#give Dwight hatch please

[risk-it-4-biscuits]

Would you give him hatch???

Please???

Reference picture

[daddy-deathslinger]

Could I get some tarhos angst pretty please

Maybe he (unwillingly) sacrifices his s/o in a trail and they don't ever return to the fog

They died their final death kind of thing

Hey there! Some angst coming right up!

“Broken mirror” - The Knight/Tarhos Kovács x Gender Neutral S/O

A new trial. A new chance to please the Entity. And it took place in Tarhos’ realm, the Borgo. He had all the advantage, his faithful three were with him, this was going to be easy. And what was best, after a successful trial he got to see you. If it was some kind of trick from the Entity, to let him and you be together if Tarhos performed well in a trial to keep the hopes up of… of what? Getting out of here, together? Tarhos didn’t know. He didn’t know what the Entity had up its sleeve, but he was happy for whatever moment he got to spend with you. He was not going to mess up this trial. 

—

You snuck behind a torn building, checking your surroundings. The Borgo, you were in Tarhos’ realm. The air always felt thicker here, more sweet somehow. But not sweet like a rose, sickly sweet like blood and rotting flesh. It always made you a bit nauseous, but you had to be on your A game now. You had messed up in many trials before this one, the others were getting annoyed at you. And you hadn’t seen Tarhos in what felt like ages, because he hadn’t killed everyone in the trial in a while. You were both suffering without each other, and you were determined to see him after this trial.

“Y/N, over here!”

You found Feng at a generator, and the two of you started working on it. You had seen no trail of the killer yet, and- 

“Fuck!” Feng suddenly whispered, and she dragged you behind the generator to hide.

You were confused, but then you saw what she was pointing at. It was Alejandro, patrolling next to their generator. Had he seen them? The lack of high pitched screeching told them no. You and Feng stayed hidden until he went away, then you resumed your generator. So the killer was Tarhos himself, what joy. You hated being up against Tarhos, and you knew he hated it even more because he was the one who had to hurt you and sacrifice you. He usually let you go, but sometimes you let him take you so that the Entity would be pleased with him. A sudden shriek of pain somewhere let you know that Dwight had been found. The game was on.

—

Tarhos wiped the blood off his sword and picked the boy up. He carried him with ease to a meat hook, where he placed his first sacrifice. The boy hadn’t struggled, he hadn’t even cried, he had just let go. Made Tarhos’s job alot easier, so he wasn’t complaining. Three to go.

“Chief!”

It was Alejandro, back from patrol. 

“They’re here. Saw them at a generator”, he said, and Tarhos let out a heaving sigh.

You were in this trial. He hated this, he hated how the Entity made him hurt you, but he knew he had to sacrifice you to please it. It was the only way he would be able to see you after this trial. He nodded towards Alejandro, who understood the signal and went out to catch you. The game was on.

Tarhos made quick work of the other preys. He even hooked you twice, whispering “I’m sorry” every time the meat hook pierced through your shoulder. Some people would call him cruel beyond measure, hurting the love of his life like this, but Tarhos knew the rules here. And the rules were to be obeyed, otherwise even more terrible things happened. He knew both you and him waited eagerly to be together after the trial, that was what kept you both going. After killing the black haired girl with a meat hook through the spine, only you remained in the trial.

“Want us to do it, boss?” Sander asked, but Tarhos shook his head.

It had to be him, he didn’t want anyone else to sacrifice you to the Entity. It didn’t take long to find you. You were sitting by the open hatch, waiting for him to close it. Tarhos approached and looked at you, letting out a sigh. 

“Do it”, you said, nodding towards the hatch and giving him a faint smile. 

Tarhos hesitated, he always hesitated. Then he shut the hatch. He watched as you got up from the ground, readying yourself for what was to come. The Entity had started its countdown to your death. It was the most pleased if Tarhos himself killed you, however, and both you and him knew this. 

“It’s okay, my love”, you said, approaching Tarhos and hugging him tightly. “We’ll be together soon, that’s all that matters.”

Tarhos sighed, furiously fighting the tears that so desperately wanted to come out. This was not fair, not by a mile. But nothing here was fair. So in a swift motion, he picked you up from the ground and started carrying you to the closest meat hook. There, he hesitated again before quickly placing you on it. The hook pierced through your shoulder and you screamed. The screams that tormented Tarhos every waking hour. He had to look away, he couldn’t bear witnessing the Entity pulling you up towards the dark sky. He heard everything, though. The screams, the cries, the cackling from the spider's legs grabbing you. It was all worth it, he told himself. All worth it in the end.

The trial ended, and Tarhos waited. He remained at the Borgo as usual, sending away his faithful three to go entertain themselves for a while. He waited for you, patiently. You would come, he knew that. You always came to visit, and he took care of your wounds for you. He had performed the trial excellently and he would be rewarded by your company. Minutes turned to hours, and yet you didn’t show up. Tarhos started to feel weird in his chest, was it worry? It felt tight, like he couldn’t breathe. No, you had to come, you always did. He pictured you, limping out of the fog with that gentle smile on your lips as you spit out a little blood and said: “Just a flesh wound!” Then you usually laughed a bit, Tarhos knew you did it only to mask the pain and try to make him feel better. He pictured all of this, but he was alone still. 

Tarhos waited until a new trial began. He performed poorly, the worst he’s ever done, all the while his head was filled with thoughts about you. Why hadn’t you come? Had he done something wrong, something to anger the Entity? After the failed trial, he decided to wait again at the Borgo. He waited, and waited. After the third trial, and still no sign of you, Alejandro came to see Tarhos. He told him what he thought had happened, that you were gone for good now. Tarhos roared in anger and cut off his hand with his sword. He wouldn’t tolerate such talk, not from one of his own. But the fact remained, you never showed up again. And Tarhos waited.

[fishyvamp]

Imagine Ghost face with a feral survivor!reader. Okay feral when only around him. Out of trial and away from him you're "normal" or at least well mannered. But there are trials where you're the last one either because they're dead or escaped and you'll come up behind and scare the shit of him. The stealth killer just stunned heavily breathing as he watches you laugh running into the hatch or out the gate. How the fuck are you so stealthy.

No one believes him when he talks about it. Your clumsy around the other killers tripping over windows and roots. Sometimes even pallet scraps. They give you mercy when it happens, because they just see you as kind of pathetic. On par with Dwight but less whiney. How would such a noisy survivor be able to sneak up The Ghost Face. "Don't you have a way of feeling someone watching you?"

He does but it seems like you know how to work around that until the last possible moment. The situation coming to a head when he wakes up tied to his bed in lampkin lane your fingers carefully removing his mask as you jokingly put on his mask. "Not every day you meet the man who inspired your killing spree." You laugh looking at him smugly. Looking at the mask once move before Discarding it, "it's so nice to meet you Jed... Or should I call Danny?"

A/n: under the cut

Sorry about the absence I posted the Krampus fic and bounced. I started the new year with a lot of chaos that kept happening and got sucked into drawing. If anyone has anything they want to see doesn't have to be DbD related it can be monster fucker or horror related, please my ask box is open. I genuinely enjoy everything I'm given I'll be going through my inbox slowly but surely.

[leaderbond]

Dwight tried and failed to pull away from Ghost Face's hand, but Ghost Face had too good of a grip on him and it only ended up making the cut on his chin bleed worse. He kept glaring instead, even though he was breathing fast and his heart was beating even faster. He wished he could look a Killer in the eyes without being so scared. He should be used to it by now, but he wasn't. He didn't think he ever would be.

The innuendo was weird. Dwight didn't really understand it, so he decided to ignore it. It was better not to encourage him. He focused on the rest of what he was saying. Not that it was any less bullshit.

"Sorry, should I be begging for you to give me hatch? I've died tons of times. I'm not scared of it or you."

That was a lie and they both knew it. He was obviously scared--he was shaking like a leaf. No matter how many times he died, it didn't make it suck any less. It was painful and unpleasant and he really would prefer to avoid it if at all possible, but he still had his dignity, however little of it was left.

He tried to jerk his head away again and failed. His felt his cheeks redden from the embarrassing position he was in. He was completely helpless. Ghost Face was obviously going to fuck with him before he made up his mind and either killed him or let him go. Dwight didn't feel like he had any control over the outcome either way. It pissed him off. It wasn't fair when the Killers didn't play by the rules.

"'Oh, Ghost Face, please let me go,'" he said sarcastically. "'You're so scary and dangerous and I've always had a crush on you, actually.' Is that what you wanted?"

[continued from here]

Fucking Dwight. The fan favorite. The fearless leader. There's (mostly) unexplored territory in the overlap between the final girl of horror and the everyman protagonist of other genres. Dwight is generic enough- yet, steps up under pressure.

Danny would be lying if he claimed Dwight wasn't his favorite, too.

But, sometimes, he doesn't play along. Sometimes it feels like Danny is doing all the work in their relationship- like today. The chase had gone on an impressively long time; Dwight's reflexes were sharp. But, Danny's were sharper. The leader made the mistake of looking over his shoulder as he launched himself through an open window and colliding chest first into Danny's knife.

He was proud of that one. The speed, the stealth, the quick thinking was unmatched- and all it really got was Dwight flopping down on the ground like a dead fish. What a bullshit reaction. He could at least have the decency to beg for his life. He downs the others. Hooks them, easy. Comes back to his favorite now that hatch is an option. But, still… nothing.

So, he calls him out- and at first, it seems like Dwight isn't going to give him what he wants. He stammers, and he hesitates, and his pouty bottom lip quivers, and then, finally, he goes for the Oscar and lets Danny have it.

It takes everything he has not to start laughing; at least the mask hides his grin.

“You hate going against me?” He crouches in front of Dwight, brings the tip of his knife just under Dwight’s chin to keep his head tipped back and eye contact made.

“Isn't that a little dramatic? Come on. It could be worse. Could be Freddy. Could be Chucky! I mean, come on, when's the last time Chucky let you get hatch? You should really count your blessings here.”

[soulariarym]

Omg can you do a Dbd killers and survivors of your choice react to a reader who’s just kinda blunt and answers rhetorical questions (totally not basing it off my drunk self) like ghostface just be ‘like are you ready to die?’ Reader: ‘no not really’ or a killer pounces them and they’re like ‘you’re in a personal space please get off’

AH I LOVE THIS! this literally spiked my creativity so much. I love this request. Xoxo

Killers

Jiwoon hak (The Trickster)

As we know Jiwoon loves the sounds of his victims screams so when it came to you, Jiwoon hated you with a passion. You were the only one out of everyone who never screamed, never begged him to stop, not even a whine of pain. You were always so blunt and unfazed by him. He hated it, he hated you. You’re supposed to be scared of him, running from him, screaming for him. But you never did, not even once. Any day Jiwoon would spot you in a trial he’d always ignore you, save himself the boring survivor until the end of the trial. You’d notice this, watch as he bluntly ignored you. Even making eye contact as he had the most dead expression anytime he looked at you. He’d always be laughing, giggling, have the best time of his life when it came to other survivors but you? Never was that the case. Not a single chuckle or giggle came from his mouth. When he’d down you, you’d roll your eyes and say “get off me you already downed me I can walk to the hook myself” Jiwoon never responded to you, he just ignored you while hooking you. Jiwoon never was interested in small talk, especially not with a survivor. He did this anytime you both were in a trial together.

Frank Morrison (The Legion)

Frank absolutely loved the way you talked,you wanted no extra shit just in and out of the trial just like him. You didn’t want any excuses or any extra shit and he respected that. Though as much as he respects it he also dislikes when you talk to him himself those ways. If he downs you and you say something along those lines he’ll respond with “maybe if you shut the fuck up I’ll get it done faster then you running your mouth”. The weird thing is you weren’t trying to “run your mouth” it’s just how you spoke. He’s just gotta be sensitive or some shit. If you say something back he won’t get angry no, instead he’ll give you hatch for “having the balls to stick up to him”. You being you you’ll just give him a confused look. “Ok? Thanks I guess” as you hop in the hatch. Frank being Frank he expected you to be more grateful for hatch but at the same time knew you were gonna respond that way. Oh well, at least you know Frank likes you, if you care.

Danny Johnson (The Ghostface)

See Danny was initially confused. Aren’t you scared? How are you not scared? When he downed you that’s not the response he expected. Usually survivors beg for their lives, beg for mercy. You were obviously different though. You really just didn’t care. If he downed you and you were to say “Hurry up godamn” he’d have a confused look under his mask before smiling and responding with a cheeky “sure thing darling but why the rush hmm?” He’d softly pick you up, actually wanting to have a conversation with you as you were quite interesting. You’d roll your eyes and say “I just said so I can get out of this trial faster” Danny would just chuckle. Once you were on the hook Danny would immediately pull his camera out and take pictures of you on the hook. “Gotta keep the memories~” what a weirdo.

Survivors

Dwight Fairfield

Dwight had been nervous around you ever since you were introduced in the realm. He never liked your blunt answers. It’s not a personal problem you just make him nervous with you responses, he worries about your mental health cause of it. I mean you had to be going through something if you talked that way right? Everyone else is scared shitless 24/7. As much as it made Dwight nervous he kinda liked how calm you were so it didn’t give him more anxiety in trials, when his other teammates are running around crying, legs shaking, scared out of their mind yeah it made him have terrible anxiety. Though you were one less thing he had to worry about as you knew what you were doing and weren’t ever “scared” of the killers here.

David King

David got mixed feelings from you. In all honesty he thought you were trying to be friends with the killers. But that wouldn’t make sense as you talk to everyone that way not just the killers. You’d notice he’d start getting annoyed and after awhile start asking you questions like “why you trynna have small talk with the killers?” “We’re not here to make friends with our enemies, thought that was obvious” You weren’t trying to be anybody’s friend you just talked that way, why is everyone so surprised? After some time David would notice you’d talk to your team that way too, so then he realized that was just you and how you talk. Still even then he thought you were a weirdo but still likes your confidence. David himself wasn’t that scared either as he knew he could protect himself from most so he liked the idea of someone else having confidence.

[queendeeshorrorimagines]

Hi! Soulari here, I saw your requests were open so I was gonna ask if I could request a trickster x male reader hcs where the reader offers to have sex with him in return for the readers escape? Thanks again and please take your time <3

(Thanks for your request btw!)

Trickster is one of my favorite killers 🤩. no problem dear! )

Trickster with male reader who offers sex as a way to escape:

Warnings: nsft, mentions of sex and erections, cannon typical violence, slight mentions of the harms of the kpop industry.

Ji woon thrives off of being the center of the attention, professionally and within his personal 'hobbies.'

It's a given that Ji woon loves hearing his victims scream and beg for him to take pity in them because of his ego.

Hearing the various horror stories about the Trickster from other survivors, especially from his former manager, you were afraid of facing him- yet you had a curiosity about this knive throwing kpop star.

So when you, a new survivor, were unlucky (or lucky? Depends on your taste) enough to have a trial with Ji Woon, the kpop idol was immediately interested in you- most especially your screams.

Ji woon throughout the trial wondered to himself about what kind of cries and screams you would have as he feels your life slip away.

No ones prepared you when you first took a look at him. You were recently the final survivor as he hooked the Dwight that was on death hook. You were running the map, trying to look for the hatch so that you could escape.

You couldn't help but to look at him when you see the smooth skin of his muscular chest as he moves closer to you. The blades were hitting you as he chased you.

Just as you became injured, blood dripping on the ground, Ji woon trapped you into a corner. In a combination of fear and slight arousal, you did what anyone in your situation did:

"Ah, sir.. before you kill me, i will let you fuck me if you give me hatch. I'll do anything you'll want, just let me live.. I'm new and I obviously don't know what I'm doing here."

Ji woon noticed your nervous studder and bashful body language as you spoke. It was obvious to him that you found the kpop star attractive. If it wasn't the asking for sex, it was the apparent boner you had for him.

This isn't the first time trickster was offered sex from a victim. Given his status as a kpop star and his physical appearance, it wouldn't be a shocker that there's been a past where victims offered themselves to Ji-Woon.

But the real shocker for him was that you were the first guy who offered sex to him for hatch.

One side of the Korean man saw you and your offer as an ego boost. You were a rather good looking guy that wants him.

Yet being in the kpop industry, it's hard for a bi/ pan man like himself to have successful careers because of the producing companies strict rules and regulations on how stars should act.

This offer will end in one of three ways:

The first one is that you shocked Trickster to the point you quickly escape through the hatch.

Secondly, he would straight up mori you right in front of the hatch just because he's that kind of guy that when you just about to think that he would take your offer, he smirks before he moris you.

That last option is that he would take your offer. If this is the case then, you're going to earn your way to the hatch to not get into "too much" details.

I don't think that Ji woon is a extremely kinky sexual partner per say.

I see him leaning more towards playing out the fantasy that you idolize him and ended up being at the wrong place and time. Trickster is one of the most smug out of the killers and it shows.

[shirtlessfelix]

Can I please request a scenario with trapper, where reader is new to the trials and during one of their firsts, they end up being left behind and he takes an interest in them for some reason and takes them to the hatch?

Sure thing! Hope you like it, anon :) Random shoutout to the cute Demo I had earlier too, made me very happy after some shit games lol <3

Your First Trial (vs. Trapper)

695 words

Your first trial is more terrifying than you were lead to believe by the survivors you spoke to first. David and Yui may be used to it, but if Dwight still isn't, maybe it's not so strange that you won't be any time soon either. They've told you about the various killers, but it's just too much to remember all at once. You just hope the first one you face isn't the Spirit.

Before you're ready, the trial begins, and you're standing in the middle of a sparse wood. Where you are, you don't know until you ask Nea who you've found right away. "We're in the Shelter Woods," she tells you. "I'll look around for traps." So, she runs off and leaves you alone to repair a generator by yourself. It's a slow process, but nothing has gone wrong yet...

Until you hear the shrill scream of someone far off in the distance. Is it Nea? Someone else? You don't know, but it sounds through the trees again only seconds later. Maybe someone did get caught in a trap after all. You start to sweat, and your hands become shaky; the wires spark brightly in your eyes. The Trapper must know where you are by now.

And sure enough, just as the fourth piston slowly powers, you hear heavy footsteps coming from your left, and a barbed arm swings down into yours, the Trapper's heavy cleaver slashing your back. Suddenly, your heart beats loudly in your head, and you feel it in your throat like something choking you. Terror has never overtaken you so horribly before, and you wonder how the others can stand to live like this.

You look behind you as you run as fast as your legs can take you, but you've already forgotten the one precaution you need to take. A trap snaps closed on your ankle, and you're in too much pain to scream. It takes a few tries to free yourself, but when you do, you rush over to the first survivor you see in hopes that they'll help you recover a little bit.

Nancy helps you right away, bandaging your leg and your back after getting caught, and that's when you notice that she's injured too. She hands you her med-kit, which you use to the best of you ability to speed up the process, but it still takes a while for you to get it right. She thanks you and gets back on the generator with you, and you pray that you don't screw it up again.

By the time all of the generators have been completed, two of your fellow survivors have been sacrificed, and you've lost sight of the other survivor who's made it this far. You don't know how to leave, and you don't know where to find them, but you're too afraid of the Trapper hearing you call out for them.

And then, those heavy footsteps again, and you turn around to be met with the killer's hollow eyes, his mask that stares back at you and smiles like you're his favorite victim. Which, in a way, you just might be. "He left," he says gruffly, and you're even more terrified to hear him speak. "Come on, I'm feeling generous."

Some part of you doesn't quite believe him, but he gestures for you to follow him, so you do, and he brings you to the other side of the trial grounds. The wind howls as you walk with him, and it's not long before you see where it's coming from: a trapdoor that you hadn't seen in that spot earlier, black smoke whirling out of it. "What is that?"

"Your way out," the Trapper tells you. "Down you go, kid." You still don't believe him, but you don't think you have any other option. You look down into the dark abyss of nothing below you, bracing yourself before jumping down into it. When you find yourself back at the campfire, you're brought over with relief even while your heart is still racing.

Some time later, you're talking with the others about what happened. Dwight almost looks offended. "He never gives me hatch..."

[the-killer-kit]

It had been a few weeks Brad had seen some weird stuff but this one was extra weird. He's pretty sure the killer is Dwight, and all the Dwights that he met before were super nice. It was clear that this one was... An odd duck.

Nea laughed she seemed to know this killer. " Oh no Brad your his obsession, good luck man." Brad was really confused by what she meant but didn't have a chance to chat about it as the killer was on the group right away.

The trial went horribly he was the only one left.. Trying to find the hatch.. When he heard the killer calling his name.. How did he even know that? @ask-dbd-brad-vickers

⚠ tw: blood, violence ⚠

As was the trend lately, Kit was thriving.

Well. Thriving was a bit of a strange word for it. He was pleasing the Entity, making her feast on the poor souls he'd been given to hunt, but he himself was not faring so well. In fact, one might say he was getting worse.

Chest heaving, he stood up from the corpse of his latest victim; he hadn't had the patience to hook Nea, not when she liked to taunt him so. He'd lost his cool and the moment the Entity had whispered to him, do it, he'd eagerly obliged, stabbing her over and over, ruthlessly and furiously, until she'd finally stopped lurching and spitting up blood and squirming beneath him. No need to waste his time with a merciful death. Not when she mocked him for what he craved.

Three of them were dead. All three that were in the way; Nea, Adam, and Min, all gone. Out of sight, out of mind. Now, it was just him and Brad.

Delightful, handsome, scared little Brad. Kit had to admit, he knew very little about this newcomer to the Fog, but that did nothing to damage his interest in the man. All he needed to know was that he was cute, he was alone, and he was here. Lost and separated from the herd, like a lonely little lamb.

Kit was lonely, too. A lonely wolf, covered in lovely wool that was so drenched in blood that it no longer worked on the herd, that is. What a shame. If they just humored him, just gave him a chance, then they could avoid all of this bloodshed. All of this death. He wouldn't have to feel so delirious with so much blood on his hands, his presence wildly overwhelming from the success of his hunt. "Oh, Brad," he sighed, before he called it out to the trees, a cry piercing the woods and causing the crows to flee as though even they were no longer on his side. "Bra-ad!"

And there he was. Crouched off in the distance, peering around, so helpless and desperate to find his precious hatch - but Kit wouldn't give him the chance. Not when he had an opportunity of his own. He closed the space between them, leaving only a few yards to separate himself from his target.

"Come here, sweetheart," he breathed, his voice trembling with excitement, with delirium. "Come to me. I won't bite," he purred, "not unless I have to." And bite he would. Bite, and tear, and carve him up into little pieces if he dared to run. He was so sick of being run from.

[dweetwise]

The entity decides to celebrate with more than some minigame of a hat and a medkit or flashlight. Ace goes to try and get anything from a chest finds some booze to take back to the campfire. He really is the luckiest man. (Also just like Ace trying to trade his life for some booze to not be put on the hook is a lil funny)

[i will take any excuse to write more ace! happy 4th anniversary to dbd <3]

Characters: Ace, Hillbilly | Mentioned: Meg, Jane, Bill, Steve, Kate, Tapp, Quentin, Nea, Claudette, Dwight, Feng, Laurie, Jake, Ash | Ships: None

Celebration (crack)

When the familiar toll of a bell echoes through the trial to signal the hatch closing and start of endgame, Ace sighs in defeat. The Hillbilly had been a huge tryhard the entire game, tunneling Meg and Jane to death for daring to pick up the Entity’s crowns, while Bill had ended up slugged more times than he remembered trying to protect the women. The killer eventually camped the downed body of the veteran until he bled out, trying to bait Ace out to save him to secure the 4k. During the whole clusterfuck of the match, Ace had only managed to get two gens done and thus, the hatch hadn’t spawned until Bill bled out on the ground.

And wouldn’t you know it, not even ten seconds after Bill’s prone aura collapsed and faded, the killer had found the damn hatch and closed it. To add insult to injury, the exits that powered were placed along the same wall, the killer having no issues patrolling them both while sprinting with his chainsaw.

It definitely looked like luck was not on Ace’s side today, so he makes his way down to the basement, hopes of finding a key low but at least wanting to delay his inevitable doom. While rummaging through the chest, his hand closes over a cylindrical object. Eh, a flashlight wasn’t ideal, but maybe it was one of the new cool ones, and he could get in a blind on the killer and see some confetti pop up in one last hurrah before taking a chainsaw to the face.

He removes the item from the chest and does a double take. It’s definitely not a flashlight; it’s a bottle. Of booze. He smiles in pure glee: thank you, Entity!

There’s only one problem. He needs to get out of the trial alive if he wants to take it back to the campfire. He frowns; normally, he wouldn’t be above drinking himself stupid in the the basement, but the end game timer is steadily ticking down and he wouldn’t even be able to feel a buzz before getting impaled by an Entity claw. There’s only one option: he needs to bribe the killer. He takes a swig of the unknown liquid — rum, he recognizes — and hopes that this will work.

Ace strolls up to the killer’s patrol route, not even bothering to try to hide. When the killer spots him and starts revving his chainsaw, Ace extends the bottle. “I want to parley,” he demands, and okay, apparently the rum inspired him to become a pirate.

The Hillbilly lowers his chainsaw and approaches him. Hey, at least Ace hasn’t been sawed in half... yet.

“Look, I really wanna bring this back to the campfire,” Ace says, shaking the bottle in his hand. “What do I have to do?”

Please don’t say blowjob please don’t say blowjob —

The killer lets his hammer fall to the ground and reaches behind himself, unstrapping something from his belt — a jug? Ace watches in confusion as the killer uncorks the item, and he nearly gags as a sharp smell of alcohol fills the air. Okay, that’s got to be some very potent, very poorly made moonshine. The Hillbilly holds out the pitcher to him and fuck, he’s offering it to Ace. Ace swallows the building panic and steels himself, hoping he won’t go blind from tasting the swill — but the killer merely clinks the item against Ace’s bottle. Ace gets the hint, hurrying to unscrew the bottle, offering a hesitant “Happy anniversary?” as he lifts the bottle in a toast before the two men take a big swig of their respective beverages.

The killer seems satisfied with his efforts and nods toward one of the exits, picking up his hammer and taking off.

Ace is a little tipsy when he stumbles back to camp, not having been able to resist sipping the alcohol on his way. He half-expects to get a lecture from Bill for screwing up the trial, so before anyone has a chance to get on his case, he holds up the bottle in triumph and exclaims “I come bearing gifts!”.

Later, when they’re all feeling a slight buzz from the liquor, Ace looks around the camp and smiles happily at the other survivor’s antics. Tapp is lecturing a dopey Quentin about underage drinking, to which the teen just grins and flips him off. Claudette is giggling uncontrollably at a pun an uncharacteristically lighthearted Bill cracks. Some of the girls and Dwight are playing spin the bottle, Meg and Nea relentlessly teasing Dwight with questions like “Marry, fuck, kill”. Feng is coming up with a battle plan to loot more booze from trials, trying to recruit an unimpressed Laurie. Even Jake has mellowed out a bit, joining Ash and a few others in a poker game. 

Kate and Steve approach Ace, with the latter stumbling slightly, collapsing into Ace’s shoulder. Steve mumbles something about being a lightweight while Ace tries to help the teen back on his feet, but Kate distracts him by grabbing Ace’s head and giving him a drunk, sloppy smooch on the cheek. “You’re so precious for sharin’ with us all,” the girl drawls with an even thicker southern accent than usual.

When he finally manages to send the two on their way, Steve leaning on Kate for support, Ace looks up at the fake stars in the fake sky above the campfire, offering a silent thank you to the Entity for giving them a small break from the monotony of the fog.

i’m trying my best to start writing shorter stories so i can get more requests done ;w;

[makeyourchoices]

Some hcs with Ace, Dwight, and Yui with a killer s/o? Thanks

You got it!!

Ace, Dwight, and Yui with a Killer s/o

Ace

As confident as Ace is, he truly has… no idea how this happened. Sure, he’s not complaining by any means, but that doesn’t mean he’s not kept up at night wondering how this could even happen.

Even so, he simply went with the flow and didn’t want to worry about it too much. He found you attractive and easy enough to talk to when you hadn’t been hunting him down in a trial, so why not see where this goes?

It gets to the point that he’ll crack jokes even during trials. If you give him the hatch he won’t let you live it down later, but he doesn’t get angry if you don’t either. 

It’s a toss up how he reacts when you down him. Either he’ll struggle as normal to give you a run for your money, or despite the pain he’ll flirt. The first time he did that, it was enough to make you hesitate and let him get away.

You didn’t hear the end of that one until after the next trial, when he wound up getting scarified.

Despite how it sounds, your relationship is far from a toxic one. You hate to have to hunt him in trials even with the Entity’s tendrils blinding your mind in the chase, but he understands you have no choice. He’s a clever man, and he won’t hold grudges on you for it.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t often ask for you to make up for it in some way, a smug little smirk on the edges of his lips.

Please pamper this man for a little bit, those hooks are brutal.

As often as he finds decent items in trials, he also likes to leave them for you if you let him escape. Sure, he knows that you have no use for them, but it’s the sentiment that counts right?

He’ll still act the cool, confident type with you. Sure, you could definitely kick his ass and he knows it, but he’s not afraid of you anymore. Dating him opened the door for him to act cocky even when he really shouldn’t be. Part of his charm though, really.

Dwight

Dwight was terrified of you, to put it nicely. Even outside of trials he couldn’t help but be a little put off at first. What did a killer want with him? Why were you so interested in him?

Sure, he grew into the role of blending in and grew to be a little worried about being completely in the spotlight at some point - but it was even worse when the spotlight was a killer’s.

To get with him as a killer, you might have to be a bit more… gentle. Of course that’s not to say you can’t do your job, but it’d be pretty hard to get him to stay calm and listen to your confession if he’s terrified.

The first time you give him the hatch, he’s still a bit spooked but he starts to put things together a bit. Killers didn’t just give survivors an escape in a majority of cases, so why did you?

He’d get curious. Even when he sought you out to ask you why after the trial, he’d be psyching himself out a bit. Curiosity killed the cat, he reminds himself.

Just be calm with him and explain the situation. If you beat around the bush too much you’d quickly come to realize he was just getting confused - once you were blunt with him, it was like a light bulb lit up.

A very hot light bulb. The blush on his face would be very obvious even as he tried to avert his gaze in hopes that you wouldn’t notice in the darkness of your realm. Oh, you noticed though. It was cute.

From there, if he noticed you trying to be careful with him in trials, he’d feel a bit… guilty. Sure, he appreciates not getting a hook shoved through his chest, but what was the cost to you? He highly doubted the Entity would be kind to you, if you “slacked off” for too long. So, he comforts you. He tells you it’ll be okay, and you can do as you need to.

He still gets the hatch pretty often, and you try to at least get the other three before you have to make that decision. If you manage to, you tend to spare him.

At some point, he eventually feels very safe with you despite you being a killer. Maybe it’s because you’re a killer and so much more powerful than he could ever be that he feels so safe and secure? Don’t be surprised if he visits as often as he can when you’re both free from trials.

Yui

Yui is tough. She certainly didn’t fear you outside of trials, and the “fear” she felt during trials, for lack of a better word, was better labeled as an intense surge of adrenaline to escape and to survive. The intensity that glinted in her eyes even as she was hooked was unmatched. Despite the pain, she had no qualms in showing just how tough she could be.

Perhaps that’s even what drew you in. One day, you found her wandering the fog. She had managed to find your realm, though she didn’t seem all that phased. When she saw you, she gave you a casual wave - the look in her eyes was still very much intense, but you could tell she didn’t hold any malice towards you. That was just who she was.

Of course, you invited her inside, even if it was just one of the shacks. The fog could be very cold, and without the adrenaline pumping through her veins it would get to her very easy, you knew. Surprisingly, she showed no hesitation in accepting the invite.

You two began to spend more time together, then. Only once in a while at first, but she eventually showed up more and more. You grew to enjoy each other’s company, and she often told you about the past whenever you asked. Your acceptance of her past hobbies and passions meant a lot to her.

It was actually her who confessed to you. She was straight to the point, and even during such an intimate moment, no fear showed in her eyes. No worry. Just a genuine sincerity that was so very her.

Of course, you accepted. Nothing changed between you two during trials - you tried to spare her, but her stubborn nature refused. If you caught up to her, you would continue just as you were meant to. If she escaped fair and square, that would be the only way she would escape. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Even after trials where she was sacrificed, she would show up back in your realm as if nothing had happened. The first time you had been petrified that she wouldn’t despite what she had told you - so when she did, your heart swelled with so much love and admiration. Honestly? She finds it very cute of you.

[tuffdwightwest]

A Story by the Same Name Pt. 1

Dwight just stared at the hatch. Sitting down in front of it. He knew eventually it would happen. Everyone was becoming desensitized to the trials. So that meant they liked doing other stuff.

Namely having some fun.

The first one to do it was Nea and for some reason Dwight was the perfect target. When the Oni came around the corner, they both ran the same way. Towards the pallet. They would have both made it, Dwight getting ready to throw it down only to suddenly feel the pallet collide with him. Crying out he stumbled back before taking a blade in the back. Turning to run past the Oni, he swore he heard Nea laughing.

He didn't confront her on it after the trial.

The next time was definitely a moment of fear but it still hurt none the less. Even if Ace apologized for it. They were both working on a generator when Ghostface came around the corner. He went after Ace giving Dwight enough time to hop in a locker. Instead of leaving the area though and leading him away. Ace came around the corner. Spotted the locker and pointed. "Hes in there!" He had called.

Dwight's breath hitched and before he could attempt to get out. Ghostface had slammed the locker open, a chuckle coming from the killer. "Oh that's got to hurt." Was the last thing Dwight heard before he was roughly picked up and dragged to the hook.

This happened a few times. Dwight being caught in a trap right near the door. Feng having enough time to save him and herself. Instead she ran out and he had spent a good two minutes attempting to free himself before Trapper had arrived.

She could have helped.

Or the next match, where Quentin kept dragging him off of the hook right in front of the killer. Till Dwight died not even a few minutes into the match. When he confronted the boy on it, he just showed off a better medkit. Stating it had been worth it and not to take it so personally.

Dwight had let it go.

And now, he sat in front of the open hatch. After watching his friends disappear within it and leaving him behind. They all could have escaped. But instead they left. Dwight could see the killer patrolling the doors obviously looking for him but he didn't feel bothered. No, he felt numb. He didn't want to return to the fire he didn't want to see them.

He felt, angry. Frustrated, hurt, helpless. So many emotions all at once and none of them good. He'd sit here for as long as he could. Knowing soon the Entity would burst out of the ground and crush him. He honestly didn't mind dying at this point.

Tears streamed down his face as more of the world turned red, cracking and dissipating. A sense of urgency in his body that begged him to try to run but he didn't. And just when he knew it was going to hit he squeezed his eyes shut. Braced for the pain.

Instead the sound of the hatch opening in front of him. Caused him to look up. "No." He said.

Scrambling away from the door he shook his head. "No, kill me." He demanded. A nearby hook started to form the Entity so he walked over to that. He didn't want to survive this match. Least if he had to revive after being killed it meant longer away from them.

Standing practically on the hook, he watched the claws form. Expecting them to reach out and stab him but instead one reached down, scratching along his cheek. Wiping off a tear. Feeling self cautious, he wiped at his face. Looking down and leaning against the hook.

He didn't know why but he suddenly started to sob, "Why does everyone do this? Is it something I did?" He questioned before remembering his old boss. "Maybe it is, maybe that's my punishment? Is that it.." he mumbled. To his surprise though he suddenly saw something in black and white.

His coworker being degraded, the cruelty of his boss. His coworker lying to him about what was in it. Shaking his head though he denied it, "I should have known better. I'm stupid. I trust to easily. I try to help." He whimpered.

"Just... kill me. I don't care do it over and over. I'm done trying to escape.." he said softly. Sitting down against the hook. The Entity's claws following him down, also appearing from the ground. He kept his eyes open this time as the claws wrapped around his body. Holding him, surprisingly feeling quite warm. Considering how cold the trial was.

He wasn't stabbed this time but he suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground. Heading towards the light. He tensed at first, but then relaxed. It didn't matter.

Closing his eyes, he reached out before holding onto one of the claws. Pulling it against his chest, the sharpened tip easily able to pierce him but it never did. Instead he just nuzzled against it as the light got brighter.

When his eyes reopened he found himself in an endless wasteland. Skeletons and decomposing bodies everywhere. Upon looking closer though Dwight found himself resisting the urge to gag. The bodies were that of his friends, of him, even a few killer bodies lay amongst the carnage.

Shocked and a bit horrified, through the bodies grew a form. Blighted out as skin from the fallen bodies wrapped around it. Giving the creature it's own mixmatched form, as it took a slightly human like form. Dwight watched transfixed as it happened.

He knew what was in front of him, the claws still behind the Entity even as he reformed as a Frankenstein mixup of a human. Once completed they both just stared at him. Before the Entity attempted a smile that was more unsettling then calming. "D.w.i.g.h.t." it said slowly, voice a bit unnatural. Gargled.

His name was unmistakable though, and the Entity seemed pleased at succeeding with it. Talking must still be new though cause reaching out a hand, it did the familiar gesture to follow. A mimicked motion, something it must have observed them doing many times. It then turned and started walking through the bodies.

Dwight hesitated for a moment but finally followed. Keeping his gaze on the Entity and not on the bodies around him. The ground around them started to glow, strange markings on the ground appearing as they approached a cave. He didn't know if he wanted to go down there but the Entity stopping and gesturing for him again to follow caused him to move once more.

The cave was bright and as they moved deeper in it seemed to change a little. Becoming a mismatch of... worlds, a forest, meadow, city, Dwight even saw the swish of the waves as they seemed to be walking over an ocean. "What is this place?" He questioned. He almost screamed when the Entity suddenly grabbed his wrist. Pulling him into a small Victorian cabin.

As they arrived a small armchair formed and a gesture from the Entity made him sit. "Um what..." Dwight started only to be surprised when a piece of bread was given to him. Taking it, he awkwardly took a bite. Surprised when it didn't taste at all like what he expected. Namely it mostly tasted like dirt but with a hint of what bread should taste like. Focusing on the hint of the taste, made it a bit easier. Considering despite everything he actually was hungry and the food they found here usually wasn't anything special anyway. So bread dirt was a treat.

The more he ate it though the better it got. He hardly noticed when it was all gone till he looked up. Spotting the unnatural smile on the Entity's face. Getting another piece of bread he handed it to Dwight. Confused, Dwight still took it but this time kept his gaze on the Entity. Biting into the bread, he seemed surprised, it actually tasted like... a piece of toast. "How."

"M.e.m.o.r.y." The Entity supplied staring at Dwight before getting to its feet. Dwight frowned but finished the piece of bread. It tasted way to good for him to just ignore. Still he found himself standing, afraid the Entity was leaving.

"Wait. Where are you going?" He questioned. It turned towards him before looking out at the endless wasteland.

"P.u.n.i.s.h.m.e.n.t." It said before turning and leaving. The door shutting behind Dwight and the telltale sound of a lock clicking.

[highdwightofmylife]

Bro Dwight Quentin and David w a male s/o who’s just so,, bold. Like will approach the killer if dared to with 0 hesitation

oh... oh boy... oh wow why does this speak to my apathetic self on a personal level,, i’d do that i have no sense of risk in all honesty

also i always write david as such a meme i’m so sorry i literally can’t help myself

Survivors with a Bold Male S/O

David King

- He’s the one that dared you to do it. “Hey. I betcha wouldn’t dare go talk to the killer,” and you look him dead in the eyes and say, “watch me”. And he’d be lying if he said that the challenging tone in your voice wasn’t hot. 

- “Hey,” you tell the Trapper as he’s crouched down, setting one of his bear traps. He gives you a confused look. He gives David a confused look from where he’s standing a few feet away. “Nice weather,” you say casually. The Trapper looks at the sky. And then at you. David is snickering. You look like you don’t care. You just stand there without a care in the world and David has to physically grab your arm and pull you before the Trapper can suddenly yeet his cleaver down onto your face.

- Thinks it’s really funny. Killers hate it when you’re both in trials together. You and David have no fear. You, casually side stepping whenever they try and hit you and David a few feet away flickering a flashlight on and off like “YEAH THAT’S MY BOY”

Dwight Fairfield

- Please stop you’re scaring him. The very first time it happens, Dwight almost has a heart attack. Dwight was being chased and you just straight up walk up to the Wraith and “man can you not” and it provided the perfect amount of confusion for Dwight to grab your hand while he screamed and ran for it. 

- Why do you have no fear??? Dwight doesn’t understand and it terrifies the life out of him. Sometimes you just wander off because you literally don’t care and the killers are starting to catch on. The confusion is wearing off. They’re gonna let you come to them and if Dwight has to physically tie your hands together to keep you from wandering, he will. Where’s that meme of Miguel and Tulio where Tulio is just throwing his fucking arms out like “????” and Miguel is like urgh bc that’s you two. God, I can’t explAIN IT, I’m gonna try and find the dumb picture after I post this please bear wiTH ME

Quentin Smith

- Imagine, if you will, you, stood in front of Freddy without a care in the world. “Yo,” you say casually. “Quentin says you’re lame.” And in the background, you just see Quentin, crouched over a hatch with a key, putting his middle fingers up. 

- Ok, but for real, he admires your bravery. Quentin’s doesn’t mind yelling at the killers and telling them exactly what he thinks of them, but... From a safe distance, y’know? He is scared that it’s going to mess you up one day, but so far, you haven’t been hurt by it. You’ve saved him a few times, actually, from suddenly getting up in the killers face. It’s a good surprise tactic and they never expect it. 

- Quentin feels really safe with you. You’re so bold and you seem to have no fear, and he just... He kind of tries to copy that mindset. He’s not going to get close to the killer like you’re willing to, but he’s determined to show you that he can be brave too!

[cwnerd12]

“Meteor Showers” David and Jack sleep curled up in bed. Morning light shines over them, and outside their window, Shiloh wakes up. David opens his eyes and looks out over the scene. He takes it in for a moment, and then turns to Jack. He kisses him gently on the forehead. Jack opens his eyes and looks up at David. David grins at him, “Good morning.” Jack grins back, and kisses David on the lips. They enjoy a long, slow kiss, and David moves to get on top of Jack. There’s a knock at the door, and David rolls off. Thomasina’s voice, “Sir, you have a meeting in ten minutes!” David rubs his face, “Okay, thank you!” He looks back over at Jack, “Sorry. I have to go do king shit.”

David pulls a sweater over a button-down shirt and a clean pair of blue jeans. He adjusts his collar as Jack looks on. David, “Not the most kingly outfit in the world, but it’ll have to do until I get some fancier clothes.” Jack, “Sexy!” He smack’s David’s ass. David laughs and looks at Jack for a moment. He goes over and kneels down so he can be eye to eye with Jack, “I really wish I could do to therapy with you today like we planned.” Jack, “Okay.” David, “Listen, if you need me, don’t hesitate at all. I’ll come to you, no matter what else is going on.” Jack, “Don’t worry.” David kisses Jack’s forehead, “I love you.”

Thomasina waits outside the door. The door opens and David steps out. Thomasina, “Good morning, your majesty.” David, “Oh, Jesus, don’t call me that.” Thomasina, “It’s your title. You should get used to it.” David, “Sorry.” Thomasina, “Don’t apologize, either.” David, “S- I…” he sighs in defeat, “Okay.” Thomasina, “Ms. Hatch, Rabbi Levinson, General Mendoza, and Ms. Broadnax are in the council chamber, waiting for you, as you requested.” David, “Thanks.” Thomasina, “Is there anything else you need?” David, “Uh, I’m good, I-” he thinks for a moment, “Well, I… There’s one thing.” Thomasina, “Yes?” David, “I have to be able to take care of Jack. I mean, he’s going really well with his recovery, but… he needs me, sometimes. I need to be able to go to him. No questions asked, just drop everything and go to him.” Thomasina, “That can be tricky, but it can be done. King Silas would do the same when Princess Michelle was sick.” David, “Good! That’s great! I’m really glad!” He smiles brightly at Thomasina, and she gives him a small smile back. David, “I really appreciate this. I mean, scheduling a coup can’t be easy, but you’re doing it.” Thomasina, “I’m serving my country, sir.”

David goes into the council chamber, wearing a sweater and blue jeans. The gallery is empty, except for Rose. Abby, Asher, Shay and Monique sit around the center table, all dressed rather casually. David, “Good morning. Uh, I know I should probably be dressed a little bit nicer, but uh, the only nice suit I have right now is my uniform, and it’s starting to smell kinda funky.” Monique, “First of all, that’s what dry cleaners are for, and secondly, I already have a team of tailors set to work.” David, “Oh, sweet. So, what’s on the agenda?” Asher, “We need to fill the rest of the ministry positions.” David, “What else is there to fill?” Asher, “Minister of defense, Minister of health, Minister of infrastructure, Minister of education, Minister of Treasury, Minister of communications, minister of agriculture, minister of land, minister of energy, and…” he pauses, “There’s the whole issue with Joel.” David, “Okay, well, I guess I don’t need to fix what isn’t broken, so set up meetings with the old ministers from under Silas, if I think they’ll do good, they can keep their position.” Abby speaks up, “There’s also this.” She raises a remote and turns on a TV. The old Minister of State, Claude Sorenson, talks on a news channel, “NEPOTISM! I’ve diligently served Gilboa for nearly twenty years, I have negotiated countless deals and treaties for King Silas and King Linus, and now, suddenly, I’ve been replaced by a little girl with almost no experience!” David, “What? That’s bullshit, I wouldn’t have appointed any of you if I didn’t know that you’re good at what you do. And, I don’t know this guy, I have no relationship with him, he doesn’t know how I work or what I want, but Abby does!” Monique, “The minister of communication would be the one to say all this.” David, “Do you want to be the minister of communication?” Monique, “I can’t run two ministries at once, and I’d rather be in arts and culture.” David sighs heavily, “Okay, well, I guess that’s the first position I’ll try to fill.” David looks back up at Sorenson on the TV, and sighs, “Can I also say that with Gilboa being almost constantly at war for over twenty years, Sorenson was doing a pretty shitty job?” Rose speaks up, “You don’t want to use those exact words, but you can say as much, easily.” David looks up at her, eyebrows raised in surprised. Rose goes on, “And you’re right to choose Abby over Claude. He’s a moron.” David, “Thanks.” He turns back to everyone else, “Okay, what’s next?” Shay speaks up, “How the fuck are we gonna integrate the AFG into the army?” David, “Ooooh, yeah, that’s gonna be tough. I guess we should put our AFG veterans as priority number one, until everything’s integrated, at least. I want AFG vets given preference in leadership positions.” Shay, “We’re gonna get a lot of bitching from old army soldiers if we do that.” David, “Well, they shoulda thought about that when they stayed on Silas’s side!” Rose, “Do not say that.” David sighs, “Well, am I wrong for not wanting the army to lead a coup?! My AFG soldiers have stuck with me through some shit, I want to reward them for that.” Asher, “Rewarding loyalty is a quick way to ensure that everyone just gives you what they think you want rather than what you need.” David, “This is different, and you know it is. You know what the AFG’s been through, what we’ve sacrificed. And…” he sighs, “It won’t be straight-up favoritism. If the old army officers can prove that they deserve their positions more than my AFG officers, they can keep them. But I’m not bad for not wanting a coup, okay?” Shay, “Okay, that’s fair. It’s still gonna be a bitch of a job, but I’ll see what I can do. Is there anything else you want me to cover?” Asher, “I think just focus on filling in those minister positions.” David, slightly hesitant, “Actually… I do kind of have an idea about who to appoint as minister of defense until Jack can take it over.” Asher, “Who?” David, “Caesar Reinhardt.” Asher, “…Are you serious? David, “I know it seems crazy but… I did kind of get to know him when we were roomies, okay? He’s actually smart, and he knows what he’s doing.” Shay, sarcastically, “Yeah, what were you saying about not wanting a coup? No way Reinhardt doesn’t try to kill you two weeks after you appoint him.” David, “It’s temporary! Like I said, it’s only until Jack is recovered enough to take the job over!” Asher, “When is recovered enough?” David, “I don’t know, Dr. Hussein said that we should have an idea of what his abilities will end up being at about a year after the injury, so another six months?” Abby, “David, recovery can take years. Dr. Hussein also said that his recovery can stop at any time. We don’t know how much he’s going to recover.” David, “Well, as long as he’s still making progress, I intend to give him that position, okay? You all know that he’d be good at it! In the meantime, Reinhardt, at least, I know respects me, and will be respected by the old army men, and can maybe even help us end both of these wars without a complete surrender.” Asher, Abby, and Shay exchange looks. Asher, “You’re the king, man.” David, “I’ll talk to him, at least, okay? Is there anything else to discuss right now?” Asher, “What are you going to do about Joel?” David, quietly, “I don’t know. I’ve still got to think about it.” He looks up at Thomasina, “Schedule appointments with Reinhardt and all the old ministers, I’d like to talk to them today and tomorrow, if that’s doable.” Thomasina, “Right away, sir.” Abby, “Shaw wants to talk to you today.” David, “What?” Abby, “Shaw wants to talk to you. If you’re serious about the whole peace with Gath thing, you need to talk to him.” David, trying to push his anger away, “Alright, alright. I’ll talk to him. What about Warner? Does he want to talk?” Abby, “I think he’d rather just keep fighting. We’ll probably have to be the ones who insist on talking.” David, “Okay.” Thomasina, “You have some coronation gifts you might want to take a look at, and there’s someone you should meet today.” David, “Who?” Thomasina, “You’ll know who they are when you meet them.”

In the palace garage sits a shiny, bright red vintage convertible. David enters with Asher and Thomasina. Immediately his eyes widen in delight, “YES!” He runs up to the car, “Oh, this is nice!” Thomasina, “It’s a coronation gift from Dwight Garner.” David hugs the hood, “I like being king!” Asher sighs disapprovingly, “David, this is a bribe.” David shoots up, “No! This is too nice to be a bribe!” Asher, “You have to give it back.” David, “NO!” Asher, “If you keep it, it’ll look like you’re for sale.” David, “I’m not for sale! I just like getting nice cars!” Asher, “So when Dwight Garner asks you for a political favor, are you going to say no?” David, “Of course!” Asher, “Are you sure?” David, “I’m sure!” Asher, not convinced, “Give it back.” David, “I deserve a nice car! I’ve earned it!” Asher, “Give it back.” David, “Oh, come on! Please?!” Asher, “Give it back.”

Thomasina leads David down into the dungeons. David looks around and shudders, “Ugh, I remember this place.” Thomasina, “There’s someone in here for you to meet.” She unlocks the door to Vesper’s cell. David goes in, and stops when he sees Vesper, “Oh, shit.” Vesper, “Hello, your majesty. Do I need to introduce myself?” David points at him, dumbstruck, “You’re the guy I was talking to when I was in here.” Vesper smiles, “I seem to remember a certain young man bravely facing his death. I knew that if I ever spoke to him again, he would be king.” Bewildered, David sits down, “I knew I’d have to deal with some weird shit being king, but I honestly had no idea how weird.” Vesper, “I promise you, it only gets weirder from here.” David sits and stares at him. Vesper, “Do you play chess at all?” He moves the board towards David. David, “I know how to play but I’m not that good.” Vesper, “You out-witted both Silas and Linus, I’d venture to say you’re good.” David, “Silas killed himself so Shaw wouldn’t kill him, and Joel Bronikov was the one who got Abner. I didn’t do any of that.” Vesper, “Don’t fool yourself, David, none of that would have happened if it weren’t for you.” David, chagrined, “A lot of awful shit wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me.” Vesper, “I’ve had fifteen years to sit in a cell and ruminate over my bitterness and regret. I have a lot more things to regret than you, so believe me when I tell you, dwelling on a past you can’t change won’t do you any good.” David, “I’ve inherited Silas’s war with Ammon, and it’s not going well.” Vesper, “The night I arrived here, I warned Silas that Warner won’t rest until Carmel is his. Kings are inherently greedy bastards. Warner’s self-righteousness only makes him worse.” David, “Yeah, no shit.” Vesper, “The things you learned about me in school were true: I was an absolutely terrible king. I believed I was doing God’s work, but I ended up doing things I can only describe as unholy. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you what not to do. Silas seemed to take heed of the advice I gave him, but, you saw what happened to him.” David, “I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. At this point, even bad advice is better than nothing.” Vesper, “Well, then, you know where I’ll be.” David, “I’m gonna send my minister of state in to talk to you. I think she’ll have a better idea of what to do with you.”

David walks down a hallway, mulling over what just happened. He reaches a door, opens it, and goes into the waiting area outside of the king’s office- now his office. Liam and Adam are waiting for him. They both stand up. Liam, “Your majesty!” David smiles sheepishly at him, “Yeah, that’s what people are calling me these days.” Liam, “Come on, man, we’ve kind of earned the right to say it.” David, “Yeah, okay, you have. Let’s talk in… well, fuck, now I guess it’s my office.” He opens the door and leads them in. Nothing has been touched since Abner last stepped foot in it. David goes over to the desk and sees the papers still stacked there, “Ah, fuck, someone’s gonna have to sort this shit up.” Adam looks up at the skull on the book shelf, “Is that thing real?” David looks up, “Uh, yeah, actually, it is. It’s not just real it’s Nicholas Achison.” Liam, “Are you fucking kidding me?” David, “Silas was a sick fuck, what can I say?” Liam, “Wonder what he did with Vesper Abbadon.” David, “Trust me, you don’t want to know. Anyway, sit.” He sits down at the desk. Liam and Adam sit across from him. David wiggles the seat a little bit, “Shit, this is still really weird. I spent plenty of time in you guys’s spot, and when I was there, I honestly never once thought that I’d be sitting on the other side.” Adam, softly, “What are we here for?” David gets a little bit more serious, “Look, I’ve got a lot of positions that I’ve gotta fill, and I honestly have no idea who’s gonna fill most of them. However, when I started thinking about who should be working where, right away, I knew who my first appointments would be. Adam, I want you working as my spokesman for the army. My old job.” Adam, nervously, “Seriously?” David, “Yeah. Liam, You’re gonna be doing something similar, except instead of speaking for the whole army, you’re gonna be speaking for the AFG.” Liam, “Yeah, I can do that!” Adam, “Wait, what- what is this job, and why do you want us to do it?” David, “Like I said, it’s my old job. You go in front of a TV camera, you represent the army, tell people what’s going on.” Adam, “Like, on TV?” David, “Yeah. You don’t have to do it, but… it’s a good fucking job. I mean it. I’m not just putting you guys there so you can be there indefinitely, it opens you up to connections and possibilities you didn’t even know were out there. I mean, fuck, look what it did for me.” Liam, “I’m in!” David, “Awesome!” Liam, “I just got one question, why does Adam get the bigger job?” David, “Well, if I have to be brutally honest, Adam has a few more hero points. He did blow up a tank, right? That seems to be the biggest qualifier for this job.” Liam laughs, “Yeah, okay, man, sounds good.” David glances at Adam, “What do you think?” Adam, “It’s… a lot.” David, “You don’t have to decide right away. I can give you a week or two to think it over.” Adam, “No, no, I appreciate this. I really do. This is a huge favor for me, and It’d be really stupid of me to turn it down.” David, “Hey, I just thought you’d be a good fit because the hero shit made you pretty popular. If you don’t want to do it, I can easily find you another really good job you’re better suited to.” Adam, “No, I- I’m willing to do this. I can do it, I just…” David, “What?” Adam, “I’m not gonna have to lie to people, am I?” David, confused, “What? No. All along, I’ve said that I won’t lie like Silas did. You’ll probably have to report some difficult stuff, but, it’ll be the truth.” Adam nods apprehensively, “Okay.” David, “But, hey if you want something else, it’s no problem.” Adam, “I’ll do it. I’m glad to serve my king.” David grins ear to ear, “You have no idea how happy that makes me. Really. I wanted something good for you guys, and this is it. This is gonna take you to amazing places. Just don’t end up trying to overthrow me, okay?” He stands up. Liam and Adam both stand. Liam, “It’s an honor!”

David leads Liam and Adam out of his office. Reinhardt sits in the waiting room. Adam sees him and halts, his smile faltering. Liam spots him, too, and says to David, “What the fuck is he doing here?” Reinhardt, “Nothing like a warm welcome.” David, “Don’t worry about it, I’m just exploring some possibilities, okay?” Liam, “Seriously, man?” David, “You guys don’t have to worry about it, okay? I’ll see you later.” Liam and Adam exchange glances, shrug, and the leave, saying, “See you.” Once the door closes, Reinhardt says, “So is this a job interview, or am I on trial?” David, “We’ll talk about it in my office."

Int he office, Reinhardt sits down across from David, “You’re gonna re-decorate, right?” He glances over at a framed photos on the desk: one of Emma and one of young Silas and Abner as buddies in the army. David grabs the photos and stuffs them into a drawer, “Yeah, but, I’ve kind of got a few more pressing issues to deal with.” Reinhardt, “You keep saying that, you’ll never get around to changing anything.” David, “You’re aware that I have a lot of people saying you should be hanged, right?” Reinhardt, “Yes.” David, “I don’t entirely disagree with them. It’d be kind of fucked up if you get away without consequence.” Reinhardt, “Is that’s why I’m here? You wanted to give me a death sentence in person?” David, “I’m not handing down death sentences. All citizens of Gilboa are going to be guaranteed the right to a fair trial.” Reinhardt, “So am I charged with anything, then?” David, “I’m gonna give you a chance to redeem yourself.” Reinhardt, “Oh?” David, “I want you to be my minister of defense, at least until Jack’s recovered enough that he can take it over. If you go a good job and help me get out of Silas’s wars… I’ll let your past slide.” Reinhardt, “Seriously?” David, “This government’s killed enough people. I don’t want to keep spreading misery.” Reinhardt, “Well, you’re king, and your word is law.” David, “So, will you take the position?” Reinhardt, “Can’t really turn it down, can I?” David, “I guess you can’t.” David’s phone buzzes. He takes it out of his pocket, sees the call is from Abby. David, “I should probably take this.” Reinhardt, “Go ahead.” David answers, “Yes?” Abby, outside of Vesper’s cell, “VESPER FUCKING Abbadon?!” David, “Okay, first of all, this is Silas’s fault, and secondly, can we use him as leverage?” Abby, “You could have at least fucking warned me before you sent me to talk to a genocidal psychopath!” David, “I’ve talked to him a few times, and he’s actually kind of chill?” Abby, “What part of genocidal psychopath did you not understand?!” David, “It’s your job to figure out what to do with him.” Abby, “No, fuck you, you are not passing this off on to me! You’re the one taking on Silas’s problems, and this is a massive fucking problem!” David, “I’m giving it to you because you’re the one who’s going to know what to do. If we want to get out of war with Ammon without handing over all of Carmel, we should consider using him as a bargaining chip.” Abby sighs and rubs her face, “Oh, fuck.” David, “You didn’t actually think this whole minister of state would be easy, did you?” Abby, “No, but it would have been nice to at least have gotten a fucking warning before you sprang this shit on me.” David, “I didn’t get a warning, either.” Abby, “All right, I’ll talk to him, try to figure something out. Are there any other weird Silas secrets that I need to know?” David, “Probably, but I don’t know what they are, either. I’ll talk to you later.” He ends the conversation. Reinhardt, “Oooh, you just found out about Abbadon, didn’t you?!” David, “What?” Reinhardt, “Right after I rescued all those soldiers, Silas invited me up to the residence for some drinks, and he ended up telling me a bunch of shit that he probably shouldn’t have. That was when I knew that he liked me.” David, “He invited me up for drinks once, but he just ended up yelling at me about art, and then made me play the piano.” Reinhardt, “Ha, see, he didn’t like you.” David, “He brought me out to meet Seth. Did he do that with you?” Reinhardt, “Seth was still an infant when I was going through my hero phase, I don’t think he’d let anyone meet him at that point.” David, “Yeah, sure, you keep telling yourself that.” Reinhardt rolls his eyes, “Is there anything you want me to get started on as your minister of defense?” David, “I’m meeting with Shaw in a little while. Might be a good thing if you were there.” Reinhardt, “All right.”

David stands out on the back balcony of the palace, looking out over the landscaping, deep in thought. Abby approaches. He looks over at her, “Hi.” Abby leans against the wall, “I’m officially terrified of what else Silas might have been hiding.” David, “I told Thomasina to take Auclaire’s skull out of my office. I couldn’t do any work with it staring at me.” Abby, “I’m sure Shaw would love to have it back. We just can’t act like we’re desperate to get rid of it.” David, “Good idea.” He leans his head back and sighs, “I’ve been dreading this meeting.” Abby, “You already faced Shaw at Council. This we can at least do over video conference.” David, “I know, but it doesn’t get any easier. I listen to Jack speaking, and I know he wants to tell me things, but he can’t. He gets so frustrated, and when I see it, all I want to do is make Shaw pay.” Abby, “Well, considering Gath is currently kicking Gilboa’s ass, he kind of has the upper hand.” David, “He’s gonna rub it in our faces, too. He’s nothing if not petty as fuck. Which is kind of why I want Reinhardt for minister of defense. Shaw hasn’t hurt him, he can’t pick at him like he can with me.” Abby, “You’re king, David. You can do whatever you want.” David, “I want to take Jack and get the fuck out of this place, that’s what I want to do.”

David, Abby, Shay, and Reinhardt sit in the council chamber, video conferencing with Shaw. They’re all exhausted, and the sun is going down outside. David, with his fingers pressed against his forehead, “CrossGen is not going to resume manufacturing in Gath!” Shaw, “And why not?” David, “Because you fucking shot the person who owns it!” Shaw, “You say you want a peace agreement, and these are my terms.” Reinhardt, “If you think that just because we want peace, we aren’t willing to fight, you are very mistaken, Your Excellency. I’ve been on the wrong end of the Army of Free Gilboa before, and believe me, you don’t want to be there.” Quietly, without being noticed, Rose enters. Shaw, “If you wish to keep fighting, that’s your decision.” Abby, “I know you’re willing to make compromises, otherwise you wouldn’t be speaking to us. I’ve made deals with you before, and I can do it again. I know being able to put Premier Auclaire properly to rest means an awful lot to you and your family, and we very much want to give that to you, but we need something in return.” Shaw, “I’ve waited twenty years. I can wait longer.” David leans back, “Oh, for fuck’s sake, stop being such a dick!” Rose hurries up behind David, “Good evening, Gerald. I know how much you love dragging these meeting out, but it’s getting late, and I have dinner waiting. I’m afraid we’ll have to pick this conversation up again later.” Shaw, “Coming to the rescue, Rose?” Rose, “Consider yourself lucky that David believes in peace more than he wants revenge, because he’s not the only person in Gilboa who’d love to see your palace in flames. David doesn’t owe you a single fucking thing, and to act like you’re the one holding all the cards is simply absurd. We’re going to go to dinner now. Good night, Gerald.” She turns the TV off. She looks down at Shay, Reinhardt, and Abby, “You all go home. Abby, I know Michelle is waiting for you.” They all look at David. David, “She’s right, go home. Get some rest.” Shay, “All right. See you tomorrow, David.” Reinhardt, “When are you going to make an announcement about my position?” David, “I dunno, whenever I can. I still need a minister of communications.” Reinhardt, “I’ll be back tomorrow, then.” He leaves. David turns to Abby. Abby, “The fact that nobody’s crying is a good thing. We actually did okay today.” David, “Yeah, I hope.” Abby gives him a big hug, “You really are doing good.” David, “Thanks, Abby.” She steps back, “Go enjoy your dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.” David, “Okay, see you.”

Rose and David stand in an elevator together. Rose, “You have to shut Gerald off, or else he’ll drag things on forever.” David, “Yeah, I’m starting to realize that.” Rose, “He’s difficult to contend with, but not impossible. Right now, he’s looking for your weaknesses.” David, “He knows my weaknesses. He saw what happened at Council.” Rose, “All the more reason to know when to cut him off.” David, “Do I get to call him Gerald?” Rose, “You can, but Silas did it because he wanted to insult him." The elevator dings open, and they go into the residence. The furniture that was once in their apartment has been moved in, but lots of things are still packed in stacked boxes. Jack sits in the kitchen with a large pizza on the table. He smiles up at David, “Hey, babe.” David, “Oh my god, pizza sounds so good right now.” He kisses Jack on the cheek and then reaches for a slice. David and Jack chow down on pizza while Rose eats a salad. David, “How was speech today?” Jack, “Good.” Rose, “Jack’s making good progress. His therapist says there’s reason to be optimistic.” David, “Finally, some good news.” Jack gestures around to the space behind him, “Stuff came.” Rose, “Everything’s been shipped over from the apartment.” David, “I spent two months building us the perfect apartment and you only got to spend one night in it.” Jack struggles to say what he’s thinking, “Stuff… here.” David, “Yeah, we’ve still got the stuff, but the apartment had a nice open concept and great acoustics.” Rose, “You’re the king. You can knock down a few walls.” David, “Most importantly, I had everything custom-designed to be assessable for Jack. This place has an upstairs and a downstairs, and he can’t handle stairs yet.” Jack, “I will.” David, “Yeah, I know, but I still want to at least get an elevator installed.” Jack, annoyed, “Don’t need.” David, “Yes, you do, even when you can walk again, you still get dizzy spells, remember?” In frustration, Jack tries to change the subject, “You?” David, “What?” Jack, “Your day.” David, “Oh,” he sighs heavily, “It’s been a long one.” Rose, “It’s not going to get easier.” David, “I know. Leading the AFG never got any easier, I don’t expect leading Gilboa to be any different.” Rose, “I know you think the last six months were the worst months of your life. I’ll tell you right now, you’re wrong. The next six months will be. That’s how it was for Silas.” David, “Can I at least enjoy my pizza before you get into how miserable I’m gonna be?” Rose, “You need to hear it.” David, “I know, I know.” Rose, “You need to look out for yourself. You need to know when to say no. You need to know when to lean on those who love you.” David, “Laura said as much to me when I met her.” Rose, “She was right.” David, “I spent all afternoon talking to Shaw. I can’t look him in the face without feeling like I’m back there on Mt. Gilboa…” he drifts off, and then changes the subject, “Sorry. I should probably talk about this with my therapist instead of you two.” Rose, “We both know what happened. There’s no use in pretending it didn’t.” David, “Doing the right thing absolutely fucking sucks.” Rose, “Gerald is testing you, and you stood up to him. He knows that you’re serious about peace, but you won’t just capitulate to his demands.” David groans and rubs his face, “Yeah, I stood up to him today, but it’s not gonna be the last time I have to deal with him. My confirmation Council is coming up.” Rose, “If you’re scheduling things, already, you should decide who you want to do your first interview as king.” David, “What?” Rose, “Journalism is the first draft of history. You have reporters lining up to be the first to interview you, many of whom work for news outlets willing to pay you quite a good bit of money.” David, “I have money.” Rose, “And a palace living space that needs remodeling.” David thinks for a moment, and then says, “Do you want to be my minister of communications?” Rose, “Pardon?” David, “I need one, and you seem to understand this whole being royal business pretty well. Would you be up for the job?” Jack, “Do it!” Rose, “I don’t want to be in the business of flattering you.” David, “I don’t need someone who’s just gonna flatter me, I need someone who’s gonna be able to say what I need to say. You get to be the one who acknowledges it when I fuck up.” Rose, “You can’t fuck up when you’re king.” David, “Silas fucked up plenty of times.” Jack, “Plenty!” Rose, “I’ll consider it.” David, “Well, hurry it up, will you? I need to be seen doing shit.” Rose, “Fine. I’ll take the job.” Jack, “Yes!” David, “It’s good to know I can get at least one thing done.” Rose, “I will take the job on the condition that when I give you advice, you actually listen to me.” David, “Are you gonna be giving me orders?” Rose, “Advice, not orders.” David, “So what more advice do you have?” Rose, “Plenty. I know you’re the self-sacrificing type. You always put yourself last. You won’t last a month as king if you keep doing that. You have an entire country that depends on your well-being, so now you have to take your well-being seriously. Be selfish and know when to step away.” David, “Is it a bribe if I accept a really nice car as a coronation gift?” Rose, “It’s not a bribe if you pay for it.”

A fake press podium is set up on a set draped with AFG flags. An announcer, “And now a word from King David of Gilboa…” The comedian version of David steps up to the podium, and the TV audience cheers with unbridled enthusiasm. Comedian David raises his hand and the cheering stops. Comedian David, “First of all, I would like to apologize to Queen Laura of Moab, you are no longer the hottest North American monarch.” Curled up with David, Jack laughs. Davis makes a face of displeasure, “Jesus, that’s so sexist.” Jack, “Funny!” David rolls his eyes. On the table beside him, his phone buzzes. David, “Shit!” He grabs it and looks at it. Jack, “What?” David, “Oh, it’s nothing. The Perseid meteor shower starts tonight. I set a reminder because I wanted to go watch it with you.” Jack concentrates, “Don’t…” He tries to say the next word, but it doesn’t come. He sighs with frustration. David pulls the cover over the keys, “I’m tired. Are you ready for bed?” Jack, “Yeah.” David gets up, goes over to Jack, and helps him get up, “Let’s get you in there, then. At least we can sleep in our own bed tonight.” Carefully, he leads him towards the stairs. Jack clutches the railing and leans his weight on David as, slowly, shakily, one by one, they mount each step.

David and Jack lay in bed together, Jack curled up in David’s arms. David sticks his nose into Jack’s hair, and strokes his head. Jack puts his hand on David’s arm. David, softly, “Things would be a lot better if I’d at least had a little bit of time with you. Joel could have at least waited a couple of weeks to kill Abner.”

Thomasina once again waits outside David and Jack’s door, this time joined by Abby. The door opens and David comes out. Thomasina, “Good morning, sir.” Abby, “I’ve outlined an entirely new foreign policy towards Gath, you need to look over it.” David, “Did you get any sleep last night?” Abby, “I’ve only been outlining a policy towards Gath in my head since I was twelve.” Thomasina, “Premiere Shaw is ready to speak with you.” David, “Already?” Thomasina, “He hates waiting. General Mendoza and Minister Reinhardt are already speaking to him.” David, “I kind of have a few people I’d like to talk to this morning.” Abby, “Talk to them. With my new policy outline, I can bullshit Gerald for hours!” David, “You do that, then. I already have someone waiting for me.”

Out on a balcony, Jessie sips a cup of coffee and looks out over the city skyline. The weather is grey and overcast. A door opens, and David steps out. Jessie looks over and sees him, “Hi, baby!” David, “Hey, Mom.” He goes over and hugs her. Jessie, “I just got this cup of wonderful coffee.” David, “Yeah, they have good stuff here. I can get those whenever I like.”  Jessie laughs, “It’s good to be king!” She looks out over the city, “This view is incredible!” David, “Not many people get to see it.” Jessie, “Thank you so much for inviting me up here!” David, “Hey, Mom, I um, I wanted to ask you something.” Jessie, “What is it?” David, “Do you think you’d like to live here?” Jessie, “Oh, don’t kid with me like that. Me? In a palace?” David, “No more ridiculous than the idea of me in a palace. There’s an empty apartment where Emma Abner used to live, I want you to have it.” Jessie, “I really am fine where I am.” David, “Yeah, well, my security team isn’t. And besides, the king’s mom can’t live in a tiny crappy apartment by herself. You can visit me every day. Have lunch with Jack. I know he’d enjoy that.” Jessie, “That does sound nice. But what would I even do here? You know how much I hate having nothing to do.” David, “The palace needs a hostess. Used to be Rose’s job, but she’s gonna be minister of communications now. You can be in charge of all the fancy dinners and greeting foreign leaders.” Jessie, “Oh, you know I’d be terrible at all that stuff. I’m the least fancy person in the world!” David, “Yeah, but, you’re my mom. Trust me, that earns you a few fancy points.” He smiles. Jessie has to laugh, “Am I going to have to wear a tiara?” David, “Only at state dinners and formal galas.” Jessie, “Are you serious?!” David, “Oh, yeah. Michelle explained it to me a long time ago, there’s a whole protocol for wearing tiaras.” Jessie laughs some more, “You know the last time I wore a dress was the day I married your father.” David, “We’ll have to get you a stylist. Trust me, between Monique and Jack, you will always look good.” Jessie laughs some more, “Oh, David.” She gazes adoringly at her son. David grows more serious, “Besides, I feel awful about everything I put you through. This doesn’t come close to repaying it, but it’s a place to start.” Jessie, “You don’t have to repay anything.” David, completely serious, “I want you to live here, Mom.” Jessie leans against David’s arm, “Okay.” David, smiling, “You will?” Jessie, “Yes, I will.” David, “Oh, thank god!” Jessie, “Can I have lunch with you today?” David, growing serious again, “Uh, I’m busy today. Jack has therapy in the morning and in the afternoon, but I think you can grab some lunch with him. I’ll have Thomasina set it up. Jack will actually be really glad to hear you’re moving in.” Jessie, “What’s got you so busy today?” David, “I, uh- I’m negotiating a cease-fire with Gerald Shaw.” Jessie, “Oh, baby.” David, “It’s okay, Mom. I talked to him yesterday, and I sat across from him at Council. I can handle it.”

Joel sits in David’s office. The door opens, and David enters. He sits down across from Joel without saying anything. Joel, “So am I off the team, or what?” David, “You betrayed my trust. It’s really hard for me to get around that.” Joel, “You want an official resignation, or are you dismissing me?” David, “No. What would I even be dismissing you from? Nothings’ really official yet.” Joel, “So why am I here?” David thinks for a long moment, and says, “Gilboa needs a declaration of rights. It’s one of the most basic things I’ve promised. I don’t know how to write one. I don’t know anyone else who knows how to write one.” Joel, “The University of Shiloh has plenty of legal experts.” David, “Yeah but… none who have fought next to me.” They exchange looks. David, “The Minister of Justice is going to be the most important position in my government. You’re going to be in charge of the police, and the courts, and the prison system. You’re gonna be the one who tells me what I can’t do.” Joel, “David, the only time you need someone telling you no is when you’re standing in front of a tank. You’re a fundamentally good person, and even if someone tried to corrupt you, the’d end up disappointed.” David, softly, “You could have at least waited.” Joel, “I really wish I could have.” David, “I want to see a draft of your declaration of rights, and your ideas on the first legal reforms that need be made.” Joel, “I can do that.” David, “If you ever disobey my orders again, it will be bad for you.” Joel, “I won’t disappoint you. I swear.” David, “I’m gonna try to believe you.”

Shay waits for David outside of a conference room. David approaches, “Sorry I’m so late, I had a few things I had to take care of.” Shay, “Abby’s in there having the time of her life. I honestly think even Shaw’s getting tired of her. If you want a break, she can go for hours.”

Another exhausting afternoon of arguing with Shaw. Outside, the sun is beginning to set. Abby argues passionately, “It’s absurd to demand more territory, you already have the borderlands Silas gave you and the Port of Prosperity, if we gave you any more land, we’d be handing over Shiloh!” Shaw, “If you want peace, you have to pay the price!” David, “The peace itself is the price! Gath and Gilboa won’t lose any more lives over, god, I can’t even remember what the hell this war started with.” Shaw, “Silas demanded I give him your head, and then you ran away before I could give it to him.” David, “Then why the hell are we fighting? This is just war for war’s sake, it’s absurd! How much more suffering are we going to inflict on our people?” Shaw, “It’s funny how quickly war becomes absurd when you’re the one losing.” David, “Fuck this! You don’t want want peace, you don’t want to settle, you just want to argue and make everyone miserable! I’m ending this, and I’m not speaking to you again until you’re ready to make an actual deal! In the meantime, as I don’t want Auclaire’s skull in my office, and as you clearly don’t care about getting it back, I’m going to order it destroyed and disposed of!” Shaw, “Wait! I didn’t say that I didn’t care about it, I just said I was willing to wait for it.” David, “Well I’m not going to let you wait. You either make some sort of deal right now, or I’m having it destroyed.” Shaw takes in a deep, angry breath, “I’ll agree to a cease-fire. It’s not peace, just a cease-fire.” David, “Good. I will return Auclaire’s skull to you when you come here for my confirmation council, after you’ve confirmed me without causing any drama.” Shaw, “You said you wanted peace.” David, “This is part of it. I’m still the one who owns the skull.” Shaw, “Fine. I’ll confirm you.” David, “Good. I will see you then, and I don’t want to see your fucking face until then.” He turns the video feed off and mutters, “Fuck.” Abby, “You just got Shaw to agree to a cease-fire, that’s a fucking diplomatic miracle.” Shay, “We really needed this cease-fire, too. Now I can actually try to integrate the AFG without just throwing everyone into combat together.” Reinhardt, “I have to admit, I’m impressed.” David, “Yeah, we’ll see how long this cease-fire lasts. Go home, get some rest.” Shay, “Can’t, we’ve got a cease-fire to implement.” David, “What do I need to do?” Abby, “You gave the order, we’ll do the work.” Reinhardt, “Go have dinner.”

David enters the residence. Jessie is making dinner while Jack watches TV. Jack, “Hey, babe!” Jessie, “I hope you’re hungry for meatloaf!” Jack, “Hey, babe!” David, “Thank you, Mom. Are you gonna be eating with us?” Jessie, “No, of course not! I want the two of you to have some time together. You need it.” David, “Are you sure?” Jessie, “Are you kidding? I get to order from the restaurant for free! I’m having lobster tonight!” She goes over to David and kisses his cheek, “This is for you and Jack. I want you two to have a nice home-cooked meal. You’ve got a very hard job ahead of you, and you need to be relaxed and well-nourished” David, “Thanks, Mom.” Jack goes over to the dining table. Jessie, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” David, “Okay, see you then.” Jessie leaves. David goes over to the table and sits down across from Jack. He looks out at the meal spears out before them, “I guess there’s a few things I still get to enjoy, huh?” They both laugh. David begins serving himself. David, “How have you been?” Jack, also serving himself, “Good.” David, “Great. I promise you, some time soon, I'll be the one making us dinner. I’ve just got so much stuff going on, it's hard to know what’s gonna happen from one day to another.” Jack, “Busy.” David, “Yeah, I know, but when I’m not busy.” Jack, “Always.” David sighs and thinks for a moment. Suddenly he says, “You know what? Fuck it. Eat your dinner, and when you’re done, I’m taking you out. I want to do something fun.”

David and Jack sit in the back seat of the fancy vintage convertible, snuggled up and watching meteors streak across a brilliantly clear country sky. David, “The meteors are what was left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet. They’re called the Perseids because they go in the same direction as the constellation Perseus.” Jack, “Nerd.” David, “What? This shit’s fascinating!” he points up to the sky, “See, there’s Perseus. He had to deal with a lot of king bullshit, too.” Jack, “King bullshit?” David, “The only way that I know how to describe what both Perseus and I have been through is king bullshit, okay? His grandfather, a king, had this oracle about being killed by his grandson, so when Zeus got his daughter pregnant, he tossed them both in a crate into the sea, and then they got rescued by a fisherman whose brother happened to be another king. The brother king was an asshole who made Perseus go out and bring him back the head of Medusa. So Perseus goes out and kills Medusa, and on the way back home he rescues Andromeda from this terrible sea monster and then marries her, and then he gets back home and accidentally kills his grandfather and becomes the king of Mycenae.” Jack looks at him, confused, “What?” David, “Fuckin’ Greeks, man.” Jack, “Nerd.” David, “Shut up!” Jack lays his head on David’s shoulder, and they watch the meteors in silence for a moment. David strokes his arm and kisses his forehead, “Having you around makes this king bullshit a lot easier.” Jack smiles brightly, and David kisses him. Jack looks up into the bright meteors up above him.

[wineandhargreeves]

Characters of Come From Away (A Work in Progress)

All of the names given are taken from the cast recording, a lyric video on Youtube of the cast recording, a bootleg that can be found online of the OBC (link may or may not be found on reddit), and facts from the actual events. Besides that, I’ve done my best to compile all the people I could.

There are spoilers below, so beware.

Roles | Tracks (Main roles are in bold)

·       Claude Noel (Mayor of Gander) | Mayor of Louisbourg | Mayor of Gambo | Derm | Eddie | Brenda’s brother | Passengers [Originated by Joel Hatch]

·       Annette | Captain Beverly Bass | Passengers [Originated by Jenn Collela]

·       Bob | Captain Bristol | Muhumuza | Newfoundlander | Robin | Passengers [Originated by Rodney Hicks]

·       Beulah Davis | Delores | Passengers [Originated by Astrid van Wieren]

·       Constable Oz Fudge | Mr. Michaels | The Rabbi | Joey | Manny | CTV Reporter | Passengers [Originated by Geno Carr]

·       Janice Mosher | American Airlines Flight Attendant | Hindu Woman | Passengers [Originated by Kendra Kassebaum]

·       Kevin Tuerff | Garth | President George W. Bush | CBC Reporter | Passengers [Originated by Chad Kimball]

·       Hannah O’Rourke | Muslim Woman | Bus Driver | Muhuzuma’s Wife | Margie | Passengers [Originated by Q. Smith]

·       Kevin Jung | Ali | Dwight | BBC Reporter | Passengers [Originated by Caesar Samayoa]

·       Diane Grey | Crystal | Brenda | Passengers [Originated by Sharon Wheatley]

·       Nick Marson | Doug Harris | Barbecue Man | Passengers [Originated by Lee MacDougall]

·       Bonnie Harris | Hindu Woman | Al Jazeera Reporter | Passengers [Originated by Petrina Bromley]

Main Characters

·       Claude Noel: The mayor of Gander, he’s an amicable and jovial fellow. However, he often butts heads with Garth over the school bus driver strike. It is his idea to turn the hockey rink into the world’s largest walk-in refrigerator to help preserve all the food.

·       Annette: A teacher at Gander Academy, she often fantasizes about men both local and international. She and Beulah work to prepare the school for the seven hundred passengers sent there.

·       Bob: A young man from New York, he is slow to trust his new surroundings. He comes to adjust when he’s sent to live with the Mayor of Appleton.

·       Beulah Davis: A teacher at Gander Academy, she comes to befriend both Ali and Hannah O’Rourke over the course of their five days in Newfoundland.

·       Constable Oz Fudge: One of the two members of the police department, he’s a friendly face and source of stories.

·       Janice Mosher: A reporter from Rogers TV from Channel-Port aux Basques who’s new to Gander. She is quickly thrust onto the front lines of the action as she coordinates the news for the town.

·       Kevin Tuerff: The head of a California environmental energy company, his relationship with Kevin Jung is strained by the events of their five days in Gander.

·       Hannah O’Rourke: A mother from Queens, New York, she spends much of her time trying to reach Kevin, her son who is a firefighter back home.

·       Kevin Jung: Kevin Tuerff’s self-proclaimed “sexy-tary,” he worries about his family in Brooklyn, New York. His relationship with Kevin Tuerff is strained by the events of their five days in town.

·       Diane Grey: A woman from Texas, she is worried about her son David, who was also flying on September 11. She bonds and falls in love with Nick Marson.

·       Nick Marson: An English oil company worker, he was flying to the United States for a conference when the plane is diverted to Gander. He bonds and falls in love with Diane Grey.

·       Bonnie Harris: An SPCA worker, her main concern is the well-being of the eight dogs, nine cats (one of whom is epileptic), and two rare Bonobo chimpanzees on the planes.

·       Captain Beverly Bass: The first female American Airlines captain in history, she does her best to keep her passengers and crew calm and informed.

·       American Airlines Flight Attendant: One of Captain Bass’ crew, she tries to handle the passengers as well, but her personal fears get in the way.

·       Ali: An Egyptian Muslim passenger and head chef for an international hotel chain, he experiences discrimination from the passengers, crew, and even some Newfoundlanders.

·       Doug Harris: An air traffic controller, he looks out for Bonnie as well as the planes on the tarmac.

·       Dwight: An employee of Gander International Airport, he reports to Bonnie and Doug that per FAA instructions, American planes are being treated as bomb threats.

Minor Characters

·       Derm: The mayor of Appleton. A well-meaning man, he and his wife welcome Bob into their home with open arms.

·       Brenda’s Brother: A bar patron who reveals that his and Brenda’s 68-year-old uncle just came out as bisexual.

·       Eddie: A Jewish Newfoundlander from Poland, he reclaims his faith with the Rabbi’s help.

·       Captain Bristol: A Virgin Atlantic pilot who converses with Annette.

·       Muhumuza: An African passenger who doesn’t understand English, he is protective of his wife and daughter.

·       Robin: Kevin Tuerff’s new secretary at the tenth anniversary event.

·       Delores: A paranoid passenger who can belt a mean rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.”

·       Mr. Michaels: The gym teacher at Gander Academy, he can speak Spanish and can translate for some of the passengers.

·       The Rabbi: An Orthodox Jewish rabbi, he creates a kosher kitchen for other Jewish passengers, some Hindu women, a Muslim, and a couple of vegetarians. He also learns the story of Eddie, a Jewish Newfoundlander.

·       Joey: A man who is frustrated due to being on his plane for so long.

·       Hindu Women: Two women who pray in the library of Gander Academy.

·       George W. Bush: The President of the United States, he gives a speech that is broadcasted into Bob’s plane.

·       Muhumuza’s Wife: An African passenger, it is when Garth uses her Bible as a means of communication that she and her family come to trust their new hosts.

·       Margie: A Newfoundlander who answers Bonnie’s phone calls to Claude’s office.

·       Crystal: A Tim Horton’s employee.

·       Brenda: A bar employee, she tells the Kevins that her sister is gay and that her neighbour ran off with their best friend.

·       Manny: The owner of a bar, he reveals that his and Brenda’s daughter is gay.

·       Barbecue Man: A Newfoundlander whom Bob helps steal his own barbecue grill. His wife also prepares a cup of tea for Bob.

·       Walmart Greeter: A Walmart employee who thanks Nick for shopping there and invites him to her place for a shower.

·       Mayors of Louisbourg and Gambo: Two briefly seen characters, likely just as reference to Bob talking about the size of towns in Newfoundland. They look the exact same as Claude, except for the former’s glasses and the latter’s moustache.

·       Cardiologists: The top six cardiologists from all over the world who were on their way to a conference. They help clean the bathrooms at Gander Academy.

·       Flight Attendants: Members of Captain Bass’ all female crew.

·       Reporters: These men and women interview both Newfoundlanders and Come From Aways at the tenth anniversary event.

·       Lyle: An epileptic cat that Bonnie finds in the hold of a plane.

·       Unga: A rare Bonobo chimpanzee who is also pregnant. She suffers a miscarriage in Gander, but later gives birth at the Columbus Zoo to a healthy baby.

·       Ralph: A cocker spaniel who was well-loved by the airport night security crew.

Unseen/Referenced Characters

·       Kevin O’Rourke: Hannah’s son who works as a firefighter in New York. She reaches out for him, but learns after coming home that he had died.

·       Beulah’s Son: A Gander firefighter, Beulah talks about him as a way to connect with Hannah.

·       David Grey: Diane’s son, she is relieved to learn that his flight was safe.

·       Gander: Unga’s son, born after the events of September 11. She had reconceived after her miscarriage in Newfoundland.

·       Tom Brokaw: A prolific NBC anchor, he enlists Janice Mosher for her reporting on the events in Gander. She respectfully declines his offer, but is thankful nonetheless.

·       Captain Charles Burlingame: The captain of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. Captain Bass is horrified to learn about his fate.

·       Tom Bass: Captain Bass’ husband, they talk over the phone multiple times. He greets her at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport when she finally comes home.

·       Bob’s Father: Bob calls him to reassure him that he is alright.

·  ��    Celena Jung: Kevin Jung’s younger sister, she lives in Brooklyn.

·       Kevin Jung’s Mother: She lives in Brooklyn and is cared for by Selena.

·       Miss Newman: A French teacher at Gander Academy, she knows some Russian.

·       The Wish Kids: 90 children who were being flown by the Children’s Wish Foundation to Walt Disney World. Even though they were diverted to Gander, the kids still had a grand old time.

·       Doctor O’Brien: A pharmacist in Gander who offers to fill the prescriptions of the passengers.

·       The Shoppers Manager: The manager of a Shoppers Drug Mart, they allow Oz (and eventually, Beulah) to take whatever they need from the shelves.

·       Michah and Lauren: Two other people who are phoned by passengers from the phones by the Newtel building.

·       Rich: Another airport employee mentioned by Dwight.

·       Don Burton and his Wife: A couple that won the Super 7, earning them $4.6 million dollars.

Notes

·       All women except Captain Bass play flight attendants during “Me and the Sky.”

·       All men play the cardiologists.

·       The orchestra appears as musicians at the Legion and during the finale.

·       Everyone plays air traffic controllers.

·       “Newfoundlanders” is used when the Newfoundlander is unnamed in the book and/or lyrics.

·       “Passengers” applies to the Come From Aways who are unnamed by the book and/or lyrics.

 Overall, if anyone has any corrections they know of, please let me know!

P.S Thank you to comefanaway from naming the Mayor of Appleton!

[neganandblake]

I think I liked you better when you didn’t have a knife in your hand, Peaches... chapter 3 - Lemonade

The hours ticked by in the dark cold cell….yet sleep was not something that managed to come easily to Blake.

She tossed and turned, her head resting on nothing but bare concrete.

Every part of her ached, partly due to old bruises that littered her body in hidden places, but mainly due to the sheer cold. The gap beneath the door was drafty, and all night a chilly wind seemed to whistle beneath it, preventing her from falling into a deep sleep.

The hours seemed to crawl slowly by. And before Blake realised it, it was morning.

She could hear footsteps passing by in regular intervals and the sound of muttering floating under the door.

Yet the cell still remained as dark as ever…

Blake heaved herself up, propping her back up against the wall.

Her mouth and throat were parched. It had been twenty-four hours since she had had anything to drink and it was all she could think about.

It wasn't long before the morning drifted by too. And by the time ,that she calculated as lunchtime, came, Blake could take it no longer.

The caramel-blonde woman gave a pained groan and bashed her fist against the steel door.

"Hey!" she cried as loud as she could, with her croaky voice.

A second passed of silence before Blake banged her fist against the cold metal once again. "Hey!" she yelled.

Half a minute slipped by, but before she could knock once more, the door was suddenly wrenched open.

The blonde man she had seen with Negan last night was there once again, staring down at her. She now noticed that one side of his face, that had been, last night, obscured by his lengthy hair, was badly burned.

"What?" he uttered sharply.

Blake gave a difficult gulp.

"I…uhhhh….can I get some water….?" she said in a quiet tone, staring up at him. "…uhhh…..please…."

The man surveyed her carefully for a long second….. before abruptly slamming the door in Blake's face once again.

She gaped for a short moment…before bashing the door with her fist again.

"Please!" she cried out, before giving a small roar of frustration and leaning her head back against the wall behind her.

If she didn't get some water soon, she felt like she'd surely die of thirst.

Blake closed her eyes, slowing her breathing….

She wondered what David was doing right now?

Was he ok? Was he locked away in a cell too? Held prisoner until Blake dished the dirt on Rick and his group. Dirt that she did not even possess!

She was cold, thirsty, and right at this second, felt so so alone.

How had she got herself into this mess and how the hell was she going to get herself out of it again?

Could she makes something up? Try and sate Negan and the Saviours' appetite just long enough for her to hatch a plan?

Ughhh. It was useless.

That Negan guy would be sure to see through the lies in seconds. She knew men like him. He wasn't a fool.

And then what….a swift blow to the head with that baseball bat of his and it would all be over.

She still didn't know what to make of him. Negan. Sure he was intimidating, but he hadn't scared her as much as she'd expected. Perhaps that was all part of some sort of plan of his.

Blake gave a heavy sigh as the minutes seemed to drift by….alone and desperate for a drink of any kind.

Was this really what her fate was to be? After escaping death for so long, was this going to be the thing that killed her off?

She was painfully thirsty now and in desperate need of something….anything to quench that thirst.

Her eyes travelled nervously to the bucket that was serving as a bathroom in the corner of her darkened cell. Luckily or unluckily for her, however she looked at it, she hadn't need to use that yet…so that was thankfully not an option.

But before she could ponder her predicament any longer, suddenly and without any warning, the door to her cell was wrenched open, sending a cool shaft of artificial light streaming across her face.

Blake winced, blinking a couple of times before staring up to see the blonde man standing there once again, beside the open door.

But this time, he wasn't looking back at her. No.

Instead he had his head bowed…his eyes on the floor…

….and it took Blake a second or two, to realise why…

She gave a sudden gulp…her mouth salivating…

For standing at the end of the long corridor was Negan, leaning up against the wall, in that same old leather jacket and legs that seemed waaay too long for him. He still had that annoying grin plastered across his stubbly face.

In one hand was his trusted baseball bat…but it was what was in his other hand, that had caught her eye…

"Lemonade?" Negan uttered in that low drawl of his, lifting the glass pitcher full of ice cold liquid in his hand.

Blake heard the ice inside the jug tinkle.

Never in her life had she wanted something more. But she didn't move.

"Oh come on now," continued Negan, flashing her a cocky smile. "I know how badly you want it…"

His eyes met with hers.

"…the lemonade that is…"

He gave a chuckle at his own joke, as the blonde man at the door gave a thin laugh in reciprocation.

It was obvious that Negan's men were scared of him. So Blake knew for a fact that him offering her lemonade right now, was not an act of friendship.

It would never be that easy.

Negan gave a sigh, pushing himself from the wall and peering down at the pitcher in his hand.

"Just thought you could do with a nice cold glass of this, after spending the night stuck in that utter fucking shit-hole," he said nodding towards the dark cell. "And, you have no idea how many skulls I had to crack to get a hold of this."

He tinkled the pitcher again, strolling towards her.

Blake gave a gulp.

"Well you know what they say," Negan muttered, arching his back as he spoke. "When life gives you insolent motherfuckers, you make lemonade."

Blake looked up at him, breathing hard.

His words were so callous, so uncaring. She didn't doubt for second that he wouldn't kill people to get his hands on something as simple as lemonade, either.

"I don't think that's how the saying goes," she said in a simpering voice, narrowing her eyes at him.

But Negan just scoffed, shrugging his leather-clad shoulders, staring down at her. "Tomatoes, tomatoes…Doll."

Blake rolled her eyes.

God, how he infuriated her.

"So you gonna get up yourself, or is Dwighty-boy here gonna have to shut you in that cell again?" said Negan after a second or two.

The blonde man at their side glanced at Blake for a slight second, before looking away once more, keeping his eyes on the floor.

Blake gave an inward sigh.

What choice did she have right now? She was desperate for something to drink and right now she couldn't face another moment alone in this cell.

She frowned, picking herself up, wincing as he did so. Her body felt stiff and sorer than it had after she just woken up. She was almost 30, and so far too old to be sleeping on floors anymore…

She stood, brushing down the back of her dark jeans and pushed her long caramel hair back over her shoulders.

Blake noticed Negan eye her, a bemused sort of expression crossing his long features, as she exited the cell, stepping into the harsh light of the corridor.

She half expected to get pounced on by Negan's men at any second, but the threat never came. To her surprise, she found that it really was just her, Negan, and the man named Dwight, out here.

Blake folded her arms across herself, her eyes travelling up to the leader of the Saviours, as she approached him tentatively.

"Well goddamn, Doll-face," said Negan, his chocolate eyes traveling across Blake's features. "You really are a beauty, ain't ya? The night-time didn't do you justice."

But Blake just frowned up at him, ignoring his comment.

"Where's David?" she asked, her voice steady, and as calm as it could be under the circumstances.

But at her question, Negan sucked his teeth, glancing away for the slightest of seconds.

"Oh he's settlin' in nicely," he uttered in a matter-of-fact tone, looking back at her. "Just like you could be….if you tell us what you know about Rick the Prick, and his gang-o-rebels."

Blake pursed her lips, taking a step closer to Negan.

She had nothing to tell him. Nothing at all.

"I want to see him…David…" she said defiantly, raising her head and staring directly into Negan's eyes.

But the dark-haired man merely smiled, although obviously impressed by her stance, he lifted the baseball bat in his hand and swung it towards her middle gently, where it missed her by inches.

"All in good time, sweetheart," he said winking at her. "But first, how 'bout we enjoy this lemonade out on my porch. What do you say?"

Blake gave an inward huff of frustration, knowing she probably had very little choice in the matter.

She blinked in compliance, lifting her head, her green eyes settling on Negan's dark ones.

And for a long moment they stared each other out, Negan running his tongue over his lips and giving her a grin, before he lifted his bat in the direction of the doorway at the end of the corridor.

"Ladies first…" he said with a husky growl.

And Blake almost immediately found herself doing what she was told, and heading off down the hallway, feeling Negan fall into step with her instantly.

She knew where she was going. She guessed correctly that the balcony Negan had been referring to, was indeed the raised platform she had been brought out onto the night before.

And so heading around the corner, the man at her side gave the large steel door a shove with his bat, as Dwight followed behind them silently.

It was a bright and sunny day and the heat seemed to hit Blake more than it probably would have done, had she not felt so dehydrated.

She stopped for a second, gazing around.

Two large rocking chairs, and a small dark wood-stained table had been brought out here to the little balcony overlooking the fences surrounding the Saviours' camp.

In the daylight the place looked ever more horrific than it had at night, with several men in baggy grey clothes keeping the advancing dead at bay as well as they could. It was almost the opposite to the tranquil life that Blake had now become accustomed to behind the high walls of Alexandria.

She suddenly felt Negan's shoulder meet with hers gently, bumping her as he passed.

"Take a seat," he muttered close to her ear, in a low voice that seemed to send shivers all down her spine. She jerked her head around to look at him, feeling defensive all of a sudden.

What was all this? She had almost expected Negan to take her to his 'porch' and torture her until she gave him what he wanted….whether that be information on Rick…or something else completely…

But Negan strolled casually over to the rickety-looking table where two glass tumblers sat, and filled them both with the enticing lemon drink.

Blake breathed hard, the sun beating down onto her caramel blonde hair…

She cautiously walked over to him and took a seat in the chair nearest to the door. Not that she had much chance of escaping, not with Dwight guarding the door with a gun in his hand, at least.

Negan took a seat next to her, placing his baseball bat down between them casually, resting it against the small table, before reaching over and handing her a glass.

Oh god, she wanted it so badly, but she paused for a second, staring down at the cold tumbler in Negan's hand.

Why was he so eager for her to drink it, huh? The Saviours had denied her anything to drink for so long….so why now?

"You've put something in it…" she said giving a gulp, her eyes flickering from the glass and back up to Negan.

But Negan merely chuckled, placing the glass down beside her and picking up his own, before leaning back in his seat and taking a long, drawn-out gulp of lemonade.

It was a moment or two before he placed the glass down again on the table beside him and pointed to her with his finger.

"That's the problem with you people," he said raising an eyebrow towards Blake. "You are all far too suspicious. Here I am, giving you an audience with me, as well as a lovely glass of cold lemonade….and there you go accusing me of trying to drug you."

He shook his head, turning away from her and staring out across the lot.

"I mean, goddamn doll-face," he said with a sigh. "Have I given you any reason to believe that I'm out to hurt you?"

But Blake gave a scowl, almost gaping at his words. "You've had me locked in a cell AND you killed people from my camp…" she said in an incredulous voice. "You fucking bludgeoned them to death….with that thing-"

Blake pointed at the barbed wire-covered baseball bat.

"…so excuse me, for not trusting you," she snarled, huffing and turning away from him, folding her arms across her chest once again.

She could feel Negan's eyes on her, but his face, she couldn't read.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, knowing that he could very well use that bat on her right now.

But she if she was going out, she was going to go out, having quenched her thirst at the very least.

She turned back towards the table and picked up the glass Negan had just drunk from, bringing it to her lips and taking a well-needed sip.

The lemonade was sharp and cold, and tasted like the best thing Blake had ever, ever tried in her entire life. She could barely stop herself from closing her eyes as she gulped down mouthful after mouthful.

She finished the last drop and gasped for air, hearing Negan give a quiet laugh.

He was still staring at her, through his dark lashes. But Blake didn't care anymore. She just licked her lips and placed the glass down again.

Now he was free to do with her what he liked.

"You know, I think I can see why your fiancé brought you here…" said Negan after a second, shifting slightly closer to her and biting his lip. "I mean if I had a gal like you, there would be no way I'd be leaving you behind."

Blake blinked her eyes.

"What?" she asked, her mouth suddenly going dry again, despite her thirst already being quenched.

Her eyes darted across Negan's face, trying to read him.

What was he talking about?

But Negan just looked back at her lazily.

"I mean there is always an open spot for you as one of my wives -" he started teasingly, with a widening grin, but Blake cut across him hurriedly.

"You said that David brought me here," she said breathing hard.

Negan stared at her, looking a little bemused.

"Yuh-huh," he said with a nod, smiling. "Ol' Davey-boy was pretty fuckin' insistent that you coming here was all part of the deal. You were already passed-out when Simon found him on the side of the road. He was waiting for them with you, like he'd said he would be."

Blake got suddenly to her feet.

She could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

She hadn't been knocked out and brought here by the Saviours at all…. she'd been brought here by David….wait, was he the one that had knocked her out?

"Take me to see him," Blake said in a sudden demanding tone, staring daggers at Negan.

But the leader of the Saviours just stared up at her coolly, giving a smirk.

"Now what has got you all riled up, peaches?" he said tilting his head to the side and surveying her carefully.

But Blake was in no mood to play games.

She didn't care about where she was…or who she was talking to…

"Now!" she cried, snatching up Negan's baseball bat suddenly and holding it out towards him threateningly, shifting her weight from foot-to-foot as she did so.

Almost instantly, she heard the click of Dwight's safety being removed, and the feeling of the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of her skull.

Negan looked amused, sitting back in his rocking-chair, and looking her up and down, his eyes twinkling with something Blake couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Well, hot-diggity-dog," he said giving a chuckle and placing his bearded chin in his hand and gazing at her. "You are giving me, just the biggest hard-on right now, you know that-"

"Shut up!" cried Blake talking over him. "I want to see David….take me to see him."

Negan's smile lingered for a moment, before his face suddenly because serious.

"Dwight," he said in a measured voice, his eyes never leaving hers. "Take her downstairs to see her precious Fi-an-ce."

From the corner of her eyes she saw Dwight give a confused frown.

"Boss?" he asked questioningly.

But Negan gave a wave of his hand and turned away from them both disinterestedly.

"Give the lady what she wants, Dwight," he said, picking up the second glass of lemonade and bringing it to his lips.

There was a beat, before Blake felt the barrel of the gun being pulled from her head, and the blonde man grab her shoulder, turning her back towards the door.

Suddenly there was a cough from behind them both, causing Dwight to stop Blake in her tracks.

"Ahem," came Negan's growling voice. "Lucille?"

Blake gave a frown, and glanced back at the dark-haired man over her shoulder, who now had his free arm stretched out towards her.

Blake wavered for a moment before looking down at the bat in her hand.

Wait, had he really named this thing Lucille?!

She gave a scowl, her darkened eyes staring directly into his, as she handed the weapon back to him, dropping into his hand with a thud.

Blake knew, that all he had to do was stand up and use 'Lucille', and that could be the end of her….

But he didn't, he merely smirked, and turned away from her once again, taking another sip of lemonade, before giving a satisfied hiss.

At this Blake heard Dwight mutter an irritable "hurry up" into her ear, as he tugged her,once again, in the direction of the door.

"Say hi to David for me…." Negan muttered quickly, in a low voice from behind them, "…oh and Frankie…if she's still down there."

Blake's eyes widened and she snatched one last look at Negan as she was pulled abruptly through the doors.

What the hell had he meant by that?

But she didn't get another chance to ask him as the steel doors swung promptly shut behind her, blocking all sight of the dark-haired man…..and Lucille….from her questions.

.......................................

Next chapter coming soon.

.......................................

@collette04

[sillyandquiteawkward]

ive had this list of all the steam powered giraffe songs listed in order of my favorite to least favorite in each album, but i havent done anything with it and i made the list last year. thought id might as well post it!

each song has a little blurb about that song, and the reason i like it. strictly my opinions on the songs, but i tried to include some of the technical stuff so if you hadnt heard the song before, you could get a Feel of it.

album one

steam man band - wonderful lyrics and vocals! the robotic twinge i lovely and i wish this was longer. i love the lyric “count to twenty, one is plenty”

clockwork vaudeville - a charming song about a boy seeing the robots for the first time at a fair and you feel it in every note. theres a part where the spine switches to a more harsh voice and it works wonderfully to contrast the smoothness of thus far.

electricity is in my soul - again, i love the robotic edge this song has, but it also is smooth. the lyrics and vocals are amazing. so fun to sing along to.

brass goggles - the first song i heard of them, the three part harmonies are to die for and rabbit kills it. in the original version, the voices are super busy and super robotic and tbh its my fav version because of this. i adore when they split into three parts and sing their own thing.

sound of tomorrow - i love the chorus, especially the echo the spine does. love all the weird lyrics the jon sings.

blind minstrels ballad - i love how ambient and mysterious it is. sets the mood for a story. i love the jons voice.

steam man band reprise - i love michaels voice and the staticy effects the band had a lot of in this album. the lyrics work really well and i wish this was longer.

captain albert alexander - one of my favorite hero songs, caa is a whirlwind adventure of a man who loves the sea. i love the story line and it hits you hard emotionally

out in the rain - ambiance! i love the mood this song sets.

on top of the universe - a cute song about being in love, very charming and captures the feeling of falling in love at first sight. i love the end part where the spine has to be beat up.

ice cream parade - hilarious! works well as a skit but the song itself is messy. i like the horse adventure part (of course i start to like it when the spine starts singing).

2cent show

automatonic electronic harmonics - western vibes but keep the steam punk feel! robotic themed but focused around the spines feeling and experiences. i love the screaming. the second spg song i listened to.

circuitry - i cant understand what their saying, but i love the robotic screeching and words you can just barely understand. a circusy feeling.

juju magic - the jon kills it with the mood again, i love that you have that steamboat feel, but now everything is going crazy. nothing is right and the lyrics dont make sense but it works wonderfully.

me and my baby - this song makes you want to dance and the spine kills the vocals.

one way ticket - i love the feel of this song! the lyric “the conductor plays the bass, and the train it has a face” just. gives you that mood that this is all magical and cartoony and its just an adventure your having on a train.

the suspender man - one of my other favorite hero song. the lyrics can get strange at times but thats part of the charm. its so fun to sing along, especially in the fast parts. i love singing never 21 times.

steamboat shenanigans - i adore the lyrics. youre standing on a boat running on music and good feeling. the lyrics are silly and the vocals are wonderful. rabbit has a charming edged voice. uncle ralphie makes his appearance in a tuba

prelude to a dream - again, michaels charming voice strikes again. the way the lyrics are sung are eerie but strike you.

the ballad of lily - what is it with me and liking the segway songs more than the actual songs. the ballad of lily slowly builds into something greater as time goes on and i love the accordion.

make believe - another song i want to dance to, the chorus is so fun and great. this song is about being good.

honeybee - one of my favorite parts of this is how when the robots sing “bee” it reminds me of the subtle sounds of a bee buzzing. a sad song about love, maybe something we can relate to.

rex marksley - a wild wild west adventure following the greatest hero, rex wanders around doing good deeds for his life. a great beat and chorus, but it the verses that make it great.

scary world - i love the tentative way things are sung, spine and the gang are scared during this song, something is afoot. pretty sure the morse code says something serious and imaginative, and then ends with the word “bananimals”

thatll be the way home - another era song, you get the feel of the time period like a lot of the other songs on this album. thatll is a really fun word to sing repeatedly.

airheart - a story about a part airplane part woman who becomes a great pilot. a cute story with a great harmony.

little birdie - cute lyrics, the mood of the song is so strange and not how you would think.

mk3

go spine go - easily one of my favorite songs. a jazzy sort of song about the spine having diarrhea. poor spine gets harassed by his band mates

roller skate king - all time favorite hero song. rsk is just a fun guy who roller skates and wants other people to have fun. i cant help but to dance to this song and the chorus is super catchy.

wired wrong - a song that hits too far home. weve all felt wired wrong one way or another. the harmonies are so solemn but hit all the right emotions.

hatch fever - hatchworths debut song. hes still learning what its like to be one of the singing bots so hes still working out the kinks. fast and catchy, i love the abrupt breaks in the song.

fancy shoes - mysterious fancy shoes from a mouse find themselves on hatchys feet. i love the tangents and the footfall sounds at the beginning set the mood of the strange yet serious mood of the song.

steam powered giraffe - you can feel everyone getting ready to sing, i love how you hear about the robots being robots. i love the contrast between all the robots voices tied together with lovely lyrics and a fun beat.

ghost grinder - rabbit strikes again with a chilling song, but this song works the scary theme into a fun halloweeny song about a dancing event.

mecto amore - i love the sultry kind of beat this song has at the beginning. always in love with songs that remind you these singers are robots.

turn back the clock - i cried listening to this song like full on sobbing. rabbit has such a true performance of watching a little girl grow up in little to no time. the song is heart wrenching but worth a listen to understand a part of rabbits character. you can feel her emotions as she laments time.

please explain - silly lyrics that fit together nicely. a series of questioning things the robots dont understand. the spines verse is funny not because of the spine, but the other robots making razzberry sounds during it.

a way into your heart - a love letter to the fans. weve had hard times but the robots will be there for us to sing with and get a smile back on our face. a cute song, but the first few lyrics are sung awkwardly.

bleak horizon - i think its hilarious when the little kid is just like “...bye” a chilling song about the future. harmonies are on point

steam powered giraffe reprise - a cute idea that works really well on stage and kind of random on the cd. the robots have been reset and now sing in japanese. kind of stunted sounding japanese but the song is still catchy and lively.

ill rust with you - this song screams grease. super 70s and you pick up that feel immediately. you can practically imagine rabbit in the all the clothes she describes

she said maybe - another song boasting spines vocal range. kind of creepy.

vice quadrant

its cosmic - the chorus, god the chorus. the progression of notes leaves my ears wanting only more.

the speed of light - you can pinpoint just where the song takes its turn from innocent amazement to more sinister. all this power, you feel invincible. chilling, just like all the song about the astronaut. the build up is amazing.

progress and technology - i adore the spines sharpness of his voice. the robotic feel matches the theme of how the future has come so far. slightly ominous in its lyrics, you feel like something will go wrong with this utopia.

oh no - legit sobbed the first few times i listened to it. the soliton reprise kills me every time. the first word sung is actually my favorite, but i love the pacing of this song, especially at the beginning

daughter of space - the story lyrics that the spine continues to excel at. i love how the lyrics mimic the astronauts feelings towards the daughter of space.

on a crescendo - soft, homely, this song lets you live in the comfort of your time while describing how far humans have come. im so glad a song so chill made it into this album.

commander cosmo - im so glad dwight is ok. captures the emotions and the views of both commander and the public. an emotional roller coaster.

necrostar - rabbit kills it with the sexy deep, scary lyrics. necrostar cant help but to sound sultry as he describes how he is the one to destroy humanity

steamjunk - the perfect opener for winks arc. lost, but hopeful. i love the progression of the song and the chorus.

the pulls - ive never loved a waltz so much. morbid lyrics sung beautifully and calmly toward you. so strange that hatchworth sings low, but i wouldnt have it any other way

whale song - oh so, so cute. oh my gosh. so. cute. rabbit is just teeth rottingly adorable and im so glad we get to hear her take center stage on her accordion. i love the conversation of them just starting a song on the fly.

the vice does tight - harmonies! scary, and set the mood of the impending doom. i love how the lyrics flow and adore how the singers switch

where i left you - saddening, but in the longing sense. hatchworths voice is back to the countertenor were used to.

wink the satellite - hatchworth and wink are just too cute. i love the speaking parts.

fire fire - a lovely song, that is until you realize what its about. this guy just does not have good luck. loses a lot of the emotion of the live performance, but it works to separate the graphic scenes from the audience. back ups make the song. the pinao crawling up the scales gives me chills.

soliton - a love song in its core. love the build up to the chorus. i love when cosmic sings as well! because she loves the astronaut too.

burning in the stratosphere - short and sweet. i love the suspense and build of the countdown and the irony.

star valley night - i love the off key sort of singing for some reason. the up and downs are wrong in all the right ways. cute silly lyrics from all the bots.

starburner - a cute, up beat song. maybe wishing on stars isnt a good idea, but the conversations in this song make this song cute. more spine crying plz

starlight star shine - love that acoustic guitar, especially since so much of this album is synthesized and electronic. a charming love song.

the space giant - i love the conversations that take place in this song. the story progression and especially the part where their blasting off of earth are great.

over the moon - catchy and sweet. the chorus is my favorite part.

sky sharks - not really a fan of professor elemental, but i love the silliness of the song. strange things are happening but its so silly and presented silly. song gets dated with a 50 shades of grey reference.

hold me - sad, but lovely. the verses are cute.

gg the giraffe - cute lyrics! gg introduces herself and expects only gratitude for existing. gg voice is meant to be obnoxious however and makes the song a little hard to bear.

steam world heist (not including remakes of the songs)

what we need are some heroes - i fell in love with this song at first listen. such a depressed world, but hope is always on the horizon. im always a sucker for the spines voice. “forever and a day” always hits me hard for some reason. the chorus is so hopeful.

the red queen - grew on me. originally i was upset things payed into a red queen sense, but the sharp noises vocals and robotic laughing, well, that grows on a person. i loved all the staticy distorted noises.

the vast frontier - so chilling, hatchworth returns with his slightly morbid lyrics and wonderfully written music.

star scrap - another song i cant help but to sing with. a bit depressing, but fits the mood of the album. i love the ending

the stars - i love how space western this song is. back to the old roots, perhaps. again, im at the mercy of spines wonderful vocals. hatchworths verse is silly and cute and im not even mad it breaks the song up

prepare for boarding - i love the shifts in this song, they all work well to make the song interesting.

quintessential

only human - this song never fails to make me smile. hatchworth can sing and help me as much as he wants. sigh. he just wants things to be easier and better for us. i love the other robots interjections, but hatchworth is the real star of the show.

the ballad of delilah morreo - the rapid one right after the other beat of the lyrics and music make me love this song so much. the chorus is killer. “bat and beast and wolf and spider” always gets stuck in my head

overdrive - i love the echo that the band sings. everyone is so great in this song. hatchworth has the greatest lines but once the beat drops, oh boy. those harmonies. reminds you how robotic they are without being the same robotic they were in the first few albums. theyve been refined and fixed up. maybe not the biggest fan of the rap.

malfunction - this song can hit close to home. a different take on being wrong than something like wired wrong, but this one chooses to embrace those malfunctions. the chorus is lovely

photographic memories - maybe a bit slow at points, but sets up this new lover the spine seems to infatuated with. this isnt some fling, this is someone he wanted to spend his life with. the verses make the song, but the chorus doesnt holdout. the music in between verse keep you interested and the subtle changes keep you on your toes as the song shifts.

i dont have a name for it - such a charming, cute love song. i absolutely adore when the bots switch off singing words and parts of words. that up and down of their voices hits me just right.

sleep evil sleep - the lyrics are dreamy, but solidify in just the right moments. this song is about taking a break from the awfulness, just for one night.

blue portals - the chorus really keeps with you, another song where hatchworth just wants to do good, although this lets you see his more chaotic side.

salgexicon - honestly i still cant believe they made their dnd characters part of the spg lore. among hero songs, this one is pretty memorable, even if its cluttered with so many characters. the chorus gets stuck in your head, but the verses are what keep me interested. im glad salgexicon cries a lot but is still heroic.

leopold exeditus - i absolutely love the music that accompanies the song. the chorus is great and i love the divergence in the middle. “mozambique” is the best word ive ever heard get sung ever.

dream machine - a lovely closing piece, now that the evil sleeps, she can sleep and dream. seems almost like amsr during the verses.

love world of love - the beginning lyrics are my favorite, which make up for the repetitive chorus.