "The Phantom Files" was created by Phantom Productions as a show/game series based on FNAF and "The Walten Files", it's fictional in that universe but it's its own universe where it's "real life" (or as real as a fictional universe inside of a fictional universe can get)

(It sure as hell explains a lot doesn't it?)

Ok back to business, no one knows who actually founded the, well, foundation, but there were rumors that it was Adam Bright (which would explain the family's vast knowledge on anomalies outside of being anomalies themselves and the family's fame, but it isn't true as he was a junior researcher when it was founded)

Since Jack is fucking immortal (thanks Abel), he is now almost as old, if not older than, the foundation itself (but he's still not an 05 because of, reasons)

He is pretty damn close though, he is right under them (which is terrifying to think about) which makes him pretty much in charge of certain sites whenever the 05's can't be bothered

(He's canonically site command/director which is what I'm getting at)

(It means people report to him and he reports to the 05s)

Since he's been around so long and has a very high rank, the 05s have decided to make updated personnel cards (they have level 6 cards now and site directors have the new level 5/Omni cards, everything else is the same)

No one knows why the Bright family has such bad luck, Clef has proposed that it was because someone in the family "pissed off the universe or something like that"

"It's either that or they pissed off 343." -Clef

As I said before, most of the rules on the list are jokes, whereas some are "just in case" and the rest are actual rules because of something he did (he knows which ones but no one else does which freaks them out because, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?"

He might actually be insane at this point (it's either that or he uses the chaotic crazy personality to mask his crippling depression, anxiety and other mental issues)

"Both are likely, I honestly don't know anymore so it's anyone's guess." -The fucking man himself (Bright)

Since Jason (Jack's younger son) and Alexsiev (Jack's husband) are a part of a MTF (still don't know which one that'll be), they are usually on the front lines which sends Jack into a panic everytime

Jasper is anomalous with abilities similar to their uncle's (TJ) ability meaning they can heal a person's wounds or illness with a single, albeit prolonged (depending on severity), touch but instead of the wound or illness transferring to them, they just feel the symptoms without actually having the ailment (which is why they are usually used to heal people instead of TJ)

Jason could be anomalous but I'm not so sure about the details (could be some kind of super solider which has super human reflexes, enhanced hearing, enhanced sight and some other super soldier type abilities like inhuman aim)

There is a theory, made by foundation staff, that the Bright's have anomalous abilities pertaining to whatever job they have, which would explain Jasper and Jason but what about TJ, Sarah and Jack? (as well as Alexsiev but I'm not going into that yet)

(The answer to that question by the way, is I don't fucking know)

Jack and Mikkel hate each other because of their views on situations like, dealing with their own family members for instance (Jack is more understanding of how the other party feels when something is done to them, whereas Mikkel is a jackass who only wants to do his job)

Jack has gotten TJ out of containment, restrictions still exist though, and he's let David and his brother (don't know his name, I just know he exists) move in with him, Alexsiev and his oldest children (Claire lives somewhere else, close to where she works)

The house has multiple floors (it's basically a manor like the Thomas-Wright family manor) with the ground floor having the kitchen, living room and dinning room (+ two bathrooms) and the second floor having all of the bedrooms (+ two more bathrooms)

There is also a basement and an attic that are used for storage

Jack has snuck arts and crafts, food, water and other stuff to TJ numerous times

Jack had an ex boyfriend (Jasper's dad) that, let's just say, wasn't the best (like any of my favs exes) and basically abused him (it got worse when Jack, or I guess Jackie, was pregnant with Jasper)

(The body Jack/Jackie is currently in functions the same way it did before but with Jack's conscious instead of the original person's)

Alexsiev already knew Jack/Jackie (childhood best friends, yes Alexsiev is technically immortal too which is why they've been together for as long as they have and why they were so close to begin with) and the situation that was at hand, which is why he showed up to the house, had the ex arrested and let Jack/Jackie live with him so he could help raise Jasper

They started dating shortly after the ex was arrested and got married a few years after Jasper was born

Jack and Alexsiev still haven't told Jasper about it but they are that age where they now understand that their dad must've been bad enough to warrant silence/a very emotional response when asked about

Jack says that his life was "ruined way before they were even conceived, not that they ruined my life, in fact, they made it better. They gave me a reason to live, they gave me a reason to keep going. I'm glad I kept them."

The foundation has this graveyard (they have a lot of them, pretty standard for how much death happens) just for all of Jack's bodies that he maintains himself (which is kinda grim, the man has to dig his own grave and bury a past version of himself and not in a philosophical way)

Since "The Executions of Dr. Bright" happens in the broken Masquerade timeline in the Middle East (I think, the writing on the truck translates to "caliphate party") and (in this universe) it takes place after a van is spotted at the Pizza Plex, so there is a need to figure out why and how they went to the middle east in the first place before leading into "The Executions of Dr. Bright"

(There was probably some really anomalous shit that made the foundation send like 7 researchers to that area after they've been found out)

[monokyokyo]

Delivery Boy

I literally forgot to post this 💀 Basically Flower Boy pt 2 but from Yeosang's perspective

For the longest time, Yeosang never believed in love at first sight. He saw it as a cheap way to keep children on the lookout for their soulmates. It was a simple myth. What if the person doesn't return your feelings? What if they've already found "the one"? All of it was absurd to him.

Yet that all changed when he passed by a small flower shop on his way to a delivery.

In reality, Yeosang could care less about plants so they surely weren't the things that caught his eye. As he made his rounds, parking his bike next to a tiny bouquet, he peered into the flower shop next door. Out of curiosity, his eyes lingered on it, examining its colourful decor and few customers through the glass. Though they were the last things to catch his attention.

With fluffy, brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled like diamonds, Yeosang watched the small shopkeeper skip from client to client, providing his assistance wherever it may be needed. He just seemed so innocent. So adorable. So... "Cute."

"Yah! Delivery boy! Are you going to bring me my food or not?" The shout of his customer snapped Yeosang back to reality and he hastily scampered to deliver them their meal, apologising the whole way. That didn't stop him from glancing back at the flower shop though, a small grin forming on his face when he looked back at the counter where the flower boy stood.

When arriving back at the small restaurant he worked at, Yeosang's excitement didn't go unnoticed by his coworker, who was startled by the way he yelled when he entered the building. "HONGJOONG! HOLY SHIT!"

The man ahead of him was his hyung and one of the few people working at the restaurant. It was a small, family-run establishment, so there was not much staff needed to run it.

Hongjoong collected his breath after having the living daylights scared out of him by how the brunette had screamed but smiled regardless, quirking his brow with intrigue. "What an entrance. Everything alright, Sangie?"

"No. Not at all." The redhead watched the way his coworker slumped into the seat nearest to the front counter. Before he could ask what was so wrong, Yeosang beat him to it. Saying, "Have you ever laid eyes on someone so pretty that they make your heart beat fifty miles for an hour and you want to go in and tell them they what they've done to your poor body but are afraid they would look at you weirdly because this is the first time you've actually seen one another so it would just end up being awkward for the both of you? Have you ever felt like that Hongjoong?"

The older opened his mouth then closed it immediately, furrowing his brow and trying to see if he understood the waterfall of information that was just thrown at him. "No... No, I don't think I've ever felt like that..."

"I must be sick. Maybe I'm coming down with a fever?"

Hongjoong squinted at him. He was indeed turning red but he had a feeling it wasn't from a fever. So he just chuckled. "Looks like someone's got a crush~" He sang as he reached over to ruffle the younger's brown locks. Yet to his surprise, Yeosang seemed quite terrified by this notion, immediately smacking his hyung's hand away and looking up at him with wide eyes.

"C-Crush?" He stuttered out, looking oddly terrified. "I can't have a crush on someone! What if he doesn't like me? What if he thinks I'm weird? Oh god, I can't get married yet! I'm too young!"

The redhead was left with a loss for words. Married? What kind of Disney movies had this kid been watching? "Yeosang, just because you have a crush on someone doesn't mean you have to date them. Let alone marry them."

Yet Yeosang only scoffed. "You clearly don't get out enough."

~~~

Over the next few days, the only thing Yeosang could think of was that flower boy. It was almost annoying given how they had never even had a conversation before. Love at first sight didn't exist. It simply wasn't a thing. So why was he still on his mind?

Hongjoong had easily spotted his predicament, given how the restaurant wasn't very busy that day, giving the young brunette time to lounge around. Chuckling, he walked over to boop his nose, watching it scrunch up irritably. "What?"

"I'm going to do a delivery, I'll be back in a few minutes?"

Yeosang furrowed his brow, sitting upright. "Why so soon?" Hongjoong just shrugged, adjusting a bag on his shoulder with the food in it.

"I'm just going down the road. There's a flower shop over there, you know it? The owner ordered spicy ramen." Hearing that, Yeosang shot to his feet, his interest finally piqued.

"He likes ramen? I like ramen!"

"Yeah, everyone likes ramen." He laughed and made his way towards the door. However, Yeosang yelled something that kept him from leaving.

"I'll do it!" Now, Yeosang would never volunteer to do a delivery. Most days, he would rather be sitting behind the counter on his phone, scrolling through Twitter and avoiding any actual work. So hearing him want to do something made Hongjoong eye him sceptically.

Yeosang quickly caught onto this and couldn't risk him saying no. "Please, please, please!" Despite the fear in Hongjoong's eyes at hearing him beg for something, Yeosang was handed the bag regardless.

"Why do you want to go so badly? It's not like you to do your job..." His statement was ignored by Yeosang, who only focussed on shoving a hat on his head and a mask over his face. Hongjoong's expression turned bewildered to downright concerned when he put the sunglasses on.

Nevertheless, Yeosang left the restaurant looking like some sort of mad man on the run, ramen in hand. He trekked down the road, clutching his delivery like his life depended on it. The strange looks he received from civilians didn't bother him, as the only thing on his mind was entering that flower shop and meeting its owner.

His hand trembled around the door handle, reluctant to so much as graze it. Luckily, he wasn't given any more time to stand there like an idiot because the glass entrance suddenly flung open. Yeosang shrieked, nearly dropping the food when he jumped back.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I thought the door might have been locked, I'm so sorry for scaring you!"

There he was. The flower boy. He looked at Yeosang with wide, worried eyes that were so shiny he could have stared at them for days. Had the other male not started to speak, that was exactly what he would have done too. "Sir? Are you okay? You've been staring for a bit now..."

Yeosang almost squealed, yes, squealed, in embarrassment. Doing his best to save face, he hastily shoved the box of ramen in his hands, keeping his head down the entire time. Though his red face was covered by his mask, Yeosang swore to god he was so warm that he would have melted it right off.

As soon as the box was in the other man's grasp, Yeosang sped off. "Hey! What about the money?" He didn't care. He couldn't stand there a minute longer and risk imploding from the inside out.

Hongjoong flinched when the front door suddenly slammed open, with Yeosang running in soon after. "Jesus! You'll break the door! What happened? Did you get mugged or something?"

"Worse." He groaned. Slinking off to the counter, Yeosang fell against the object, a heavy sigh of dismay leaving his lips. "The flower boy... I saw his face... H-He spoke to me..."

The redhead, once concerned, smiled. "No wonder you wanted to do the delivery," Yeosang could be so dramatic when it came to his feelings. Though Hongjoong didn't mean to laugh, he often found it to be quite entertaining how much stake he would put on little encounters like this.

Once again, the entrance to the shop entered, although not as violently as before. "Hello?" The voice that had walked in said. It took less than a second for Yeosang to recognise it and when he did, he immediately ducked behind the counter. The customer had clearly noticed, but he was too quick to see exactly who it was, so he paid it little mind. "Sorry to bother you, but the person you sent forgot to collect his payment..."

His voice was so calming, so sweet. It made Yeosang's heart flutter, heartbeat speeding up the longer he was in the room. Quit it, will you heart? God, you're so extra...

"Ah, is that so? I'm sorry about that. Here, thank you for coming here." Hongjoong's foot tapped against Yeosang's side, his way of silently scolding him for his poor performance.

"It's not a problem. I hope he's doing okay, he ran off pretty quickly..."

"Don't worry too much, he's fine. Have a good day sir." They said their goodbyes and Hongjoong waited until the customer was out of sight to roll his eyes. "He's gone, Sangie. You can come up now." Yeosang let out a heavy breath of relief. His hand was resting on his chest to soothe his raging heartbeat with little success. "You're hopeless. You know that?"

"I am not! I was just... caught off guard."

"Uh-huh, yeah sure. Sang, listen, you've got a crush and from the looks of it, a ridiculous one. The store is just down the street, why not give it a visit tomorrow? Maybe give him your number?" Yeosang pursed his lips, hand reaching for his sunglasses, which Hongjoong was quick to slide away. "Without the sunglasses and get up, please. You look like a drug dealer."

~~~

So Yeosang decided to give it a try. Not without its fair share of trials, of course. He was still a socially inept twink, after all. There was no way in Hell he could just walk up there and ask for his number. Despite his hyung's encouragement, he remained reluctant for most of the day, too anxious to even leave the building.

Every time he tried to step outside, he saw another person walk into the flower shop. From a tall man pulling up a fancy, white Cadillac, to someone who looked dejected beyond repair. Why are there so many people going in today? Stay home, dammit!

Like the coward he was, Yeosang waited nearly a day to go across the road, despite how vigorously Hongjoong laughed at his shyness. There was so much anticipation built up in his head. What would he say? How would he react? It was all more stressful than it needed to be.

It wasn't until his hyung alerted him of the time, "It's nearly six, what are you still doing? He's going to close soon!" did he finally spring to his seat. Yeosang has spent much of the afternoon pondering over a note should his words fail him. Shoving the paper in his pocket, he sprinted from his seat, eager to not miss his chance.

He could see the flower boy getting ready to flip the 'open' sign to 'closed' and instantly quickening his pace. He flinched back and Yeosang's eyes went wide. As quickly as he could, he reached for the younger male's waist to catch him from falling in shock when he zoomed through the door.

Those eyes... So perfect it was unreal. Now that they were up close, Yeosang really got a chance to examine his features. His round cheeks, his bright eyes. Never had he ever seen such a pretty human being. "Are you still open?" Those were the first words to leave his mouth, only to prevent any more of the undoubtedly awkward silence.

The florist went silent when he untangled himself from Yeosang's grip. The most he did was silently gesture him into the shop and despite his lack of verbal response, the brunette still smiled and walked inside.

The shop was cute which wasn't much of a surprise given how sweet the owner seemed. Even if he didn't know much about flowers, all he was sure of was that they were pretty. "Do you know what you're looking for?" The shopkeeper inquired, or rather, whispered. Yeosang pivoted in his direction, moving towards him.

For some reason, the younger looked quite shaken, at least until Yeosang smiled. "You." He spoke, much to the florist's confusion.

Blush rose to his face, not going unnoticed by the older male. "M-Me? What do you..." Yet his speech trailed off when the brunette plucked a rose off the table, eyeing it carefully. Yep. That was definitely a flower. He had no clue what he'd do with it but he couldn't just leave without buying anything, especially not after his dramatic entrance.

So he placed the flower on the counter, deciding that he would be taking it. As the shopkeeper got his receipt ready, Yeosang fished through his pockets for the note he had written. He gulped nervously as his hands began to tremble at the realisation that he was really doing this.

Covered in a slick plastic, the rose was handed back to him. "Have a good evening, sir..." However, Yeosang had yet to move. All he did was take the gift in his hand and carefully wrapped his note around the base of it then placed it back on the counter.

The strange look he received vanished when Yeosang planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "Good night, flower boy." He said once he had moved away.

Yeosang didn't stay in the store a moment later. Though he may have exited calmly, you best believe he started sprinting all the way back to the restaurant once he was out of the florist sight.

"Holy shit... Holy shit!" He panted, desperately attempting to catch his breath, even though he hadn't run all that far. Hongjoong had just finished locking the doors it seemed and grinned at the sight of his frazzled coworker.

"I take it that things went well?"

Love at first sight was a fantasy, just a trick to give us false hope. It was something that Yeosang would have agreed with wholeheartedly just a few days ago but when his phone went off with an incoming message...

Hey delivery boy ❤

Then maybe he had started to believe in that supposed fantasy after all.

[madbucker]

Silhouettes | Daryl Dixon.

Eventual Daryl Dixon x female reader.

IV.

Season 1.

MASTERLIST.

Loosely based on the song We Will Become Silhouettes by The Postal Service.

Summary: Y/N follows Rick to Atlanta. They find a group willing to help them.

Warnings: language, gore stuff (twd style), mentions of death, mentions of domestic abuse. Will add more warnings depending on the chapter’s content. Let me know if you think it needs some other warning!

Word count: 3.6k.

Author’s note: First things first, I’m not a native English speaker, so bear with me! You can send me a message or an ask pointing out some mistakes so I can edit the post. Also, it will help me learn the language, so don’t hesitate! Had this in my drafts for a few days. I hope you like it! ♥

Gif’s not mine.

“Morgan…” You couldn’t find the right words to express how grateful you were. You looked at Morgan and Duane with conflict showing in your eyes: you were happy and hopeful that you were going to find your sister in Atlanta, but you couldn’t ignore the anguish, the heartbreak of leaving them. Every second counted, and waiting a few more days could lower your chances of finding her alive, but those two had saved your life. What if leaving them lowered their chances of making it to safety? Even if you weren’t suited for survival, having someone else around could make a difference.

“Go, this is your chance. We’ll meet again, soon.” Morgan took over as if he knew how much you were feeling at the moment, embracing you not only with his arms but with his words.

Yeah, we’ll meet again, you thought. Your mind softened for a couple of seconds when you felt another set of arms hugging you tight from your side. You had only known them for a couple of weeks, but that was a lot when the world was the way it was. Weeks felt like a lifetime for you, and so it did for the men that had taken you in.

Men, because Duane was far from being a boy. It was sad, he deserved to live the rest of his childhood like you did, or like his father did. He had to, forcefully, become brave, strong, and even cold sometimes.

“We’ll meet again in Atlanta, or somewhere else, I don’t know, but we will.” You said as they let go of you. All you could do after that was forcing yourself to smile reassuringly.

“Now go and help Rick find his family too.”

“You can't leave me here... Not like this. You can't, man. It's not human. Come on, don't do this!”

Merle’s voice was faint as you ran down the stairs with everyone else. Their names were blurry in your head, the adrenaline making you forget about everything but the fact that your life was hanging by a thread.

But Merle, oh, you would never forget his name.

He was the type of person you were afraid to run into, back when you were alone. You were glad Rick was there to put him in his place, even though that hadn’t shut him up. 

Finding other survivors had its downside, you guessed, but not all of it was bad.

They told you that they had a camp, that they had people. The blonde woman’s younger sister was one of them, and they said they had children, too. Maybe it was too good to be true, but since Atlanta was overrun by walkers, then that was the best you had.

Walkers, that’s what they’d named them: because that’s all they did, they were the empty carcasses of what used to be a beautifully complex human being. They just walked, and bit, and killed.

You feared your sister was one of those, roaming around the city. That thought hadn’t left your mind since you first realized how bad things had gotten there. What if she had gone to Atlanta, seeking shelter, but found her death instead? You knew you had to get out of the situation you were in before you made any decisions. The camp didn’t seem like a bad idea, you could stay there temporarily and visit the city a few more times until you found her. Maybe even bring back supplies to thank everyone for letting you stay. That was if you made it, survival was still something new, something you had to train for.

Safety in numbers felt like your best shot. 

You didn’t pay much attention to your surroundings until you got inside the loading dock, your eyes were fixed in what was in front of you. A walker could’ve gotten you from your sides and you wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late. You were lucky enough to get to safety.

So was T-Dog, who at last second caught up with you, right before you heard Rick banging on the door.

You sat next to the two women, hugging yourself with your trembling arms. You were agitated and couldn’t catch enough air to say what you knew everyone else wanted to say.

“Hey, T-Dog,” you moaned once you could stabilize your breath, “where’s Merle?” you almost barked the asshole’s name. He looked down to his knees.

“I dropped the damn key,” he growled, angry and ashamed.

“Well, shit.” You whispered, making sure nobody heard. Merle had it coming, that was clear, but T-Dog didn’t have to carry with the guilt of leaving a man to die just because he happened to be… the way he was.

“Best not to dwell on it. Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back... except, maybe, Daryl.” One of the men commented. You lifted your head and locked your eyes with his, your heart starting to beat faster once again. If for some reason Merle had someone who cared for him, then they had to love him. That was a difficult man, the one you had met back there… It must've taken a huge amount of patience and devotion to want him around for more than a few hours.

If he actually had someone who cared for him, you were completely fucked.

“Daryl?” you hesitated to ask, not sure if you wanted to hear the answer.

“His brother.”

The scenario was so beautiful it was truly unbelievable. You were stepping out of the dock when Rick’s drowned cry caught your attention. Looking forward, you saw a kid running to hug him, followed by a woman. You quickly figured out Rick had found his family, making your heart flutter. In the shithole you were in, you figured those things were a sight to be seen, something that didn’t happen every day, so you let yourself enjoy the view.

You knew Rick’s son was young, even younger than Duane, but seeing him there made you realize how fragile he was.

Innocent, scared, too little to live through those times. And for a second, you forgot that a few hours before you thought you had no purpose left. Not finding your sister, seeing how one of the biggest cities in the country had fallen… you had started to think that there was no use in trying so hard to survive when you had nobody left.

But there he was, Carl, and there were more kids in the camp. Maybe you could do more than just survive. Trying to help them live their lives with as little worry and concern as possible was better than giving up.

“Why on earth did you leave the apartment?!” A loud, high pitched scream echoed through the camp, and it didn’t take long for you to spot her, running to you.

Her. Mayra. Your sister.

When her body slammed into yours, you fell backward as you hugged her tight, trying not to let her go, as if she could slip away from your arms at any moment. You stayed on the ground trying to take in every detail you could. Her shaky breath, the way her hair felt on your skin, how her fingers were uncomfortably pressed between the ground and your shoulder blades. Her small cries as she tried to find the exact words to say.

“I was looking for you!”, at that point, you were sobbing, not even thinking about the people whose eyes wandered from Rick to you two.

“And I was about to go back home looking for you!” She cried, steadying her breath before standing back up. You followed her actions, your sight never leaving hers.

You weren’t sure how long it had been since it all started. Weeks, for sure. Months, too, although sometimes it felt like decades.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she scanned her surroundings, fear creeping in her. She put both of her hands on your shoulders and lightly shook her head, still searching for something, you couldn’t guess what.

“Did he die?” She questioned firmly. You didn’t answer, had someone else gone to Atlanta that hadn’t made it? Someone who died before you found the group? She couldn’t be talking about… 

The entire world fell on top of you. You had just discovered your sister was alive and had also just found out you left someone she cared about behind. “Did Merle fucking die?!”

The fire warmed your legs and the frog legs tasted so, so good. You hadn’t eaten anything freshly cooked in such a long time, it felt unreal. You were focused on your food and on Rick’s story, it was the first time you heard him talk in-depth about what had happened. He seemed happy, and the bags under his eyes were more subtle. His entire demeanor had changed.

“They found me…” your sister’s voice interrupted your trail of thoughts. You had a conversation pending; one that the both of you decided to ignore so you could enjoy the feeling of being back together, “... the Dixons, I mean. Merle didn’t want me around, Daryl didn’t either, but he was too kind to let it show. Thank God we found the group, like, a couple of days after I joined them.” Her eyes were lost in the flames as she spoke. She knew it hadn’t been your fault, there was no way you would leave him on purpose. “But I was about to die, Y/N. I felt the walker’s teeth on my skin, it tore the fabric on my shoulder. I just accepted it, didn’t fight back, didn’t try to escape.” She looked at you, and you realized that nothing meant shit anymore… life at that moment was constantly being on the verge of dying and knowing that the people you loved could die at any moment, too. Nothing could ever go back to what it used to be. “And, then, a freaking arrow went through the walker’s head. Clean, just like that, and it fell on top of me. I had never seen death in first person, you know. I had lost my friends after a dozen of those creeps came out of nowhere, but I didn’t see them die, I just heard the screams.”

She was your little sister, you hated to hear her that way, so hopeless and surrendering to death. 

“You’re safe now, these people know how to fight-” you stared, but she stopped you before you could finish.

“I know. But one of the men who saved my ass isn’t safe. Yes, he’s not the kindest, nicest, or most selfless man, but I owe him.” You knew that feeling too well. You owed Morgan and Duane, you owed Rick, and Glenn, and so many people. None of them had behaved the way Merle did, but not only Mayra owed him, you did too.

Nodding, you sighed and looked at her in the eyes, reassuring her you would do something to get him back, anything you could.

“Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?” Shane’s loud demand made you jump slightly. Your sister nudged you on your side with her elbow and signaled you to look at Ed. She had been suspicious about him and you both had talked about it a few hours back

“It’s cold, man.”

“Then join us or put it out, we don’t want to be seen…” you spoke, managing to sound as nice as you could. You didn’t want to start anything, but you knew how dangerous it could get. You had to avoid loud sounds and bright lights. But Ed, as expected, ignored you.

“Yeah, the cold doesn’t change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?” Shane continued.

“I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once.” Ed’s answer has was harsh, you could tell he would be hard to deal with, but not everything could be perfect in such a numerous and diverse group. Everyone had different stories to tell, some of them were more tragic than others.

Shane got up and walked steadfastly towards Ed and his family’s fire, “Hey, Ed... Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?”

“Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!” Ed bossed and his wife pulled the log out of the fire almost immediately, not questioning his husband’s command. It was sad and frustrating, but knowing that stepping in could cause the wife and the little girl to get hurt forced you to stay in your place. Shane seemed to be handling the situation. He was like some sort of leader in the camp, and he had been around those people for so much longer than you, he knew what to do. At least that’s what you told yourself in an attempt to find comfort.

You saw how Shane spoke to Ed’s wife and their daughter, but you couldn’t hear what he said as the group had started a conversation to fill in the silence.

“Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind.” The man -whose name you learned was Dale- questioned, deciding to talk about the elephant in the room. 

“I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me.” T-Dog’s shameful tone showed up once again.

“I cuffed him. That makes it mine.” Rick followed. It couldn’t turn into a competition of who was brave enough, who was the most selfless, or who was willing to sacrifice themselves.

“We were all there, it’s not a competition, any of us could’ve done something-” You intervened, hoping you could bring into the conversation the fact that you were planning on going back, but Glenn interrupted you:

“I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy.” You hated it, but if Daryl was as bigoted as his brother, then Glenn was right.

“I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him.” T-Dog stated, completely convinced of facing the consequences.

“And we keep on making a competition out of this. We all should be there and say whatever we have to say.” You said in a determined tone. You were all responsible, one way or another.

“Look, Y/N… maybe I can tell him?” Mayra whispered as the rest kept on debating who should speak up.

“I don’t know how it could help…” You said back. Yes, Mayra knew him better than you, but she hadn’t been involved, she didn’t have to.

She opened her mouth to protest, but T-Dog’s words captured your interest instantly:

“My point... Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us.”

When the fire was out and everyone got into their tents, including your sister, you still sat on the same log as before. The scenario felt strange, almost unknown to you: outside at night, under the cloudy night sky, and still not unsafe. It had been so long since you felt immortal and undefeatable, just like any other girl your age felt... like nothing could happen to you, not ever. You missed it. But beautiful as that night was, the imminent danger thickened the air.

You felt your eyes growing heavier each second. You were ready to go to sleep, so you got up and started to walk to the tent you and Mayra would share, but the sight of someone on the roof of Dale’s RV made you stop on your tracks.

Shane was keeping watch, and you wondered if he did it each night, or how had they arranged the shifts. He looked tired and the look on his face was anything but friendly.

“Hey, want to switch?” You asked approaching the stairs and climbing up, not waiting for an answer. Once you got off the stairs, your eyes wandered through the trees and landed up in the sky. If he kept watch every night, then you knew why. The view wasn’t mesmerizing, you had seen more beautiful countless times before, but the air up there was lighter, and the breeze, soothing. 

“Sorry ‘bout Ed today.” Shane ignored your question. You sat down next to the chair he was sitting in.

“Don’t be, he’ll pay for what he’s doing to his family someday. Soon, I hope.” You looked up and realized his eyes were lost somewhere in the horizon. He looked tired, and if you read more into it: defeated. “Go to sleep, I’ll stay. I want to.”

It came as a surprise to you: that was all he needed to hear. He didn’t protest, he got up, handed you the shotgun and left. You didn’t know if he would be able to get some sleep, at least he could try to.

But what you did know was that you weren’t suddenly concerned about the sleeping schedule of a man you had just met. You were desperately in need of being alone. Being around so many people was something you had only dreamt about, at least for the last weeks, and although you felt the luckiest you had ever felt, the safety you had found allowed you to put your feet back on the ground.

Everything had happened so fast. You almost died, and more than once. You met people, they saved you, you left one of them to die, you found out Mayra was alive and safe, Rick’s family was with her… and you still had to figure out how to break the news to Merle’s brother. 

You were going back to the city, too, as if everything that had happened wasn’t enough. You’d do it for your sister, and for the men who saved her, as questionable as they were.

And suddenly, it clicked.

The bag. The guns.

You had to remind Rick. It could save the group from an attack from walkers, or from other people. That way you knew somebody else would go back with you and you would actually have a shot of coming back alive, even if they despised Merle.

“Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up.”

You had just finished hanging some of your clothes to dry when an unbothered and loud voice caught everyone’s attention. From their wide eyes, you could tell who had just gotten back. Merle’s brother, Daryl, sounded, moved, and acted just like him. It wasn’t just the accent, but his words, how his presence made everyone uncomfortable… you could tell they were expecting him to snap as soon as he found out. Behind him, Shane and Rick looked and nodded to each other. You approached them, determined to be a part of it even if hell broke loose.

“Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there.” Rick got to the point with no rambling.

“We locked the door, he’s safe from walkers.” You dared to look at him in the eyes, but regretting it as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!”

“Yeah.” Rick stepped in front of you, and without skipping a beat, Daryl attacked Rick, who shoved him off. 

You took a few steps back and spotted your sister, who was just getting out of the RV. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as soon as she realized what was happening: Daryl, Shane, T-Dog and Rick were yelling at each other. She stood in her place, everyone in the camp knew well not to intervene. Shane had Daryl on a chokehold as Rick explained to him that he wanted to have a calm discussion, which seemed to force Daryl to give in. Shane let go of him.

“What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others.” Rick kept going. At that point, you guessed nothing could actually calm Dixon, he was still breathing heavily.

“It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it.” T-Dog cut in.

“You couldn't pick it up?” Daryl snarled.

“Well, I dropped it in a drain.”

“If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't.” 

“Hey, I told you, the door’s chained with a padlock. There’s no way walkers could get to him.” You repeated, trying your best to be concise and get to the point: Merle was still out there. 

“And who the fuck are you?” Daryl took a few steps forward and stared at you in the eyes. You weren’t scared, but it did take you by surprise. You stumbled back and raised your hands, putting them in between you.

“She’s my sister, Daryl!” Mayra’s shaky voice made him turn around. You couldn’t see his face, but hers was filled with heartbreak. She felt she had failed him, as if she had broken an unspoken promise. Daryl faced you again.

“Funny, huh? How I saved your sister but you left my brother to rot.” He growled. His voice low and irritated.

Your eyes jumped from Mayra to him. You straightened your body and took a deep breath. He was right. You felt miserable, and you couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Mayra, you knew you would have to do something as soon as she told you her story.

“I know, that’s why I’m going back there. With or without you.”

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Mae Gi

Age: 23

Writing Blog URL(s): @mae-gi-writes & https://embed.wattpad.com/user/nutmeggu

What fandom(s) do you write for?

The Boyz, EXO, BTS, SVT, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts

Nationality: Mauritian

Languages: French, English, Creole

Star Sign: Pisces 

Favorite color: Mint!

Favorite food: Xiao Long Bao

Favorite movie: Patriot 

Favorite ice cream flavor: Mint and chocolate chip!

Favorite animal: Definitely whales

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? Coffee all the way! 

Dream job (whether you have a job or not): Writer 😍 

Go-to karaoke song: Breaking Free High School Musical

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?

Flying

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose?

The 70's 

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?

I Would not. I believe that everything I've experienced was for a reason and I couldn't be happier where I am. 

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?

100 chicken-sized horses because that would be cute af

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?

I like to believe that I'd be a badass tough cookie

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?

...sometimes.

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?

I am bad at maintaining eye contact so I am always conscious of it.

When did you post your first piece?

I think it was in 2012 that I started my first story!

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why?

Fluff and angst are my go-to's because they are the ones that I relate to the most. My writing comes from personal experiences, so there's a lot of fluff and angst involved.

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc?

YUpp!

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr?

I just started posting without really taking it seriously to be honest. But when people started showing interest, it motivated me to write more and gave me confidence. I also made lots of wonderful writer friends which I am so grateful for! 

What inspires you to write?

Life, people, relationships. Writing is also a way for me to process my thoughts of emotions, it's therapeutic. 

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?

Romcom and slice of life mainly. And my guilty pleasure is the best friend to lover AU. 

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?

That it makes them laugh, have a good time, or cry in sympathy. I want my characters to reflect real people and I hope that my readers can relate and realize that they are not alone, no matter how tough life may seem sometimes. 

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?

I stop writing and listen to music. It allows me to imagine scenarios without me actively writing them. 

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?

My favourite work is definitely my first novel that I recently published on Amazon! It's sci-fi dystopian and is really close to my heart because every character is a piece of me stitched into them. 

My most successful on Tumblr is Deobi Playlist series, which is a fanfiction mashup of the series Hospital Playlist x The Boyz. I think people find it really entertaining and light to read. 

Who is your favorite person to write about?

Kevin from The Boyz, Jungkook from BTS. 

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose?

There's a difference in terms that some elements are already crafts for you and you approach them in a different perspective. Original prose is completely made up by you. 

What do you think makes a good story?

The storyline is important, but characters are definitely the most vital elements in telling a good story. 

What is your writing process like?

Depending on the mood, I usually put on a playlist of slow songs and start writing whatever comes to mind on my laptop. Sometimes if I need to figure out a story, I use pen and paper to quickly outline the series of events. I also usually write better at night or early morning. 

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?

I actually already did! It was named as Entity and was a BTS fanfic that received so much love I decided to alter it into a real novel now called Terminal. It's available on AMAZON. 

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?

I am a sucker for Love Triangle tropes and Best Friends to Lovers tropes because, in my experience, they really do happen. I can't stand the "I'm not like other girls" trope, I just think it's overdone and is always portrayed as something that the protagonist needs. 

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you?

I definitely don't depend on feedback to write because I write for myself. But getting feedback and seeing people appreciate my work definitely motivates me to believe in myself as a writer. I would not have come this far without support. 

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)?

I just kept writing, even though it was shit, even though I was sometimes frustrated. No matter how bad it was, I always told myself that I was doing this for me and never listened to outsiders who didn't appreciate my craft. 

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?

Definitely! Just because we write fanfiction doesn't mean we're not writers. I know of so many AMAZING fanfic writers who are so much better than actual authors!

Do you think art can be a medium for change?

Yes, art has always been involved to portray what can't be said. And that is the beauty of it. 

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?

Rather than "writing for others" I keep myself disciplined by writing everyday, no matter how bad it might be or how little i write. 

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times?

Yes, I don't really understand why writing as an art form is so underrated when it is so beautiful, but there is this misconception that writers, especially fanfic writers, are just thirsty fangirls who are obsessed with their biases. No, we are content creators, we write stories because we are artists and take so much time and effort to write these amazing stories.

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?

My boyfriend is the only one and he is really supportive.

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?

That I appreciate every single one of them for supporting my work, and that every comment, reblog or like just makes my heart feel so full with love. I also wish to tell them to keep dreaming, keep pushing and stay safe 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?

Be scared to start. Be scared because that means you're pushing yourself and that's okay. Fear is part of the process but you have to go through that to gain confidence in what you do. Throw yourself under the bus, because that's how it gets easier. And don't compare to other writers because like every artist, your story and your craft, your words and your voice will be different. So believe that you can, and you are worth it.

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr?

NEVER.

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey?

YES!! I'D LIKE TO THANK @pixelelf @choaticdeobi @moondustaeil @aveluant1a @atbzkingdom @thesingingfae1905 @2hyunjae @tbzhours @jenocakes ❤❤❤ 

Pick a quote to end your interview with:

There's no such thing as perfect writing, just like there's no such thing as perfect despair - Haruki Murakami 

[ethereals-angel]

Ethereal II (M)

/ — extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world. /

《 Ethereal (I) 》 《 Ethereal (II) 》 《 Ethereal (III) 》

"Get out of my way."

They immediately shifted, giving you more space to walk through. You slumped your body to the couch, beside Junmyeon. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you, making you lean against him. You sighed, "hand me a drink, please, Jun?"

He nodded, giving you a shot of liquor which you immediately downed. You reached out for your box of cigar, taking one. You lighted it, taking in a puff in a sigh. You exhaled the smoke, facing Junmyeon, "what's his name again?"

"Richard Kyo."

You hummed, "Richard Kyo." You've heard about him. He's one of those few politicians who can never be blinded with money, you respect him, so much. He's a good guy, that one. Too bad he decided to block your way. "What did Dad say about him?"

"Take him down, he said. Wouldn't be a problem since he appointed the both of us to finish the job."

You nodded, downing one more shot of liquor.

You drank your coffee as you stared at the busy Baekhyun. You are in a café accompanying your boy do his assignment you've already finished the moment it was given inside the classroom. You bit your lower lip as you continued to ogle.

You were stressed at the fact that you have to leave later at night to do the job your father appointed you to do. There will be an event tonight and it has been bugging you ever since. You didn't know but there was something that's making it hard for you to kill one person. Yet, the moment Baekhyun met your eyes, you immediately calmed down. You never thought you needed anyone to breathe. But here you are.

"Was that your first orgasm?" You asked, an amused smirk playing on your lips as his eyes widened at your question. Baekhyun cumming with only grinding on you, both of your clothes on never left your mind. You never let it down, either. How could you forget about that? You feel ecstatic by just thinking about it. You can't wait to touch him again.

He kept silent, he bit his lip, looking down, "aren't you going to answer my question, baby boy?"

He met your eyes, he shook his head, gulping, "no..."

You raised you brow, "no?" The thought of someone else touching him and making him cum angered you. You felt your chest burn, head spinning. You pursed your lips, clearly not pleased by his answer.

You were about to say something when he continued, "I... did a thing..." he breathed, "because of you..."

"Because of me?" You tilted your head, "are you saying you jerked off with the thought of me?"

He blushed, avoiding your eyes as he nod. You felt a tingle shoot down your core. Your angel jacking off because of you. You bit your lip, throwing you head back, "fuck." You hissed, pressing your legs together as you felt wetness dripping down. You looked at Baekhyun, seated in front of you, looking so innocent with his big soft glistening eyes, "you drive me crazy."

You drove, silence driving you nuts as you focused on the road. You were driving with your usual speed, maybe even faster, yet he wasn't complaining. You just wanted to get to his flat as fast as you can.

The moment he opened the door, you pushed him inside, locking the door behind you. You pulled him flush against you, crashing your lips to his. You pushed him against the wall as he opened his lips, letting you in. He moaned against your mouth, feeling your left hand pull his soft hair. Your right hand went up his body.

You pulled away, stripping off his shirt and his pants in no time, feeling so impatient. He hoarsely whispered your name, feeling overwhelmed by your roughness. You kissed him once more, pushing in your tongue, giving him a wet and sloppy kiss. He led you to his room, never pulling away from the liplocking as he clutched onto your body.

You pushed him down the bed, immediately joining him. You showered his neck with kisses, sucking and licking his skin all over. Your head spun at the sight of his skin turning red, pleased by your work. You went down, your tongue licking his sensitive nipple as his hands gripped the sheets, letting out soft mewls and whispers of your name.

You spread his legs, biting your lip as you lowered your head to the level of his crotch. You palmed his clothed cock, enjoying how it felt. You felt dizzy by the way he hissed, starting to pull your hair, "please..."

You pulled his boxers off, feeling him grip your hair. You gaped at his girth, his thick member standing tall. The tip of his cock was in a shade of angry red, the veins along his length were throbbing, you bit your lip, looking at his soft eyes, "damn, Baek. You didn't tell me you're this big." You chuckled, "how did I get so lucky?" You whispered, kissing his tip.

He moaned, propping his head up to see you run your hand through his shaft. He bit his lip at the sight and feeling of you using your thumb to spread his leaking pre-cum. You brought your lips to his tip, poking out your tongue to lick him, "you taste so good, Baek. Fucking hell."

You wrapped your lips around him, reaching out to massage his balls. You felt lightheaded when you felt him shake above you, letting out a scream. You bobbed your head up and down, sucking his dick like a lollipop and letting his tip reach your throat. You hollowed your cheeks, pulling away to give his dick a long lick from his slit to his balls.

You kissed him there, giving his balls attention with your tongue, your hand pumping his dick and giving it light squeezes. Baekhyun gripped your hair tighter, letting out so much moans and screams, his throat started to hurt. A tear slipped from his eye as he look at you ravage him. It looked twisted, how you brought your lips back around his dick, letting him push your head down to go even deeper, letting him buck his hips up, not giving you any chance to breathe. It was twisted but he loved it. He loved how you let him wreck you. He loved how you make him feel.

He tastes so good, you thought. Letting him do whatever he wants with your mouth. The wanton sounds coming out of his mouth drive you fucking insane, you wanted to swallow him whole. His legs were shaking as he pushed your head down his dick, crying and screaming your name, you were sure his neighbors know who you are at this point.

You knew he was close by the way he's going even rougher with you when you pulled away, smirking at the sight of his frustrated red face. You felt your head go in a frenzy at the sight of him looking all messy, tears stained his pretty face. Your angel looking like this by just sucking him off. You groaned, "turn around. Head down, ass up."

He immediately shifted to get to the position you asked him to. Your eyes rolled back at the sight, you gave his left cheek a squeeze, "so pretty."

You bit your lip as you looked at his clenching pink hole. You wished you had a dick so you could fuck him senseless. Your arousal grew at the thought, bringing your finger up to circle around his rim, "remind me to buy a strap, hmm?"

He whined your name, pushing his ass back. You poked out your tongue to lick his crack, smiling at the sound he made. You kissed his hole, pushing your tongue inside as much as you can. You ate his ass out as if your life depended on it as your hand continued on pumping his shaft.

You savored the taste of him, you can do this all day. His smell drove you crazy. The fact that he was shaking and crying above you made you go even rougher. You used your saliva as a lubricant, pushing your finger inside his hole. "Oh, my god. Oh, my... Raven..." his body shook as he arched his back, "shit, shit, shit..." his high-pitched moans had your head spinning.

"Are you cumming, baby?" You teased, pushing in another finger, stretching him out as you pumped the both of them inside. You felt him writhe above you, moaning and groaning so loud making you laugh in a twisted way, "are you?"

"Yes!" he screamed, pushing his ass back to meet your thrusts. He pushed his head further into the pillow as he muffled a scream, releasing ropes and ropes of cum onto the sheets, making a mess. He panted, his spent body falling down the bed.

You flipped him over, smiling at the sight of his eyes closed and mouth slightly open, letting out harsh pants. You kissed his limp dick, your finger scooping his cum. You brought it your mouth, tasting him. You hummed, "so sweet."

He opened his eyes in a daze, "aren't you going to have a release as well?" He asked, innocence radiating off him as if he didn't mess you up just now.

You lifted your finger, bringing it inside his mouth. He welcomed it and sucked, his tired eyes staring back at you, "so thoughtful..." you added another, enjoying the way his tongue licked your fingers clean, tasting himself "next time."

He nodded, feeling you kiss his lips as he drifted to sleep.

Junmyeon held you by your waist as you walked through the crowd. You spotted your target sitting not too far from where you are, "there he is."

You listened to what the speaker has been talking about until you felt Junmyeon nudging you, your eyes immediately followed the movement of Mr. Kyo. He stood up, excusing himself to the people around the table. He received the text.

You let him walk for a moment before standing up yourselves, following him. He walked alone through the hallway, Junmyeon caught up, pulling him inside a room as you followed, nodding at your men who waited outside the room after manipulating the security cameras.

Mr. Kyo looked at the both of you with shock, fear slowly enveloping him. "Why... what do you want?"

You smiled, "Mr. Kyo." You circle around him, "why don't we settle this in an easier way."

Junmyeon tried to convince him about siding with you, how it would benefit his political status because you practically have South Korea wrapped around your fingers with your alliances, important people who decided to stay loyal to you, hoping for money by giving you protection. You folded your arms against your chest, licking your lips. Just agree, damnit.

He shook his head, "this isn't about money. You're ruining many people's lives!"

You shook your head, a frown appearing on your lips, "wrong answer." You said as you penetrated the small device on the side of his neck, you watched as it started to suck the life out of him. His body shook, trying to break free until he completely stopped, Junmyeon caught him before he falls, making his dead body sit on the chair.

You walked out of the room, letting Junmyeon talk to your father's men about how they would fix his body. You sighed, your left hand massaging your temple as you closed your eyes.

You slowly opened them when you felt a presence. Your eyes widened, feeling your soul leave your body as his eyes bore into yours, "Baekhyun."

The rain is pouring outside. The sound of its harshness loud and prominent. You are holding a warm cup of tea as you sat silently beside Baekhyun, watching the television.

He has been quiet all night when he asked you to take him home, silently asking you to enter his flat and going his way to make tea without saying anything. You gulped, you don't like this.

The man of leadership and reliability, Richard Kyo, was found dead near the Hongsang Building an hour ago. He was last seen at an event for scholars...

You watched the news, your nerves are soaring as you continued to listen. Your heart beating loudly as Baekhyun kept silent.

"Mr. Kyo, my mentor." He whispered, "he was the one who invited me in the event earlier. He was really nice. Really smart, too. He taught me a lot of things, I can say he was like a father I never had. He doesn't deserve this, don't you think?" He asked, taking a sip of his tea after.

He looks awfully calm, his tone still so delicate, so soft, it was bothering you. What is this?

He faced you, his eyes glinting with the same innocence you've grown to like, "it was you, isn't it?" He bit his lip, "you killed him."

You looked at him, not knowing how to respond. You opened your mouth, finding no words coming out. Pathetic.

You thought it was funny, what you're feeling right now. You are certainly not bothered by the fact that you murdered someone, it's not bothering you, it never did. But somehow, you wanted to be someone you never are, never will be. For what? For who? For Baekhyun? The guy you met a month ago?

You knew you were interested in him for your own pleasure. You liked soft, innocent things. To taint, to ruin, to wreck. And that is still what you want until now. You thought, maybe you just hated the fact that if he pushes you away for what you did, you would lose your little play thing.

Oh, but you knew that's not true.

"Yes, Baek. It's me." Your dark eyes flicked to his, tilting your head, a half-smile playing on your lips.

You needed to act tough, you needed to keep yourself together, and you were going to stick with that until you noticed the little detail of him sucking in his breath, flinching.

Are you afraid of me? But... I wouldn't... I wouldn't hurt you...

Your facade faltered, swallowing the lump in your throat, "I should go."

You stood up, picking up your coat. You quickly got out of his flat, wrapping your coat around your body as you took a time to pay attention to the intensity of the rain. You breathed, squeezing your eyes shut.

You walked, making your way to your car and letting yourself get soaked, a little water wouldn't hurt you, at least not anymore.

[bluboothalassophile]

hello blu! will we see more action on crime lord au? can't wait to read more of this fic ^^

Hello,

I hope you continue to enjoy the story! =)

Figuring You Out…

“You want me to do what?” Artemis sputtered as she sat acrossfrom her boss and friend.

“I don’t believe I stuttered.” Jason was very certain aboutwhat he must do, and keeping that little bird safe and alive was key to what hewanted. She wasn’t supposed to be important, not to him at least, but she was.Especially since she had revealed; in her actions really; that she had notfound him to be intimidating or terrifying in the way most people had.

“Yeah, but boss?” Artemis started.

“I don’t ask a lot of you, and you being on my protectiondetail is rather dull,” Jason pointed out.

“I…” Artemis sputtered.

“Please.”

“I don’t, why her?” Artemis asked. “I mean, she’s not, youknow.”

“I know she’s not one of us,” Jason admitted. “However, she’sa… friend,” he omitted that reluctantly. He didn’t want people apprised of hisongoings outside of the criminal underworld. Mostly because he didn’t have apersonal life. But that morning routine apparently was his personal routine,and he wanted to ensure the one good thing going on in his life was safe andleft alone. No one should ever touch her.

“Fine,” Artemis grumbled.

“Thank you,” he nodded.

“You’re still going to have to tell me why her,” Artemiswarned.

“She’s a friend,” he repeated.

“Uh-huh, sure she is, Jason; you don’t have girls who arejust friends, and especially not civilians.”

“She’s my morning routine,” he answered.

“Huh?” Artemis looked confused but he forced her to drop it.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven had decided to try her hand at soduko, and was findingit to be frustrating as she read over her page and frowned.

“Nine here, and five here,” Jason stated, which had her tiltingher head back as he entered the busy coffee shop, taking his customary spotbehind her. People always let him, and it was something she didn’t question.

“I can figure it out on my own you know,” she still filledin the numbers he said where he said.

“I know.”

“Good.”

“How are you moms?” he asked her.

“They’re great, my mom has a seminar at the university herefor her botany research, they want to get together and do touristy things,” shesmiled.

“Really?”

“I am not a native New Yorker.”

“And where do you hail from originally?”

“Isn’t that getting personal, I thought we didn’t do that?”she teased. “I’m from Boston originally, though my moms adopted me fromGermany.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “Though I’ve always been a Mets fan!”

“Oh thank God, if you were a Yankees fan we’d have to endthis,” he stated solemnly.

“And you are what?” she asked.

“Gotham Knights, all the way,” he grinned.

“Oh God, that’s pitiful, we should have pity partiestogether,” she decided. “So if you’re a Knights fan, I can assume you’re fromGotham?”

“Well, you can assume whatever you want,” he said. She frownedat him as they shuffled forward a bit. “Yes, I’m a Gothamite, born and bred,raised on the grime and hell of Gotham too,” he grinned.

“Well, that explains your dad’s health issues,” she decided.

“Nah, his is just work stress,” he promised.

“How’s your family?”

“Fine, though Dickhead’s getting on my nerves. Yours?”

“Well, I told you about my moms, and so I’ll tell you about mybrother; he’s going to the New York Giants! Left Tackle!” she announced giddily.

“No shit?” he sputtered.

“Yes! I get to see him more, and he’s getting me seasontickets, though I’m not entirely sure what the hell I’m going to do with them.”

“You take friends, go tailgating, cheer on the Giants.”

“I know that, but I can’t take any of my friends,” Ravensaid.

“Why not?”

“Kyle doesn’t know anything about football, Jess hatescrowds; which is very ironic given that we live in New York City, and no way Icould get Garth’s attention long enough to ask him to go with me,” Ravensighed. “And I’d ask you, but we’re just a morning thing.”

“Well, I’d go,” he shrugged. “Never was big on football butit’d be fun,” he offered.

“I’ll think about it,” she smiled. She rather liked Jason’scompany, and kind of had hopes of making their morning thing a biggerfriendship. “How’s everything going?”

“Fine, work’s going well, though there’s a possible merger,only if I complete the task though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged.

“What’s the task?”

“It’s impossible is what it is, but I’m looking into it,” heshrugged.

“I wish you luck with it,” she offered.

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it, it’s not going to be aneasy task,” he muttered sourly.

“Well, do you want the merger to happen?” she asked him.

“Why do you ask?”

“You look like you’ve eaten a sour lemon talking about it.”

“I don’t not want it to happen, I just kind of wish it wasn’twith that one partner of all people, he’s a bad man, little bird.”

“I see, then don’t do the task.”

“Doesn’t work that way, besides, my father’s counting on me,and I hate the idea of letting him down,” Jason admitted.

“Makes sense,” she decided.

“What makes sense?”

“Nothing, just your outlook on this task, it makes sensewith your personality.”

“What about my personality?” he sputtered.

“You’re an alpha male, over achiever, driven, protectortype, you’re obviously very loyal to your family, even if you don’t like them,and clash with others or lead them, depends on how they take to your abrasivepersonality.”

“I’m abrasive?” he demanded sharply.

“Yes, and I think people know it too, because they justmoved so you could be behind me in line, I think that happens every day too,”she said.

“Hm, well I’m not that abrasive,” he muttered.

“Sure you’re not,” Raven dismissed as they finally made itup to the counter to place their orders. She got her vanilla latte and wasshortly joined by Jason after he got his order in.

“What number goes here?” she asked him, point to the block shewas having trouble with.

“Three.”