#fuck holding us by the gas we will make it this winter

[paskariu]

Keeping my heater on one out of five is making me feel more patriotic than i have in the entire rest of my life combined

[justagalwhowrites]

Yearling - Ch. 10: Feral

You come up with a plan to replenish Jackson's supply of horses. A continuation of Yearling ch. 1-9 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: None. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ Only 

Length: 7k 

AO3 | Chapter One | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Late Fall, 2003 

You thought you were 20 years old. 

It was hard to tell. You lost track of time quickly after the outbreak but you thought it was November which means you’d turned 20. It was both hard to believe that it had been more than a month since the world ended but it seemed like it should have been longer than that, too. It felt like forever. 

It had been weeks since you’d talked to another person. Leo had been the last human who wasn’t infected you’d seen and you’d rather deal with infected than him. Winter was getting closer. You could feel it in the air, the threat of snow on the wind and you couldn’t keep going like this. You’d need shelter, both for you and for Nike. 

You’d made it a point to stay off roads and stick to the wilderness. There was less chance of running into people that way, assuming there were any actual people left. You still ran into infected people out there, though. Their shrieking, clawing forms were obvious, even from afar. They weren’t smart like predators, they didn’t prowl or stalk. They just stumbled through the world hoping to run into someone else to attack. It made them easy to pick off, able to sit atop Nike and shoot them, dropping them from so far away that they weren’t even really a threat. 

But now, you would have to try your luck with the roads. You needed to find a place to hole up for the winter and you weren’t going to find that where you were, it was too damn remote. It was a risk, you knew, but the bigger risk was staying out in the elements where you’d freeze to death. One was a sure shot at death, the other was just a really good chance of it. 

So when you came across a road, you made the call.

“Well, at least we’ll go down swingin’,” you scratched Nike’s neck and sighed, guiding her onto the pavement. 

You were on the road for a few hours before you came to a town. You could smell it before you saw it, the air rotten and reeking. You scrunched your nose against it, passing the burned out shell of a humvee as you came up on the gas station and dollar store that marked the edge of whatever tiny place you’d stumbled upon. 

The town was small, maybe four streets. There was a McDonald’s and a small grocery store and then, at the center of town, at the corner with a pharmacy and a delivery pizza place and a dentist’s office, was a pile of bodies. 

It looked like the whole town, dozens of them all rotting and bloated, flies gathered on distended and split bellies. 

“Fuck,” you leaned over the side of Nike and threw up, choking and gagging on the sight and smell. 

Once you were sure you weren’t going to vomit on yourself, you dismounted and took Nike’s bridle, stepping as close as you dared to the decomposing pile. One of the bodies was intact enough that you could see what killed him. A bullet to the head. 

“What the fuck?” You breathed, looking over more of the bodies. The few you could make out had all been shot. “What the fuck?” 

They could all have been infected, of course. But the whole town? All at once? To put in some perverse pile like trash? It didn’t make sense. Something else had happened here. 

“We’re just gonna figure out where the fuck we are and pick a place to go,” you said to Nike as you led her to the pharmacy. 

You pried the doors open and went to the single check out counter, looking for something to tell you where you were. You managed to break open the cash register - not that you bothered holding onto any of the money, the sudden realization that these pieces of paper were inherently valueless barely even registering when compared to the pile of bodies outside - and found the cash bag for the bank. There was a label on the front. “Wilson’s Pharmacy 167 Main St. Davis Junction Wyoming.” 

“Davis Junction,” you said to yourself quietly, frowning. The name was familiar. You recognized it from something but you couldn’t put your finger on what. 

You looked outside to make sure Nike was still tethered to the lamp post and made your way quickly through the store, finding what supplies you could from what had already been looted. There were some canned foods, at least, and some bottled drinks. There were also packs of tampons and some pain killers so you took those, too. You loaded Nike down with everything you could fit into the saddle bags and your pack before going to scratch her forehead. 

“Davis Junction,” you said to her. She chuffed. “Sounds familiar to you, too, then?” She stomped her hooves impatiently. You went to climb on her back again when you remembered where you knew the name of the town. 

This was the place where one of the stupid tourist ranches your ranch sold horses to picked up their clients. There was a tiny airport just outside of town, just big enough for all the rich assholes in their private planes to fly in to dress up and play cowboy for a week or two. The ranch was north of town a good 25 miles, you thought, and off the beaten path. 

If it had turned out like where you’d come from, everyone there would be dead or turned and you’d have the place to yourself. The perfect spot to ride out the winter. 

“Let’s see if we can’t find that place, huh?” You gave Nike a pat and pointed her north, heading to where you hoped you’d find salvation. You didn’t want to come back here if you could help it, not to the rotting flesh and the haunting emptiness of the place. 

It took you the better part of two days to find the ranch, relying on the hazy memory you had of bringing horses you’d broken over in the fall of 2002 to turn down different dirt roads that weren’t labeled and seemed to lead into the wilderness. 

But eventually, you found it. You were right, the place was abandoned. You went room by room through the bunk house and the main house and the barn - the horses that had been housed there long gone. There was plenty of tack left, though. Feed, too. If you could keep pests out of it, there was enough to last Nike all winter. 

The trick would be getting you through it all. 

“At least you’re covered,” you sighed, scratching Nike’s neck. She chuffed. “You’re the better of us, anyway.” 

Your first winter on your own was rough. 

You’d never cooked for yourself before. You’d gone straight from living with your parents to living in the bunkhouse where all the meals were provided for you. You’d made mac and cheese for yourself a few times and knew how long to toast a Pop Tart but that was about the extent of it. 

Now, you didn’t have the luxury of a stove or oven or even a grocery store. There were some canned things left behind but you wanted to stretch it, so you started hunting.

You’d hunted with your dad and brothers as a girl but had never dressed an animal, so you took a guess. You also took a guess at how to cook the damn thing, assuming it was safe to eat once the outside was charred black. 

You were wrong. 

You gave yourself food poisoning six times that winter, thought you were dying at least twice. You damn near froze to death in the bunk house before you decided to check out a cluster of cabins for the tourists that you’d passed several times on your hunts but never actually gone into. Sometime about halfway through the winter, you moved you and Nike into them. They were smaller so they warmed up easier and they had working fireplaces. 

Things got a bit easier after that. 

Winter was still hard. You lost weight that you couldn’t really afford to lose and supplies from the ranch were diminished but you’d survived with Nike. By spring, you had a reasonable set up going. 

The books in the tourist cabins - put there for some kind of aesthetic set dressing you were sure - were oddly helpful. Information on hunting and trapping and foraging in the old west was abundant if not necessarily thorough. It was enough that you thought you could live there for a while without needing to risk finding a town where you might run into another person. 

It was in this newly comfortable period that you were out on Nike, further from home than you usually ventured, exploring more than anything else, when you saw them. A whole herd of wild horses, dozens of them, running free.

You weren’t sure how long you watched them. They clearly hadn’t seen people in a while, paying you and Nike no mind as they went about their business grazing and running. You scratched Nike’s neck. 

“All my eggs are in one horse sized basket with you, aren’t they?” You said. 

Many of your traps were too far away to reasonably walk to check them regularly. You were too far from any towns to make it on foot and back in a day, especially hauling anything back with you. You wouldn’t last long without a horse and you had one. If she broke a bone, escaped, got shot in an attack, you’d be fucked. 

You leaned forward on the saddle, watching the horses.

“How about we get you a sister?”

June, 2026

Joel was next to you, close enough that your arm brushed his. 

It was about the only thing keeping you from snapping into a full blown panic. You were wearing the shirt again but the smell was already fading. Having Joel close enough that you could feel him there was helping keep you grounded. 

“Clearly our current patrol schedule and pattern was lacking,” Warren, an ex-Army officer who coordinated the patrols, was saying. “We absolutely cannot cut back, not now. Not if we expect to stay safe.” 

“Our resources are limited,” Maria sighed. “We only have so many horses…” 

“We have the foals,” Warren said. “How long ‘fore they’re trained?” 

“Now is as good a time as any to hear from the stables,” Maria sighed, her eyes finding you pressed against the back wall, your nails digging into the wood paneling until it hurt. 

You froze for a moment, chest tight. 

“You can do this,” Joel said gently. You glanced up at him. He gave you a small smile. “I’ll be right here. You’re OK.” 

You hadn’t really wanted to come to this council meeting at all. Tommy got Joel to talk you into it. Consciously, you knew you needed to be there. The whole purpose of the meeting was to discuss how to handle patrols after the attack now that you were down almost half a dozen animals. You needed to be there. 

But you knew the whole town would be crammed into one room, that emotions would be high, and that you’d probably need to talk in front of everyone. You’d never been one for public speaking, not even before. Now? It seemed like hell. 

But you had to do it. 

You took a deep, shaky breath and crossed your arms over your front before you spoke up. 

“We got…” 

“Can you step forward?” Maria cut you off. “We’re having a hard time hearing you from back there.” 

You clenched your jaw. 

“I’ll go with you,” Joel said quietly. “I’ll watch your back, you’re OK.” 

You pushed yourself off the back wall and walked up the middle aisle of the chairs packed into the meeting hall, Joel close enough behind you that you could feel him there. You kept your eyes on Maria. You liked Maria. She was safe. You stopped in front of the council, Joel close behind, the weight of every eye in the room heavy on you. 

“We got three foals right now but they’re yearlings,” you said, arms crossed, eyes on Maria. “They’re too new to break yet, can’t start workin’ with them until next year. We can try to foal some more, but it’ll take a year before they’re here and two more before we can start to work with ‘em. Add another two months to break ‘em, so three and a half years…” 

“So you’re saying we’re fucked,” Warren said. 

You looked at him, brows drawn together. 

“That ain’t what I said at all,” you replied. “There’s…” 

“Sounds like that’s what you’re saying,” he cut you off before turning back to the council. You clenched your jaw, fingers digging into your biceps. “What we really need…” 

“What you really need to do is shut the fuck up and let her finish talkin’,” Joel growled over him. “This ain’t your area of expertise.” 

Joel had stepped closer to you, at your shoulder now. You glanced up at him and he gave you a nod. 

“What I was saying,” you said, glaring at Warren before looking back to Maria. “There’s another option.” 

“Which is?” She asked. 

“We catch horses instead of breeding them,” you said. The room went almost eerily quiet, none of the soft side conversations still happening. 

“We’ve never tried to catch and break wild horses before,” another council member, Anthony, frowned. “Seems like a big risk…” 

“It’s not,” you said, all but forgetting the room full of people. “I’ve done it before, there are herds of feral horses I think about 40 miles north of here. Getting them back here will take some doing but send enough people and we can do it. Breaking a feral horse is a bit more work than one you foaled yourself but it’s perfectly doable. We send a group up to capture a few, bring them back here. I can get them all to dumb broke and then divide up the rest of the work, Olivia can handle some, Simon, too. In four months, give or take, we can get back to full capacity.” 

“And you’re confident you can do this,” Maria asked, brows raised. 

“Did it before without help,” you shrugged. “Shouldn’t be a problem now.” 

“Then we’ll send a group to find horses next week,” she said. “Warren, in the mean time, find a way for us to cover the immediate area at least partially on foot, get us through until we’re back up to our normal supply of horses.” 

You stayed put as the meeting hall emptied, leaning against Joel as it did. After a moment, his hand went to your lower back and you relaxed into him. You wanted some breathing room before trying to make your way back home, not up for the press of people as they filtered onto the street and went their separate ways. 

“Thanks,” you said, glancing up at him. “Hate fuckin’ talking in front of people…” 

“Warren’s a jackass when he decides he’s right about somethin’,” Joel said. “Can’t tell when to shut the fuck up for the life of ‘em.” 

“Wonder what that’s like,” you smirked a little and caught Joel rolling his eyes when you looked up at him. 

“Let’s get you home before you find a way to cause more trouble,” he muttered. 

“When do I cause trouble?” You turned to look at him directly, eyes wide. He smiled. 

“You stole a horse the first day you were here,” he nudged you toward the door. “So we’ll start there, work our way through the last eight months…” 

“Yeah, yeah,” you elbowed him in the side, the room quieter and empty now. 

You always walked slowly when you walked home with Joel. Sometime in the past few weeks, the balance of something had tipped and you liked it more when you were next to him than when you were by yourself. You were spending more and more time with him as a result, half waiting for him to ask for space from you after you hung around so much. He hadn’t yet. 

“So this horse mission…” he trailed off, hands in his pockets. 

“Yeah?” You looked over to him. 

“Sounds…” he paused, quirking his jaw but not looking at you. “Sounds like it might be dangerous.” 

“Not exactly safe,” you shrugged. “But if you’re not a dumbass about it, no more dangerous than going on patrol.” 

“Not gonna get yourself killed because Warren’s too stubborn to figure out a new way to handle patrols, are you?” He asked, finally looking at you, his eyebrows knitted together. “Because if it’s too dangerous…” 

“I wasn’t lyin’ when I said I used to do this,” you smiled a little at him. “Took and broke probably three dozen horses after the outbreak, I can do it. Getting them all the way back here will be a struggle, though.” 

Joel nodded slowly. 

“You doubtin’ me?” You asked, half teasing but half not. It surprised you but you cared that he had faith in your skills. You needed him to think that you were capable, competent. Needed him to understand that you weren’t some useless thing shadowing him through the world. 

“Bambi, couldn’t pay me enough to doubt your skills with horses,” he smiled a little. “Just don’t want you puttin’ yourself in harm’s way. It’s not worth it.” 

“Will you come with me?” You asked. “To get the horses I mean.” 

He scoffed. 

“Good luck getting me to stay behind.” 

You smiled a little at that. 

“Is where we’re headed…” he trailed off, looking at his feet. “You sounded familiar with it. You been there recently?” 

You nodded slowly, your stomach clenching. 

“Been a few years but…” you shrugged, trying not to think of the place you left behind. Of what you would do to go back to what it was before. “The horses will be there. That’s the important thing.” 

Even with the slow pace, you reach your house eventually. Both your footsteps slow up your walk until you’re at your door. You cross your arms over your body and bite your lip, staring at Joel’s chest for a second before you work up the nerve to speak. 

“Can I ask a favor?” You couldn’t look him in the eye. 

“Course Bambi,” you could hear the frown in his voice. “What d’you need?” 

“I really love the shirt,” you said, gripping the cuffs a little tighter, nails digging into your palm through the cotton. “But… I think I’ve been wearin’ it too much and it doesn’t…” 

“Want another one?” He cut off your rambling and you were actually able to meet his gaze then. He was smiling a little, his eyes crinkled and warm and soft and you had the strangest urge to reach up and touch his face. You squeezed your biceps instead and nodded quickly. “I’ll give you another in a day or two. Don’t want you stuck with somethin’ that’s just sweaty…” 

“Thank you,” you leaned forward and pressed your forehead into his chest, breathing him in. You didn’t fully realize you were doing it until you were touching him - not that you had to go far to do it, you found yourself standing closer and closer to Joel all the time anymore - but you were relieved the second your body made contact with his. There was a relief in touching him. It sank into you, loosening your neck and your shoulders and your arms and your stomach until you had relaxed into him. He delicately put his arms around you, enveloping you in him. But you didn’t feel trapped or caged by it. Instead, you welcomed it, felt secure in it. Your arms slowly, cautiously, went around his waist, your hands splaying wide over his back to press his body closer. His chin came to rest on the top of your head and you could feel the life of him there against you, his breaths and his heartbeat and his heat. You held each other for a few minutes before you started to pull back from him. Not because you wanted to but because, if you didn’t, you weren’t sure what would come next. 

“See you tomorrow?” You asked, your hands shoved in your back pockets. It was safer to have them there, they weren’t at risk of doing something stupid there. 

“See you tomorrow.” 

***

Joel wasn’t thrilled with the people coming on the mission to collect horses. 

There were 12 people including him and you but Tommy was staying behind to help bolster the remaining patrols and protect the town over the few days you’d all be gone. 

Joel didn’t like it. 

There weren’t many people in Jackson he felt he could trust to really do what was necessary in situations like this one. 

Not that he didn’t generally trust the people there. He did. They were good men and women - even if Simon seemed to be begging to get laid out and Warren was a self righteous jackass. He had his issues with some of them, certainly, but they were all good people. People he was lucky to be around, given his checkered past. 

But they weren’t always the most capable. 

And, after the attack on the patrols, it felt like, when they left the town, they did it with a target on their backs.

This run was going to be even riskier than normal. 

The group would be heading far outside the usual bounds of patrols, be in greater danger returning as you guided half a dozen feral horses back across miles of open country. 

And you were helping to coordinate it all. 

Warren insisted on running point which was fine by Joel because it meant that he could stick close to you, try to force you to stick closer to the middle of the pack where you’d be less likely to be hit first by raiders or infected. 

Joel tried to not think about why he was so desperate to protect you, the flavor of the muscle-clenching fear akin to what he felt when he traveled with Ellie. You’d become woven into his life now. It hadn’t been what he’d intended when bringing you to Jackson, though he should have realized the risk of it from the first time he laid eyes on you. But you had quickly become the thing he looked forward to most every day. 

He’d work with Tommy on a construction project and find himself counting down to when he could go find you at the stable and walk to the mess hall for dinner. On days you weren’t working, he opened a window and waited for the squeak on the bottom step of his front porch - a squeak he hadn’t fixed in part because it meant he knew you were there to play guitar a second sooner. 

The one upside to this harebrained mission was the fact that he’d get to be next to you for days straight. Two days before everyone left, you were dragging your feet on the walk back to your place after movie night. Your arms were crossed over your chest, the sleeves of the shirt Joel had given you a few days earlier rolled up to your elbows, the bottom of it tied around your waist. Your lower lip was between your teeth as you looked at the ground, kicking clusters of dirt in the street with your boot as you walked. 

“Want to tell me what’s on your mind or are you just plannin’ to chew your lip off?” Joel asked lightly. 

“I wanna ask you somethin’ but I don’t want you feeling like you’re obligated to say yes,” you glanced up at him. 

“Ask me.” 

“Joel…” You sighed and trailed off. 

“Try me, Bambi.” 

You looked up at him. 

“I haven’t needed to sleep near other people in… a while,” you looked back toward your feet. “I’m not sure… I don’t know how that’s going to go. You’re the only person I trust enough to sleep next to and I was hoping that, if you’re OK with it, when we go out…” 

“Course, Sweetheart,” he smiled a little. “I was gonna try and stick close to you anyhow.” 

“Yeah?” You glanced over at him. 

“Yeah,” he smiled a little. “Warren fuckin’ snores.” 

The journey so far had been mercifully quiet, though you were tense. Joel could sense it on you, see it in the way you sat on your horse and the way you tried to subtly press your nose into the collar of the shirt he’d given you. But you kept looking out at the horizon, like you were waiting for something to come for you. 

Joel was relieved when Warren announced that they were nearing the stopping point for the night. Like he could relax a bit once a watch schedule was set and he didn’t feel like he’d need to look for a threat from every angle to keep you alive. 

You stuck close to him all evening, sitting near enough to him during dinner that your arm brushed his when you moved. 

“Here,” Joel held a flask out to you as everyone started going their separate ways, spreading out sleeping bags as stars appeared overhead. You raised your eyebrows at him. “If you want. Might help you sleep.” 

“Thanks,” you said, taking it from him. Your fingers brushed his and he tried to ignore what the feeling of your skin on his did to him. You took a drink. “You were smart, bringing this along.” 

Joel shrugged. 

“Been a while since I was sleeping rough. Thought it might help.” 

You nodded, taking another drink.

“Was that when you were traveling with Ellie?” You asked, handing the flask back to him. He took a drink, even though he didn’t even really want one. He just wanted his lips to touch where yours had been. He put the flask away. 

“That was a long stretch of it, yeah,” he smiled a little. It was almost strange, remembering that time fondly. They’d spent a lot of time trying to not get fucking killed. But she’d been with him, reading her damn puns and asking every question under the sun and calling him an old man. He’d give anything to do that with her again. “Didn’t seem so bad then.”

The two of you spread your sleeping bags out on the ground, a bit away from the next cluster of people. Far enough that it was almost like you had privacy. 

“What happened with you two?” You asked, sitting on your sleeping bag and looping your arms around your knees. 

“She hasn’t told you?” He asked, sitting on his own sleeping bag. It was funny, you felt oddly far away now even though, just a few weeks ago, he’d have been amazed at how close you were. 

“No,” you shook your head. “Tells me to ask you. Figured if you wanted me to know you’d tell me sometime but…” You shrugged. “Seemed like a good enough time to ask.” 

Joel nodded, trying to come up with a way to phrase it right. 

“We were in… a situation,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “My options were real limited and her life was on the line. I did what I had to do to get her out alive. She disagrees.” 

You nodded slowly, processing. 

“I’m guessing you had to hurt a lot of people to get her out of it,” you said, watching him carefully. 

“Not exactly proud of it but,” he shrugged. “I’d do it the same way all over again if given the chance. It was the only choice that made sense. What was the point of all that if it just ended in her dyin’? All the hell we went through to make it this fuckin’ far, the people who died on the way… I did what any parent would do. I saved my kid. She can hate me for it if she wants, that’s fine. At least she’s alive to do it.” 

You just nodded for a second, still watching him. For a moment, he wondered if you saw him for the monster he knew he was below the surface. If the shadow of the worst of him would scare you off. 

“She’ll understand one day,” you said after a moment. “Once she’s older, she’ll get it. If she’s ever a parent. She’ll understand.” 

Joel just looked at you for a moment, the moonlight casting you in silhouette, the curve of you soft and inviting. 

He lay down instead of touching you. 

“Joel?” You said quietly after a few minutes. 

“Hm?” 

“Would it be OK if I moved closer?” 

His heart beat faster. 

“Course.” 

He watched out of the corner of his eye as you adjusted in your sleeping bag until you were inches - not feet - away. 

“Feel free to shove me back if I snore,” you said, teasing a little. 

He laughed. 

“Sure, Bambi.” 

Joel woke up before you, the soft heat of you against him. You’d moved even closer to him in your sleep, your body loosely curled against his, your face against his chest. He could feel you breathing, your face relaxed in the early morning light. 

For a moment, he froze. Was it right to enjoy this? A closeness you hadn’t intended but had happened anyway? He wasn’t sure. But you were peaceful, looking calmer and more at ease than he’d ever really seen before, the edge of your lips curved into a small smile. 

Fuck, he wanted to kiss you. Wanted to knot his fingers in your hair and pull you close and taste you. 

“Bambi, sweetheart,” he said quietly instead, delicately reaching out and tucking the hair that had come loose from your braid behind your ear, his callused fingertips brushing against your skin and fuck you were soft. You were so fucking soft how were you that fucking soft? 

Your face scrunched, eyebrows knitting together over your still closed eyes. You groaned a little and nestled closer to him. Joel’s breath hitched and let his hand fall gently, delicately, to your cheek. You sighed contentedly. 

He could have stayed like that forever. Lay there, touching you, feeling you close and safe, and never grown tired of it. But he heard the sounds of others starting to stir for the day and doubted that you’d want anyone to see the two of you like this. 

“Bambi,” he said again, voice still soft. “Time to start wakin’ up…” 

You stretched a little and yawned before you opened your eyes and jumped a little, your gaze tracing over Joel’s face for a moment. 

“Sorry,” you yawned, voice scratchy with sleep. He took his hand back. “Wasn’t tryin’ to invade your space…” 

“S’OK.” It was more than OK. So much more than OK. Your eyes trailed down between the two of you, where your bodies touched, before going back to his face. 

“You’re warm.” 

“Been told that.” 

You smiled a little before rolling onto your back and putting more distance between you than Joel ever really wanted there to be. 

He sighed. He desperately needed to get his shit together with you. 

That’s all he could really think about as the group rode the last few hours to where you thought the horses would be. About how he couldn’t let the feelings he had for you take over. It wasn’t fair to you to let them take over. You trusted him, trusted him to not do the monstrous things other men did. You could hardly stand to be in the same room as other people but, for some reason, you’d accepted that Joel was safe. How safe could he really be if he thought about touching you, undressing you, being inside you when you’d made it clear that wasn’t what you wanted? 

Joel was relieved when the group found the horses. It would, at the very least, force him to think about something besides how he shouldn’t want you for a while. 

The animals had clearly not been near people for a long time, none of them so much as stirring at your arrival. There were dozens of them, grazing and casually romping in the shallow hills. It was an oddly idyllic scene, like something from a postcard or National Geographic, the world returning to its natural state now that humans had retreated from their position of power over all things.

“Maybe this’ll be easy,” Warren said as you and Joel rode up alongside him, looking out at the herd of animals

“They’ll take off once we start comin’ for ‘em,” you said, getting the rope from your saddle and slinging bundles of it over your shoulder. “We just need to keep herding them in the right direction until we got what we came for. Try to get younger ones, mares if you can. We still have a few stallions and we can keep numbers up if we foal them ourselves but we need enough mares for that to work.” 

“Right,” Warren clenched his jaw, clearly uncomfortable needing to default to your command. You didn’t seem to notice. 

“If you have trouble actually ropin’ ‘em, just focus on herding,” you said. “I can get them all eventually if we can keep them in this area and they don’t take off too far.” 

“I can do it,” he said, defensive. 

You shrugged. 

“Feral horses are different animals. Don’t feel bad if you can’t.” 

Joel tried not to laugh, Warren looking like he wanted to burst with the indignity of it all. The man wasn’t comfortable not being the best, not being in the lead. You, it seemed, were fine running things, confident enough in what you knew to not need to posture to prove it.  

“My group will go in from the east and the north,” you said, still unbothered. “You handle west and south.” 

The group split in half, you leading one side and Warren the other. You closed your eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened them again. 

“Let’s catch us some horses.” 

The system you’d devised may not have been ideal, but it worked. You were right, the horses did start moving once the group got close enough, but you found channels between them, guiding Renaissance with your body as your hands were occupied trying to get a rope around a horse. 

It took you three tries to get the lasso around the first one and you pulled it away from the rest, quickly passing the rope off to Jonathan, one of the men who’d come along for this mission. He started leading it away and you slung another rope off your arm, going for the next one. 

“Got one!” You yelled, loud enough that your voice would carry even over the thunder of hooves. “Push em’ east!” 

Joel could have watched you run horses down all day. Of course, he could have watched you do almost anything all day. But this was your element, on the back of an animal you’d worked with so much that she could anticipate your movements and you hers, bringing wild creatures to heel with your power. He was in awe of you, had to remember to play his part and not just get lost in watching you. 

You ended up taking five of the six horses Jackson needed, Warren taking the last one and looking none too pleased about his relatively lacking contribution. The horses were all tethered to trees about a quarter mile from where they’d been captured and you started working with them immediately, ingratiating yourself to them with apples and grain and water. By the end of the day, you’d gotten them to the point that they wouldn’t rear back when you approached and you’d started bringing other humans close to them with you, tying the idea of easy food to every new person they met. Joel watched in wonder when you reached a hand out for the calmest of them, like an offering. It smelled your palm and stomped its feet, huffing, before pressing its nose against your skin. 

“There we go,” you smiled, voice soft and gentle, cradling the horse’s large head in the palm of your hand. “See? I know it don’t seem like it now, but I’m a friend. I’ll take care of you, give you a good life. Promise.” 

By the time the new horses were settled enough to even consider moving them it was too late to start heading back to Jackson. You settled your sleeping bag near Joel’s again, but further than the night before. There was a distant look on your face, like you were somewhere else entirely. 

“You alright?” He asked as the two of you went to lie down for the night. 

“Fine,” you said quickly, almost too quickly. 

He frowned. You should be happy. The plan had worked, you’d successfully captured enough horses to make it that Jackson wasn’t short handed. No one had gotten hurt. You had a lot to be proud of. But you weren’t.

“Bambi…” 

“Said I’m fine, Joel.” 

He didn’t believe you when he fell asleep. He definitely didn’t believe you when he woke up, the night still dark and cold, and found your sleeping bag empty. 

He sat up quickly, looking around. Even with a bright moon it was dark and you were nowhere to be seen. 

“Bambi?” He said quietly, not really expecting a response but still feeling the thrill of panic clutch his chest when you didn’t reply. “Shit…” 

He got up, his back aching after a few hours on the ground. 

You might be with the new horses. But something told him he wouldn’t find you there. 

Instead, he went for where the horses that had come from Jackson had been put for the night and there you were, untying Renaissance from the tree she’d been tethered to, talking to her all low and calm. 

“Didn’t take you for the type to sneak off in the night,” he said, making you jump. He turned his flashlight on. 

“Jesus Christ, Joel,” you spun to face him, clutching your chest. “Scared the shit out of me.” 

“Where are you going.” 

“Joel…” 

“Where are you going, Bambi?” 

You were quiet for moment, not looking at him. 

“I was gonna be back by morning,” you said quietly. 

“Were you?” He asked. “You’re not a prisoner in Jackson, you really wanna leave that bad, you can just go. We wouldn’t stop you.” 

His chest hurt to say it, to think of you leaving. To think that you felt like you needed to slip away under the cover of darkness, not even saying goodbye.

“I know.” 

“Then what the fuck are you doin’?” His throat was tight. “Takin’ off in the middle of the fuckin’ night, not tellin’ me where you’re goin’…” 

“I lived near here.” 

Joel was quiet. You were looking at him now, eyes wide and open and honest. Pleading. 

“I lived near here,” you said again. “And… It’s been a few years but… I wasn’t sure if there… I left… I thought I could see if there was any sign of… See if they didn’t take everything when they took me and…” 

“How far.” 

“What?” 

“How far,” Joel asked again, going for his own horse. “Not goin’ out there on your own. How far is it?” 

“Only about five miles,” you said after a moment. “Joel…” 

“You really think I wouldn’t give you what you asked for if you just asked for it?” He asked. You were silent. He got on his horse. “C’mon. If we’re gonna be back by morning we gotta get moving.” 

You nodded quickly, climbing on Renaissance and leading the way. 

The ride didn’t take all that long. With just the two of you, you made it in about an hour to a patch of cleared forest that took Joel a moment to realize used to have buildings. 

“What’d they do?” You breathed, dismounting with your flashlight tight in your grip. Joel got down, too, staying close behind you as you looked around the ruins of what had once been your home. 

He could see now that there had been a few small structures here, now nothing but charred piles that had become overgrown with ferns and ivy. It had all burned and not recently.

You walked carefully, delicately through it, looking for something but there was almost nothing to find. It was gone. You made it to the middle of one of the structures and looked over the ground, shining the flashlight everywhere you could reach, picking through the burned piles on the ground, but there was nothing but dirt and ash. 

You fell to your knees and let out a single strangled, choking sob, the sound ripping out from deep inside you. 

“Bambi…” 

He knelt beside you and slowly, cautiously, put his hand in the middle of your back. 

“I didn’t think I’d be able to find…” you were crying, your voice wet. “But I thought… maybe something… I didn’t…” 

You dropped your head to Joel’s shoulder and pressed yourself against his side, your whole body shaking. He held onto you and let you cry there against him until his shirt was soaked and your breaths were steady. 

“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart,” he said, running a hand from the crown of your head down your spine. 

“Should have known better,” you said bitterly. “I know what they’re like, what they take.” 

He wanted to ask but fought the urge, instead keeping his hands on you. 

“Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s go home.” 

Next Chapter

A/N: Bambi is just out here, hugging Joel, sleeping next to Joel, causally touching Joel.

Guys, I think she might... like Joel? 👀👀👀

Crazy, I know!

I do still have a taglist and fully intend on setting up a notifications blog this weekend. If you'd like to be added to the taglist, please comment below!

Thank you so much for being here! I know this story is the slowest of slow burns and I PROMISE it will get smutty eventually. And it's coming up! But I don't want to rush it and I so appreciate you being along for the ride. Telling this story wouldn't be the same without you and I love you all so, so much ❤️❤️

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[weirdmageddon]

long mediation on jade and dave’s relationship - part 2

part 1 is here

this part is essentially about dave and jade’s personalities, their basic dynamic, and how it works. and addressing some things ive seen said about dave in moments that people remove from context because they dont weigh these contexts and prior ones. if you want a post that goes into dave’s attitude towards jade (conclusion: he cares about her a lot) here it is

part 2: switcheroo + misconceptions about dave's role in dave and jade's relationship

something interesting i realized while writing this is the thing about grimbark jade is that she is no nonsense when her normal self is all about nonsense and entertaining silly things because she can see the merit in them. in fact she is always having a chuckle caused by dave's sense of humor and im sure dave got used to interacting with jade like that so wtf with grimbark jade

EB: so i think i have to get TG to use his copy to save her! EB: but that jackass won't shut up and stop rapping and stuff. GG: hahaha GG: he is so silly! (p.293)

TG: snows a big chilly carpet of nobody gives a shit TG: like old man winter spread around his nasty mayonnaise and turned the landscape into his personal asshole sandwich GG: eww dave no TG: when i look around all i see is the miles of unharnessed snowmen im just too damn cool to build GG: no this is so lame GG: i am hearing an insane and stupid guy say stupid idiot things while wearing dumb sunglasses for lame morons! TG: whoa jade with the fucking haymaker TG: i need to go look for my teeth on the canvas as soon as shit stops spinning and there stops being like ten of you GG: heheheh GG: why dont we play in the snow later (p.3024)

GG: i cant get over how tiny this thing is! GG: its so cute GG: so the baby frogs show up on this pad here? GA: Yes GG: i cant wait to try it GA: What Are You Laughing At There GG: oh GG: lol GG: dave just has a lot of funny stuff to say about all this GA: What Is He Saying GG: oh you know, a bunch of silly stuff GG: theres too much to copy/paste! GA: Hmm GG: here ill save it all to a file and send it to you -- gardenGnostic [GG] sent grimAuxiliatrix [GA] the file "daveisafunnyguy.txt" -- GA: Okay Im Laughing Pretty Hard At All That GG: hahaha (p.3312)

JADE: *snicker* JOHN: what? JADE: nothing JOHN: is someone messaging you through the game? JADE: hehe JOHN: who is it? JADE: pffff! JOHN: dammit, jade... JADE: its davesprite, hes playing too JOHN: oh. JOHN: don't tell him any of our strategies. he is the enemy! JADE: we have strategies? JOHN: um... JOHN: ok, first, tell him we have strategies. then, don't tell him them. JADE: hahahahahahaha JOHN: oh god. JOHN: what is it now? JADE: did you know... JADE: davesprite is a funny guy? JOHN: meh, he's alright i guess. JOHN: i give most of his jokes a passing grade. sometimes as high as a solid b+! JADE: i just told him you said that JADE: davesprite says to tell you "youre basically welcome for being born 14 years ago and 1 year ago you ungrateful douche" JOHN: oh, like him taking credit for my existence isn't so old by now! (p.4732)

in a way i feel like their roles parallel dave and jade in the earlier acts from homestuck, but inverted (and twisted/not as nice cause grimbark jade is under nefarious influences)

dave approaches the world from a highly pragmatic position. his ego (in the purely psychoanalytical sense) that he holds himself to, shows to the world, and what he tends to reason through is one that’s about relaxed competence. he’s critical of unreasonable actions and takes it upon himself to guide others into being more efficient in practical, realistic ways. he sees that jade struggles in these initially but she readily accepts his help, which is more than glad to provide.

this doesn’t say anything bad about jade harley. this doesn’t make her stupid, or in need the saving from a knight in shining armor nor does it make dave condescending towards her. it’s information that he is able to provide and that she appreciates and trusts his assistance with while she sees through the things that she prioritizes like helping others with matters of hidden opportunities / the big picture and interpersonal needs which are completely out of dave’s league, something he highly respects but doesnt feel its his greatest asset towards other people like jade does. jade is very into science and gadgetry, but remember that she relies heavily on her sharp intuition rather than straight up pragmatism like dave would. jade really is exceptional and multitalented but she doesn’t know how she does the things she does half the time!

(p.790)

even though dave acknowledges this it doesn’t really bother him

TG: hey TG: oh TG: youre asleep again arent you TG: or do you even know if you are TG: i still dont know how that works TG: its like nothing means anything TG: its so cool getting hella chumped by your coquettish damn riddles all the time TG: i dont know why i believe anything you say im like the grand marshal of gross chumpage (p.829)

GG: i want to tell him happy birthday and ask him about his birthday package! TG: oh yeah TG: i was being sort of cagey and told him to check the mail cause i was wondering if mine came yet GG: i think it did! TG: yeah? GG: and i think mine came too TG: so uh TG: i guess you want to know if he likes it or something? GG: no!!!!!!! GG: he will not open it GG: he will lose it!!! TG: oh TG: uh TG: wow sorry to hear that i guess? GG: no its good actually! GG: because he will find it again later when he really needs it GG: which of course is why i sent it in the first place! TG: see like TG: i never get how you know these things GG: i dont know GG: i just know that i know! TG: hmm alright (p.382)

TT: Jade is connected with you? TT: Where did she get the discs? TG: i dont know how does she do any of the loopy batshit nonsense she does (p.1401)

but because she’s gotten by on intuition and her dreams for most things, she’s not as adapted to the rationale behind actions. dave can sense her struggling and wants to help because it’s basically his mission for everyone, not just jade. but that’s the information that jade is glad to be led by and continues to unconsciously prompt him with. she encourages his practical ways and doesn’t tell him to fuck off or just straight up ignore his advice which dave interprets as his strengths being needed by someone else

GG: dave! GG: are you busy? GG: i dont have much time! GG: i am about to make my entry item, and its a little confusing GG: i think the more players we add, the trickier they are to... um...... GG: activate! GG: like yours was GG: i figured we could brainstorm about it, while john fusses with the kernel GG: helloooooo? TG: nak nak nak GG: :o (p.2907)

TG: yeah honestly i figured wed have to do something like this TG: so i guess here we are doing it GG: doing what?? TG: well youre my server player remember GG: yes TG: i need you to deploy something first TG: in my apartment TG: in a few hours ill go back there and we can continue this GG: oh jeez, a few hours???? -- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] -- -- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] -- TG: yeah TG: as in a few seconds TG: im back at my place now GG: fastest hours :o TG: yeah TG: now TG: deploy the intellibeam laserstation GG: but that costs so much grist!!! TG: no it costs practically nothing TG: check out how much ive got GG: omg... GG: what does this thing do? TG: its mostly pretty stupid and useless TG: but itll come in handy here TG: it reads captcha codes GG: on the back of cards? TG: yeah GG: but GG: we can already read those! TG: some are too garbled and complicated TG: the human eye cant decipher them TG: needs sophisticated scanning technology TG: and artificial intelligence to figure it out GG: hmm GG: but isnt the whole point of captchas that only humans can read them? GG: and not robots??? TG: yeah well TG: thats why this is so dumb (p.3025 / 3026)

TG: thisll be the disc i use for your connection TG: while the original will stay bound to roses connection GG: so you will be the server for BOTH us ladies??? GG: you just keep getting smoother, i cant handle all this smoothness TG: well technically TG: i will be your server TG: and past me will stay as roses server TG: which is to say present me will TG: the one in the black suit GG: ohh... GG: i guess that makes sense TG: he can keep managing her for a while TG: until she sorta checks out soon and becomes totally useless TG: then he can start hopping around time like i did TG: make a ton of money and stuff TG: eventually become me TG: and become your server player GG: ok i think i understand that! TG: yeah see its not hard to get the hang of TG: in the meantime ill kind of loiter around this timeframe to help you out for a while GG: yessss thanks dave <3

TG: im just going to cut right to the chase and upgrade your alchemiter so you can avoid a lot of bullshit TG: ill give you some codes and you can punch cards and slip em into jumper blocks GG: yaaaaaaaaaaaay! (p.3030 - 3032)

jade has strengths that dave has weaknesses in too, which dave himself points out!!!

TG: ok so TG: the egg is now in a nest made of shitty swords and soft puppet ass TG: please advise GG: i think your sprite wants to hatch it! GG: awww TG: do you think thatll take more than four hours GG: hmm... GG: i dont know it looks like its pretty warm where you are TG: its hot as the sizzle side of the steak GG: maybe not too long then???? GG: i guess we'll find out! TG: maybe i should try to get it back TG: and put it in the microwave GG: :( (p.1507)

dave assumed the egg needed to be heated to break and allow him to enter the game, so his course of action is to go up there and get it himself and use whatever means are at his disposal. that is a logical, straightforward thing to do. he doesnt rely on uncertainty and blind trust that things will just work out when he has the ability to take action in a way that makes sense; that’s jade’s thing. but it turns out jade’s intuition for how to solve dave’s entry puzzle was right! it was actually a test of patience. he later says this to jade

GG: you guys are all so much better than me, i feel sooooo lame TG: we all start out somewhere TG: remember how i was scrambling up that tower to get that egg like an idiot TG: what the hell was i doing TG: i was like goddamn pooh bear in a tree reaching up his fat fuckin pooh paw for some mother fuckin honey GG: heehee TG: so even though im awesome now at one point i was plausibly likened to an autistic stuffed animal TG: and you even knew what to do TG: you told me how it worked all christopher robinning my ignorant ass about that egg TG: but i was all like IM A LITTLE BLACK RAIN CLOUD BITCH WATCH ME CLIMB TG: so maybe youre startin out with more sense than me GG: maaaybe GG: :) (p.3025)

hes pretty much like jade's hypeman but in his own sort of lowkey way and is actually sweetly reassuring to her. this includes davesprite btw

GG: those stupid things are impossible to kill :( TG: no you can kill them TG: youll get better dont worry (p.3024)

GG: hmmmm... GG: i dont know if i get that but ok! TG: well yeah TG: my thing is time yours is space TG: pretty different things TG: you GET things about space i dont TG: or you will GG: i will? TG: yup (p.3024)

DAVESPRITE: as a sprite im supposed to help him with his quest JADESPRITE: oh yeah JADESPRITE: im supposed to help jade too, but...... JADESPRITE: *sniffle* DAVESPRITE: shes doing alright dont worry about it JADESPRITE: ok, ill try... JADESPRITE: shes a lot more brave than me i think JADESPRITE: she brought me back thinking i could help her and all i did was disappoint her and everyone else JADESPRITE: you came back as a sprite and youre managing to do important things... JADESPRITE: but i just feel so scared and helpless DAVESPRITE: sounds like you came back because jade made the decision for you DAVESPRITE: i made the decision to come back myself maybe itd be different if you had the same chance JADESPRITE: i dont know if i would have if i had the chance JADESPRITE: but i would like to not feel so useless to everybody DAVESPRITE: i think everyones on top of this DAVESPRITE: theres not much for us to do anymore (p.3927)

DAVESPRITE: so jade must have done something right DAVESPRITE: to wake her up and get the forge going DAVESPRITE: dont know what she did though JADESPRITE: probably something amazing JADESPRITE: she is still working so hard to help everyone JADESPRITE: i guess i used to be that way... JADESPRITE: but ive completely forgotten how DAVESPRITE: are you sure (p.3945)

JADESPRITE: it reminds me of when i died JADESPRITE: and i was trying to wake john up JADESPRITE: i was scared then too JADESPRITE: but i didnt let the fear stop me from trying to save him DAVESPRITE: what would you want to do DAVESPRITE: if you werent scared JADESPRITE: i have no idea JADESPRITE: i guess try to help JADESPRITE: what is there to do? DAVESPRITE: well DAVESPRITE: i was going to bring this sword to dave JADESPRITE: oh noo JADESPRITE: does that mean youre going to leave? DAVESPRITE: no DAVESPRITE: i was gonna say DAVESPRITE: im not in any shape for more adventuring DAVESPRITE: i figure this is probably my last stop JADESPRITE: :( DAVESPRITE: but maybe this is a way you can help JADESPRITE: you mean... JADESPRITE: that i should give him the sword? DAVESPRITE: if you want JADESPRITE: but i dont want to leave you here either DAVESPRITE: maybe you dont have to actually go anywhere DAVESPRITE: you oughta have a lot of special powers remember DAVESPRITE: because of ascending to doghood JADESPRITE: oh yeah! DAVESPRITE: try doing your spacey thing DAVESPRITE: i mean not to sound condescending or anything but its got to be like borderline omnipotence pretty much DAVESPRITE: just put your mind to it (p.3946)

knowing all of this about dave and jade’s personalities and how they work together, i’ve see people get on dave’s case about making jade slap herself in the face after she put the dead bird into his kernelsprite while he was preoccupied with taking a leak

dave freaks the hell out when he realizes she’s asleep; he needs to wake her up because she needs to help him get into the game while requires pragmatism and reasonable actions so that he’s not crushed to death by an imminent meteor. or falling plumbing fixtures. the goal wasn’t to show her who’s in control or whatever or to be mean (do people seriously think he would do that to be mean to her just to slap a girl?) it was strictly to wake her up since he has no means of influencing that besides getting creative

while asleep, jade doesn’t think logically and certainty not to the extent dave needs her to be right now. she’s scattered lalalalala and can forget about limitations or consequences in the real world and also has a short memory span while dreaming: e.g. “4 hours until what?” and she put something into the kernelsprite right after dave asked her not to because she forgor </3 and jade does acknowledge this about her dreaming self btw

GG: i mean, i only talked to you when i was asleep! i am kind of different when im dreaming... GG: i forget things, and at times im not totally sure whats real GG: dont you remember thats what its like to dream on prospit? (p.3056)

dave literally says “we need to wake you up youre not very logical like this” and he does apologize about making her dreambot wake-up slap her

i also see people say that dave thought of jade as helpless and he needs to be the hero and that's why "davejade is not good actually"

TG: but ok i mean isnt that what heroes should be doing TG: working to take down the bad guy without a whole lot of this fuckin grandiloquence and these huge sweeping plans that got nothin to do with fighting him TG: like always biding our time and tiptoeing around the unbeatable god boss TG: johns too nice to get mad TG: rose spends all her time calculating TG: too focused on machiavellian ploys of sabotage to try anything drastic TG: jade is TG: i dont even know TG: probably more a liability if she got it in her head to take him down TG: if anything id bet she just needs protection GC: WH4T 4R3 YOU S4Y1NG H3R3 D4V3, 1N TH1S CONV3RS4T1ON TH4T 1S ST1LL B31NG 4BOUT YOU TG: im just wondering TG: when does someone actually step up TG: jacks got shit to pay for (p.3703)

this minor thread gets followed up on in the pesterlog where jade contacts dave and eventually she concludes jack needs to be stopped and dave's like ... "oh shit" in his head. "oh shit" as in jade's got Game good for her go jade, "oh shit" as in she's going to be ripe for the stabbing cause the idea is in her head now, and "oh shit" as in this moment is the seed of why im going to have to rehearse jade accidentally killing me over and over and i cant tell her about it. due to this he is always fated to die in the alpha timeline both standing up to jack and to protect jade. it's woven into his story. but he was wrong about everyone else also! which i dont see brought up when that quote is used? rose does something drastic (pilots the moon into the furthest ring) and john gets mad (on the ship) and jade is the opposite of needing protection (she’s the only one jack won’t stab and also she ends up so fucking OP she has to be basically written out of act 6) so it's less a thing about jade specifically but to show that in hindsight dave was wrong about ALL his friends. which is an interesting discussion to be had about him in itself, but not now. this is the most sane and well-thought out interpretation of it ive seen

"In general, though, I think Dave has a tendency not uncommon to [thirteen] year olds (or… humans in general, if we’re being honest here) to cast everyone else as a player in his own story and characterize them in ways that fit what he wants. There’s the famous chunk where he says John never gets angry, Rose will never stop scheming long enough to take action, and Jade’s a liability, only to be proven wrong in every count. That fits his understanding of these people and his ideal relationship with them - friend, actor, protector, the one in the group who can be the hero." "Yes, I think Dave probably saw Jade as the most supportive and least judgmental friend. I’m not sure if that impacted his incorrect judgment of her since that’s kind of a pattern for him in general, but I guess it could’ve."

and also putting this solely on dave is kind of ... ehhhhh? because john says the same thing about jade but i don't see anyone getting on his case for it.

CG: SHE AND DAVE RAN INTO JACK, WHICH I'M SURE HE MUST HAVE SAW COMING BECAUSE I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE EXPLOIT TIME TRAVEL SO SHAMELESSLY AS HIM, NOT EVEN ARADIA. CG: SO SHE AND DAVE FOUGHT WITH HIM A WHILE, AND LONG STORY SHORT, HE DIED. EB: what!!! CG: BUT IT'S FINE, I GUESS THAT WAS HIS PLAN, LIKE SOME BIZARRE USELESS LAST STAND, EVEN IF HE DIDN'T TELL JADE WHO WAS PRETTY FREAKED OUT UNTIL I TALKED HER THROUGH IT. CG: JADE SAYS SHE HAS THIS FIGURED OUT, AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO MUCH BUT TRUST HER. CG: THE POINT IS, SHE'S ALL BOOKED UP, AND ALL TOO MORTAL. SO SHE WON'T BE DELIVERING THE BOMB, AND NEITHER WILL YOU. EB: ok, well what about this. EB: since she is mortal, and i am not (sort of), and i don't need to do the scratch for a while, can i go help her? EB: maybe she could use some protection? maybe that is what dave was just trying to do, when he temporarily died. EB: remember, jack is still on the loose! he has killed rose and dave once, and me twice. CG: NO NO NO NO NO NO. CG: SWEET BLEEDING JEGUS, EGBERT, YOU KEEP BRAGGING ABOUT YOUR IMMORTALITY, AND THEN BRAINLESSLY ANNOUNCE PLANS TO GO OFF AND DO SOMETHING HEROIC! YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SHORTEST LIFESPAN OF ANY IMMORTAL IN HISTORY. EB: sorry. :( CG: BESIDES, IT'S A TOTAL NON ISSUE. JACK WOULDN'T HESITATE TO STAB YOU AGAIN, BUT HE WON'T HURT JADE FOR SOME REASON. CG: IF ANYTHING, YOU COULD USE HER PROTECTION. (p.3869 / 3871)

and also keep in mind dave does absolutely change his perception about jade's strength??

DAVE: youll probably annihilate me worse than my bro used to DAVE: dont you have all of your dogs insane powers and like DAVE: god tier space powers on top of all that DAVE: how exactly am i supposed to compete with that (p.6384)

DAVE: gotta keep em napping DAVE: especially jade im sure you know what kind of crooked ass baloneyfuck powers she got DAVE: cant let her turn those against us (p.7485)

so back to grimbark jade and the switching of these roles, dave doesn’t entirely lose his pragmatic bent. that’s still the way he thinks about stuff through but his time on the meteor has softened him and allowed him to become more reflective on big-picture things such as his role in everything

ironically this is the exact reason for his clash with grimbark jade is because she’s trying really hard to make him do stuff and it’s stuff that he’s not going to budge on because he doesn’t think it’s practical

JADE: why not? JADE: our empress can hardly have a knight with such rusty combat skills in her service DAVE: will you cut it out with the evil jade baloney DAVE: im not going to fight you DAVE: my rooftop dueling days are OVER JADE: en garde! DAVE: ugh DAVE: even if we just went balls out jackass BANANAS with our swords here i mean realistically how much appreciable advancement in my battle skills would even result from that DAVE: are you actually thinking this through or just going through the vaguely nefarious motions that come with the territory of being evildog!jade JADE: im gonna go through the vaguely nefarious motions of kicking your ass in a minute if you dont put up your dukes!!! DAVE: yeah you probably will DAVE: youll probably annihilate me worse than my bro used to DAVE: dont you have all of your dogs insane powers and like DAVE: god tier space powers on top of all that DAVE: how exactly am i supposed to compete with that JADE: by using your time trickery! JADE: come on dave do your timey thing JADE: get creative, make lots of copies of yourself or something... outsmart me! DAVE: no! JADE: yes!!! DAVE: ok here i go JADE: !!!!! DAVE: wait DAVE: nah JADE: grrr JADE: dave, just try a little time travel to get this fight started JADE: see look, one of your time doubles is surely predestined to come from a few minutes in the future and appear behind me for a surprise attack, riiiight about... JADE: now! JADE: ... JADE: no wait JADE: riiiiiiiiiight... JADE: ... JADE: ... JADE: NOW! JADE: .... JADE: ..... JADE: dave why is your future self being such a wet blanket DAVE: i told you DAVE: im not time traveling DAVE: i think im giving it up for good actually (p.6384)

one thing floral mentions in her post is that dave is pushing jade for answers about her failed relationship with davesprite

DAVE: why are you dragging that guy into this DAVE: what happened with you and him anyway JADE: none of your business >:p DAVE: it kind of is DAVE: hes bird me DAVE: that clearly means i have a right to know JADE: that doesnt make any sense! DAVE: you said he had issues DAVE: what issues JADE: augh! JADE: forget i mentioned it DAVE: was he talking shit about me the whole time or something DAVE: i know he resents me for being the real dave JADE: dont say that, you arent the real dave! JADE: well you are, but phrasing it like that is so mean! JADE: hes just as real as you, and when you imply he isnt you sound like a jerk!!! DAVE: man i knew it DAVE: i knew he was poisoning your view of me all those years DAVE: and i wasnt there to say anything or defend against his slander so now of course you think im a neurotic douche (p.6386)

and while it is true nobody is obligated to share the details of their relationship, there is a LOT of evidence to believe dave was asking because he wants to be a good person and, to me his words here, and his past and future actions relative to this point, show that he’s not as messed up of a person as grimbark jade is making him out to be. let’s dive into it. think on this: why does dave care so much what jade thinks about him? he started getting “neurotic” halfway through the conversation once jade brought up her feelings about him

JADE: THE ONLY REASON I THINK YOURE A NEUROTIC DOUCHE IS BECAUSE YOURE ACTING LIKE ONE NOW!!! DAVE: yeah but i only started acting like a neurotic douche like half way through this conversation DAVE: you clearly had an axe to grind with me from the start and i want to know why DAVE: what did i ever do to deserve this shit from you JADE: YOU BROKE MY HEART!!!!!! DAVE: what DAVE: i did DAVE: when (p.6386)

he’s genuinely so lost because he hadn’t had contact with any extension of jade in 3 years. alpha timeline dave has been sensitive towards jade for basically forever and especially now that he’s had time to grow up. he is not going to allow any version of himself hurt jade, and thats why hes asking so many questions to her about the nature of the relationship and what happened

JADE: ok not you JADE: davesprite did JADE: BUT YOURE BASICALLY THE SAME GUY! DAVE: whoa no way DAVE: thats such an unfair characterization we are completely different dudes JADE: you just said you had a right to know what happened between us because, and i quote, "hes bird me" DAVE: no i know DAVE: i was playing the "hes bird me" card because it was convenient to whatever it was i was saying at the time DAVE: i forget what point i was making when i said that JADE: *growl* DAVE: but thats not the point im making now DAVE: he and me are just DAVE: crazy different yo DAVE: hes got fuckin wings!!! DAVE: he also presumably takes a dump and lays eggs out of the same ghostly hole DAVE: ... DAVE: ew man whyd i have to go there JADE: *SNARL* DAVE: ok if he broke up with you or whatever that was because of his dumb bird issues not my issues DAVE: theres no way i would have done that to you (p.6386)

what dave means to say by “hes bird me because it was convenient to say at the time but it doesnt apply to this circumstance” is exactly what i was getting at in part 1 of this series of posts. yes, they are the same people at their very foundation, different reflections of a single character, but up to a point. there’s a gray area of whether or not we can call dave and davesprite the same person. in terms of this conflict though, dave should be regarded as a separate individual because of their diverging history up to that point and adolescent-teenage growth in different environments and under different circumstances. even if dave doesn't know what hes trying to say

he wants to know what this alternate version of himself did to hurt jade so much. even if grimbark jade really is bringing dave into some shit he had nothing to do with.

see the thing is, to me dave could have easily handled being accused a lot worse and say something like “youre overreacting” or something. that wouldve been dickish. but he doesn’t, he never does. he really seems to be more motivated by like, “woah what?? whats his problem? are these about issues i still have and dont know they were hurting jade or are they uniquely davesprite’s?”

like, this isn’t a joke to him even if his main form of communication through humor to lighten the mood (jade loves dave’s silliness dont forget all the times she’s giggled because dave was “so silly” and “hes a funny guy”). immediately after rescuing the mayor from eviljade’s lava kick, he was going to give davesprite a piece of his mind and this shows he is sincerely concerned about what an alternate version of himself did to break jade’s heart. he REALLY fuckin wants closure on it because he cares about her feelings so much

i don’t see this other side covered in floral’s post, but evildog jade here is Also pushing dave to do something that he is uncomfortable with as well, which is to use time travel.

dave stopped time traveling so he wouldn’t “have to wonder all the time if i was taking a wrong turn and dooming everybody”, stating he was “never that cool with it” to rose back in act 5. around the same time when karkat talks to john, he says “TO MY KNOWLEDGE, HE DOESN'T TIME TRAVEL AFTER [FIGHTING JACK WITH JADE], AND HE AND ROSE STAY ON DERSE WAITING FOR THE BOMB UNTIL YOU START THE SCRATCH” which honestly makes me think that whole event was the nail in the coffin for dave on time traveling. seeing himself die fighting jack and knowing it was coming and he couldnt tell jade no matter how much he wanted to that her bullets were going to be the cause. this is the last straw for him regarding time traveling it affected him that much

remember the last lines of pesterlog jade had with dave before being separated? i mentioned it earlier--the one where jade decided jack needs to be stopped and they should “come up with a better plan than Rose’s suicide mission to stop him. Dave suggests the idea is futile, but lets her know she’d come to her own decision regardless, and he’d be available to talk later if needed” (from recap 3)

GG: well maybe im just being naive... GG: but a crazy suicide mission does not sound like the ideal solution to me! GG: are you suuuure we cant beat him? GG: i dont know if we should rule it out! TG: well TG: youre about to do what youre about to do TG: and im not going to tell you not to TG: i wont do the bullshit troll thing and tell you what youre going to do and then just dare you not to TG: while knowing damn well you will anyway TG: so ill just say TG: whats next is up to you TG: and if later you want to talk about it TG: im here GG: ok GG: thanks dave! (p.3204)

this was dave’s nice causality-free way of saying “youre going to end up killing me during the jack fight that winds up happening. i cant tell you that im going to die and that youre going to be the one to shoot me, because i know you wouldnt go through with it. that would drag us in a doomed timeline and we’d all die anyway, not just me. youre probably going to be freaked out when it happens since i can’t tell you this, so if you want to talk me about it later, ill be here for you”

which, first of all is, holy shit. he cares about her and her feelings so fucking much. and it’s nothing new

TT: What about why you went to fight Jack? TG: sure TG: i did that TG: because i wanted to TG: and because i was supposed to TT: Are you sure? TG: yeah i saw my future self fighting him so obviously that had to happen or else id be dead anyway TG: without even getting the satisfaction of standing up to him TT: So what about Jade? TG: what TT: You didn't tell her your expedition with her would result in your death, let alone one she'd inadvertently cause. TT: Or that she'd be stuck with the job of resuscitating you. Did you? TG: what am i really supposed to say TG: hey were gonna hunt frogs til you shoot me through the jack TG: then i die and youve got to make out with me TG: that kind of changes how the whole thing goes doesnt it TT: Not if you're "supposed to," right? TG: what does that even mean TT: I guess you're right. No reason to make an effort to empathize if doing so comes at the price of oblivion. TG: wtf TT: It must be comforting to have your ASPD tacitly supported by predestination. TG: aspd TT: Antisocial personality disorder. TG: oh no TG: this conversation just got bumrushed by a mudslide of fucking awful TT: It wasn't already awful, believing you might be dead? TG: you dont know anything TG: about what i was feeling or what happened on lofaf TG: you were all pavement faced and babbling your throefester speak and flipping off the shit with your own crazy deathwish thing why do you think you know what was going through my head TG: youre just assuming and throwing around psyche buzzwords like aspd complex disorder TG: im telling you if i said anything at all about it she probably doesnt even fire her gun once and all im doing is dragging her into a doomed timeline with me TT: I guess I'm learning to be impressed by your sense of obligation to inevitable misfortune. It's a strange case of inspiration through futility. TG: none of this is that big a deal TG: i just mentioned the basics to her TG: that id stop time traveling soon TG: break out of the loops TG: not have to wonder all the time if i was taking a wrong turn and dooming everybody TG: i was never that cool with this (p.3896)

dave got suddenly super fucking defensive about rose making assumptions about how he felt about fighting jack and knowing jade was going to inadvertently kill him, knowing damn well how jade reacts to seeing corpses (remember that time dave threw his slain body out the window so jade wouldnt see it because “it would probably freak her out”), and the fact that he couldn’t warn her to protect the alpha timeline and also protect both of them and everyone from falling into a doomed timeline. and he knew it was coming the whole time. he was right, rose didn’t know what was going through his head. but his defensiveness here means he had strong feelings about it. not only that but dave saying “whats next is up to you, and if later you want to talk about it, im here” shows the amount of trust he has towards her

we see him tell this to grimbark jade straight up his thought process for why he stopped time traveling. and it’s spot on with what i said. again, remember that this is the first conversation he has with jade after 3 years being separated

DAVE: but see with time travel DAVE: all the stuff about learning it so you dont have to use it is true DAVE: theres no good that can come of it DAVE: you can crunch the logic on the loops all you want DAVE: but all youre doing is painting yourself into a corner DAVE: creating inevitabilities you have to rehearse and enact or face death for yourself or everyone you know DAVE: and sometimes facing death is the very inevitability you have to rehearse DAVE: and then you wait and wait knowing its coming and knowing it has to happen DAVE: how do you think it made me feel when we were gathering up all those frogs DAVE: and i knew the whole time in a little while you would have to watch me get shot DAVE: but i couldnt say anything or it would mess it all up DAVE: all cause i thought it would be cool to be marty mcfuckin fly DAVE: but instead of shredding johnny b goode on guitar to get my parents to bang DAVE: my crowning performance was doing a funny dance while getting pumped full of lead JADE: ...... (p.6385)

and what fucking broke me yesterday was realizing after all this time, ironically it was DAVE who wound up being the one who had to talk to jade about it.

JADE: sorry dave, you lost me there after the part where i shot you DAVE: damn DAVE: ok lemme start over (p.6385)

“damn ok lemme start over” bro he really wants to open up to her about this thing he’s been stewing on for three years only for it to fall on deaf mind controlled ears. it’s so fucking sad

part 3 is cooking and it’s going to be about dave’s character growth post-meteor and what that means for dave and jade

[bigfan-fanfic]

Sorry for Kicking Your Ass (Male!Reader x Dean Winchester)

Requested by anonymous for  Can you do a fic where Dean met a magic user he used to hunt, but failed to, years later when he stopped hunting. He felt a crush on him and now he knows those weird feelings he used to thought as aggression was actually attraction now that he’s a bit comfortable with his sexuality?

"Well, well, well. Dean Winchester, in the flesh." You smirk, sliding into the booth across from the man in question.

Dean looks a little strangled - which makes sense, as your magic is already holding him in place, preventing him from moving anything but his eyes and mouth.

"Didn't I tell you what would happen if I caught you back in my town, Winchester?" you snarl.

"To be fair to me, didn't mean to get caught. Kind of a gas and food up stop."

You frown. "You're not hunting?"

He tries to shrug but can't. "Uh... no. Baby's only got the essentials for self-defense."

You tilt your head. "Why?" Hunters don't quit. They die on the job.

"Well, maybe I didn't wanna die. Again. Maybe I just wanted a fucking apple pie life, okay?"

You let the spell down. "What about your asshole dad?"

"Died. Couple of times." Dean shrugs, looking mournfully at the pie slice his sudden freedom of movement sent crashing to the floor.

"Oh. Condolences."

He shrugs.

"What about your little brother? Sammy. Last I saw him, he was in high school?"

"He got a full ride to college. Dropped out to find our dad with me. We hunted for a few years, and then I decided I'd had enough of dying and getting brought back, and we quit. I think Sam reconnected with an old girlfriend up in New York. Working in an art gallery."

"And you?"

"Been, uh... figuring myself out. Making amends. I hurt a lot of people I shouldn't have while hunting. People who weren't really monsters. So... I kinda lied earlier. I am here to see you."

"Me? Uh... I kinda beat your ass last time we met, Winchester."

He nods. "But, uh... before then."

You think back.

You had been home on winter break from college when you saw the fake FBI Agents (John and Dean). To be fair, you had killed a dirty cop that was blackmailing high school girls, but still.

John had figured due to your sloppiness that you were inexperienced and left to go on a hunt a state over.

So that left Dean looking for you.

He met you while walking through town, and didn't know you were the witch. You made quick friends and Dean gave you the vibes.

You invited him home, but when you tried to kiss him, he freaked out.

It didn't quite surprise you, but it still hurt to see him looking at you in disgust and anger.

He had left, and the next week he was in your house again, trying to kill you. Which was kinda the worst reaction you had ever had to an attempted kiss.

"Look, I was a shit back then. I freaked out on you. Normally, seeing what that prick did, I'd have left you alone, but... I thought you had put a spell on me. I didn't understand what I was feeling."

You freeze. "Uh... are you coming out to me, Dean?"

"Yeah, guess I am." He smirks, pulling aside his jacket so you can see the little bi flag pin he has hidden, pinned on the inside, over the heart.

You chuckle a little there.

"I won't say you were my first guy crush. That honor belongs to Robert Plant." Dean jokes. "But definitely the first crush I actually knew in real life that I knew was a crush."

You start to laugh. "So, what now, Dean? You wanna start all the way over?"

Dean shrugs. "If you like. If you want, I'd like to at least redo that kiss you wanted to give me."

You giggle. "Okay. We'll see. Take me out to dinner first, and we'll see how it goes."

"Deal."

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Cider

Winter Prompts Masterlist | Winter Prompts List

Pairing: Indiana Jones x Reader

Prompts: Cider/ Moon/ Matchmaker/Matchmaking Gone Wrong

"Aren't you cold?" You frown. Dr. Jones stalwartly ignores your question, focusing on straightening and smoothing his jacket around your shoulders.

"We can take turns with it," You add, though you reach up, tugging the collar tighter around your neck.

"Don't worry about that, kid. I've got this to keep me warm."

Your brow furrows as you watch him fish into his trouser pocket, producing a silver flask.

"What've you got in there?" You ask, nodding to it. Jones doesn't answer that, either. He just unscrews the cap and passes it over. You take hold of it, frowning as you take a whiff.

"It smells like apple cider," You mutter.

"Does it taste like it?" Jones plies. You take a hesitant sip, and nearly splutter at the tingling burn when the alcohol hits your tongue.

"Take a bigger sip than that," Jones urges. "Warms the blood."

You do as he says, wincing a little as the overwhelming taste makes your eyes water. Jones takes the flask back with a chuckle. You fight off a nervous shiver as you shuffle a little closer to him, budging up for warmth.

"How long do you think it'll be until Brody's back with another car, or gas?" You ask, glancing back at the broken down Ford not too far off.

"Another hour at most."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know Brody. He won't have us out here any longer than necessary."

"I wish he would've let me go."

"You're gonna hurt my feelings, sweetheart."

Your face warms with embarrassment.

"I just meant that Dr. Brody is an older gentleman, and—Pardon my French, but it's fucking freezing."

Dr. Jones chuckles softly, curling his arm around your shoulders and drawing you closer. You lean into him, eyes drifting up to his face. His rugged features are lit by moonlight, eyes bright and set straight forward. His raises the flask to his lips, taking a deep pull, swallowing unflinchingly.

"Do you want your jacket back?" You offer. Dr. Jones just rubs your shoulder warmingly.

"Less chit-chat, sweetheart. Conserves energy."

You roll your eyes, reaching out and snagging the flask.

"Don't be such a smartass, Dr. Jones."

"Me? Sweetheart, I would never."

Tag list: @amneris21 ; @elen-aranel ; @brandyllyn ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight

[writingseaslugs]

Heartslabyul: Holiday Special

These were supposed to be hella short and then I finished Riddle’s and they kept just getting longer and ya…I’m screwed. I have all the other dorms to do and I gotta make them just as long. Happy holidays guys, hope you enjoy these! None of these mention “Christmas” per say, but I do celebrate it and it has a lot of the traditions tossed in there.

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.

Heartslabyul: Decorating

In Heartslabyul, the Queen has a ruling that there always needs to be decorations throughout the castle, for the month of December. When this ruling was formed, nobody really knows. However, it was a rule, and therefore enforced throughout the entire dorm. So, on December 1st, it was the official time to begin decorating the dorm in festive wintery themes.

Riddle Rosehearts

“So…what are we doing…?” You asked, approaching Riddle as you looked at everything going on in the dorm. Riddle had personally invited you over today, bright and early. The last thing you expected to see, was everyone running around like a chicken with their head cut off. That wasn’t too uncommon for Heartlabyul, but the odd decorations surely were a change.

“We’re decorating for the winter, of course.” Riddle said as he looked at everything needing to be done. He had a giant check list that he was going over, looking up at a few students to make sure they were doing things correctly.

“Oh…and I’m here for?” You asked, wondering what your task would be. Riddle finally looked up, acknowledging you with a soft smile.

“I’ll be needing help going through to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to. You don’t have to come along with me.” Riddle explained, “There’s several things you can do to keep yourself entertained.”

“I think I’d rather spend that time with you. So, we’re just going to be walking through the dorm and making sure everyone is on task?” You asked, putting your hands in your pockets.

“That’s exactly what we’ll be doing, now come along.” Riddle said, holding out his arm. You swore you felt your heart leap at the kind gesture. You wrapped your arm around his own and began walking alongside him through the dorm.

Everyone seemed to be pretty on task, for the most part, as decorations were placed, tablecloths changed out, and candles set out to make the entire dorm smell amazing. You two stopped by the entrance leading into the common room, chatting before you could hear someone snickering.

You turned, noticing Ace standing there with a giant smirk on his face, “Oh, and please do tell me what’s so funny.” You said sarcastically to your good friend.

“You do realize that you and the dorm leader are standing underneath the mistletoe, right?” Ace teased; that’s when you and Riddle both realized that he was right. Above you was a giant thing of mistletoe. You could see Riddle’s patience wearing thin as he snapped at Ace.

“Who placed this here? The Queen’s ruling explicitly states no mistletoe within 100 yards of the nearest kitchen.” Riddle said, going over to take it down. Ace squeaked in surprise, realizing he had fucked up and was already running. Riddle was about to use his signature spell on him when you stopped the tiny tyrant.

“You know…it might be against the rules for the placement, but isn’t there also a rule that you have to kiss if found underneath the mistletoe?” You asked Riddle, innocently enough. He paused, before wracking through his brain. He sighed, a slight blush being replaced on his face.

“It is in one of the Queen’s winter rulings, but it doesn’t state if it applies to illegally placed mistletoe, so we can only assume the rule stands despite the circumstances.” Riddle said, as you were already grabbing his chin. He was cute when he talked a lot, but you just wanted to kiss him right now. You placed your lips against his own, loving the minty fresh hint to his breath as he gasped at the sudden kiss.

When you parted, your lips brushed against his own while you spoke, “There, we wouldn’t want to break any rules, now would we?” You teased.

Despite the flustered expression, Riddle nodded, “We wouldn’t want that…”

Trey Clover

The decorating party was going well and strong by the time you arrived over at the Heartslabyul dorms. Everyone was rushing around, trying to get things done. You just looked around, wondering where everything was. That’s when you felt a hand on your lower back, starting to push you forward.

“Whoa, hold up!” You said in surprise before turning and noticing Cater’s smiling face, “Oh, it’s just you Cater…what’s up?” You asked, starting to walk alongside him instead of being dragged.

“Nothing much, but you’re here to see Trey, right?” Cater asked, with a knowing look. You choked on air for a moment as you tried finding some excuse to come to Heartslabyul that wasn’t just you wanting to visit your crush. You ended up just groaning and shooting him a small glare.

“You caught me.” You said, Cater letting out a loud laugh as you two walked into the warm dorm. The cool air outside was nice and all, but there was just something different about how warm and toasty the inside was, with one of the fireplaces being lit to engulf a part of the dorm in a warm glow.

“I know, now come on, he’s in the kitchen.” Cater said, dragging you along. Soon you were at the door to the kitchen; Cater gave you a pat on the back, before leaving you with a small wave. You huffed before opening the door to the kitchen. It wasn’t a surprise to smell sweet cranberry pie being cooked, alongside a few other things.

“That smells amazing, Trey.” You said, coming into the kitchen fully and closing the door behind you. You noticed Trey was wearing a more festive apron this time around, it had a few snowflakes on it with something written. At the angle he stood, you couldn’t make out what it said.

“Ah prefect, I was wondering when you’d stop by. I was about to make some hot chocolate for everyone.” Trey said, and sure enough in front of him was a giant pot of boiling milk.

“You know there's tons of students in your dorm, right? You’re making it for everyone?” You asked, coming over to look at the freshly cut chocolate chunks. He was going all in on making it perfect. You also noticed the peppermint leaves sitting alongside it as well.

“I’ll have to make a few batches before I have enough for everyone…but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a cup while we wait for the rest of the milk to boil.” Trey said, mixing some of the chocolate and peppermint into the batch. You hummed, deciding to just watch as he made the drinks, straining the leaves and any excess chocolate chunks out for a nice and creamy drink.

You watched him do some magic to keep the batch hot while he made the rest. You then watched him grab two mugs and a ladle, quickly pouring some of the drink into the mugs. He added whipped cream, a few marshmallows, chocolate shavings, and the final touch was a cinnamon stick to stir with.

“You’re doing this for everyone?” You said, looking at the aesthetically pleasing mug. Trey smiled, looking at you with a mischievous grin.

“No, this is special for you.” He explained, making your heart soar. You squeaked out a small ‘oh’ as he handed you the mug. You took a sip of the hot drink, loving the flavor combinations; it had been so long since you had authentic hot chocolate you had forgotten what it tasted like.

“This is amazing Trey…thank you.” You said, watching him casually sip on his hot chocolate while leaning on the counter. He lazily stirred the hot milk mixture occasionally to prevent it from burning, but he just looked so calm at that moment. Then you noticed the apron he wore, and how you could finally read the words. 

Kiss the Cook.

An idea sprung into your head as you walked over to Trey; the man looked at you curiously as you set your cup down. You then grabbed onto the back of his neck, quickly bringing him down for a quick kiss. Trey froze for a moment, registering what you were doing before smiling into the kiss and returning it. It was short and sweet, and too soon you were parting.

“What was that for?” Trey asked and you snickered.

“Well, your apron said it…” You joked and Trey looked down at his winter apron. He huffed in amusement before looking back at you.

“It does…I will admit I’m happy you’re the only one who took it seriously and nobody else.” Trey confessed. You laughed, grabbing your cup of hot chocolate, before leaning on the same counter at Trey, your hips almost touching. This was fine.

Cater Diamond

“I can’t believe I got stuck doing this…again.” Cater complained. It was no surprise that he was the one who had to paint the roses once more. He was good with the spell, and Riddle trusted him not to miss anything. It didn’t mean he enjoyed it at all. The only plus side is he got to paint just the bases in a baby blue and then put snowflakes all over the bush.

“Maybe if you stopped being good at it, Riddle wouldn’t ask you anymore?” You said, stringing up a few snowflakes, while he did the painting. It was the least you could do, since you swore you’d rather die than grab a paint brush and do this manually.

“I’d rather keep my magic, thank you.” Cater said, painting another bush completely before turning to you, “Plus side, this totally is an aesthetic look for a winter themed photo shoot.” He suggested. He was being truthful about it, the ground has a thin layer of snow that you were certain was put there with magic. The world around you was white and had that soft, wintery glow to it.

“You suggesting we have a small photoshoot today?” You asked, Cater chuckled with a nod.

“Of course…I’m almost done painting. Just one more bush and then you put the snowflakes on them. Then we can take some amazing magicam photos.” Cater said; the motivation helping you speed along the task at hand. Soon enough, he had finished painting and you had two more bushes to decorate.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to grab something for the photos.” Cater said, his hand grazing the small of your back as he whispered it in your ear. You squeaked in surprise, not expecting him to suddenly be so close to you. You finally got your bearings together and shooed him off. Cater’s laughter rang through the rose maze as he left you. By the time you had finished putting the last few snowflakes on, you hear the snow crunching behind you.

You turned to see giant, fluffy white coats in his hands and a giant smile plastered on his face, “Figured it would be better to find the theme. They’re big enough that they should cover most of our uniform.” Cater said, tossing one to you. You hummed, putting the coat on. Sure enough the thing went down past your knees. It also helped keep you nice and warm; you didn’t realize how cold you were, until just now. Once it was secured you heard a flash going off and stared at Cater who took a candid photo of you.

“Can’t we at least pose for this?” You asked, with a soft smile. Cater chuckled, he grabbed your arm and dragged you to his chest. He then snapped another photo, catching your surprised expression as you fell into his arms.

“Candid photos are one of the in trends right now, you know.” Cater said, despite making faces and posing for a few selfies.

“Sure it is…” You said, watching him use magic to levitate his phone a little ways away from him,

“Now come over here so we can get more of the scenery in the photo.” He said, waving you over. You didn’t think twice as you walked over to him; you didn’t expect him to wrap a hand around your waist, another one on your chin as he laid a gentle kiss on your lips.

You were surprised at first before melting into the kiss, feeling his hot breathfanning over your face and the faint taste of cinnamon made you feel secure. When he pulled back, you could see his outstretched hand for the phone. You then realized, he took photos of you two kissing.

“Cater…you aren’t posting those…are you…?” You asked, knowing you two flirted but hadn’t actually committed to a relationship yet. Cater smirked, waving the phone in his hand, the photo on clear display.

“I thought it would be a nice little announcement post to make.” He admitted, making you suddenly feel all too warm.

“An announcement…Cater, are you asking me out?” You asked after a moment.

“Ah, you’ve finally figured it out.”

Ace Trappola

“This looks like a disgusting amount of work…” You said, looking at Ace; the poor boy was currently trying to shovel snow and he was doing a shit job at it. You could only see a small patch that wasn’t covered by snow in front of him. “You've been at this for how long?” You asked, noticing that if he didn’t scrape the area that the ice would make it was harder to walk on than just traversing through snow.

“I literally just started… Now grab a shovel.” Ace said, motioning to the other shovels. Apparently more than one person was supposed to be doing this, but currently only Ace was around.

“Hard pass; just looking at that makes my muscles hurt,” You quickly shot him down, smirking at his little glare; “Where’s everyone else? Shouldn’t you have more people helping you?” You asked, coming closer and crouching down to look at the ground. The snow wasn’t terribly deep, so it shouldn’t be too bad for him, but it would definitely take an hour or two of hard work.

“Everyone else was assigned different tasks…” Ace grumbled, but you just knew he was hiding something.

“Oh…is that really it?” You asked, urging him to continue. Ace rolled his eyes before kicking some snow over to you. You sputtered as it hit your face, before patting the snow off of your clothes.

“Riddle caught me tossing mistletoe wherever I wanted, this is punishment…” Ace said and you actually laughed. Of course Ace would do something like that; probably trying to catch unsuspecting students underneath one so he could be an asshole and tease them.

“Idiot.” You said, sticking your tongue out again. Ace shot another glare, before grabbing a large scoop of snow. You realized too late what he was doing as he approached you. You tried standing up quickly to move out of the day, but the ice beneath your feet had other plans as you slid back down. Ace laughed, before dumping a bunch of snow on you.

You let out an annoyed screech at the cold snow invading every crevice of your being. That was it…you grabbed a giant ball of snow, patting it together while Ace was so busy laughing at you. You managed to nail him right in the face, causing him to pause and stare off into space for a moment. You could see the cogs turning in his head before he realized this was a declaration of war.

Snowball after snowball was thrown, making the walkway to Heartslabyul way messier than it was before. The two of you laughed every time a snowball hit the other right in the face. You were freezing after half an hour from the snow that had gotten into your clothes. Your entire body shivering as you tried to continue hitting Ace, but your hands were slowly going numb.

Ace noticed you slowing down and came over, planning on dumping more snow on you before he realized you were shaking. He paused before letting out a long sigh, “If you were freezing you should’ve said something.” Ace said, looking at you. You squeaked, not knowing when he managed to sneak behind you.

“I was having fun…” You murmured, noticing Ace was now grabbing you by the arm and dragging you into the dorm. The moment the warm air of the dorm hit you, you sighed in relief. It stung slightly, but at least you wouldn’t be freezing.

“Stay here.” Ace said, taking off his boots and jacket and heading into the dorm. You wanted to say something, noticing how some of the snow on his clothes were coming off him as he walked through the halls. Still, you saw him coming back with some towels, tossing you one. You didn’t realize you were literally soaking from the snow.

Ace managed to lead you to the common room that was empty for the time being, everyone else being too busy. He sat you down and began patting you dry while you laughed. “Stop moving.” Ace grumbled, placing the towel over your face and wiping away snow. He revealed your face, giving you his killer smile.

“I can’t help it, it’s tickling.” You said, watching him move the towel to your hands and he dried them off too. He noticed how cold they were, setting the towel down, before grabbing both your hands and bringing them to his mouth. He huffed some warm on your frigid hands, making you suddenly feel way too warm in your spot. Ace noticed how quiet you got as he looked up at you.

“Ya know, I put up the mistletoe so I’d have an excuse…but fuck it.” Ace said, cupping your cheek and dragging you down to meet his lips. Everything about Ace radiated warmth and you melted into the kiss, leaning forward and enjoying how his lips worked against your own. That’s when you heard some coughing from behind you, stopping you. 

You looked over and froze at seeing Riddle, tapping his foot on the ground as he looked at you two, “Is there a reason the front of the dorm looks like a warzone?” Riddle began; you and Ace looked at one another, as you noticed you were fucked. You both just turned and gave Riddle a sheepish smile, making the dorm leader sigh in annoyance.

Deuce Spade

“Ace!” You called out, walking past the disaster zone known at the Heartslabyul entry way. It looked like a snowball fight had broken out as Ace was reluctantly shoveling snow; probably as a punishment for something he did. “Where’s Deuce?” You asked once you were close enough you did have to yell.

Ace groaned as he dug the shovel into the snow and used it to lean on, “How should I know? I’m not his babysitter.” Ace said, making you roll your eyes.

“Oh so funny, I must’ve forgotten to laugh.” You said, “You live here with him, I expected you might have an inkling of where he is.”

“He might be in the attic, I think he was decorating the tree and ran out of stuff. Riddle will probably know…but why look for him when you can be helping me?” Ace said, motioning to the other shovels.

“Thanks, but I’d rather decorate a tree.” You said, waving him off as you entered the dorm. You didn’t see Riddle anywhere, but Ace was right, the tree was half decorated and the box next to it was empty. You made your way up the dorm stairs, finding the attic with relative ease. You opened the old door and peered inside, noticing some shuffling in the back.

“Deuce?” You called out, noticing a black head of hair poking up from the random items scattered about the attic. You walked over and saw Deuce going through a few boxes filled with…well a bit of everything. “What’s all this?” You asked, crouching down to see it all. 

“Good question…I’m just trying to find the other box of decorations and came across all this.” Deuce said, picking up a random gear that was thrown into the box.

“Looks like something that belongs in Ignihyde’s basement…they’re spare parts?” You concluded and Deuce nodded.

“I’m not sure, but there’s a lot of stuff like this in here. I found another box filled with bolts and gears.” Deuce said, motioning over to another box that was neatly placed above the others.

“Huh…wonder why that’s here?” You asked, Deuce shrugged.

“From what I know, it’s the Queen’s rule that the attic can only be cleaned every seven years, so Riddle hasn’t been allowed to do it since he became dorm head. I think he was saying next year would be a deep clean, so the boxes up here haven’t been touched in like six years.” Deuce said, you were now intrigued.

“So people just put boxes of random shit up here and it stays for seven years?” You asked and Deuce nodded.

“It’s an event that lasts a week, apparently, they go through everything and organize it based on the contents, then decide if it should be kept or tossed. Not looking forward to that next year…” Deuce said, you couldn’t blame him. Spring cleaning always sucked, and going through a seven year old basement, seemed like a nightmare.

“I bet you could totally make something out of these though.” You said grabbing what looked to be a small wheel. Deuce perked up at that, taking the wheel from your hand and tossing it in his hand.

“That’s the plan, I could probably make a mini model of a Blastcycle out of these parts.” Deuce said with a giant smile.

“I bet you could! If you do, you’ll have to show me once it’s finished…wait is that…” You said, your attention being drawn to another box. The colors looked similar to the ones Heartlabyul was using to decorate the dorm. Deuce noticed it too as he looked over, perking up as he moved over and grabbed the box. Sure enough, the contents inside were all winter decorations.

“Finally found it; I’ve been looking for hours now.” Deuce said, grabbing the box and standing up, “Did you want to help me decorate the tree?” he offered.

“Hell yes!” You said, standing up and looking over Deuce. He looked so excited at the moment; both at finding what he was looking for, and the prospect of getting to make something. You couldn’t help it as you walked over to him, “Hey, Deuce, turn towards me for a second.”

Deuce didn’t question it, turning his head just in time for you to give him a quick peck on the lips. He gasped, almost dropping the box as he looked at you with wide eyes, “W-what was that for?” he managed to ask, red in the face, almost matching Ace’s hair.

“You looked really cute just now, I couldn’t help myself…now come on, let’s go decorate the tree!”

Are you a fan of Diasomnia like me? I bet you are if you read my content (we love the boys in this household). Want to support a visual novel that will feature the Diasomnia dorm, has multiple routes and endings, as well as some spicy visual scenes? Check out @twstfournights and if you want info, check out their announcement post!

[oldcrowshag]

i would be super interested in hearing more about michigan bc i live up north ^.^ thanks for making that post, i didn't grow up here so i hadn't heard that legend before!!

Up North

apologies in the delay.

"Up North" in itself is such a liminality. ask a michigander where in the state the landscape turns into "Up North" (bonus points if you get them to point out places on their map-hands) and you'll probably get a different answer from everyone. Up North becomes analogous for the old ways-- an escape from Life and the sales tax of living it, diving headfirst into the woods just like the perfect arc you practiced on the dock behind your grandparents' cottage every summer. it's an encounter with the Lakeshore, because when you're Up North you have your pick of small seas to commune with. it's also foggy dawn meadows, and barren lonely winters, and small gas stops on a rural corner, and bears, and cougars, and wolves if you're lucky, and yes the fucked up deer. Up North has a smell, and honestly it's probably just fresh air. you live in a land of conservatives, anon, but also of wonder. keep your wits and learn its ways!!

anyway, speaking of lakes. as I said you could honestly reside anywhere in half of the state, so I'm electing to go Way Up North until I hit the beastly Lake Superior (gichi-gami in ojibwe). when you speak on her, you cannot help but let a certain reverence enter your voice. she's the deepest lake on the continent and holds 10% of the world's fresh water, and we have a saying about her:

Lake Superior never gives up her dead.

she's cold. most plants and animals don't survive on the bottom. it's the land of sponges and darkness. it's too cold for bacteria, so when a soul ends up down there, it stays there. if you aren't aware of the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald (rip gordon lightfoot) give it a listen if you want a good sea ballad. something similar happened to the USS Kamloops, and her captain went down with the ship. he remains preserved in the wreck to this day and can only be visited by expert divers. Superior has claimed an estimated 10000 lives, and many of those bodies are never seen again. she acts as psychopomp, a void you can slip into on a warm summer day. the deep water has long been associated with death energy-- in my personal practice I link waters in helping to venerate my ancestors and commune with certain deities. how would you use Her water and Her stones? when you greet Her after dark, and face the roaring yawn of the dark surf with no opposite shore, what do you hear within yourself? do you acknowledge the death She wears on a proud brow while birthing life out on the windswept shores? what would you consecrate in Her waters? yourself?

high summer is coming for us, anon. I suggest you hit the lake if you can, any one will do 😊

(I intend on writing more about Michigan craft and lore when I have the time but lmk if anyone is interested in that in my asks because hearing encouragement is nice lol)

[bleedingcoffee42]

Spiersmore is gonna be my top hottest ship cuz goodamm!these lads r driving me insane.More "unborthered smirk",his tall tanned stature..that mf is sexy af nd he knows it while spiers uughhhhs bro's eyelashes*chef's kisses* nd his pretty pretty face...more can get him all hot,bothered nd irritated aahhhhh.i need fics guys !!!!!plzzz atleast share more headcanon that will give me some relife too

So I've been thinking about the overlap of Malarkey and More. We see them the first time when Speirs walks through and More gives him backtalk about moving out and Malarkey is quick to say 'Do you know who that crazy MF is?' and we go through a D Day reeneactment.

Now this scene can be taken several ways:

A) Ask why the Dog company Lieutenant is passing through this batch of Easy soldiers and assume it's to check on someone. Someone being More. More who gives him shit for a look over the shoulder. In public. There is already something going on between these two. And the interaction shows us how More is, forward and with a little bit of bite, and liking that stern look he gets.

or

B) This is when More decides SpeirMore is his goal. He gives Speirs shit for not being their Lieutenant and trying to order them around and gets that look that sends tingles to all the right places. The lore only enhances this. While the boys say 'Fuck that guy', More is thinking 'I'm going to fuck that guy'.

And on Malarkey who refers to More as "More was a rugged John Wayne type, the son of a saloonkeeper in Casper, Wyoming." and "This time, our resident scrounger, Alton More." More stole that motorcycle they were riding around on from Utah beach, got it on an LST, and then made fake gas tickets to fuel it before riding it around Aldbourne. More. So while on these adventures I can see where we can go from Markley being "I see the devil himself in Speirs" to when they take the Eagles Nest and he's popping champagne to spook the Devil who just walked into a table. And that could be because his friend, who also like steal shit, is banging the guy.

And the competing looters being a couple? Yeah, I go for that.

The photo album is also a pivotal piece. It's used to spark an argument that More clearly enjoys. This comes after he's the only one who watches Speirs pistol whip Craver. More sees something even better about Sparky and goes for it. Needs something to really piss him off, so this is where he just steals from Speirs. It's an invitation to 'come and take it' and also a invite to go all the way to Wyoming after the war to hunt him down. This is when Tab quits, he's done. Done walking in on them, done listening to shit that carries out of the office.

The album ends up being a mess, probably should have open and honest about the things you wanted in the bedroom office instead of stealing haunted merchandise, but it is what it is. More ends up having to hide it in his cot and the seat of a Jeep to keep it from not only Speirs but the French who think they must have it because it has pictures of them surrendering. (Cue Ron mumbling 'Then don't surrender assholes'.) and in a checkmate bitch move, More enlists Winter's help to help him keep the album.

Dick makes him his jeep driver and now is involved in this theft ring/mating dance More has going on.

This is also fic fodder. Does Speirs throw in his lot with More because its now Easy vs the French or is Winters enough to hold that line and he is now challenged by trying to figure out where More is hiding it and how Winters is involved. (Bonus if he goes through Dick's footlocker and wonders why the hell there is a case of Vat in there.)

OR we go post war and hunt that man down in Wyoming. Dealers choice on whether or not that album is cursed.

Oh and the Western AU where More is the Rancher and this mysterious stranger from Boston walks into his town that isn't big enough for the both of them? Yeah, I could go for that too. Even better if he's cavalry and there to buy remounts for his company. Or get mounted, whatever.

[earthtomica]

meet mica

Mica is a 1994 Mitsubishi Delica L300 imported from Osaka, Japan. This year marks her 30th birthday, which in car years makes her a major grandma with six years of life experience on the both of us. As with any of our elders, we have learned an immense amount from her already - she is a little stubborn, tough as hell, and gives back even more to us than we unto her.

When we met Mica, she was imprisoned by the horrifying confines of a used car dealership. With no rust we could tell she had good bones, but she seemed neglected and we had to do something about it. Plus, considering we were running on a fresh-out-of-college budget, it didn’t hurt that she cost much less coin currency than her similarly imported siblings. We drove five hours to go pick her up and purchased her without hesitation (after spending four hours on the phone with insurance). We love insurance agents! They are so respectful of your time and so helpful in convincing you that you will cause $150k in damage to a local bridge. Finally we were on the road home as full of excitement and spirit as two young people could possible be driving their brand-new-super-old future home on wheels. Surely the only challenges would be steering from the wrong (right) side of the road and the 65mph top speed.

Halfway home, we took a mandatory Subway pitstop, ready to tackle the last couple of hours in the dark. Oh yea, we forgot to mention that the forecast leading into this weekend was a winter storm. But anyways, we forged on with hope in our hearts and Subway in our stomachs. At a certain point we noticed that the windshield wipers were slowing down a bit - “must just be the heavy wind and rain”, we said. Kept going. A little while later the headlights looked dim on the pitch black road- “our first upgrade should be new headlights”, we said. Kept going. After a few more minutes, the rapidly dropping fuel gauge needle caught our eyes - “FUCK”, we said, as the naivety finally started to fade. We had just filled up, so either we had a gaping hole in our fuel tank, or something worse… Surprise! It was something worse.

Internally full panic mode, externally calm. Neither of us would dare say a word.

Enter, Saugerties, NY. A small town off the highway which now holds a very specific spot in our hearts. We pulled into a gas station with relief and shut the car off. Mind you, this was still our first time taking this grandma out for a spin, and the first time this grandma had been out for a proper spin since we were born. After gathering ourselves and laughing at what might have been the scariest drive either of us had ever taken, we tried cranking her up again…

nothing.

The rest of the story isn’t underwhelming, but for the sake of the tumblr character limit, we'll just say it involves no ubers or AAA due to a state of emergency for the impending winter storm (which never came), a very kind gas station clerk who may have accidentally shorted our battery but also gave us food and water (guess we looked desperate), our first trip in a cop car (if you didn’t know you can’t let yourself out from the inside), a two night stay at a very comfortable Comfort Inn, and more auto shop phone calls than we have ever made in a 48 hour span (previous record: 0).

Eventually we were picked up by an extremely kind lady named “Mom” and she took us back home while Mica was towed to the only local shop which would dare take an old diesel van. The shop was great, but held onto Mica for over three months just to replace the alternator (the primary culprit) and change a few fluids. Despite being restless from our time apart and dented by a large bill, we were eager to dive into the abyss of building a mobile-home-studio-temple-spaceship. And thus commences over a year of dusk-till-dawn work, non-stop learning, unlearning, and a newfound friendship with Murphy’s Law…

TN KM

[killemwithkawaii]

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

…The first time we parted, we had just gathered up everything we were going to need to wait out the winter. We’d made one last stop before we would finally start climbing the foothills of the mountains. A little gas to get us there, a few snacks to eat on the way…. It was a quick, and very costly detour.

I don’t know how or why, exactly… Maybe the cashier had seen Mitch slip a few sticks of jerky into her sleeve, or maybe the tags on the old  junker we’d stolen were expired. Maybe we’d finally been recognized, after our pictures had been circulating on the news for over a month, and the rumors of my escape had gained traction, and maybe it was so stupid of me to think I could sit in the front seat with her for a change… I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter why. The result was the same in the end.

We were driving along a stretch of the highway through the woods, when out of nowhere there were sirens and flashing lights behind us. I felt my blood run so cold, and I was just frozen there for a second…

Mitch was in the drivers seat. She asked what we should do.

Obviously, this wasn’t going to be a routine traffic stop, but a chase wasn’t a great alternative, either. In my experience, they never ended well. 

I told her to pull over

She asked, “Is there a side road or something on the map where I can try and lose him?”

I said,  ‘no.’

She kept her pace steady. The cop car edged closer to us. I tried to tell her to pull over again.

“Sally, I’m not pulling over, we can’t let them see you…!”

I looked ahead and saw all these pinpricks of light on the road- it was a blockade. They had us surrounded.

She eased up on the gas as the walls started closing in on us. She was looking around frantically for an out, like an animal in a cage. I had never seen her look so afraid.

I said, “Mitch, please, pull over and let me out.”

It had been a good run, but I knew that this was the end. I knew by now when it was time to cut your losses and do damage control. At the very least, I wanted her to make it out of it alive.

I told her, “Stay here. I’ll make a run for it through the trees and draw their fire. I’m the one they’re after. There’s no reason for you to go down with me. Keep your hands up and stay in the car until they come for you. You can say that I made you do it- I took you hostage and threatened to hurt you unless you helped me run. They’ll believe you. You can go back to your life like none of this ever happened.”

She tried to say, “No, there has to be another way,” and I told her that, “There’s nothing else we can do. You have to let me out. I’m sorry, Mitchie. It’s over…”

“How can you just say that?”

Her little hands were white knuckled on the steering wheel, and tears were welling up in her eyes. The bags under them had gotten so dark in those few weeks. She looked so tired….

She sniffed and wiped their nose on her sweater sleeve. She said,

“Sally when I first wrote to you, I already knew that you were going to die. I didn’t want you to- I tried to stop it, but I knew it would probably still happen... I had accepted it from the beginning. I was going to treasure those letters you wrote to me and miss you so much, but I’d made peace with our time together being what it was. I thought that I’d never get to touch you or hold you or spend time with you without a piece of glass between us, and I was okay with that…”

Her voice started cracking, like she was choking. 

“But then you showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the night. You whisked me away and you gave me a taste of what it would be like to be with you- tp have fun with you, do normal things, like a real couple- and now you want me to give it all up, just like that?”

They looked at me incredulously. She asked,

“Do you think you mean that little to me? After all we’ve done, how the hell can I just go back to my life now, Sal? How the fuck could you do this to me…?!”

She started sobbing, and the car was slowing as the blockade came into clearer view. Sirens were echoing on all sides of us. It hurt to admit, but I knew that what she said was right. This was my fault, just like it always is.

“Mitchie, I...I’m sorry. I should have never gotten you mixed up in all this. I should have just said ‘thank you’ and left it at that-”

“No!! That’s not what I… I just… Fuck!!”

She hung her head and kept crying. I put a hand on her shoulder in a sorry attempt to comfort her. She got quiet for a moment.

“Sally… All that stuff you said…the cult, the demons, the universe hopping, alternate timelines…  the reason you had to kill all those people… how you’d fallen in love with me… that was all true, right? You weren’t lying and making it all up just to try and get away…?”

“No! No, of course not! All of it was true. Every word, I wouldn’t lie to you…”

“Then… Is there… Do you think there are other timelines where we both exist, too?”

“I… well, I don’t know. But, there must be at least a few, if this one exists…”

I could see the gears turning in their head. The car had slowed to a stop.

She turned and said, “Sally… before we do this, will you please promise me something?”

I listened closely, ignoring the barking of the cop behind us.

“Promise me you’ll give it another shot. Give us another shot. Find me again, so that we can have another chance at having a happy, normal life together. Will you do that for me, Sal?” 

After all she’d done for me- lifted my spirits and shown me love, made all these stupid bets and completely twisted her morals, faced her fears, faught like hell, and put her blind faith in me, all for a tiny chance at happiness with a version of me that was already ruined… after all that, how could I possibly deny her? At the very least, I owed her a few words of comfort to carry with her after I left.

“Yes…,” I said,  “I’ll do it. I promise, Mitchie, I’ll find you again, and we’ll have a happy, normal life together… I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it happen this time.”

She lifted their head and smiled at me. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks. 

She held out her pinky, and I hooked my own around it to seal the deal. 

I took what I thought was one last long look at her before I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the handle. The lock was activated before I could pull it.

“...Mitch?”

She unbuckled their own seatbelt. Her gaze was set on the red and blue lights ahead of us.

“Mitch, what are you-”

She floored it. 

I screamed for her to stop.

She didn’t take another look at me. 

Shots rang through the sirens as we gathered speed. With my final breath, I was begging Mitch to hit the breaks. 

We came to a sudden stop when our vehicle collided with the police blockade.

Both of us were ejected through the windshield, Mitch hitting the pavement head first, while my spine was jackknifed in half on the frame of one of the cop cars we’d hit. 

I heard one of the officers call for an ambulance and a clean-up crew before my souls connection to that body was severed.

 I sat up from the meat I’d been puppeting for the past decade, and I watched. I couldn’t bring myself to jump from that universe without being witness to the aftermath. I waited with Mitch as her blood pooled around her, her unseeing eyes still open, what was left of her face still stained with tears.

Almost twenty minutes later, an ambulance came for our corpses. My body was untangled from the windshield frame and placed into a black plastic bag. They peeled Mitch off of the tar, the contents of her skull spilling out as the paramedics lifted her limp body onto a stretcher, one of them following along to scoop up the puddles of brains and bone fragments she’d left trailing behind her.

What had once been my lover had been reduced to common roadkill in an instant. I’d watched it happen, I’d made it happen, but I couldn’t stop it. Mitchie may have been at the wheel, but I was the one who drove her to that. She would have never done it otherwise…. It was yet another gruesome, senseless death- another debt I could never repay, another layer of blood I was unable to wash from my hands, another promise I had to keep, no matter what it costed me.

I took one last look up the road before I jumped from that universe. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon, bathing the mountains, just a few miles away, in a warm, golden glow. It was beautiful. My god, I wished with everything I had in me in that moment  that she could have seen it, too…

 I decided then that, some day, in some timeline I hadn’t fucked up yet, I would find her, and she would see it. I’d make it happen, and when it did, I would be right there with her, taking in the view, with her hand in mine….

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[erigold13261]

Dream last night. 7/19/2023

Dream started off with me as either a highschooler or a college student back at my old elementary school trying to do volunteer work. Or I was trying to see an old teacher. Maybe both. I was there with some friends (old friends in IRL, but in the dream we were actively friends), and they were supposed to also be volunteering.

We were gonna go outside with the kids to supervise them with the full time teachers, to make sure the kids were safe, but it was like cold outside from being winter so my friends were trying to tell me to not go out and just relax for the recess even though we literally came here to volunteer and help. Somehow I ended up doing both.

I was outside watching the kids, and it was somehow nice and sunny out, while also sitting in the lobby talking to the receptionist and holding the door open for people walking in so they can get signed in, and walking around the school library and cafeteria with my friends. I was going back and forth between the interactions for a bit before I stopped on watching the kids at recess.

From there, my dream shifted from me being an adult to being a kid. I wasn’t the same adult that turned into a kid, I was now a new kid that was in a city instead of a town. I had just come home from school like 20-30 minutes ago and was now playing with the other kids around my neighborhood and family (pretty sure they were cousins or at least really close family friends).

We were playing with a shadow demon for some reason. Like we were hiding from it and playing tag. It was just a shadow circle on the ground that grew shadow arms that became physical when giving us stuff. It would ask one of us kids what we wish for, juggle some shadow balls, and then hand us the item if it could make it (we usually asked for candy or maybe a simple toy, we were not getting like a phone from that thing). Then we would play a round and afterwards it would change to what the next kid wanted to play/wish for.

This went on for a bit before adults needed the shadow for something, so we had to say goodbye and go do something else. From here I turned into one of the adults, pretty sure she was the reason we had the shadow demon in the first place because that thing seemed to follow her around whenever not helping others or playing with the kids. 

The dream from this point turned into her/me helping adults out looking for something while the shadow took on a more humanoid look (it was like a tall figure in a cloak but still 2-dimensional and hanging on the walls and floor around me). I had to go out to get gas or something at a gas station and the shadow demon followed me as a circle, sometimes becoming physical in an animal shape or a humanoid shape to walk and talk with me. 

Something big happened at the gas station, I don’t know what. Either I was about to get attacked, the gas station was being robbed, I saw someone run up to me asking for help, something like that. My shadow helped out and then as we were leaving my sister said she couldn’t find our cat at all. We tried looking everywhere for him and couldn’t find him. 

My shadow ended up using its powers to locate our cat and somehow that piece of shit was like a whole city away from us and in some deep ass woods. My shadow turned into a horse (it was a fucked up looking horse with a really long neck, not like a giraffe but weirder) and I hopped on its back to head over to our cat. We had to climb like a mountain or big wall, go through a lot of trees, maneuver around cars and weird ass buildings at really high speeds, but we finally got to our cat and he was just sitting around like a little asshole. 

Pretty sure I woke up at this point, but basically we got the cat back and me and the shadow were dating. It went back to playing with the kids later on.

[jackzillanyanut8008]

The Last Of Us Part 3: Fan Write (Part 5)

Author’s Note:

This fan write of the 3rd addition to The Last Of Us franchise is completely fan made, I own zero rights to the game, tv show, or merchandise. Any and all properties of this franchise are owned by Naughty Dog Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and PlayStation Studios. And of course, please support both the previous games, as well as the HBO series.

-Stone CL Williams

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

Chapter 13: Rip and Tear, Until It Is Done…

Thatch runs through the thick forest, dodging incoming arrows and gunfire as he darts through the trees. “Almost there, just gotta get across the state border and I’ll be in Wyoming within a few hours” he says, almost laughing with joy before crossing into an open highway before hearing that terrible sound…

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!

The sound echoes through the quiet highway like thunder, getting louder and louder as it speeds up in tempo…

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!

“No… nononononono NO!” he screams before an arrow flies through the air, piercing his calf as he screams in pain.“AH SHIT HOLY FUCK!!!” he screams as breaks the arrow and pulls it out, using some old rags to bandage the wound.

But it's too late.

His pursuers surround him. Some on foot, most in cars or off road vehicles like four wheelers and bikes. And the ringleader stands in front of him, like a king beneath his slave, atop a semi truck with a throne on the roof. It was covered in pipes and barbed wire, like something in an old biker flick. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t old Thatch Murphy. You thought you could escape after you ripped us all off all those winters ago… but now, after 3 years of searching and sacrifice, we got you by the balls” the ringleader says as they climb down the semi.

The ringleader was tall, about 6 feet by Thatch’s judgment, and fairly built. They had dark skinned arms and held an ax made from an old baseball bat and an old street sign. They also were wearing a black leather jacket, white tank top, and gray jeans. “What are you gonna do? Kill me? HA! Seems like more of a mercy than making me a slave or whatever gets you fuckers off, by the way how’re those Rattler dicks that died out last month? Heard they died nice and-” Thatch snaps before a soldier hits him in the face with a club knocking him to the pavement.

“Pin him to the car” The leader says. The soldiers obey their boss and pin Thatch to the car, Thatch meanwhile lashes out and spits blood at the bastards the whole time they do so.

“GO ON DO IT! WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOU FUCKERS!!?! WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN!?!?!” Thatch yells before they cover his mouth. The leader then takes off his mask revealing himself, “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, only makes you… Crazier” he says with a wide smile across his scarred face, his teeth yellow and his eyes sunken.

Chapter 14: Separate Ways

Deacon, Abby and Lev exit the truck and walk up to the tower. Much to no one's surprise, it WAS massive. “About 20 floors, you sure you’ll be alright Abby?” Deacon says as Abby grabs the duffle bag and a gas can “Yeah, me and Lev have been through WAY worse than this” Abby says as she and Lev walk up to the door. 

Deacon holds up a hand and grabs his banjo, this time playing the riff to “Stairway To Heaven”. Surprisingly, no infected came out or made any noise. “I don’t like that, Maria says the place was full of Infected” Lev says as Deacon throws the banjo over his shoulder. “Probably all went deaf, let’s try something else real quick” he says as he grabs his pistol and shoots a nearby squirrel. He then grabs it, skins it and flings it around a little. 

Much to Lev and Abby’s disgust, the smell attracts the Infected and the trio kill them off and move deeper inside…

After a few hours of “extermination work” the building is cleared and the three sit down in an old lobby “Worst. Job . Ever.” Lev says as he tosses his gun onto the table. “Try killing 5 Infected all fused together into one giant blob, now THAT’S a nightmare” Abby says, gloating about her past victories from her days in Seattle. “You mean a Rat King? I’ve only seen one, supposedly they’re only in ground zero areas of the virus. Hospitals, churches, schools, etc.” Deacon explains as he sits down before looking over Abby’s shoulder “Hey look, a recording booth” he says as the two look behind the couch and see the room. 

“Finders keepers D, I’m beat for the time being” Abby says, kicking up her boots “Amen sister” Lev says, mimicking Abby’s behavior. “Whatever, If I find anything good it’s mine, no bitching at all” Deacon says as he gets up and walks over to the studio.

Deacon enters the studio and finds what he expected to find: Some records, old radio equipment, and musical instruments. Except theirs one that really catches his eye, an old BC Rich Mockingbird guitar. He grabs the instrument and plugs it into an amp and begins to play.

Someday love will find you

True love won't desert you

You know I still love you

Though we touched and went our separate ways

“Nice singing' D” Abby says, Deacon jumps and sees her and Lev standing in the doorway with huge smirks on their faces. Deacon laughs, puts the guitar in its case, and throws the case over his shoulder. “Lets lock up and head back, we’ll get a cleanup crew set up tomorrow” he says as the three board up and barricade the lower floors of the tower before leaving for Jackson.

Chapter 15: Cuff Love

Thatch wakes up in an old apartment, he gets up before realizing he's cuffed to the radiator. “Ah shit” he says before the leader of his pursuers opens the door with a huge smirk on his face, his yellow teeth showing through just under his gums. “Morning fuckface! Martha made some Venison Gumbo that is to DIE for, try some!” the man says as he sets the tray down and slides it to Thatch. 

“Where am I? Hell?” Thatch says as he spit at the bastard who cuffed him. The man cackles with laughter as he sits down on a nearby stool “No, not that there’s much of a difference” he says as he turns to Thatch. “Oh right, we never formally met, Hi! My name is Sam, I’m the leader of this group. We call ourselves the Forgotten Ones” he says as he takes a swig from a canteen in his jacket.

“So why did you try to go to Wyoming of all places? Got some good loot? A settlement?” he asks as he puts the canteen back in his jacket. Thatch curls his finger, signaling Sam to come closer before spitting in his face and biting a piece of his ear off. The leader screams in agony as he covers his ear, his hand slowly filling with blood. “Well then, the hard way it is…” he says before whistling to his subordinates. Three enter the room, one with a bat, another with a crowbar, and another with a hammer. “He’s all yours guys, but try to not kill him… we still need some more slaves” Sam says as he walks out of the room. “No problem boss, we’ll be nice and gentle with this asshole” the woman holding the crowbar says as Sam shuts the door.

Back in Jackson, Deacon and Ellie are going over plans for fortifying the tower before a scream is heard all throughout Jackson. Ellie and Deacon race out and see the commotion and are shocked by what they see. They see Thatch shuffle on horseback before he falls over onto the street, his body covered in burns, bruises, and cuts. “Holy shit, DAD!!” Deacon says as he runs to his father, who only utters a few words:

“The Forgotten… are coming… leave… or be exterminated….” he mutters before Maria and Tommy send a few citizens to bring Thatch to the infirmary. 

“What happened to him?” Ellie asks as she catches up to Deacon. Deacon clenches his fists and grits his teeth “Fucking bastard, I knew I should’ve gutted him when I had the chance” he says before storming off in the opposite direction.

Abby comes in with Lev, who were both at the stables and walks up to Ellie “What’s up with D?” Abby asks Ellie. Ellie gives her a shrug “I don’t know, some old guy came in covered in cuts and burns, he must’ve known him” she says before Lev freezes in shock “Thatch” he says as Abby goes after Deacon.

[imagines-by-cleo]

Warmth

Erwin Smith x Fem!reader ~ NSFW

CW: SMUT, fucking to survive, dom/sub dynamic, softdom!Erwin, size kink, body worship, dirty talk, fingering, begging, slight dacryphillia, masturbation, orgasm denial/edging, outdoor sex, rough sex, hair pulling, creampie, fluff

Hello friends! Sorry for being AWOL for so long, I wanted to have this out sooner but some stuff came up and long story short I snuck out of my sisters wedding to go put the finishing touches on this fic lol. Anyway hope you all enjoy and if you want more the askbox is still open for requests!

Harsh winter wind bit your skin as it blew right through you, pulling your cape tighter around your body to protect you from the cold you trudged on through the snow as the cloudy sky grew darker. Everything looked the same in this storm, you could hardly tell which direction you were going even if you pulled your face out of your bundled fabrics to figure out. The white out flurry consumed the entire field, blotting out any landmarks you could use as reference.

With the snow piling up to almost your knees you pushed through, tugging your hood over your head and shielding your face from going numb in the cold. Even if your eyes were uncovered you had no warning that you were about to bump into something in the storm, you fell to the ground clueless as to what you had hit but as soon as you looked up at the towering figure you assumed the worst.

It must have been a titan, you were wrong to assume the pack that wiped out your squad were the only ones, you had already used your gas and broken your blades killing them. There was no point in screaming for help, even if someone was a few feet away they couldn't hear you. Besides, you were too cold and too tired to fight back.

Just as you came to accept your fate the clouds cleared just enough to let you see the supposed titan, the blue eyes of your Commander reflected the moonlight as he stared down at you.

"What are you doing out here? The fort is that way." He asked, gesturing in the direction you just came from.

It took you a moment to answer battling the shock from your life no longer being in danger and almost complete numbness of your lips.

"There was a titan that took us by surprise, I lost my whole squad and I couldn't tell where I was going." You did your best to explain through chattering teeth.

"I lost my squad too." He added, bending over and extending his hand so you could take it. "C'mon let's get you back home before the wind picks up again."

After pulling you off the ground he began to lead you on toward the fort, all but the most recent of your tracks had been covered up by the wind leaving you with little to judge where you had been. The sky was darkening once again and storm felt like it was blowing harsher than before as you marched against it, though it wasn't as difficult for you following behind and stepping in Erwin's much larger footprints.

The very muscles in your legs were numb beyond belief, it was a race between the cold and the exhaustion that would stop you first. You watched Erwin's silhouette merge into the flurry as you fell behind, in fear of losing him you used your last bit of energy to sprint closer and grab is hand. His skin was a cold as yours though you could barely feel it, the only way you knew he was still holding on was the pressure of the vice grip he had on your fingers. He would pause and allow you to catch up, something he would have to do more frequently the further you went.

"Commander, I can't walk for much longer." You told him, unsure of what that meant for your survival.

"Can you see those trees over that way?" He pointed out into the blurring horizon at the small a small dark patch. "We can build a shelter there and wait out the storm, do you think you can make it?"

"I think so." You answered, though you were less sure by the second.

Gently pulling your arm he lead you onward through the raging storm, you did your best to follow for a short distance but your efforts proved to be too weak when your knees buckled beneath you. The snow that broke your fall was surprisingly soft as it enveloped your tired body, everything was so bitterly cold you hardly noticed the difference when you were lifted out of it. Not expecting Erwin to lift you over his shoulder with minimal effort then continue on, your limbs went limp as you simply allowed him to carry you.

Eventually the two of you reached the forest, the shadows under the trees were so dark in contrast it was a challenge to adjust your eyes. Erwin had found the one spot under a large tree that wasn't covered by snow and carefully laid you down, though you couldn't see how you could tell by the sound that he was using his odm gear and his cape to construct a makeshift tent between the trees. He crawled into the tiny space that just barely had enough room for the two of you to sit you upright and wrap your cape tighter around you.

"Stay here, get warm. I'll be right back." He told you before disappearing into the dark.

Unsure of where he was going or how long he would be thoughts of him leaving you here and returning to the fort alone swirled through your mind, you knew your Commander would never but the idea was difficult to banish from your mind while you sat in chilling silence. A small warm light coming from outside your tiny shelter marked the end of your wait, the heat from the fire just barely reaching you as it grew larger.

Erwin's towering silhouette sharply contrasted in the rising flames as he staggered into the tent, all but throwing himself on the ground next to you and curling up in a ball facing the fire. Noticing how he was shivering you scooted closer and wrapped your cape around both of your shoulders, then taking his hands and trying to warm them in your slightly less cold ones. The little bit of warmth from the bonfire began to melt away your away your anxiety about surviving but brought to light the realization that you were now touching your Commander very intimately, even if it was necessary you still felt a tension that needed to be broken somehow.

"You know the winter during my training it only snowed once." You told him while rubbing his large hands between your palms. "I thought it was great at the time but now I wish I would have been prepared for this."

"Well I'm glad I found you then." He smiled, looking in your eyes before staring down at your hands. "Truth be told I probably wouldn't have survived on my own either."

His words made your cheeks feel warm, hopefully the blushing would be mistaken for frostbite.

"Come a little bit closer." He said, putting his arm around you.

Resting your head on his chest you felt how much he was still shivering, feeling the unmelted snow that clung to his jacket you realized what had to be done. Hesitant to take the liberty, you reminded yourself that you couldn't make it home without Erwin and he was going to need you to keep him warm by any means necessary until the storm passed. Tossing the cape away you began to wiggle out of your jacket, making him remove his arm while you hurriedly undressed.

"What are you doing?" He asked, all authority leaving his voice.

"We'll get warm quicker if our skin is touching." You answered while unbuttoning your shirt.

His eyes went wide catching a glimpse of your chest before quickly turning away, slowly starting to peel off his jacket and shirt while you moved closer. Expecting the meeting of your skin to be awkward you were surprised to find it more than comfortable when you hugged Erwin's chest, feeling his tense muscles relax under your touch as you were once again under the soft cover of your green cape.

"So warm." He sighed while running his freezing hands all over your body, too cold to care about boundaries.

Not anticipating how good it would feel to be touched like that you accidentally let out a soft moan making him stop and realize what he was doing. Your first instinct was to apologize, hide your face and never speak of this again, but something about the storm was making you bolder and you weren't feeling very sorry for letting your pleasure be known. Taking one of his hands you touched it to your cheek and looked him in the eyes, while they were wide with surprise once again you could recognize a hunger in them that was the same as your own.

"Can you?....Keep doing that?" You asked, red face hot against his palm.

"Only if I can do this first." He answered putting his free hand to your other cheek and gingerly touched his lips to yours.

His kiss was so gentle at first, holding you like you were made of glass and would break if he were any rougher with you. When you put your hands on his shoulders gripping firmly Erwin knew exactly what your body was begging for and the kiss grew abundantly more passionate. Leaving your face his hands dropped to skillfully unhook your bra, allowing your breasts to spring into the open under the path of his decending lips. While you fell back onto the ground his mouth stayed on you the whole time, his body sheilding you from the weather as laid with you.

There was a fire burning in the pit of your stomach that only grew hotter the longer you waited for him to undo the many straps and buckles holding your pants up, the moment your legs were free you wrapped them around his hips grinding up against the tightening fabric he was now hurrying to remove from himself. You couldn't see but you could feel the absolute length of his cock dragging across your bare stomach once he pulled it out and lined it up, the softest sigh came from his lips when the tip touched your dripping entrance. He touched his forehead to yours

"Tell me you want it." Erwin breathed out, somewhere between commanding and begging.

"I really want it." You answered, though that didn't begin to describe. "I always wanted it."

"Spread your legs a little wider and I'll give it to you." He smiled, impatiently placing kisses on your cheek.

Raising your legs with the help of Erwin putting one hand under your knee to lift it against your chest, his other hand dropped to your entrance to test your wetness by running up and down your slit. The first thick finger to slide in felt divine slipping in and out only to be joined by another once you felt it wasn't enough, you rocked your hips into his hand feeling so malleable as he tried to reach as deeply as possible. When you were left empty you wanted to beg for him to keep going only to realize once the first inch of his cock pushed in that your were were about to get more than you could handle.

There was a reason he told you to spread wider, and you found out when he pushed inside forcing a gasp out of you at the unexpected intensity of being stretched. He moved slow in shallow careful thrusts but nothing less to help you adjust, for all the discipline he practiced in his life he just couldn't control himself with you.

"Slow down just a bit, I can't take it all at once." You begged.

"It's gonna feel good in a minute, I promise." He panted, one thumb circled your nipple in an attempt to draw more pleasure from you and distract from the pain. "Just relax, you can make it fit for me."

The sheer size of everything about him was apparent as his body rocked into yours, your legs staying up just by Erwin resting his weight against them. His arms around you making you feel a mix between completely helpess and totally safe, just thinking about the way his body connected so well with yours made you wet enough to take him deeper. Both of you shared a moan when he finally bottomed out, brushing your g spot on the way in and making you pulse around his fat cock. The faces you made as you gasped and whined while he pounded into you were hard to control, biting your lip you turned your head to the side to hide your shame only to have Erwin tilt your chin forward again

"Look at me." He demanded, and you did noticing the glow from the fire that made his skin look golden and was doing the same for you. "God, you're beautiful."

Wanting to return the compliment but finding every time you opened your mouth only moans came out, you took the hand that was holding your chin and placed soft open mouthed kisses in Erwin's palm then touched it to your cheek. His blue eyes glowing at the sight of you sqeezed shut when you tightened around him again, a groan passed through his clenched teeth before he threw his head back. Taking his hand away he moved both of them to your thighs, spreading them farther than you could on your own and making you feel even more vulnerable.

"Touch yourself." He ordered.

"Yes, sir." You answered, reaching to comply with his demands.

The contact of your fingertips on your clit made your back arch off the cold ground, you tried to match the pace of his thrusts with the movements of your fingers, finding the perfect rhythm to take your pleasure all at once. The helpless gasping moans coming from your mouth might have been embarrassing if you didn't feel Erwin's cock twitch with every whimper.

You breathed out. "Commander I'm almost-"

"Don't." He cut you off. "Not until I tell you to."

Suffering through the denial of release you panted with every thrust, trying to make it easier on yourself by removing your hand to grasp at the ground below.

"I didn't tell you to stop." He said.

You didn't even have the strength to protest, only looking up to see the more than amused look on his face when placing your hand back between your legs, doing your best to rub your clit as softly as possible while the pace of his thrusts accelerated.

"What a good little soldier." He remarked, his tone somewhere between affectionate and condescending. "You know how to follow orders, don't you?"

Nodding with tears streaming down your cheeks you struggled to decide if you loved this suspense or hated it, but your clouded thoughts were cut short when you were flipped onto your stomach. The feeling of emptiness didn't last long, as soon as he positioned your bodies he entered from behind nearly making you cum from the single movement. Your fingers dug into the dirt while he pounded into you, whines turning into outright screams with him driving deeper than ever before. Erwin threaded his fingers into your hair and pulled tight making your back arach and giving you the experience of a whole new angle.

"Please, I can't take anymore!" You begged, the denial becoming too much to bear.

He lifted you by the hair, your back now curving into his flexing chest while his other hand left it's grip on your hips to rub slow langid circles on your clit that kept you hanging just over the edge.

He pulled tighter, mouth colliding with the soft spot of your neck where he landed sloppy kisses trailing upward before whispering in your ear. "Cum with me."

Already following orders before he finished the sentence your pussy tightened around his cock, milking every drop out of him as he burst inside of you. Erwin didn't slow his thrusting at all, panting as he continued to push his cum deeper in your core. His name coming over and over from your mouth, your body shaking uncontrollably under his unrelenting touch.

After spending himself completely he finally decreased his pace, moving his hands to wrap you in an intimate embrace allowing you to melt against him. Littering your neck and shoulders with kisses while pulling his softening cock out, making you moan at the feeling of wetness dribbling down your thighs. He fell back onto the ground letting you turn and climb on top of him, returning all his kisses along the underside of his jawline then resting your head on his heaving chest.

"Commander?" You asked.

"Erwin." He corrected, eyes closed already dozing off.

"Erwin, I can't feel my legs again." You told him.

That information roused him from his sleep enough to share a soft laugh with you as he wrapped an arm over your shoulder.

"I'd love to carry back to the fort in the morning." He responded

"Oh, you'd love to?" You inquired.

"So I could carry you all the way to my bedroom." He clarified, placing a kiss on your forehead.

"We should probably worry about getting out of here before you start making plans." You teased, pulling the cape over your bodies before you froze again.

"Worry about that in the morning." He sighed. "We'll be just fine staying here together for tonight."

Outside the storm had died down though the sun had set a while ago leaving everything pitch black save for light of the campfire that was smoldering out. Not to worry, you didn't need the fire anymore. Perfectly secure in Erwin's arms drifting to sleep, bodies tangled together nearly becoming one sharing warmth until the sun came up.

[tinyyoungblood]

hi!! adore your work love. could you maybe do smth where stark!reader has to get her wisdom teeth out but HATES the dentist so she brings her boyf peter and her dad w her?? and then when they get home the avengers are all waiting with like comical amounts of flowers and stuffed animals and then reader says some funny shiii and thor thinks she’s like dying lol. idk if that made sense but i’m getting my wisdom teeth out soon and i’m scared😭 thank u so so much love u babe

pairing: peter parker x stark!reader

a/n: tysm lovely :,) i rushed through this like my life depended on it, but i hope i’m not too late. either way, i hope you’re okay! it’s frightening but those bad boys gotta go because we don’t need that kind of energy in our lives. enjoy x

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

wisdom teeth? more like wisdoom

y/n has to get her wisdom teeth removed and it’s the singular most dreadful thing she’s ever had to do, which says a lot because her dad is tony richling stark

doing dreadful things she doesn’t want to do but still somehow end up doing just because she can is a personality trait at this point

no one really makes a big deal out of it since ~death~ is part of their job description, but y/n is terrified

and when a stark is terrified the only thing that will keep them one step from insanity is researching the hell out of it

that information will be info dumped into every conversation for the next few weeks leading up to the appointment

“y/n you need anything from the store?” "no thanks, did you know the side effects of getting your wisdom teeth out include ✨sudden death or blood clots✨ tho” “……..i have a coupon?”

the day of the appointment, peter comes along and literally doesn’t let go of y/n’s hand. he keeps touching her to let her know that he’s there and it’s so. adorable

he would rest his hand on her knee, gently stroke her back while holding her, or just play with her hair

happy drops them off and he’s too Cool™ for emotions but he knows y/n’s a wreck, so he just fist bumps her with a single nod and she almost breaks down bc it’s really affectionate

y/n is sitting in the dentist chair and genuinely nothing is happening yet, but she’s squeezing peter’s hand like it’s a sponge

peter might have a high pain tolerance but he’s in pain pain and he prays that his hand won’t just explode on him

the dentist notices how peter tries to keep it together and chuckles

“you okay there, son?” “yea it’s fine, had a better time when a building fell on me tho haha” “pardon?” “oh i mean i didn’t have a good time, i just had a better time”

because y/n is running Anxious Town™, the dentist gives her a sedative to help her relax 

plus, an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the tooth and surrounding area

she doesn’t feel anything and it’s GREAT

the procedure is quicker than expected and now the real fun begins

she tries to walk but she falls down so peter scoops her up bridal style and happy stays glued at her side

y/n doesn’t mind although she literally doesn’t recognise them and they’re practically strangers to her

but girly sees an opportunity and tries to flirt with peter bc why wouldn’t she

“you’re pretty” *blushes* “why thanks” “you should let your girlfriend know” “i should let her know i’m pretty?” “so you do have a gf? :(” “yea it’s you” “:)”

they stop for gas and peter goes in to get some water for y/n, and in her infinite wisdom, she decides it’s burger time

her mouth is completely numb and she’s practically leaving a trail of drool behind her, but she’d kill for a burger right now

so she wobbles around aimlessly for an hour on some random parking lot as if the ground might just magically open up like a rabbit hole and lead her to five guys

she’s going places. not back to the car. definitely not five guys. they’re closed. but places

peter finally finds her and he’s drenched from head to toe in sweat. he doEsn’T wAnt tO tALk abOut iT tho so she lets him take her to subway instead

normally, she would know that peter’s usual subway order is bread-lettuce-jalapeño

but in her drugged-up state, it had simply slipped her mind so now she’s staring at him like he’d just murdered someone right in front of her

“that- that’s your order?? no meat or anything just bread, lettuce, and a little spice?”

meanwhile at the compound, sam and steve are ordering everyone around bc they want to decorate this place before y/n gets home to surprise her

they take it very seriously too. they’ve watched like one HGTV show and said it’s our time

they finally get home and tony gives y/n a big hug, asking her what took so long

happy tells him that she was keen on getting burgers bc apparently someone has taught her that stressful times call for ~cheeseburgers~

he proceeds to look at tony with a pointed look

tony just shrugs and goes “she was a problem child. we don’t mention her dark past”

she’s swaying on the spot and keeps grinning like a fool and thor just stares at her weirdly before elbowing bruce and whispering loudly,

“what’s wrong with her? is she dying? should i start collecting leaves, i know this remedy—"

no one can tell if y/n is just happy to see the newly decorated home or if she’s just delighted to see everyone but then she goes around hugging the entire team

she doesn’t even acknowledge the sky-high pile of teddy bears and flowers everywhere bc she’s just squeezing everybody

y/n is so high, she just starts to spill all of her feelings about everyone and they’re already so overwhelmed by the hug chain they can’t take this too

“wanda i just want you to know that you’re like my big sister and you’re always taking care of me and i know you and vision are just going to make such good parents one day”

“bucky you absolute PRICK, you FIEND, you’re the best chess player ever and that’ll never change and i wouldn’t be good without you, i hate to say it but you deserve happiness even after you made me lose five times in a row yesterday”

“dad, you’re so strong and smart, even though we’re like never on the same page, you’re always along for the ride, i want to be like you when i grow up, i swear i’m gonna try to be as good to the avengers as you were to us” “aww- wait makes you think i'll be the first to die“

“nat you’re such a bitch about your protein shakes but you’re my best friend and i wouldn’t have it any other way, you can try out as many make up looks on me as you want”

“bruce, brucey, i would live with you in your lab for the rest of my days if i had to, whenever you ask me to hand you stuff i feel useful and important”

“laura’s way out of your league clint i have no idea how the fuck you got her but don’t lose her and i want to be your next child’s godmother”

“steve…we’re your family now. we’re always gonna be your family now. okay?”

“loki you’re not fooling anyone with your attitude, we all know you’re part of the family, you were just misunderstood and messed up bc of your dad–FUCK him by the way–but i realised everyone deserves as many chances as they need because of you”

“sam i would genuinely kill anyone who wronged you, even if they cut you in line at the grocery store, i would knife them no hesitation”

“thor, you poor golden retriever have been through so much, on my way here i made a wish on an eyelash for you bc you deserve better, your postcards always make my day, love you”

she mumbles something to peter that no one else can hear but he blushes and chokes back a sob

y/n orders hot soup and bucky brings it to her but before he even has time to react peter drops everything and ZOOMS across the room in .3 seconds

he barrels into bucky so hard they both go flying, but peter just smoothly rolls out of it and onto his feet like some kind of super ninja

“DUDE WHAT THE HELL” “😠 y/n is not supposed to drink hot liquids 😠”

all of this happens in mere seconds but sam has filmed it all and now slow mo clips go viral online of some mysterious kid knocking over the winter soldier

y/n’s a little in and out after that, but when she fully regains consciousness, she’s on a pile of blankets, surrounded by the team on the floor <3

* * *

let me know if this is actually comforting lmao stay hydrated pals

hc masterlist

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Guest Side Story

Fandom: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Sarah Wilson Rating: T Word Count: 3214

Summary: Sam told Bucky not to flirt with Sarah. But this is her house, so Bucky's pretty sure she makes the rules.

Bucky’s missed white lies. Ones that don’t hurt anybody.

“Is that cigarette smoke I smell on your coat, James Barnes?” “No, Ma. ’Course not.”

“And you’re sure this dame knows it’s my arm she’ll be on?” “Sure, Steve. She’s been after me to fix the two of you up for weeks.”

Stuff like that.

Past few years, Bucky’s either been transparent or a brick wall, all lies or all truth. Which one he loses more sleep over just depended on the day. The most human thing, he’s learning, is to work with a little of both: fact and fiction. Give something here, hold something back there. Lying doesn’t have to be mean-spirited and telling the truth doesn’t have to make him feel hollow and guilty. Maybe you can only realize this kinda thing when you find your way home, even if the home isn’t yours.

Bucky’s standing in the kitchen listening to Cass teach him how to fish. It’s purely theoretical, no gear involved, just the overexaggerated motion of Cass’s arm as he mimes casting. Laughing, Bucky lightly grabs the boy’s elbow before it can collide with the refrigerator on an especially big swing. Cass downsizes his demonstration without pausing the excited flow of his instructions.

AJ catches Bucky’s eye; from the look on his face, he’s beginning to suspect that Bucky might already know how to fish. While Cass is focused hard on his hands pretending to show how to fit live bait onto a hook, Bucky smiles at AJ over the smaller boy’s head and raises a finger to his lips. White lies. Let Cass believe he’s the expert.

When Cass is winding down, Bucky moves around him with a grin, carrying an empty plate to the sink.

“I got it!” AJ declares, whisking it from Bucky’s hand and pumping a squirt of dish soap in the center while his other hand runs the hot water.

Cass slotted the Pop-Tarts the plate lately held into the toaster for him (no better end-of-the-day snack, Bucky was told) and now AJ’s cleaning up. They’re a hospitable family, all day long. No phoniness, no insincere offers of help that they’re hoping Bucky won’t take them up on. He actually had to race the kids to the shed to store a toolbox earlier. On the boat, Bucky has room to put in the effort for the Wilsons, but inside the walls of their home he’s not allowed to do a damn thing because he’s a guest. Per square foot of property, he doesn’t think he’s ever been treated this well in someone else’s house.

“Fine,” Bucky concedes, “but I’m doing all the dishes tomorrow—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And don’t get up early to drink a glass of orange juice and try to wash it before I’m awake, ’cause I’ll be listening.”

The boys giggle and Bucky leans against the counter, hovering while AJ hands the plate off for Cass to wipe dry and pretending not to listen to Sam and Sarah talking in the next room.

…But there isn’t a full wall separating the kitchen from the living room and Sam knows Bucky’s hearing’s good, right? He doesn’t think they’re discussing anything that private and if Sam’s annoyed with him later for what he supposes Bucky might’ve heard, Bucky’ll just offer up another white lie and swear he couldn’t hear a thing. And Sarah… Sarah wouldn’t think any worse of him if she knew. Bucky imagines she’d have a lot of compassion for his frequent urge to give Sam a hard time just for the hell of it. He flicks a quick glance over his shoulder, just to see her, and concentrates on what they’re saying, giving himself vague permission because he overheard his name.

“This was your idea,” Sarah’s saying. “You brought the stray cat home, just like when we were kids.”

“Don’t compare him to something cute,” Sam complains. Bucky’s mouth tenses to keep his smile from spreading too far.

“He is a guest in my home, Sam, and he’s more than earned it after the work he’s been putting in with the boat.”

“And what about the work you’ve been putting in watching him do that work?”

“Sam. Grow up.” Sarah’s voice is playful and Bucky almost turns, wondering what her expression looks like.

“So you’ve just been appreciating his skill with a wrench and some sandpaper,” Sam says skeptically.

“If I’m also appreciating his shoulders in that shirt— if—” she emphasizes when Sam tries to interrupt, “—it’s nobody’s business but mine.”

“Ok, you definitely can’t have him sleeping on the couch.”

“What do you think I’m gonna do? Try to sneak him to my bedroom after lights out? With you listening, trying to catch us? Uh uh. Your sister is a grown woman with two children, a home, and a boat she couldn’t manage to sell, and she can lust where she damn well pleases.”

Bucky snorts out a laugh and AJ gives him a funny look. Kid’s too perceptive.

“He’s tricky,” Sam lectures. “You can’t see it, but I do. I’ve been around him a hell of a lot more. You think he smiles like that at everybody? If he smiles at me at all, I gotta assume he just looked up and saw a meteor hurtling towards where we’re standing and is only smiling because we’ve got seconds to live and I won’t be able to tell anybody.”

“You are hilarious.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re telling me your friend is charming. That’s what you’re describing. Don’t I deserve to be charmed? Where else is he gonna sleep, huh? With you? In one of the boys’ little beds while they share the other one? Because I know you’re not suggesting we skip the pretense and put him right in with me.”

Sam lets out a noise of obvious frustration.

“Time to intervene,” Bucky tells Cass and AJ, leaving them to swap confused shrugs in the kitchen as he saunters into the living room.

“Hey,” Sam greets stonily, arms crossed over his chest.

Just for fun, Bucky decides to be all the friendlier.

“It’s so great of you to put me up. Thanks, Sarah. This beats a hotel by a mile.”

“Our gourmet kitchen does offer an impressive range of sugary cereal,” she jokes. “I might even cook you boys a special breakfast tomorrow before you head back to the dock.”

Bucky’s grin widens.

“Oh yeah? I wouldn’t wanna—”

“No, it’s no trouble—”

“Well, that would be—”

“Both of you stop it,” Sam orders.

“Sam, go outside,” Sarah orders right back. “Play some tag with your nephews.”

“Sarah, I’m beat. We’ve been working on that boat all day.”

“Mhmm, you and the rest of the neighbourhood. You worked all day and you come home and there’s still two kids to entertain. But guess what?” She smiles deviously at her brother and throws a few fake punches at his stomach. “You’re Sam Wilson, the Falcon! Looks like you’re special after all. Me and Bucky here know you’ve still got some gas in the tank. Go on.”

Sam looks fairly planted to the spot as he glares from his sister to Bucky, but he eventually moves with a lurching step.

“I’m gonna be right outside,” he warns.

Bucky sidesteps out of his path and says nothing, though it’s hard to resist the instinct to egg him on.

“We’re gonna have a super-secret discussion about which towels he can use,” Sarah goads at her brother’s back.

Sam ignores her, corralling his nephews in the kitchen and guiding them out the door into the fading daylight with a hand on each of their narrow backs.

“Great kids,” Bucky observes.

Sarah nods, watching her family disappear, then turns to him.

“We’re not really gonna talk about towels.”

“No?”

Bucky’s eyebrows rise in surprise and delighted anticipation until Sarah grabs a folded blanket off the back of the couch and passes it to him.

“We’re making up the couch.”

“Oh.”

This is ok too. Actually, really nice, standing next to Sarah and unfolding the blanket as she stuffs a pillow into a clean case. Her eyes find his already on her and he swears he almost blushes; he’s been smoothing out the same crease in this blanket for a good thirty seconds with no result, just watching her easy movements, the way she flips her braids back when they fall forward over her shoulder.

“I hope you’re comfortable,” she says, lingering once they’re done.

“I woulda slept on the floor. A closet, even, like Harry Potter.”

“You read Harry Potter? Don’t tell the boys—they’ll be bugging you to play wizards with them.”

Bucky laughs and shakes his head.

“Nah, I just watched the movie.”

“Which one?”

“There’s more than one?”

“You really better not bring it up then,” Sarah advises. “They’d try to tell you everything at once.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to get in out of my depth.”

It feels like a significant look they exchange after his words. Bucky wants it to be—he thinks he does—but he feels awkward, romantically clumsy. Heartstrings tied together like shoelaces, waiting to trip him up. He’s been telling himself she’s only being kind, but after eavesdropping on her conversation with Sam, he knows she’s interested. In his shoulders at the very minimum. Was that right? His shoulders? Just in case, Bucky does his best to square them. Can’t hurt.

He’s fucking ecstatic when Sarah does glance down briefly, her gaze returning to his face with something flustered in it. Sure, she’s a mom and she runs a business, but it’s like she told Sam: she deserves to be charmed. Bucky’s not entirely sure he’s doing it right though.

“So,” she says, “Sam was just being a pain when he tried to convince me you can’t sleep on the couch because you’ve got a bad back, right?”

Bucky sighs but keeps smiling. It’s natural in her presence.

“I’d say that’s him making old-man jokes about me.”

“I apologize for my brother and his bad manners.”

“Ah, he’s not totally wrong,” he concedes, perching on the arm of the couch. “These last few birthdays have required more candles than you could fit on a cake.”

“Then you just have to get yourself a bigger cake.”

Bucky laughs.

“I guess optimism’s pretty much a family trait?”

“We work at it. They say you need to take the good with the bad, but they don’t tell you that means creating the good out of nothing a lot of the time, if you want any at all. The Wilsons worked that out some time ago, so we mostly do alright.”

“It’s a good feeling to be around,” he tells Sarah earnestly. Clearing his throat, he gets to his feet. “Feels good, being around you.”

“We’re… I’m happy you could stay with us.”

The light’s softened in the room and her voice has gone with it. Bucky shifts on his feet.

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” he assures her.

Sarah’s eyelashes flutter when she looks from his mouth to his eyes. Probably too try-hard to bite his lip now. God, Sam thinks Bucky’s so suave with Sarah, but it feels like he’s only got one move and it’s fucking smiling. Some Casanova he is. Sarah, meanwhile, is beautiful and authoritative and generous and moving closer to toss the pillow he’ll rest his head on tonight onto the couch.

“Anything else you need to be comfortable?” she asks, gaze slipping from one of his eyes to the other. “Another pillow? Pajamas?”

“I’ve got some, but…”

“But?”

Sarah gives him a questioning look and Bucky starts summoning the courage to make a move. He’ll touch her waist—no, take her hand. He’ll cup her sweet face so there’s no doubt what he means.

“But,” he picks up, “if I get cold in the night…”

There’s longing in her eyes, Bucky knows it, but Sam bangs in the screen door right then, one nephew squealing where he’s been slung over Sam’s shoulder.

“Well,” Sam announces loudly to the house at large, “that’s it! No more gas in the tank! Everybody get to bed!”

Sarah appears sorry as she steps back. Bucky almost reaches out to pull her in, to take another shot with another lousy line. Shit, he’s bad at this.

“There are more blankets in the hall closet,” she says, and slips away.

“Thank you,” he calls after her.

Sam walks past, Cass still dangling upside-down over his back while AJ runs ahead, and watches Bucky like a hawk (or some other bird of prey) as he digs through his overnight bag. What’s Sam expecting him to pull out? A strip of condoms? Bucky extracts a green toothbrush and holds it up with an expression of fake wonder. Sam rolls his eyes and heads off down the hall.

They are going to bed early, barely 9pm. That’s probably late for the kids though. Bucky’s pleasantly weary after a day outdoors, more working than talking, feeling like part of something as the Wilsons’ community came together to repair the boat. Seeing Sarah throughout. Flashing Bucky a smile while she spoke to a neighbour, grasping his outstretched hand to let him help her aboard so she could see their progress, checking Sam’s work like she’s his foreman while Bucky grinned and watched the siblings good-naturedly pick at each other. Sam was probably out like a light and Bucky should be too.

He’s not.

He can’t get to sleep right away, but it’s peaceful to lie here on the couch, on his back, while the house gets dark and darker. Sarah left the nearest window cracked for him and a gentle breeze washes in with the chirp of insects. Bucky’s already looking forward to being woken by the sun streaming through in the morning. It’d be good to get from now to daylight in a single stretch of sleep; that’s what he fantasizes about while he lies on his back: no nightmares. His head’s propped up by the pillow he tells himself smells like Sarah, though it probably just smells like her laundry soap.

It’s hard to put his finger on what’s missing, why he can’t fall asleep, until he hears the soft shuffle of footsteps on carpet. They’re too close together to be Sam’s—either hesitant or made by child-sized feet. Bucky cranes his neck around, expecting to see someone walk past on their way to the kitchen for a glass of water. His gaze roams over nothing for a minute, then he slumps back as the footsteps retreat. Maybe it was Sam after all, getting up to look in on his nephews or something. It’s the sorta thing Bucky would do if he were an uncle; he’d treasure the time with those kids, try to remember everything about his visit so he could hang on to it when he found himself half a world away, in Berlin or Riga or Madripoor.

He’s settling, trapping the blanket against his chest with a heavy hand, when he hears the footsteps approach again. Then back away seconds later. Slowly, Bucky starts to smile to himself. It’s Sarah. Can only be her. She’s either trying to psych herself up to come in here and talk to him and failing, or trying to resist venturing down the hall and succeeding.

On her next attempt, she gets closer, and Bucky sits up, kicking the blanket aside, and drops his feet to the floor in anticipation of her rounding the corner. He’s nervously gripping the couch cushion on either side of his knees when she does.

“You sneaking past Sam?” he asks quietly.

Sarah jumps, pressing a hand to her chest.

“You scared me. I wasn’t sure you’d be awake.”

Bucky shrugs, dreamily fixated on her smile. One of her neighbours turns on their porchlight and now Sarah can probably see his smile too.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he says.

“Shoot. Did you need something else?”

Kinda funny how she’s pretending she was coming out here for another reason and is just making a detour for him. He knows better, but he’s got enough remnants of being a gentleman not to call her out on it.

“Nah. It’s nothing to do with you.” Bucky stares at her a few seconds and changes his mind. “You know what? Actually, it is you.”

“What is?” Sarah asks with a hushed, confused laugh.

“The reason I can’t get to sleep. Sarah…”

But she smiles and does what he did to the boys earlier—holds a finger to her lips.

With the confidence of a woman at ease in her own home and her own body, she steps forward. She wore a yellow t-shirt today, but the one she wears now is pale pink. It’s loose and worn and reveals the strong, elegant curve of her shoulder when she moves and it slips. Gazing up at her, Bucky shifts until he feels the back of the couch. His hands hover in the air as Sarah digs one knee, then the other, into the cushion on either side of him. She lowers herself onto his thighs.

Moving slow like the hour, deep like the black sky, Bucky runs his hands up her back.

Sarah’s palms land on his shoulders and, smiling, she confesses to him, “I like these.”

He’s smirking when she ducks her head to kiss him.

Now that he has her here—on his lap, in his arms—Bucky forgets every way he wanted to touch her earlier. How he was gonna woo her with tender contact applied just right. Well, thank god for Sarah. She sets the pace of the kiss and, when his hands go still at her upper back, reaches around to bring one of them back down to her waist. He can feel that there’s no bra beneath her shirt.

“Rusty,” he breathes when their mouths slide apart.

“You were on that old boat all day,” she reminds him. “You know I’ve got patience for rusty.”

Still, Bucky wants to do a little better, prove that maybe he’s what she had in mind when she decided he was worth smiling at. He cradles Sarah closer, pulling her in, dipping his fingers into the valley of her spine when she arches into him. They kiss firmer, then faster. At her quick nod of encouragement, he moves his hands to her hips. Lower.

“Sarah?” Sam slurs sleepily from down the hall. “You outta bed?”

Sarah presses a hand to Bucky’s chest and pushes off his lap, other hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. He chuckles too.

“As the Falcon, timing is one of his greatest strengths.”

“And as his sister,” Sarah counters, “it gets on my last nerve.”

“Well, I didn’t wanna say that, but…” Bucky grins.

“Sarah?” Sam calls out again.

She sighs.

“Is he trying to wake the boys?” She takes a step away from the couch, wearing a regretful smile. “I better go.”

Bucky catches himself before he can blurt out I’ll miss you. Overeager fool.

“See you in the morning?” Sarah checks, something shy about her now, but not in a bad way. Cautiously hopeful, Bucky thinks. He’s been feeling that way himself.

He gives her one more smile for the road.

“You bet.”

[outercrasis]

Bonded

Part 3

Pairing: Max Phillips x Named F!Reader/OFC (Prudence Walker)

Rating/Word Count: M (18+) / 6.9k

Warnings: descriptions of Max’s new eating habits, language, brief discussion of religion (let me know if something was missed!)

Summary: Over the river and through the woods to Nana's house we go

A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out! It's a long one to hopefully make up for the wait 😅 See the end for an additional note and thank you as always to @escapades-to-rivendell for the beta read, I couldn't do this thing without you 😘

Previous ++ Series Masterlist ++ Next

All things considered, the car ride is not as bad as it could be. It's not great, considering your passenger is a sullen vampire that's pissed at you for essentially neutering him, but it's not bad either. You were even considerate, stopping at the hotel he'd been staying at to let him gather his things before jetting out of town.

Max doesn't have much – a suitcase far nicer than your ratty blue duffel and a few suits kept carefully preserved in garment bags. You wanted to laugh at those, but you can tell you’re already on thin ice. No need to make it worse.

You expect him to be irritating while you drive, but he's surprisingly quiet. Quiet does not mean easily ignored unfortunately. His stare weighs on you like a twelve-ton brick across the bench seat. You don’t look at him, not wanting him to know that he’s getting to you. Your eyes stay firmly focused on the road ahead as you try to preoccupy yourself with figuring out what exactly that sigil you used did to him.

It's obvious that Max is currently unable to attack anyone, biting or otherwise. The pain that shoots through his head is unquestionably strong enough to overcome his desire to maim and kill. For you, this is good news – for him, you're not sure.

Your vampire friend Brooke had essentially proven that on-tap blood wasn't necessary and bottled would work just fine, but it's still concerning. You're not sure if that's something she can maintain forever or if she'll need to top-up from a fresh source every once and a while. Max won’t be able to manage that in his current state. And sure, maybe he had thrown you against a car, but you stabbed him in the arm so fair is fair, right? That doesn't mean you want him dead.

You make a couple stops along the way, calling Nana about halfway to let her know where you are and who you're bringing with you. She's excited by the news which shocks you when it shouldn't. The vampire part was never going to bother her – she just heard the word guest and ran with it.

When you get back in the car after the second stop (this time for gas and snacks, not the bathroom), Max finally speaks. "Where are we going? Somewhere more private so you can stake me?"

You roll your eyes, peeling open a Slim Jim with your teeth. "You still think I'm going to kill you?"

"Well you did stab my arm, so,” Max sneers. The wound in question had finally closed and Max cleaned it at your first stop on the drive, relieving you both from that overwhelming death stench. By your estimation it had taken an hour and a half to fully close. You wonder if feeding would have sped that process up for him.

"Arm. With a knife that we both know wouldn't kill you, so."

Max isn’t pleased with your answer. He knows you’re right, but definitely doesn’t want to admit it. "Then where the fuck are we headed?" he spits at you.

There's no reason not to tell him. A few more hours of driving and he'll have his answer. There's something about seeing him squirm though that you can't help but enjoy. He's certainly accustomed to having the upper hand and right now you're holding all the cards. You take a bite of the processed meat stick and talk around it. “You’ll see.”

You’ve always enjoyed the drive up to Nana’s house. The long twisting two-track nestled into a dense smattering of trees and undergrowth. It gets tricky at times in the winter, but ever since Nana purchased the plow attachment for the truck they’ve become more manageable.

Thankfully, it’s only autumn and the worst you have to look out for is a dead tree that could have fallen and blocked your path. It happened once before and you’re hoping to never have to deal with it again. Processing a tree is not your idea of a good time and you’re willing to bet Max won’t lend a supernatural hand to help.

Max sits up when you turn in the drive, his pouty mood dissapaiting slightly as he realizes you’ve finally reached your destination. Nana’s house sits in a large clearing within the small forest, looking aged but well cared for. It’s a small, old two-story farmhouse with a porch that wraps around two sides. Plants adorn the sun faded railings, some intentionally planted and others not. It would look overgrown if it weren’t for the careful eye Nana keeps, maintaining the growth to be healthy rather than choking.

There’s a small greenhouse out in the yard for Nana’s more specialty plants nestled in by the shed Grandpa built before you were born. The garden boxes have mostly died off for the season, a few squash plants and green beans all that’s left. Chickens roam the yard, pecking indiscriminately through the grass. A few near the driveway flutter and squawk when they hear the rumble of the station wagon approach the house.

You watch the front door swing open, Nana shuffling out on the worn boards of the porch to welcome you home. It’s been a number of weeks since you were here last, stretched longer by Evan’s unexpected call, and seeing her alive and well comforts you in a way that her voice over the phone simply can’t do. She’s not ill or all that fragile, especially considering her age, but still, you worry.

Dirt crunches below your boots as you hop out of the Suburban, throwing your duffle over your shoulder. You’ll deal with the trash that’s accumulated in the car later – for now, you’d just like a hug from Nana and a bowl of whatever delicious meal she’s surely made.

Halfway up to the house, you notice that Max isn’t following. He’s outside of the car just… staring. It’s not the heavy gaze he’s been leveling at you for hours. This one is quieter, full of something you’re not confident enough to identify. It disappears just as soon as you’ve noticed it, Max returning to himself and confidently striding after you. Satisfied, you turn back and keep walking.

Nana waits patiently as you clomp up the steps, dropping your duffel and leaning down slightly to hug her. She’s not much shorter than you, just enough to require a slight bend in your knees, and it’s well worth it. When you were a kid you were convinced her hugs could heal anything and to some degree you were right. There’s a small part of you now that still holds onto that belief.

Her gray hair is pulled back into a simple bun, a few strands fallen loose from her own long day. Necklaces and bracelets clack as she moves to pull you into her arms. She smells like home, bergamot and jasmine mixing pleasantly with the scent of dinner that clings to her eclectic clothes.

Pulling away from the hug, she rests her hand on your cheek. "I made your favorite."

Your mouth is already watering at the thought of the chicken and dumplings that you now know await you inside. There’s no denying she’s a phenomenal cook, but there is something about her dumplings that are just perfect. You’re certain there’s a secret ingredient she puts in beyond ‘love’ as she’s so fond of telling you.

Nana gently pats your cheek a couple times before looking around you. Max is standing at the bottom of the stairs, hands shoved into his trouser pockets, looking out across the yard. The way the sinking sun catches his facial features is striking. The warm glow lights his skin, erasing the ashen color that made itself more apparent while you drove. He almost seems like a member of the living.

“You told me you were bringing a vampire here, not that you were bringing a hot one," Nana says while gesturing for Max to join you on the porch properly.

"Nana!" you admonish. You can't believe she actually just said that. She’s always spoken her mind but you’re not sure you can handle this. You’re trying to ignore his effortless attractiveness, purposely not acknowledging how good he looks even in his day-old torn and rumpled suit. Max takes Nana's compliment as invitation and stands beside you on the porch.

“What? I’m old, not dead," she says before turning to Max. "Oh, no offense dear."

The smile he gives her is easy and obviously amused. "None taken, doll."

"A charmer then. I'll keep that in mind," Nana laughs and waves him off.

She turns to lead you both into the house, remembering at the last moment to specifically invite Max in. You head towards the kitchen, lured by your nose and the promise of hot home cooked chicken and dumplings. You barely even notice Max as his head twists and turns, taking in the decor of the farmhouse. It’s become so normal to you that you’ve forgotten how strange it can look to others.

The house is filled to the brim. Not in a hoarding way, but in a Nana clearly said fuck the minimalist decor movement sort of way. The kitchen is clean, but cookware and appliances of various ages and styles litter the counter space. It all looks well loved and well used, something you know from personal experience to be true.

On the one wall, Nana has plants strung up and drying for equal use in cooking and the small amount of witchcraft she dabbles in. There are photos hanging on the other walls alongside some kitschy decor. A hodgepodge of clipped out recipes, old photos, and your childhood drawings litter the fridge. You’ve attempted to remove the drawings and more embarrassing photos a handful of times but Nana refuses to take them down. You stopped after she threatened to replace the photos with even worse ones.

It’s busy and there’s something to see in every corner, but there’s also an inescapable feeling of being at home. Even Max seems to feel it, visibly relaxing in the chair Nana directed him to.

You make yourself a plate while Nana rummages through the fridge for what you assume will be some kind of chilled dessert. Instead, she pulls out a take-out container that’s filled with something you can only describe as guts and another full of scarlet red liquid. Max looks equally surprised.

Nana is nonchalant, plating the gruesome meal as though it’s any other delicious feast she would whip up. The contrast of the organs and raw, bloody meat laid out on her reproduction blue willow china is almost enough to make you laugh. Almost. The fork and knife she pulls out are what elicits a snort.

“Prudence told me that you can’t feed like normal right now, but that’s no reason you should go hungry,” Nana says as she sets down Max’s food in front of him. “I made sure to get a few extra livers, I’m sure you could use the iron.”

You can’t imagine Nana going into town and getting that from the butcher has done much to improve her reputation. You’re also willing to bet that she doesn’t mind it in the slightest. For as long as you can remember Nana has been somewhat of a living legend around town, much to her delight.

Whispers suggest she isn’t simply the kind-hearted old woman she appears to be. Rumors that she’s involved in the – gasp – occult float around, most of which are spread because she doesn’t attend a weekly mass. Back when you were no older than six and the rumors first spread to you, you asked her about it and she let you in on her way of thinking.

“There may be one god, child, or there may be many. They don’t know any better than I do and the way I see it, I’m hedging my bets far better than they are.”

Even as a kid you could see her logic in that. As an adult, you’ve grown to appreciate it even more. Worst case scenario, Nana has just been giving the singular god’s creations special attention. If He’s as loving as He’s supposed to be, then you can’t imagine Him taking issue with that. She’s certainly better off than the gossiping townspeople.

You bring your own food to the table, taking a seat across from Max. It occurs to you that you should find his macabre meal more disturbing – that other people would have a difficult time watching him consume the wet flesh and muscle, drinking down the cup of blood that you assume to be a pig's. He's shockingly clean about it though, actually using the cutlery and making it seem almost normal.

It’s quiet through dinner. Not in the same way that it had been in the car – the new location has had a calming effect on the both of you and the food has created an odd sort of armistice. Nana continues to move around the kitchen, the gentle clatter becoming a comforting backdrop to the meal.

After you both finish eating, Max looking significantly less pallid, you move to the living room. Max, to your immense displeasure, takes your spot on the old, worn couch. You debate fighting him over it but you know Nana won’t tolerate that, so you unhappily take a seat at the other end. You reach over and grab your favorite blanket before he can steal that too.

Nana joins you, sitting in her armchair positioned closest to the old fireplace and stares between the two of you. She arches an eyebrow, waiting for one of you to start talking before letting out a long sigh. “I’m not getting any younger.”

You glance over at Max, the discomfort on his face readily apparent. You’ll take this one then. “Max was trying to kill someone, I stopped him, and now he can’t feed or hurt anyone.”

“You told me that on the phone, child. Tell me something new.” Nana reaches down next to her chair, pulling out her knitting needles and resumes work on her current project. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a pair of mittens.

You don’t really want to tell her this next part. You know you have to, that if you want her help the information will have to be divulged at some point, but that doesn’t mean you’re looking forward to it. You feel ten years old again – when you forgot to close the chicken coop at night and a coyote had snuck in and had himself a small feast. You didn’t want to admit your mistake then either.

Your mouth goes a bit dry. “I may have done a small amount of blood magic with a sigil that I don’t know the origin of.”

Nana’s needles stop. Her eyes fall to your bandaged hand. The fire flickers in the hearth and the grandfather clock in the corner finds that it’s the perfect time to chime. The tolls are deep and loud, rolling like thunder before a devastating crack of lightning. You hope you don’t see it strike.

Nana gets up from her chair, a deep frown settling in, and walks away. As the clock’s ringing ends she returns and throws a pad of paper and pen into your lap. “Draw it.”

You sketch the sigil that you last drew in blood on the dirty asphalt and hand the image back over to her. Sinking back into your position on the couch, you draw your blanket up over you. Her unforgiving stare at your hand makes you feel guilty – an emotion you don’t want to feel given that you saved someone’s life with that wound.

Max breaks his self-imposed silence. “You mean you really don’t know what you did to me?”

Nana ignores him, studying the sigil, and you throw him a confused look. “I told you I don’t know what I did.”

“I thought you were lying,” he says, crossing his arms. The motion sinks him slightly further into the couch. Your irritation grows seeing him get comfortable in your spot.

“Why would I lie about that?”

“Because you’re an asshole?” he supplies. If he were anyone else, you might give him that. Certainly Evan would have every right after you overcharged for the callout fee and still made him pay more later. Max though? He could shove it.

“Says the murderous vampire in the room.”

“Vampire. Murder is in the job description, sweet cheeks.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” you scoff. You look out towards the window, watching the plants rustle in the gentle night breeze. The clear moonlight gives the world outside a ghostly glow. You’ve lost track of the moon cycle, but given how bright it is, it must be somewhere close to full.

Nana interrupts further argument, looking puzzled. “I’m not sure what this is. You’re going to have to give me time to do some research, but first you need to tell me exactly what you did.” It’s clear that this is not up for debate.

You relay the events of your days since Evan first called, carefully avoiding any mention of the kiss you shared with the vampire on the other end of the couch. Max interjects randomly, protesting your view of events at certain points but overall he lets things stand as you tell them. Thankfully, he doesn't bring up the kiss either. It seems he still has enough decency left in him to not air your dirty laundry to your grandmother.

When you explain that the knife you used to cut open your hand was the same one you plunged into Max’s arm, Nana tuts. You hadn’t given it much thought before now, but she caught it immediately. If Max’s blood remained on the knife and mingled with yours in any way, this might be more than a small amount of magic you dipped your toes into. You’re suddenly thankful that vampires are created in part by venom and not a simple mixing of blood.

Max chimes in again as you finish your story. “Another thing, I tried to compel her and it didn’t work. Why?”

Your temper flares. Watching him slowly grow more comfortable in your spot on the couch is one thing. To hear him easily admit to trying to compel you is another. “You did what?” you grit out.

Max shrugs in reply, turning back to look at Nana for an answer. You want to hit him. Better yet, you’d love to have that knife again and sink it into his other arm just for the hell of it. Here he is complaining about what you did when he tried to rob you of your free will. If Max has one thing, he certainly has audacity.

Nana gives a straightforward answer. You know it too, but you’re far more preoccupied with not following through on every violent urge you’re currently feeling. “Compulsion works based on the person’s strength of mind. Prudence is stronger than your average person so it would take a fair amount of effort, if you were able to affect her at all.”

You can’t help but preen under her praise. Realistically it’s because of your knowledge of the paranormal that strengthens your mind against him, but it’s still nice to hear. Doubly so after a night of feeling foolish in front of the person who taught you everything. A welcome reminder that despite your errors, she still loves you and always will.

Max looks a bit put out at this answer and you’re surprised he didn’t know it already. You’re not sure when he was turned, but it couldn’t have been too long ago. Most are perceptible to compulsion, but for you to be the first he tried and failed with? He must be the world’s luckiest vampire. Either that or his usual type is just a susceptible bunch. Considering his general persona, the latter is a bet you’re willing to take.

The grandfather clock chimes again, alerting you all to the late hour and you find yourself unable to stifle a yawn. “Go on to bed, child. We won’t be figuring this out tonight.”

You offer a nod, pulling yourself out of the couch. You can feel exhaustion start to hit you hard, the events of the last few days and less than excellent sleep in the Suburban catching up. Nana speaks again as you get to your feet. “Oh, and please show Max to the guest room. I’m sure he could use some rest too.”

“Thank you, Nana,” Max replies, a look of pure shock and joy on his face.

“Of course, dear.” Nana returns to her knitting, eyes focused on the pad of paper still in her lap. It’s clear that she expects you to do as she’s asked. You aren’t going to protest, it’s her house and she makes the rules in it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be happy about it.

You don’t say anything to Max as you leave the room. If he wants to see the guest room then he can follow. You head upstairs, the steps creaking slightly beneath your feet. Still irritated by his attempt to compel you, you merely stop in front of the bedroom Max will occupy and gesture to it before moving down the hallway towards your own.

“You sure you don’t want to share, angel?” Max asks.

That stops you in your tracks. Your bed is desperately calling out to you, ready to wrap you in its loving and soft embrace, but really? That’s where he’s taking things? In your grandmother’s home no less?

He’s leaning against the doorframe, a shameless grin on his face. It’s difficult to tell if he’s joking or serious. “In your dreams,” you shoot back.

Max takes a moment to inspect his fingernails, incredibly nonchalant about this entire situation he just created. “I don’t know. I seem to remember someone being very eager not that long ago.”

“And I seem to remember leaving someone behind with blue balls. Or are they just always that color now?”

That breaks his cool facade a little, eyes narrowing on you. “I’d watch yourself, Prudence. If whatever you did to me wears off I’m coming for you first.”

You roll your eyes and readjust the blanket wrapped around your shoulders. “I’d love to see you try.”

You don’t offer Max the chance to reply, taking the few remaining steps to your bedroom and closing the door swiftly behind you. You’re fairly certain if you have to hear one more comment from him tonight that you will go out and find a stake with his name on it.

The worst part is that he’s not even the most annoying person you’ve ever had to deal with. He just gets under your skin, like he knows exactly where to pick that will bother you the most. It certainly doesn’t help that the last remnants of his bite to your lip are still healing – a near constant reminder of your stupid mistake. You caught him glancing at it a few times tonight and if it weren’t for Nana being in the room, you would have called him out on it. It’s not something you want to explain to her.

Not bothering to take your clothes off, you flop into bed and let yourself become consumed by familiar pillows and blankets. Your body rejoices at a real mattress beneath you. Within minutes you’re softly snoring, drifting off to sleep.

It’s late in the morning by the time you wake. You can tell by the way the sun spills in, lighting up old band posters you put up when you were in highschool.

Dragging yourself out of bed, you run a hand over your face and change your clothes. Jeans are not comfortable to sleep in and less so to wake up in. Swapping them out for sweatpants and locating an oversized t-shirt, you take a deep breath and shuffle downstairs in your fuzzy purple slippers. Hopefully today will bring answers.

Making your way into the kitchen, you’re greeted by the strong scent of coffee and Max’s broad shoulders at the table. He’s pulled on a soft gray henley that’s a little too tight, pulling the fabric taut and making you forget for a moment that you are refusing to think of him in that way. Remember: asshole, attempted compulsion, death threat, vampire.

Once you can trust your brain to start functioning properly again you let your presence be known. You make a beeline for the coffee, pouring it into your favorite mug. It’s a hand thrown piece your grandfather had made, the glaze a soft sage green. Nana once told you how he thought it would come out purple. How he managed to mix up the colors so badly you’ll never be certain.

Turning around to face Max you find him eating some sort of animal guts and another glass of blood only to feel your stomach churn. Watching him feed in the mornings was apparently not as easy as you’d found it last night.

“Cold?” Max smirks.

You’re confused until you follow his eyeline, looking down to find your hardened nipples poking through your shirt. You quickly cover them with your arm and frown. “What are you? Five?”

Max shrugs, finishing the last of his drink. You tear your eyes away from the way his neck moves while he swallows, instead focusing on the way the light catches the strings of cut citrus Nana has drying in front of the window. He’s drinking blood anyway. It’s gross.

“Where’s Nana?” you ask. You assume he’s seen her, given his lack of need for real sleep and Nana’s early morning habits.

“She said something about the cellar. I don’t know,” Max offers.

“Thanks. Real helpful.” You leave him in the kitchen and reclaim your spot on the couch. Regretfully you left your favorite blanket upstairs, so you grab another and settle in.

Your journal is sitting on the coffee table in front of you, pulled out last night to show Nana where you’d found it in your disorganized organization. She’d hoped that it might give a better inkling as to where you discovered it based on everything else around it, but you’re not sure it had been helpful. Internally, you vow to never add something to your journal again without at least a bare mention of what it actually is.

The rest of the day passes without major incident. Nana is down in the cellar for most of the day while you and Max do your best to avoid each other. Any time you cross paths there’s usually a snippy comment or two passed between you, but things stay mostly civil.

You occupy yourself by attending to the things around the farmhouse that Nana can’t do or finds more difficult at her older age. You’re pleased that Max stays out of your way, not wanting him to mansplain everything to you. Changing a tire on the lawn mower is well within your skillset, thank you.

Nana comes up from the cellar around dinner time, shaking her head slightly. No luck. She keeps her more important books down there in a small temperature and moisture controlled storage area to keep them safe from harm. When you were a child it was also to keep your nose out of things that were far too gruesome for you to handle yet.

Despite your protests as a child, you’re glad she kept them locked away until you were ready. You still shudder a bit thinking of the firsthand account from a shapeshifter that you’d read in one of them – the vivid detail they’d gone into describing the way it feels to have bones shift and grind, to tear away skin and muscle that should no longer be there. It was enough to give you nightmares for a month.

The next two days that follow are more of the same. You’re starting to feel disheartened, taking up research of your own to try and find this elusive sigil and its intended use. Max is less than pleased. He doesn’t seem to understand that books are unlike the internet and don’t have handy search keys that make things easier to find.

“Have you even tried googling it?”

You look up from the book you’ve been pouring over, glaring at him. It’s clear that he’s bored. There isn’t all that much for him to do here and your suggestion that he help research had been met with a derisive laugh. He’s leaning against a column of the porch, tossing an apple you grabbed for a snack back and forth between his hands.

“Have I even- yes, I have. It’s not exactly easy to search for when I have very few keywords to work with. Do you even know how many sigils and wards involve circles and triangles?”

The apple stops moving. “No.”

“Basically all of them,” you reply and bury your head back into your text. “Now make yourself useful or fuck off.”

Instead of a witty comeback Max wanders off the porch, with your apple, aimlessly walking around the farmhouse grounds. It’s frustrating how easily he distracts you. You’re sure to not make it obvious, but you can’t keep your eyes off of him. Since staying here he’s been wearing more casual clothes instead of the suits, Nana offering him an old pair of boots of your father’s, and it almost looks like he could fit in here. It would, that is, if he didn’t flinch at every chicken that comes just a bit too close to him. A perfect piece of blackmail for later.

About ten minutes after you’ve kicked Max off the porch, you hear Nana calling for you. She’s in the living room, three books splayed out on the table before her.

“What is it?”

Nana looks up and furrows her brow. “Where’s your vampire?” she asks.

“He’s not my vampire,” you protest.

“Semantics,” Nana waves. “Go get him.”

You’re hopeful this is good news – that Nana uncovered something in her research where you’d been unsuccessful with your own. Going back outside, you find Max in the shade of the shed, poking at a clump of lichen working its way up a worn board.

“Come on, Dracula. We’re going inside.”

Max wrinkles his nose at you. “That’s insensitive. And I told you before, I’m not some lapdog for you to order around.” He continues to pick at the fungus, letting flakes gently drift to the dirt below. You don’t know what happened to your apple.

You huff at him. He’s so... petulant. “If you want to know what Nana found you will,” you tell him.

He perks up visibly at that. You imagine you’d shared a similar expression at seeing Nana in the living room. It seems like there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. An answer to what you’ve done and how to fix it so that you and Max could go on your own merry, separate, ways. Being stuck with him for any longer than you have to does not sound like your idea of a good time.

Nana is sitting in her chair by the time you return, reading glasses on with her multi-color beaded chain dangling from the arms. You’re quick to grab your spot on the couch, not giving Max the chance to steal it from you again.

“What did you find?” you ask, eager to know why she’d called you so urgently.

Max is perched against the other end of the couch, half sitting on the armrest with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression is stern, but you can tell he’s just as anxious as you are from the consistent drum of his fingers on his bicep.

"I found Prudence's sigil. Would you prefer the good news or the bad news first?” Nana asks.

You feel your stomach drop. “Good first.” Whatever the bad news is, you need to hear something positive beforehand.

“I know what the sigil is.” That’s comforting at least. Having it identified can go a long way in the world of research. At the very least it can set you on the correct path instead of chasing down every possible lead. You expect Nana to continue, to tell you whatever other good news there is. The pause endures though and it’s clear that’s the extent of it.

“What is it?” you ask.

Nana takes the book in her hands and holds it out to you and Max. “It’s meant to be for protection.”

Max’s eyes narrow on the page. You’d like to make a joke saying how surprised you are that he can read, but now isn’t exactly the time. “What do you mean, meant to be?”

“In its original use it protected the spell caster and one other. The two triangles represent the two being protected, the circle is the shield around them, and the line binds all three together.”

Your eyes trace over the lines on the page, putting the pieces together as Nana explains them. It makes sense. Used properly it likely protected from a variety of dangers, supernatural and otherwise. It’s like a walking protection ward that follows the people rather than an object. It’s sweet in a way – trusting another enough that one would willingly enter this bond.

You’re not sure what you’ve done using this with a vampire instead of another human.

Nana pulls the book back. It’s obvious to you that she’s trying to figure out how to phrase the next part. You fear that you already have an inkling as to what she’s going to say and you hope you aren’t right. You consider praying despite not being particularly religious.

She settles on the blunt approach. “You bonded your souls together.”

Both you and Max are taken aback by that, eyes going wide. “He’s a vampire, he doesn’t have a soul,” you immediately protest.

“Not in a literal sense but he still has a sort of life force around him. You know how this works, child. Anything that’s up and moving has an energy you can tap into, unalive or not.”

She’s right. You know she’s right and still you don’t want to believe it. You bound yourself to him? It’s absurd in every sense of the word. Somehow this little sigil, almost overly simplistic in design, has changed the course of your life forever. Now you know why you didn’t write out what it was all those years ago. You never thought you’d use it.

“So why don’t I just push through the pain and kill her? Our souls wouldn’t be bonded and then I’m free to do and eat what and who I want again,” Max says.

“Are you just skipping over the part of that where I’m dead?” you ask, blood boiling.

“Details, toots.”

“My life is not details, you fucking ass.” You don’t even think twice about swearing in front of Nana, getting up from your seat and crowding Max’s personal space. If he wanted to kill you he could try. You’d love nothing more than to see him cower from the splitting pain that’s guaranteed to torment him if he tries to hurt you.

Max doesn’t back down, but he also doesn’t make a move towards you. He’s waiting for his answer before he does anything other than talk.

Nana’s not pleased with either of you. “Knock it off. You’re not killing my granddaughter and there’s nothing you can do to him, child.” Her voice is stern, cleaving between you both like a sharp knife. You continue to glare at one another, but you both back down. The threat of Nana’s wrath is far more terrifying than each other.

“It wouldn’t work anyway,” Nana continues. “I’m almost certain that if she dies then you will too.”

Your staring contest breaks, turning and speaking in unison to address Nana. “What?”

She sighs, picking up one of the other books she brought up from the cellar and begins to read. “To all those who use this sigil be wary, for the protection it grants may also become your undoing. Should one of you die from causes other than natural, the other will also perish.”

She peers over her glasses at you and takes in your reaction. You’ve fallen back onto the couch cushions, disbelieving at her words. There’s no way you ever thought this would be a good sigil to use. The risk is far too great and now you’ve used it with a member of the living dead. How the hell does that work?

Nana allows you both a moment to overcome the initial shock. “I’m unsure what your death would do Max, as technically you’re already dead. Prudence’s, however, would certainly mean your end as well.”

“That doesn’t explain why I can’t hurt her or others without my brain tearing itself apart,” Max says. He raises a good point. Is it some sort of effect due to the nature of the sigil? Has it worked in reverse, preventing him from attacking to protect others? It’s yet another mystery laid out before you to solve. Something tells you it’s going to be even more difficult than uncovering the sigil was.

“I’m not sure. Couldn’t find anything in these books about using this sigil with a vampire.” You consider the books laid out before you. Three books out of Nana’s hundreds that mention the sigil and all of them are from the cellar. This doesn’t bode well for any sort of continued research. It’s a red flag screaming at you that you’re going to have a difficult time finding anything else on the damn thing.

“So I’m stuck with her,” Max says.

“Yes, you’re stuck with my lovely granddaughter,” Nana confirms, a trace of annoyance laced in her words.

You can’t do this. This is not how this was supposed to go. Nana or you were supposed to find the sigil, break it, and then you’d never have to see Max again. He would go on to live a long immortal life or a short one if hunters found him, and you would continue on with your own mortal one. You were not meant to be tethered to him for the rest of your natural life.

The crowded farmhouse suddenly feels too small, too oppressive, and you need to get out. Need to do something that allows you to feel even the slightest bit in control of your own destiny. You frantically get up from the couch and run outside, ignoring Nana’s calls after you.

Without your jacket on the cool autumn air is a shock to your system. You ignore it and press forward, trying to get somewhere you can think straight. Maybe when you get back you’ll learn this was all just some big mistake. A misunderstanding of the texts or some missed passage explaining how to break the bond once it’s been formed. Certainly you aren’t the first two to want to sever this tie.

You don’t even make it off the porch before Max is behind you, grabbing onto your wrist to prevent you from going any further. There’s no yell of pain from him and the surprise from that stops you more than his grip. Max pays it no mind, squaring you with a serious look.

“Where are you headed, angel?” It’s the softest you’ve ever heard him speak.

You pull your arm back, glaring at him. “Somewhere away from you.”

Max hardens again. “I’m not the one who got us into this mess.”

Technically he’s right, but you’re pissed and you’re not going to let him think he’s won this fight. There’s plenty of blame to go around. “Excuse me? It never would have happened if it weren’t for you trying to kill Evan,” you accuse.

“You didn’t have to try so hard to save him. The world would be better off without him.” You go to protest, only for Max to cut you off. “Don’t pretend, sweet cheeks, I know you hated him too.”

Fine. He had you there. You didn’t like the self-important little twerp. So what? “Yeah well, that’s not any reason to let someone die.”

You sit down on the porch’s top step, feeling equal parts embarrassed and annoyed. With your mind clear it’s hard to believe that you’d been so stupid as to use that sigil without knowing what it was. In the moment it made sense – chock full of adrenaline and fighting through the fog in your mind from the mild brain trauma. It had been your only answer. You desperately wish it hadn’t been.

Max sits down beside you, making you grimace. He lets out a sigh and says, “Look, angel, it seems like we’re stuck together until we can figure this out. Can we call a truce until then?”

He extends his hand, offering it for you to shake. You stare at it, weighing your options. You could leave him hanging, making things more contentious than they already are or… you could shake it. That doesn’t mean you have to like him, you just have to work with him. You think you can manage that.

“Fine,” you say and shake his hand. “Consider us partners.”

Hopefully you won’t come to regret this.

I couldn't help myself and made a little moodboard for Nana's house 💕 (Nana doesn't have a dog but the vibes of that room were perfect)

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