#discharges him with a smile and tells him to lighten up. thinks as he unlocks his apartment door and stes inside. and silently starts

[narutomaki]

you ever just wanna rewrite an entire franchise?

[witchywrter]

“Home” (Part 5/?)

Paul Lahote x reader

Part 4

Summary: y/n returns from college in California to her hometown in Forks to find things are not as she left them. She soon discovers that a lot more things have changed then she initially thought.

Warnings: mentions of death, car accident, verbal fighting, cussing, i think that covers it

A/N: i am literally so sorry for not updating sooner guys lmao i’m trying to update all my fics now, especially this one bc i love it. i’ll get the next one out next week. love you all!_______________________________________________

You felt so much pain as you began to regain consciousness and could make out someone calling your name.

“Y/n?”

You turned your head to the source of the sound to see a Doctor at your side, his hand on your arm. He was very handsome. Not exactly your type, but still. He looked to be around your age, far too young to be a Doctor already.

“Hello Y/n, my name is Dr.Cullen. You’ve been in an accident”

Your head was throbbing and you felt pain radiating from your stomach and leg. You looked around to find that you were indeed in the hospital.

You looked down at his hand on your arm. It was ice cold, absolutely freezing. He must have noticed you looking because he removed his hand.

“How long have I been here?” you asked, looking back to the Doctor.

“About a day and a half. Do you remember anything?” he asked kindly.

“There was a man in the road, he came out of nowhere. I swerved to try to avoid him” you said trying to remember.

“Your car flipped four times and caught fire. A piece of glass punctured your abdomen and another your left thigh, narrowly missing your femoral artery. We were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize your condition. You’re lucky to be alive, if your friend hadn’t been there to pull you out when he did, you could have died” he finished, shaking his head.

“My friend?” you asked.

“He’s from the reservation, one of Jacob Black’s friends I believe” he said.

Well that didn’t exactly narrow it done much. Your car was totaled most likely. You’re dad’s car, the one thing you had left of him.

“You’ll be okay, but you need your rest. You can be discharged tomorrow morning and the stitches will dissolve on their own in two weeks” he said has he picked up your chart and began walking away.

“Oh, one more thing. Sherif Swan called me, if you still want that internship, send over your resume and you can start after your two weeks” he said with a slight smile on his lips.

“Thank you Dr.Cullen” you called out as he left to check on other patients.

You looked over to your side to see an array of gifts on the beside table and chair. There seemed to be something from everyone. Flowers with cards from Leah, Sam, Emily and even Charlie and his daughter Bella and a big card from Quill, Embry, Collin, and Brady with all their own little messages and signatures.

The huge, brown bear sat on the chair with a red ribbon around its neck didn’t seem to have a card accompanying it.

You grabbed your phone from the side table and unlocked it. There were a few messages from friends and one from your mom. You opened up your mom’s message and read:

“Why did I have to find out from the Sherif that my daughters been in a car accident. You know what it was like for me when your father passed and the fact that you’d put me through that again is appalling”

This was followed by multiple messages about how horrible of a daughter you were and how you have no excuse for ignoring her text messages.

She had no right to bring up your dad like that. As if you got into an accident to hurt her, as if you were unconscious and not responding on purpose.

Your dad was driving home one night after a long night at the hospital when he was hit by a drunk driver. He was pronounced dead at the scene. You never got to say goodbye. Never got to tell him you loved him one last time.

You turned your phone off and set it on the side table and laid back down. Although you were out for a day and a half, you felt utterly exhausted, mentally and physically. You pulled your blankets back up and closed your eyes, hoping for a full nights rest.

You woke up to the curtains flying back, sunlight flooding the room. Your eyes stung as you were blinded.

“Wake up loser, it’s time for a jail break” Leah said in a very cheerful voice.

“No Leah, I’m not dead and feel amazing” you say in a sarcastic voice.

“That’s exactly what i wanted to hear. Seriously though, are you okay? You scared the shit out of everyone” she said, her voice taking on a concerned tone.

“Yeah, just beat up. Should be at healed up in two weeks” you say, sitting up.

“Here, I brought these from Emily’s house” she said, tossing a long sleeve, pants, socks, undergarments and shoes onto the bed.

After you changed and signed the discharge papers, you and Leah headed back to Emily’s place.

“What a bitch,” Leah said with disgust as she climbed the steps.

“I know, I still can’t believe I’m related to her” you say shaking your head.

Leah opened the front door and you hear “Surprise!” as you walk through. Everyone but Collin, Brady, Quill and Paul were there for your second homecoming.

Jake ran up to hug you, but Leah stepped in front of him.

“You wanna rip her stitches dumbass?” she said like a mother correcting her child.

“Oh shut it Leah” Jacob said, but gave you a much gentler hug than he originally intended.

“How are you?” Jake asked.

“Well I think I might fall over and die if one more person asks how I am” you say laughing. You stop as a stabbing pain shoots from your abdomen.

Sam, Emily and Seth hug you as well before you finally make it to the couch to sit down.

“What happened?” Embry asked taking a seat next to you with Leah on the other side.

“I was driving back here and I looked down at my phone for barely a second and when I looked back up there was a man in the road” you said.

“Well you know what they say about texting and driving” Seth said but the joke fell flat as no one laughed.

“What did the man look like?” Jake asked in a serious tone.

“Pale I guess, black hair, I’m not really sure. Why?” you asked, confused.

“No reason, just wondering” he said looking over to Sam who was sitting on a stool by the counter talking to Emily.

“Do you know who pulled me out?” you asked Jacob.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Dr.Cullen said one of our friends pulled me out of the car before it caught fire”

“Oh, uh, Paul did” he said.

Paul. Of all of your friends you had thought it might have been, that was the absolute last person you’d think would save you. If anything he’d probably be the one to toss you right into the flames.

“Oh” was all you said.

The front door opened and in walked Quill and Paul.

“Well I’ve gotta get back to..work” Jacob said standing up.

“Me too” said Seth as he followed Jacob to the door.

“Heal up Y/n!” Jacob yelled over his should and he and Seth left.

Quill came over and sat where Seth had just been and gave you a hug and Paul went straight to Sam without even acknowledging you.

Not like it mattered anyway.

“How are y-“ Quill started.

“Fine” you cut him off.

Through the rest of the day, people started to leave one by one as they had work, school or other things to get to. Eventually Paul said his goodbyes to Sam and Emily and began walking out the door, again without saying a word to you.

You got up as quickly as you could without hurting yourself and momentarily excused yourself from your board game that you were beating Embry in. You walked out the door just as Paul was off the steps.

“Hey!” you called to him.

Paul stopped and slowly turned back to you.

“What?” he asked rudely, not fully meeting your gaze.

Instead of responding with the same attitude, you walked down some of the steps.

“I just wanted to say thank you. Jacob told me what you did” you said gently.

“It wasn’t exactly like there was a choice in the matter” he spat.

“Could you just not be a complete asshole for once in your life? I’m trying to thank you for saving my life” you said, anger getting the best of you.

“Well it would have saved me a world of trouble had I not” he said.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” you ask, raising your voice.

“Nothing. I-I can’t do this right now, I won’t do this right now” he said, voice equal to yours now.

“No, come on Paul, let it out. Say what you need to say!”

Paul started shaking with anger and as much as you knew you should stop, your anger wouldn’t let you.

“Say. It.” you seethed.

“Paul!” you heard as the front door swung open.

You turned around to see Quill come running down and barreling into Paul, pushing him away from you. Sam came running out too.

“Get him out of here!” Sam yelled.

Quill grabbed Paul and pulled him out into the woods.

“What the hell?” you asked

“Get inside Y/n!” Sam yelled.

“You don’t tell me what to do” you said angrily

“Get. Inside. Now.” he said sternly.

You scoffed but turned on your heal and went inside and upstairs, waking right passed Emily and ignoring her as she called out to you.

Who did they think they were, telling you to get inside. Paul always had anger problems, this wasn’t anything new.

You hate him.

“Well it would have saved me a world of trouble had I not” replayed again and again in your head. You hated him for making you feel less than, for making you feel worthless.

Him saving you meant nothing. He was a dick to you your entire life and you didn’t care that Sam asked you to lighten up on him. No one bit.

As you laid down to sleep, not even bothering to take off your clothes or change, you wiped the single tear that escaped. You hated him and always would.

//////////////

You were walking through the woods to get to your favorite spot again. It was the middle of the night, but Jacob asked to meet you there. The moonlight shown through the thick trees, illuminating your path.

Everything was so green and beautiful, you missed being home.

You walked a little farther when your foot hit something, stopping you in your tracks. You looked down to see a rock jutting up from the ground. It was the same one you fell on the other day. It still had blood on it, fresh and bright and not at all dried. That wasn’t right. You fell days ago, it should be dried or the rain should have washed it off.

*Snap*

You spun around. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, that same feeling of being watched returning. You shouldn’t be out here. Emily warned you.

You scanned your surroundings, but it was too dark. What happened to the moonlight? You squinted your eyes and saw him-it.

The man from the road, eyes blood red, skin pale as snow, hair dark as the night around him. He cocked his head to the side, watching you.

Where did he come from? Had he been watching you the whole time? Was he in the woods that first day?

You could try to outrun him, you didn’t know how far into the woods you were, you didn’t even remember how you got here. You went to take a step back but he was in front of you instantly and attacked, grabbing your arm.

You jolted upright, breathing heavily. You looked around. You were in your room, at Sam and Emily’s. You were safe. You ran your fingers through your hair as you looked out the window. It was the middle of the night.

There were things that weren’t adding up. Everyone has been acting weird, telling you to avoid the woods, saying that whatever has been attacking people isn’t animal or human, the man in the road, even Paul’s behavior has been worse than normal…something wasn’t right, you could feel it in your gut.

You knew what they told you, the warnings, but with everything that happened with Paul and your mom, you didn’t care anymore. You were gonna find out what was going on, no matter what.

_______________________________________________

A/N: hey guys! i hope you enjoyed this chapter! lots of stuff happened and i swear we’re gonna get more paulxreader interactions from now on. love you all❤️❤️

@that-animebitch @fangirlanotherjust @justdidabadthing @scuzmunkie @ccosmic-illusion

@xthefuckerysquaredx @destroyed-and-damned @classyunknownlover @hglyu @blackloveangel13

@champagnesugamama @bshelley322

[imagining-supernatural]

The Surprise Illness

Part 16 of Seventy Percent

Series Summary: When you left on your trip to Vegas, you’d planned on letting loose for one last weekend before heading back to reality and getting your affairs in order so your best friend wouldn’t be left cleaning up your mess when your cancer finally ended your life. What you hadn’t counted on was waking up married to a celebrity who has a knight-in-shining-armor complex, connections with an oncologist, and amazing insurance…

Chapter Summary: Reporters ambush you outside of the hospital

Word Count: 2,258

The last thing you remembered was Sebastian noting how hot you felt and insisting the two of you call it an early night just a few hours after the almost-kiss in the elevator.

Then you were waking up in the hospital late the next morning.

“What am I doing here?” you rasped out upon spotting Sebastian dozing in a chair next to the hospital bed.

He jerked awake and exclaimed your name. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah, and in the hospital. And that clock and the sun says it’s almost noon? It was just, like, eight o’ clock at night.”

Sebastian scooted his chair closer and grabbed your hand. “You had a fever and would barely wake up around 3 this morning when I tried to get you to take some more medicine. Dr. Chowdhury says it’s most likely a bug.”

“A bug? How’d I get… I’m so careful, how’d I catch a bug?” A muscle in his jaw jumped in anger and you realized, face dropping. “The reporters. They were shoving their microphones in my face.”

“Plus your immune system is super weak because of the treatment; it didn’t take long. And it hit hard.”

“Well, fuck.” You raised your free hand to scrub at your face, surprised at how sluggish your body was. That simple movement required so much concentration. “What does this mean for my treatment? I’m supposed to be getting the shots today.”

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Chowdhury poked his head in. When he saw your open eyes, he strode in. “Good morning, Y/N.”

“Good?”

He offered a smile at your challenge. “How are you feeling today?”

“Tired. My body hurts a bit, like the flu. Um… Surprisingly no headache.”

The scratch of a pen on paper was the only sound for a second while he notated your remarks in your chart. “That’s good about the headache. No pressure in your head either?” You shook your head. “Good, very good. I was worried this virus might have irritated your tumor and caused it to swell. That doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“So, what now?” Seb asked. “Will she still get her shots today?”

Dr. Chowdhury nodded. “And I would like to keep you for a few more hours. You are hooked up to an IV that should help speed your recovery from the bug.”

“Okay.” At your quick agreement, Seb squeezed your hand. “Do you think I’ll be able to go home tonight? I’d like to continue my streak of not sleeping in a hospital bed overnight here.”

“Barring any setbacks today, yes. We will do our best to help you continue your streak until surgery.”

“You know,” you mused with humor, “I’m sure the nurses are okay to hand me something themselves.”

Sebastian shook his head as he unscrewed the water bottle cap before handing it to you. Janessa, the nurse in question, grinned and winked at you before leaving the room. “I’m not taking that chance. They’re touching other patients all day.”

“And I think they know how to not pass on germs.”

“Still not taking the chance,” he insisted with no room for argument. Slipping into the bed next to you, he threw his arm over your shoulders. “I’ve been with you all day, so I’ve only been by your germs all day. They’re around everyone’s germs all day.”

You rolled your eyes but gave in, resting your head on his shoulder. “Surprised you let me even hold this water bottle, considering Janessa touched it with her bare hand.”

“Good point.” He moved as if to take it from you. With a loud laugh, you jerked your arm away, keeping it just out of his reach. His lips were pulled into a grin as he pretended to reach further to fight you for the bottle. If he’d been serious, it wouldn’t have been a fight at all. You were still paler than normal and weak as a twig in a hurricane. But you appreciated the lack of effort on his part.

Just before pulling back and settling back into the bed, he kissed the tip of your nose, warming your body in a way the thin hospital blanket couldn’t.

A rerun of How I Met Your Mother was playing on the TV and you turned up the volume. After a few minutes, you started drifting off, completely safe in Sebastian’s arms.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. Between reruns of sitcoms, being forced to eat cafeteria food, taking catnaps, and threatening Sebastian until he let the nurse take your temperature herself, you barely noticed the passage of time.

It wasn’t until you woke up and saw Sean with your phone camera pointed at the bed that you really noticed what time it was: just after eight o’ clock in the evening.

“What are you doing with my phone?”

“You two just look so cute right now,” he replied with a wink. “Picture perfect moment. Couldn’t pass it up. I didn’t want the stress of having a picture of you two on my phone.”

“I’d trust you with one.” He handed you your phone and you unlocked the phone to get to the gallery. As soon as you pulled up the photo he took of you and Seb asleep together, you were glad that you had your phone set up to allow your camera to be accessed without your security code. It was a damn cute picture. “Psychiatrist, media specialist, and photographer. Shit, Sean you really can do it all, can’t you?”

“Add bodyguard to that list too. Sebastian texted me that you guys were leaving around eight thirty. I got here a little early and decided to come in. There were a few reporters hanging around when I pulled up. Figured I could clear the way if they swarm again and your man there could keep ahold of you.”

“Damn reporters,” you grumbled.

“You can say that again,” Seb’s scratchy voice sounded from beside you. He shifted, stretching a little as he woke up. “Hey, Sean. Time to leave already?”

“Just as soon as I sign your discharge papers,” Dr. Chowdhury announced his presence, walking into the room. Seb slipped off of the bed to allow Dr. Chowdhury to give you a quick once over. Once he determined that your throat, ears, and nose looked good and that your fever was under control, he signed the papers and a nurse came in with a wheelchair. She assured Sebastian no fewer than three times that the wheelchair was sanitized before he let you sit in it.

Sean split off to bring the car around and you ditched the wheelchair in the waiting room. It probably would have been better to let yourself be wheeled out to the car, but your vanity overpowered your decision. You weren’t too fond of the idea that pictures of you in a wheelchair could be splashed across the internet.

Surprisingly enough, you managed to get nearly all of the way to the car before the reporters started circling. Sebastian and Sean had the one-track mind to keep them away from you and get you inside the car as soon as possible. Once you were scooting across the backseat to make room for Seb, he turned his attention to the vultures.

Seeing they were about to get a quote, the crowd quieted.

“You guys attacked my wife yesterday and exposed her to germs that got her sick when she’s already going through the hell that is cancer treatment. When I requested everyone keep their distance, it wasn’t just for privacy. The next time you prioritize your big story over my wife’s life, my lawyers and I won’t be so nice.” With that, he climbed into the car and slammed the door shut on their questions.

Quick, concise, and to the point. You could tell he’d considered his words in advance. Hell, he’d probably been thinking about them all day.

He was still thinking about them five minutes into the drive. You could tell by the tense set of his shoulders. So, you decided to try and lighten the mood.

“You feel like John Mulaney right now?”

“Huh?”

“Get away from my wife!” You did you best to imitate John Mulaney’s voice during that segment. “No one talk to my wife!”

He cracked a smile and you felt victorious. “I didn’t kill my wife!”

“Ooo. Who’s that fella?” You finished off the segment, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a laugh.

“You callin’ me your fella?” He asked, leaning closer.

The sparkle in his eye drew you in. “Maybe I am.”

“Hey, so…” Sebastian wandered into the bedroom the next morning. You’d been under strict doctor’s orders to sleep in and not come to the hospital until the afternoon for your infusion. So that’s exactly what you did.

And while you were sleeping in, Seb had gone to get a workout in, since he’d missed it yesterday.

Which brought you to now: Him walking in, fresh from the shower, and you on the bed with your laptop, catching up on your finances.

“Hey, how was your run and, uh, weights?”

“How are my weights?”

“Yeah. They doing good? Feeling neglected?”

He laughed. “God, Y/N. You are so smart about so many things but you have no idea what goes on in a gym, do you?”

“Yeah I do,” you replied defensively. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for you to prove it. “Lots of sweating and, uh, grunting? Guys taking off their shirts to show off. People drinking from water bottles? Probably a lot of regret.”

With an eye roll, he flopped down on the bed next to you. “Once you’re all better, I’m making you come to the gym with me.”

“Does your gym have a spa there? Or a massage room, at least?”

“Yeah. But I’ll only let you use it after you work out.”

You scrunched your nose in distaste. “Pass.”

He closed his eyes, a content smile still on his lips. With a fond shake of your head, you went back to updating your finance plans.

A few minutes later, Sebastian sat up and pulled something out of his jacket pocket. He fiddled with whatever it was for a second before hesitantly saying, “Y/N?”

“One… second…” You finished what you were doing and set aside your laptop. There was a strange tone to his voice. It was serious, but slightly unsure. Whatever he wanted to talk about, you were sure he wanted your full attention. “Okay. What’s up?”

“I was thinking… since your name is out there and we’re not a secret anymore…”

“Seb, it’s me. You don’t have to beat around the bush.”

“I was wondering how you felt about wearing the ring.”

Well. That was not where you’d expected this conversation to go. “The ring.”

He plucked the diamond engagement ring from his hand and held it between his fingers. “The ring. I also, uh, I guess I should have talked to you about this before… but I swung by a jeweler this morning and picked out wedding bands too. For both of us.”

For the longest while, you didn’t know what to say.

It wasn’t like you had to pretend that you’d gotten married for love. He’d told the truth about your wedding on Seth’s show. It was on tape that you’d had a drunken wedding and stayed married for insurance purposes.

So if he had actually purchased wedding bands… a physical tie between you two… that had to mean something, right?

“I-I’m… I’m not against it, I just—why?”

“I don’t really know. Well, I know, but I also don’t, you know?”

“No. Not at all.”

He huffed a sound somewhere between a sigh and a scoff. “I guess I just thought that since I’m flying to Georgia on Sunday to start filming the show and we’ll be apart so often… I don’t know. Maybe it’s stupid.”

“It is stupid,” you assured him with a teasing smile. “It’s stupid of you to think that since we’re not going to see each other every day that we’ll forget each other. I mean, I know you won’t forget me because I’m pretty amazing and all. Thought I guess it isn’t a long shot to think that I’ll forget you. The guy who bought me oreos. The guy who I’ve slept next to for the last week. The guy who yelled at paparazzi for me. The guy who is literally saving my life. The guy wh—”

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Looking at him, nervously fumbling with the ring in his fingers, you realized this was about something more. This wasn’t just him being a good person. It wasn’t Sebastian helping someone survive cancer.

This was about Sebastian and you. You and Sebastian.

This wasn’t about a drunken Vegas wedding officiated by Elvis. This wasn’t about cheating the system to get insurance.

This was about your relationship with Sebastian.

“I get it too,” you said softly. After a moment and a deep breath, you extended your left hand and stilled his anxious fingers. His eyes darted up to yours where you hoped he saw his same hesitance, fear, and hope reflected there. “I get it, Seb.”

Without any further conversation, he gently slid the diamond ring onto your finger. Out of his pocket, he presented you with an engraved gold band and your heart was beating at a million words per minute as you slid the band onto his left hand as well.

RINGS!?! And, gah! Stupid reporters!!!

Also, I wrote this long before this whole Coronavirus and rereading it now was like GEEZ I was ahead of my time with the whole germaphobe thing...

CHAPTER 18: THE WORK CALL

[quaememinisse]

Title: At Best

Genre: Romance, Drama, Smut, Alternate Universe

Warnings: Violence

Relationship(s): Corey Taylor/OFC, OFC/OMC

Word Count: TBA

Chapters: 6/6

Summary: One fine summer, an up and coming drummer catches Corey’s eye.

Author’s note: And now I’m bored with this. Here’s the final chapter, for that one person reading. Lmfao. Corey is great, I’ve just done all the venting I needed to do using this story as an outlet.

Previous chapter: 5 (<–Click there to read)

           When Nanette awakens from a sleep she hadn't meant to fall into, it's because Lars is gently shaking her shoulder.

           "They finally discharged you," he explains. She can only recall signing something and a couple of random moments with a nurse before she had drifted off. Lars is tying her shoes before she has a chance to ask where Corey is, and telling her to come on because there's an Uber waiting for them. Nanette realizes that her phone had died while she was waiting to be discharged, and she doesn't bother to ask Lars where Corey is while they sit in the back seat of a middle-aged white guy's sedan. By the time they make it to the pharmacy where they stopped to pick up pain medications that the doctor had prescribed, Nanette steals a chance to ask Lars where Corey had disappeared to.

           "He told me he would stay," she explains, going to rub her head, and instead wincing and pulling her fingers away from the stitches she'd forgotten where there. What she'd gotten in the ED is finally starting to wear off. Lars looks at Nanette sadly and shakes his head, the same way he did when she went to his house for the first time, crying to him about how Nolan cheated on her. It's a pitied look, one that says everything to Nanette without her having to ask further questions.

           "I was really pissed when I saw you with blood on your fucking face," Lars admits as she hands her debit card to the cashier. Nanette sighs.

           "It was all a misunderstanding."

Lars looks at her like he thinks she's insane, "It's no misunderstanding when you smash a woman's head into your glass coffee table," Lars admits, holding the door of Walgreens open for her as they step back out to the sedan where the driver is patiently waiting in the comfort of air conditioning. They're silent again in the back seat, but Nanette notices Lars swipe left to ignore an incoming call. He's then furiously texting the rest of the ride back to his place, and without having to ask, she just knows that it's most likely Corey he's texting. She walks towards Lars's front door, arms crossed, the small plastic bag containing her prescription painkiller dangling on her wrist. The grass blurs as her eyes water, and crying is making her head hurt worse.

           By the time Lars turns around and sees her standing there crying, he tries to convince her to take it easy.

           "I just need to talk to Corey," she explains, "And I need to charge my phone, so can I use yours?" In the midst of everything, she has no idea where her own charger is.

           "Of course, Nan. Corey just went to…uhm—"

           "I know exactly where he went, Lars. I'm not fucking stupid. And you let him take your car, too?" she asks, realizing just how dumb and impulsive it was of Corey to do such a thing. She hadn't thought before about the fact that he could get himself hurt; Nolan isn't exactly The Rock, but he's tall. And wishing she hadn't slept with Nolan is at the forefront of her conscience as well; she was just supposed to get her shit and leave. She walks inside and Lars hands her his phone after unlocking it, taking hers to plug it into his charger. She doesn't waste time dialing for Corey, but by the time the phone rings for the third time, she hears Lars's car pulling up in front of the house. She rushes back out the door to see what's going on. Immediately, she can see that there are things in the back seat. Her things.

           She nearly trips making her way to the car as Corey steps out and walks around to the trunk. He pops the hood, opening it and finally catching sight of Nanette hurrying towards him. His bottom lip is split and there's a bruise forming at his left temple.

           "I'm sorry I left," he says as soon as she's close enough to hear his voice, his arms naturally falling around her middle, "I know I said I wouldn't..." She just starts crying anew when she takes in the bruises and scratches on him up close.

           "I'm fine, baby."

           "You shouldn't have—"

           "Yes, I needed to. He fucking made you bleed," Corey interrupts, his jaw clenching as he grits his teeth far in the back of his mouth. He closes his eyes a few seconds, taking a deep breath, something he sometimes pauses to do when he's about to get really angry. Nanette quietly decreases the distance between them some more. She observes Corey's face, touching his cheeks gently, and at this distance, she can see what looks like bruising around his thick neck. She doesn't need to ask what happened, and only wishes she knew what level of damage Corey did to Nolan. Corey looks down at her, anger still present.

           "I couldn't let him just…fuckin' get away with that," he admits.

           "Corey," she exhales, dusting her fingers over his bruised knuckles where his hand had gravitated to clutch the trunk's hood. And she spots the bat in there, a hairline crack in the wood. She picks it up, her eyes having widened.

           "I was just scaring him—I didn't do anything crazy—but if I had, I can't imagine how you wouldn't understand why," Corey explains, taking the bat from her and shoving it under the things he had put in the trunk.

           "C-Corey, what if he presses charges on you—?"

           "On me?! You should be pressing charges on his fuckin' ass, Nan. Have you seen your face yet?" he asks, looking so furious that Nanette takes a step away from him. He visibly dials it back about five notches, realizing he must have scared her, showing up with all these bruises and dried blood on his knuckles. Nanette steps out of the one arm that's still holding onto her. Corey's eyes sharpen, as if he's staring into her soul.

           "I'm not sorry either, Nan. Do you have any idea what just happened to you? If someone ever tries to hurt my son like that…" And his chest heaves as he takes another deep breath, shaking his hands out. Nanette turns around to find that Lars is nowhere in sight, and she knows that Corey must have already texted him everything that transpired between him and Nolan while she was in the ER.

           "Please, don't tell me you feel bad for him? He hurt you, Nan," Corey explains, his expression softening greatly. She contemplates telling Corey that instead of being strong enough to get her belongings and go, she slept with Nolan.

           "Look—I didn't kill the man. We just beat the shit out of each other for a bit, and then I convinced him to stay the fuck away from you, or I'd do it again. I got your things, and now you don't have to go back there, ever," Corey explains. She has sat on the curb by now, covering her eyes.

           "Nan—what's—?"

           "I had sex with him," she blurts, unable to hold it in any longer, "It meant nothing—and I didn't plan on it—I was just going to get my things and—"

           "I know," Corey interrupts, and she can feel his hands massaging her hips where he has knelt on the asphalt in front of her. Corey pries her hands away from her eyes, forcing her to look at him.

           "He told me. Tried to brag about it, just to piss me off."

           "I'm so sorry," Nanette explains desperately, "It just happened. I fucked up. And when I tried to leave…" Corey's rage wells up once more, but somehow, Nanette knows that this rage isn't directed at her.

           "I don't love him. I swear. I just—" Corey pulling her into his arms cuts her off and they sit there for moments that feel like hours.

           "I didn't want you to get hurt," she explains, "Now everyone is hurt. I should have waited for you to get here. I shouldn't have gone by myself—"

           "Nan, stop. It's…it's alright now," Corey explains, pulling away to meet her eyes.

           "I hope that you know I love you, Corey, and it didn't mean anything," Nanette promises. Corey nods, and his eyes water, but tears never fall out. He fixates on the stitches on her forehead. She feels that she deserves them now, after fucking Nolan.

           "We can be together now, Nanette. That's all that matters to me," Corey reassures her, pressuring his fingers into her lower back in comforting circles. He kisses her, and her hand rests on the hot curb, burning her, and she just lets it sear.

           "I should have waited until you got here," she says again, shaking her head.

           "Well, he's just a shitty guy, and he cajoled you, and then he got violent. Just know that he's not gonna touch you again." Corey stands, helping Nanette up.

           "Okay?" he adds, holding her hands firmly. She nods, smiling the weakest smile she's ever given him. She can't help but feel guilty on the inside. Everything with Nolan, up until he threw her into a coffee table, had felt natural…or not so much natural, just that she was used to it. She didn't envision herself sleeping with him when she went to get her things from his place. But as Corey starts to unload the trunk, she realizes how much he's nothing like Nolan; he wasn't going to hold her slip up against her. He was just angry that Nolan had hurt her, emotionally and physically. Corey seemed to believe that she felt remorse for going over there alone, and after a few seconds of standing there watching him pull her belongings out of Lars's car, the emotional pain eventually lightens.

           "I just think we should crash here for a night or two," Corey explains, "Let you rest before we head to my place in LA. I know Lars won't mind." His icy eyes never stop fixating on her stitches, at which she just feels saddened for his displeasure. Corey had made it clear just how he feels about her; there are no gaps that she worries about filling, and she starts to pull one suitcase out of the car and roll it up towards Lars's house. She can't stand allowing Corey to touch her much further before showering; she excuses herself from Corey and Lars who have started cooking in the kitchen to go and shower.

           The guestroom she's staying in is littered with trash bags of her clean clothes; she has been washing them since coming back from tour. All she wants is to replace any of Nolan's essence with Corey's. And when she finishes showering, the whole bathroom just smells like her favorite body wash, mingled with something Corey and Lars are cooking downstairs. Nanette changes into PJs and sits atop the bed she had made earlier, staring at the suitcase Corey wouldn't let her lug up the stairs; when she tried to, parts of her body ached from crashing against Nolan's glass coffee table. There's a knock at the door and she takes a deep breath before telling whoever it is to come in. Corey pokes his head through, spotting her.

           "We made barbecue chicken," Corey explains with a satisfied grin on his face. The bruise at his temple is no longer the only thing Nanette can focus on. She's just glad he's smiling now.

           "Well—actually I really made barbecue chicken. Lars just threw some peppers and veggies on the side, but I made you a really nice salad," Corey adds. Nanette laughs. Corey walks into the room just as she's standing up, and swiftly wraps her in his arms tightly, and she winces, causing his eyes to widen and grip to loosen.

           "I'm sorry. Are you okay, baby?" he asks genuinely.

           "Yeah, just exhausted. I haven't even eaten today," she explains. Corey drags a hand down her back, kissing her.

           "Then let's eat." She takes his hand and follows him into the kitchen. They all complain about the bullshit that's going on with Trump on the news while stuffing their faces. Soon enough, Nanette can't keep her eyes open, and she excuses herself to the guestroom. Not long after she has brushed her teeth and laid down in the lamp-lit space, Corey joins her.

           "Why do you keep running away?" he half jokes, sliding into bed beside her. As she turns to face him and rest her head in the bend of his arm, she grins.

           "I'm not running anywhere," she explains, "It's just been a crazy day."

           "You can say that again," Corey admits, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. She gently lifts her head to kiss his lip where it's cut. Corey's eyes are smiling when he looks down at her again. His hand keeps passing up and down her hip, but then he focuses on the stitches on her head again, sighing.

           "I'm sorry I wasn't here," he says, "I wish you had waited for me." He speaks quietly, though the door is closed and they both know that Lars is already asleep downstairs.

           "None of this was your fault—"

           "But it is. You know I empowered you to confront him just to get your shit back. I shouldn't have done that," Corey explains with guilt, "Had I known this was gonna happen, I would have—"

           "It wasn't your fault. I went and tried to do what needed to be done. Neither of us could have predicted his behavior." Nanette grips Corey's forearm, shaking her head.

           "…You're right. You're right, Nan. But…I have to get this off my chest now, or it's going to keep me awake. I need you to understand…that if he ever touches you again, I know I'm gonna kill him." Nanette stares into Corey's eyes for silent seconds. She gravitates closer to him, placing her hand comfortingly on his neck.

           "I'm never going to see him again. I promise," she whispers. The moment is sealed with a kiss. Corey nods.

           "I was gonna tell you that I want you to meet my son," he explains, sitting up on his elbow and continuing to rub Nanette's side.

           "...Really?" she asks, unable to believe him for some reason.

           "Yeah, really, baby," Corey laughs, "I plan on you being a constant in my life, Nan. And I need you, and love you. I want my kid to love you, too."

Heaviness pulls at something in Nanette's core, a pleasant pull. She presses her lips repeatedly against Corey's neck, until he maneuvers her on top of him and they're making out. He moans sorely here and there, causing Nanette to pause and gaze down at his grimace, eyes pinched, lips still smiling, nonetheless.

           "I'm okay," he promises, "Give me everything." Nanette giggles.

           "You're not. You’re banged up worse than I am. Let's just sleep."

Corey sighs with longing as she slides off of him, and he turns to face her, staring with need. She smiles shyly.

           "You do not know what you do to me." He whispers. She shushes him, allowing one more kiss before outing the light and snuggling into his chest.