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the-sound-of-her-wings · 3 years ago

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A Love That Won't Sit Still Pt. 2/3

TASM! (Andrew Garfield) Peter Parker and Gender Neutral! Reader

You run into Peter and then he crashes into your window. You know, normal stuff.

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❀ Word Count: 2,845

❀ Contains: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort (Peter gets hurt and then you comfort him), Angst (Because of the being hurt/sick), Discussion of Gwen Stacy

❀ For readers who are just here for the fluff, I've put two stars for where it begins to get heavy.

❀ Citrus Scale: Orange

❀ Inspiration: Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Teng

❀ Part 1, Part 3

The next time you see Peter, you don’t see him- which is probably why you walked straight into him. You had your drink in one hand, your phone in the other, and had been looking down at your phone to read a text. That’s when you bumped into him almost head-on- you probably would have knocked heads if he hadn’t attempted to move out of the way. While he prevented a dual concussion, he wasn’t fast enough to prevent getting drenched in what remained of your drink.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see-” You begin to apologize when you realize who it is you’ve run into, “Peter? Is that you?”

“Sure is!” He responds, trying to wipe away what hadn’t quite absorbed into his shirt. “I’m glad I ran into you again, y/n.”

“Me too. Although, next time, hopefully, it will be less literal.”

Peter chuckles and jokes, “Yeah, we’ve really got to stop having so many food-related run-ins. I can’t afford them.” Well, partly jokes.

“And I can?” You respond.

“True, true.”

“So, where did you want to go to fix your shirt situation?” You ask.

“Oh, I was just gonna go to work like this” He deadpans.

“Good luck with that,” You say, pretending to walk away.

You only get a few feet away when Peter says, “Hey, you can’t leave! I still need to get your number!”

You turn around and walk back towards him. “And who’s fault is it that you don’t have it already?”

“Listen- duty was calling.”

“Can’t refuse the Call of Duty” The awful video game pun slips out of your mouth before you can stop yourself.

“Was that. A horrible video game pun?”

“Maybe.”

After the two of you exchange numbers, you bring back up Peter’s current predicament. Which you put him in.

“Seriously though- should we go to the laundromat? I’ll pay.”

“Thanks but it’s not a big deal. Besides, my apartment is only a couple of blocks over.”

“I don’t see how that gets my drink out of your shirt. Unless you have one of those rare laundry-included apartments” You retort.

“On my salary? Of course not. I was just going to make dealing with this shirt a tomorrow problem. And my apartment has free replacement shirts.” There’s a short pause before he asks, “Do you want to come with?”

“Uh. Sure- Yeah, I’ll come with.” You respond, trying to talk yourself into it.

“Great! So what are you doing out here in Woodhaven? I didn’t think there was any student housing here.”

“There isn’t. I had borrowed a book from the Queens Public Library here that I couldn’t find at the school library. So I’m here to return it.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. What book were you reading?” Peter asks, not knowing what he’s just got himself into.

You spend the rest of the time it takes to walk to Peter’s apartment describing the book and explaining the series it’s a part of. “- I think that about sums it up” You conclude.

“We're here.” Peter states, stopping in front of a large, ancient brick building. It looks fairly sturdy and doesn’t have too many signs of decay- just a few cracks on the outside from where it’s settled over the decades.

You walk through the front entrance and up two flights of stairs to reach the apartment. You wait patiently behind him as he struggles with the lock on his door. Once it opens, you wait a few seconds before following him into his apartment.

It is much cleaner than you imagined it, and yet somehow more chaotic. There seem to be about 10 different science projects in various parts of the room. The coffee table is covered in textbooks, all open. There is a distinct trail of socks that appears to be leading to the bedroom which Peter just entered so he could change shirts. It’s not the worst-looking apartment you’ve ever seen- and right now, it’s certainly much cleaner than yours.

“Sorry it’s a little messy- I wasn’t expecting visitors,” Peter states, exiting his room wearing a new shirt.

“No worries. I see you’ve been doing a lot of research?” It’s not meant as a question, but you are a little confused about why a photographer seems to have all these science experiments running in his apartment.

“Yeah, just side projects. Trying to uh, figure out how to improve the lenses, make them shatterproof” It is not a very convincing lie.

“Uh-huh. Listen, if you’re making,” You lower your voice to say the word, “drugs” and then return to normal volume, “I don’t care. You do what you need too- but you don’t have to lie to me about it.”

You can see him thinking of how to respond to this. A variety of facial expressions are made, and a few times his mouth opens to say something, but then he shakes his head and closes it again. Finally, he says, “You caught me. It’s” He mimics you, “drugs.”

That was somehow less convincing. Instead of pushing it, you decide to put it on the back burner to simmer on later. And that’s how your first date starts. You spend the afternoon with him, getting to know him a little more, playing some video games, and looking through some of his textbooks.

The next few dates are just as pleasant as the first. On the fourth date, you kiss for the first time. And on the 6th date, you give a pet name- doll. It’s just a few days after your ninth date- the first time you exchanged I love yous, about 3 months into your relationship, that you hear a loud crashing noise inside your apartment.

You had been preparing to go to sleep when you heard it. You pull the safety knife you keep under your pillow out, exiting your bedroom. When you enter the living room, it’s obvious what caused the noise- Spiderman is lying on top of your table, panting, face towards the ceiling. He’d knocked over the box of cereal you had left out for easy midnight snack access.

“Hey, Spiderman… are you okay?” You ask, lowering the knife.

“Hi y/n. I just need to, uh, catch my breath.” He responds.

You turn on your kitchen light and approach him, “How do you know my name Spider-” At that moment, he takes off his mask, revealing to you someone very, very familiar, “PETER?” You exclaim, dropping the knife.

“So this is not. Exactly how I planned on telling you.” He responds with a wheeze.

“Oh, you weren’t planning to crash into my apartment in the middle of the night to reveal your secret identity to me? I could never have guessed.” You say sarcastically.

“I didn’t think I’d make it home.” You examine his body and come to the same conclusion.

“How can I help?”

“I’d like to get off the table, please”

“Okay.” You respond, “Can you roll towards me?” You position yourself on the left side of the table to try to catch him.

“I think so” He responds, rolling towards the sound of your voice. When he rolls off the side of the table and falls into your arms, you fall down with him.

“Well. That could’ve gone better. Can you stand?”

“I’ll need help.” Peter says with a whimper.

“Okay. I’m gonna grab a chair from the other side of the table. You can use the chair and me as leverage to help you stand.”

“Okay”

That part of the plan works, “Where to? The bathroom?”

“Yes”

With his arm wrapped around your shoulders, you shuffle together towards the bathroom.

“Bathtub?”

“Bathtub”

You sit him down on the edge of the bathtub and start the water. Once it’s full- you help him lower himself into the bathtub. Once in, he begins to take off the spider suit- your assistance not required.

You sit on the toilet and watch as he cleans his upper half. From his hips down, he’s still wearing the suit. He winces at bruises and the small, open cuts that litter his body. “Do you want help?”

“Please”

You kneel outside the tub, take the washcloth he had been using to clean himself up, and begin cleaning the neglected wounds on his back. You try to be as gentle as you can while still cleaning the skin of any dried blood.

“What the hell were you doing that you ended up with so many open wounds” It’s a rhetorical question.

“I got dragged by a train”

You don’t respond.

“Can you turn towards me? Your back was pretty bad.” You ask.

He complies- and thankfully, it looks much better than his back does.

“Okay. How bad are your legs?”

“About as bad as the rest of me.”

“Alright. Well- you’re gonna have to take off the rest of your suit.”

“Give me a few minutes to work up enough strength to stand.” You sit in uneasy silence as, unbeknownst to you, his healing factor starts to help him out a bit.

“Okay- a moment of silence” Peter states, building up his confidence.

“We were already-”

“Shh!”

He is successful. He hands you his sopping wet Spider-suit, and you put it in your sink.

“You don’t wear underwear underneath that?” You ask, getting to work on his legs.

“Of course I do- I just attach it to the suit so I don’t give myself a wedgie”

“I see,” You say, leaning over to reach his other leg.

“When were you going to tell me you were Spiderman?” You ask the question that’s been floating in the back of your mind since the reveal about 20 minutes ago.

“I hadn’t decided on an exact timeframe yet.” He admits, “But I figured I’d wait until at least date 10.”

“Who else knows?” You’ve moved down to his feet.

“Just you and Aunt May”

You finished washing every surface of his lower body except one area- because he’s sitting on it. And you also have no intention of washing it.

“Are you good to finish up on your own?” You ask, taking his hand and pressing it against your cheek.

He rubs his thumb in small circular motions.

“I think so. Thank you, y/n”

He kisses you with the most passion you’ve felt in a very long time, and you return it, but only briefly. As you pull away you say, “Peter you -are something else. But you are washing your own ass.” You pass him the washcloth you had been using, and he removes his hand from your face.

“Noted.”

“I’m gonna try to find something for you to wear. Let me know if you need help getting out of the tub.”

“Alright. I’ll be out in another 10 minutes”

As soon as you exit the bathroom, you return to the kitchen to fetch the knife you dropped- you didn’t need any more potential hazards for Peter to injure himself on. After you return the knife to its safe place under your pillow, you rummage through your closet for something for Peter to wear. You manage to find a pair of old gym shorts in the back of your closet after a few minutes, and an even older pair of sweatpants. You hope that your one oversized sweatshirt will fit him, though you're scared he might drown in it.

You return to the bathroom with the clothes in hand, knocking on the door to announce your intention to enter. He is just stepping out of the tub as you walk in.

“Hopefully these will do the job.” You state, laying the pile of clothes on the edge of your sink. You take the towels hanging off the back of the bathroom door and hand them to him to dry off.

“Do you need any help drying off or do you think you can take it from here?”

“I think I’m good, but I’ll probably need some help getting out of here once I’m dressed.”

“By here you mean the bathroom, right? You’re not gonna try to walk or swing home when you're this injured- are you?” You ask, watching as he dries himself off and starts to get dressed.

He’s just gotten your old pair of gym shorts on when he gives you a look that tells you he absolutely was planning on doing that. “No?”

You sigh. “Peter. Can we just go to bed?” You're exhausted.

As soon as he finishes putting on your sweatshirt, he pulls you into a hug, “I’m sorry- I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“You better” You state, nuzzling your nose against his, “Now let’s get to bed.”

When Peter wakes up the next morning, you can tell something’s wrong. He’s not quite as energetic, not as quick with his words. He’s sick. You use the old method of putting the back of your hand against his forehead, against yours, and then back against his. He has a fever- and from the heat radiating out of him- a pretty significant one.

“Y/N?” He asks, his eyes barely open.

“I’ll be right back, Peter. You're too hot right now, I need to get something to cool you down.”

“You think I’m hot?”

You sigh, walking out of the room and into your tiny kitchen to moisten a towel. By the time you return, Peter is attempting and failing at trying to sit up.

“Where do you think you're going?”

“I got work- I’m gonna be late” He states, attempting to rock himself up to a sitting position. This time, he is successful.

“Peter.” You state, standing in front of him. “You’re in no state to go to work”

“I’m fine- It’s fine.”

“Peter” You repeat, lightly pushing on his one shoulder, causing him to lose his balance and fall back onto the bed, “You are, clearly, the pinnacle of physical health.”

“Mhm,” He responds with a sigh.

You sit down on the edge of the bed, about level with his chest, and lay the moistened towel on his forehead, “This should help with your fever”

“Thank you, y/n” He mutters.

**“Oh, Peter... What am I gonna do with you?” You whisper, picking up his left hand and pressing it to your lips.

“She used to say that to me all the time.” He begins to ramble, “Gwen. She would’ve been working on her doctorate by now…” There is a long, heavy silence. Peter’s eyes begin to well up with tears, “but she’s dead.”

“I’m so sorry, doll.” You reply, keeping hold of his left hand in yours, and using your right thumb to wipe away the tears from his eyes. You can tell he’s in so much pain- both from whatever infection has taken hold of him and from the grief he’s reliving.

“I thought I was gonna marry her, you know? I thought we’d be able to build a life together but then she died. And it was all my fault” He laments.

“It wasn’t your fault, Peter.” You respond, wrapping both hands around his left hand. You're pushing aside your own mixed feelings about that statement for the time being- you know he’s not saying that to hurt you.

“It was my fault. I wasn’t fast enough- I thought if I caught her with my web that she’d be okay but I wasn’t. I wasn’t fast enough. Her head- it. It. She. She-” Peter tries desperately to convey what happened that day but he can’t do it, and he starts to sob.

You let go of his hand and try to hoist him up with your arms, and you're mostly successful. The towel you had gotten to calm his fever falls off in the process. You hold him up as he sobs into your shoulder, rubbing his back the whole time. You don’t say a word- there are no words.

After a few minutes, his sobbing subsides a bit and he begins to sniffle.

“I don’t want to lose you too”

And you want to tell him that he won’t. Every part of your body is screaming at you to promise him- promise him he won’t need to deal with another trauma like this- that he won’t be responsible. That you will live a long, love-filled life. But you can’t promise him that- because you can’t be certain of when your time will come. So instead, you hug him as tightly as you can.

When you pull back from the hug- still holding on to him so he does fall back onto the couch- you brush the hair out of his eyes and give him a kiss on the forehead. He is so weak and so tired.

“Peter- get some rest. And when you're not in the delirium of a fever, you can tell me all about her.”

You don’t get a response- he has already started to drift off to sleep. You gently guide him back down to the bed. You pick up the towel that had fallen on the floor and place it back on his forehead. And you stay by his side.

#tasm!peter imagine #tasm!spiderman x reader #andrew!peter x reader #tasm!peter parker x y/n #tasm!peter park x you #andrew peter parker x you #marvel imagines #peter parker imagines #Aspiring Thanatologist writes #peter parker x you #peter parker fluff #A Love That Won't Sit Still part 2

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kittyspring-creates · 4 years ago

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Yan boys war.

A story for my senpai @killemwithkawaii from the prov of a genderless s/o. Warning for kidnapping mild sexual content, don’t interact if under 18 please.

Dear diary this is a story of how my ordinary life became not so ordinary. It begins with two separate kidnappings. One in the day behind the laundromat and one at night during, guiltily a midnight snack run.

I remember the day starting out like any other, coffee, smoke, one egg like I like it. And glaring at my basket of laundry over flowing. Laundry day was always the worst. Having to lug that thing three blocks over to the closest public laundromat cause the washing machine in the building is busted. It was always embarrassing having everyone staring at my clothes as I separate my delicates.

I was blushing and trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on me as I threw stuff into the washer, boxers, old panties and new ones. I tried not to look around but I couldn't help it. When I looked around no one was looking at me. I do remember seeing a flash of blue though but I thought it was light spots from turning my head to quickly. I turned back to my basket, It still felt like someone was watching me.

I did my best to finish up and start the machine. Sitting in front of the washer so I could watch it go and no one would have a chance to take my things. I always had that weird fear. Watching was boring so I listened to the semi quiet place. There was machines whirling, peoples foot steps, and a radio playing in the background. As the noises blended I noticed an odd one. A weird muring coming from the back door. No one else seems to hear it. But now that I noticed it I couldn't unhear it. The sound became louder then anything else. I couldn't ignore it so I got up and fallowed it, cautiously to the back door. It said employee exit only but the sound made me worried. It sounded like an animal. I looked around the place before turning the nob and slowly walking out into the ally. It smelt like garbage and piss. As soon as I stepped out the noise stopped.

It was weird, I looked around but I didn't see anything. So I turned back to the door to find it locked. I sighed in annoyance then a large hand covered my face and all I could smell was chemicals. I reached back at who ever and managed to grab something and tug. But it didn't do anything other then make the person groan. It was the last thing I remember before everything blurred together and became dark.

I woke up in a dark room with a very loud fan. My mind was kind of hazy but when I felt my arms restrained behind me with...Ya that felt like duck tape. Even smelt like it. The room reminded me of all those movies about survival choices and no I didn't wanna play a game. I sat up as best as I could. "Murder room I'm in a murder room" I shouted, the sound echoing off the walls.

My capture appeared seemingly our of nowhere, his blue pigtails bouncing around as he popped up. "Murder? oh angel never, your to precious- oof" the man was quick to come near me and he tripped over himself. Falling on me and lodging something across the room. I looked over to see this thing laying there with black straps on it. But I didn't get a chance to really look at the object as the man began to move. I looked down at him as my heart jumped. He looked up at me with the most piercing blue eyes I've ever seen. His face looked like an open wound with red skin and white scars scattered everywhere, no nose and pieces of his brow missing. I swallowed hard at the sight and uttered something without thinking. "My god your gorgeous."

He blinked at me for a second then smiled wide almost splitting his face. And heaven help me I thought it was adorable. "Really" he asked and all I could do was nod. He got closer, basically sitting in my lap. "I don't scare you" he asked and all I could do was squeak. I mean ya he scares me, he kidnapped me and now I don't know what he's gonna do. He chuckled though, so deeply it made my face heat up. "My angel, you don't know what that does to me" he whispered with a shaky voice against my ear. Again heaven help me cause instead of my fear spiking those words went down south. I felt his lips move from my ear to my neck, feeling the rough scar tissue as he kissed me. I whimpered and he seemed to purr. "Wh-what-" I tried to ask but my voice was suck in my throat.

I got my answer though when he bit me. Sinking his teeth into my shoulder as he grinded closer. I tensed when I felt something hard against my lap. I clinched my teeth, trying not to make a noise cause for some insane reason I sorta liked it. The man pulled back from the mark he left on me. He was so flushed with this desire in his eyes so intense, I swear his pupils were hearts. He sighed with a large smile on his face "you set me on fire (y/n)." He sounded so happy by it "o-Oh sorry" I stuttered like an idiot. But he chuckled then smashed our lips together. So that's why he didn't gag me.

That's the first story. I passed out from I don't know what and woke up at home, covered in hickeys. With my laundry basket placed neatly in my room. It scared me cause that meant the man knew where I lived and knew how to get in. But what scared me even more was how arousing that fact was.

******

About a week after the kidnapping and possible theft cause I swear some of my underwear is missing. I was nervous/ frightened, I had barely slept all week. So I did the one thing I knew would calm me down, Smoked a joint and took a sleeping pill. And that always made me hungry so I left, on shaky legs to grab some snacks. The store next door had the best subs at midnight and some how the milk tasted better to. So before it all kicked in I got my sub and milk then left. Now I was pretty high but I remember this bike alone in the parking lot. And laughing cause there was this sticker on it from watchman. I started laughing cause that movie was just the best. As I was laughed I felt a strong hand on my neck and I was pulled. I sorta clunked out for a second but I opened my eyes to see the ground moving. Then I blinked and The cement was now dirt, blinking again all I saw was bent wood.

I blinked again and this time I actually took in my surroundings. Just hazy brown, till I started noticing a fire place. I moved to try and rub my eyes but I felt my arms being pulled back. I looked up to see my arms were ducked taped to a support beam of wherever I was. My head hurt like hell. I groaned as I tugged at the tape, to no avail for escape. Then a sharp noise reached my ears and I looked around. There sitting on the other side of the cabin in an old chair was a man. He was tall, spilled out of the chair. He had ripped jeans and a leather jacket full of pins and patches. He smiled, more of a smirk actually, showing off a space between his front teeth. Ok I'd be lying if it wasn't totally hot in a Stockholm syndrome kind of way. He slowly stood up from the chair and I noticed the knife in his hand. Oh fuck, I panicked.

He looked me over, hungerly as he licked his lips. His boots echoed through out the room as he walked over to me. Playing with his knife he began to talk. "You slept for awhile my dear. naughty, naughty taking those sleeping pills. But it did make this much easier" he chuckled darkly. His voice wasn't as deep as the other mans but it was raspier. I swallowed as I shook, This man wasn't clumsy or over zealous like the other I realized. I tried again to get out of he restraints. But the man didn't seem to care, He kicked away my legs and settled in between them. His long brown hair spilling over his shoulders as he leaned closer to me. I stopped squirming when I felt the cold blade touch my skin. Oh god he was gonna stab me. His smile grew "I love that look in your eyes, so afraid." He dragged the knife across my shoulder, only cutting my shirt. He gripped my thigh hard, really hard "It makes me wild" he finished. Then slammed our lips together, actually slammed my head hit the support beam.

He leaned back seeming satisfied but I was more afraid then ever, This man was so rough. "So afraid, you never looked more beautiful my love...heh well maybe covered in my marks you will" and with that he tore my shirt with the knife completely exposing my shoulder and neck. He leaned down to do as he said but stopped. He stared at my shoulder, which still had the healing bruises from the other guy that kidnapped me. The mans smile was gone "So Sally made a move did he, heh he can be so possessive" the man smiled as he moved the knife down my body. He settled the blade against my inner thigh, what a time to be wearing pj shorts. Blasted comfort the size of boxers. "But here's a secret so can I"

My heart jumped as the tall man moved down, he pushed my leg down and raised my other one. Wait what happened to the knife he had just a second ago. "I bet he never touched you here did he, such a gentleman" the man chuckled as he squeezed my thigh. I watched as he turned that wicked smile away from me and bit into my thigh. I gasped, loudly. Truthfully I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. How rough the man was with me as he pushed my limbs around, biting and squeezing. Leaving his own marks all over my thighs. I know I was beat red from the attention and my throat hurt from how much I was trying to keep my voice down.

The man sat up and spread my legs more, marveling at his work. "So beautiful" he told. I wondered if he'd go any further then this, the other guy didn't I don't think. "Makes me want to fuck you sore" I gulped as he leaned closer to my face. "But the times not right, I want to make you beg for it" I'd be lying if my genitals didn't scream right there and then. Stupid hormones. The man kissed me again, knocking my head back against the beam again. He was really rough. He pulled back with a satisfied smirk on his lips "I can't wait for him to see these, I wonder how violent he'll get". He chuckled as he pressed his thumbs into the sensitive area of my thighs. I didn't even know his name. But now I knew the other guys, Sally.

Of course I woke up at home safe and puzzled on how I got there. So this is my two kidnapping stories and one by one these boys will either abduct me or break into my place. Surprisingly not at the same time but I know they know each other and this is a competition.

#sally face #yandere #yan boys #kiddnapping #commision #sally fisher #larry johnson

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dadzawa-adopt-dabi · 5 years ago

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secret baby ch 10

(oof this is a long chapter! let me know if i forgot to tag anything!)

The first offer of business Dabi gets is for one of his neighbors, a nice elderly alpha woman who can't bend like she used to, she stays in the apartment with him the first few times as they build some trust between them. As Dabi cleans up for her and makes the trips down the block to the laundromat for her. At the end of the day she sends him home with leftovers, some cash and pretty decent leftovers.

Him and Kiyoko get invited back several times as she spreads the word to her friends. Eventually he strikes a deal with a young couple for a free house clean and meal made in exchange for a burner phone to get contact with his customers.

It takes a few weeks , Dabi is getting used to running his own business. He takes Kiyoko with him to almost all of his ‘appointments’, despite one of his customers offering to babysit for him. He places her in a room separate from the one he is cleaning in but close enough to hear him talking and singing to her and she doozes the day away while he works until he picks her up and they go to his next appointment. She has a special basket designed to let her wings poke through and Dabi carries her in a baby backpack to the appointments he can. Sometimes there’s mold and he has to leave her behind, sometimes he has another nurse Karen for a client, someone who judges him for bringing Kiyoko. His first client eventually clues him into an omega in the building who watches the buildings kids for a small fee.He still brings Kiyoko when he can't bear to leave her with his babysitter, a consistent fear of something happening to her keeping him close. Sometimes when he brings her he gets paid less because Kiyoko's crying supposedly bothers his clients. It's only ever a couple dollars difference but every dollar counts when you're raising a kid by yourself.

Eventually he has keys to most of his clients places of residence as he cleans for busier and busier people. His networking slowly starts paying off as he starts making enough to squeak by on rent while keeping himself and Kiyoko fed. It’s close and it won't last but it's enough to get them through the month. It's stressful and he can feel the strain of it wearing on his health.

Kiyoko is 3 months old when his body snaps under the stress,just at the age where she can giggle at the funny faces and noises Dabi has been making for her lately. He’s canceled all his appointments for the next few days, head bent over a toilet when she giggles for the first time. Dabi feels like crying from all the stress, he’s sick and tired and is just barely going to squeak by on rent again unless he can reschedule all his appointments again. He’s cooking and cleaning his apartment and other peoples homes and is probably just sick from the anxiety and stress of being a single parent. Maybe actually sick from a bug he unknowingly caught and has now transferred to his daughter. He makes a note to make a doctor appointment for both of them as he heaves.

And his daughter is laughing, giggling at him as he makes funny noises to her. He kind of feels like crying, he wants someone to rub his back. He wants Hawks, he has no idea how Hawks would react to this. If he would be caring and sooth Dabi while he held their daughter, Or if he would tell him to clean up when he was done being dramatic.

He’s doing everything by himself, trying to stay under Enji and Hawks radar. It's been months and they haven't come looking but that doesn't mean they wont. He honestly doesn't know if him and Kiyoko can make it. If he should call Hawks and come clean. Maybe he wouldn’t be as bad as enji had been, for a moment he wavers in indecision. The want to have Hawks close is something he thought would fade with time. Instead the want is only growing with every obstacle put in his path.

What steels his resolve is the chubby smile and giggle Kiyoko gives him as he turns his phone over in his hands. Maybe isn’t good enough for him, and it's not good enough to risk for Kiyoko. He reminds himself firmly. Dabi wipes his mouth and stands up. It’s not like he can call Hawks anyways when he left his old phone and Hawks number with it on his table. He can do this, for Kiyoko, he has to at least try.

“Something funny princess? You're the best thing to happen to me okay? No matter if I'm worrying my head off or you laughing at me as I lose my lunch. You're the best damn thing to ever happen to me.” Dabi scoops her up and steps into his tiny shower with her.

There’s not going to be any fear from her parents in Kiyoko’s life. No screaming and yelling. No being blamed for things she had no control over like being sick. Dabi isn’t going to be Enji and he’s not going to raise Kiyoko with someone like him either.

Dabi’s nest isn’t as big or well made as Kiyoko’s considering he’s had less practice doing it for himself and nothing ever feels quite right after they are both clean making faces at her. She giggles at nearly anything he does. It makes Dabi’s heart feel light again every time he hears the sound. He starts up a rumbling purr for her, the best one he can manage, still full of hiccups and uneven despite how happy she makes him. He’s going to do the best he can and it’s just going to have to be enough to get them through. No amount of how much easier life would be, how much less stigma he would face, status and comfort will ever be worth his daughters safety.

He purrs Kiyoko to sleep and follows moments after.

He gets up after their nap Dabi gets up after their nap feeling a lot better, maybe it has just been the poor sleep and eating habits. Whatever had made him sick, Kiyoko doesn't seem to have caught it. He's been checking both of there’s regularly to make sure she doesn't catch anything from traveling with her after a client brought it up with him. It's been something of a miracle that he hasn’t gotten sick. Kiyoko hasn’t shown any signs of getting sick as easily as he might have as an infant. He doesn't know if he got sick as often as an infant as he did as a child. He knows he was sick a lot as a child, remembers struggling through fatigue to get up and help fuyumi. The constant exhaustion with the pain from bruises and then having to go ‘train’ with his father. Feeling nauseous and like his knees would go out from under him but he had to take care of the house before enji came home. Rei had been too much of a nervous wreck to take care of him and too busy ensuring the days of depression and neglect got taken care of. Her panic and screaming at them that enji’s anger was all their fault made things worse in those days. It was never anyone's fault other than enji’s that he hit his kids and wife, even as a kid Touya had known that, had repeated it to himself as he treated his and fuyumis burns and bruises. Had told Natsou as he grew older, asking Touya why neither of his parents cared for him and if it was really their fault. Just as he had known that his mother had not wanted to have him or his sister, born as part of a contract agreement for an arranged marriage.

Then Enji had decided that he couldn’t train Touya to be a hero. That Touya was weak,always had been, he would better serve enji’s legacy as a bride married off to an alpha with a strong quirk. Most likely a hero. Touya had been 17 and told that within the year enji would be looking for ‘appropriate’ suitors for someone born of enji. He’d started sneaking out and stashing away everything he could. Eventually he would meet Hawks and being as drawn to him as he was, eventually conceive Kiyoko and jumpstart his runaway plan.

“Hey no fever Kiyoko! Good job! You beat those germs!” Dabi coos at her shanking thoughts of the past from his head. Picking her up and scenting the top of her head as he searches for his phone, if he’s feeling better then he can start rescheduling his clients. He bounces her as she giggles and he talks on the phone, no amount of wishing for Keigo will do him any good. It’s not like he’s wishing for only keigo either, he’s wishing for anyone to help him more often than not despite knowing that he will never accept the help, he doesn't trust anyone enough for that. Keigo just happens to be the alpha he knows best outside of his family.

Most of his clients can’t reschedule and Dabi starts reworking his meal plans for the month, mentally stretching what money he will make to keep them with a roof over their head and the lights on. He’s going to have to ask for another extension on rent, the landlord has been getting increasingly frustrated with his problems but there’s not much more he can do.

It's a couple of weeks later when Dabi takes Kiyoko with him while he runs down to the laundromat for a last minute client that lives in his building. The man needed his clothes with his uniform done but was too busy that evening to do it himself and had offered Dabi cash. So despite the late hour meaning he couldn’t leave Kiyoko with the usual sitter he agreed.

There’s a young couple fighting outside and Dabi tenses as he tries to ignore it while carrying Kiyoko and the bags of laundry through the dark nearly empty lot. Couple’s argue, they get mad at each other and fight, it's normal he reminds himself and he doesn't want to get involved.He leaves Kiyoko sitting in her carrier on top of a started washer and goes back outside for another bag of laundry outside the door. He couldn’t open the door with both bags and his baby so he had set one down and now had to go back for it. It’s not at all to keep watch on the fighting couple in case someone has to call the authorities.

Maybe they were breaking up and this had been their meeting point or maybe they had a fight here with no one around and whatever it was said was the last straw.

There’s another person hanging around outside,smoking, who raises an eyebrow at him but doesn't say much. Other than them and the arguing couple the place is empty.

“He has to learn at some point! I've got a say in how you raise him like it or not he’s my kid too.” The male of the pair points at a car in the parking lot. Ignoring the potential witnesses watching him.

“Get the fuck away from me, I said we were done and I meant it.” The woman who is getting yelled at by her partner in public growls at him. Dabi’s head refuses to turn away, he knows what comes next but can’t look away.

He doesn't want to see it, see what comes next, but he’s frozen. His weight shifts, when the guy raises his hand to his girlfriend and the next thing Dabi knows he's let loose his quirk and the man is ash. The woman opens her eyes from where they've been pried shut and screams. She doesn't thank him, she runs to her car and drives off with her kid. Peeling out of the parking lot and almost running him over in her haste. As fast as she can while Dabi stares in shock at where a person used to be.

The other woman who had been smoking steps forward to kick at the small pile of ashes and dark spot left on the pavement.

“Well that's a neat trick.” she gives him a long look and then looks inside the mat at Kiyoko. “she‘s yours right? You on your own sugar?” she grabs his wrist without asking, ignoring his hard flinch, and drags him inside to sit down as she gets two bottles of water from the vending machine. Dabi snatches the cold bottle and tries not to curl into a ball, stares at Kiyoko’s giggling face to distract himself as he presses the water to the back of his neck. Cooling himself down and jolting him back to the present.

He takes a deep steadying breath and looks over at the women. She looks a lot calmer than he feels, she changes out her wash like nothing just happened and comes back to sit beside Dabi.

“Yeah it's just us, please don- i didn-” he feels like he can't breathe much less beg her not to call the police. “You’ll never have to see me again.”

This is the closest most convenient laundromat to his building, only a block away, but he would gladly go to one across the city if she doesn't call the police. Calling the police means Enji finding him, it means signing over his rights to Hawks. There's no way to hide Kiyoko from Hawks if Enji finds out. He’s been climbing rabidly in rankings, always on the news, on a magazine cover or giving an interview. Kiyoko with her red wings and gold eyes means you don’t have to be a genius to guess she’s his child.

“Actually I have a job offer for you, I know a guy who knows a guy. He can hook you up with some big cash and all you gotta do is take out the trash like you just did out there.” The mystery woman grabs Dabi’s phone from him. “I can tell that you're already running yourself ragged as is. Quick easy cash in hand, we call him the broker but he’s also known as giran. Has his hand in all kinds of things so if you're not up for ditching bodies ask for something smaller like delivery, he's good at working with you based on your needs and comfort level.”

“Thank you,I'll think about it but no promises.” Dabi carefully takes his phone back. She’s not going to call the cops and is instead giving him a way out. He wants to doubt her and some part of him still thinks this is a trap. The cops never show up even after she leaves and he doesn't delete the number.

@ruelukas22 : im unsure if you still want to be tagged in updates or not! please let me know

#omegaverse #omegadabi #alphakeigo #dabihawks #secretbabyfic #thedarkonewrites #tw:murder

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365daysofsasuhina · 4 years ago

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[ @sasuhinabigflash2020 || Day Fourteen: Cooperation ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui ] [ SasuHina, blood, vulgarity ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ] [ AO3 Link ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ] [ This piece is a prequel to Day Eighteen ]

He’s trained his entire life for this.

For as long as he can remember, Sasuke has been taught the ways of his people: those of them who, into years long past, have striven to defeat mankind’s greatest enemy.

Monsters.

Woven into their culture as gods and spirits, the true faces of many kami, yōkai, and other inhuman beings are in fact little more than creatures of nightmares that have haunted humanity for uncounted eons. They steal, they kidnap, they murder...and they must be eliminated.

The Uchiha have been hunters for uncounted generations, at least back to the fabled warrior Madara, who was claimed to have slain a kitsune of nine tails. And now, with his training nearing completion, Sasuke is to join the ranks of his kin as a true hunter of those who call themselves Nightwalkers.

But first...one final test.

Hunt a monster. All on his own. And bring back its head as proof of his valor and victory.

Of course, their methods aren’t as...publicly acceptable as they were in the days of old. After all, these creatures can appear human, and do their best to hide their true nature among real men. To do battle with one in a public place would see human officers called. And explaining their mission would be a breach of their secrecy and vows.

This will be a test of more than just his skills in the hunt. He must remain undetected, and not bring risk of exposure or shame to his clan.

But he’s ready.

As he prepares to depart - barred from returning until he brings back his prize - several of the men of his family gather to see him off. His brother, father, and cousin all give confident smiles.

“Make me proud, my son,” Fugaku offers, chin raised.

“Hai.”

“Just stay focused, and stay safe,” are Itachi’s words, replied to with a nod.

“Kick ass.” Shisui gives a rugged grin.

At that, Sasuke snorts. “I’ll do more than that.” It’s then, with little left to say, he takes his leave, the gate shutting behind him.

From here on out...he’s on his own.

Unlike his ancestors heading out on horseback with silver naginata, Sasuke’s equipment is far more modern: a motorcycle, and a pistol...along with some knives and shuriken, a tantō strapped along the small of his back under his coat. All pure silver.

Parts of the old ways are still the best ways, after all.

Mounting up and revving the engine, he leaves his family’s removed home in the foothills behind. Despite the risks of running alongside humanity, it’s far easier to find a monster hiding in plain sight within cities and towns than anywhere wild. Like rats, they follow civilization wherever it goes, hoping they aren’t the unlucky ones caught in a well-stocked trap.

But one of them is about to see their luck run out.

Passing through a few small villages, he eventually finds his target: a decent city of about a hundred thousand souls. A vast majority of which are truly human...but at least a small fraction are anything but.

To begin, he makes his way through the belly of the place. Despite their reclusion into the dark of night, monsters are still attracted to the lights of downtown. Spotting one isn’t easy...but that just means he’ll need to do his homework.

Most initiations take at least a few weeks of careful study, stalking, and only after all the hard work, slaying. He hardly expects to be home in time for breakfast. Instead, he finds himself a decent hotel room...and then goes on foot.

He lacks a werewolf’s keen nose or a harpy’s sharp eyes. Finding a fake among the crowds isn’t easy for a human, even one with his training. It only gets you so far when your body is limited in ways a monster’s is enhanced. There’ll be no shortcuts.

Entering a variety of nightlife business, he observes. Asks questions of the staff. Searches for telltale signs. While there are the rare places that are majority or even purely Nightwalker, finding one is like finding a grain of rice in the snow. His far better bet is finding a loner that risks going to human places, instead.

As confident as he is...he’s not sure he could take on an entire hornets’ nest by himself, anyway. There will be time for raids when he’s a little more experienced, and not on his own.

Adapting to a nocturnal routine is a bit difficult at first, but soon enough he’s walking the night streets like one of them, rising with the setting sun and sleeping once it rises. Slowly but surely he familiarizes himself with his surroundings.

And then, after biding his time...he catches a break.

A woman. She’s been frequenting a laundromat, open-late market, and a few other shops...but only after dark. Possible to explain with a night shift, but he doesn’t buy it. And after tracking her home to an apartment, he’s all but certain she’s not nearly as human as she appears to be.

She’s Nightwalker. He’d bet his favorite katana on it.

Now all that’s left is to pick the proper moment to confront her, confirm her specie...and kill her.

Leaning against a building across the street, he watches through the windows as she goes about doing her laundry. Dainty hands fold garments of white and various shades of purple. Already her groceries sit in a chair nearby, ready to be hauled back home with her clothes.

But she won’t be making it there tonight.

Patience ever his virtue, Sasuke moves only as she steps out. Her route is entirely on foot. That’ll make things easier. No trains to navigate. All he needs is the quiet street her small apartment building sits on. He’s already taken care of the security cameras that cover her path. As soon as she’s in range, he’ll strike.

Tailing her is easy. For being one of them, she doesn’t seem too anxious. Might be a powerful one, then...or just naive. His family often targets this town for their work, and any Nightwalker worth their salt knows it. Perhaps she thinks herself too small a fish to be bothered with.

But any monster is still a monster.

Rounding the final corner, Sasuke feels his muscles quiver in anticipation. If all goes well...he’ll be home in a few hours with his honor intact and place among his clan secured. He just needs to -

“Kyah!”

Startling at the cry, too lost in his thoughts, Sasuke mentally curses his lapse in attention and refocuses. The woman’s bags are scattered across the roadway.

She’s...being attacked?

Blinking in confusion, Sasuke rests a hand on the hilt of his blade. Where did they -?

“Lookie lookie here...a tasty little morsel! And you’re even Nightwalker...that’ll make it even better!”

Turning to a nearby recessed alcove into a building, Sasuke spots them. A long-coated figure holds his target by the throat, her feet kicking a foot off the ground.

“L-let me go!”

“Shush now. Just need a taste, then I’ll be on my way. If you don’t squirm, it won’t be five minutes, beauty. No muss, no fuss. I’ll even lick you clean, heh heh heh...”

“I said...let me go…!”

In less than a blink, her form changes. Arms become wings, lower legs scaling and growing talons. With a kick, she forces the man back several paces.

“Gah! You little bitch…!” He holds his middle, and Sasuke notices the sharp smell of blood. Seems her claws struck true. “It didn’t have to be this difficult! Might just kill you now for the trouble!”

Immediately, Sasuke finds himself torn. Vampires are a far bigger threat to humans than a harpy. But if he attacks the vampire, odds are she’ll get away! He’ll still have a prize, but -?

Unfortunately, it’s then he’s noticed. “Great, another liability…!” The bloodsucker bares sharpened teeth at him. “This one smells human...not as fancy as my feathery feast, but I won’t turn down a second helping...!”

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke then draws his short blade, the silver glinting in a nearby porch light. “I’m afraid I’m not your typical easy pickings, monster. Your thieving of blood ends tonight.”

Red eyes widen. “...a Hunter…?”

As the vampire hesitates, Sasuke glances to the harpy, still catching her breath along the door and partially Shifted. They lock eyes, and Sasuke realizes he’s about to do something very stupid...but two against one is better than a duel.

By unspoken agreement, they both launch forward. The harpy, closer, wraps her avian feet around the vampire’s upper arms. Wings flutter to keep her airborne and hold him in place.

“What the hell are you -?!”

With as much speed as his human body can muster, Sasuke streaks forward, plunging his weapon into the monster’s already-torn gut as one hand grips the handle, the other at the butt and pushing it to the hilt.

A howl of unspeakable pain breaks out in the night before cutting short, the blade withdrawn and instead slashing an exposed throat. Reduced to gurgles, it eventually fades as the harpy releases her grip and lets the corpse fall.

An eerie silence falls over the street.

Panting, Sasuke stares at it for a moment before looking up. Blood has splattered over the woman’s form, now fully human again as she sags in the aftermath of panic and adrenaline.

...he could probably take her.

And yet, something stays his hand.

...he’s never heard of Nightwalkers attacking other Nightwalkers before.

Fear is still plain on her face, speckled with crimson. Her shoulders shake. If he were otherwise unaware...he’d think her human.

Deep in his mind, something cracks: a resolute belief suddenly seems...flawed.

Swallowing harshly, she looks to him in return. Something in her sobers. “...are...are you going to kill me, too?”

A moment of silence. “...I was,” he admits. “...I followed you here.”

“...but…?”

“...but you’ve clearly had enough excitement for one evening,” Sasuke replies, leaning down to clean his blade on the vampire’s coat before sheathing it. Another knife is drawn in preparation for beheading him...but he hesitates, not wanting to scare her.

...why should he care if he scares her?

She, too, looks confused. “...but I thought -?”

“Want me to change my mind?”

“N-no!”

“Then get out of here before I do,” he retorts, making his next action obvious to give her a chance to avoid it.

Clearly skittish now, she skirts around him and hastily picks up her things before fleeing to the nearby gate to her building.

...and then she pauses.

Taking out a waterproof canvas bag to hide away the head (and keep the contents from leaking), Sasuke turns to her.

“...w...what will you do with...the rest of him?”

“...clean up crew’ll handle it. Which means you need to get inside before they get here and see you.”

Expression torn, she still lingers.

“...do you have a deathwish, or what?”

“I-I just…” She bites her lip. “...thank you.”

“...for?”

“For...saving my life. I wouldn’t stand a c-chance against someone like...s-someone like him. I...I owe you.”

“Not sure a Hunter is someone you want a debt with.”

“Debt is our highest form of currency,” she murmurs, earning a furrow of his brow. “We - Nightwalkers, that is - we take it v-very seriously.”

“I don’t want anything from you. It’s bad enough I’m thinking about letting you live. I’m breaking my own code right now!”

She flinches. “...may...may I ask your name…?”

A curt sigh escapes him. “...Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke.”

“I’m H-Hinata. Hyūga Hinata. Someday, I’ll...I’ll repay you.”

“Just forget about it, and get inside,” he hisses, shooing with his hand. “Any of my friends see you out here, they’ll kill you. And I won’t stop them.”

After one last pause, she gives an awkward dip of a bow before retreating inside, her things all a jumbled mess in her arms.

Watching her go, Sasuke just sighs as an unmarked van pulls into the street. From it, several Uchiha underlings emerge and begin the task of removing the scene.

“Sasuke-sama,” the driver greets with a bow. “It’s good to see you. You succeeded, then?”

Wordlessly, Sasuke holds aloft his satchel.

“Excellent. I can radio ahead and let them know you’re coming?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Very well.”

Mood inexplicably soured, Sasuke returns to his room, ending his rent and hopping astride his bike for the way home. A heaviness weighs in his gut.

He knows where she lives.

Knows her name.

He should tell someone so they can finish her off, or just do it himself.

...and yet…

...this isn’t good. His first official hunt, and he let a Nightwalker get away. No one knows, but...he does. Regret simmers in his chest.

...but so too does a kind of relief settle over him.

If anyone in his clan ever finds out...he’ll likely be stripped of his rank at best, and outcast at worst. To let one of their destined enemies escape alive is an unspeakable shame.

...but how was he supposed to kill her when she looked at him like that? With those big, stupid eyes…?!

Sighing curtly in his helmet, he banishes the thought. Just...forget about it. Take your victory. Leave the rest behind and never look back.

...and pray she never finds you and tries to repay that debt.

It just might cost you everything.

Welp, I’m now TWO days behind but...hopefully this being longer makes up for it? ^^; I was gonna try to catch up more today but GOLLY it was ridiculously hot and I spent most of the day melted in my chair, blegh. And it’s gonna last at least two more days so don’t expect much from me until then kjdfjhg ANYWAY Longtime readers likely know my monster verse, BUT. I switched up roles again! This time Hinata’s the monstie, and Sasuke the Hunter. But he just can’t harm a hair on her pretty little head, no matter what verse they’re in xD I’d ramble more but it’s honestly still hot and I’ma just...go bake to death in my bed, lol Thanks as always for reading!

#sasuhinabigflash2020 #shbf2020 #sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uchiha fugaku #uchiha itachi #uchiha shisui #blood //#vulgarity //#of monsters and men [ au ]

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deniigi · 5 years ago

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Hey idk how many asks ur getting but I hope ur not being bombarded or anything. If u could, would u write a scene where jack loses little!matt cuz oops Matt just ran off during errands. He runs into various NYC heroes/vigilantes and in the end Matt has them all trailing him as they try to find jack together. Meanwhile jack panics and anxiety.

This got long and definitely wasn’t quite what you were thinking of, but I think it’s still pretty okay.

I’m putting the 2nd half under the cut since it’s so long (sorry mobile folks)

—

There was a huge fanfare in the streets; some guy with money was apparently strolling through the Kitchen and folks had come out to stare back at him when he started eyeing up their buildings, as was their way. Santiago’s was helping this by leaving a couple of folding tables outside the restaurant doors with ‘Make Peace Not Weapons’ fliers on it next to a couple of flats of eggs.

What was to be done with said eggs was not stated. People around here just knew.

None of that had ever been Jack’s bag, honestly. He was busy. Politics had always been background noise to his daily scrounging and scraping and really, this crowd was going to be the death of him.

He caught Rudy and the others crowded around the doorway of the gym and scream-asked over the noise of the crowd gathering around the edges of the streets if they’d seen Matt.

No, they hadn’t. He wasn’t out playing with Rudy’s kids; they were at their grandmother’s.

Rudy told him to try the church’s playground. A lot of the local kids had climbed up on the fence over there to watch the protest.

Aigh.

Matty knew better than to go that far without asking, but Jack went anyways.

Normally, he’d be panicking, but these were the streets that Matt grew up in; that he himself had grown up in. Th folks lining the pavement here knew him and his kid. They’d keep an eye out and make sure Matt didn’t get kidnapped or anything like that.

He got to the church and saw that Grace was standing outside, shaking her head at all the kids lining the top of the fence. He made wide gestures to catch her attention. She met him at the front of the church with a frown.

“No, he’s not here,” she said. “I saw him go past, though, with the McKenzies’ girl. They’re alright. They went and found a football, the two of them.”

Ahhhhh.

That was 100% Mrs. Green’s doing. She’d had a yard sale for her kids’ shit the other day. Jack had seen a couple of basketballs and footballs in among the stuff. She must not have gotten rid of all of it.

Grace waved him in the direction of the green lot the next street up. It was where most of the neighborhood children spent their time—in the daytime, playing and in the nighttime, for the older ones, experimenting.

Jack struggled through the crowd that way but got caught up in a mass of jeering and jostling when Mr. Moneybags, Whoever finally got out of his car.

Are you serious, y’all?

He called over folks to move, that he was after his fuckin’ kid, and they tried as best as they could to let him back.

Finally, blessedly, he stumbled back out on to the pavement and blew out a breath. Then headed off towards the park.

Sure enough, Matt was there, holding a football that was way too big for him with Perry, the MacKenzies’ girl. They’d evidently been playing the first-grade equivalent of tackle football, if Jack was reading the color in their faces and the dried grass all over them right.

He started that way and was so preoccupied with planning out the conversation he and Matt were about to have that he didn’t hear the folks shouting behind him. Matt saw him and perked up. He handed off the football and met Jack at the water fountain in the middle of their paths. He knew he was in trouble.

Jack put his hands on his hips to emphasize it and was validated at the guilty dropped eyes he got in return.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “That’s what I thought. Come on, then. You know what comes next.”

Matt scowled and dropped his face, mumbling out excuses.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” Jack said.

Matt pouted.

“Hey, you’re in the way,” a new voice said. Jack stood up straight and glared over his shoulder.

“You got the whole pavement, asshole. Go around,” he snapped.

And the next thing he knew, there was a man in a suit manhandling him off the concrete onto the grass.

“You need to move,” the guy growled.

Oh hell no. Not in this neighborhood, pal.

Jack shoved him back; the guy wasn’t prepared for that, it would seem. He fell back right on his ass and stared up, stunned.

“Who do you think you are?” the man babbled, struggling up. He had some kind of thing in his ear, like a secret service man.

Jack huffed at him and went back to collect Matt. They evidently couldn’t have this discussion here.

“HEY. I’m talking to you.”

The second the hand hit his shoulder, time fast-forwarded and Jack came back to himself with the dude with a bloody hand slapped over his face and a fucking roaring crowd of neighbors all around him.

Oh, shit.

“Shit,” he said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” the asshole snarled, ripping his hand away from his mouth to reveal a split lip. “You come out here to assault one of Tony Stark’s bodyguards, huh? You one of these fuckin’ low lives who think they own this city? Hit me again, pal. We’ll see who’s the real winner in the court of law, huh?”

Woah.

Hey, now. Jack had just been trying to apologize.

“FUCK ‘IM UP, JACKIE,” Someone shrieked from the middle of the crowd in the street.

“Jackie? Your name’s Jackie? Jackie what? Full name and address, asshole, give it to me,” the suit demanded.

This.

Was not excellent.

“Listen man,” Jack said as calmly as the roiling, bubbling heat in his chest would allow. “I’m just trying to pick up my kid, alright? So why don’t you fuck off and we both pretend like none of this ever happened?”

The suit scoffed.

“Sure,” he jeered, “Yeah, you pick up your little bitch and clear out. Why don’t we do just that?”

Um.

Oof.

Mm.

“Daddy?”

MMF.

Jack could not break this man in half in front of his son.

He could not make this man beg for mercy in front of his son.

No. That wasn’t true. He could. But he wouldn’t. He had an example to set.

“Yo, what’s going on here? Will, is everything alright?”

The suit suddenly broke eye contact with Jack and turned to a short dude dressed in an obnoxious hoodie and flip flops.

“Everything is just fine, Mr. Stark,” he said, all prim and proper. “This guy’s just impeding the walkway.”

Mr. Stark—fuck, that explained a lot—had to be around Jack’s age. He had dark eyelashes and was probably pretty in other parts of the city. But here? Nah, a pretty man was a working man and this guy, for all his unshaven jaw and tousled hair, was not it.

“Alright, so move, man,” Stark said towards Jack. “It’s public property. You don’t own it.”

“You don’t either,” Jack pointed out to another uproar in the crowd.

Stark chewed on his tongue and chuckled.

He held his hands up.

“That’s fair,” he said. “Leave it, Will. He’s not bothering anyone.”

Will the Suit blustered all over.

“He’s assaulted me, sir,” he said, pointing at his lip. “Not to mention, he’s obviously out here to rile up the crowd.”

“I’m just out here to pick up my son,” Jack snapped.

“So pick him up and get out of the fuckin’ way already,” Will growled.

Ho, ho, motherfucker.

Jack did not move. He held the guy’s eye.

“Daddy.” Matt’s little hands found their way to his wrist.

He was scared. And the thought sent another ripple of heat through Jack’s body.

This was their neighborhood. This was Matt’s home. Jack’s home. And he wouldn’t be treated like shit in it. He wouldn’t teach Matt to bow his head to people with more money.

“You heard your kid,” Will the suit said, “Good to know the next generation here’s got some kinda brains in their heads. Lay off.”

“You ain’t better than us,” Jack spat. He stood up tall and breathed slow. “None of you. This is our city, not yours. So get the fuck out. We don’t need your fuckin’ money, Stark.” He twisted his head to make direct eye contact with this man and his tousled hair and eyelashes.

This wasn’t about some shithead in a suit anymore.

Stark tipped his own face slowly to the side.

“You got guts,” he said. “But honestly, man, you all actually could use my money. You got holes in your shirt, friend. You think—”

“We’d rather have a park than a store we can’t afford to buy from,” Jack said.

“So shop somewhere else,” Stark replied with wide hands. “But this isn’t about a store, you know. This is about an office; a whole five floors of new jobs—”

“Yeah, as janitors,” A gal with a sign on her shoulder said, squirming out of the crowd. “As service people to the rich lapdogs you drag in here to do your business for you.”

“You’d have new patrons for your fine establishments,” Stark said calmly to her.

“Oh sure, I bet they’d flock here, yeah,” the gal drawled. “Them and their pretty white families, with all their pretty, GAP clothes. And you know what they’d do, Stark? They’d start complaining about the quality of our ‘fine establishments.’ They’d start demanding shit we can’t afford, to the point where we’d have to find ways to afford ‘em, just so that we could make an honest living—and by then, our own moms and neighbors wouldn’t be able afford to pay for our so-called fine services.”

“So they would go somewhere else, and you would still be making a profit,” Stark reasoned.

“I should be able to do laundry at the laundromat closest to my house,” the gal pointed out to a chorus of support. “It’s not about money. It’s about community.”

Stark huffed.

“And what a community it is,” he said sarcastically. “You got this guy out here, punching people on the streets ‘cause he can’t keep his kid under control, you got used needles on every corner, trash piling up in the gutters—you call that ‘community?’”

“I call it poverty,” the woman said.

“Business and investment will help alleviate—”

“Mr. Stark,” the woman interrupted, “For all them brains in your head, you sure aren’t good at thinking. Or listening. So why don’t you just take a moment for the next minute and practice. Just listen. Look at me—really look, sir.”

Stark did, but he made it real clear that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart.

“If you really cared about poverty,” the gal said slowly, “You and all your war money and all your millionaire and billionaire friends would fund community programs. Hell’s Kitchen doesn’t need new businesses, Mr. Stark. We have plenty of our own. What we need are services. Better services. More services. We need people who want to help us as people. Not clients. Not customers. As a community of human beings. And until you really, truly understand what that means, you and your friends aren’t welcome here in Hell’s Kitchen. So, sir, what do you say?”

The crowd fell silent. Jack lifted his chin and stared down at Stark around it just in case he or his security detail got any ideas.

Stark glanced up at him, then back at the woman and then, for the briefest second, at Matt barely peeking out from behind Jack’s hip.

He cleared his throat.

“Well, I see that we’re not welcome here,” he said. “Perhaps we can table this discussion for now due to community concerns, which I’m sure we can overcome in the future. What do you say, Miss?”

“Mrs,” the woman corrected. “I say you’re welcome to try as many times as you want.”

Stark looked her over and scoffed.

“Oh, I will,” he said, “I got this little thing called ‘spite’ in me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman said peacefully.

Stark didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. He puffed himself up and told his guards that he was ready to go. This visit was not worth extending.

The crowd parted to let him and his suits through and was more or less quiet as they all watched him get in his fancy car and drive away.

Jack felt the tension in his shoulders settled down. He stroked a hand over Matt’s hair.

“Thanks for the rescue, Bess,” he said.

Bess beamed up at him.

“Anytime, Jackie,” she said. “Anytime.”

—

AHEM.

Bess Mahoney was Hell’s Kitchen’s main superhero before DD. Thank you and good night.

#fic #Matt Murdock #jack murdock #I love to write jack so much its a problem y'all are enablers #ficlet

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fondeyeslester · 5 years ago

Text

Midnight bus ride

"It’s an eternal moment, where they are young and scared and so fucking in love that it hurts."

It's 2010 and Dan shows up at Phil's door with a suitcase full of laundry and tears in his eyes

words: 1021

This fic was written for the @phandomficfests hits different fest.

Thank you so much to @cellophan for betaing this and for being an amazing support!!

ao3

It’s only a fifteen minute ride to Phil’s flat from his dorm, but Dan didn’t get any sleep last night. The pasta he’d been planning to eat for lunch had gone bad in the fridge and people at the laundromat had been so goddamn weird. Overall, it’s been a shit day. The fluorescent lights of the Manchester streets shine through the bus window. Dan’s eyes are watery from leftover tears and lack of sleep, and the distorted image of the red light in front of him increases his upcoming headache. Things were meant to be getting better, Manchester was supposed to be better. But finding himself surrounded by mysterious washing machines and stressed out students made him feel out of his depth in a completely new way. Maybe it was stupid, he’d been holding onto this idea that once he had escaped Reading, all of his problems would dissolve and life would finally make sense. But there was no escaping his feelings or his fears. Dan had been expecting to move out and create a new version of himself out of thin air, but just a week had been enough for him to realize that it didn’t work like that. It had to though. This had to work: Manchester, uni, Phil - Dan didn’t know what he’d do if it didn’t. Because he couldn’t go back there, he couldn’t look his dad in the eye and tell him he failed. He couldn’t go back to the same friends and the same pain he’d been running away from. Mostly, he couldn’t hide who he was anymore. He hated it there, and he hated himself for craving the familiarity of his mum’s food, and the smell of his old house. He didn’t want to miss his dad or his friends. Dan wanted to move on. He’s a bit more calm when he gets off the bus, not really thinking twice about waking Phil up as he rings. It’s barely midnight - he’ll be up. The door opens to reveal his boyfriend in boxers and a t-shirt, hair a mess. They’re quiet for a moment as they stand by Phil’s door, tiredness making things a little harder to process for the both of them. “Are you moving in?” His voice is thick when he finally speaks, and even if a little confused, his tone is so casual and accepting that Dan wants to burst into tears all over again. “I’ve had a...weird day.” Phil just nods as he steps aside for Dan to come in. He flops onto the couch without saying anything. Exhaustion settles deep in his bones, and maybe he’s a little crazy to think this, but the familiar sight of Phil’s flat makes his headache a little more bearable. His eyes close, and Dan begins to fall asleep right then when a cold hand falls on his thigh. “Wanna tell me what happened?” Phil hands travels up and down Dan’s leg in a sort of awkward but comforting gesture. “I waited for an hour to wash my pants and then a guy stole one a sock, so I just...ran away?” “ So a classic laundromat experience.” “Never going to that place again.” “That’s okay, you can wash here.” “Thanks.” Dan feels a heavy silence in the room, the weight of a weird, complicated week rests on his shoulders. It was hectic and crazy in all the wrong ways, and he feels foolish for expecting anything different from himself. “Hey,” Phil’s soft voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “Hey,” he answers back. And then they kiss. It’s soft and comforting. They kiss tenderly, lovingly. It’s not like most nights they’ve shared, when passion and desperation get the better of them and they let themselves get caught up in pleasure. This time is sweet and meaningful; because the distance between is not what it used to be. Because Dan is in Manchester now, and they can hold each other freely in the small living room of Phil’s new flat. The kiss ends, but they still hold each other close, and Dan doesn’t want to let go. The lights are off, the only noise is coming from the street outside. It’s an eternal moment, where they are young and scared and so fucking in love that it hurts. “Are you missing home?” Phil says it in a whisper, Dan nods, so Phil kisses him again. “I feel like I shouldn’t. I hate it there, I don’t want to go back, but…” “Yeah, I know.” “I’m just so scared of fucking this up.” “It’s a scary thing, but you’ll get used to it, and you’ll make new friends and become a fancy lawyer.” “Ugh, don’t remind me,” Dan says with a smile. “I’m serious, you’ll make this your home.” “Yeah?” Dan chokes out, and he wonders what the hell he did to deserve someone like Phil. “Yeah. And you’re allowed to miss Reading too.” Dan just looks at him, tears have gathered back in his eyes, but this time for a completely different reason. “You okay?” Phil says, worry clear in his voice. “Sorry, I just… fuck. I love you” “I love you too,” he whispers back. They kiss again. And again. They kiss until their lips are sore and their breaths run out. They kiss until they’re too tired to keep going, and then they just hold each other and talk about nonsense, letting time pass. “ Phil?” “Hmm?” “I’m kind of hungry,” “I have some leftover pizza. Choose a movie, yeah?” And so they sit for hours under Phil’s duvet eating way too much pizza and drinking too much coke. They sit together, watching anime until four in the morning. It’s starting to become a ritual for them, one of the many they’ve been building lately. For all of the fears Dan has, for all of the new things that are happening in his life, and everything he wants to leave behind, he knows that right now, next to Phil, he belongs. His suitcase still lays there at their feet, full of dirty clothes, but that’s okay. They’ll wash it in the morning.

#phanfiction #phanfic #phan #my fic #phandom fic fest #fic fests #it hits different #phandom fic fests: it hits different fest #phanart #pseudophan #dan and phil #dan and phil fanfiction

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whenimaunicorn · 5 years ago

Note

You will definitely run into Bobo at the laundromat. Sitting there, reading an old magazine, only in his underwear. XD

((YES! I combined this answer with an equally ridiculous request from @localfloorgoblin; that reference image is at the bottom of the fic. Thanks to both of you for obliging me with ridiculous requests!! And now onto the Bobo Crack))

You hit “start” on the last of the four dryers you’ve claimed at the local laundromat, and jet for the door. You have exactly forty-two minutes before the first machine completes its cycle, and you are not spending that time waiting in this humid, noisy space with its ugly fluorescent lighting.

Usually, you’re able to time your excursion exactly, taking care of a few other errands around Purgatory before showing back up just in time to pop your fresh clothes from the first machine when it reaches completion. This time, however, there’s about a hundred people ahead of you in the grocery line, they don’t open up another lane, and you end up returning ten minutes behind schedule.

No big deal, you think to yourself, who steals laundry anyway?

You rush back over to the lane of dryers next to the far wall and stop in your tracks. There’s a man sitting in front of your four machines, and he is practically naked. You avert your eyes almost as soon as you take in a broad bare chest, tiny pink shorts, and one hairy foot crossed casually over a pale knee. He’s holding up a battered magazine in front of his face, so you’re hoping he hasn’t seen you. You don’t really want to deal with awkward eye contact.

Except… he’s in front of your machines. You peek at the timers on top; they all have forty-some-odd minutes to go. So his clothes are in there. Which means yours are…

You look back toward the man. Two details you had missed earlier pop out at you at once: the chairs on either side of him are piled with your wrinkling clothing, and the top of the head peeking out above the magazine’s crumpled edges is sporting a very distinctive dark mohawk cut.

Shit shit shit. Bobo Del Rey has your clothes. A very naked Bobo has your clothes. “What are you doing?” you blurt without thinking.

Bobo drops the magazine to his lap, fixing you with a dry stare. He points with his forehead at the dryers across from him.

Right. “Whyyyyyy are you naked?”

He indicates the dryers again. His handsome face is still blank, but you can sense the tension of amusement building behind it.

“You know, most people don’t wash everything they own all at once like that.”

His notched brow jumps. “That wouldn’t be very efficient.”

“But it would be more civilized.”

Bobo bares his teeth at you in a very un-civilized way.

You sigh, and point to the clothing piled all around him. “Those are mine.”

“Is that so.” He makes an exaggerated effort at examining the piles like he just noticed they are there, like he wasn’t the one that had just pulled everything from all four machines. He waggles his eyebrows at the lacey undies sticking out from the top.

Dear Lord in Heaven, Bobo’s hands have been on your panties. “It’s rude to touch other people’s stuff.”

“It’s rude to hog more than half the machines,” he leans forward, elbows on his knees, “and then not come back to take them out on time.” You try not to look at the way the posture makes his pecs swell.

You glower at him, but he’s got you on that point. You bend down and scoop up an armful of your clothes, still hot, and carry them over to the folding table in the corner. Sure, you could have shoved everything back into your bags and folded at home, but you’re stubborn. You don’t want to let someone like Bobo Del Rey make you change your usual routine.

Bobo doesn’t move an inch as you cross back and forth in front of him, not even when the back of your arm brushes against his as you gather up the pile closest to him. Your skin prickles, like just a touch has spread some kind of contagion. “Need help?” he asks dryly, an offer which you vehemently refused. He’s made you uncomfortable enough; now you just want him to leave you alone.

It’s strange, to share a laundromat with your nemesis. You find yourself sneaking glances back at him while you fold up your items. He’s just sitting there, peaceful as a housecat, enjoying his little magazine, in his underwear. Usually when you see him, you’re shooting at each other. The cognitive dissonance is giving you a headache.

Except… you look over your pile of shorts, then narrow your eyes as you inspect the dastardly villain more closely. He’s not sitting in his underwear. He’s sitting in your underwear. Your pajama bottoms, that is. “Bobo!” you snarl through your teeth, before you can stop and think if yelling at the head boss revenant of the Ghost River Triangle is such a good idea.

He leans his head back, peering up at you disinterestedly from over his magazine.

“Are you wearing my shit?!”

A wide grin cracks his face, crinkling his eyes as he finally stands up. “I had to wear something while all mine’s being washed, didn’t I? To keep things civilized. And I just liked this little number so much,” he says, waving his fingers up and down in front of the tiny rectangle of satin that barely covers his hips. The sight of his bulge encased by the shiny fabric is not something that is going to leave your memory quickly. “Don’t you think they suit me?”

He turns as he says the last word, wiggling his butt to call attention to the words you knew are emblazoned in white calligraphy across the back: Enemy of the State. When you bought them, you thought it was edgy and funny. Now, the joy is ruined. You can’t unsee this. Ever.

You whip your head away and start folding faster. You just want to be out of here and away from him, now. You jump when he’s suddenly standing right at your shoulder. Bare feet make him sneaky. “I could give them back,” he offers, voice a low purr, his hips wiggling closer to you as his thumb dips beneath the waistband.

“Keep them!” Your voice is high with the panicked need to stop him before he strips completely in this public laundromat. Hell must have burned all the shame out of him, if he ever had any to begin with.

He just stands there, too close, chuckling darkly at your frantic movements as you shove everything into your laundry bags. Enough’s enough, you have to get out of there.

The creep just can’t stop. As you turn tail and rush away, he makes sure to get in the last word: “My thanks for the gift, Y/N. I’m happy to have something so silky and soft to remember you by, cradling my undercarriage.”

More Bobo madness here

Taglist: @allsharingonebreath,@demoncrypt1066, @writingfromasgard, @that-was-not-supposed-to-happen, @sestrasasylum @savismith@ceridwenofwales @equalstrashflavoredtrash @ivarinleatherpants

#bobo del rey #bobo x reader #bobo/you #bobo del rey crack #wynonna earp fanfiction

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thehelleniclunarwitch · 4 years ago

Text

Oh To Be A Barton (Chapter Four)

Tagged: @justgrits

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

Life hadn’t been easy these past several months for the Barton siblings. Clint hadn’t waited around long enough to get a pair of hearing aids. When he was strong enough to get up out of bed, Clint took his sister and they disappeared from Marcy and Buck. It had been their third night sleeping in the park when Clint had found a leftover newspaper with a giant headline breaking the news that their Traveling Wonders had closed down.

Jacques embezzlement had come through and Mr. Carson had decided that it was time for the circus to be done. The crew had left to find other work. Clint had seen his and Emily’s pictures in the papers Buck and Marcy were frantically looking for the children. The newspaper had found itself in the trash bin and away from Emily’s prying eyes. His sister had still been upset that they had to leave their home they had only known. One day she would realize that leaving was for the best for them.

For a while, Clint had resorted to pickpocketing people as his sister distracted the innocent victims with her cute face and charms. They would always gang up on tourists they were the easiest to steal from. They could easily get a few hundred bucks a day and Clint quickly saved up the money. The pair never went hungry. Emily had wanted to start putting some money away for a pair of hearing aids but Clint had refused. He was content with just signing. He swore he didn’t miss hearing. Emily always dropped it, but he knew his sister was determined to get him his hearing back.

Most nights the pair slept in abandoned cars or run down old shops. On bad stormy nights, Clint would rent them a motel room so they could wake up dry. That way they could shower and watch some TV. Those nights Emily was the happiest she always said she felt like they were playing house. With Emily tucked away safely in a motel room, Clint would always take their backpack of clothes and go down to the laundromat to do their laundry. By morning, they would each have a full stomach and clean clothes. Emily would always insist on stocking up on the small shampoo and soaps before they would leave.

Life went on like this for months up until eight months into living on the streets when Clint had gotten caught stealing from one of the tourists. The man had ended up getting annoyed with Emily and flicked her away. Clint exploded and attacked the man. The man easily tossed Clint off and sprouted on and on about how he knew that it was a ploy. Clint read his lips as Emily frantically tried signing his threats to her brother. Clint had forced Emily to run as he held the man off long enough for his sister to escape.

Clint had found himself pressed up against the wall and the man’s fist coming towards his face when another man stopped his attacker. Of course, Clint couldn’t hear anything that was being said, but his attacker let him go. Clint sunk down to the ground and looked up at his savior. The man stood tall, he had black curly hair, a pair of silver glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were calm and peaceful. He was talking to Clint, but Clint shook his head and pointed to his ears.

Surprisingly, the man nodded and then started to sign to Clint.

Are you hurt? The man asked.

Clint shook his head.

Do I need to call the police? He asked.

No police. Clint signed back.

The man sighed. I’m Bruce. He introduced.

Clint Clint signed slowly.

For you and your sister’s sake I suggest you find another way to make a living. Bruce told him.

Clint nodded.

Clint watched as Bruce dug around in his back pocket. He pulled out his wallet and opened it. Bruce pulled out a few bills and held them out to Clint. Clint eyed Bruce and the money.

Get your sister a hot meal. Bruce suggested.

Carefully, Clint took the money from Bruce.

Listen, it’s obvious that you have things under control. Bruce started.

Clint gave him a curt nod.

But if you ever need anything I’m staying at Stark Towers. I’ll be there for a few weeks if you need any kind of help. Bruce said.

Clint pocketed the money and then sighed his thanks. Turning his back, Clint started to make his way down the alley to find where Emily had hid away at. Feeling eyes still on him, Clint turned to see Bruce still standing there at the end of the alley. He gave the boy a small smile and a wave. Clint returned the wave before disappearing to find his sister. Clint never went to Stark Towers for help and he never saw the Bruce guy ever again.

A hand in his face had Clint blinking away the memory. He looked up to see Emily standing over him. She had two ice cream cones in her hands. One was melting down the side of her hand. Clint smiled up at his sister as he took the ice cream from her. That incident with Bruce was five months ago, but it still felt like it had happened just yesterday.

Are you okay? Emily asked.

Yeah, just thinking. Clint replied.

Oh. What about? Emily wanted to know.

Summer is almost over. My job will be gone. Clint answered.

We’ll figure something out, Clint. Emily told him.

Clint just shook his head.

Being an archery counselor has been the best thing for us, Emily. Clint reminded her.

I know that, but we will figure something out. We always do. Emily said.

Clint sighed. Emily dropped the subject. The siblings finished up their ice cream and then walked back to where they were staying. The small shop had gone out of business just a few weeks ago. The water and electricity still worked there so the siblings were staying there until everything got shut off. Clint had been on the lookout for somewhere new for them to move to, but he hadn’t found anything as amazing as the old shop.

Emily sat down and started working on her homework. She had wanted to attend a regular school, but that wouldn’t ever happen with them living on the streets. Clint had taken them to the public library and had googled what a nine year old should be learning. The old librarian was more than happy to help Clint find the right textbooks for Emily. And Emily, well she was smart herself that when she was handed the books. She read the book from cover to cover and then by chapter by chapter. Clint could easily find tests online to go along with the chapters she was reading to test her on. Of course, Emily passed with flying colors in every subject, she struggled in Math, but she worked and worked until she at least understood the basics of it.

Clint, I’m going for a walk.

Do you want me to come with you?

No. I’ll keep it quick.

Alright. Be careful.

Will do.

Clint waved to his sister as she pulled on her jacket.

Emily stepped outside into the crisp fall air. The wind tousled her long brown hair as she skipped along the sidewalk. Emily took a short detour down an alleyway, pulled her hood up and over pulling it in nice and tight, and over to an atm machine. Emily looked around her and when she saw that the coast was clear she pulled out a card from her pocket and slid it into the machine. She pulled another little gadget out of her pocket and clipped it to the edge of the card. The gadget beeped and then the machine entered in the four digit pin number.

When Emily got in she quickly withdrew the daily limit of 300 dollars. Emily folded the wad of cash and slipped it into her pocket. She removed her small gadget and placed it in the other pocket. Leaving the card behind, Emily quickly walked away from the atm machine making her way back to where she and her brother were living.

Emily stopped short when she saw a tall, lanky, redheaded teen standing in front of her. Emily didn’t look away from the teen. She cocked an eyebrow as a smirk filled her face.

“Can I help you with something?” Emily asked.

“How many more times do you think you’ll be able to get away with that?” She asked.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Emily denied.

The teen smirked.

“You should be more careful. That’s the fourth time this month I’ve watched you do that.” She said.

“Why are you watching me, creep?” Emily asked.

The girl laughed. “Let’s just say you and your brother are my next case.”

“Brother?” Emily said in fake confusion. “I don’t have a brother.”

The teen reached into her back pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She swiped it open and then flicked through a few things before revealing the phone to Emily. Emily peered at the phone and could see several pictures of her and her brother. Emily kept her cool and looked up at the teen.

“What do you want?” Emily asked cautiously.

“It’s simple. I want you and your brother.” She said.

“For what?” Emily asked.

“Well that’s something I need to discuss with the both of you.” She said.

“So why don’t you stay here and I’ll skip off and fetch my brother for you.” Emily suggested.

The girl smiled.

“Nice try, but I already know where you live. So why don’t you lead the way and I’ll follow you.” She replied.

Emily huffed.

“You’re really not going to leave us be, are you?” Emily asked.

“Sorry, kiddo, not going to happen.” She said.

“Fine.” Emily groaned with a roll of her eyes.

Emily tucked her hands in her pocket and started walking away. The mystery girl stayed right behind her as Emily walked back to her place. Once they arrived at the shop the pair entered the building. Clint had his back turned towards them. Emily picked up a pair of rolled up socks and tossed them at her brother. Clint turned around with a smile, but when he saw that his sister wasn’t alone his smile quickly faltered.

Don’t worry.

Emily, who is that?

My name is Natasha.

What are you doing here?

I came here on the behalf of Shields.

What the hell is Shields?

Emily quickly left Natasha’s side and went to stand with her brother. She left the talking to the two teens.

First, I have a special gift for you from my supervisor.

What kind of gift?

Natasha pulled out a small box from the inside of her jacket and held it out towards Clint. When he didn’t move to accept the gift Emily went and took the box from her. She opened it slowly and her mouth fell open. She turned back towards her brother and held out the box. Clint peered into the box and then looked up back at Natasha.

Take them, now!

You’re so bossy.

Emily gave him a look and Clint sighed. He reached forward and pulled the two small hearing aids out of the box. He gave his sister one last annoyed look before slipping in the hearing aids. Clint knelt down in front of Emily so she could turn the hearing aids on for him. Emily held her breath as Clint looked back up at her.

“Can you hear me?” Emily asked him softly.

Clint nodded. Tears filled Emily’s eyes as Clint pulled her in for a hug. Emily clung to her brother tightly as Clint kissed her cheek and admitted to her that he should have gotten the stupid hearing aids before they had run off. Finally, Clint stood and turned back towards Natasha.

“Now what do you want?” Clint asked.

“Shields is very interested in a skilled archer like yourself.” Natasha explained.

“What is this Shields place you keep talking about?” Clint asked.

“Why don’t you come with me and find out.” Natasha replied.

Clint looked down at Emily. “I have responsibilities you know.”

“Shields isn’t just interested in you.” Natasha said.

“They’re interested in me?” Emily asked.

Natasha nodded. “Listen, we’re not forcing you to stay. My bosses just want you guys to come in and hear what they have to say. If you don’t like it then you are both free to go.”

Clint looked back down at Emily. Em just nodded her head towards Clint. It wouldn’t hurt them to at least go and find out what was going on.

“Alright, we’ll go with you.” Clint said.

“Good to hear.” Natasha grinned.

The siblings watched her bring her bracelet up to her mouth and then she whispered something. Emily left Clint to watch Natasha as she grabbed her backpack and Clint’s. The siblings slid on their backpacks and then followed Natasha outside.

“Our ride should be here any minute.” Natasha said.

Natasha wasn’t kidding. Five minutes later, a black SUV pulled up in front of the shop. The driver got out and opened the back door for the kids. All three of them climbed into the back of the vehicle. The driver said nothing as he pulled away and started to drive into the main part of the city. They emerged onto the highway and started to drive towards Washington DC.

“Where exactly are we going?” Clint asked.

“Shields base is in downtown DC.” Natasha answered.

Emily sat in between Clint and Natasha. It was weird hearing her brother talk. It had been quite a long time since Clint willingly talked. Without his hearing aids and unable to hear how loud he was talking, Clint stuck to being quiet and just signing, but now that he had the hearing aids and was talking once again was a weird feeling. In the end, Emily was happy though. She wouldn’t have to keep stealing money to save up for Clint’s hearing aids. However, Emily was worried that whatever these Shields people wanted and Clint turned them down would they take the hearing aids away from him?

The SUV pulled up in front of a building. The driver quickly got out and opened the door for the kids. Clint and Emily followed Natasha inside and over to the elevators. Natasha pushed the button for the correct floor. Emily held onto Clint’s hand. Elevators always had made her feel claustrophobic and anxious. The ride up stayed quiet. When they reached the eleventh floor the elevator binged. The three stepped off and the siblings followed Natasha through the floor and back to an office.

Inside, the siblings were faced with two people. The first man was standing next to the desk. He was average height, wore a suit, and a blinding smile. The second man sat behind the desk. He was dressed in a leather jacket, he had a patch over his right eye, and Emily noticed how the light reflected off his bald head. It took everything she had to not break down and start laughing uncontrollably.

“Thank you Natasha that is all for now.” The bald headed guy said.

Natasha nodded, smiled at the siblings, and then quickly left the pair in the office. Clint and Emily stood side by side, Emily was still clinging to Clint’s hand. The man in the suit smiled at the pair before pulling out the chairs in front of the desk.

“Why don’t you two take a seat?” The man suggested.

“We’re good with standing.” Clint replied.

Both men gave a slight smirk before nodding their heads. Both of them moved so they were leaning against the desk and staring at the pair. Clint finally released Emily’s hand so he could follow suit in the intimidation game and crossed his arms over his chest. Emily instantly followed suit and the siblings stood staring back at the two men.

“I bet you two are wondering what you’re doing here?” The suited man asked.

The siblings said nothing.

“I’m Director Nick Fury and I run Shields.” Nick introduced himself.

“And I’m Agent Phil Coulson. I work for Shields as one of their top agents.” Phil said.

“We train only the best to become the world’s best agents.” Nick explained.

“So what does that have to do with us?” Clint asked.

“We’ve been tracking your two movements for awhile now. Shields’ radar has gone off and is definitely interested in having the two of you join them.” Phil explained.

“What exactly does all of that mean?” Clint asked them.

“Shields would like for you to come here and begin training with our specialized trainers. They would really like to see what you two are made of.” Nick said.

“You really need to start explaining more about what exactly this means.” Clint said.

“Both of you will be tested physically and mentally. There will be a lot of obstacles you’ll both be going through. Not only will you be trained to become one of our agents, but you’ll finish your schooling as well with some of the best teachers.” Phil told them.

“Clint, you may have quite the impressive archery skills and we want to improve those skills. Emily, even at a young age you know the inside and out of a computer. Your hacking skills are amazing that even our best people had a hard time following your trials as you hacked your way through whatever you were doing.” Nick explained.

“What exactly are you looking to get out of us in the end?” Clint asked.

“Shields likes investing in young agents. You’re easier to put undercover. Adults are more reluctant to let their walls down to kids. You’ll be able to gain their trust and get their secrets faster than any of our adult agents.” Phil told him.

“My sister has never had any of the training that I’ve had the past few years. She knows how to take care of herself, but nothing like it takes to be a spy. Plus, she’s literally just a kid.” Clint replied.

“We want your sister to be an agent and we’re not going to be stupid about this either. Your sister will get the proper training to be able to protect herself in any type of situation, but we won’t be training your sister for field work. All great teams need a brain behind the plans. We want to enhance your sister’s technology skills. Hone in on what she strives at. If you accept our help, Emily will become yours and your partner’s ‘it’ person. Emily will be in charge of your communication, your gadgets, weapons, locations, GPS’s, and any other behind the scenes help you’ll need.” Nick explained to him.

“If we accept this what is it going to look like for the two of us?” Clint asked.

“What do you mean?” Phil asked.

“I’ve been taking care of my sister since she was just a baby. I don’t want this training to take away from that. I don’t want to become so busy and caught up in this training that Emily takes a backseat. I am making it completely clear right now that Emily will come first no matter what. I will not put my own flesh and blood on the back burner. If we can’t be training together then I want to know where she is at all times. Emily must be able to have access to me at all times. Even if that means you have to pull me from the field. No matter how silly you think her request is she is granted it no matter what.” Clint said.

“Clint, we totally understand that your sister means everything to you. We aren’t trying to trick you into staying by saying that Emily will be trained as well. We are serious about that. Daily you’ll be given your sister’s itinerary and her where abouts. The same will go for Emily. You both will even receive pagers so if either of you need each other you’re just one call away. Shields is interested in the both of you. They won’t do anything to make you leave.” Nick replied.

“Can I have a few minutes to talk this over with my sister?” Clint asked.

“Of course. Director Fury and I will step on out and give you two a few minutes to talk.” Phil said.

Once alone the siblings turned to look at one another. Emily sat down with a sigh as Clint rubbed at his aching head. This was a lot of information to have to sift through. Finally, Clint dropped down next to Emily and rubbed at her back.

“What are we going to do, Clint?” Emily asked.

“They seem pretty serious about all of this Em.” Clint answered.

“So do we do this then?” Emily asked him.

“I don’t know. I mean I’d love to jump at this opportunity. This gets a roof over your head and hot food in your stomach, but can we trust them?” Clint explained.

“I’d like to think we can, Clint. Why would lie about all of this, you know?” Emily told him.

“But a life that is going to be dangerous isn’t really a smart thing to do.” Clint replied.

“So why don’t we stick through it long enough for all of the training we get. We can get well rested and become even stronger and smarter. Once we’re happy with our outcomes then we can bounce.” Emily suggested.

“They seemed to be the type of people to come after us.” Clint pointed out.

“We’ve been on the run for the past several months, Clint. We can do it all over again.” Emily said.

“Yeah, but look at how easily that Natasha girl was able to figure us out.” Clint said.

Emily fell quiet and bit her lip. “So then what do we do?”

“I think we should stay.” Clint told her.

“Okay.” Emily agreed and Clint gave her a curt nod in agreement.

The siblings stood. Emily went back to where she was standing before as Clint went to let the men know that they were ready to talk with them. Phil and Nick both came back to stand near the desk. They stared at the siblings. Emily looked up at Clint as he looked down at her. She gave him a small nod and he nodded back before turning back towards Phil and Nick.

“We accept.” Clint said.

Nick nodded. Phil broke out into a smile as he walked over to the siblings. He shook Clint’s hand and then surprising Emily, pulled her in for a hug. Emily stiffened in his arms as he pulled away.

“You’re going to be really happy here.” Phil said.

“We sure hope so.” Clint mumbled and Emily let out a sigh.

#Clint Barton #Barney Barton #original character #Emily Barton #MCU au #I bend things to my will because I can

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the-writerly-night-owl · 6 years ago

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Change in the Air

Open Heart/MC x Ethan Ramsey

Summary: Another run in with her leaves Ethan Ramsey and Clarissa’s relationship room to grow.

Authors Note: This is set after my story called “An Unconventional Meeting” but there’s only one reference to it just as a heads up. Also a suggestion from @radlovedreamer. I wanna know, should I write the smut/rated m follow up my last story where Ethan kisses her?

Taking a breath, Ethan Ramsey started toward the laundromat, it had been a long day. He really wished his apartment buildings had not flooded leaving him to find the nearest to the hospital. First find a cart and just sort out the laundry keeping himself from getting distracted. After finding said cart and securing a washer and a dryer at the end of the row did he find his borrowed library book. It was a historical nonfiction about a courtesan to Marc Antony and Julius Caesar seeking revenge. Well the book claimed to be historical nonfiction but never the less he was enjoying it.

It wasn’t until about halfway through the spin cycle did he notice that he was being watched.

“Well it appears that I’ve found the elusive doctor Ramsey in the wild. Doing his laundry,” said a voice as he looked up.

Across the way from his own was Doctor Clarissa Sinclaire as she grinned at him a small grin on her face. Small world running into her here at the laundromat of all places. Then awkwardly she pointed to a machine adding, “Do you know if this one is taken?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” he said before looking down at his book.

She nodded before starting to load up the free washer not even paying him any mind. Curious Ethan watched her wondering what she was doing. She had thrown everything except a few nondescript pieces of said laundry into the wash. Turned it to cold and let it run after sticking a tide pod in. That was a different way of doing it.

Clarissa didn’t even look up at him before taking out a book of her own. Curious he tried to get a good look at it. Of course, a cheesy romance book with a sunset on the cover. The two were quiet as they let the washer run.

Until finally she couldn’t take it her green eyes peering at him.

“Doesn’t your apartment have a laundry room?” she asked a bit abruptly. Right, she had seen his apartment before and could probably guess that they’d have the full services. Ethan looked up at her and to his surprise she had a deep flush on her face as she pushed her hair back from her face.

“Yea, it flooded and now everyone is trying to get their laundry done somewhere,” he said a bit off handedly. “What about yours?”

“Huh?” She was fanning herself with her book about something or another. “Uh unfortunately, no, I’ve been coming here since I moved here.”

Now even more curious he turned his head trying to figure her out. He had his mind off her once and could do it again. Her flush seemed to have finally reduced as he couldn’t help but ask. “Are you okay your face…”

“It’s nothing, there was a rather, uh, steamy scene in my book.”

Of course there was, he thought, not sure what to say. He went back to his book reading about her guard a man named Syphax. Clarissa turning another page of her book. It had remained quiet between them as other patrons came and went from the laundromat. Unfortunately, Ethan had too many clothes that he had to wash. Which also seemed to be the same for Clarissa.

That was when he noticed that she was watching everyone else too. Her book closed and phone in hand texting someone and giggling about it. Part of him wanted to see what it was and the other part paying attention to his book. The only way to do laundry was to wait it out.

Then there was the beep of the machine anyway that startled both. Their washers went off before going to change the load and… Wait, he thought, looking around for some more quarters. No, he only had the four!? Clarissa already had her dryer running as she looked at him with a soft smile. Things were a little awkward between them for some reason right now.

“Do you need more quarters?” she asked pulling out a bag with change in it.

“Thanks, I owe you Doctor Sinclaire.” Clarissa made her way to his machine and slid the change in. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I…”

“No, I don’t need money. I have something else that I want instead.”

The tone in her voice a little flirty and he wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but did her voice change? With that his eyebrows shot up wondering what else she would want. His mind shouldn’t have gone to straight something beyond friendship but something in him shifted. Clarissa only looked a little amused as she shook her head a little bit.

“Listen I just want us to get along. Since I’m helping you with Doctor Banerji I figured why don’t we start as friends. Like it or not I am your friend. We could get to know each other.”

Right friend. Part of him didn’t want to just be her friend. He wasn’t sure if that was just lust talking to not because clearly, he was imagining that tone in her voice change. He was happy to hear that she wanted to get closer on a personal level, although he’d never admit that out loud. Instead his blue eyes looking her up and down just as amused as her.

“You’re my friend,’ he said with a sigh admittedly a little dejected. The grin on his face was a giveaway however to mask any other feelings he might have. “What do you want to know?”

Clarissa thought about it for a minute before having something. “You said your parents never supported you being a doctor. What did they want you to do?”

Now that was getting a little more personal then he was thinking. “A lawyer.”

“Well you’re pretty stubborn. You can ask me anything if you want if you like.” She put the next load into the wash as he thought of something himself. Clarissa glanced down at his laundry as she laughed some before he hurriedly starting his next load after starting the dryer. She had to see his boxers.

“Do you treat all your friends like this?”

“Tease them? Yep, you should hear the thing that I say to my brother.”

“The one that has the kid that likes cake?”

“That’s the one.”

He thought back to the day that he ran into her with Ines, Zaid, and Harper. He brushed his hand against the washing machine as it felt cool against his skin. Clarissa had reached down to put her change back in her purse as he couldn’t help but admire the view. She had a nice round bottom, almost like an apple. Shut up, he thought, clearing his mind. He liked her because she saw him as a person. Part of him did have to admit that he was starting to feel sexually attracted to her.

She stood up taking in the curve of her back wondering what it might be like to touch her. Ethan took in a breath and let it out thinking of a new question to ask her. They exchanged a few more revealing little by little but not too much. It was nice to have someone to talk to about Dr. Banerji with.

“Doctor Ramsey. Listen there’s something that’s been bugging me a little since I’ve started to help you...” He nodded at her to continue as she bit her bottom lip. She was nervous about something. “I felt really bad about not being able to do much to make you feel better with Doctor Banerji and how you really don’t have anyone after Dolores. You looked so sad… and… what I’m trying to say is that can I give you a hug?”

She just wanted to hug him? Since they weren’t exactly at the hospital, on the clock, and nobody they really knew was around he supposed it was okay. The professional part of him said no but he found his head nodding.

Clarissa stepped closer to him already feeling a warmth that she radiated. Her arms slide around his torso in a comforting embrace. Smiling down at her his strong arms wrapped around her waist. Her chest pressed against his and her face just over his shoulder. She felt soft and the shampoo she used smelled like wildflowers, it was perfect. It would only get better if he kissed her. He didn’t want her hug end before she pulled away.

“Thank you for letting me do that.”

“Thank you, it felt nice.” Ethan’s smile on his face as she smiled back at him. “I have a request for you now.” Her green eyes blinked up at him before tugging at his shirt. Maybe this request wasn’t appropriate but he could put a restriction on it. “If we’re ever out of the hospital like this or alone, I wouldn’t get too upset if you called me Ethan.”

“You want me to call you by your first name more?” Her face changed as he noticed her features softened as she nodding. “Okay Ethan, you the permission to do the same with me.”

The washing machine went off before him before turning attention to it. It was going to take some getting used to as Clarissa found her change again for the machine. Ethan Ramsey couldn’t help it but admit it to himself. He was kind of excited.

Tag list: @queen-among-writers @flyawayboo @symonde @fluffy-cat-whisper @countrymusicandncis-blog @am-i-invisible777 @elainew13 @paisleylovergirl @brightpinkpeppercorn @universallypizzataco @princess-geek @darley1101 @itsbrindleybinch @mariamulroney @melodyofgraves @radlovedreamer

#ethan ramsey #dr. ethan #doctor ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #dr ramsey #doctor ramsey #dr ramsey x mc #dr. ramsey x mc #open heart #choices: open heart #choices open heart #choices oh #playchoices fanfiction #playchoices #choices you play #choices #choices stories you play #choices: stories you play

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travelingtheusa · 5 years ago

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ALABAMA

1 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We ran a bunch of errands today. Shopped at CVS, WalMart, Publix, the liquor store, and the post office. We also did laundry and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast while waiting for the clothes to finish. We had lunch at an Irish pub, too. They have a patio and we were able to eat outside. I guess that’s the new criteria for picking a place to eat. Our mail was forwarded from Texas and we received it with no problem. We went into the lodge and settled up our bar tab back from the day we were in there for the tornado. I called Memorial Sloan Kettering to have my medication shipped to me but the pharmacist said I had no refills. She would have to call the doctor to get authorization. She never called back so I’ll have to have it sent to me when we get to Indiana.

I finished my 2018 Travels slideshow but now I can’t seem to burn it to a CD. This is so frustrating! I will have to see if Best Buy can help.

We leave tomorrow. We will try to avoid big cities so we don’t run into the rioters that are out there protesting the murder of George Floyd. The country seems to be coming apart at the seams.

31 May 2020 (Sun) – We stayed around the campsite today. A gray dog is now in the yard next door along with one German shepherd. I sat down and wrote letters to the Human Society, the police department, the County Animal Control Division, and the local animal shelter. I hope they can save this dog.

30 May 2020 (Sat) – Paul discovered one of the tires on the RV was low. He filled it yesterday and it lost 10 pounds overnight. He took it off and brought it to a tire repair store. The mechanic said it was a bad valve and replaced it. Hope that does it.

We got to Zoom with Caiden and Miranda today. It was the first time using Zoom and turned out to be pretty easy to use. Travis has been facetiming or calling almost every day to check on us. I enjoy the contacts.

29 May 2020 (Fri) – I asked to have our mail forwarded. It should be Monday or Tuesday. We will leave as soon as we get the mail. We have to be up in Goshen, Indiana by June 8th. Paul wants to stop by Vanleigh Vilano in Tishamingo, Mississippi first so they can take a quick look at the slide out and confirm our problem is a warranty issue. Then it will be a fairly straight up to Indiana.

I picked up garbage along the back and side of the property line. We have spent over two months looking at the stuff and I couldn’t take it any more. I got two garbage bags full. I probably could have gotten three bags of garbage if I wanted to dig into the leaves.

Paul washed the truck and camper today. We are getting ready to move on.

28 May 2020 (Thu) – We took a ride to Sokol Park, the same one we went to with Bonnie a few days ago. But instead of going into the dog area, we hiked a trail through the woods. It was a short one but nice in the trees. It was after 11 a.m. and the sun was hot. Bonnie was soon panting heavily. We didn’t do much more than a mile.

After the park, we stopped at King’s Kitchen for lunch. It was a café with tables on a patio. We sat outside with Bonnie and ordered our meals. Bonnie enjoyed her burger very much. It was a very pleasant change of pace and the food was very southern. Unfortunately, we noticed that they were not wiping down the tables after use. A couple sitting at a table nearby got up and left but the table sat with no cleanup. When we finished, we wiped down our table and hands. Then used sanitizer when we got in the truck.

27 May 2020 (Wed) – We stayed around the camper today. Thunderstorms pummeled us most of the day, sending Sheba deep into the closet.

26 May 2020 (Tue) – Didn’t do much today. It rained most of the day. Paul worked on maps for the New York caravan. I worked on the slideshow for our 2018 travels. This is a very enjoyable project.

25 May 2020 (Mon – Memorial Day) – We had to go shopping today for pet food. Since we were out, we also went to the supermarket and picked up a few things. We also stopped at McDonalds for breakfast. I’ll bet the drive in places did especially well during this pandemic. People who don’t normally eat McDonalds or Wendys or Chick-Fil-A have gone there because delis and cafes have been closed.

Noah called to facetime with us. He’s so funny. I love talking to him. Travis had his in-laws over for a barbecue. His brother-in-law was supposed to come over but didn’t. We just hung around the camper for the rest of the day. The sun is so damn hot! It blazes bright, too. Anything light colored seems to reflect and magnify the sunlight. Walking outside during the day absolutely requires sunglasses. Walking the dog will be reduced to early morning and evening. I imagine the roadway/parking lot gets very hot for her paws. At the height of the day, it feels like standing in front of an oven. The sun is certainly more intense down here in the south. I rarely remember the sun feeling like this back up in New York.

24 May 2020 (Sun) – The day started out overcast and oppressive but cleared up later. I worked on creating a slideshow of our 2018 travels. Paul is still trying to get the 2017 slideshow he did to burn on a disc and make a copy of our 2016 adventures. The technology is very challenging.

23 May 2020 (Sat) – We stayed around the campground today. In the afternoon, thunderstorms rolled in and my phone was dinging with weather advisories. At 8:30 pm, I got another notice. Thinking it was another weather advisory, I half glanced at the notice then sat bolt upright. It was a Public Safety Alert that said “Escaped inmate seen in your area.” It then went on to describe the man. I went to the door and locked it. Paul as quite amused by my reaction.

22 May 2020 (Fri) - We slipped out early this morning and did laundry. There was one woman with a small child and a repairman in the laundromat. After the clothes went into the washer, we drove to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and brought it back to eat in the truck. There was a lot of traffic on the road. Seems like the whole state has opened up.

21 May 2020 (Thu) – We went to Home Depot today to pick up material for Paul to use in revising Sheba’s perch in the truck. The shelf he has for her now is just a little too small. The new one will accommodate her better. With her spinal issues, she can’t curl into a ball like most cats so we have to make the form fit her straighter posture when she lies down.

The parking lot was pretty full. When we entered, a worker with a cell phone said she had us. She was counting people as they entered the store and entering it into a program. When we exited, another worker counted us. One adds the number of people going in and the other subtracts the people going out. I guess they are keeping the number of people in the store at any one time to a maximum number. Most of the customers were not wearing masks. We wore ours and all the employees had masks on.

Governor Ivey held a press conference today. She announced the openings of businesses and the restrictions that will stay in place. She also said that people have to take personal responsibility for their own safety. I liked that. There are many people who are not at risk for the coronavirus and shouldn’t have to remain at home. Others, like us, are vulnerable and should take precautions to protect ourselves. That is just a fact of life.

There are two German shepherds in the yard of the house below us. Are these the original dogs that were there when we first arrived or two different dogs? Where have they been if they’re the same dogs? Does the guy have a business where he keeps his dogs for guard duty? Hmmm.

20 May 2020 (Wed) – We took a ride around the corner this morning and got the address of the house below us where the man was abusing the dog yesterday. If I see him doing anything like that again, I will call the police.

We took Bonnie and drove to Capitol Park. It contained the ruins of the capitol building that burned down in the late 1800s. I don’t know how you can make ruins attractive but the town somehow managed to do it. There were plaques all around telling the story of the buildings that used to be there. The park was small but neatly kept.

Then we drove to a dog park. It was almost 8 miles away (the UA Arboretum is still closed). It was a very nice park – large, grassy area with a concrete walkway around the perimeter of the park. It lets the owners walk while the dogs play. Unfortunately, there was dog crap all over the place. Apparently, people walk and talk on their cell phones and don’t pay attention to what their dog is doing. No one picks up after their dogs.

There was no sign of either of the dogs in the house below today. They were not out in the yard at all. I am distressed and at a loss at what to do. I think he killed the two dogs. When we first got here back in mid-March, there were 3 dogs in the yard (2 German Shepherds and a poodle) but I haven’t seen them in a while. The 2 that were in the yard yesterday looked like border collies (black and white). I don’t know if I am looking into the yard of a serial killer. I want to call someone but I don’t know who. To make it worse, Paul does not agree that there’s anything wrong and nixed my call. He thinks I have watched too many TV shows about killers.

19 May 2020 (Tue) – A new critter showed up next to our camper today! I was looking out the window when I caught sight of a small creature walking by. I thought it was one of the cats that walk through the area from time to time. There’s Blondie (a yellow tom), Tabby (a gray, striped tabby), and a black and white cat that we haven’t given a particular name to. Anyway, when I looked closer at the gray ball of fur I discovered it was a groundhog. It calmly walked along the edge of the grass, stopping to munch on the greens from time to time. After a while, it went into the bushes and disappeared.

I was very disturbed by an event that took place next door this afternoon. I was outside watching Sheba when I heard a dog screaming. Looking down into the yard of the house below us, I saw a dog running back and forth in terror. Thinking its friend (there were two dogs) was caught in something or facing off with a rattle snake, I strained to see what was going on. The trees and bushes have grown in pretty thick. What I witnessed horrified me! A man was wrestling with a dog who was screaming. Then the dog stopped screaming. The man was kneeling on the dog and smacking it. But the sound it made was not like anything I have ever heard before. It was a kind of popping sound. I yelled out, “Hey! That’s no way to treat an animal!” He stopped hitting the dog but remained kneeling on it. So I suggested that I was going to call the cops. He got up and went into the house but I never saw the dog get up. Later, the man walked back and forth to his shed a couple of times. Neither dog was seen again.

18 May 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping at Publix this morning. I really liked the assortment of choices. Maybe we’ll make this our regular store. We were both surprised with the amount of food we bought. We didn’t think we needed that much. The cost was over $300! At least they had steaks.

After shopping, we stopped at Another Broken Egg for breakfast. Sitting by the river, eating a scrumptious meal, was so delightful!

This afternoon, we saw a few cars parked over at the lodge. A guy in a pickup drove over and started talking with me while I was outside watching Sheba. He said they opened up today but he wasn’t going in. They never let us know what was going on. They put up signs on the door the last time they were here describing the circumstances of their reopening. One of them says “If you’re sick, don’t come in here!” I thought that was pretty funny. The other signs are just print outs from online that describe recommendations from the CDC and requirements from the Alabama Department of Health. It basically called for a reservation or call ahead system. Sounds restrictive to me.

15 May 2020 (Fri) – We drove to Moundville today and walked around the Archaeological Park. It is an historical area with 29 mounds built between 1200 and 1600 AD. The tallest mound was about 60’ high and had a great view of all the other mounds in the area. It was quite a climb up! Then we walked around the area. It was almost 1.5 miles. Good exercise.

Afterward, we drove around Moundville looking at the area. It is kind of depressed with a lot of run down, poor parts to the town. We bought lunch at McDonald’s then stopped in the ABC store and picked up a couple of bottles of liquor. It was good to get out again.

When we got back, there were several cars parked at the lodge. We thought it had opened but it was probably the officers who were meeting to discuss the best way to open the lodge, given the restrictions the state is putting on businesses. They were gone by 5 p.m.

14 May 2020 (Thu) – We bought breakfast at Chick-fil-A, then went to the laundromat, put the clothes in the washers, and sat in the truck to eat our meal. Clothes transferred from washer to dryer, we remained seated in the truck until it was done. One of the machines did not fully dry all the clothes and we put them back in for another 12 minutes. They still came out damp but we just took them home and spread them out to air dry.

When we pulled into the lodge parking lot, the neighbor’s dog was running loose (again). It had managed to slip out of its harness and was exploring our campsite. I chased it back to their RV. The lady didn’t even know the dog had escaped.

13 May 2020 (Wed) – We drove back to the Riverwalk this morning and had breakfast at Another Broken Egg Café. We were the only people on the deck when we arrived but were joined by other couples as they arrived and chose to eat outside, too. The meal was excellent and Bonnie especially enjoyed her scrambled egg. When we were done, we walked the Riverwalk to the end and back. There was a visitor’s center on the route and Paul stopped in to get some brochures on the area. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much and the clerk wound up telling Paul to go online.

We ran out of propane two nights ago. He went out today and got a refill.

12 May 2020 (Tue) – We put Bonnie in the truck and drove to the Riverwalk. It was a very nice walk and the park was very nicely maintained and there were many people walking/running/biking on the trail. We came across Another Broken Egg (a breakfast place) along the trail. We will have to go there for breakfast. Parking is limited to just one hour so we’ll have to take a shorter walk if we stop to eat. They are pet friendly so we could bring Bonnie and let her have breakfast out, too. She’ll love that!

When we arrived back at the lodge, a red SUV turned into the parking lot in front of us, drove to the back where our RV is parked, then left. It looked like the same inspector who was here yesterday. He had another man in the car. Was this his boss on a field trip? We’ll find out.

11 May 2020 (Mon) – Another very warm day. Summer is around the corner! Someone was working around the lodge in the morning. We went food shopping this morning. We also stopped in two CVS stores to pick up hand sanitizer. We still can’t find Wet Ones (hand wipes). At least, everyone seems to have worked out the toilet paper issue as everyone has it in stock.

A man came onto our site today claiming to be an inspector with the County. Someone complained about us being here. He says there is no camping authorized here. We pointed out that the hookups are not new; that they’ve been here for many years. He dismissed our argument. We had a very pleasant conversation. He is originally from Elmira, New York and was sympathetic to our situation. When I asked if he was going to evict us, he said no. He also recommended that we take a walk along the Riverwalk on the Alabama University Campus down the road. We’ll try it tomorrow.

10 May 2020 (Sun-Mother’s Day) – The weather is getting hot. It starts out cool in the morning in the high 40s/low 50s but then the sun comes up and it burns hot. It must be because we are closer to the equator that the sun feels so intense.

Folks have been working in the Elks Lodge all day. Maybe it means the place is getting ready to open. At 5 p.m. Paul went out to Olive Garden and picked up a meal for us to share. It was delicious!

9 May 2020 (Sat) – We ran out of milk today. We walked next door to the Dollar General and picked up a quart of milk. All the stores in the strip mall were open. When we drove into town the other day, Paul noted that the mall was open. JC Penny’s was not open but the rest of the mall was. Guess the state is starting to open up. People are demonstrating in other states and a woman was arrested for opening her hair salon in spite of state directed orders to remain closed. It’s starting to get hairy out there!

We have been going back and forth with Jon Katin of the SMART Travel Committee. They want us to put a cost to the NY caravan. Most of the campgrounds don’t open until Memorial Day and many websites just say they are closed due to the pandemic. They offer no information on prices. We will have to wait until we can physically get up to New York to get the costs. In the meantime, we have developed a caravan for 8 days in Reading, PA for the WWII Reenactment. I sent that to Jon. He is afraid that there are not enough travelers to fill all the caravans that being offered (5 of them). How funny is that? They were concerned about getting enough caravans and wagon masters to offer caravans. Now, they’re afraid they can’t fill them all.

8 May 2020 (Fri) – It rained most of the day. Paul picked up dinner from the Olive Garden tonight. It was a pleasant change. The food was good. I finished the slideshow. Once Paul has had a look at it, I’ll start one for 2017.

7 May 2020 (Thu) – I think I am living Groundhog Day. The past three mornings I have gotten up, the clock has read the exact same time: 6:54 a.m. Weird, huh? I have just about finished the slideshow for our 2016 travels.

6 May 2020 (Wed) – We went out early this morning to do laundry. There were already a couple of people in the laundromat. After putting the wash in the machines, we sat in the car and ate our Chick-Fil-A breakfasts. Then we went in to put the clothes in the dryer, then sat in the car playing with our iPad and iPhone. When the laundry was done, we stopped at CVS on the way home to pick up hand sanitizers. We both went in and got one bottle each.

Two dogs from the neighbor came into our campsite this afternoon and left deposits. I had had enough!

I walked over and asked the lady to please keep their dogs on a leash. I was pleasant; said “Please” and “Thank You” but was firm. She said they run out when she opens the door. I asked that she not let them do that. Let’s see if my request holds.

5 May 2020 (Tue) – Since I have to sign for my medicine and UPS would be delivering it to the lodge, I sat outside all morning waiting for the truck to arrive. At noon, two jets screamed overhead twice. They were part of the Thunderbirds/Blue Angel Thank You tour they are doing around the country to show support for all the medical people who have worked so hard during this coronavirus pandemic. I don’t know why we only got two planes when they usually fly in a group of five.

Finally, at 1:00 pm, Paul drove to the local Mexican restaurant and picked up lunch for us. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we celebrated with margaritas and burritos. While Paul was out, the UPS truck arrived. I got my medicine, Paul returned with the food, and everything was fine.

Our neighbor, whom we thought was leaving, is still here with his wife. I guess they just went through spring cleaning around his rig. They remain aloof and unfriendly.

4 May 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping at Winn Dixie this morning. Besides the cashier, there were very few people wearing masks. Boy. I don’t know how people can work in those things all day long. It gets so hot and mine keeps sliding up into my eyes. I think my mask is too big for my face.

I called Memorial Sloan Kettering this afternoon and ordered a refill for my medication. They said they would overnight the refill to me.

3 May 2020 (Sun) – We tried walking a new route this afternoon. We crossed the road onto a small country road that parallels the main road as well as the train tracks. It has less traffic. We came to an intersection and turned right, intending to go to a park just up the road. Unfortunately, it is still closed. The entire walk was about half an hour. As long as our usual walk but not as intense. The hill had a more gentle slope that the hills into either the apartment complex or the Elks lodge.

2 May 2020 (Sat) – Our neighbor is still here. We thought sure that he would leave today but he hasn’t. His wife is still here with their 3 dogs. One dog keeps getting loose and running over to our area. It wants to play with Bonnie so badly. I feel sorry for it. I also feel angry at the couple that can’t seem to get their dog under control. This lodge is on a very busy road and if their dog chooses to run to the road instead of over to us, it will not survive the experience.

1 May 2020 (Fri) – We see that our camper’s wife is here. Maybe she came to help him pack up. He had a motorcycle which he took away in his work truck and did not bring back. We never saw him ride it so maybe it was borrowed from someone at work or he was just holding it for someone.

30 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We drove into town today to get pet food. While out, we stopped for lunch at McDonald’s then picked up bourbon and “43” at the liquor store.

The other camper parked here in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge is packing up. We’re guessing his work assignment is up and he is leaving tomorrow.

I paid bills this afternoon. I also have been working on gathering input for the Nomads chapter newsletter as well as still collecting pictures for a slideshow of our 2016 travels.

29 Apr 2020 (Wed) – Took two walks along our usual route. Got in 2 miles plus whatever else we put in while watching the cat play outside.

28 Apr 2020 (Tue) – The Exalted Ruler of the Lodge stopped by today. I was outside watching Sheba when a van pulled up to the dumpster and the guy got out to put garbage in the dumpster. I waved so that the man would know I was watching him. He got back in the van and drove over. It turned out he was the ER. He introduced himself and said he appreciated our offer to paint the lines in the parking lot but they already were working on having somebody do that. He did give Paul permission to take down some piping they had put up a couple of years ago for a fair. It took Paul all of a half hour to do that project.

I started my next video project by putting all our pictures from 2016 into a slide show. We have been to many places!

27 Apr 2020 (Mon) – Our big adventure to Piggly Wiggly was a disappointment. The store appears to be big but there selections were small and they carried a lot of unknown brands. We had to finish off our shopping list at Winn Dixie.

After dropping off the foodstuff at the RV, we went to the laundromat and got our clothes washed. And such was our big day in town.

26 Apr 2020 (Sun) – The lodge secretary was helping a member today. She saw me sitting outside in the camp chair and drove over to introduce herself. Her 90-year old mother was visiting from upstate New York when the virus hit so she is still here in a very extended visit.

Sheba certainly is enjoying all the time she gets outside. With us home all the time now, Bonnie and Sheba get lots of outdoor time.

25 Apr 2020 (Sat) – Still hunkered down. Noah called this morning to say thanks for his books. I bought him 3 books because Travis said he would like them. Apparently he had one of that type and just tore through it. He does love to read! The books are called “Everything You Want to Know About . . .” then there was “Math,” “English,” and “History.” I also bought books for Hudson and Lincoln. I also bought their parents ink and paper in order to be able to continue entertaining/home schooling the kids.

I am surprised by how cool the weather remains. I thought that Alabama was one of those hot southern states. It’s been in the high 40s, low 50s every morning. Doesn’t get up past the 70s. Although the sun burns hot on your skin. I guess it has to do with being closer to the equator.

24 Apr 2020 (Fri) – Nothing much going on. Noah, our grandson, has learned how to call us on FaceTime. He calls between 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. to talk about whatever he’s doing. He’s such a happy, upbeat personality. I love talking to him. He makes me laugh so much.

23 Apr 2020 (Thu) – Thunderstorms came in last night. There is so much rain here. There are flash flood warnings everywhere. Luckily, we are on high ground with no water bodies nearby so we don’t have to worry about that. I am surprised that with all the rain, there aren’t more puddles. They have an incredible drainage system in the area.

22 Apr 2020 (Wed) – We had rain a good part of the day. Hunkering down for rain tonight. Thunderstorms are on the way again. These storms seem to roll through about every 3 or 4 days.

21 Apr 2020 (Tue) – Nothing happening here. Took our daily walk. Talked with our son and his family. Noah has learned how to dial us up on FaceTime and calls when the urge grabs him. He is so funny. I thoroughly enjoy his calls.

20 Apr 2020 (Mon) – Another storm system came through yesterday. It rained for 20 hours. I usually enjoy thunderstorms. I like to watch the lightning flash in the sky and feel the rumbling of thunder in my bones. But these storms come with warnings of tornados and that scares me. Of all the weather systems that can happen, tornados scare me the most. I tried calling Malissa from the lodge but her phone kept saying the person “is not accepting calls at this time.” That was very unsettling. She is proving to be a very unreliable person. She said she would come down on Tuesday to cook a dinner but never showed. That was the second time she did that. And then not being available when a potential emergency was looming? Hmmmm. Fortunately, no tornados came our way.

We went into town today to get pet food at Pet Smart. Then we drove around looking for a Piggly Wiggly but wound up shopping at a Publix. They have traffic signs on the floor directing one way movement in the aisles. There was also a thick Plexiglas sheet between the cashier and customers. This is a new world. Next time we’ll shop at a Piggly Wiggly. The excitement of new adventures! We stopped at a Taco Casa for lunch. The food wasn’t bad but I think I like Taco Bell better.

The man from Wyoming left. I guess that when I told him someone from the lodge would be down to open up the building in the event of a tornado watch, he was scared off – either because he realized his free stay was over or he just didn’t want to endure a tornado.

There is a residential area behind us on the other side of bushes and fences. One of the neighbors had a party Saturday night. They barbecued food, played games, listened to music, and just plain had a great time with family and friends. People are really starting to defy stay-in-place orders. There were lots of cars on the road when we drove around today. Paul thought it was because it was later in the day (we usually go out first thing in the morning). Maybe.

19 Apr 2020 (Sun) – We watched the church service back home in Islip this morning. A very talented young man, Christian, played the trumpet. It was mesmerizing! I am glad they have been able to set up these digital services.

We were able to FaceTime with our son, Travis, and his family. Noah is just the happiest and most lively child. He always makes me giggle. Hudson wants to talk but gets embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say. He has to be drawn out and given prompting. What a difference between the two boy’s personalities. I am looking forward to discovering Lincoln.

Miranda sent a picture of Caiden with a missing tooth. He lost his first tooth. Unfortunately, he swallowed it while eating a PBJ sandwich. I remember swallowing a tooth while eating watermelon.

18 Apr 2020 (Sat) – I got a message from CVS in Valrico, Florida, yesterday saying that Paul’s prescription was ready for pickup. I called and arranged to transfer it to the CVS right by us here in Alabama. We got a text message an hour later saying his prescription was all set. We drove to the store and got his medications, then had lunch at Bojangles. Picked up our order at the drive thru and brought it home.

We haven’t seen anything of our new neighbor. He has a motorcycle rather than a car in tow and it’s been gone every day, all day. With everything closed, I wonder where he goes. His RV is in really bad condition. It is clear that he does not have a lot of money. We think he pulled in here and stayed longer than he said he was going to because it’s free (he was just looking for a place to pull over for the night). There is no one here to collect any money.

Paul’s sister, Joan, called today. We did Facetime with them. Joan & Peter are in the RV boondocking with her son’s family; Adam, Diane, and Devin (and the dogs). Adam gave us a 360 degree shot of the surrounding area. There are a few RVs parked out there in the desert. It is the epitome of social isolation.

Another weather system is headed this way tomorrow. It will start in the morning but the worst part won’t hit until the late afternoon/early evening. I hope Malissa is around to let us in the lodge. She has proven to be a less than reliable person.

17 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We went out early this morning to do laundry. Nobody in the laundromat was wearing a mask except us. I can’t figure this out. The folks in the post office were mad at me for not wearing a mask. The people in the grocery story were a mixed group – some wearing masks and some not. Nobody in the laundromat was wearing a mask. It is very confusing.

16 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We ran out of propane during the night so we went out to buy some. While we were out, we stopped at Wendy’s for lunch. Then we drove around the nearby town of Cottondale looking at homes around Canyon Lake. It really was in a small canyon with a very small lake. The homes were all very nice; built of light colored brick.

Another camper pulled in tonight. His license plates are from Wyoming but he says he is a full-timer who does work kamping around the country. He pulled a motorcycle out of his RV, which he uses to get around. I didn’t spot anybody else with him but he put two camp chairs out. Maybe it’s an invitation for someone to join him?

15 Apr 2020 (Wed) – CVS gets their shipments on Wednesday so we went out to get some hand sanitizer today. The first CVS had none so we drove down the road to a 24-hour store and they had some. I wanted to buy two bottles but everyone is limited to one bottle per person. So I bought one and then had Paul go in to buy one. So I got my two bottles.

We also went food shopping at Winn Dixie. About half the people in the store wore masks. We wore our masks for the first time. It is very uncomfortable and keeps pushing up into my eyes. Accordingly, I kept pulling my mask down. Isn’t the drawback to wearing masks that you touch it?

13 & 14 Apr 2020 (Mon & Tue) – Just hanging out around the campground.

12 Apr 2020 (Sun – EASTER) – There was no rain when we woke this morning. We left the bedroom slide pulled in but opened up the living room and kitchen. The animals – Sheba in particular – are distressed with the rooms are pulled in. I guess they don’t like change. We took a walk in the morning then hunkered down waiting for the storms hit in the afternoon.

At about 5:30 pm, the possibility of tornados was being reported on the weather channel. We called Malissa from the Elks Lodge and she came down to open up the building. She and her boyfriend, David, Paul and I along with Bonnie and Sheba all sat inside watching the weather channel for an hour. Finally, the weatherman indicated that tornadic activity was calming down as far as what was headed in our direction. We returned to the camper and Malissa and David went home. An hour later, Malissa called to say they were on the way back to the lodge because a tornado was on the ground. The news said nothing about it. We grabbed the animals and our go bag and ran to the lodge amid fire sirens going off and my phone beeping in with warnings to find shelter immediately. The sky opened up and it rained so hard, you couldn’t see the camper from the deck of the lodge. A tornado touched down about 13 miles north of us in a mobile home park (they always go for the trailers!). After two hours, the news (again) said there were no more tornados headed in our direction. With that, we said good night and returned to the trailer. It was an exciting night.

11 Apr 2020 (Sat) – We took our walk around the usual route twice today. For dinner, Paul ran out and picked up KFC. We are preparing for severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado tomorrow. Paul will pull in the slides tonight and park the truck under some trees to minimize hail damage.

10 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We drove to the post office first thing this morning. We arrived at 8:15 a.m. only to discover that they didn’t open until 9:00 a.m. We then took a quick trip to a nearby bank to get some money at the ATM. It is amazing how little we think of all the things we touch in a day. Now that we are so much more aware of infection, every little thing seems like a threat – doorknobs, countertops, desks, keypads, shopping bags, money, etc. It’s become a very scary world!

9 Apr 2020 (Thu) - It was another trip to the outside world today. We needed to send off an Easter package to the grandkids so it was a stop at the post office. That was an adventure in itself. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. It looked longer than it actually was because people were leaving 6 to 8 feet between them and the person in front of them. There were 9 people in front of us. The line moved very slowly and it was a half hour before we got to the desk. There was only one clerk working. She explained that one of the employees caught the virus so they shut the place down. All the meters and registers were off. She was working with something like a smart phone. Nothing could be metered. She could only accept flat rate items and she could not accept cash; payment by card only. I got to send off the two packages but was not able to mail off our taxes.

We stopped at CVS and Walgreens to see if they had any hand sanitizer. Neither did. There were some food trucks out so we stopped for lunch at a Mexican Taco truck. The food was terrible and they used the wrong kind of cheese. We won’t do that again! While out, we also stopped at an ABC Store – a state run liquor store. Actually, two stores. The first store only had one bottle of Red Stag and no 43. The owner called over to another store and found they had what we wanted so we drove there and bought another bottle of Red Stag and a bottle of 43.

At 6 p.m., we fired up the iPad and tuned into the Islip Methodist Church Maundy Thursday service. There was only the pastor, the organist, and our cousins – Lee and Donna – performing the service. It was communion so we poured some wine and broke off some bread and followed along with the service. It seemed weird to be reading the response while sitting in our living room.

8 Apr 2020 (Wed)

– We stayed in today. I counted the cars on one of the freight trains that go by every day. There were a hundred cars on it. It’s amazing that so many of those very heavy cars can be moved at one time.

7 Apr 2020 (Tue) – We ventured out today. First stop was at the laundromat to put the laundry in the wash. Next stop was at Winn Dixie where we picked up groceries. We went back to the trailer to put away the food. Then it was back to the laundromat to move the wash to the dryers. We then went to Chick-Fil-A for a late breakfast. Then it was back to the laundromat to collect our clothes. Paul brought in a wipe and wiped down the table we folded the clothes on. We put on gloves everywhere we went but we did not wear face coverings. Last night, President Trump asked the nation to voluntarily wear face masks to continue fighting the coronavirus. The number of infections are falling, thanks to the people who are complying with the CDC guidance to self-isolate (most states have imposed lockdowns and curfews), practice social distancing, and wash your hands. Over a million people have been infected worldwide with thousands of deaths. It is amazing how infectious this virus is. It is in 184 countries now. The world truly is a mobile place.

6 Apr 2020 (Mon) – UPS delivered my medicine from New York today. I put a sign on the mailbox telling the UPS driver to bring the package to us in the RV. Paul happened to be up on the roof when the driver pulled in and waved the guy over. He spent several minutes arguing with me about why he shouldn’t give me the package. It was addressed to the Elks, but my name was also on the envelope. He told me he was supposed to give it to the lodge, not us in back. If we need to have mail sent to us here, we should ask the lodge to assign us a lot number. After going back and forth, he finally gave me the package. When I said I was supposed to sign for it, he said they are not allowing anyone to touch the pad. He signed for me.

As I was sitting outside waiting for the UPS driver to arrive, someone from the lodge drove over to check on us. She said they were going to have wings and beer tomorrow. I told her we would have some, too. Weird. Aren’t they supposed to remain closed with the 24-hour curfew in place?

5 Apr 2020 (Sun) – We tuned in on Facebook and watched the church service back home in Islip. The picture was dark like they didn’t turn the lights on. Maybe they’re trying to save money.

3 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We opened the package my sister sent. It included mostly supplements I had ordered and sent to her because UPS won’t deliver to us here. She repacked my orders and sent them in one big box.

Paul took the fifth-wheel hitch off and worked on sanding it. He’ll repaint it and make it look all nice again. I worked on getting our taxes done.

2 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We drove to the UPS store to pick up a package my sister mailed to us. We placed it in the bed of the pick up to sit overnight. We will open it tomorrow.

Since we were out already, we stopped at Freddy’s for lunch. It was ok. After we got our food at the drive-up window, we parked and walked over to their outside tables to eat our meal. There was a sign on the table saying that their outside dining area was closed. We walked back and sat in the truck to eat.

After lunch, we drove to three different liquor stores looking for our favorite liquor. They were all small and had none of our choices in their selection. The bigger stores are the ABC Liquor Stores but they are all closed. We think they are state run. We will have to make do with the wine we can pick up in the supermarket until things open up again.

At 6 p.m. I called a nearby Mexican restaurant to order a meal for pick up. The website said that due to the volume of calls they get, they added a second number. They failed to say that second number was at another location. When Paul drove to the restaurant, they did not have our order. After he left, apparently that restaurant called their other site and found our call had gone there. We worked out the misunderstanding, replaced our order, and was able to pick it up. Besides the food, we got a half gallon of margaritas. A bottle of Jose Cuervo and a container of margarita mix were included in the order. It looks like we could probably get 8 glasses out of it!

1 Apr 2020 (Wed) – Just hung out today. Took two walks along our now familiar circle of across the parking lot of the lodge, across the parking lot of the strip mall next door, up the hill around the apartment complex, and back to the camper.

31 Mar 2020 (Tue) – We ventured out today wearing plastic gloves. Didn’t see many people with face masks. Went food shopping at Winn Dixie. They have designated 7 to 8 a.m. for seniors and 8 to 9 a.m. for first responders. There was no one at the door checking IDs so I guess anyone could go in if they want to. Then we drove to Pet Smart for pet food. Next door was The Fresh Market. We went in to get some fresh produce. On the way back, we stopped at a CVS. Everywhere we go, I look for hand sanitizer but we can’t find any – all sold out. I wound up buying a nasal saline wash. Each time we go out, we will use the nasal wash and gargle with salt water.

30 Mar 2020 (Mon) – It rained most of the day. We finally finished scanning all the photo albums into the computer. The trains riding by blow their whistles and fill me with longing to move on. We have been here now for 14 days. The governor of Alabama instituted a 24 hour curfew. Apparently, the 10 p.m. curfew didn’t work. Teenagers were hanging out at gas stations since the bars are closed. Someone got shot so now everyone is in lockdown. Crazy!

29 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Adventure abounds! I have just returned from two days in the hospital. What happened, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

We were hiking in the woods at Harris Lake in Tuscaloosa. We were about a mile in on the trail, stopped at a dam and sitting by the stream. I suddenly got very shaky, my vision dimmed, and I complained of a severe headache. Paul tells that I then lost my memory. I had no idea where we were, where we have been, or even that there is a virus ravaging the country.

We hiked back out of the woods (I don’t remember any of it), got in the truck, and drove to the nearest hospital. I “came to” during the ride in the truck where Paul was telling me I had an episode. He thought I had a stroke. First stop was at a VA hospital but they didn’t have an emergency room so we were directed to a civilian hospital down the road.

There was a person sitting at a desk outside the entrance to the emergency room dressed in a gown, cap, gloves, and mask. She put me in a wheelchair and brought me inside. Paul was not allowed to enter the hospital. After being checked in at the desk, I was wheeled into the emergency room. Almost all of the staff was gowned and wearing face masks. They drew blood and sent me for a chest x-ray and found nothing. The doctor wanted an MRI but they couldn’t get me scheduled until the next day so I agreed to be admitted for the night. Paul was still not allowed in the hospital so the staff advised him of what was happening.

The experience in the hospital was unsettling. First, I was placed in a room all by myself. The doors to all rooms on the floor were kept closed at all times. Only one staff person at a time was allowed in patient rooms and contact was kept to a minimum. I spent hours behind closed doors feeling like I had been forgotten about. I got an MRI of the brain and they took more blood. A doctor came by to say everything was normal and left to see when the neurologist was going to come by. Next thing I knew, a nurse came in and said I was being sent for an ultrasound of the carotid arteries. The nurse said I was also scheduled for an echo cardiogram but she didn’t know when it would happen. It turned out later that it would be the next day so I had to stay another night in the hospital.

At 6:00 a.m. this morning, they took me down for the cardiogram. A neurologist and his P.A. showed up later to say all the tests returned normal. There was nothing on the brain MRI, the EKG, the cardiogram, the x-ray, or the bloodwork to explain what happened. The good news was that there is nothing big that is wrong with me. It’s possible I suffered a TIA, which, as he explained it, is a kind of catch all diagnosis when they don’t really know what happened. He recommended that I follow up with a neurologist and a cardiologist after I get out of the hospital.

I was finally given the all clear and discharged at 2 p.m. Paul had to pull up to the entrance (all entrances were closed except one), check in with the security guard, call up to the room to tell me he was there, then wait for me to be brought out. I then had to call the nurse’s desk and ask for a transporter to take me downstairs. It took more than half an hour for someone to show up. Paul was entertained while he waited for me. A guy came out of the hospital to get some food from a truck parked outside. When he tried to go back into the hospital, the security guard refused to let him in. Yelling and shouting ensued. People showed up and the crowd grew as the guy tried to get back into the hospital. Apparently, he was a patient and kept yelling he was not going to stay. Finally, a supervisor came out and allowed the man in. A few minutes later, he exited the hospital with his belongings. They don’t fool around down here!

When I was wheeled out, I told Paul not to touch me. I had instructed him to spray the seat with Lysol before I sat down. When we got back to the trailer, I stripped naked standing outside in front of the stairs then went directly into the shower. While I scrubbed down, Paul washed my clothes and sprayed down my purse and shoes. I hope we got all the spores I might have brought back with me. Only time will tell. It is good to be home.

26 Mar 2020 (Thu) – There are some railroad tracks across the road from the lodge. Several freight trains roll by every day. I saw an Amtrak passenger train barrel through one day. I don’t know if they go by on a regular basis. I guess they do. I just don’t see them. I hear the train whistles and rumbles often.

There is a small strip mall with six shops next door. The only shop open is Subway. Next to that is a small child care center. It was closed when we first arrived but there were children in there today. I don’t know if they have reopened or if they are only watching children of health care workers. They were all little tykes, somewhere between 2 and 5.

Next to the child care center and up a small hill is an apartment complex. At least once a day, we walk past the shops and child care center, up the hill, and around the parking lot of the complex. I don’t think it amounts to more than a total of one mile but at least it’s a little bit of exercise.

The name of the child care center is Little Roll Tide Academy. There are a lot of businesses around here with the word “Tide” in them. Apparently, the U of Alabama has a team called Crimson Tide and the team chant is Roll Tide. I don’t get it but then again, I don’t live here or go to the games. I guess the locals find it reassuring.

25 Mar 2020 (Wed) – Paul read that Winn Dixie is restricting the first hour to shopping by senior citizens. He thought the time was 7 to 8 a.m. but when we got there, it turned out to be 8 to 9 a.m. So we drove down to a laundromat and threw the laundry in the machines. What a rip off! The machines were $4.50 each, but another $0.50 for hot water for the whites. Then the dryers were $0.25 for six minutes. I think it was the smallest load we’ve ever washed for the most money. One washer wound up sucking our money and we had to spend another $5.00. The attendant couldn’t do anything about it. She is not authorized to give refunds.

Between washing and drying, we went to Winn Dixie for groceries. There were a few seniors there when we went in - most of them wearing face masks. The shelves were, for the most part, well stocked. The cleaning aisle was half empty and the cashier was limiting purchases to either Lysol spray or Clorox wipes but not both. They had no hand sanitizer.

We also stopped in to Walgreens so I could get batteries for my hearing aid. They had no hand sanitizer either.

24 Mar 2020 (Tue) – It turns out the lilac tree is wisteria and it is growing all over the place. Looks so nice. It is tough to just sit here day in and day out. There is no sidewalk on the highway so we can’t take long walks. Even Bonnie is getting bored with walking circles around the parking lot. Paul looked up a nearby park but when we drove there, we found it closed. I went to Trip Advisor and found a county park then I called to be sure they were open and dogs were allowed. The answer was YES to both. We drove a half hour to Lake Lurleen State Park. It has 1,625 acres of hiking trails, camping, and water activities (but no boat rentals for now). We walked a trail. Bonnie lasted about 25 minutes then got too tired to go on (we were on a 4-mile loop trail). It was nice to get out in the woods and smell the pine and hear the birds.

On the way back, we stopped for lunch at Bojangles (a chicken place). We both had fried chicken and fries. The times, they are a-getting’ desperate!

23 Mar 2020 (Mon) – There is a beautiful lilac tree in the back of the parking lot next door. The trees are starting to bud. Spring is not affected by the virus. Luckily, neither are we. The statistics say that Alabama is the third lowest state to have the virus, so it is a good place to be. I pray for our friends and family every day. It is maddening not to be there to watch over them.

22 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Well, we finished up the Longmire series. Now we will start watching the videos we have been carrying around with us. Some are good; some not so good.

21 Mar 2020 (Sat) – We are binge watching the Longmire series. We bought the entire six seasons a few weeks ago and will now finish it off. Other than that, it’s watching the daily news briefings about the coronavirus on TV, walking the dog, and hanging out. Cabin fever is already starting to set in.

20 Mar 2020 (Fri) – We ventured out to shop today. First, we went to Vowells Fresh Market. The produce seemed old. Many of the shelves were empty, especially the cleaning supplies aisle. We both wore plastic gloves. The cashier did not have any gloves on. I thanked her for working during this crisis. She admitted she is very scared.

We then drove to the nearby grocery, The Fresh Market. It was more like the health food stores back home. It had a fresher, better stocked look to it. The produce was fresh and most of the shelves were full. There was a delightful deli section with salads. That cashier wasn’t wearing any gloves either. I guess they’re not as concerned here.

After shopping, we drove around the area to see what stores are around. There are quite a few. This is a built up area and it doesn’t look like we will have any problems shopping for what we need. I stopped in a GNC shop looking for zinc sulfate and nasal saline but they had neither. We also stopped at a CVS but they didn’t have any either. One of the clerks was wearing a mask and gloves. Made me feel a little more justified for our caution. Silly, isn’t it?

We have been watching the daily news briefings by the Coronavirus Task Force. Each day, more action is being taken to try to counter the spread of the virus. It is amazing how far and wide this thing has spread around the world. It will have to run its course. I initially thought it would go away when the warm weather arrived but it’s starting to look like that won’t happen. They’re predicting it will take 18 months to clear up. They also revealed that men have twice the mortality rate as women for those who have died. How depressing!

19 Mar 2020 (Thu) – It was a quiet day. I would have preferred to stay in the Army Corps of Engineers campground in Montgomery among the moss covered trees and the lazy river. It would have been more in commune with nature. Instead, we are camped in a parking lot at a closed lodge on a busy highway. At least there are several stores close by. On one side is a small strip mall with a Subway, an insurance company, a nail salon, and a child care center. On the other side is a larger mall with a grocery store called Vowells Fresh Market. Next to that is another supermarket called The Fresh Market. On the corner at the traffic light is a Walgreens and across the street is a Winn Dixie and a CVS. There are some eateries and other small businesses. Many of the small businesses have signs on the door that say they are closed until March 31. The news said Governor Cuomo in New York has directed ALL nonessential businesses to close for two weeks. That means Travis & Sam and Miranda & Kenny are out of work. Well, maybe not Kenny. He works at a beer distributor that also sells food. Maybe they will stay open. What a mess!

18 Mar 2020 (Wed) – We called the campground to see if we could extend our stay for two weeks only to be told the campground is closed. Everyone is being allowed to stay when they paid through to, but then must leave. No extensions. Since today was our check out date, we were literally kicked out.

We packed up and left Montgomery at 9:45 a.m. The drive was pleasant and uneventful. We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Tuscaloosa at 12:15 p.m. There are 9 campsites along the site of the lodge on the grass with full hookups. Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), there was a sign on the door that says the lodge is closed until further notice. This is in line with all the other notices that have been flooding my phone for days. Schools are closed, restaurants are only serving take out, colleges have switched to online classes, all federal and most state campgrounds are closed, and some states have called out the National Guard to help with the crisis. Today, the president invoked the Defense Production Act, an act of wartime activity. It authorizes him to have manufacturing ramp up to make required products to combat an enemy. In this case, the corona virus. It’s crazy!

17 Mar 2020 (Tue) – Took a quick foray out to get fuel in the truck. On the way back, we stopped at a fruit and vegetable stand to pick up a few things. The man staffing the small booth was very old with just a few teeth. He had a heavy southern accent and was hard to understand. I bought 2 oranges, 2 sweet potatoes, and a watermelon.

At the entrance to the road leading to the campground stands a Dollar General store. We stopped in there and found toilet paper on the shelf. We picked up a pack as well as a few other items then returned to the campground. Later, we cooked burgers and corn on the cob for dinner and sat by a delightful fire as the sun set. What a great campground this is! The lazy river drifts by, the trees are covered in Spanish moss, and there are lots of trees and few campers. We could spend the next month here.

16 Mar 2020 (Mon) – Johnny & Linda packed up and left this morning. It seems empty now. We are just sitting around listening to the birds and watching the lazy river drift by. I know we are safe from the craziness of the coronavirus panic going on elsewhere in the world, but it kind of feels surreal. Kind of like we are the survivors of an apocalyptic event. We are the only survivors and we have run away to a safe place to hide from the zombies. That’s what we get for watching all those science fiction movies for years.

15 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Linda made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Then we went into Prattville for lunch at Hooters. Johnny has a hood of a race car (it’s really a plastic replica) where he has gone around to different Hooters and gotten the girls to sign it. So he brought the hood in and had the girls all sign it. They started out hesitant to do it but by the end of lunch, they were all enthusiastic and amused by his project. I didn’t care much for their food but the margarita was good.

Back at the campground, Linda again cooked the meal of the day. She prepared wild rice with chicken and corn on the cob. Our visit with them has been a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing them in New York this summer.

14 Mar 2020 (Sat) – Linda made tacos for lunch. I made steak, baked potatoes, and grilled asparagus for dinner. We are enjoying each other’s company so much. We just hung out around the campground today and delighted in God’s country.

13 Mar 2020 (Fri) – Linda made Cady Lake Hash for breakfast. It’s like our frittatas. You take whatever left-overs you have in the fridge and cook them up with eggs. It is very good.

After much discussion, we all decided to go to Alabama to camp out. It is one of the few states that has not reported a coronavirus infection. Johnny & Linda fell in behind us and we headed out to Gunter Hill Campground, an Army Corps of Engineers park. I don’t know if it is related to the virus hysteria or they were doing repairs, but the three rest areas we wanted to stop at were all closed. We finally pulled into a travel plaza to stretch out legs and walk the dogs.

We arrived at the campground around 1:30 p.m. We are both parked in the same site but it has two hookups. We have water and electric, with a dump station somewhere on the grounds. We are right on a river front. With the moss covered trees, the meandering waterway, and lots of room between campers, it feels like we are in another world. It is peaceful and remote.

At 3 p.m., Paul and I drove to the Maxwell-Gunter AFB nearby to get some groceries at the commissary. It was a surreal experience. All the shelves were half empty. There was no toilet paper, no tissues, no Vitamin C, and no hand sanitizer (I still don’t get the run on toilet paper). The line went across the front of the store, up the side aisle, and down the back side. We were on line for 45 minutes. And this was the commissary on a base with only military folks! I hate to imagine what WalMart or Publix looks like.

We enjoyed wine at our campsite last night, all talking and solving the problems of the world. Johnny & Linda will be here with us for three nights before heading back home. We wanted to stay a week but they only had five days available. It is a very nice campground.

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victoriafrankenstein37 · 6 years ago

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Doctor Horrible AU

So this is the first time I've posted something like this but I was watching Doctor Horrible and I had this idea because of the last song and I might write something about it later. Consider:

Logan/Virgil: Doctor Horrible

Patton: Penny

Roman: Captain Hammer

Logan and Virgil are twins. They team up to create Doctor Horrible. Logan builds the machines from Virgil's design and its Virgil's idea to start the blog.

Both of them, being twins, take turns as Doctor Horrible and have various interactions with The Prince. Virgil becomes smitten.

Virgil, trying to hide his crush, suggests that they maybe give up evil but Logan insists that they can make a change and submits the application to the Evil League of Evil.

Virgil stops going out as Doctor Horrible and Logan takes over the public image with Virgil still kind of behind the scenes making sure that Logan is safe.

Logan keeps a strict laundry schedule and has fallen in love with a guy at the laundromat, Patton.

Unfortunately during a heist Patton catches him off guard, asking him for a signature for the homeless shelter.

The awkwardness ensues until Logan signs and Patton leaves.

Roman interrupts the heist and the van goes out of control toward Patton and Roman shoves him out of the way just as Logan stops the van.

Roman decides to pursue Patton leaving Logan pissed and bruised from the encounter.

He gets another letter from the Evil League of Evil saying that he must murder someone to be inducted into the organization. He worries what Patton would say.

Logan starts to try to become closer with Patton. They talk during laundry days and get to know each other.

"Even if you're hurt there's one who has it worse around" "Yes but by that logic, even if you help that one person there are still many that are worse off. It never ends. It always gets worse" "The point isn't to fix everything, Lo-Lo. You help as many people as you can the best you can. One person happy is better than no people happy."

The whole laundromat encounter occurs thusly: Both twins are at the laundromat. Patton knows both twins and actually becomes friends with Virgil first before he is introduced to Logan. Logan hides before Roman enters but Virgil gets stuck and get introduced to Roman by Patton.

After Patton leaves Roman confronts Virgil.

"You look horribly familiar" "One of those faces I guess" "Well it was nice to meet you, Doctor." "Not a doctor. Not anymore at least. I stopped doing that shit. Not really my thing." "Spare me your lies, villain I know- wait what?" "That guy you keep beating up is my brother. Used to be me too but it became a conflict of interest..." "But you seem so normal and like...not evil?" "Gee thanks." "No I didn't mean- um you're uh very charming, will I see you again?" "Don't you have a boyfriend?" "While I do adore Patton, he seems to maybe have eyes for another." "Uh-huh see you around Princey"

Logan hears this exchange and becomes increasingly angry that Roman seems to have developed a crush on Virgil in their short interaction and would even consider being unfaithful to Patton.

He starts the plan for the death ray despite Virgil advising heavily against it.

The day of The Plan comes and everything is in place. It is arranged so that Virgil is disguised as a reporter at the opening of the homeless shelter so he can make sure the freeze ray is in place.

Logan freezes Roman but his monologue runs long and it wears off.

During this Patton realizes that its Logan as he's hiding.

Roman unfreezes just as the death ray starts acting up.

Roman grabs it and turns it on Logan. He tries to warn him but Roman doesn't listen.

Virgil realizes what is happening and rushes up and pushes Logan out of the way as it explodes.

Logan is unharmed but Virgil is injured from the blast .

Roman realizes what happened and immediately drops to help Virgil. Cradling him in his lap until the paramedics get to him.

While Logan is standing by worried about his brother, he looks over to see patton slumped against the opposite wall with a piece of shrapnel embedded in his stomach. He is struggling to sit up.

Logan rushes to his side.

"Logan?" "Yes, yes it's me I'm so sorry Patton I didn't mean for this to happen I didn't want to kill anyone." "Shhh. It's ok. I'm okay. The Prince will still save us."

This is the last thing he says before he loses consciousness and is rushed away by the paramedics.

Logan watches as they wheel Patton's stretcher next to Virgil and Virgil reaches out and takes Patton's hand and nods to Logan before letting his head fall back on the pillow.

From all the chaos caused by this event and the two critically injured victims, a reporter and The Princes boyfriend, Logan is accepted into the Evil League of Evil and he vows to become closed off an numb to the world because he can't handle the pain he caused Patton and Virgil.

"Well now your world is mine, and I am fine. And I won't feel... a thing."

I thought this was a cool idea. Full credit to Joss Whedon and the other writers of Doctor Horrible for the general story and some of the lines I used though. Also the characters belong to Thomas Sanders.

#roman sanders #virgil sanders #sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #doctor horrible au #please don't steal

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hippychick006 · 6 years ago

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4.18 - Monster at the End of this book

This episode is what Supernatural used to do best, funny, angsty and heartbreaking all in a single episode. And similar to Monster Movie, I’d have to paste the entire transcript for this episode to do it any justice. I will gamely try (and fail) to summarise as best I can, but it’s still a long post, It’s really not my fault they used to pack so much good stuff into a single episode, instead of the filler crap we get now that I wouldn’t be remotely interested in recapping. I might do an early season 14 one soon and see the difference.

I think this is also the first episode Supernatural goes meta, and it is fantastic, due in large part to Rob Benedict being a fantastic choice as Chuck and Jared and Jensen knocking it out of the park in all of their scenes together. Interestingly, this one wasn’t written by Ben, but Julie Siege and looking at her other episodes, this is by far the best one.

Scene with comic book guy was great. Right from when he recognises the FBI aliases they use: De Young and Shaw - which I admit I had to look up who these were. Styx, which doesn’t help me any, so currently listening to Styx while I watch the episode - through to their weird line of questions, he believes them to be LARPing.

Best part of this scene:

Comic Book Guy: You're asking questions like the building's haunted. Like those guys from the books. What are they called? Uh... "Supernatural." Two guys, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh... Steve and Dirk? Uh, Sal and Dane?

Sam (hesitantly): Sam and Dean? Comic Book Guy: That's it!

I love how the show pokes fun at itself all through the episode. We find out that the books “didn’t sell a lot of copies...kind of had more of an underground cult following.” and they are being sold in the “bargain bin” section. Oh show.

We get a montage of the book covers and the props department really had fun with this one. Here’s Fabio!Sam and a jacked up Dean ... enjoy! Source

The next scene is also great, Dean’s reading the books and has discovered he’s full frontal in Route 666. Show pokes more fun at itself when Dean asks Sam how come they hadn’t heard of the books before. Sam: “They’re pretty obscure. I mean almost zero circulation.” Oh show. They discover fandom, there’s not many of us, but we sure do complain a lot. Oh Dean, I actually liked Season 4 for the most part, wait till later seasons! Best part of this scene:

Dean: There are Sam girls and Dean girls and... what’s a slash fan?

Sam: As in...Sam slash Dean...Together

Dean: Like, together, together?

Sam: Yeah

Dean: They do know we’re brothers, right?

Sam: Doesn’t seem to matter.

Heh.

Next on to the publisher - who I think was also Karen in The Usual Suspects episode. They tell her they are big fans and want to write an article on the books. Best parts of this interaction is when she says that a positive article could mean they start publishing again and Dean responds: No, no, no, no. God, no! She gets suspicious - as she doesn’t want anyone making fun of “her boys” - so tests them on their knowledge of the books. They get them all right obviously, but Sam struggles to remember his LSAT score.

On to Carver Edlund - who we find out is a pen name for Chuck Shurley. We saw him at the start of the episode dreaming about Sam and Dean and he’s shown here, editing his most recent chapter, so it’s obvious he’s still writing. This whole scene is genius. You can’t even attempt to summarise it, but it does have this line, “Sam and Dean traded soulful looks.” Also Chuck comes to the conclusion he’s a god.

We next see Sam and Dean in the laundrette (or laundromat if you are US). Dean’s reading from the pages while Sam is loading the laundry and the pages match what they are doing. Right down to Sam’s brooding and pensive shoulders and thinking Dean is a dick.

Sam and Dean go back to Chuck’s house and he tells him of his latest dream, which Dean in particular isn’t going to like. Apparently Sam is going to unable to “deny his desire”, and “will succumb to Lilith as they sink into the throes of fiery demonic passion.” Sam rightfully laughs at this

Sam: You’re kidding me, right?

Dean: You think this is funny?

Sam: You don’t? I mean, come on, “Fiery demonic passion”?

Chuck (defensively): It’s just a first draft

This is a very funny scene, but heartbreaking as Dean doesn’t believe that Sam would never actually do this. It makes me even sadder that in Season 14, Sam’s still begging Dean to believe in them.

Sam: You can’t seriously believe...

Dean: Humour me

In the car, Sam sarcastically reads from the recent pages Chuck wrote, which includes the line, “The minivan accident wasn’t that bad, but Dean was still seeing stars. He scratched absently at the pink flower Band-aids on his face.” which Sam thinks would never happen, that Dean would “use duct tape and bar rags, before he’d put on a pink flower band-aid.”

Dean thinks Chuck might be wrong about the details, but not the end result (Sam sleeping with Lilith) so they are hightailing it out of town. Except the bridge is down (apparently the only one in town which is a bit poor thinking on the town’s part) so they have to stay.

They go to a diner and decide to try to do the opposite of what has been written. So where it says they get into a fight, they won’t fight, no research for Sam, no bacon cheeseburger for Dean, which leads to this:

Dean (to the waitress): Hi, uh, what's good? WAITRESS: Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country. Sam laughs and looks at Dean in challenge. Dean orders the veggie tofu burger.

Next follows couples therapy tactics as they try to avoid the fight that happens in Chuck’s draft (all sourced from wiki as usual):

SAM: This whole thing's ridiculous. DEAN:Lilith is ridiculous? SAM: The idea of me hooking up with her is. DEAN: Right. 'Cause something like that can never happen. SAM: (starts to scowl, then controls himself.) Dean, for the first time, we have warning that Lilith is close. DEAN: So? SAM: So... we've got the jump on her. If we know when she's coming, we know where she's – this is an opportunity. DEAN Are you – (trying very hard not to get angry) It frustrates me when you say such reckless things. SAM: Well, it frustrates me when you'd rather hide that fight.

I love that whole interaction. They couldn’t look more like a couple if they tried.

They get their food and after the waitress leaves, Dean continues their “discussion”: It's not hiding. It's being smart. It's picking your battles. This is a battle that we are not ready to fight. (He takes a huge bite of his burger and his eyes widen in surprise.) Oh, my god. This is delicious. Tofu is amazing! WAITRESS: (approaching, flustered). I am so sorry. I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake. (she takes his plate away) SAM bitchfaces.

The next bit, they spend fruitlessly trying to do the opposite of what’s on the pages. They pull into the skeevy Toreador Hotel (which Sam says looks like it rents rooms by the hour) to avoid staying at the Red Hotel. Dean dumps Sam in the motel room while he takes Sam’s laptop so he can’t do research. He leaves to go park up the car instead of driving it around (as per the pages). As he drives away, the motel neon sign breaks, leaving only the letters Red remaining.

Dean parks up the impala and walks away, but turns around to see two kids trying to break into her. He starts across to them and gets run over by a mini van.

Chuck arrives at the motel room, Sam’s called him over and I just want to say that in this scene, Rob is absolutely tiny against Jared! I mean seriously, he’s like a leprechaun, and he shouldn’t look that small as he’s listed as 5′ 8″. I’ve seen Jared in the flesh and yes he’s tall, but not how it shows here. Anyway, Sam asks Chuck if he’s seen visions of Sam when he’s not with Dean.

Chuck: Oh, you want to know if I know about the demon blood.

Chuck does know, but he hasn’t told Dean or written it into the books, because he’s afraid it will make Sam look “unsympathetic”. After the joking of the rest of the episode, this is a beautiful scene between Jared and Rob, where Sam reveals once again that he believes he’s got to stop the apocalypse because he doesn’t think Dean’s strong enough. He wants to do it because Dean’s looked out for him his whole life, and he wants to be the one that helps Dean this time. Chuck questions whether that’s really Sam’s motives and not that he feels strong and in control when he’s drinking the demon blood. Sam says that isn’t true (but I think its Sam wanting to believe that isn’t true).

Chuck: I’m sorry Sam. I know it’s a terrible burden, feeling that it all rests on your shoulders

Sam: Does it? All rest on my shoulders?

Chuck: That seems to be where the story is headed.

Dean wakes up and sees stars (which turns out to be the huge earrings of the woman who ran him over). Seriously, those could rip your ear open. He sees the impala’s back window has been broken (which was also written in the pages Sam was reading from earlier). He sees his reflection in baby and the woman’s daughter has plastered his face with pink band aids while he was unconscious. Umm, next time, maybe call an ambulance?

Dean slides behind the wheel of his beloved Impala and drives off, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow. (Chuck’s words, not mine).

Back to Chuck who arrives home with a six pack of beer to find Dean waiting for him (which he knew was going to happen). Dean attacks him to get him to explain how he’s doing what he’s doing, and... oh great, Castiel’s turned up, once again far too late, to “helpfully” explain that Chuck is to be protected as he is a “prophet of the Lord” who is writing the Winchester gospel.

Castiel says he’s a fan of Chuck’s work and picks up a copy of Scarecrow (and I just thank Chuck it wasn’t route 666 or we’d never hear the end of it).

Dean asks Chuck if he knew (about being a prophet). Chuck says he might have dreamed about it and adds: “ It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness.”

Another Dean and Cass scene and yet again, I really don’t see what the hellers are seeing at all. Upshot is, Dean asks Castiel how they stop Lilith and Sam getting their jiggy on. Castiel responds “What the prophet has written can’t be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass.” Well, thanks for that Cass, really helpful as always.

Dean leaves and returns to the hotel and sees the sign has now changed to the Red Motel. And even though I don’t love what they say to each other in this next scene, I do absolutely love this scene. Give me all the angsty brothers. Jared and Jensen both do an outstanding job. This show should get all the cookies. Dean wants them to hightail out of town, even if they have to swim out. As he’s starting to pack up, he realises the hex bags he placed earlier to hide Sam are not there. It turns out that Sam’s burnt them because he wants to confront Lilith. Best part of the scene:

SAM: You think I'll do it, don't you? You think I'll go dark side. DEAN: Yes! Okay? Yes. The way you've been acting lately? The things you've been doing? (Sam looks worried at this news, thinking Dean might know about the blood drinking) and Dean continues, Oh, I know. How you ripped Alastair apart like it was nothing, like you were swatting a fly. Cas told me, okay? (so Dean and Cass have been having secret conversations about Sam).

SAM: What else did he tell you? DEAN: Nothing I don't already know. That you've been using your psychic crap, and you've been getting stronger. We just don't know why, and we don't know how.

Sam: It’s not what you think

Dean: Then what is it, Sam. ‘Cause I’m at a total loss.

Sam doesn’t answer, Dean finishes packing and asks Sam if he’s coming or not. Sam says no. Dean closes his eyes and throws his bag down on the chair and angrily leaves the room.

Dean goes to get a soda, and prays to the angels for help as he is completely out of options. Castiel turns up, and in the same way I liked Jared and Rob scene, I like Jensen and Misha scene. However, in the same way I see nothing shippy between Sam and Chuck, there is also nothing shippy between Dean and Castiel. Dean is 100% only concerned about his brother and his interest in Castiel is in how he can help him save Sam. Otherwise, he seems permanently angry at the angels, which includes Castiel. I think Dean just prefers to deal with him out of all the angels because Castiel is the least douchy and for the most part, answers his questions. Dean begs Castiel to drag Sam out of the town. Castiel apologises and says he cannot interfere in a prophesy.

Dean: Screw you. You and your mission. Your God. If you don’t help me now, then when the time comes and you need me...don’t bother knocking.

He goes to leave and Castiel calls him back, and this is one of the few times that I actually like Castiel and that he does actually help, though in Castiel’s usual cryptic way. Misha does a good job in this scene and just posting the dialogue doesn’t do justice to his performance here as Castiel tries to give a hint to Dean:

CASTIEL: You must understand why I can't intercede. Prophets are very special. They're protected. DEAN (angrily): I get that. CASTIEL: If anything threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat. Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're heaven's most terrifying weapon. DEAN: And these archangels, they're tied to prophets? CASTIEL: Yes. DEAN: So if a prophet was in the same room as a demon – CASTIEL: Then the most fearsome wrath of heaven would rain down on that demon. Just so you understand (looks up towards the skies)... why I can't help.

Oh Cass, you are all right. [Until you let Sam out of the panic room in a later episode and then I’m back to not liking you]

Dean goes to get Chuck:

Chuck: What are you doing here? I didn’t write this!

Unsurprisingly, Chuck is reluctant to go with Dean. Dean gives him a pep talk:

DEAN: This isn't a story anymore, man. This is real! And you're in it! Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight. Come on, Chuck.

Dramatic, inspiring music plays as Chuck starts walking forward... then turns around and...

CHUCK: No friggin' way.

Dean goes with plan B:

DEAN: Okay, well, then, how about this – I've got a gun in my pocket, and if you don't come with me, I'll blow your brains out. CHUCK (smugly): I thought you said I was protected by an archangel. DEAN (considers that): Well, interesting exercise. Let's see who the quicker draw is.

Back to Sam. The motel room door knocks and he opens it to... nothing there. He closes the door and turns around and Lilith is inside the room. Neat trick. Lilith helpfully rolls her eyes to white, just so we know it’s her. She asks where the demon killing knife is and Sam tells her it’s on the nightstand. She goes to get it and stops at a rug, pulling it back she sees Sam’s drawn a trap. She breaks it easily then tells Sam he needs to try a lot harder than that.

Sam tries to exorcise her, but does nothing more than make her hair blow prettily in the wind he’s creating. It appears that Sam and Lilith are now evenly matched with their powers, she can’t TK him, he can’t TK her.

Sam asks what she wants, and she offers to stand down and stop breaking the seals, because she’s found out she doesn’t survive (I think she’s only just found out she’s the last seal, which obviously Sam - and we - still doesn’t know). All she wants in return is Sam and Dean dead. Sam says he doesn’t believe her, but Lilith says if they make a deal, she has to follow through and Sam knows that. She accuses him of being like her.

Sam: You think I’m like you? I’m nothing like you!

Sam agrees to the deal, and Lilith says it’ll take a lot more than just a kiss. She pats the bed and Sam joins her, looking as if he’s going to agree, but he grabs the knife at the last second. Lilith is better at fighting on beds than Sam is (heh) and she easily overpowers him.

Dean and Chuck burst into the room. Lilith gets off the bed to confront them and the room starts shaking. Dean says an archangel is coming and if she doesn’t get out, she’s dead. Lilith glares at Sam and smokes out.

Dean and Sam have a broment in the car as they drive away. Sam still wants Lilith dead.

Last scene is Chuck. We don’t see his dream this time, but he wakes up and Zachariah is there. Chuck has now seen how everything ends and wants to warn Sam and Dean, but Zachariah says he’ll stop him.

Me at the time: What did Chuck dream?!

Up next, Supernatural jumps the shark.

#supernatural #season 4 #rewatch #4.18 #the monster at the end of this book

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