#extra unnamed characters

[gaycragula]

Hello there

Please could i request a child male reader (around 9-12, maybe younger idk you can choose) x 141. Platonic obv. Reader is being held hostage for reasons and they have to go on a rescue mission. When reader is saved he’s scared of them all except ghost who he just clings onto LMAO

cheers mate 🙏

Lost and Found

Pairing: 141 x Child Male Reader (Platonic!!!!) Warning(s): Heavy implication of parent death, politician family, child reader, locked in a basement, he gets fed i promise, i have no idea how the military works, angst? Word Count: 2069 Masterlist

The walls were an ugly, cracks running along them, and you’re sure there was mold growing in one of the corners. The only light in the room was a small lightbulb in the center of the room that was rarely left on. The only door leading out of the room was locked from the outside. You’re not sure you exactly wanted to leave the room. Not with the heavy thumps of feet that stomped through the first floor of the home.

It was a nice summer day when it happened. You’d just finished a nice dinner with your parents when the sirens began to blare. The sound cut your ears and you covered your ears, trying to block out the noise. You were whisked out of your chair by your dad before  you could get up yourself.

Hushed words were shared between your parents as they rushed through the home to the basement. Your father’s grip was tight on you as he toted you down the stairs, your mother right on his heels. 

Dad set you down in a corner, trying to keep you out of direct sight of the stairs. He pressed a loving kiss to your forehead, your mother doing the same. 

“Be good and stay here,” your mom whispers, giving you a pained smile. Her lip quivered as she pressed another kiss to your forehead. “Mom and Dad love you. We always will.”

. Then, they left you, footsteps receding back up the stairs into the home. You heard the door shut and a silent darkness covered you. The silence only lasted for a moment. 

Something crashed upstairs and loud bangs made you cover your ears again. You curled further into the corner, trying to make yourself as small as possible. More crashing and something heavy hitting the ground sounded before it fell silent again. It was over… right?

The basement door slammed open and you gave a full body flinch. A flurry of steps rocketed down the stairs. Way too many to be just your parents. 

Five or six men came into your sightline. Each of them looked like they were armed to the teeth and it sent a jolt of fear through you. These men just ran through your house. Where your parents were. Where were your parents? 

They scoured the basement, flashlights leading their guns as they searched. For what? You weren’t quite sure but you hoped they would just look over you. The fear surging through your body was almost unbearable. It was hard to breathe, each breath fighting to force its way out silently. You tried to stay hidden for as long as possible but their flashlights soon exposed you.

They said something you couldn’t understand before moving on and returning upstairs when they finished. You heard the faint click of the lock to the basement and you were left in the basement by yourself again. You tried to fight the tears that began falling down your cheeks as you curled in on yourself. It wasn’t a very long fight and your face soon became wet with your tears. It hit you then that you’d probably never see your parents again.

It had been a week since it had happened. The men would leave food for you at the top of the stairs. You spent the majority of your days sitting under the light in the room, playing whatever you could find. Trying to distract your mind. You were suddenly happy your parents kept a chunk of toys down in the basement for storage.

Totes of toy cars that you pretended to race with, some toy dinosaurs you’d gotten years ago, left forgotten in the basement until now. There were planks of wood you’d dragged over that you drew on with some chalk your parents kept down there. The chalk worked well on the walls as well.

Drawings littered the small walls of the basement. Cars and dinosaurs littered the floor. Your house.. Your home, your family. Where did it all go?

You’ve tried to talk to the men on multiple occasions but they only either looked at you with disdain or spoke in a language you couldn’t understand. 

On the eighth day of the occupation, you heard those loud bangs and the shouts of men again. You started crying again, you didn’t even have a chance to try to stop it as you scrambled  back into a corner in the room again, hopefully out of sight. Out of mind.

It felt like ages before the house fell silent again. You heard the doorknob wiggle, muffled voices coming from the otherside. Light filtered into the basement as the door creaked open. “After you, Sergeant,” a gruff voice huffs, a hint of teasing to the tone.

A short laugh followed the words before steps were coming down the stairs again, flashlights dancing over the walls as they descended. “Ohhhh hell, look at this, LT,” a second voice whispers, a light lingering on the drawings on the wall. Silence fell again as the sound of more boots started down the stairs, flashlights whipping around the room before one fell on your form. 

—-----------------------

Clearing the home was easy. The bastards inside weren’t expecting an attack for a while. A home far outside any city line would surely work as a temporary base, right?

They thought so at least. So when the Scotsman barged through the door followed by six others, the occupants weren’t prepared. The firefight was short. The men inside scrambling to get to their weapons as fast as possible. 

It was Roach who’d noticed the door to the basement, calling over the rest of the team. “What d’ya thinks down there?” Soap chuckles as Ghost takes a hand at picking the lock. “More guys? Prisoners they been keepin’?”

“If I had to take a guess, probably prisoners. Family who lived here was big in the political field here. Probably kept them as hostages for ransom,” Price says, gesturing for two of the guys to stand guard at the front and back doors. 

The door clicked open and slowly swung open with a nasty creak. “After you, Sergeant,” Ghost huffs, nudging the Scotsman forward. Soap let out a short laugh before starting into the dimly lit basement. Ghost close behind him. Soap’s flashlight scanned the floors and walls. He noticed dinosaurs and cars littering the floor around the bottom of the stairs. He initially thought nothing of it. They knew a young kid lived here. 

He was almost to the bottom as his light scanned over a big drawing of a home and a family of three drawn in chalk. 

He felt his heart drop at the image. Soap was no master in chalk or anything, but the drawing looked pretty new. “Ohhh hell, look at this LT,” he says, nudging the other. Ghost went rigid for a second before gesturing back up the stairs for the other three to come down quickly. 

Flashlights scoured the basement, Soap wandering towards the darkest part of the basement. His light danced over the stone floor before the body of a little boy was illuminated.

“Over here,” Soap calls out, almost missing the way the kid jerked in response to his words. Soap handed Price his gun before crouching down next to the boy. Your eyes were locked onto him, tear stains evident on your cheeks and fear clouding your eyes. “We’re here to help ya,” Soap says, trying to offer his hand to you.

“Back off the kid, Soap,” Ghost mutters. “He’s scared shitless.”

Soap let out a quiet, barely audible sigh as he stood back up and stepped back to join the rest of his team. 

Your eyes shot from man to man. Your breath was heavy in your chest and you could hear yourself wheezing because of it. “Where are my parents?” You almost sobbed. Your voice was hoarse, throat tight as you waited for an answer.

The men felt their hearts drop at the pure pain in your voice. This kid, no older than 11 or 12 had his life turned upside down in a matter of fifteen minutes just a week ago. 

It was Ghost who made the first, well technically second, advance towards you, much to the surprise of the rest of the team. Just as surprising was the way you sat up to be face to face with him as he crouched down. 

He pulled a small picture out of pocket and handed it to you. It was a picture of your parents and yourself that you’d never seen before. “I don’t know where your parents are, but I do know that if you remain here, you’ll never find them,” Ghost spoke lowly. Just loud enough for you to hear. 

You nodded in understanding, shoving the picture in your pocket as Ghost stood up. He went to turn back to the team but paused when your hand grabbed his. You avoided his gaze when he looked back at you but didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he picked you up and maneuvered you onto his back. 

“Thank you,” you mumble, laying your head down on his back.

Ghost turned towards his team who were all gawking at the scene before them. “Get goin’ and quit starin’ at me like that,” he huffs, nodding towards the stairs before turning to speak to Roach, Gaz, and Soap. “Get the kid some clothes and we’re gettin’ out of here.”

“Aye, L.T,” Soap almost stutters, pushing Roach and Gaz towards the stairs. Price chuckled to himself before heading up the stairs after the three, rounding up the other two that he’d stationed up there. 

“What’s your name?” Ghost hears you ask quietly.

“They call me Ghost,” the man answers as he heads up the stairs. He felt you nod against his back and you fell silent for a moment. “What’s your name?”

You tell him your name, which he already knew but he wasn’t going to tell you that. That started a short and quiet conversation between the two of you. You asked how long he’d been in the military, where he was from, what his family was like and Ghost answered you and asked you the same questions in return. 

It was a stark contrast to what the 141 was used to. Ghost was generally quiet on these kinds of missions. “It’s gotta be the kid,” Gaz whispers to Soap who nods in agreement. 

“Yeah but what about this kid is different from others we’ve found?” Soap whispers back, rubbing his jaw as he watched you and Ghost interact. Gaz shrugged in response before Roach chimed in.

“Maybe he reminds him of a family member? Younger brother or nephew?” Roach suggests and it was like a lightbulb went off in the other two’s heads.

“That’s gotta be it,” Soap nods. “Does anyone know anythin’ ‘bout his family?” 

Gaz and Roach shake their heads and Soap sighs. He opened his mouth to say something else, stopping when he saw Ghost shoot a look over his shoulder at him.

“Quit chattin’. Be on guard. We’re still in hostile territory,” Price mutters, ignoring the noise of complaint the three made before begrudgingly doing what they were told.

It was your first time on an aircraft. You were glued to Ghost’s side, eyes locked on the floor in front of you. Soap had tried to get your attention a couple times to no avail. If you did make eye contact with him, you were quick to look away as quick as possible. 

The others didn’t have much luck either. Roach had tried to speak to you while Ghost was carrying you and all you’d done was bury your face into the fabric of Ghost’s shirt. 

Price had been the most outward about it, asking to actually carry you so give Ghost a break. That was the only time you’d spoken to anyone besides Ghost. “No,” was all that came from your mouth as you shook your head. Ghost had chuckled and told Price he was good to carry you the whole way.

Ghost had given you his hand to basically ‘play’ with. You braided his fingers, bending them and whatever else you could do to keep your mind calm. The rest of the team couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces at the sight.

Who would’ve guessed. The big bad Ghost had actually a big softie.

[transingthoseformers]

We can get weird about human characters inspecting the undercarriage of cybertronian characters

[nofacednerd]

a-train, next time he sees hughie: hey how's your dad btw hughie: how about we stop talking for a while

[coolmika745]

The Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish - Fairy Extras

[moonchildreads]

small town extras [8]

masterlist | main playlist

Hello, dearest Small Town reader! Did you read Chapter 26 - The Heart of Rock & Roll and were curious about Corroded Coffin's setlist? Are you a metal newbie looking to expand your musical knowledge? Do you just like listening to loud ass music while you take a shower? If you answered to any of these questions with a yes, then this playlist is just for you!

I present to you Corroded Coffin's Kickass Setlist, now with 6,67% more Anthrax because Gareth deserved a bit of a treat after losing the love of his life. Enjoy! ↴

(if you saw this post before, no you didn't) i fucked up the formatting shut up

taglist: @munsonology @kurdtbean @eg-dr3amer3 @oneforthemunny @munsons-queen

@cinemabean

[steevejr]

charlie 2023 writing wrapped:

you created [5] more "normal" girls

you created [3] gay men

you created only [1] completely normal guy

you named [26] horses

your cast of margoverse characters rose to [65] and the wordcount to [326k]. yikes!

you made margo [35%] worse and [100%] nastier

you added [100%] more homoeroticism!

you wrote in [6] scenes of erotic violence

you wrote in [2] implied sex scenes

you made the lesbians [57%] meaner and [-25%] hotter

you earned [+1] diversity point by writing in [1] straight woman and lost [-10] diversity points by making the lesbians divorce

you [doubled] the amount of cigarette smokers! cool!

you wrote [1] good joke. that's a [100%] increase from last year, when you wrote [0] good jokes!

you increased transgenderism by [200%]. oops!

in all seriousness i wrote a lot this year!

i wrote all 32k of Jamal: the Movie in just november alone without really striving for that! and jan-march i started eniki's story all from scratch and wrote 25k words in a new world with a new cast :3 (CANT BELIEVE THAT WAS THIS YEAR)

and i polished up margo ch. 1-10 to a point that it can be shared with normal people! and i can't even track how much margo writing i do anymore. i think i wrote some part 3 this year? but i also did SO much editing and polishing on margo and co. so so much. so many threads pulled tight especially in pt 1 (which i havent touched since i wrote it in like 2021).

I think this has been one of my most productive years. aside from the one summer where I wrote like all of margo part 3 and 4 draft but I think that was still less than eniki+Jamal combined.

fave character created was vendrea. tied with jamal i suppose. second runner up is lamb from eniki's world. most intriguing character is kil. most fun ive had writing was jamal getting punched in that one scene.

most validating thing i was told this year is my adult friend read margo and eniki and said they could tell i wrote both because despite being different vibes they had a distinct writing style. (me??? style????? writing?????? whoag). and emily when they said my narrators are always very introspective and interesting to read (THATS EXACTLY THE GOAL!!!)

cant wait to see what i do next year :3

the story tally for posterity:

margo's bad week/jamal:the movie (326k)

margo 2: the week gets worse (10k lol)

12:04/eniki's story (25k)

neolithic werewolves (still unfinished lol)

middle school vampire rewrite

[gaasuba]

Been thinking about this unnamed character a lot

This is my third draft of him and the body is too much to deal with rn

[microcosmtoxin]

TATER!

[tossawary]

Admittedly, I don't tend to read much fanfic in fandoms I write for, because I don't want to get my canon and fanon mixed, so my selection is limited, but I've never seen anyone mention the fact that Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu (Shen Jiu) had a big sister.

One of the children in their "group", presumably numbered between "1" and "6", was a girl, and when he remembers her, Shen Jiu directly associates this lost person with safety and comfort. He thinks of her as the equivalent to Qiu Haitang before Qiu Haitang: someone who provided a place to "hide" from the rest of the world. It's not just that there happened to be an older girl in their group, but this was a girl whom Shen Jiu apparently liked and trusted.

Here's the relevant quote from Part 4 of the Qijiu Extras in SVSSS Volume 4 (the one where Yue Qingyuan finds Shen Qingqiu fighting with Liu Qingge in the brothel):

"All those years, whenever one of his beatings from Qiu Jianluo was over, or whenever he had a premonition of another beating, he had crawled to Qiu Haitang’s room and remained there, quivering. As Qiu Jianluo was unwilling to let his sister see the side of him that was perverse and lunatic, that had been the only place where Shen Jiu could hide.

And even longer ago, there had been some girl in their group, their big sis. But after she reached a certain age, that big sis had been sold to a withered old man to be his second wife. Afterward, they’d left that city, so they’d never seen her again.

Liking women wasn’t the least bit shameful, but treating women like saviors, cowering within their embrace and seeking courage from them… even without anyone saying it, Shen Qingqiu knew that was horrendously shameful. So even if it meant his death, he would never tell anyone, least of all Yue Qingyuan."

So, on the very short list of people that the original Shen Qingqiu actually liked even a little bit, there's: 1) Yue Qi before he became Yue Qingyuan, 2) Qiu Haitang, 3) Ning Yingying, 4) "the tender young lady carrying the pipa" who "had long since thrown on her thin robes and dashed out in terror" when Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu were fighting, maybe, and 5) this unnamed big sister who was sold off and never seen again.

I've seen plenty of fics and fic ideas where Shen Yuan transmigrates in as a twin to Shen Jiu or a biologically unrelated sibling to SJ and YQ by being a part of their group, but not as this barely canon big sister character. He could give both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu so, so many more Jiejie issues, I'm sure.

[sandsoftide]

the issue with Caitlyn and caitvi in arcane s2 is that acts 2 and 3 in particular treat fascism as a personal dispute. The background zaunites quite literally cease to exist. They either get swept up into the convenient little hive mind or just sort of… become extras with blue hair. By act 3 there is literally NO DIFFERENCE between a piltie and a zaunite, you might not even KNOW the distinction exists if you only watch only the last 3 episodes. And this is probably bc of the centrist “we’re all the same let’s just get along” message they tried to preach which you can’t even pretend is true when the previous 12 episodes of your show were spent setting up a complex political narrative about how systemic oppression and classism are pervasive and deliberately upheld.

It’s easy to say Caitlyn’s redemption was rushed (or even nonexistent). But the truth is that the writers really did write in an arc! They just didn’t understand what she did wrong. Unnamed background characters don’t exist. Piltover and Zaun don’t exist. What matters is that Caitlyn hurt individual major characters (league champions) so all she has to do is make it up to them!

Caitlyn hurt vi. So she redeems herself by helping vi take down ambessa! Caitlyn tried to kill jinx. So she redeems herself by advocating for her and then letting vi free her! It’s as simple as that because vi and jinx are no longer zaunites, Caitlyn is no longer from piltover! They’re just individuals with no sort of power over the other. Wrap it up nicely with a bow

and that explains the “dirt under your nails” line TOO. Because if you think about it (and nothing else) it parallels “oil and water” NICELY it lets the characters come full circle! Vi doesn’t have to view herself and Caitlyn as fundamentally separate anymore! They’re linked together! Except that’s not how it fucking works bc nothing has been solved, Caitlyn’s chemical warfare against civilians isn’t addressed, the power dynamics are ignored, because these characters are no longer products of their environment or pasts. They’re just actions taken by league champions against league champions

[baronessvonglitter]

I read so many fics over the holidays and found great new (well, new to me) authors. Starting next month I'll be doing monthly fic recs instead because whoa.. this is a lot ❤️

Please take time to read these stories, and others by these creative and beautiful people 💫 And mind the tags, as the majority of these blogs are 18+ and come with their own warnings.

dividers by @plum98 👑

Joel Miller

Borrowed Time by @aurorawritestoescape ~ Joel x f!reader

Darkest Desires by @myownwholewildworld ~ Boston QZ!Joel x f!reader.

Fade Into You by @probablyreadinsmut ~ Joel x Afab! Reader

Girl Dinner by @slimybeth69 ~ kidnapped!Joel x isolated&unhinged&potentially crazy!reader

A good grade by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ Perv Art Professor!Joel x afab!reader

Guilty Pleasure by @for-a-longlongtime ~ dbf!Joel x reader

A Hell of a Morning by @aurorawritestoescape ~ Stepdad!Joel x f!reader

It feels like hope by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ Hot Priest!Joel x f!reader

Lock the Gate by @almostfoxglove ~ Joel x f!reader

The Older One by @frannyzooey ~ Joel x f!reader

Overloaded by @katiexpunk ~ Joel and Tommy Miller X fem!Reader

Pregame Play by @joelmillerisapunk ~ Dbf!Joel x reader

Seeing Pink by @gutsby ~ Joel x Reader

Texas Red by @studioghibelli ~ Joel x reader

this one thing you did by @joelscruff ~ Joel x f!reader

Three Strikes by @maiamore ~ Joel x f!reader

Unwrapped by @sunshinehaze1 ~ Joel x f!reader (f. Marcus Acacius & Lucilla Aurelius)

The Warden by @arcanefox207 ~ GameWarden!Joel x F!Reader

you got me thinkin' nonsense by @joelmillerisapunk ~ Dbf!Joel x F!reader

Dave York

In Vino Veritas by @yxtkiwiyxt ~ dave x f!reader

The Lonely Space Between Floors by @morallyinept ~ Dave x F!Reader

One Day at a Time by @drewharrisonwriter ~ Dave x Female Reader

A Quiet Neighborhood by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ Dave x f!reader

The Road Not Taken by @guiltyasdave ~ Dave x f!reader

Under False Pretenses by @joelalorian ~ stepdad!dave x f!reader

Javier Pena

How could you love somebody like me? by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ f!reader x Javier

Lost and Found by @oliveksmoked ~ Javier x f!reader

A New Year's Distraction by @lotusbxtch ~ Javier + f!Reader

Pump by @morallyinept ~ Javier x GN!Reader

Marcus Pike

Merry Christmas, baby by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ Marcus P x f!reader

Sign Here, Please by @inept-the-magnificent ~ Marcus P X f!Reader

Dieter Bravo

A Better Man by @drewharrisonwriter ~ Dieter x reader

Din Djarin

Best Kept Secret by @lincolndjarin ~ bodyguard!din x princess!reader

Pero Tovar

Baron Tovar Takes a Wife by @604to647 ~ Bridgerton AU Regency!Pero x fem!reader

Confession by @sawymredfox ~ Pero x fem able-bodied reader

Marcus Acacius

Searching for the Stars Pt. 2 by @the-mandawhor1an ~ Marcus A x f!Reader

Frankie Morales

Extra cream and sugar by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ Frankie x f!reader

Multi/Other

Blackmail by @milla-frenchy ~ Javier Pena x fem reader x Joel Miller

Cosmic Love by @kedsandtubesocks ~ Marcus Acacius x F!Reader x Marcus Pike

Datura by @suzdin ~ Joel Miller x f!reader x Dave York

Don't say a word if this word is not "please" by @itwasntimethatdidit40 ~ General!Marcus Acacius X slave trader!Javier Peña

Fuckboy by @sizzlingcloudmentality ~ unnamed ppu character x f!reader

Paris, Texas by @almostempty ~ Joel Miller x Javier Pena x f!reader

[coolmika745]

Scenes In "Mind the Gap"

When Hazel attends Tooth Fairy's Event in Fairy World, Nmusic Phairy, Father Time, Nick of Time, Sci the Science Fairy, Jorgen, and Cupid are in the background.

[galahadwilder]

A Theory About the Doctor’s Species of Origin

So usually in NuWho, whenever anyone asks if they have a name other than “The Doctor” or “Doctor,” the Doctor replies something along the lines of “nope, just the Doctor.” However, Fifteen has broken that pattern: when Ruby asked him about that, he responded that “the species that took me in uses titles like [rattles off a bunch]. Use ‘The Doctor’ for a thousand years and that becomes your name.”

The thing about RTD’s writing is that you can sometimes tell when something has extra emphasis, like the thing about the Bees in Donna’s season. And the Doctor repeats this bit of information twice, once completely devoid of context, making absolutely certain that you understand that “Time Lords use titles.”

Who else uses titles? Specifically, who in this season is big on titles?

Well, the Pantheon.

The Toymaker. The Maestro.

Hell, in Classic Who, the Toymaker was originally supposed to be part of the Doctor’s as-yet-unnamed species before Michael Gough died and became unable to reprise the role. The Maestro even gives the Doctor another title! “The Lord Temporal.”

The Toymaker uses doors to step from one end of history to another. The Maestro uses pianos. In both cases, they’re bigger on the inside—doors to extradimensional spaces. What if it wasn’t just Regeneration the Time Lords engineered from the Timeless Child—what if it was all of their tech? What if that’s why nobody can reproduce TARDISes properly—it’s not science, it’s play?

Last bit of evidence: the Maestro is aware of the background music and the fourth wall. They open the episode by playing the Doctor Who theme, intentionally triggering the opening credits. The Doctor is the only other character so far who’s proven to be aware of the fourth wall (the Beethoven’s Fifth rant in Before the Flood, for example), to the point that he even mentions during The Devil’s Chord that he thought the background music was non-diegetic—as in, he can hear the background music. He knows he’s in a show.

The Doctor, the Lord Temporal, might very well be one of the Pantheon.

[holylulusworld]

TOL - Like a virgin (1) - Bucky Barnes

Summary: You need money. Hansen’s agency offers the right kind of trade.

Pairing: DBF!Bucky Barnes x Virgin!Reader

Characters: Lloyd Hansen, unnamed other reader (Hansen’s girl)

Warnings: money problems, sex for money, selling your virginity, blindfolding, sex with a stranger, groping, oral (fem rec), fingering, teasing, dirty talk, loss of virginity, slow sex, smut, unprotected sex, possessive Bucky, undefined age gap, dad’s best friend trope, Lloyd being Lloyd, language, mentions of past death of a loved one, fluff

A/N: This story is part of my: Traders of love (lust) masterlist

A/N2: It's also a request fill for my 16.666 followers celebration masterlist. Sorry, this took me so long. I'm working on all the requests left for this celebration.

Words: 3,9 k

“Do you know what you get yourself into if you sign this contract?” Lloyd Hansen, the devil with blue eyes asks.

“I need to money and uh…I tried anything else. I worked my ass off and even sold my car. It’s no use,” you exhale deeply to calm your racing heart. “The debts are eating me alive, and the only thing left that I could sell is my…virginity.”

He watches you squirm in your seat, amused, and aroused at the same time. “Aw, you’re a cute little cupcake. I’d love to have a taste of you myself, but I don’t shit where I eat – you know.”

Lloyd cocks a brow when you reread the standard contract he handed to you. “So, you will put me on your website and your customers will buy me?” You blink a few times to not cry. This feels so surreal and wrong. How did you stoop so low that you sold your body to a stranger?

“Kinda,” Lloyd gets up from his chair to show you his iPad. “We don’t sell you off to a random douche. I don’t want a cute muffin like you to end up under a sick bastard. All my clients are gentlemen.”

You nod slowly and try to remember every detail he tells you. “Okay.”

“You can choose ten out of my clients and, if you want to, a wild card.” Lloyd hands you the tablet. “If you choose only ten out of my clients one of them will have the honor to fuck you first.”

You fight the urge to scrunch your nose up. “What’s the wild card?” You look up from the iPad to meet Lloyd’s eyes.

“If you choose ten men and the wild card, you will get more money,” he explains. “The start offering will be one million dollars. You’ll get six hundred thousand dollars, and I’ll arrange everything for your safety.”

You gasp loudly. This amount of money would save you and allow you to live a better life. You don’t care Lloyd will have almost half of the money. He provides the hotel suite and will make sure that you’ll come home safely.

“The men will attend an online auction. They will bid on you. If you get lucky, they will pay more than one million bucks.”

“Wow!” You exclaim. Even if it’s the worst thing you’ll ever do, this arrangement will help move on from your past and pay your debts.

“Now, I’ll tell you about the wild card,” Lloyd sits next to you. “The wild card is special. You cannot choose this man, but you’ll get two hundred and fifty thousand bucks more. No matter who wins the auction. You’ll get eight hundred and fifty thousand bucks.”

“He’s not a creep, right? I don’t want my first time to be with someone hurting me or ignoring my safe word,” you wring your hands.

“The wild cards are my special clients. These men have my trust, sweetness,” Lloyd says. “The inner circle of my organization. It consists of ten men. You will find none of them in my files.”

“I could need the extra money,” you ponder. “You promise that they are not crazy or shit?”

“I’m the craziest guy in this organization,” he flashes you a smile. “And you are not scared of me, right?”

“You’re intimidating,” you shyly admit as you glance at Lloyd. “But you didn’t hurt me or scare me. You were nice.”

“Hah, did ya hear that, sunshine?” Lloyd yells, making you flinch. The door immediately flies open, and his assistant walks inside. “See, she thinks I’m nice.”

“Yeah, because she doesn’t know you like I do,” she puts her hands on her hips and glares at Lloyd. “Sweetie don’t let him talk you into this wild card shit. His buddies are the worst, and he’s the king of shit!”

“Darling don’t be rude,” he gets up to wrap his arms around her waistline. She squirms in his hold, giggling while pushing against his shoulders. “Give your man a kiss.”

“Not until you get rid of that mustache!”

“You love the mustache. It makes your clit all tingly when I go down on you,” he steals a kiss, and gropes her plump ass. “If not for my new client, I’d fuck you right here and now to put a little Lloyd inside of you.”

“You’ll take care of the sweet girl first. You better not pressure her into this shit,” she grunts and pushes Lloyd off her. “I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

She walks back outside and closes the door with a loud thud.

“A hell of a woman,” he hums and adjusts his pants. “I found her—” Lloyd clears his throat. “Never mind. That’s a story to tell later.”

“Can you tell me what the men will expect? I mean, aside from having sex with me.”

Lloyd smirks. “You don’t have to worry about kinky shit. The contract includes vaginal sex  - missionary, or doggy style. Maybe a blow job. Protection is a must. If you want it to be pleasurable for you too, play with your pussy, or think of something nice.”

“I’d imagine Bucky,” you blur out. “I—fuck.” You curse when Lloyd cocks a brow. “He’s my dad’s best friend, and a little older than me. Not a gramps or something.”

“Bucky, huh?” He nods thoughtfully. “That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s a nickname,” you hastily say. “His real name is James Buchanan Barnes.” You swoon now. “He never looked at me twice, but if I want to get off, I always imagine him.”

“As long as you don’t moan his name, I don’t care what you do to get into the mood,” Lloyd says, but there’s something in his eyes you can’t quite put a finger on. “Back to the options. Wild card yes or no?”

You look at the iPad again. What is one more stranger, right? “Yes.”

“Barnes,” Lloyd grins like the devil. “Hey, no swear words, sunshine. I got a nice little deal for you.” He grunts and mutters into the phone. “Would you just listen for a moment? A nice little bird came to me. I think you know her…”

“Y/N!” Your dad’s best friend jogs next to you. “Hey, long time no see.”

“Uh-hi,” you squeak when he wraps you in a hug. “Nice to see you, Bucky.”

“How have you been?” He releases you to lock you up and down. “You look a little stressed. Is everything alright? You know that you can always come to me. I’m like an uncle to you.”

“Uncle,” you wrinkle your nose. “Right.” You shake your head at the naughty thoughts wanting to force their way to the front of your mind. “I’m good. Really. Nothing to worry about.”

“You sure?” He presses on. “If you are scared to tell your dad, tell me. I won’t say a thing.”

“I said that I’m fine,” you snap at him as a woman gets out of his car and calls his name. “How about you go back to your arm candy and leave me alone? We haven’t heard of you for two years.”

You twirl around and storm off. You don’t need anyone to help you. Lloyd offered more money than you’ll need to pay the debts your dad left you when he passed away.

Bucky didn’t even know about it because he just doesn’t care…

“Pumpkin,” Lloyd claps his hands as you walk inside the expensive penthouse suite. “You look stunning.” He grins as you squirm under his gaze.

He walks toward you to hand you the iPad. “The wild card won the auction,” he casually says. “I transferred the town hundred and fifty thousand bucks to your bank account. This is the point of no return. If you want out, say it now.”

“I know,” you released a shuddery breath. “I don’t want to do this, but I need the money. It’s one night with a guy you trust. So…let’s get this over with.”

“On the bed is something the wild card got for you. OH, and he wants you to put the blindfold on. It’s his special request,” Lloyd gently pats your shoulder. “I promise he’s a good guy, and won’t hurt you, pumpkin. Just remember the only two rules. Never ask why they pay you for sex, and, never let them do anything you don’t want to.”

“Thank you—” you close your eyes and take deep breaths. “I can do this. Please leave me alone now. I need to get ready.”

“If he crosses a line,” Lloyd says. “You say Lloyd, and I take the door down.”

“What? I don’t understand.” You furrow your brows.

“Just say Lloyd.” He whispers in your ear.

“Lloyd,” you say, and the lights in the room turn red. An alarm shrills and you need to cover your ears. “Oh…wow.”

“See, I take care of my girls. Do not let him gag you, though,” he warns. “If he tries anything you don’t agree to, yell my name and I’m there in a split-second.”

You nod and give Lloyd a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“I make money with my girls. I don’t want them to get hurt or worse,” he says. “I’m not a saint or a good guy. But no one hurts my girls.”

You watch him leave the room and release another shuddery breath.

He’s right. This is it. The point of no return…

The gift from the wild card is a silky nightie dress in your favorite color. Midnight blue. It has a plunging back and lace-lined cups. It fits you like a second skin.

You close your eyes and count to ten to calm your racing heart as you put the blindfold on. It’s the wild card’s special wish, and you don’t want to piss him off right away.

Maybe the blindfold will make things easier. You can imagine any face, while the stranger is inside of you.

“You look breathtakingly beautiful.” You shudder as his voice is deep and rough. He entered the room without making a noise, and now he’s already so close you feel his breath fan over your neck. “I see you are wearing my gift.”

“Yes…Sir…” You breathlessly reply. His hands ghost over your arms, touching you gently. “Or do you want me to call you something else?”

“Hmm…” He hums. “We will see, doll.” You whimper at the pet name. “Can I call you doll? Is that alright with you?” His lips press against your neck, he nips at the sensitive spot behind your ear. “I need you to answer me.”

“Yeah, that’s alright with me,” you are already enchanted by the stranger. His scent is intoxicating, and his voice goes straight to your core.

“I’m gonna make you feel so good, doll,” he wraps one arm around your waistline to bring you close to his body. His chest is bare, and you feel his skin pressed against yours. “I dreamed of doing this with you.”

“You did?” You purr and lean your head against his shoulder. “What do you want to do with me?”

“You’ll see,” he chuckles as you press your butt into his crotch. “You’re eager to get me going, huh? Don’t worry. I’m already so hard for you it hurts.”

He releases you and steps away to admire your wrecked state. You’re a panting mess, and your legs quiver. “Beautiful and so responsive.” He’s back on you to slide the thin straps of the nightie down your shoulders. The stranger nips at your neck, leaving little love bites on his way. “I can’t wait to have you.”

“You have me,” you move your hand behind you, blindly grasping for his hair. He’s a stranger but feels so good against you. “I want you to have me.”

“I know, doll,” he whispers in your ear while shoving the nightie down your shoulders. The fabric drops to the ground and pools around your ankles. “I love how you feel against me. I bet you feel even better around me.”

His hands cup your breasts. One warm and soft, the other cold and a little rougher. He gropes your soft flesh and pinches your nipples. This stranger plays with your body and pulls all the right strings.

You don’t have to imagine someone else. His lips nipping at your earlobe, and his hands, those skilled tools press moans and whimpers out of you. “Sir…”

“It’s alright, doll. Be as vocal as you want to,” he smirks against your skin. “Relax and let me take good care of you.”

“Yes—” you hiss when he meaningly tugs at your nipples. “Ouch.”

“You are a big girl and can take it, baby doll,” he grinds into you to rub his aching cock against your butt. “I bet your pretty cunt is wet for me.”

Your voice fails. He’s moving one hand between your legs and pinches your clit through your soaked panties. “I knew it.” He teasingly pinches your clit, igniting another spark deep within you. “You’re mine now. Only mine. After tonight, you’ll never want another man. Say it!”

His other hand rips your panties off of your body, taking you by surprise. You squeak and giggle as he twirls you around. “You’re all I imagined you’d be,” he cups your face and presses his lips to yours.

You’ve been kissed before – but not like this. His lips are soft and tender, but the kiss gets heated when his hands move to your ass to hoist you up.

You end up in his arms and sling your legs and arms around his body out of instinct.

“Your lips taste like heaven.” He purrs while walking toward the bed. “I bet your sweet pussy tastes like sin.” You end up on the soft mattress, the stranger on top of you.

He kisses you again, slowly, and sensually this time. “I’m gotta have a taste, doll.” You wish you could watch him kiss his way down your body. It feels like his lips and hands caress every inch of your body they can reach. “It’s alright. You don’t have to be afraid.”

The stranger moves lower, kissing you right above your belly button. He moans against your skin, making you shiver at the slightest touch.

His hands move over your thighs, spreading them wide so he can settle between your legs.

“Let me have a taste of heaven,” he presses a searing kiss to your pussy. “I’ve got you, doll.”

You shudder feelings his nose brushes your clit. “So pretty down here too,” he murmurs against you. His breath tickles your folds, leaving you wanting more. “Shhh…” He shushes you. “I only want to eat this sweet cunt out.”

He spreads your pussy lips, to look at your clit. “Ah…S-ir.” You stammer. “What are you doing?”

“Did no man ever put his mouth on you?” He looks up at you from between your legs, groaning loudly when you shake your head. “Good. I’m your first for everything then.”

Your mouth falls open. Why would he want to do such a thing? Isn’t this night all about him, not you? “Why?”

“I love eating pussy, doll,” he laughs. “And I want you slippery wet so I can shove my dick right into your tight little hole.”

You grab your tits, squeezing your flesh to do anything but lie there and wait for the stranger to rule your body.

He teases your pearl with the tip of his tongue, eager to please you. A shudder runs through you. You are so lost in his touch that you nearly forget this is about him and that he paid you to touch you.

This is not love-making, but a business transaction. “Please just fuck me…”

“Not yet,” he slaps your pussy lips. “I want you to be a good girl and let me enjoy every moment. “This includes tasting your cunt.”

“Oh-“ It never crossed your mind that a man could be interested in eating you out before getting off. “Be my guest.” You sass and spread your legs wider. “I’m on the menu tonight.”

“That you are,” he kisses the inside of your left thigh, caressing the soft skin with his lips and tongue. “But only for me.” He turns his attention toward your right thigh.  

He wraps his arms around your legs and pulls you closer to his mouth. “Fuck, you smell so good, doll.” You gasp the moment he licks up your sex. It’s a new sensation and you already love it. “Use my face, come on.”

You bite your lower lip. Can you do this? Lloyd said this is all about the man’s fantasy, but he wants to give you pleasure too.

“Fuck,” you nod and start grinding your pussy against his mouth, hoping to get more of this new feeling. “Please.”

“Soon, baby doll,” he purrs and flicks his tongue to play with your little nub. You wiggle on the bed, grinding as he uses his mouth to send sparks of pleasure through your body. You don’t think, just feel.

You whimper and moan hearing him groan against you. He throws your left leg over his shoulder, spreading you wide as he teases your soaked hole with the tip of his index finger. “Oh God, yes. Please just put it inside,” you become impatient. “Fuck…please.”

He laughs but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he pushes one finger inside, curling his digit inside of you. “Relax, doll. I’m gonna give you my cock soon enough.”

“Y-es…p-lease,” you can’t think straight. Your body is on fire, and you need release, or you’ll lose your mind. “Please I want you to…”

“Baby,” he purrs while slowly starting to fuck you with his finger. “Soon…I’ve been waiting to have you for so long.”

He adds another finger, now pressing his fingertips against your sweet spot. “Fuck,” you exclaim loudly. “Ah, there…I need… I want…”

“No,” you don’t get to cum. He scissors you open, ignoring that you beg and plead. “Not yet. You’ll cum on my cock only. I want to feel you fall apart for the first time while I’m inside of you.”

“Fuck!”

“Oh baby doll,” he coos when you sniffle, and slam your fists into the mattress. “I don’t want to be cruel, only to make it easier for you to take me.”

“Please, I only want to feel you,” you hold out your hands, sniffling louder. “I need you to do it now before I get scared.”

“Shit,” you feel his fingers slip out of you. He crawls up your body and kisses you slowly. “Baby doll, tell me if you want me to stop. We don’t have to do this.”

“You pai—” He silences you with his lips and makes you forget that you are only here for him to get what he paid for. “I want you.” You don’t know why, but it’s true. All you want is to feel him inside of your body.

“Are you sure?” He asks against your lips. “Baby doll?”

“Yes,” you blindly grasp for him. “Please fuck me. I don’t want to wait any longer.” You don’t tell him that the man you wanted to be your first would never even look at you twice.

“You don’t have to beg me.” He angles his hips to run the tip of his cock up and down your folds. “I’ll give it to you.”

Your breath hitches in your throat, and a high-pitched shriek escapes your throat feeling his length slide slowly into you. He stills his hips, groaning loudly as your walls strain against his intrusion.

“Fuck, you’re so tight, baby doll.” He buries his face in your neck, murmuring your name as he moves back and forth, always pushing a little deeper. “Open up to me, pretty doll.”

It hurts a little, and you hide your face in his shoulder, whimpering any time he tilts his hips. “I know, baby doll. It will feel good soon. Let me just,” he breathlessly whispers in your ear. “I’m gonna make love to you, Y/N.”

You bite his shoulder when he slides all in with the next thrust. A whimper escapes your lips, and you claw at his back. “Shhh…you are doing so good for me, baby. I’m proud of you, my sweet princess.”

He wraps one arm around you and removes the blindfold with one swift motion. You gasp and dig your nails into his back. “Bucky?” You can’t help but whimper his name. “What?”

“I couldn’t let you do this. I wanted you for so long.” He claims your lips in a soft kiss. “You refused to take my help so I…”

“It’s you,” you cling to Bucky. “Not some stranger…it’s you…” you sniffle. “You’re here…”

“Yeah,” he breathes against your lips. “Do still want to…”

You wrap your legs around his waistline. “Yes…hell yes…” You grunt. “Please don’t stop now. We can’t stop now.”

He nuzzles his face in your neck and digs his knees into the mattress. You melt into his arms, knowing it’s not a stranger, but the man you adored and loved for years.

“We already broke all the rules, Y/N,” he slowly starts rocking his hips. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Bucky curses as you claw on his back. “My doll.”

He’s pushing harder into you with every thrust. It doesn’t matter that you feel like you are in a limbo of pleasured pain, or that you forgot the condom. All you are capable of is to stare up at Bucky as he takes you apart.

Your body belongs to him and opens up to Bucky like a flower finally deciding to bloom. Your core burns with desire for more of him. “Please.”

“I’ve got you, Y/N,” he sinks his teeth into your shoulder, causing you to cry out loudly. Something drops to the ground in the room next door, but you don’t care.

You rock your body in sync with Bucky, urging him on to claim you, and your whole being. Even if you should be mad at him for tricking you, you can’t. Not when he pushes you over the edge, his name on your lips nor when he spills into you, cursing your name.

“Baby,” he worriedly looks down at you. You are panting heavily and are unable to open your eyes. “Y/N, are you alright?”

“Yeah…I’m good…” 

Bucky slowly pulls out to lie next to you. He opens his arms and watches you lie on his chest.

“Why did you never come back?” You run your hand over his sweaty chest. “Bucky?”

“Your dad found out that I had a thing for his beloved daughter,” he runs his hand over your head. “I’m sorry. He left me no choice but to stay away from you. I had to keep my distance.”

“You could’ve come to his funeral,” you sniff. “Why did you leave me all alone?”

“I had problems with the law, and I was in the middle of a divorce. You didn’t need a drunk wreck longing for you,” he whispers. “I had to wait until I’m better and then Hansen called, telling me about your problems.”

“That fucker,” you grumble. “I knew he was going to trick me!”

“Don’t worry, baby doll,” Bucky softly says. “I paid all your dues before coming here. I just couldn’t resist you any longer. I had to have you.”

He lifts his head to look you in the eyes. “Can you forgive me, Y/N?”

“I’ll consider forgiving you if you explain everything to me later. Like – how do you know Lloyd Hansen? And what is going on with his assistant?”

“You will get to know everything.” He pecks your lips. “For now, all you need to know is that I love you…always have…”

Tags in reblog.

[lewmagoo]

we own the sky | rhett abbott

part four: running towards a place

read the previous part here

series info: the fourth and final installment of the storm chaser rhett universe. want more? read the synopsis here. listen to the playlist here. see the series masterlist here.

description: in which you begin a new chapter

warnings: 18+ only, mentions of character death, grief, angst with a positive ending, mentions of sex, near-death experiences, blood and injury, inaccurate weather terms, please do not check my science lol, this story requires some suspension of disbelief. i usually try not to say anything about reader's family in fics but i do mention them having an unnamed great-aunt, as it was necessary to the plot

pairing: rhett abbott x f!reader

word count: 8,960

notes: i can't believe we've finally come to the end of this series. when i started it, i didn't know if i would even be able to finish it. i poured everything into this story, and i am so thankful for all the love y'all have shown to it. i cherish every single comment. thank you.

The next morning, you were the first one to wake. Although it was still early, it was late by Rhett’s usual standards. Royal was likely already finishing up the morning chores, and probably irritated that his son hadn’t come out to help. 

But Rhett deserved some extra rest. 

And how beautiful he looked while resting. His lashes fanned beneath his eyes, and his face was so relaxed. He looked so boyish when he slept, as if all the stressors of the world were gone, if only for a moment. 

But reality had to hit at some point. He woke not long after you, eyes fluttering open to find you staring at him. He hummed sleepily, hiding his face in the pillow. “You’re starin’.”

“Can’t help it. You’re beautiful when you sleep.”

His face was half concealed by the pillow, leaving one eye exposed. It popped open to look at you. “I ain’t beautiful.”

You beamed at him as you reached out to tuck a curl of hair behind his ear. “Oh, but you are.” Then you leaned down to kiss his cheek. He moved his head at the last second so you’d catch his lips instead. 

“I don’t even wanna know what time it is. Dad’s probably fit to be tied.”

“So what? You’ve earned the rest,” you told him.

His face scrunched adorably. “Doubt he’d agree with ya.”

Another kiss upon his lips. “Doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

You watched as Rhett stretched, much like a cat after a long nap. A beat passed before he spoke again. “Can’t believe I get to wake up next to ya. Feels like a dream.”

“I promise I’m real. Definitely no dream.”

“Mm.” He reluctantly sat upright, rolling his head from side to side. You watched the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin. “Guess we should go downstairs.”

“Guess so.” 

He looked at you, and his eyes flickered down to your lips. “I’m sorry, but I jus’ can’t stop kissin’ you,” he said as he brought his lips to yours, enacting a third kiss. 

“I don’t mind,” you assured him as you returned the favor, mouth soft against his own. 

For a few moments, you remained like that, kissing languidly. But both of you knew it would lead to something more, and while that sounded rather appealing, it was time to get the day started. There would be plenty of time for more escapades later. 

So you climbed out of bed and hurriedly got ready. When you made your way downstairs, you found Amy at the kitchen table, munching on a bowl of cereal. 

She lit up at the sight of the two of you. “You’re up!” She exclaimed. “Gramma was just about to ask you if you could drive me to school, Uncle Rhett.”

Rhett nodded as he stepped over to the cupboard to retrieve a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “Sure. Somethin’ wrong?”

“The storm blew the barn door off the hinges and she’s helping Grampa with it.”

He winced slightly, knowing helping with that door was his responsibility, not his mother’s. “Go ‘head and get ready, Ames. I’ll be back in a minute, I’m gon’ go talk to Gramma.”

Quickly, he sauntered across the kitchen and went to shove his feet into his boots. However, as he did so, Cecilia came back into the house. 

“Ma, I’m sorry, I shoulda been the one helpin’ Dad,” he called to her. 

The woman shook her head as she pulled her work gloves off. “Don’t matter. We got it done. ‘sides, I didn’t want to disturb you two. Figured you needed your rest.”

Across the room, you shared a sheepish look with Rhett. Obviously, she would put two and two together when she saw that her son wasn’t asleep on the couch that morning. It was clear that he was in his room, with you. 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck as he ducked his head, slightly embarrassed. You didn’t miss the humorous glint in Cecilia’s eye. “Well, next time, just knock on the door. I’ll hear it.”

“Okay,” she said. “Can ya take Amy to school, by the way? I got a bit behind this mornin’, since the door took longer to fix than I thought it would.”

“Yep, she just mentioned it. We’ll take ‘er,” Rhett agreed. 

We. Those plans included you, apparently. Not that you minded, of course. You were more than happy to tag along. So, with Rhett’s cereal forgotten, the three of you made your way out the door, Amy bounding ahead so that she could climb into the middle of the bench seat between you and Rhett.

“Might as well just grab breakfast at the diner,” he told you as he fell into step beside you. “If ya don’t mind.”

Your face broke into a pleased smile. “I’d like that.”

Off to Amelia Elementary you went, with Amy talking up a storm, far too awake for the early morning hour. You simply listened to her, amused, as she asked Rhett question after question. He answered them all with patience, happy to entertain her curiosity. 

When he pulled into the carpool line, he threw the truck into park and slid out of his seat, boots scraping against pavement. He reached out and took Amy’s small hand in his, guiding her out of the truck. You watched fondly as the girl wrapped her arms around his middle, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Have a good day, Ames,” he told her. 

“I will. Bye! Love you!” She waved at you before she scurried off toward the entrance of the school. 

Quickly, Rhett climbed back into his seat and pulled out of the line so as not to hold up traffic. He made the fifteen-minute drive to the diner that was situated in downtown Wabang, and soon, you were both settled into one side of a booth, shoulders touching, cozy against one another. 

You shared a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, with extra whipped cream, and plenty of black coffee for Rhett. It all felt so domestic, and you were filled with contentment. 

As you walked back out to the truck after your intimate little breakfast, Rhett slipped his hand into yours, and you let him, fingers intertwining. He opened the truck door for you, and guided you inside, and you felt like royalty.

“We headin’ to your aunt’s house to finish cleanin’?” He asked, once he’d climbed into his own side of the cab.

You smiled softly and said, “Yes.”

And that was where you remained for the rest of the morning, sorting through things, packing up donation boxes, scrubbing each room down from top to bottom. And much to your amazement, by the time you called it quits for the day, everything was finished, for the most part. All that was left was to tote all the donation boxes to local thrift stores, and the homeless shelters that were in the bigger, surrounding cities. 

The entire reason you had come back to Wabang was now fulfilled.

“I can’t believe it’s done already. Thanks for your help,” you told Rhett, as you sat cross-legged on the porch swing of your aunt’s house, a box of pizza open between you both. It was well past dinner time, and you were ravenously hungry after a day of hard work.

“No trouble ‘t all,” came his response as he tore into the remaining crust of his pizza. 

“Feels so good to have that out of the way.”

“Y’gonna be the one to sell the house?” He asked.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “Honestly, I have no idea. I have tons of paperwork to go through, trying to figure everything out. We’ll see what happens.”

“Maybe my mom can help y’out, she’s the one who took care of everythin’ with my great grandma’s house when she died,” came his suggestion.

“Maybe I’ll take her up on that,” you agreed before you downed the rest of your pizza.

You were sitting with your legs over his lap, and once again, you were filled with that comforting sense of contentment. It felt so right, being with him. There was no doubt in your mind that this was the way it was meant to be. 

For just a little while, you were able to gradually dip your toes into the waters of your new relationship, and get to know each other all over again. With the rest of the storm chasing team busy figuring things out, subsequently putting any future chases on hold, it gave you ample time to spend with each other. 

You were grateful for the brief, intimate moments you were able to share with Rhett. Moments spent getting to know him all over again. You allowed yourself to be soothed by the lull in time. A few days where you could simply just be. 

But that was just the calm before the storm. Little did you know what was coming your way in the not so distant future. 

A week had passed since the last chase you’d gone on. A few storms had passed through during that time, but any twisters produced were far away, and weak at best. 

During that slow storm period, you busied yourself with dropping off donations from your aunt’s house to thrift stores and shelters, as well as enjoying time with Rhett’s family. You’d missed them more than you realized after all these years. It was clear that his parents were thrilled that you were back in their son’s life. It made your heart sing. 

You’d called into work to take the rest of your vacation time. You wouldn’t have any left for the rest of the year, but you’d cross that bridge when you came to it. You weren’t quite ready to leave Rhett and face reality yet. And, besides, you’d begun questioning if you even wanted to return. 

Could you really move back to Wabang? A few weeks ago, you would have said no. But now, you were conflicted. Your life was in Maryland, but your heart was with Rhett. 

Soon, you would make your choice. 

Just when you thought the team had forgotten about you and Rhett, he received a call from Zara one Friday morning. She explained that the combined CO₂ and nitrogen tests had brought promising results, and that they were ready to take the experiment out on a chase to see how it fared. 

The team had been monitoring a potential storm that was building not far from Wabang. It looked promising, and they wanted you and Rhett to tag along. So that was how you found yourself preparing for yet another storm, anxiety roiling in your belly as you stood in the front yard of the Abbott property, watching everyone pull into the driveway. 

You closed your eyes and breathed in deep, the scent of rain blowing in with the wind, and you were transported back to the last time you ever got to go chasing with Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia. 

Oh, how far you’d come since then. If you focused hard enough, you could almost hear Lydia’s musical voice as she told you how proud she was of you for conquering your fear. 

“Y’alright?” Rhett asked as he sauntered up to stand beside you. His hand rested upon the small of your back, and immediately, your body relaxed. 

“I’m fine. Just thinking about…” You trailed off, suddenly overcome with emotion. 

He already knew who you were talking about. “Yeah, me too,” he replied. 

You looked at him, watching as his eyes glimmered with melancholy. “They’d be proud of us,” you said. 

“I know it.” His lips brushed against your temple and you leaned into him, allowing him to hold you. A moment of peace before you set off right toward the face of danger. 

“We’re gonna be okay,” you whispered. 

He nuzzled his nose against yours. “Yeah, honeybee. We are.”

Thunder rumbled overhead, and you looked to the heavens, eyeing the sky. Something shifted within you. A strange pull in your gut, as if an invisible force was tugging at you. The air felt different. Thick, as if the walls of nature were closing in around you. 

The hair at the back of your neck stood on end. The storm was much closer than you realized. 

The sound of Zara’s truck pulling in stole your attention away from the sky, but you were met with a wave of dread when she climbed out of the vehicle. Her face was bleak. So was Jeslyn’s. Something was wrong. 

Danny pulled the RV to a stop directly behind the truck, and as he and Finn climbed out, they were as eager as ever, clearly unaware of whatever had happened with Zara. But their jovial attitude soon quieted when they saw the grim expression on their friend’s face.

“What’s wrong?” You were the one to ask the question, stepping forward, uncertain.

Zara sighed softly, dark lashes fluttering. She looked to be on the verge of tears. “On the way here, I got a call that my mom’s in the hospital. I don’t know all the details but, uh, my dad wants me and Jes to go see her, so it’s gotta be serious.” Her voice trembled as she spoke, thick with emotion.

“I’m so sorry,” you told her, instinctively reaching out to hug her. As soon as your arms wrapped around her, a soft sob escaped her throat, and she hugged you back tightly. 

“Thank you,” she whispered after a moment, pulling away to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. The rest of the group rallied around her, with all three boys stepping in to give her hugs. She leaned back against Jeslyn, who then wrapped her arm around her wife’s shoulders.

“What d’ya need us to do? We’ll take care of everythin’. You’d better get on the road quick so you don’t caught in the storm,” Rhett piped up, ready to help with whatever the two women needed.

Zara was too overcome with emotion to speak, so Jeslyn spoke for her. “Somebody’s gonna need to man the remote for opening the tanks, since Danny and Finn are gonna be busy with the radar.”

You stood there for a moment, realization washing over you. With Rhett busy driving, and Danny and Finn running the radar, the responsibility to open the tanks fell on you. A shock of anxiety ran through your chest. Did you have the courage to do this? You’d already guided Rhett on where to drop the tanks, but now, you would also be responsible for opening the tanks at the exact second. No sooner, no later. 

Suddenly, it felt so overwhelming. If you estimated right, you could potentially be the first person in history to stop a tornado. If you didn’t, everything Zara and the guys had worked so hard for could all be for naught. 

But you could feel everyone’s eyes on you, awaiting your answer with bated breath. Lightning cracked across the distant sky. Thunder rolled.

“I’ll do it,” you said.

“Thank you so much,” Jeslyn breathed, already turning to open the passenger side door of her truck. She rifled inside for a moment before she turned toward you again, thrusting the remote into your hand. “I know you won’t let us down.”

The pressure was on.

“Alright then, you two go on to the hospital, be with your mom. We can handle everything else,” Finn said, shooting a reassuring smile at the girls. 

“Thanks, guys,” Zara finally managed to say, deep brown eyes still swimming with tears. “Really.”

“We got you,” Danny said as he pulled her in for another hug. The rest of you followed suit. 

As she guided Zara into the truck, Jeslyn spoke over her shoulder, “Be safe, guys. Let us know how it goes.”

“We will. Drive careful, alright?” Rhett was the one to answer her. 

The four of you watched for a moment as the girls drove down the driveway, but you couldn’t afford to remain there for long. The clock was ticking, and it was time to spring into action. With hearts heavy for the sudden grief Zara and Jeslyn were dealing with, all of you set to work preparing for the chase.

The wind picked up as you headed to the barn, where Rhett’s truck was parked, to load all the cans onto the trailer. Danny pulled the RV up and Finn proceeded to open the storage hatch, revealing the cans of CO₂ and nitrogen.

As you scrambled like a bunch of worker ants, the atmosphere grew even darker around you. Eerily so, as if God Himself had turned off the sun. While the guys strapped the tanks down, you paused, stepping out into the open to look at the sky once again.

Goosebumps creeped along your arms, and a pit of dread formed in your belly, heavy like a rock. You took a few steadying breaths. The clouds looked angry. Black and foreboding, churning with unkempt energy. 

And then, as if the veil between heaven and earth had been torn asunder, an alarmingly large bolt of lightning struck the earth in the not so distant west pasture. The crash of thunder that followed was so violent it reverberated through the very marrow of your bones. 

You jumped back in fright, eyes wide as saucers. “Oh my god.”

“Damn, that was close,” Rhett called out, voice trembling slightly. 

You turned to him, and when he saw the look on your face, his brow furrowed in concern. You were speaking before you even realized you’d formed a thought. “It’s…it’s going to hit the farm. The twister, it’s–it’s gonna touch down here.”

The three men stared at you.

“How do you know that? Storm hasn’t even started yet,” Danny interjected, running a hand through his windswept salt and pepper hair. 

“I-I don’t…” You trailed off, your heart leaping in your throat as your phone began to vibrate wildly in your pocket. You slipped it from the confines of your jeans and stared at the screen. Tornado Warning. Seek Shelter Immediately.

There was no way of being absolutely certain that the twister would touch down on this exact property, but something in your gut was screaming at you. Danger, danger, danger. After what you had lost six years ago, you weren’t going to take any chances by dismissing the warning you’d just received. 

You locked eyes with Rhett. 

“Alright boys, let’s get movin’!” He shouted at Danny and Finn. 

Finn nodded. “Okay! We’ll fire up the radar and get out a little further from you guys so we can monitor it. We’ll be on the walkies with ya the whole time!”

The two were already scrambling to climb into the RV. As they sped off, you joined Rhett at the front of the Sierra. “‘Fore we go, I’m gon’ check on Mom and Dad, make sure they know to get in the shelter.” They were likely already aware, but Rhett wanted to make doubly sure they were okay.

It was late afternoon, and chores were mostly done for the day. Cecilia was likely starting on dinner preparations, while Amy did her homework at the kitchen table. A scene you had witnessed many times. 

But when Rhett came to a screeching halt just outside the house, his parents were already making their way outside, Cecilia clutching a bag of emergency supplies. Her face was full of fear, and your heart leapt in your chest, because somehow, you knew her fear wasn’t because of the approaching storm. 

“Oh, thank god!” The woman called out, rushing down the porch steps, her husband hot on her heels. “I thought you’d left already!”

“Wanted to make sure y’ got to the shelter safely!” Rhett responded over the rumble of the engine and the rush of the wind.

But his mother shook her head. “Amy went out for a walk an hour ago and she hasn’t made it back!” The terror in her voice sent a chill down your spine.

Rhett tensed beside you, but remained calm. “We’ll look for ‘er.”

“You be careful, y’hear?” Royal spoke up, “and you find our girl.”

“Please,” Cecilia echoed, reaching out to touch her son’s arm. She couldn’t utter another word, for her trepidation had rendered her speechless. 

“We’ll bring her home, Momma.” No more loss would be suffered in this family. Rhett would make sure of it. 

As his parents quickly made their way to the storm shelter, Rhett stepped on the accelerator, turning the wheel sharply. Your heart leapt into your throat, and you reached up, grasping the ceiling handle to hold yourself steady. 

“Where would she have gone?” You asked, shivering from the fright and mounting adrenaline you felt. Your chest went tight. 

“She usually takes the trail behind th’ house. She knows not to stay out there alone when it’s stormin’. She might’ve just gotten spooked and found a hiding spot. She’s smart, she knows to hunker down during a twister.” But it sounded as if Rhett was trying to convince himself. Truthfully, he was terrified, praying silently that Amy was okay.

As he sped toward the property at the back of the house, he said, “Get on the walkie and let the guys know what’s goin’ on.”

With trembling hands, you grasped the handheld device and quickly spoke into it, explaining the situation. 

“We’ll be in our place. If you can’t get in position soon enough, just let us know and we’ll scrap the chase altogether. Over.”

“Okay! Over and out!” You replied, tossing the walkie down onto the truck seat, swallowing down the bitter taste of dread that had risen in your throat as you settled back against your seat.

Obviously, finding Amy took precedence over trying to catch a twister. Nothing else mattered in the moment. Your mind was clouded with urgency and desperation. Both of you were quite literally stricken, unable to form words as Rhett frantically drove, his eyes searching, his mouth moving silently around the syllables of his niece’s name. 

For a terrifying second, he was transported back to that terrible, awful day six years ago. It was an image that was branded into the folds of his brain forever, like the Abbott brand that his father imprinted onto all their cattle. 

If he happened upon the very same scene with his niece, it would break him irreparably. 

But he wouldn’t let his mind go there. Not now. Not when she needed him to find her, to save her, to protect her. “You see anythin’?!” He called to you, knuckles white around the steering wheel, shoulders pulled toward his ears. 

“No!” You exclaimed, not daring to take your eyes off of the surrounding plains, looking for a flash of golden hair, or the bright purple shirt you’d seen the girl wearing earlier. C’mon, baby girl. Give us a sign that you’re out there.

Rain had begun to pelt against the windshield of the truck. Around you, the wind picked up. Trees swayed in a haunting fashion, their leaves shivering, undersides turned toward the sky. A warning. Danger is coming.

“Goddammit, where is she?!” Rhett growled, slamming his palm against the dash in frustration. 

Nausea roiled in your gut. Your extremities felt numb, your body vibrating with unease. When had it gotten so hard to breathe? It felt as if someone was squeezing your lungs, inhibiting you from taking in oxygen. You were suffocating. Choking. Strangled by your anxiety. 

And then you saw it. Just over the ridge, where the earth dipped into a valley. Purple.

“There!” You cried, jamming your finger against the window, pointing into the distance. 

“What?!” Rhett couldn’t see anything. Whatever it was, was now hidden from view. But you knew you’d seen it. 

“Just turn right! Head for the valley! I swear I saw her!”

He yanked the wheel to the right, and the truck veered sideways, jostling you both. His foot was heavy on the accelerator, picking up speed, the uneven earth sending your heart straight down to your stomach.

Your gaze was locked straight ahead, afraid that if you looked away, you would miss it. Miss her. 

Closer, closer, closer to the valley you got. Just up ahead, you could see that the earth gave way, sloping down into a dropoff. “Stop!”

Rhett slammed on the brakes, and the very second he threw the truck into park, you were leaping out, feet landing against grassy earth before you sprinted forward. He followed suit, running alongside you toward the drop.

Just as you came down into the edge of the valley, you saw her. Huddled down against the cleft of earth, arms over her head, frightened and alone. Rhett dashed ahead of you, calling out the girl’s name, dropping to his knees beside her.

She lifted her head, large eyes growing wider still. “Uncle Rhett!” She wept, instantly surging forward to throw her arms around his neck. 

“I’ve got ya, honey! Let’s get y’outta here!” He scooped her up with ease, cradling her close as he stood to his feet. He nodded toward you, and you both ran back up to the truck. 

You threw yourself into the passenger seat and turned, allowing him to guide Amy up into your lap. You hooked your arm around her waist and pulled her toward you so he could slam the door shut. 

“Are you okay?!” You asked her, searching her over for any injuries. 

“I am!” She answered, bottom lip quivering, eyes filled with tears. 

“You scared us so bad, darlin’!” Rhett exclaimed as he hurriedly climbed into his own seat, slamming the door shut. 

“I’m sorry!” She cried. “I was trying to get back but got really scared that I wouldn’t make it to the shelter in time, so I got into that ditch!”

“You did the right thing,” you assured her, tucking her windswept hair behind her ear. She nodded, throwing herself forward, face buried against your neck as she cried. 

But the moment of relief was soon stolen from you as the sound of hail began to strike the roof of the Sierra. Rhett grabbed the walkie-talkie and called into it, “We found ‘er! We’re on the move again, y’got a read on what we’re dealin’ with?! Over!”

There was no time to waste. Either you got moving, or you were sitting ducks. 

But Finn’s reply came through the receiver as an unintelligible, garbled mess. Rhett tried to raise him again, but once again, all he was met with was static. “Shit,” he cursed, tossing the walkie down onto the seat. He turned to you, and his eyes were alight with worry. “We’re goin’ in blind.” 

At that very moment, the hail stopped. With a trembling hand, you opened the window, holding your arm outside. The air felt thick and humid, but an odd sort of coolness came along the edge of the wind. 

And then you looked up. 

“Oh my god.”

There it was. Enormous and foreboding, a wicked twister breaking forth from the sky, touching down in the pasture adjacent to you.

“It’s going toward the house!” Came your despaired shout. 

Eyes wide, Rhett sprung into action, slamming the gearshift into drive and wedging his boot against the gas pedal. “Jesus!” He shouted. “Hold on, y’hear?!” The truck lurched forward, gradually picking up speed, faster and faster, staying parallel to the quickly developing tornado. 

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. With Amy huddled against you, you blindly reached out, grabbing for the remote to open the tanks, knowing you needed to be ready, lest you miss your opportunity. 

It was close. Too close. Gaining traction by the minute, swallowing up the surrounding earth, kicking up debris along with it. If you didn’t get out of its path, you knew that the three of you likely would not survive. 

Rhett brought the truck to the highest possible speed, fighting to keep control, body rigid against the seat. “Tell me when to drop the tanks!” Came his desperate plea. 

But your voice wouldn’t come. Your throat felt as if it had closed up, forcing you to remain silent. It wasn’t time, not yet. You were too close. If he slowed down, it would steal precious time. Time that you didn’t have. 

You found yourself in a precarious position, trying to comfort the scared girl beside you, while also counting down the seconds in your head, hoping Rhett would find a safe distance. Part of you wondered if this was it, if you’d end up like your three friends once had.

Somehow, your voice returned, and you yelled, “Take a left!” 

He did, veering in the direction you told him to. Amy shrieked in fear as the truck shook violently. You tugged her closer, bringing her head to your chest, free hand covering her ear to muffle the sounds happening around her. 

Your eyes, wild and alert, stayed glued to the churning column of air, now behind you. The size of it made your blood run cold. Could you really stop one this big? Was this even possible? Were you simply speed-running your own demise? 

“Talk to me!” Came Rhett’s voice in your ears. 

“Not yet!”

He kept his speed, pushing the old Sierra as fast as it would go, faster than he’d ever driven in his life. His ears were ringing. His breathing was ragged. Everything in his body told him that he needed to get you and Amy out of this situation. 

But he pressed on, waiting for the exact moment you told him to drop the trailer.

And then, “Now!”

He brought the truck to a screeching halt, arm darting out to keep you and Amy from flying forward. As soon as he knew he was in position, he jammed his fingers into the button in the center console, securing the trailer into the ground.

Then, he flipped the switch to release the hitch. 

But nothing happened. 

“What the hell?” He flipped it again, but it simply wouldn’t work. 

“Rhett, what–” 

He was already unbuckling his belt. “Stay put! I’ve gotta unhitch it!”

He wrenched his door open and jumped out of the truck, to your utter horror. Amy sat up, frantically calling his name, fearful of her uncle’s fate. You watched him like a hawk, breath bated, hackles raised. 

And then, all at once, a large piece of flying debris sailed through the air, and before he could react, it clipped him right in the head, and he went down.

Your world tilted on its axis.

“No!” You shrieked. You threw your door open and told Amy to stay in the truck as you hurdled yourself into the storm, wind pulling at your clothes, a powerful, uncontrollable force that could very well rip you right out of existence if it chose to do so.

“Rhett!” His name came out as a broken wail. Your mind only allowed you to think one thing: oh my god, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.

But then, hope.

“Here!” He was scrambling to his feet, knees almost buckling under his weight as he fought to pull himself uptight along the side of the truck. His head was bleeding, crimson flowing down the side of his face. But he was alive. 

“Baby!” You threw yourself at him, grasping his face, searching his eyes. “I thought–”

“I know! I’m fine! Get back in the truck!”

But you weren’t leaving him out here. You shook your head in refusal and, instead, aided him in unhitching the trailer from the truck. It took both of you giving it your full strength before it finally gave way.

Hair flying every which way, face bloodied, he locked eyes with you and said, “We got it! Let’s go!”

Fighting against the roaring, screaming, howling tempest, you ran like hell to the passenger side, hoisting yourself into the Sierra. Rhett made it into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut before he frantically threw the gear in drive and peeled off, leaving the trailer behind. 

With one hand holding Amy’s, and the other clutching the remote, you turned in your seat, waiting for the exact moment to press the release button. Closer and closer, the twister raged on, devouring space and time, threatening to consume Rhett’s childhood home. 

You’re not taking anything or anyone else away from me.

You jammed your thumb into the button as hard as you could, praying silently that the tanks would open without issue. Five, four, three, two, one…

The twister concealed the tanks, inhibiting your view. You had no idea if what you’d just done was even working. Even so, you called out, “I opened the tanks!”

Rhett’s knuckles were white as snow as he clutched the steering wheel, and in a split second decision, probably the most foolish one he’d ever made, he turned at the last possible moment, swinging the truck so that it was parallel to the twister. And then, he thrust his foot onto the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a shuddering halt.

Both of you turned, eyes on the tornado. You reached out, grabbing for Rhett’s hand, fingers intertwining, holding on for dear life. He moved quickly, his body shielding yours and Amy’s. If things went south, he could not protect you, not from this, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try.

Together, you watched, not daring to breathe, move, or speak. 

Seconds passed, but they might as well have been hours. Then, all at once, the sky swallowed the twister whole, pulling it right back from whence it came, and the earth was silent.

You let out the breath you’d been holding. So did Rhett. Amy tentatively lifted her head from where it had been hidden against your chest. You turned your head, face full of disbelief, meeting Rhett’s gaze.

You saw that, right?

“Did we just…”

His mouth broke into a grin, though his lips were stained red from the blood that had been running down the side of his face. “Yeah, we fuckin’ did!”

You slapped your hand over your mouth, unable to hold in the laugh of utter disbelief that tore from your throat. Amy asked a question, but you barely heard her, for you were too overwhelmed. Once again, you opened the truck door, sliding from the seat, feet on stable ground.

You walked past the truck. Into the field. Toward the trailer that still remained in the place you had dropped it. And there were the tanks of CO₂ and nitrogen, valves open. It had really worked, hadn’t it?

You felt like a firework exploding in the sky, so full of color and light. Tears welled in your eyes, and you found yourself turning around, searching for Rhett. He was there, just like he always was, watching you in awe, his gaze as warm as the sun.

“We did it,” you whispered, legs already moving, body drawn to him by an invisible force, unable to be apart from him for a second longer. You were free-falling, trusting him to catch you. And he did, arms pulling you into him, holding you close, hand cradling the back of your head.  

It all came pouring out of you then. The elation at what you’d just accomplished. The realization that your fear had been well and truly conquered. The thought of just how proud Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia would be. If it was possible to feel joy, disbelief, and sorrow all at once, you felt every bit of it. 

It was raw and painful and beautiful. 

You sobbed into Rhett’s chest, body trembling, knees almost buckling. He gently rocked you back and forth, arms secured tightly around you, holding you as if you were the most precious thing in the entire world. 

“We’re okay, honeybee. We did it. You did it.” He, too, could not hold his tears back. They poured down his face, onto the top of your head, as the two of you stood there, holding one another, weeping openly.

Moments later, Amy’s voice could be heard, calling out to you. You parted from Rhett, turning to see the girl approaching, holding the walkie-talkie in her hand. “This keeps going off!” She exclaimed, waving the device around.

Rhett stepped forward, reaching for the walkie. As he tried to raise Danny and Finn on the channel, you opened your arms, and Amy surged forward into your embrace. 

“You okay, sweetheart?” You asked her.

“Y-yeah,” she said with a nod. “That was so scary! But you stopped it, didn’t you? It worked?”

You managed a smile, despite your tear-dampened cheeks. “Yes. It worked!”

She grinned widely, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, that’s so cool! You stopped a tornado! I bet you’re the first person in the world to do it!”

Though, you couldn’t entirely take credit for it. After all, you’d only pressed the button. It was Zara’s brainchild. However, you were elated that you had been given the opportunity to put it into action, and see the results up close and personal. 

“We did it, boys!” Rhett shouted into the walkie, his voice drawing your attention back to him. “We stopped our first twister!”

The sound of hooping and hollering could be heard on the other end, and you found yourself beaming, a sense of all-consuming joy washing over you. The look of pure, unadulterated glee on Rhett’s face made your heart sing, threatening to soar right out of your chest and into the clouds above.

“We’re comin’ to you, so stay put!” Finn shouted over the receiver.

“Over and out!” Rhett responded. Carelessly, he tossed the walkie-talkie aside, letting it thud against the soft earth. Then he was running at Amy, lifting her into his arms and spinning her around as she squealed with delight. “We did it, honey!”

“Yeah!” She laughed musically, throwing her head back, hair flying behind her. 

As he slowed to a stop, he gently put her down, but he swayed a little, unsteady on his feet. Instinctively, you reached out to steady him.

“Whoa there, cowboy.” You tilted his chin up, inspecting the gash on his head. It was right above his temple, and it looked rather deep. “You need stitches.”

“Naw, I’ll be fine,” he protested with the wave of his hand. 

“You’re bleeding from a gash in your head. You’re getting stitches.” Your tone left no room for discussion. 

Rhett simply shut his mouth and nodded. In the moment, hopped up on adrenaline, he couldn’t feel it. But now, it was beginning to throb, and he felt a little woozy on his feet. Even so, he simply couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

It felt as if he was living in a dream. He was afraid to pinch himself, for fear that he would actually wake up. However, the warmth of your body against his as you wrapped your arm around his waist was real. Your sweet voice, full of concern as you fussed over his bloodied face, was real. You were real. 

“Here they come!” Amy called out, motioning to the approaching RV. Danny was driving at full speed, clearly eager to reach the two of you. 

Still pressed against Rhett’s side, you turned your head, raising a hand in greeting. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, both men jumped out, hooping and hollering. 

“We thought for sure you guys were goners!” Finn exclaimed as the two jogged toward you. “We lost your signal and couldn’t see you anywhere!”

“Honestly, we thought we were goners, too,” Rhett replied with honesty as he exchanged a knowing look with you. You placed your hand over his heart. You were both here. Alive and safe. The Fates had smiled down on you today.

“Damn, look at your head,” Danny spoke up, eyeing the wound. “Y’alright, man?”

“Yeah. The trailer jammed and I had to jump out and get it unhooked. Got clipped in the head while I was doin’ it.”

“Hey, what matters is you survived. And you stopped a fuckin’ twister, baby!” Finn shouted. Then, upon noticing Amy’s presence, he winced. “Whoops, sorry kiddo. Guess I should watch my potty mouth.”

Amy grinned as she came up beside you, lovingly taking hold of your arm. “It’s okay, just don’t let Gramma hear you talk that way,” she said with a giggle.

You smiled down at her, but very quickly sobered up when you thought of her grandparents. “We’d better go check on your parents,” you told Rhett. However, just as you spoked, the sound of an approaching truck grabbed your attention. 

All of you looked across the pasture to see Royal’s old truck approaching. As soon as he came to a stop, Cecilia was all but leaping out of the cab, Amy’s name on her lips as she rushed toward the group.

“Gramma! I’m okay!” Amy called out, rushing to her grandmother. 

You watched, verklempt, as the woman dropped to her knees in front of her granddaughter. Her entire world. “Oh! You had us scared half to death, you hear me?! Don’t you ever do that again!” She scolded, though there was no malice in her tone. She pulled the child to her bosom and hugged her tightly. Amy hugged her right back.

Moments later, Royal joined his wife, and Amy pulled away to hug her grandfather, arms wrapping around his middle. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, never one for dramatic shows of emotion. 

Cecilia rose to her feet again, and finally took in the sight of the four of you. Her eyes fell upon her son, and she stepped forward, concern clouding her face. “Goodness, Rhett. Your head!” She approached, gripping his chin and turning his face so she could get a closer look. “You need stitches!”

His mouth curved into a soft smile, though his eyes shone with tears. “I’ll get ‘em, Mom. Don’t worry ‘bout me.”

She patted his cheek, her bottom lip quivering. “I’m your mother. I’ll always worry about you.” Without a word, Rhett broke away from you so that he could embrace her, strong arms wrapping around the woman who had given him life.

He thought of all she’d lost. She had endured the worst loss that anyone could suffer, and yet, she was the picture of strength and grace. He was so grateful for the mother he had. He knew that he put her through a lot by choosing to chase, after that very same thing had been what took her oldest son from her. And yet, she never once told Rhett to give up what he loved, even if it scared her to no end. 

“I love you,” he heard himself whisper. 

As she pulled away, she patted his chest and nodded, unable to voice her reply. But he already knew what she’d say. I love you too. 

And then he lifted his head to see his father approaching. Royal eyed the gash on his son’s head, and proceeded to clasp his shoulder. “You did it, boy. You fin’lly did it.”

Rhett grinned. “Nah. She did it.” He pointed to you, pride evident on his face. 

You came up beside him, and he tucked you against his side once again. “We did it,” you corrected. There was no you without him.

“Well, because of you, the farm’s safe, and so’s Amy. And I just know that Perry and the girls would be so proud of what you two did today,” Cecilia spoke out, smiling tearfully. She pulled you in for a hug, which you gratefully accepted. 

You cherished the significance of the moment, body warm with pride and disbelief at the accomplishment you had just witnessed. 

“Can we get ice cream to celebrate?” Amy’s voice suddenly rang out over the low chatter of the group. Her eagerness pulled an amused laugh out of everyone.

“First, Uncle Rhett needs to get his head sewn shut. But yes, we can get ice cream,” Cecilia promised. The girl excitedly pumped her fist in satisfaction.

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” you told Rhett, slipping out from beneath his arm.

“So that means I ain’t drivin’?” He asked.

“Are you kidding me? Absolutely not.” Then you turned to Danny and Finn. “You two want to get ice cream with us after I get this guy put back together again?”

“Yeah, sure,” Danny said, nodding his head. “First we’re gonna check on the tanks and see if Zara’s up for a talk so we can let her know what happened.”

“Just give us a call once you head to the ice cream place and we’ll meet you there,” Finn echoed. “We’ve got so much to do. We…we really stopped a twister. We’ve got phone calls to make. We need to get a grant from OU. We need to see if we can start testing this out on a wider scale. I mean, holy shit, this is, like, history making stuff here!”

Danny clapped him on the back. “Hey now, don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ll figure all that out.” He looked at you and Rhett and smiled. “You focus on gettin’ our cowboy stitched up. We’ll talk everything else over later.”

You hummed, shooting him a smile. “Sure thing. See you guys in a bit.”

As the two men ambled off toward the trailer to inspect the tanks, you turned to guide Rhett to the truck. Cecilia and Royal were already guiding Amy into their own vehicle to depart, which left the two of you alone.

“C’mon now, let’s get you fixed up.”

Rhett smiled as you led him toward the passenger side, and as you opened the door, he leaned toward you. “Can you believe it?” He asked. 

It was your turn to smile, and you shook your head. “No. I really can’t.” It was truly unfathomable, the thing that you had done that day. Stopping a weather phenomenon in its tracks. It was impossible. Improbable. And yet, with Zara’s genius invention, and the rest of the team’s help, you’d made it happen. 

“You’re fuckin’ amazing, you know that?”

You rolled your eyes as you nudged him to climb into the truck. “Far from it. I just pressed a button.”

Once the door was shut, he leaned out the open window, arms resting atop the door. “No. You did so much more than that. You go from bein’ fuckin’ terrified of twisters, to conquering one of ‘em. Pretty amazing if y’ask me.”

Ducking your head shyly, your lashes fluttered before you looked up at him again. When he lowered down to kiss you, you let him. “I’m proud of you, girl.”

His praise was all you needed to hear.

With a soft sigh, you rounded the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. You started the engine and then moved to buckle your seatbelt, making sure Rhett’s was also buckled, before you set off across the property, toward the main road.

For the entire ride to the hospital, his hand rested comfortingly upon your thigh. You let it stay there.

Once you arrived at the emergency room, it did not take long at all for them to call him back, his head wound making him a priority. Around you, people chatted about the storm, and how they’d seen a twister touch down nearby. Little did they know that the reason it stopped was because of what you had done. 

Rhett was given a total of four stitches in his head. Though he was entirely fine with needles, you still held his hand during the procedure. He didn’t push you away. In fact, he was grateful for your presence. It made him feel at ease. 

Afterward, once he was all stitched up and ready to go, you walked out of the hospital, with his arm around your shoulder, and yours around his waist. “Let’s get you some ice cream, cowboy,” you said.

“I like the sound of that.” He replied.

If only for a short time, you let go of everything. The stress and the fright that you had endured that day. The worry, the uncertainty, and everything else. You let yourselves celebrate an astonishing victory with the people you loved, enjoying ice cream cones, reliving happy memories, and telling stories of storm chases gone by.

And you realized, as you sat around the table at the very same ice cream parlor you had gone to after Rhett’s extraordinary ride at the rodeo, that you were entering into a brand-new chapter. Everything was going to change after this, and you welcomed that change with open arms.

It was time to start living your life.

Epilogue

One Year Later

“S’that the last box, honeybee?” Rhett’s voice rang out through the house, reaching your ears from where you stood in the hallway.

“Yeah, that’s everything!” You called back.

His footsteps were heavy on the rickety old staircase, taking the steps two at a time. He found you standing in the doorway of what was now your shared bedroom. He couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at his mouth at the sight of you, so effortlessly beautiful, and all his.

“Hey there,” he murmured, hooking an arm around your waist and pulling you close. You melted into him, body warm and familiar. 

“You’re sweaty,” you stated, and he hummed in amusement. 

“Yeah, well, draggin’ eight hundred boxes into the house will do that to a body,” he replied.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Me? Exaggerate? Never,” came his faux shocked reply.

You turned in his arms then, placing your hands against his solid chest. Sweat glimmered on his brow, which you reached up to wipe away, letting your fingers wander to the faint scar just above his temple. A reminder of the day you had made history. “Can you believe we’re finally here?”

He shook his head, ducking his head to kiss your nose. “Been waitin’ for this moment for so long. A place t’ call our own.”

What a journey it had been. After the success of stopping the twister the year prior, you had made the decision to leave your job in Silver Spring and move back to Wabang. You didn’t want to endure a long distance relationship with Rhett. If you were going to invite him back into your life, there would be no miles between you ever again.

You decided to buy your great-aunt’s house after you’d cleaned it out. But the place had been in need of many repairs. After many months of hard work, the house was finally ready for you to move in. And what a joyous occasion it was. You were filled with hope, and excitement for the future.

Things were looking very promising for you both. Your background in weather analyzation had landed you a job at the University of Oklahoma, overseeing the field-testing of various weather related devices. The university had bestowed a grant to Zara’s team, funding any further research into the use of CO₂ and nitrogen used to slow and stop tornadoes. 

Unfortunately, Zara had been unable to be as involved as she wanted to be with the project. After the initial health scare that had taken her and Jeslyn away from the chase you’d gone on a year ago, Zara’s mother had been diagnosed with cancer, leaving Zara and Jeslyn to move into her parents home to help her father care for the woman. 

In her absence, she asked you to supervise any and all chases involving her method of tornado taming, and you gladly accepted the responsibility, willing to help her in any way possible as she endured this difficult time.

As for Rhett, he was recruited by the university to test storm chasing vehicles that might be used in future weather projects. He was able to take each of them into the field to see how they performed under acute weather conditions. No vehicle passed inspection without his stamp of approval. 

Both of you had been through so much. Loss, grief, fear and uncertainty. There would always be a void in your hearts, a permanent ache whenever you remembered the three people that had been ripped from your lives so many years ago. You would never forget them, and you would honor the memory of Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia in everything you did. 

But now, it seemed that there was a light shining at the end of the long, dark tunnel. You were moving into your very first home together. You were truly, deeply content, and you were able to do what you loved, side by side. 

What more could you have ever asked for?

The vibration of Rhett’s phone in the pocket of his jeans cut through the air at that very moment, interrupting your peaceful exchange. Quickly, he slipped the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.

As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Let me guess, it’s Danny,” you said.

Rhett grinned, turning the screen so you could read the text. Storm’s moving in! Y’all ready to wrangle some twisters?

“Well then, I guess we should get a move on, huh cowboy?”

He stole another kiss from your lips before he grasped your hand. “Guess so, cowgirl.” Then you were off, hand in hand, rushing down the steps. 

As you scrambled out the door, the feeling of heavy, humid air immediately engulfed you, and you breathed in deeply, relishing in the scent. A storm’s a brewin’.

But you weren’t afraid. Far from it. You were eager, heart pounding against your rib cage in anticipation. Oh, how far you’d come. What had once terrified you now exhilarated you. 

“Ready, honeybee?” Rhett asked you as you climbed into the truck. 

With a confident nod, you replied, “As I’ll ever be. Let’s go own the sky, baby!”

Fin.

[crazyk-imagine]

Flickering Lights and Butterflies

Pairing: Paul Lahote x Enhanced!reader

Characters: Enhanced!reader, Paul Lahote, Sam Uley, Emily Young, Jacob Black, Seth Clearwater, Embry Call, Quil Atera V, Jared Cameron, Brady Fuller, Collin Littlesea, Reader's sister (briefly mentioned), Unnamed Aunt (briefly mentioned)

Warnings: Angst, fluff, Paul being a butt, pack loves reader, I'm making it canon (for myself) that Quil is the shortest one of all, the guys tease the youngest members a lot, Emily is my iconic queen, I love writing for them, the pack is a wholesome and chaotic crew, this would have been so long so I broke it into two parts, I like adding Brady and Collin because they're my fun extras, my babies are causing themselves issues, literally don't know how involved I got with this, Sam knows when to listen to his luna

Word Count: 2,040

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You close your eyes and throw an arm over your head, covering the upper half of your face.

You can feel the energy from the person sitting beside you but don't move.

The crunching of the grass raising the hairs on your arms causing you to inadvertently shiver from the goosebumps.

"Are you ever going to come back inside?"

"Why should I?"

"First off, I don't want you to get a cold."

You sigh, "Emily-"

"I'm not pressuring you to come back inside but I don't want you to be cold. I don't want to lose another girl to hang out with because she was stubborn."

You scoff through your nose, lips twitching as you fight to keep your emotions in control. You push yourself up and stare up into the sky, blowing out a breath, seeing it disappear into the wind.

God it's cold.

"See, it's cold enough for you to see your breath which means it's time to come inside."

You smile at her concern, something you haven't heard in a while. "I'll be right behind you."

The knot in your shoulder tightens and the burning, tingling sensation is back. "I don't want to talk to him."

He huffs, "I'm not the bad guy here."

"You don't sound like the good guy either."

"Says you."

You push yourself off the ground and rush past him.

He grabs your arm, pulling you back.

You gasp in fear, grabbing at his hand; worried for his safety. "Get off me."

"Not until we talk."

"I don't want to talk. Let go of me." You avoid staring into his eyes.

"Give me five minutes. It's not going to hurt you."

"Let go of me."

"Look me in the eye and I will."

You shove him away and run inside. You lock yourself in the guest bathroom.

Emily runs in, glancing around in search of you. "Bathroom," she mutters.

The others enter, seeing their luna knocking on the door.

They turn to Paul who glares at the door with his arms crossed.

"What happened?" Embry asks.

"Little miss stains ran off into the bathroom."

They can see the play back in their minds and wonder what happened.

-

You hold your head in your hands, pleading to freak out. "No, no, no."

You raise your head, staring at the ceiling. "Please don't."

You can hear her pleading and assume the others are talking about you in a bad way.

You hyperventilate, unsure of how to calm down.

You hold your breath and rub your chest, mentally telling yourself you're okay and need to calm down.

The lights pop.

You don't want to go out.

-

"Sweetie. I need you to open the door. I need to see that you're okay."

Sam steps towards his fiancée. "What's happening?"

She places a hand on his arm. "Sam as much as I love you, I need you and the boys to stay in the kitchen."

He wants to ask more but can see by the look on her face, he won't get any. He nods and steps away.

She sits beside the door, "they're in the kitchen. I told them to go away."

"Emily," you whine, embarrassed.

"It's okay. If you come out, then we can take care of this."

You unlock the door after a few moments. "I am so sorry."

"I know," she opens her arms to hug you.

You immediately throw yourself into her grasp.

Paul catches slight movement from the corner of his eyes and smells the saltiness of your tears, furrowing his brows.

You two make your way back into the kitchen.

You glance at them from the corner of your eye, sensing the concern of Sam about his fiancé.

You lower your head.

Emily breaks away from Sam, mouthing that she's got this.

She places a gentle hand on your shoulders. "Do you want to go home?"

You raise your head and stare at her with a wobbly lip, tears trailing past your waterline.

She offers a gentle smile. "I'll stay with you tonight. I won't leave you alone."

"You promise?" Your voice cracks, breaking everyone's heart, namely Paul's.

She gives you an affirmative nod. "I promise. Have you ever known me to break a promise?"

You can't hold back the choking sob that escapes when you laugh.

She wraps an arm around you and pulls you out with her, heading into her old truck.

He follows behind.

As soon as you settle into the passenger seat, he tries to make his way to you. "Can I-"

She shakes her head. "Not now, Paul. She's- today's not good, okay?"

"What's wrong with her?"

She shakes her head, "I know that's not what you mean but I can't answer that because we need to go."

His eyes follow the truck as she backs out.

You look up and catch his gaze, his shoulders sag at the sight of your broken-down face.

-

You wake up and stare at the ceiling with the moonlight lighting the living room.

Emily lays asleep on the longer end of the couch, curled into the blanket since tonight's colder than it has been all week.

You push yourself up and think about everything that happened earlier in the day. You don't know whether you wish it didn't happen or if it happened sooner.

You wander into the kitchen and get yourself a glass of water.

After drinking as much as you can, you glance out the window and stare into the forest, always finding it peaceful since you were a kid... back when you two were friends.

You sigh, remembering how embarrassed you were, it was stupid but then your parents got into an accident and your sister was taken to live with your aunt in California while you were left in the care of Emily because she was your godmother and wanted nothing more than to keep you in Folks.

She tried all she could to keep you two together, but your mom's sister fought harder for your sister.

You know Paul probably doesn't even know why you were so upset or what happened since a proper funeral didn't take place, you don't even know if he knows.

You blink and you’re back to reality, no longer stuck in memory lane and find a wolf near your house.

It's him, you know it.

There's no other reason a wolf would be nearby at this time of night, intensely staring at your house or you.

You turn away, unsure of what to do about everything that's happened.

You step back into the living room, checking on Emily, smiling when you see she's still asleep.

You wipe the stray tear that trickles down your cheek, thinking back to when you and your sister would stay in the living room for your sister hangouts.

A shadow moving near the door alarms you, causing you to turn and investigate.

You jump, placing a hand over your heart, wanting to curse him out.

You carefully unlock the door and step outside, making sure to grab your key beforehand, in case you get locked out.

The last thing you need is Paul to try and get you back inside and/or scare the daylight out of Emily because of him.

You sigh, crossing your arms. "What do you want?"

His eyes are drawn down towards your chest at your movements before trailing back to your annoyed expression, something he finds himself falling more and more for.

"If you’re just going to oogle me like a piece of meat, I'm going back inside."

His hands grab your wrist, stopping you before you can step closer to the door. "No- I- I didn't come here for that."

"What did you come for?" You snatch your wrist back from him.

The porch light buzzes, you pray this doesn't take long.

"I wanted to talk."

"Then talk."

"Could we skip the attitude?"

"The only one here with the attitude is you."

"Says the one who keeps running when I open my mouth."

"It was a bad idea coming out here to talk to you, just go, Paul."

He sighs.

The light pops, breaking above you.

You flinch, raising your arm to cover your face and slowly dropping it so the pieces of light don't cut your skin.

He wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you away from the mess. "Hey, hey," he cups your cheeks. "Are you okay?"

You avoid making eye contact with him.

"Stop fighting me and look at me."

You turn your head and find his concerned expression to be the most breathtaking thing you've ever seen.

His eyes are drawn the red line across your cheek. "Your-"

Emily opens the door, staring at the two of you and looks to the side, finding the mess. "You two get inside so I-"

Paul shakes his head, "I'll do it. You take care of her."

-

"You need to tell him."

"I don't have to tell him."

"He's your best friend."

"Was my friend but then he started growing up and became a butthead."

"Boys who like someone are mean to them because they have the emotional capacity of a stick."

You owlishly blink, listening to the phrase she said. "Yeah, I know. He's prime example number one."

"Not all relationships are perfect."

"That's true and we're not in one."

"Maybe he can help you?"

"With what?"

"Your issue."

You shake your head, "no. He's not helping me."

"He's the only one who doesn't know."

"The other guys don't know."

"I think out of all the boys, other than Sam, Quil might know what happened, other than that they don't."

"And I don't know them."

She sighs, "is this really the attitude you're going to have towards the one the universe decided was yours?"

You pretend to think about it for a second. "Yep."

-

You step out of the hall, watching him try and remember where to put the broom. "Give it." You put it back in its place. "Thanks."

"It was no big deal. I didn't want you to get hurt."

You roll your eyes. "That."

"What?"

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Why do you think?"

The question holds no attitude even though the phrase seems like it.

"I don't know because you won't talk about it."

"Do you- nevermind."

"No, tell me."

"I don't want to do this right now, Paul. Please, go home."

"No," he stands his ground, tired of you pushing him away. "What happened with us because one second we're friends and the next we're not."

"Did you ever think maybe you acting like a dick was reason enough?"

"You're blaming me?" His shoulders tense up.

Emily notices and eyes him from the couch.

"I didn't make fun of my friend and get the other kids to join in on the tormenting, you did that easily enough."

"I didn't mean to. I told you-"

"That was not joking around, and you blatantly made fun of me."

"I- I didn't know any better. I was a kid."

"Just because you were a kid, doesn't mean you didn't have a brain, you just had to use it. You know those kids are ruthless and mean then you joined in with them."

"I didn't think they were close to me."

"They hated me."

"Everyone hated everyone, girls were gross then."

You scoff, looking away to hide the fact that that day was the beginning of the end for you as you tear up. "I don't want to talk to you anymore," you tell him wiping your cheek.

"Why are you crying?"

"Do you even know how long that stupid nickname has stuck around, even now because you still use it?"

"It's cute."

"It's annoying. I don't like it and you still bully me."

"It's not bullying if it's endearing."

"Try the opposite."

"Okay," he sighs, "I'll stop using it."

"I'm happy the two of you are acting like your friends again but it's almost two in the morning and I'm tired."

"I'm off patrol and it's raining."

"Convenient," you mumble.

He smiles, staring at you as you plop beside Emily. "The lights are still working."

"I noticed." She places her hand on the back of your head and mindlessly pats your head.

You fight to keep your eyes open, listening to the two talking while you're becoming more and more relaxed.

-

Tag List

@kmc1989 @gilbertgirl13

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Continue to: Part II

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