#he was pointing at trees and asking me to identify them and i got the first few ones but then was struggling

[solis-angelus]

foreplay but you just ask me science questions that i struggle to answer and i look at you like i'm gonna eat you alive in my frustration

[mochinomnoms]

How would Jade react to a prefect who already knows all about foraging? If he had already caught feelings, and if he was still just meeting the..

Example: He's out and about because Mountain Lovers Club and the prefect is out there with a friend. He finds them playing 'death or dinner' with mushrooms, berries, and other plants.

Love your work! Your stories always make me laugh.

I finished the last episode of The Apothecary Diaries a few weeks ago and this made me think of a semi-mad scientist Prefect who is super knowledgeable about herbs and plants. They're scarily good at potions, and are able to identify poisons with just a sniff and a silver cup.

“They are also prone to straight up eat those poisonous plants because they just want to know what it feels like”.

Jade is rather fond of you, infatuated even! Mostly due to your straight-up feral antics in potions, as you and Grim are constantly causing all sorts of mayhem with your potions. He loves watching you as there's never a boring moment with you around, and you're so diligent with trying again and again to get your potion just right, Jade might just say he's charmed!

Come a random, warm Saturday, when Jade is out hiking and taking photos of the landscape, that that charm turns into a full-blown crush. It's quite peaceful, until he hears some rustling nearby. He softens his footsteps, cautious in case it's a wild animal, until he hears voices.

Peeking through the foliage of the bushes and trees, Jade saw you and Ruggie picking at a wild blackberry bush. You two were quietly sharing ideas on what you could do with your share, evidently splitting your findings in half.

“Think I can mix this with the dandelions for a salad?”

“No, blackberries are too tart. You should make them into a sauce, you got those discounted pork chops from Sam's, right? I asked him to save some for you.”

“Yeah, I almost forgot about those I was so busy, thanks. I can do that...hey, what about those mushrooms down there?”

Jade watched as you looked towards where Ruggie was pointing, at a cluster of orange-yellow funnel shaped mushrooms. To the novice, they looked like the chanterelle mushroom. Edible and delightful in a saute, the ones that Ruggie were pointing at were not chanterelles, but false chanterelles.

You gasped in delight, your eyes practically glittering as you squealed, “Oh! Neat!”

They looked similar, but the gills were different and the colors more white. Jade's eyes widen as you reached for them; they weren't fatal, but they would cause some stomach issues. Jade could use those blackberries anyways, so he decided to step in and 'save' you in exchange for a third of the berries.

“I recommend that you don't eat those, those are false chanterelles. They are rather harsh on the stomach.”

You both jumped as Jade emerged from the thicket, Ruggie giving him a wave as your face soured. Ruggie opened his mouth, the beginning of a 'thanks' leaving his lips before you bluntly replied.

“I know what I'm doing, thanks.” Jade blinked as you took out a small knife, cutting the cluster up and throwing them in your pouch. “And you're wrong, they're not false chanterelles.”

Jade slowly blinked again as you turned to him, displaying a small orange mushroom in your fingertips. Looking at it closer, Jade noted that the gills were well-developed and unforked.

“These are jack-o-lanterns, they're poisonous, so you were right that they are 'harsh' on the stomach.”

Jade's open fell slightly open, and Ruggie let out a harsh yelp, as you popped it your mouth and started chewing.

“Prefect!” Jade stepped back as Ruggie rushed over to you and attempted to pry your chewing mouth open. “I thought I said no more eating poisons! Weeds or herbs! The nurse is going to murder me! This is why I don't take you foraging with me!”

Jade watched as you swallowed, just as Ruggie managed to open your mouth, sticking your tongue out and saying 'aaaah' mockingly to him. Like you weren't even worried that you'd just swallowed poison.

“I told you, I'm super resistant to poisons! I used to eat them all the time!” You closed your eyes and smile, hands on your cheeks as you gushed.

“This one is gastrointestinal only, it leads to nausea, vomiting, and sometimes diarrhea.” You continued squealing like a schoolgirl about her crush.

“But my favorite are the ones that make your tongue go numb and body tingly until you're convulsing on the ground and twitching! They feel so electrifying! Aaa! How am I supposed to resist?”

Ruggie continued to fuss over you, dragging you back to the main path and muttering about having the nurse keep you on a leash. So concerned with you and your health, neither he nor you noticed Jade's wide eyes and red flush as you left.

Once you two were out of earshot, Jade clutched at his chest, right where his heart was, and fell to his knees like he'd been shot. Perhaps cupid finally decided to let loose the arrow he'd been pointing at Jade's heart for some time.

The glazed look in your eyes, the blissful smile, the near drunken looking flush on your cheeks. You'd looked absolutely breathtaking, you looked like you truly appreciated the mushroom for all its beauty and danger.

Would you eat anything? If jade were to gift you with a bouquet of hemlock and foxglove, would you sniff it and smile at him like he presented you with something priceless? Would you eat a white capped mushroom if he presented to you, taking the gamble between it being a death cap or a paddy straw mushroom?

Would you let him watch you writhe on the ground from eating fugu, the blowfish's poison entering your system? You wanted a tingling sensation? You wanted the pins and needles, the sweating, the tremors as you slowly became paralyzed?

Yes, you would, wouldn't you? Up until he presented you with some activated charcoal (you'd probably have some anyway), holding your hair back so you could puke your stomach out. Then he'd be able to nurse you to health again, up until you excitedly asked him to test out a new concoction with that same glitter in your eyes.

Jade covered his face, letting out a small whining noise as he felt the heat fill his face. Oh, how pathetic he must look, curled into himself and red-faced, squealing into his hands like a child. Can you fault him, though? He's hopelessly in love!

[luimagines]

Hello lovely Pinky!

I saw requests were open for only 24 hours and was hoping to request a Confident Hyrule scenario of your choosing☺️ it doesn't even have to be an x reader scenario if you want someyhing different. I don't care either way, I just enjoy your writing haha.

A lot of people write him being very meek and insecure, which is still good, but I do love reading about him when he's confident and in control of a situation

Sorry if this is too vague, but I hope it catches your fancy😉

Thank you!❤️

THANK YOU!!!! I FULLY AGREE WITH THIS!

I also think this was my only Hyrule One-Shot request. DX

This boy gets so little love here. Let me give him the spotlight!!

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

This was fairly common ground for him at this point.

The monsters attack, he says a few spells, swings his sword around a few times, end of story. It hasn't exactly changed much since he's found himself with this group of people.

They're a lot like him. They have the same name as him. They've defeated Ganon like him. (Well Sky had a different guy apparently. That was an interesting conversation that day.) They all use a sword like him and they all care about Hyrule like him.

They're so much cooler than him. Or so he thinks.

He ruffles his hair and sighs, letting some of the others take the lead once again. Hyrule follows them without question... most of the time.

They seem to know what they're doing. Which works for him since he's been paying attention to many other things other than what they're actually doing.

He sees a few of them argue about the direction they're taking and sees some others jest and banter and takes it in stride. Hyrule likes this group. They're easy to get along with. They pull their own weight and it's nice to know that they've got his back if it comes down to it.

They were walking down a beaten down forest path on their way to wherever. He actually wasn't sure. He was too busy looking at the telltale signs of monsters nearby to bother asking about any specifics. Hyrule sees the scratches on the trees and the broken branches and keeps his hand by the hilt of his sword. He keeps his head on a swivel.

The others don't seem as bothered. So Hyrule assumes that they're not bothered by what's just beyond the tree line next to them. They're all experienced fighters. Surely they're aware of their own capabilities. That's why they're not worried.

Hyrule wishes he could have the same kind of confidence.

They're attacked.

It was sudden and quick. Many of the boys next to him are taken off guard and are instantly on the forest floor for one reason or another.

Hyrule unsheathes his sword in a flash, jumping into the fray without missing a beat. It's the same song and dance.

Duck, block, stab, swing, block again-

"THUNDER!" He cries out, eliminating these monster with a spell he's been dying to use since the others have showed up. Hyrule was worried about the implications since many of them wear armor- but he doesn't have the forefront thought to think about that.

This is just muscle memory.

Many of the monsters that survived his spell target him next- identifying him as the most powerful person on the field right now.

Hyrule doesn't care.

He runs ahead, slicing into the beasts with calculated yet reckless swipes. Some stay standing. Many don't.

Hyrule is light on his feet and quick to fire off another spell from his fingertips. The handful of monster remaining run away, having miscalculated their attack with Hyrule at the frontlines. Hyrule left a bit breathless but grinning and proud of himself for acting as fast as he did.

He turns around and looks at the others. Many are still on the ground, staring at him with slack jaws and wide eyes. He goes down the ranks of the boys. Wild gives him a thumbs up. Legend (still on the ground) has his mouth wide open. Wind and Sky look delighted and in awe. Four, Time and Twilight, had their weapons out and from the looks of it, were handling the ones that Hyrule had missed with his magic the first go around. Warrior was in the process of helping Legend to his feet but seems to be also frozen in place.

Hyrule snorts and puts his hand on his hip. The fact that not only has he left them speechless but quite literally frozen as well is admittedly, quite the ego boost. Maybe they were oblivious to the monster signs after all. "Thanks for the help everyone."

He aims a particularly cocky look at the Captain and winks. "I told you, like that."

[blue-jisungs]

bodyguard

[ song inspo ! ] bodyguard by beyonce

[ req ! ] yes! here<3 i hope u like it hehe

[ summary ! ] fall trip w bf intak

[ word count ! ] 1218

[ author's note ! ] listen i would never think id EVER write a fanfic abt going mushroom picking w an idol but here we are. and if this concept is very strange and weird to u... well, its a normal thing in slavic countries id say ESP here, in poland!! however, please DO research or consult a professional if u wanna consume the shrooms u picked!! they can be misleading sometimes, lil devils >:)

also, it’s the last post for the november jam session:( let me know if you enjoyed it!

the crisp fall air filled your lungs, the breeze swaying your hair. intak just grinned, taking a quick look at you. one hand on the steering wheel, the other in yours. fingers intertwined, he squeezed your hand gently. 

“man, i love fall so much” you sighed dreamily, eyes scanning the trees that you were passing by. intak wasn’t going too fast so you could admire the view. leaves in a variety of colors adorning the brown boughs. oranges, reds, yellows danced in a swirl moved by a gust of wind. the road was uneven; however, the muddy road made no resistance to your jeep. 

“do you want some tea?” you asked and reached for the flash bottle, in which you earlier prepared earl grey with honey and lemon. 

intak hummed and let go of your hand to grab it. 

you watched him take a sip, the temperature of the tea perfect. it didn’t burn his tongue nor was too cold. he let out a dramatic sigh of satisfaction and handed you back the flask.

“delicious” intak grinned and soon enough his warm hand was back in yours “the gps says we’re gonna be there in a second but we can stop wherever, sweetheart”

“let’s just leave our car nearby this path, i don’t wanna get lost” you hummed and pointed at the spot in front of you. 

this forest had a visible path, probably a lot of other people going here as well. there was some space to leave the car so it wouldn’t be on the way. 

intak followed your instructions and turned off the car, leaving. you did too, stretching widely with a satisfied groan. 

you took a deep sigh, the smell of forest filled your lungs. you glanced around, adoring the sway of colors nearer you now. even being able to touch the leaves, you crouched and gathered a couple of them. the texture a bit dry and flaky beneath your fingers, you creeped to intak and threw them at him with a giggle. 

your boyfriend let out a surprised yelp when they touched his face and fell on him. a big, red and yellowish leaf stayed on his shoulder. 

still chuckling, you swept it off him with a grin. intak was just looking at you, smitten – his smile was just screaming that he’s whipped. but he always looked at you that way. 

“let’s go, hm? i’m really excited” he asked and his hand found yours but you pulled away. 

“and did you bring the basket?” you asked and turned around to go take it. 

picking mushrooms seemed like a weird date idea. but intak didn’t protest, no. quite the opposite, he got really invested. two or three weeks prior he started researching the types of mushrooms and how to identify them. for example, most mushrooms with sponges underneath their caps are edible. those with gills – not really. there are exceptions though, like chanterelles… they are a quite interesting species: they have so called “false gills” and due to that they are considered edible– 

“takie, here! come on!” you yelped with excitement and dragged intak into the forest. 

you had your coat and rain boots on, ready to hunt for some mushrooms. intak thought you looked absolutely adorable.

“i hope they left some for us, we’re kinda late” you sighed dramatically, stepping over a big branch in the ground. the fallen leaves were crunching underneath your feet. technically speaking, the mushroom picking season wasn’t over yet but passionate pickers more often than not go hunting the day mushrooms start to grow.

“i see a bolete!” he yelped suddenly and kneeled down, causing you to stop in your tracks. 

kneeling down next to him, you observed him precisely twist the mushroom gently. a little bit to the left, then a little bit to the right… slowly but surely… and soon enough it was out from the ground. after putting it gently into your basket, he covered the spot with dirt and leaves. 

“i heard it’s better to cover back the ground to allow the mycelium to continue growing” he looked at you with a huge smile, noticing your shocked expression “what?”

“nothing” you laughed, poking his side “you’re just so professional!” 

he scoffed and stood up, offering you his hand. you took it.

“look, i know we’re going to let my grandpa check the mushrooms but i still wanted to make sure we don’t pick any poisonous ones” he grinned and leaned to dust off your knees from dirt. “now let’s keep looking here. they often grow nearby”

after two hours or so you and intak had almost two full baskets of various mushrooms. their caps created a colorful spread of different shades of brown. they were big, small… some had long and thin stalls, whereas others were thick. 

intak opened the trunk of the car and hid the treasure safely on the passenger seat. then, he grabbed a red and white checkered blanket and called you to the back. 

helping you sit in the trunk, he later joined you. sun started slowly setting down and you had a perfect view over the forest. 

your boyfriend draped the warm blanket over you, love beaming in his ebony eyes. you grinned and leaned quickly to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, which was cold. he should’ve worn a warmer scarf, you thought. 

you scooted closer, thigh next to his. your legs were swinging in the air happily and you started searching for his hand underneath the blanket. you felt him move it away with a boyish giggle and you just whined.

“don’t be a meanie” with a huff, you leaned again and grabbed his hand. with dramatic force you intertwined your fingers together, a spark of warmth spreading through your body. 

“you know…” he started, voice low. he took his sweet time to wrap his arm around you and pull you even closer, head naturally resting on his shoulder. you both stared in silence at the sunset, pinks and oranges blending into one on the sky. the shadows of the trees danced on the ground, getting longer and longer. you kept looking at the sky, colors gradually shifting. “sometimes i hold you closer just to know you’re real” 

you slowly turned around, just to meet his eyes. it was so cliche but intak was already staring at you; your beauty outshining the sunset. 

with a gentle smile you moved your head to kiss him. your lips crashing on his softly. soon enough his free hand went to cup your cheek. it was warm, a bit calloused but oh, so perfect against your skin. with a swipe of his tongue, intak dominated the kiss - but not in an aggressive way. it was his way of expressing his love. 

you didn’t even realize when you became breathless, only when he pulled away with pink dusted face and a lopsided smile. 

“i’ll take the wheel, i know the route to your grandma’s house. you should rest, my bodyguard” you teased and gave him a final peck, returning to rest your head against his shoulder. 

the sky was darker now, sun hanging lower above the forest. but the golden sunlight still framed your face in such a way, that intak couldn’t help but grin foolishly… and consider kneeling soon. 

piwon mlist | event mlist

taglist. @primoppang ,, @laylasbunbunny ,, @slytherinshua ,, @planetkiimchi ,, @weird-bookworm ,,

@mon2sunjinsuver ,, @litepowee ,, @l3visbby ,, @rubywonu

[mc-lukanette]

Marinette didn't particularly get the idea of music translating into words. To her, music was music and words were words; you could mix the two in a song to evoke more emotion, but that wasn’t the same as one becoming the other.

That was the reason she was there, she supposed. Luka had intrigued her with his offer, and if anyone could make her believe it or learn something new about music, it was him. Sure, he was also kind of handsome, had soft blue eyes, and a dazzling smile, but she was there for a potential new understanding of the creative process, nothing more.

Not that there would've been anything wrong with going for both, of course.

She looked at the note once more to make sure she was at the right park. Luka's handwriting was unique and identifiable as his: not wild, but not "standard" either, while still being totally readable. It made sense for someone who had to write a lot.

After triple-checking to be certain, she stepped out onto the smooth walkway leading in, looking around for the fluffy black-and-blue hair she'd met only a week ago. There were some couples with little picnics set out that she couldn't help feeling jealous of, but she tried to ignore them.

She heard Luka before she actually saw him, which was a weird thought. A quick set of notes from a guitar had made her turn, spotting him sitting on a bench in the pleasant shade of some trees and waving at her.

She smiled, waving back and walking over to him. "Hey, Luka! How—" She stopped in place, catching herself before she could properly ask him. She raised the cellophane bag in her hands to her mouth, biting into the side to both free her hands and keep herself quiet, then made a flurry of hand movements to ask how he was doing.

He blinked rapidly in surprise, then gently rested the neck of his guitar on the bench so he could sign in return. His gestures were more natural than hers - had she been signing to herself, it might as well have been the language of aliens - so she could easily tell what he was asking.

"Yff—" She brought her hand back up to pull the bag out from her mouth, then answered proudly, "Yes, I learned a little bit over the weekend!" She waved her free hand from side-to-side like she was casting a spell, despite the sheepish look on her face. "I might've forgotten how to sign 'yes', but I knew what you were signing! That's something, right?"

The dazzling smile that she remembered, showing just a little bit of teeth but not too much, had returned. Luka nodded at her, pulling out a notepad and pencil from his pocket to write while she got herself settled in. He'd already left enough room on the bench for her to sit, so she took up the empty space and got comfortable.

He went to hand her his notepad, but she lifted up the cellophane bag first, giving it a shake to show off the assortment of macarons, cookies, and candies inside. "Here! Trade me."

He visibly perked at the offer, their fingers brushing as he took it from her.

She only realized what she'd done when his notepad was already in her hand, hurrying to say, "Oh! I put that in my mouth without thinking, didn't I? You don't have to—"

He'd already loosened the string so he could open it, grabbing one of the candies and unwrapping it before popping it into his mouth. He'd clearly heard her, but it was quickest to eat one to prove his point rather than tell her it was fine.

Plus, she had one of his forms of communications in her hands, so that had been out. She looked down to read what he'd written.

You didn't have to dress up for this, but you look nice. I hope this is enough shade for you.

She blushed at the first line. It was one thing to be complimented verbally, but in writing, she could read it over and over again. She checked Luka's reaction to see if he had any regrets about it, but he was cool as a cucumber, chewing on the candy she'd given him whilst getting the guitar back in his hands.

The second line was more confusing to where she had to actively dig through her memories to think of what it could be referring to. She did recall sitting down with him after the chaos had settled down, having some juice together, and her rambling unnecessarily long about everything from her job to—

"Wait—" she began in realization, "was this all because I complained about how hot it was that day?! That was one thing in all the nonsense I was talking about!"

He shrugged, smiling innocently and holding his hand out for his notepad. She pouted, feeling like he was being unfair with how sweet he was to someone he'd barely just met, but relented and gave it up to him. She just couldn't quite believe it, having felt so bad for how chatty she'd been with him, but he'd apparently paid attention to every word of it.

She wasn't sure if that was more or less embarrassing than being ignored the whole time.

"O-okay, so..." She looked down sheepishly at his guitar, trying to change the topic as casually as possible. "How are we going to do this? You showing me how you talk with music?"

One hand still holding the guitar's neck, he flipped through the pages of his notepad with the other. He showed her a pre-prepared page with his answer, which stated:

I'll play something for you. You don't have to do anything but listen and imagine a story in your mind.

A story? What kind of story? She wanted to ask, but knew that she wouldn't get a response.

Squinting at him, still skeptical, she gave into the request and closed her eyes. "Alright. Ready when you are."

There were a few small, short notes at first - either Luka warming up or being genuinely nervous to start - but then an actual melody began to develop. She shut her eyes tighter, like it might ruin everything if she looked, and her nose scrunched up as she tried to focus on what he was playing and the instructions he'd given.

It sounded... regal? No, adventurous? Maybe both? It reminded her of movies that she would watch as a child, where a knight would go off somewhere for the sake of a princess. The music would get more dramatic as the knight was surrounded by dangers, then victorious as he triumphed. She caught herself smiling over this imaginary character she'd literally made up in her head, returning to the princess and receiving a favor from her for his efforts. It really was like a film, but shortened to a few minutes long and somehow familiar to her.

Her eyelids popped back open when the music ended, then blinked to readjust to her surroundings. Luka was staring at her curiously, the hand that'd been strumming resting more casually on his guitar as he waited.

"Erm..." She trapped her chin, slightly anxious and feeling like she was being quizzed. There weren't any real stakes involved, but what if she failed? "I... thought about a knight? He met and saved a princess, and she gave him her thanks? Maybe she even offered him something for it?"

The actual image in her head was more vivid than she let on, but it was difficult describing it when she figured that it could've been her overactive imagination.

Not missing a beat, Luka shot her a smile and flipped a page in his notepad to present to her. No way.

That's us, on the day we met.

Her mouth dropped open. She got it right? But then... "Uh—! So I'm the knight?! You're joking!"

Not that Luka wouldn't have made a pretty princess though. If he had just the right dress that accentuated—

She shook her head, trying to focus on the matter at hand. He, meanwhile, was unphased by the mental struggle she was having and flipped another page.

You were so cool. I've been trying to figure out how to say it all week.

"It wasn't a big deal!" she insisted, flushing pink. "They were judging you because of your looks and how 'quiet' you were, so I—you know—"

She made a few wild gestures that in no way resembled sign language but she hoped would convey the full dismissal of whatever he'd apparently been imagining their first meeting to be like. Worse still was that what he'd written implied that he'd been working on that melody all week in order to have it ready for her, and she knew what it was like to pour one's creativity into something.

He meant it and she'd heard as much.

Dropping her hands into her lap shyly, she had to relent, "But... I guess I get what you mean now, about saying things with music instead of words, even if I feel like your notepad should be confiscated."

Amused, he smirked, purposefully holding the notepad to the side furthest from her, out of her reach as she teasingly swiped at it. Using only the tilt of his head and look in his eyes, he asked her a playful 'why?'

"Why? I—" she began, then stopped when she needed to actually think about it. One disadvantage to not being mute like him was that she wasn't required to think before saying anything, such as how Luka needed to take the time to write out a full thought and read it before showing her.

Clearing her throat, she started over, "I can't believe you had fun last week? I mean, I guess it made sense if you invited me here, but I thought it was just from me helping you a little! Since we were there for a whole hour and I felt so bad because—" She realized what she was about to say, but it was too late to stop it. "—I was doing all the talking!"

Luka laughed outright at that, and the only thing keeping her from crawling under the bench and wishing for death was that it was actually pretty cute. He had a breathy sort of laugh, making it more quiet than a typical one but somehow incredibly charming.

Marinette leaned forward and rested her elbows on her lap, clasping her hands together in front of her mouth as her lips tried to both smile at him and grimace at herself at the same time. The fact that he hadn't fled at her flubs was a relief but also utterly perplexing.

She dared a peek over at Luka, who'd finished laughing and was trying to write something. It was taking him longer than usual and she noticed a little twitch in his brow, a contrast to what had otherwise been him being totally calm the whole time. Eventually, he tore the page out, scrunched it up, and stuffed it in his pocket, opting to put his hands on his guitar instead.

Marinette grew curious when his fingers twitched without playing any actual melody. He did start, but stopped, then started and stopped again, biting his lower lip in contemplation. Hand motions were also useless without a full understanding of sign language on her part.

He ended up settling on the notepad again, this time being unexpectedly quick in writing something. She hadn't realized how much suspense she was in until he presented it to her, her hands practically snatching it from him to read it.

You make me feel speechless, Marinette.

She blushed all the way up to her ears, speechless herself. She could excuse being told that she looked nice as some casual remark or pleasantry, the music as his only way of teaching her what she'd asked about, and not being put off by her constant talking as him being extremely polite, but this—

Was he flirting with her? There was a mild possibility of it being a joke at his own muteness, but when she checked his expression, he was watching her with a half-lidded gaze without any sense of playfulness. If anything, she could've sworn she saw a hint of shyness. Had he never put himself out there for someone before?

"You—" She looked at the notepad again, forcing herself to relax her grip before she wrinkled the pages. "You make me feel... um, speechful? I've never talked so much to someone I just met." She ducked her head. "You look nice too, by the way."

That was all she could really manage without feeling silly. Her experience with relationships was laughably limited and she didn't know how to flirt back or assure him that his flirting wasn't unwelcome. She just knew that he was thoughtful, adorable, and sweet, and that every time she glanced at his mouth a little too long, she'd catch herself thinking about other things it must have time for if he couldn't use it to talk.

She became alert as she felt a tug on the notepad - Luka having reached over to take it back - but she impulsively resisted, blurting out, "C-can I have this? The note I mean, not the notepad!"

He grinned, any of the previous nerves she thought she'd seen before gone as he nodded. The notepad slipped easily out of her hands this time, him far more careful tearing the note off than the other paper he'd scrunched up, and he wrote something extra before handing it off to her.

You can have more than that.

Underneath the line he'd written was his phone number, a rush of heat and relief going through Marinette at the confirmation that she wasn't the only one who wanted to meet up more. Whether Luka's directness was from the inability to speak or simply part of his character, she wanted someone like that; no misunderstandings, just his honest feelings.

She wasn't quite sure what she'd gotten herself into in the long term but, going off the matching pink on Luka's cheeks, she was sure that it was a good thing.

[shreddedleopard]

I genuinely think William’s real name is actually still William, just with a different surname.

Hear me out.

#1 — irony.

Remember the omake where Bonde asks him and he’s got his ☺️ face ‘that’s a secret, heh heh heh.’

Lol William is the biggest mischievous jokester going. This would be his exact reaction if people were asking like 👀 omg what is it?? And all along he’s like, lol will.i.am guys, chill. No-one cares about your first name, it’s your surname which means anything around here. You’ve all been barking up the wrong tree. Which brings me on to my second point ~

#2 — symbolism.

I cannot scream enough about how bloody genius it would be for William’s name to be, in fact, just William, but with a more common surname like ‘Smith.’ For the purposes of this discussion, let’s call him William Smith. As an orphan, he gets adopted into the family Moriarty, where there is in fact another William: Master William James Moriarty. Immediately, you have two boys of similar ages with the exact same first names, highlighting how, in fact, they should be equal if we’re looking at their basic information and identifiers. But what is it which sets them apart, and is the very message and theme running through the heart of Yuumori? Class inequality. And what dictated your social class at the time, so very unfairly? Your family lineage.

The name of Moriarty is what gives Albert’s little brother his superior, privileged position in life, over William ‘Smith.’ And yet, they are both young boys, both Williams, both should have the same sort of start in life in the equal world our William wishes to create. But they do not; the moment they are given their surnames — the moment those are penned on the paper of their birth records following ‘William’, the chasm that divides these boys is immense and unfair.

#3 — interesting coincidences, hints and clues in the text.

• William loves Shakespeare — that’s part of his identity in the same way being a mathematician is. He quotes Shakespeare all the time, he grew up in a library and has all of the plays memorised. Shakespeare’s first name was also William. Additionally, Shakespeare’s birthday is believed to be April 23rd. William’s birthday is listed as April 1st — April Fool’s Day, and it has been confirmed that this is a fake birthday, so we don’t know his real one currently. (But my guess is it’s still in April).

• The Moriarty’s never call William by his name, pre-fire, but the children at his orphanage do, and they call him Will.

At the Moriarty house, he is on the receiving end of more hate than Louis; they seem to despise him to the nth degree. I wonder if this might be because he shares a name with their precious William, and this irks them. They refuse to call him by his name because that doesn’t belong to him, filth from the streets, it belongs to their beloved son who can do no wrong.

I can see a mother like Lady Moriarty refusing to call another boy by the name she gifted her son, especially when William reminds her that there is something she had in common with his own mother — someone who she would view as completely beneath her: they chose the same name. What a disgrace, to be associated or viewed as having a similar mind to a woman of such low standing!?

We also see William only ever call William Moriarty with the title ‘master’ in front, as though he also feels the need to make the distinction. This could just be because he’s trying to be polite, though. I could honestly dissect the entire first chapter panel by panel and highlight how William being William is such a simple but perfect concept which highlights this noble family’s insecurities, discrimination and narrow mindedness. William Moriarty feels the need to constantly reaffirm his own identity in the presence of our William.

Because … if they share full names now, with the adoption … the lines are blurring. What makes one William Moriarty superior to the other? A worrying thought indeed for this boy. (Answer: there is no difference, they’re both equally deserving of opportunities in life.)

It all makes such perfect sense and explains away the awkwardness of the writer having to avoid use of William’s name simply because ‘it needs to stay hidden to create the mystery.’ This gives the characters themselves reason within the text to avoid using it, which makes everything so much more authentic and real. It makes sense because it does, not because it has to for the plot.

• William promised not to steal anything. Twice, we see him reassuring and then reaffirming that he wouldn’t steal anything, and both times are in the presence of William Moriarty.

If we want to take this statement in light of names, and toy with that lovely device foreshadowing, William having always shared the same first name would in fact mean that statement holds true — he did not steal William’s name; it was always his own to begin with, and Moriarty was a name given to him as part of his adoption, the same as it was given to Louis. He really didn’t steal anything, despite the fact that he was probably made to feel guilty or worthless every day because of the name he shared with William Moriarty.

This also means that William probably never actively deceived any of the townspeople, either; it really was just a case of mistaken identity which he manipulated for his own cause.

The townspeople made the mistake, rather than William outright lying. William is, by trade, more of a master manipulator who turns situations to his advantage with his quick thinking, rather than straight up lying or deceiving people (see: The Merchant of London.)

• Sherlock saw his birth name but never mentions it. And still chooses to call him Liam. Yes, we might’ve had a conversation happen off screen. Yes, Sherlock might choose to do that because that name is sentimental and William has asked not to be called his true name for reasons unknown. But it would fit so beautifully if William really is his name, and Sherlock’s realisation that day when he read the birth records was that oh, so this — William ‘Smith’ — is Liam’s real name. Naturally, he would continue to call him Liam with no discussion needed, because it’s a shortened version of William.

• We have lots of characters who share the name William, but with different variations on the shortened version; another symbol of how people can be equal in some senses but also their identity can be individual to them also. William H Bonney is Billy the Kid, the mathematics genius William and Sherlock stumble upon in Durham is called Bill Hunt.

#4 — practicality and marketing.

People become attached to characters and their names, and there comes a certain point in a work where it’s very difficult to alter a character’s first name and still retain a fan base’s sense of identity for that character. Calling William say, Robert, from now on, or revealing that as his true name while we continue to see him referred to as William is all sorts of confusing, emotionally. Perhaps it’s just me. But the idea that I’ve been calling William the wrong name all along feels off and sad, whereas the knowledge that he’s at least been able to keep that part of himself consistent, when everything else has had to be an act, is actually really comforting and empowering.

I’d love to write another thought dump on why William being William all along is also, so very emotionally delicious when you explore the implications in the story; it’s heartbreaking and makes him an even more sympathetic character who I just wanna hug, so perhaps I’ll come back to this! Because re-reading those earlier chapters with this in mind really hurts so good.

He stole nothing; he was always the true William, that at least is one thing that always belonged to him — it was only society and us that dictated there was one William worth knowing more — was more interesting and held more narrative power — than the other.

This is still William’s story.

[jazztag]

An Encounter in the Snow XII

There are almost fifty soldiers surrounding them, all pointing their rifles at Vicci. Some seem really scared, especially the cadets and young soldiers, while others just look angry. But everyone follows Hero’s orders, so when the Captain says “Hold,” everyone steps into formation and follows their Captain up to the first floor and out of the building.

Vicci keeps grinning at the scene, having a lot of fun seeing everyone afraid of him. Hero has to order him to look forward a couple of times, as the Weapon won’t stop sticking out his tongue every time a soldier calls him “monster,” “trench beast,” or simply “war pig.” Everyone gathers around the two of them, eager to see the prisoner who has been terrorizing the Republic for ages. Hero starts giving orders to everyone to step back and move to their assigned positions. Meanwhile, Vicci just stands there, chained and smug, trying to hide under his cap but at the same time excited by the reaction his presence is creating. He starts scratching at his arm frantically while following his Captain closely, keeping his head down.

They finally get into the vehicle, entering from the back. It’s a truck that will be used to travel to the location. Hero sits immediately behind the driver’s seat, back against the wall. He tugs the chain so that Vicci sits right in front of him, and the Weapon obliges. Nobody else dares to sit next to the prisoner, so the other soldiers, about five of them making up the squad, sit at the far end of the vehicle. Hero looks at them out of the corner of his eye. He identifies one of them as his second in command and orders the soldier to come forward. The truck starts to move, and everyone grabs hold of their seats.

The soldier sits next to the Captain, clearly trying to hide the fact that he is terrified. “Here,” says the soldier, handing Hero a rifle. As soon as the Captain grabs the firearm, the Weapon shuffles in his seat.

“I’m going to keep this for the remainder of the trip,” Hero tells him, and for the first time ever, the Weapon finally stops smiling and pouts. That’s his rifle—that is definitely Vicci’s rifle. Hero is convinced a soldier is practically married to their firearm on the battlefield, so he understands Vicci’s restlessness, seeing the enemy holding his weapon.

“I’ll need you to translate some instructions to our dog over there,” Hero tells the soldier. The younger man looks a bit afraid, avoiding Vicci’s eye contact at all costs, but nods. Vicci doesn’t stop staring at his own rifle in someone else’s hands, practically turned toward him menacingly, but he looks up when the young man starts speaking in his foreign language.

“Okay, just translate exactly what I say,” Hero says to the soldier, then looks straight at Vicci, who has started to fidget with his own hair. “This is going to be a test to see if you’re useful or not.”

The soldier translates in his poor pronunciation, making Vicci frown a bit.

“If you’re not useful, you’re better off dead,” Hero continues.

“Çi non util, ei te matare,” the soldier translates, and Vicci looks up at Hero with a smug smile, as if daring Hero to try.

“I will,” the Captain says seriously. Vicci shrugs and looks away, uninterested. The Weapon gazes through the truck’s small window, where the gray sky peeks through, above an immense field full of dead trees and dry, brown soil.

“We’re headed towards a small village where we believe there are still some civilians. We get there, we give them some packages, and we leave. Got it?” The young soldier hurries to translate everything into his broken Polareçe as best he can. Vicci is still looking away, but when the soldier finishes, he turns toward Hero, seemingly having understood everything.

“Got it?” Hero asks again. He stops the other soldier from translating that. “I want you to tell me you got it.”

Vicci looks at his rifle in Hero’s hands. He then looks up at Hero and mumbles a raspy “si.”

Hero finally hands him the rifle, and Vicci smiles a bit. However, Hero does not let go of the weapon. He’s still looking Vicci dead in the eye as his prisoner tries to pull the rifle away from him.

“Yes?” Hero asks, and Vicci rolls his eyes.

“Y…Yee…eh?” responds the Weapon. His broken voice sounds even scarier when trying to pronounce English. Hero finally lets go of the rifle, and Vicci grabs it with intent, caressing it as if it were a cat on his lap. Hero crosses his arms.

“You are not allowed to leave this vehicle,” the Captain continues, and the young soldier by his side starts translating rapidly to Vicci. “You’re going to stay here and cover us if something happens.”

“Ye,” mumbles Vicci when the soldier finishes translating.

“You are not allowed to shoot until I give the order, okay? Only when I actually say ‘shoot,’ you shoot. Got it?”

“Ye.”

“Only when I say ‘Vicci, shoot,’ do you fire. Got it?” Hero insists, emphasizing those exact words.

“Yeye.”

Hero steps back a bit, observing his little project seated there. He then steps forward again, and the two lock eyes.

“If you exit this vehicle, I’ll kill you on the spot. And we both know I’ve got an excellent aim.” says Hero, pointing at Vicci’s left ear, or what remains of it.

Taglist: @whump-blog @bitchaknso @pumpkinsncoffee @scrumpledumple @vallianttreedreamland

@amiafly2 @slavicdisaster22 @jumpywhumpywriter @user-583 (comment to get added/removed from the list!)

[gilded-garnet]

Beastly Behaviour

Sebastian Sallow x F!MC

WC: ~1.5K / Themes: (Fluff 💚 Light Violence 👊)

Summary: If there's one thing MC can't stand, it's a bully. During a Beasts Class, she takes defending Sebastian's honour into her own hands - literally.

(Yep, someone is getting punched and Sebastian is smitten.)

---

"Why did you decide to take Beasts Class again? I never got the sense you were that interested," MC asked on the way to their first class of the year.

Sebastian shrugged non-committally. "I got a good enough grade and I'm keeping my options open.  The extra studying's not an issue."

"Riiiight. And it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I happen to be taking it, would it?" She asked, shooting him a sly smirk.

She expected him to deny it; she was only teasing, after all, but he returned her gaze seriously, wearing a fond expression.

"It may have had a small influence on my decision," he admitted, and she scoffed to hide her blush.

They arrived at the class and MC gave Poppy a quick hug in greeting before Professor Howin rounded them up.

"Everyone, follow me! I have a special lesson planned to welcome you all back." She led the trail of students out beyond the paddocks and through the tree line of the forest, finally coming to a stop at a grassy clearing. MC smiled when she saw what awaited them there.

"Here we are!" Their professor declared, holding her arms out in rather dramatic fashion.

There was a heavy pause before someone spoke. It was that haughty Slytherin boy who had harassed that Kneazle and Poppy back in fifth year. MC had never bothered to learn his name. "Um, professor, not to be rude, but there doesn't actually appear to be anything here," he sneered, and a Ravenclaw girl by his side snickered loudly. What in Merlin's name were those two doing in this class, anyway? Seeking to torture harmless creatures for sport, no doubt.

"Perhaps not to you, Mr. Parkinson, but I'll wager there's at least one person here who can identify the magnificent creatures before us," Professor Howin replied, looking at the rest of the class expectantly.

"Thestrals," MC answered, instantly.

Professor Howin smiled at her, nodding her approval, though there was was a tinge of sympathy in her eyes to accompany it.

"Indeed! As many of you will be aware, Thestrals can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. Of course, that has earnt them a rather negative reputation..." Professor Howin went on to speak of how Thestrals had unfairly cemented their place in wizard folklore as harbringers of misfortune. Sebastian listened with his arms folded, a small frown on his face.

"You really don't like Thestrals, do you?" MC stated more than asked, leaning her head towards his ear.

"I don't dislike them. They just...remind me of what I've lost, that's all. The very concept of them is macabre," he replied.

"But they're such gentle creatures," she insisted, though she soon realised that her timing was rather questionable when Professor Howin began tossing raw steaks into the clearing. The Thestrals descended upon them with gusto, and the 'unsighted' in their class let out gasps of fear and amazement as the the meat seemingly began to levitate and then vanish before their eyes.

Sebastian's lip twitched, and he looked at her with dry amusement. "Ah, yes. Look at them ever so gently ripping apart those steaks."

She rolled her eyes and swatted him on the shoulder, causing him to chuckle.

"What is even the point of this? Most of us can't even see the damn things anyway," Parkinson muttered irritably under his breath. He looked around the clearing before his eyes alighted on another, much more visible form of entertainment.

He sauntered over to MC and Sebastian, a gleam in his eyes that she very much did not like the look of.

"Sallow, you can see them, right?" Parkinson asked in an exagerated whisper, practically pushing her aside in the process.

Sebastian frowned. He had no patience for his housemate at the best of times. "Just what exactly are you getting at, Parksinson?"

"Is it true that your parents got themselves killed playing around with a muggle contraption?" Parkinson probed, lowering his voice even further. She saw Sebastian tense and felt a wave of apprehension overcome her.

"Did your uncle go in an equally tragic way? Perhaps he tripped and fell on his garden shears outside that quaint cottage of yours?" Parkinson continued with a cruel smile, his words sickly. MC was equal parts shocked and outraged by his brazenness.

Sebastian hadn't reacted yet, but she could sense the warning signs: the darkening in his expression and the twitch of his fingers towards his wand. She, however, acted first. Without a word, she marched over to Parkinson, wand forgotten, and punched him square in the face.

She heard (and felt) a rather satisfying crack before he stumbled backwards onto the floor, clutching his nose. The Thestrals bellowed, spooked, and fled from the clearing in a rush of hoofbeats and leathery wings.

"Wh - what the hell?!" He spluttered with outrage, but the heat of his accusation was largely undone by his nasally voice, now thick with blood.

"Muggle enough for you?" She spat, glaring down at him. She was acutely aware of Sebastian's eyes on her back and looked over her shoulder to see him staring at her with eyes wide and mouth agape.

Professor Howin pushed her way through the circle of students that had formed around them. "And what, exactly, is going on here?" She demanded, glaring daggers at them both.

Parkinson jabbed an accusatory finger up at MC, his other hand still clutching his streaming nose. "This lunatic attacked me!"

"Only because he was saying some truly vile things," she retorted, her temper rising again. She obviously hadnt hit him hard enough.

"Enough!" Professor Howin shouted, her voice firm. "Both of you will serve detention with me for a week. I will not tolerate such beastly behaviour in my class."

"What? Why me?!" Parkinson spluttered.

Professor Howin looked down at him with a withering look. "Because I have no doubt, Mr Parkinson, that you did in fact say some rather vile things to earn that broken nose."

Sebastian snorted with laughter, and a few other students couldn't stifle their giggles. Behind his hand, Parksinson's face turned even redder. The Ravenclaw girl dutifuly arrived at his side, attempting to hook her hand under his elbow, but he shook her off impatiently. He staggered to his feet and glared at MC and Sebastian before he marched away, muttering a stream of curses.

With the subject of their lesson now notably absent, Professor Howin promptly called an end to the class and they began to trapse back to the castle. Sebastian and MC walked together, shoulders brushing.

"It was very good of you to defend my honour like that," Sebastian remarked. "That punch was much better than anything I could have come up with."

"Yes, well, I've never been able to stand that prat. Been itching to do that since last year," she replied, flexing her now aching hand. She'd apparently managed to injure herself in the process.

She sucked in a surprised breath when Sebastian gently cradled her injured hand in his own, running his thumb soothingly over her stinging knuckles. She looked up, her eyes meeting his.

"I'll be sure to find a way to express my gratitude,"  he commented, eyes twinkling with mischief in a way that made her heart flip. An abundance of scenarios came immediately to mind as to just how he could thank her, but she buried those thoughts deep.

"You really are amazing, you know that?" He continued, looking at her with such sincerity that her mind struggled to form words. He was so close, and his lips looked incredibly soft.

But then Sebastian's eyes became unfocussed as he clocked something over her shoulder and he smirked, releasing her hand and taking a step back.  "Watch out, I think your number one fan is on their way."

"Wha - ?" She didn't get to finish before something small and solid collided full speed with her waist, forcing the air from her lungs.

"Oh, MC, that was simply marvelous! I wish I had your courage; I would have done that a thousand times over by now," Poppy enthused, hugging her tightly.

"It was my pleasure, Poppy," MC replied, still catching her breath, for more reasons than one.

---

Sebastian wasted no time filling his best friend in on the day's events whilst in their dorm room.

"...and then, Ominis, she punched him, square in the face!" Sebastian enthused, unable to contain his euphoria.

"She what?!" Ominis spluttered, pausing as he rummaged through his bag.

"I know!" Sebastian answered, laughing. He threw himself back onto his bed with a blissful sigh. "Honestly, I couldn't believe it, but I think it might just be the best thing I have ever seen. She's incredible."

Ominis scoffed, but smiled all the same. "You're both utterly mad. You deserve each other, honestly."

[jedineedlove]

Ginseng Fruit and A Sworn Brothers'

Another Random thought for the LMK collection

So back to season two the episode Ping-Pong Panic. During Wukongs "vacation" which in whole I will make a post later about. But for this episode, we got the fruit babies later identified as Ginseng Fruit the ones from the JTTWs, In an earlier post I already pointed out how they were different from the books and how that affected the overall LMK JTTW version. The JTTW Bajie and Wujing (Piggsy and Sandys's past lives) ate the immortal granting fruit but considering the fruit is alive in this universe and the pilgrims are reincarnated that didn't; happen but what accord to me is maybe I had that half right. What if the fruit being alive was not a constant thing but this batch we saw was just a one-time thing. Something that happened during the "vacation". Then that brought my train of thought to the actual chapter these guys are from it being the chapter right before LBD.

This chapter introduces us to Zhenyuan Daxian: a Taoist deity who is the patriarch of Earth immortals. He resides in Wuzhang Temple on Longevity Mountain. There in the temple is the special Ginsenfruit tree. The tree itself is described as

"Formed when the primeval chaos was first being divided before the separation of Heaven and Earth. The fruit of the tree is known as the "Grass-returning Cinnabar" or "man fruit" The tree produces only 30 fruit every 9,000 years and is shaped like an infant less than three days old, by just smelling the fruit a person can extend his life span 360 years, a person who eat the fruit livs and addition 47,000s"

The Taoist deity was a friend of the Golden Cicada, So during the journey when the pilgrims were coming his way he was visiting someone and left his servants Qingfeng (Clear Wind) and Mingyue (Bright Moon) to give 2 fruits to the monk.

Tritpak refuses to eat them disturbed by their appearance, the two eat the fruits themselves. Wukong steals some for himself and the pilgrims, gets caught, and in anger destroys the tree. Zhenyan gets mad and will only forgive if Wukong can resort the tree. And makes a promise to become sworn brothers with Wukong if he completes the task. So Wukong asks around and finds no one then finally asks Guanyin. She's mad but assists in the restoration. When the tree is restored here's what I think a lot forget. It went by so fast. Zhenyan was so happy with the results he gave some fruit to Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing and then fulfilled his promise and BECAMES SWORN BROTHERS WITH WUKONG. No fanfic ever mentions this.

That's right WUKONG DOES HAVE A SWORN BROTHER!! So then that made this part of the episode all the more concerning.

I have two theories for this:

Theory ONE: Wukong visited Zhenyuan during his "vacation"

When Wukong sends the box he sends it through a portal of his power. We know this because MK recognizes it as something from Monkey King. And with Wukong traveling he is the only constant person with powers like this.

The first thing about the box is the locks and stickers all over it.

A monkey lock with MK-style cautionary stickers so made by Wukong. But the contents are from Zhenyuan. So along the "vacation," he stopped by the tree again but why? To get advice from this high-up Toaist? While there I think something happened remember the description of the tree growth patterns it only grows every 9,000 years that much time has no way passed. So why have they grown early? Maybe have something to do with Wukong when he was there. Maybe the fruits were normal during the journey and they aly got worped when Wukong visited now, it also explains why HE handled it and not the one in charge of them. To fix what he did he offers to keep the rotten fruits imprisoned or find them a home somewhere else.

-or

It could be they were already corrupted by something else and the immortal asks Wukong for a favor maybe even in exchange for information about LBD. Take care of the problem and he can have the information Zhenyuan possesses.

Theory Two: Zhenyuan sent a package to Wukong and the fruit was already corrupt.

Perhaps Wukong was intercepted during the "vacation" by Zhenyuan and was asked and accepted responsibilities for the fruit babies, or like in the note wukong sent MK. . . . . . .

In the note he sent to MK;

"Dear MK as you know I'm super busy on vacation, I've got a special delivery, but I won't be able to get to it for a while, you must not open it no matter what, it's bad news, but I know there no way you're gonna listen to that, so I also sent you a training blindfold, you must wear the blindfold all day, only when you truly learn to listen can you take it off."

So in theory 1, you could dismiss the note when it says he received the package because he was keeping things from MK. But if there is some truth to it then the fruit might have been corrupted all along or something else happened recently but for some reason, Zhenyuan sends the fruit Wukongs way, maybe because Wukong broke the tree so the fluke might be because of him, or there is trust. It's hard to tell.

But anyway all that aside the main thing about all this is how come no one is talking about the sworn brotherhood between these two? Clearly, something is going on between the two with the fruit babies' appearance in the show.

Please tell me what are your thoughts? ANd if i said anything wrong please tell me in the comments.

Thank you :)

Wrote most of this PRE SEASON 5 JUST NEVER POSTED : )

[finnydraws]

don't eat that (r.a/reader)

Pairing; Rhett Abbott/Reader

Word count:905

Description: While hiking with Rhett you get to show off your knowledge about the native plants your boyfriend tries to eat

genre(s) slice of life, fluff

warnings: while not explicitly stated, I did write this reader as autistic. While not ALL autistic people are like I've written her, I’ve loosely based her off my own flavor of autism so…. Mention of poisonous plants and their side effects.

Hiking with Rhett was always a trip. Half of the time he packed enough snacks to feed a small village, and the other half you would only get about a quarter way through the hike before he began to complain about being hungry. If it were anyone else asking to go on such a trip Rhett would say no with very little hesitation, but with you looking at him with those eyes he can't help but hide that he's more of a horse rides and working kind of outdoorsy than the willingly walking 5 miles to relook at the cool plants growing around the Abbott ranch kind. Today was an “I'm hungry” day. 

Normally at this point you and Rhett would turn around, make lunch and try again another day, but today had been particularly hard for you and he would hate to see your disappointed look at the thought of turning around. So he came up with a different solution. “Hey baby, you wanna go look for some berries with me?” Wyoming forests were good for berries, many growing rampant and wild and just perfect for the taking. The thought of the tangy taste of the native red currants growing all through the forest already making Rhett's mouth water.

And so began the hunt for Rhett's favorite fruit, which mostly consisted of Rhett bringing you fruits that looked VERY different from the hard red berry he should probably recognize. At this point it was comical just how far off he was at identifying a fruit that his mom had cooked with for the majority of his life. For about forty minutes this back and forth of Rhett asking “are these them?” and you responding with a soft “no baby, it's not” only for him to lose a little hope of ever finding something to eat (which he would have 20 minutes ago if he had just listened to you when he held up some very much edible red chokeberries. But when he heard you say they weren't HIS fruit he stopped listening) went on. Until just when Rhett had fully given up hope, and was about to ask you to head back and get a snack, he spotted them. Hiding in the trees, small, round, some orange, and others red, currants.

He grabs the fruit without thinking. Picking as many ripe red berries as he can carry without crushing them in his calloused hands, and excitedly bringing his haul to you. “Baby look! I found ‘em!” He's so excited he barely even waits to confirm the fruit with you before holding one up to his mouth to take a bite.

“DON’T EAT THAT!” You yell before he can. “Don't forget, bittersweet grows out here too, and they look very similar. But bittersweet berries will kill you so quick, and also painfully” you continue. Rhett drops his horde of berries like they were burning him (which now that you pointed them out he did notice the subtle itching, burning feeling in his hands) “bring me to the plant you got this from please.” and so he did, leading you to a large oak tree, with a thick wood vine creeping its way up the tree. Attached are yellowish green,smooth leaves, and orange capsules split into three sections, opening up into the red berry. “These are bittersweet berries baby… they’re part of the nightshade, or Solanaceae, family. If you eat them it can cause headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, internal bleeding, slowed blood circulation, paralysis and even death” you try to continue your speech about the deadly plant but the sad look on Rhett's face stops you in your tracks.

He looks so defeated, and hungry. “Can we go back baby, ‘m hungry and i don’ wanna get us killed jus’ cause i wan’ food.” you know you can’t argue with his logic, there are more poisonous plants out here than edible ones, and he’s been so sweet continuing the hike despite him wanting to go home that you give in almost immediately. You follow him home, trailing just behind him and still eying the plants you pass, just in case. And then YOU spot them. A low to the ground shrub, with green palmate leaves, with three bluntly toothed lobes.

And red fruits.

“Baby” you call. Yet nothing in response. You try again, a little louder. “Baby. come here.” he does turn around at that, approaching you and eying the small shrub you’re wildly gesturing to. “RED CURRANTS!” Rhett lights up.

“Really? They ain’ those nightshade plants?” he questions, looking at you hopefully.

“Nope!” you say, popping the p. You stick one of the juicy red berries into your mouth for good effect, before making your shirt into a makeshift basket and picking as many ripe ones as you can. “Let's bring them back and make some jam” but Rhett is more preoccupied with stuffing his face with the berries than gathering any for later. He looks cute like this, hunched over the shrub he looks like when a child is given candy on halloween, worried someone will take the sweet treat from him before he can thoroughly enjoy it. You give him a moment to pick the shrub clean, happy to see him feeling better.  “Come on now love, let's get you some real food.” Rhett stands up, brushes the dirt from his pants and gives you a small smile.

“Let's go home baby.”

[heartach3d]

"I'll see you around?"

charlie dalton x shy!reader

not requested I just thought this would be cute!

1.5k words

you were so excited when your brother first got accepted into welton! you had gotten him a little gift and everything but it was also be different at home not to have him there again.

but you have gotten used to it one year you can get used to it another I guess.

and you definitely didn't want to disappoint anyone or even dissapoint neil if you brought it up so you closed it off in your mind.

the ceremony for getting into the school again was borringgg. you had brought a little book to read at least since you were hidden from people in front and your parents wouldn't see since your at the end next to Neil.

I tried to focus the best I could at first but it got badly boring like especially boring with all the talking and like initiatives I guess.

but you wouldn't miss it for the world so as long as you were next to neil I wouldn't think he'd mind.

after the ceremony was over first off I was glad and second I could finally get to see neils new little room.

so after my parents talked to teachers and stuff I made sure he brought me. I know it doesn't seem as exciting but it was for me at least. maybe I could leave him a note or something on his desk.

-

"come on neil!" I say walking through the halls with him slightly behind me. "I'm coming I said!" he says running a little to catch up.

"well your being sloww" "how about a race then?" I contemplated it for a millisecond before he counted to three and left me.

"neil thats no fair!" I say running after him in the halls.

"and I still caught up haha!" I say as he's panting by the doorway. "no you did track so that's technically cheating" he says shrugging his shoulders before walking in.

"it's my boring room that I always have why you wanna see it now?" he asked messing with his stuff in his suitcase.

"I don't know! I just realized I've never seen it before yknow?" I say looking out the window out at the fall leaves on the ground and the dead trees ready to grow for next year.

a boy walked in behind me and supposedly he was neils roommate? I don't know but he was setting up there on the bed so I got out of the way for him and stood by the doorway.

he started talking to todd? I think that was his name and neil introduced me.

"hello its nice to meet you" I said quietly and smiled lightly to be nice and he returned it back before turning around to set up.

I could tell he was nervous I just couldn't put my finger on why. maybe he was new. or scared or something I don't know.

I was lost in my train of thoughts when I heard commotion come from around the hallway corner.

it was a big group of boys and they all squeezed into here? like out of all rooms this one? probably yeah since they're probably neils friends. duh.

and by the way they all laughed and made themselves comfortable it proved my point right. they were his friends.

I wonder why I've never met or noticed them before..

"y/n?" neils voice interrupted my thoughts and I suddenly had all eyes on me? I could tell I turned a faint pink color because my cheeks were slightly hot.

"hm? hi" I say with an embarrassingly small wave and bit my lip to distract myself, or rather try to distract myself from all the eyes.

some of them had cigarettes but quickly put them out when someone came in.

"neil could I speak to you? " father said in his tone. neil left and all that was left was me and these random boys I don't even know.

"so what do you like to do?" one of them asks and I looked over to identify which one but I didn't really know since again I wasn't paying attention.

"over here sweet cheeks " I hear the same voice come from the bed and I see him just laying there.

"oh um I like to read I guess.. not much after that" I say fiddling with my fingers while looking anywhere else. I wasn't really good with eye contact.

"so your like meeks here, geeky?" he asked and meeks or whatever his name is punched his shoulder.

"maybe don't scare her off?" he said and then introduced himself.

"I'm Steven meeks." he said handing out a hand for me to shake.

"this is charlie dalton" he pointed to the boy talking to me earlier on the bed.

"this is Knox overstreet" he kept going and going and I couldn't even remember the last name he said! for some reason charlies just stuck though.

"oh well it's nice to meet you all. I'm neils sister" I say quietly but making sure they can hear me.

"really? I never knew he had a sister?" I hear from someone in the room. "idiot he told us he had a sister!" I hear someone else from the room and laugh a little quietly.

neil came back in and told me father has to go so obviously I have to go with him.

"bye neil I hope you have as good time as you can have here in this.. hell" I say giving him a smile and light hug.

"thanks that's really heartwarming" he says sarcastically and I walk away trying to find my way out of here.

it seems like endless hallways and doors! wait I probably shouldn't be going through random doors. well father and mother left me so if I take long they'll get mad. or father will at least.

I walk and walk for like an hour it feels like! Definite exaggeration, probably been like two minutes.

I see one of neils friends and I recognized it as charlie. he's walking my way so I consider asking him where the lot is when he walks by.

"hey um charlie? is it? where the parking lot?" I ask and he smiles. "I can lead you there?" he asks and I just agree seeming it would be better than directions.

as we met the door I said thank you before going to leave "hey I know your neils sister and stuff but would you wanna go out sometime? like on the weekends or something?" he asked sheepishly.

"oh. I would love to." I say with a shy smile. "do you have neils house number? because if you do you could just call me from there and say its neil or something and my parents wouldn't say anything about it?"

"I'm pretty sure I do. if not I'll just ask him." he said fumbling with his collar trying to fix it.

I step forward and adjust it for him quickly before smiling awkwardly and stepping back.

"so I'll see you around?" I ask reaching for the door. "yeah yeah I'll see you." he says and I smile before turning around and walking out.

hii just something I got inspo from and I feel like this shows my real writing style and I just wanted to do something cute like this!

[ma3-author2]

Campfire Cooking In Another World x Reader

I recently watched this on Netflix, and I like this sort of theme as it gives me the same vibes as "The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime." So I thought, why not write a fanfic of it?

I also noticed that not many people wrote about this. Also take note: I followed the manga instead of the anime, but I also put the anime part. In simple terms, I mix it between manga and anime.

Chapter 1 : "Discovery of the new world and amazing skills!"

____________________

"So care to tell me how we end up in this place?"

"You're asking me? I’m as clueless as you."

Everything was surprising, hectic, and clueless to both of you and Mukoda after arriving in this fantasy place with swords and magic. Unlike in the modern world,

At the age of 27 and 28, you two are just on your way to work when suddenly a light emerges out of nowhere, and the first thing you see when you open your eyes is this group of people gathered in a circle, wearing domentor clothes, and a girl who was screaming in tears.

"The summoning ritaul has brought you three warriors to us—please save this kingdom of Rayseer!" The lady in tears exclaimed in agony, hoping for the tree warrior to save them.

"Miss, there are five of us; what do you mean three?" You exclaimed, gaining the attention of Lady Tears, and seeing her surprise look, she too didn’t know why there were five people.

"Eh? Oh-"

"I think we should use the "identifier" spell." One domentor said he was holding a seemingly big mirror, and once he made his way to the tree students in front of you two,

He said it out loud: "One is a swordsman, while the other two are spearsmen with holy magic, fire magic, and water magic." an amazing and powerful skill.

But when it comes to the both of you and Mukoda, you two can’t help but feel embarrassed about it.

"You two are... online shopping and... expresswa then spending?" Even the domentor is clueless about what he reads through the mirror.

"At least I have two skills," you muttered, but soon chuckled as you couldn’t believe how you could still feel proud of having that skill while the other students have a good one.

"...Then what about me?" Mukoda murmured, hiding his now-red face.

"Hey, at least you don’t have the spending part. It's obvious how I love to spend money."

As soon as that was done, you two were brought to the king, and when you saw the size of this so-called king, You already knew why the nation is failing, as all the taxes of the people are inside of him.

Furthermore, the royal family is wearing heavenly jewelry.

As the king began his speech, he told some history in regards to the Rayseer kingdom and told the warriors what they were going to do to help them with this mission. You can’t help but feel annoyed as the tree warrior was given a lovely service while you and Mukoda are still in your working outfit, not even getting acknowledged.

'Hey, isn’t this too suspicious?' Mukoda whispered in which you shush him before he got caught.

'Obviously,'

Sighing as you whispered this, you then raised your hand and said, "Excuse me for my intrusion." As you gained their attention, you continued

"But we two are not warriors, and we don’t want to interfere with your work!" And we both decided to look for something else to do when you guys do your things. "

"A-and do you mind sparing some money?" Mukoda cut your speech by asking for money; you wanted to smack your face because of his forwardness. But you saw his point, as you two are not from this world and you need some money to survive.

They didn’t even question you two, and they handed you a bag of money. Afterward, they tossed you two out like you were nothing but dust.

"At least they didn’t throw us in a dungeon," you muttered, counting the gold coins.

Mukoda just chuckled at your statement, agreeing with what you said. But as you two walked around the place, he noticed that people began to whisper and look at you two with a confused look.

"Hey, why are they looking at us that way?"

"I know your sharp Mukoda-san… but I didn’t know that you were this sharp."

Mukoda can’t help but sweat at your sarcasm, and when he noticed where you were pointing, he couldn’t help but be embarrassed at the obvious part.

"R-right… I forgot. Sorry, Y/N-san."

It was a good thing that there was a nearby clothes store, and as soon as you two went in to fetch a new pair of clothing, the saleslady couldn’t help but coo in delight when she saw you two walk out of the dressing room.

"Well, well, doesn’t this suit you two lovebirds well!?"

"L-love birds!" Mukoda exclaimed that a flush was starting to form on his cheeks and couldn’t help but glance at where you were.

"Ma'am, we're not together." You said you were correcting the lady, but in return, she said how she thought you two were, as she wanted to give you two a discount.

In replying to that, you immediately tagged Mukoda beside you, who wasn’t stopping his shuttering noise. "I sometimes forget—huhu—silly me, aren’t I, honey?" You lied, eyeing him to play along.

"Y-yeah, that’s why I l-love you, sweety~ hehe."

"Don’t worry, it's normal to couple!" and here is your charge; this is an extra gift for you two."

"Is it okay if we sell our clothes?" you ask, taking the paper bag from her hand, and when she says that, you can.

You earned more money than you have; the same goes for Mukoda. Even though you are known for your spending hobby, you are also known for getting more money.

As you thanked the lady in the store, Mukoda on the side still couldn’t brush away his blushing face when you suddenly acted like that. But it soon went back to normal when he remembered how you did that a couple of times before.

"Okay, now the clothing is done... "We need to look for an inn to rest for the day."

As you two are now on the lookout for an inn, it wasn’t that long before you two found one, and hearing the owner say how it’s the most affordable on the town, you doubt it.

"I’ll see you tomorrow."

"Okay"

It was a nice room with a rather uncomfortable bed, but you could survive it in a day, and as soon as you laid down, you stretched your arms and thought how you two ended up in this mess so quickly.

Though you hated to go to work to earn a living and were always tired to continue it, if it weren’t for Mukoda banging on your door every morning, you would have been dead long ago.

Mukoda and you met in high school; he's a chill guy who is sometimes an airhead, and you two just clicked, and in the end, you two ended up being neighbors to being a neighbor to work as well.

‘I should check it out now’

"Status display." Once you said this word, a large screen appeared displaying your name, age, and skill, aka job.

‘Okay, they got my name right... my age... *sigh* Why did it need to remind me that I’m 28’

Anything that was identified that you needed to learn, seeing your level and attack. It reminded you of an MMORPG, but instead of autopilot, You need to do it manually.

‘Great... so, basic skill... ‘ Just seeing the big words, you can’t help but sweat at this, and hearing Mukoda in the other room shouting his, then silent...

‘Okay, let’s try not to shout it.’

With a simple touch on the skill, it pops out like an ad, and seeing the skill in front of you, you can’t help but express your interest in it as it is displayed like the word expressway and spending indicated of it.

"Y/N-san! Come look at this!"

"Okay, wait"

As you closed the skill, you made your way to Mukoda, knocking on the door first and walking inside.

"What is it? Where did you get this food?"

"It’s from my skill, and it’s pretty cheap; I also brought your F/F."

As Mukoda showed you his skill, you couldn’t help but tell him how you have the same skill but that yours has things that he doesn't.

"Oh? Can I see?" And when you showed Mukoda yours,

"Y/N-san… "Why is it blank?"

"I don’t know... That’s the expressway, and this is the spending."

Like him, you can also buy food and other stuff, but instead of paying the same fine as him, you only need to spend half of what he does.

"Hey, isn’t that cheating? Why do you have the lowest price?!"

"I don’t know... oh wait." All of a sudden, there was a pop-up message telling you that you earned a point for spending, and once you complete the bar and earn more points, you can have one item for free.

‘So like... a point to point’

"That’s cheating!!"

With the discovery of both of your skills and how Mukoda still felt that he was robbed, you simply told him that he could have the free item just to make him feel less robbed.

"No, no, you have it, Y/N-san."

"If you say so." Rolling your eyes and chuckling at this, as the morning arrived, you two didn’t wait another minute to stay and are now on your way to another town away from this town.

According to the kids, to get to the border from the capital. You two need to go through the town of Kiels. And there will be a horse cart route connecting to it.

"Thank you, kids, here have this" handing them a freshly baked loaf of bread that you brought on your way, thinking it’s best to eat it on your way to another place.

But seeing their skinny look, you just give it to them.

"Thank you, Nee-san!"

Furthermore, if you need to cross the border, you can just get on the next horse cart route to get to the kingdom of Feenen, but sadly, one of you needs to stay behind.

"Kiels-anybody going to kiels-"

"Excuse me! We like to go!"

"Yes, yes, ah- but there is only one available... I think you need to wait for another one, lad," the coachman said.

You and Mukoda couldn’t help but glance at one another, and before he could say anything, you offered to stay behind and wait for the other one.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. Mister how long will the next one take?"

"About an hour or so."

Nodding at him, you simply told Mukoda that you could just go back to the inn and stay until the next one returned.

"So what would it be?"

In the end, Mukoda stayed behind as well, and you can’t help but thank him for not leaving you behind. "Of course, I would never leave you."

"Oh, Mukoda-san, that’s too cheezy."

"O-oi! Not in that way!"

"If you say so... so, should we go back to the inn or should we explore?" You didn’t even get to finish talking when you heard a passerby talking, and when you heard their conversation, you couldn’t help but sprint to them.

"Excuse me, I can’t help but hear your conversation... What do you mean by "closing the border and no more horse routes?"

"Didn’t you hear? On this day, the king and queen declared that they were closing the border because they couldn’t afford the expense of the route to it"

"And if they continue it, there will be no more food for us... I can feel their struggle."

‘Struggle? Really?’ You deadpan thought,

"I know what you're thinking, Y/N-san... If only they knew, so... what should we do?"

"I think it’s time to see what my other skill is." With that said, you two made your way to fewer people, and when you opened the skill,

You two can’t help but express your joyful look when you find out that you can use your skill to travel to another location, and with this, you don’t need to wait for another hour to go to another capital.

But the only problem was the expense.

"Why is it expensive?!?" You exclaimed that going to Kiel's cost you 12 golds.

"I can share my coins-" But you didn’t let Mukoda continue his speech when you suggested something, and that suggestion was a good one for him.

"What about this? I can be the ride to the capital while you handle the food."

"Ah, sure. I think that’s okay with me. but I can share my-"

"Okay great! Let’s go"

Mukoda only sighs and sweats as you cut his words again, but soon chuckles as you’re a person who has a lot to spend but is not a person who would ask for money as you spend it with your only money.

As you clicked the name, a warning note popped out telling you that if you're traveling with someone, you need to hold their hands for them to join you and in the further down.

"Caution, you might get a side effect for a first-timer." You expect to see a note on what side effect it was, but "Who would put this without giving the description of the side effect!"

"Maybe you'll just be dizzy," Mukoda says, trying to calm you down.

"I hope it will be... Okay, are you ready?"

"O-oh, yeah." He almost forgot the holding part; it’s not like he didn’t get to hold your hand, but is a high five counted as one?

As soon as you felt his hand on your hand, you clicked the button. and within a minute it sends you off to Kiel's place, if you have to rate the ride.

You would rate it a negative one because as soon as you clicked it and landed on the place, it felt like you two went inside a black hole because your whole body circled in one place.

You thanked that you didn’t eat that bread, as you would have been vomiting like Mukoda on your right side. "I-I think it’s best if we should… *blargh* … find another way."

"I-I agree"

Just like the two guys said, the route to the capital has stopped operating.

"So this is the border? Why do people seem so normal when things are this bad?" Mukoda whispered next to you.

"It’s like when you don’t get your paycheck. You need to force yourself to work to have it," you mutter as you still feel a little dizzy.

"HUh?"

"Let’s just go grab some food; I need some water." You didn’t even get to finish when Mukoda’s stomach grumbled.

"R-right, let’s go!"

You two made your stop at a bar and seeing all the people dressed in heavenly armor, swords, and archers lying on the table or beside the table. You can’t help but wonder how strong they can be to lift that much weight, as you can’t even lift yourself to go to work.

"Mukoda-san, I’m going to order, and you go find a table."

"Ah, Y/N-san... were not in the modern world."

"Oh right, I forgot... then let’s find a table."

As you two found a good table to sit at and eat, Mukoda leant his way toward you, whispering another word. "While we're here, why don’t we ask for some information?"

"Good idea; you go to the left; I’ll go to the right." And so you two made your way to your station to ask for some information. While Mukoda got his, you also got yours.

Thanks to the lady you spoke to, you were right on why the king and queen want to close the border, and as soon as you went back, you needed to tell Mukoda that you two needed to leave before it completely closed thanks to the greedy king and queen.

"Mukoda-san, we need to leave soon."

"I know, but I don’t want to use that again," he muttered, not wanting to remember how much he vomited on your skills.

Nodding at him, you look around, wanting to find an idea or plan to use another way without using these expensive skills of yours, and as your eyes land on the people around you.

"Hmm, why don’t we recruit these adventurers?" They can help us, though it will cost as dearly, but it’s a better route than mine."

"I will take that offer."

As you two made your way to the front desk to ask if they would take a bodyguard's request to escort you two, thankfully, they did, and in your opinion, it cost less than yours.

But because of the closure of the horse cart route, the fee was increased a little bit. And if we two need to catch someone’s attention, eight gold coins would be better.

"Hmm… what do you think, Y/N-san?"

"I think it’s fine... Unless you want to ride mine." You didn’t really say it out loud, but this lady in front has a strong hearing sense.

"Oh my~ you two don’t need to do that here!"

Hearing the lady at the front desk, it took you two minutes to understand what she said, and you immediately corrected the awkward situation.

"I-it’s not like that!" Mukoda exclaimed that redness was now covering his whole body.

"Hehe, it’s okay; it’s normal for couples!"

"We're not a couple!" Now it was your time to exclaim, ‘What is it with people thinking that we're a couple!’ Heck, even back then, can they just think that you two are just close without that word?

"Ehem- er, can we bring food with us?" Mukoda muttered, still flustered by what the lady said.

"That is no problem! I will notify you when someone accepts it. Thank you for coming."

After that conversation, it was a semi-awkward situation, but it quickly settled down, as you and Mukoda needed to prepare for this trip and how you two needed to tip the adventurers.

"Okay, first we need a simple starting pack. A cape or warm clothes to protect from the cold, a sleeping bag, and some water jog."

"Water pouch Y/N-san"

"It’s the same thing, and of course, food."

As you two made your separate way to buy all the necessary stuff with all the money you have. You were not even far from where your separation spot is when you jogged toward Mukoda, tagging his back clothes.

Thanks to this, he got startled.

"Y-Y/N-san? You scared me, I thought a holdaper-"

"We have that skill, why are we still buying it through the market? and it cost less."

"I mean, you're right... But would that be dangerous? I mean, they've never seen it before, and it could be suspicious for them if they saw it."

"You do have a point... Hmm, okay, we will just buy the clothes here, but for the food, we will use the skill."

____________________

‘Holy cow, his handsome’ You thought as the leader of the will of metal, Werner introduced himself, giving you a dilfi aura.

"So you two are the clients?"

"Yes, it’s us. You can call me Mukoda and "Y/N-san." Mukado can’t help but sweat at how much you're staring at Werner and has nagged you to snap out of it.

"Oh, ah. "Hello, thank you for accepting this task."

"Nice to meet you."

Just by shaking his hand, you already knew that he worked hard. Werner then continued to introduce his other team. You met Vincent, another handsome guy; Rita, a cute bubble girl; Lamon, an old cool dude; and lastly, Lamanka.

Another Dilf, but a Milf one.

‘I only saw it in games, but now I can see it in person!’ You were happy that these people would be the ones to guide you; you just hoped that they wouldn’t rob you like any other novel there is.

"Well then, to Feenen!" Vincent exclaimed, followed by Rita's chirping voice.

It was like a movie with a theme of fantasy and action, but instead of just seeing it on the big screen, You're watching it in 3D with a twist of reality.

And you can’t help but clap your hands at how fast they work by defeating some monsters.

"The sun is about to set. "Let's camp here." Werner said, and as soon as he said those words, You let out an exhausted yawn as your feet were killing you.

‘Finally’ only to groan when Mukado tagged you towards him.

"Y/N-san, we should cook them a meal... I mean, they helped us survive."

"You're right, sorry. We should get started. Umm… Is it okay if we cook you guys something in a thank you way?"

"It’s no problem for us, but are you sure?" Werner asks, oh, how you see that he has a pure soul. and prayed that he would never change.

"I’m craving some hotpot all of a sudden with this cold," you whispered, shivering with the cold night.

"I agree, but we need fast and simple food; we don’t have that much on us." Mukoda whispered, chuckling, as he brought out a stove. Thanks to the item box, you two don’t need a big bag to carry this stuff, and you also took yours.

"Hey, Mukado-san, Y/N-san, can use the item box? I no wonder your bags are so small." Vincent saw the magic stove you two brought out, and you and Mukoda immediately told him that it was just a small item box.

"Wow, this magical item looks awesome."

"Oh, haha, we got it from someone we know." Mukoda said, glancing at you, to which you shrugged your shoulders. starting your cooking show.

while Mukoda serves a simple sausage soup with bread from another world. You, on the other hand, serve a sweet corn soup with mashed potatoes on the side, which you brought from another world as well.

But before you fed it to the Will of Metal group, you told Mukoda to taste it first. "So, is it okay?"

"Yeah! It’s delicious!"

"Yours as well; we should hand it to them now... They kept staring at us. " You sweated as you said this, as the group has been watching you two like hawks for the last minute.

"Be careful, it’s hot!"

"Whoaa, it’s really the soup!"

It’s not even a minute when they gulp down all the food in one go, and just hearing their compliments in regards to your food and Mukoda. You smiled in pride at this.

‘At last, someone who appreciates my food!’

"What is this? This is so good! This soft little thingy is so delicious!" Rita exhaled, gulping down the mashed potato. "Thanks to this meal, I feel more youthful than ever!"

"I feel like my body is full of energy now!" Lamanka excalimed.

‘Hey, Y/N-san… What do they mean by that?’

‘Maybe it’s the way they compliment? and I would gladly hear it all day!’

Mukoda sighs, and he can’t help but start to sweat at this. When he heard Lamon talk about mind, he used the skill "evaluation," and when he saw Rita’s status, some were adding up thanks to the food.

He can’t help but spit the soup out of his mouth. And seeing him, you asked if he was alright while patting his back.

"Mukoda-san?! what happen? Are you okay?" Vincent asks

"Oh, no, no. I was choked because of the soup."

‘Y/N-san, check their status."

‘What?’

‘Just say evaluation."

With what he said, you followed it and when you saw it. You almost choke on the mashed potato you're munching on, and may I remind you that it’s soft and not a hard potato.

"Y/N-san! Are you okay?" Werner ask.

"Oh, yeah. Just remembered how amazing you guys are for defeating that monster, hehe."

‘Why the fuck did that go up?’ You glance at Mukoda and seeing him looking at his food. You did it as well. It was a good thing that it was only temporary and not permanent, but still.

The food you two made is a bit dangerous, and just seeing Mukoda's expression, you already know what he was thinking. That is, unless you two don’t shut your mouths.

‘We should keep this a secret’

‘Agree’

Unknown to the both of you two is that the Will of Metal group has their own thoughts, but instead of thinking how dangerous their discovery about the food is, it’s: "These two lovebirds are meant to be’

Five days of traveling and the group hasn’t reached the destination; with that time frame, you're starting to think about having a second thought about using the skill you have.

But at the same time, you don’t want to risk vomiting your soul out.

"Don’t worry, in this state, it would take 2-3 more days."

‘Yehpe…’ You thought, huffing as your feet were getting tired with all the walking and walking, then climbing, then walking again.

"Our current location is quite troublesome. It’s not really dangerous. But we have to be careful in the remaining part of the trip." Werner said, and with his words, everyone cheered.

with you and Mukoda joining them, even if you two have a tired expression.

On the way to the next capital, the group found a giant red monstrous boar, and because it was big and they couldn’t carry it all, you and Mukoda asked the group if you two could put the remains in the item box.

Collecting the fangs, meat, skins an various vulnerable from the previous monsters to sell it, there was one info that you learn from which is to leave half of it.

Despise the fact that you and Mukoda can carry it all; you two agreed that you did not want them to be suspicious as you only have a small tiem box after all.

"I’m excited to cook for tonight! It’s been so long since I tasted meat!" you exclaimed, stretching your arms.

"You said it! "I'm going to cook my favorite food!" Mukoda excitedly said, as he too couldn’t wait for it.

With the meat from the boar, it has the same taste as a regular one in your world. And it’s easy to cook; it despise not knowing what it tastes like at first but after the final result.

You and Mukoda made one another's favorite meat. while he cooks stir-fried red pork with ginger. Yours is just simple fried pork with miso soup on the side. What could be better than soup on the side or bread?

Yummy!

"Itadakimasu!"

Just seeing their reaction is enough to satisfy your two hardships in cooking the meal for tonight. And wow, maybe it’s too good, as they're showing too much expression.

‘I’m starting to think of opening a restaurant because of them’ You whispered to Mudoka, to which he simply chuckled. But, like they said, if it’s too much, it will be bad news.

You two are just sharing where you got the ingredient from when all of them went quiet.

"Why are you guys so quiet? Is there something you don’t like about the food?" You ask, but when they simply tell you that it wasn’t that, but the presence behind you,

‘Behind me?’

What do you know? not only for your happiness with their reaction to the food you two made, or cheering the fact that you can finally eat some meat after so long... but this monster behind you also wants to eat it.

"Humans… Let me eat with you!"

Next Chapter ---> Part 2

[ottpopfic]

It's not the first time Nico has had to turn their ass back around the way they came because they fucked some underworld something in what di Angelo has dubbed their ‘Gay Chicken On Steroids Quest’. He's equally pissed at both Leo and Jason every time, so Leo tries to take some solace in that

Like, hooray Leo we‘re glad you're back, go back from whence you came we gotta go close the hole you crawled out of or whatever

---

The last death

-

Leo is alive, again, for like the sixth time 

Something something Jason went off to gather parts of all the plants people have been turned into to make a sacrifice? Dr. Frankenbonsi a Leo? He's not sure, all he knows is he got spat out of Thalia’s tree and it was both gross and hella painful. Not the worst resurrection so far, but definitely the one with the most tree sap

Also, Nico’s pissed again that they fucked around too much. Whatever Jason did with his spooky tree thing has apparently made a weak spot for underworld magic and now they have to go close it 

It's not the first time Nico has had to turn their ass back around the way they came because they fucked some underworld something in what di Angelo has dubbed their ‘Gay Chicken On Steroids Quest’. He's equally pissed at both Leo and Jason every time, so Leo tries to take some solace in that

Like, hooray Leo we‘re glad you're back, go back from whence you came we gotta go close the hole you crawled out of or whatever

The issue this time isn't how Leo came back, but the fucking cultist that have taken over the spot Jason did his Zuse wood magic thing

They end up in Newport State Park near the tippy-top point of Wisconsin’s peninsula, in a clearing in a grove of Oak and Linden trees. The place has to be hidden by the mist, Leo has checked the satellite imaging on Google Maps multiple times as they trek through the trees and underbrush to see nothing out of the ordinary, or even a landmark. There's some kind of temple off up a hill with way too many Canadian Geese guarding it, but that's not what they're after 

What they are after is the lowlands under the temple where the earth was carved away by an ancient flood. The trees never grew back there, leaving room for the milkweed, cardinal flowers, and forget-me-nots to flourish under the sun. It would be a lovely sight, if the flowers hadn't been trampled by the cultists

Fucking cultists, they're digging a hole

“What's with the hole?” Piper asks. The three of them are up in the brush at the top of the hill across from the temple, watching the robed dudes down below and desperately avoiding the geese. 

“Fuck if I know” Nico monotones

“Dude, you're the whole reason we're here,” Leo gapes “How do you not know what's up with the hole?”

“Just because I know that cultists are fucking around doesn't mean I know the method to their madness” Nico grouches 

“Oh no wait I think they're planting that guy,” Piper identifies “Or burying him alive? Whatever there's a dude going in the hole”

“Yeah, looks like it's time to step in,” Nico tosses the binoculars back at Leo to stash in his tool belt and draws his spooky-ass sword “Whatever you do don't bother the geese, I think they are only here for the temple”

“There is no way in hell I'm fucking with a goose,” Leo relents, tucking everything away “Have you ever been one on one with a goose, because I have”

“Oh yeah same,” Nico shudders “I got chased by like four of them when I was homeless in Central Park”

“Fucking vicious right!?” 

“Yeah, if I didn't know better I'd say they were hell spawn”

“Is there a plan?” Piper cuts in before they start down what she calls ‘sad homeless orphan lamentations’

“Keep the cult from burying anyone, don't die,” Nico tells them “I can close the weak point once we clear them out”

“Fantastic,” Piper says 

They end up splitting up slightly, being outnumbered puts a damper on charging in even if it looks mostly like mortals below. Nico poofs off one way whereas Leo and Piper sneak off the other, it works for about eight seconds before they are spotted in the wildflowers 

“You there!” cries one of the cultists pointing “Show yourself!“

“What is he a fucking Monty Python character” Piper grumps

“Hello!” Leo improvises, standing abruptly “Hello fellow cult members, I have come to uh, help you with the cult stuff” Leo can see Nico facepalm in a patch of swamp lupine on the other side of the hill

“Yep sure do love digging holes and putting people in them, uh” Leo is apparently now the distraction because Piper is lining up her blow dart as his hip and Nico is creeping in from the back “Sure am excited using a whole ass man as a seed, that's definitely gonna appease our god!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” cuts in one of the cult guys in the back, Piper blow darts him two seconds later

Things go fast from there. There are six above-ground cult members and one fancy one in the hole, Nico quickly takes out the one next to Mr. Blow Dart In The Neck. Leo pulls a handsaw and a ball peen hammer out of his belt, whipping the hammer at the closest robed figure and following a knife-wielding Piper into the fray 

It's the classic chaos of a close combat fight; dodge, duck, swipe at a weak spot, and don't hit your friends. They're holding their own pretty well for being outnumbered in a goose poop-filled muddy clearing. But it's when Leo turns to throw another hammer at the man starting to overpower Piper that he hears a new voice enter the equation

“Leo!”

And there he is, it's Jason. 

He's alive, walking talking breathing moving of his own accord. Or he would be, if the knife that was meant for Leo wasn't sticking out of his back

Leo hasn't seen him in three years . 

“Jason?”

They lock eyes for a second, blue to brown, and then Jason gives one hard bloody cough. Leo can see the tip of the knife just piercing through his shirt, the smallest hit of silver surrounded by spreading red

“ Jason !”

The Hole Cultist pulls his blade up first, making a sick crunching and ripping noise accompanied by Jason’s cut-off scream, before wrenching it back out and kicking the blond away. Jason falls hard, and he stays down, the robed man turning back to his original target of Leo with a sneer. There is a lot of blood, like the knife went through a major artery or organs or something, pooling around where Jason lays barely moving, it makes Leo see red

He tends not to be the one fighting in the front lines, especially not with his fire. Like Leo can defend himself and others if he needs to, but he much prefers to launch wrenches at people like Ratchet from Transformers or act as a support. Fire is too hard to control in close or crowded combat, and there is too high a risk of hurting someone friendly or catching the landscape ablaze

Leo doesn't really care about that right now, his body moves on its own

Charbroiled he thinks the term is, or at least extra crispy, because for once Leo is not holding back. That tight panicked control he's had to keep on his fire his whole life whips away from him in a flash of light and heat at the cultist, a Saturn's rings of flame surrounding him and then projected at the man. Either way, there's not much left of them when he's done, half the flesh seared off the bone and all

“Jason!” Leo screams as he turns back, scrambling away from the horror show he's made of the robed figure and sliding on his hands and knees next to the blond. He gathers Jason into his arms and onto his lap, not caring for the blood and viscera that are coating them both, Jason grabs him back with shaking hands the best he can “ Jason !”

“O-oh hey,” Jason says like he's not actively bleeding out “It's good to see you”

“Jason, what the fuck” Leo cries, vision blurring with the water in his eyes “Don't do this to me!”

“It’s okay,” Jason tries to soothe him through the blood in his mouth, gore-slick hands losing their grip on Leo’s jacket and looking straight into Leo’s eyes like a promise “I'll get you on-on the n-next round, just-just wait, for me” and then he's gone, the light leaving him In one last desperate rasping breath

“No no no nonono no! ” Leo begs through his tears, shaking him in his arms like it will make Jason’s spirit come back to his body “Jason come on please! ”

It's not fair, he's right here and it's not fair . They were so close, Leo can feel how close they were to making it

He's on fire, he knows he is but he doesn't have it in him to care. It's whipping around like a storm, like a tornado, pouring off of him harder and hotter than it's ever been, the heat making Jason's body slowly cremate in his arms. All Leo can do is burn and sob, hunched over what's left of the man he's so desperate for even as other things around them catch with him

It's not fair, they were so close and it's not fair

Leo is done. He's played by the rules and bent over backwards to appease the gods and this is what they get? They were never going to let Leo have him, it's always been just a show, just another stupid myth to add to the collection. Here's a parable on what wanting what you can't have will do to you, it is storm or fire after all

Leo is over it, he's going to write his own story

He can hear Piper’s panicked voice somewhere off somewhere, but he can't find it in him to care for once. If he's going to die this time for this at least she won't be there like all the other deaths. Maybe she can be spared for once

It's hot, his fire, so hot for once it's blue. Jason’s body might be dust slipping through his hands but Leo knows without needing to look it's the same color as his eyes

So he hulls himself up. He's still burning, the ash that is Jason combining with the ash and stone that is the landscape and changing. Magma, lava, stone and glass. 

Obsidian 

Leo walks 

And the ground melts away

He walks the whole way down like that, all the way to the underworld. Nothing stops him, not the earth or spirits or monsters, nothing even tries. He creates his own tunnel like that, burning his entrance to the upside down, an Obsidian Field

He may not be falling into the planet, but it sure is close

Leo doesn't waste time when he gets to the upside down, beelining it to the queue of souls waiting to be judged, honed in on the blond like he's being reeled in by the heartstrings. He's terrified, he's breaking so many rules, but he can't care about that right now. He won't care about it. If they want to strike him down for this Leo can just step in behind Jason, he's not above cutting in line.

It doesn't take Leo long to find him, in the long procession of semi-transparent dead people Jason is surprisingly opaque. He has a hand in his grody ripped jeans pockets and staring at an outcropping of stalagmites like a crappy waiting room TV. The microsecond Leo is close enough he grabs him out of line by the hand, Jason looks surprised to see him so soon

“We are leaving ” Leo demands through his teeth

“Okay,” Jason says, and then Leo drags him back the way he came

He doesn't let go of Jason's hand the whole way up, but he doesn't look at him either, just in case.

When they get upstairs the land around them is one big sheet of black glass with the hole to the new underworld entrance smack dab in the middle. there's a spot in front of them, where the new stone is discolored and rippled like water. Where Jason died, where Leo caught fire. It’s kinda pretty in a way, glittering and reflective, but nothing looks better than turning around and Jason still being there

“Hi,” Jason says, a huge grin on his face

“Hey,” Leo breathes back, still terrified their both about to be whisked away back under

“I missed you,” Jason tells him, squeezing his hand

“ Dude ” Leo is trembling, is this really happening?

“Just, come here ”

Jason pulls him into an embrace by their joined hands, and Leo melts into it holding him back like a lifeline. 

It's probably the best hug in existence Leo thinks, even though it's one-armed and they are both hella gross. But it's Jason , and he's here. He's here and he's sticking his stupid handsome face in Leo’s hair and pulling him in so tight it makes his ribs hurt. Leo thought he had run out of tears somewhere between the Metamorphic Rocks and the Mantle, but apparently not. He's sobbing into Jason’s nasty ass shirt, and Jason lets go of his hand just to hold him tighter

“Holy shit!” Leo hears Piper shreek in the distance “Holy shit he did it! ”

There's more screaming, the sound of friends and family inbound across the still-steaming ground, but right now it's just Leo and Jason standing in the cooling obsidian 

Leo looks up at him, just to make sure it's true and Jason is here for realzies this time. He's met with blue eyes, blue like the sky above them clear of clouds, blue like the heart of the hottest flames, blue like home

“Let's go home,” Leo tells him

“Okay,” Jason replies, seconds before Piper body slams them both to the ground “Let's go home”

---

@queenjunothegreat

[alpydk]

I had a rough day today. I've had a lot of rough days recently. Tomorrow I start my meds again.

She couldn’t breathe. A hand gripped around her throat. Her own. The lights, the sounds. All of it as if she were standing in the midst of a storm, lightning flashing with reckless abandon, thunder clapping in her mind like the drums of war. There was nowhere to focus, the landscape constantly changing before her eyes and no matter how much she tightly clenched them shut, she could still feel how the world twisted around her. A volley of arrows from every side. The crash of metal upon metal. The dull pounding of her heart. Shards of light, the passing trees, the words her companion tried to say, merging with the music and the rain and the relentless storm. A bombardment of chaos that domineered the senses. And with it all, she couldn’t breathe.

Get a hold of yourself. You know what this is. A little anxiety. A momentary lapse of reason. Just like the album. You know you are fine. One deep breath. See, everything is back to normal. You’re fine, that was just a blip. CANT BREATHE LET ME OUT Swallow, run your hand through your hair, rub your wrists, it will pass. It always passes. GOING TO BE SICK HAVE TO GET OUT Rub your thumb along the fingers of your other hand. Feel the pressure of the pad upon your skin, feel the scratch of your nail. Feel anything but the world around you.

She remembered the words told to her so many times before. Ones of how to ground herself, to look for things of various shapes and colours, to ask herself strange questions. What is the capital of that distant country? Is it good writing to use the word stood? To identify where she was feeling the sensations and then imagine them floating away as bubbles or anything else so that she could accept it and move on.

You feel it in your throat? How does it feel? YES FOCUS ON IT - ON THE LUMP THAT SITS THERE. No, you know what to do. How does it feel? Hard… tight… LIKE YOU CANT BREATHE How should it change? Like bubbles? LIKE WATER DROWNING YOU PULLING YOU UNDER THE WAVES YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO DROWN WHERE YOU CANT BREATHE

She knows his eyes are on her, the gentle touch of his palm to her knee. He keeps talking, trying to fill the silence that she cannot hear. He’s trying to keep her calm because he can see how her hands move, see the blemish on the back of her finger as her thumb traces its hypnotic line back and forth. The same back and forth that dances within her mind. He wants to help but does not know how. He asks if he can do anything. Tells her to take her time. Tells her they have all the time in the world. She says she is fine, her eyes trying to find a point to focus on, landing on the lights, the ground, her hand, her knee, the small piece of cotton on her shirt that she then pulls hoping it will unravel the knot that lies within her.

That worked. See, everything is fine. You’ve got this. You’ve done this so many times before and look how far you have come. It’s almost over and then you will feel amazing because you survived. BUT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN WHAT IS THAT FEELING IN YOUR CHEST? THAT FEELING THAT RISES WITHIN AGAIN? Find five things that are red. A badge, the book. THE WORLD SPINS AND YOU CANT BREATHE.

CANT BREATHE CANT BREATHE CANT BREATH CANT BREATHE CANT BREATHE CANT BREATH CANT BREATHE CANT BREATHE CANT BREATH GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT CANT BREATHE CANT BREATHE CANT BREATH GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

She stops moving and leaves the building, trying not to draw attention to herself. If they could see the tempest raging within, feel the panic that stopped her heart from beating, they would forever see her as that person. That failure. That fuckup. She could not be weak, could not embarrass herself as a tale for people to talk about for years to come. She couldn’t let anyone down and be a disappointment. And so she kept going, even though she couldn’t breathe.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #129

I'm home. We got in at about 10:15pm. It took some time to get everything unpacked and squared away. I also got ready for bed; it's 11:30pm now.

Suppose I can show you pictures of the plane now. I was just asked to keep the identifying number out of it. So here you go:

...Just beyond those trees is a small dropoff and a river.

...It's actually kind of miraculous that the trees held, I guess. Or so the FAA agent said. He also said that it was kind of miraculous that the plane didn't flip over; apparently, for this type, that can happen if you hit the brakes too hard.

To have walked away from something like this without so much as a scratch... it's an astounding stroke of luck, according to the FAA guy and the airport owner. I also like to think that it is testament to J's skill; pilots are given training not just to avoid mistakes, but also to know what to do when mistakes inevitably occur. Humans are human, and humans make mistakes. There's really no avoiding it; there's only handling it when it happens.

The owner of the airport, who is also an experienced pilot, says likely what happened was a ground loop of some kind. That's when the tail wheel does a weird spinning thing when you try to land the aircraft. It doesn't help that the left wing had a bit more fuel in it than the other (which is likely part of the reason it pulled to the left upon landing). I'm not sure how it can be that the left wing had more fuel in it than the right, since the aircraft was set to consume fuel from both wings.

The person from the FAA is not our enemy. It's his job figure out what went wrong, and then use that knowledge to help keep pilots safe. So we gave him all the details we could. Hopefully something good will come of it.

On the bright side of all this, I got to meet a bunch of really awesome people with amazing life stories, and I had the good privilege of listening to them talk for a while about the things they've seen, done, and experienced. I do wish I could have met these folks under better circumstances. They were kind to us even though they all could have justifiably been super duper cranky at J about the whole thing. I guess they were all super stoked that we walked away alive and with all our limbs and organs intact.

...At one point, before it was clear that we would be okay, I thought something kinda like, "ohp, guess this is it; wonder if I'm gonna end up maybe meeting the guy I keep writing all these weird letters to... suppose it was a pretty good run though; 34 years with lots of weird and amazing stories ain't half bad." This thought probably didn't scare me as much as it should have. I'm not really sure what to make of that. Maybe I don't have to make anything of it at all. Maybe I'm still just a bit addled from all the adrenaline.

When we arrived at the airport this morning, the airport owner and his lovely friend made us coffee. In the room where the coffee was prepared, there was a painting that changes as you walk past it. It was gorgeous, and thought you might like it, so I snapped a few pictures:

...I was a little sad that it didn't seem to have an autumn version. But it was still very, very good.

You know. If things had proceeded as expected, we never would have had a chance to meet these people, or see this painting. We never would have had one of the emergency response folks tell us about an amazing local Italian restaurant, and we wouldn't have gone to it to get amazing food. It's important to fully feel the scary feelings and mourn appropriately in order to get the feelings out of our bodies. But it's also important to find the small sparks of joy and opportunity, even when the going gets rough, I think. Otherwise, in a world like mine that has back-to-back crises on a regular basis (seriously, we are globally connected, so it never stops), you'll end up losing your damn mind.

...Ahah... my mother would tell me that first, I have to have a mind to lose. But I don't have to heed such nasty talk. I have a good mind, I think, even if it is, by all accounts, a little quirky and hard to understand.

Anyway. There was a conference room in which we were interviewed by the guy from the FAA. And in it, appropriately, there was this picture:

...Kinda interesting, no? And appropriate for the situation, I suppose. J is going to go back out first thing tomorrow morning with a flight instructor. I have mixed feelings about this; on the one hand, I'm glad to see that he's undeterred and eager to try again, but on the other hand, I wish he'd give it at least a few days for the adrenaline to fully clear from his body and to recover from what happened. But I am not in control of him; he must be free to make his own choices. All I can do is make suggestions, and then support him in whatever choice he makes.

In any case, today the plane was pulled out of the trees and put in the hangar. Like I said, it's pretty banged up:

It has insurance, but given the damage, it's not unlikely that the insurance company will decide to have it scrapped. I guess we'll see how it goes.

M drove all the way from our house to the airport to pick us up. Thank goodness he was home, holding the fort. Thank goodness for that, and for his willingness to come grab us, and for the fact that he was happy to see us instead of angry about the inconvenience. He's not the kind of person who would get angry about the inconvenience, but I've met plenty of others who are very much not like him in that regard, good grief.

The three of us, M, J, and I, went to the Italian place that was spoken about. I dunno if it's because I was primarily running on hotel breakfast food and junk food, but I thought the food there was AMAZING. We got these garlic bread bites, and a pizza, and some lasagna. I wonder if you'd like any of these:

...Can't help but wonder... Sephiroth, what do you like on a pizza, anyway? I tend to like mushrooms and garlic best, but I like a bunch of other stuff, too, as long as it's not olives or pineapples or anything with capsaicin.

We listened to music on the way home; it was a 2 and a half hour drive, or thereabouts. M put on some Protomen; I wonder if you'd like their stuff:

...I wonder how much of this music you'd find relatable...

Hey, Sephiroth? I think I might be a bit too tired today to have anything profound or anything of significant insight to write about. Mostly I'm just glad I get to clunk around in my meat-mech for a little while longer; I like to think that maybe something good can come of me being here, even if I don't know what it is yet. I might be strange and unusual, and being myself is a pretty lonely experience almost all the time. But I think maybe there are folks I can help, and maybe that's reason enough to keep moving forward.

Hey, Sephiroth? I know you've made a lot of mistakes, but I hope that you understand that something very good has come about from you being here. I'm here because you're here, you know. Your existence gives me the strength to carry on even when really weird things happen. Your kindness and gentleness are what inspired me to become someone who is both soft and resilient. And I'm sure you've inspired millions of other people in my world in a similar way. So... please don't ever think your existence is a bad thing, okay? Because you are a good thing. You are a good thing. You are a good thing. And with that knowledge, please keep moving forward, as best as you can. I'll be cheering for you to do kind, gentle, and loving things.

I love you so much; you really have no idea. So please stay safe out there, okay? I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 51- I Am Negan

Summary: Jo runs into more trouble and lucky, maybe unlucky, for her, there's a new baddie in town and paired with Craig, it's double the bloody trouble as their dark side arises.

*Chapter Warnings* !!!DARK and GORY!!! Reader discretion advised!! language, angst, violence, graphic depictions, blood, mentions of guns, sexual language, offensive language, smoking, alcohol use, death

Chapter characters: Josie, Jeffrey aka Negan, Craig, Aaron, Brandon

Chapter word count: 5,392

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

Salem, Massachusetts

March 22, 2022

The weight of your luggage did not even compare to how heavy your heart was as you stood outside your apartment door, teary eyed and torn over the decision to leave, even if it you planned for it to only be temporary. You finally had something that was all yours and you had to leave it behind all because of your sister's screw ups and you felt guilty for feeling that way about Megan after what happened to her.

Her poor choices always always seemed to fall back on you in some way and this time it was all because she had wanted to hurt you by getting involved with Ethan, but her wicked games and karma caused her to become hurt instead. Still, deep down inside, you knew Ethan was the only one to blame and now, since she survived and could possibly identify her attacker, she and your mom could be in danger because you had a very intuitive feeling that Megan was not supposed to be found alive.

As you made your way out the front door of the suburban Salem complex and approached your car, you caught sight of the gardener Craig had been speaking with when Luke had dropped you off. He was cutting some brush by a small woodland area off to the side of the building and the tall, salt and peppered shirtless man of slender build and tattoos certainly noticed you.

"Whoa....damn!" he rudely and loudly acclaimed as his eyes were indiscreetly undressing you.

"Eww. As if..." you snidely muttered and began putting your bags in the trunk as quick as you could.

Just as you were finishing up, you were startled by the sound of a rumbling vehicle coming to a screeching stop. As you closed the trunk, your eyes bulged when you saw a Pontiac Trans Am quickly backing up. The same beaten up classic car of the 70's that pursued yours in a vengeful highspeed chase through the downtown streets of Salem that contained 4 very pissed off hillbilly bar thugs, only this time there were 2. You knew it was inevitable that your Monte Carlo would be spotted at some point since it stuck out like a sore thumb and that unfortunate time was now. Pulling your Kubaton from your purse, you gripped it at your side and would stick to your plan of lying and pray they were as stupid as they looked.

The pair parked in front of you and turned off the engine, then got out and casually approached you, one walking on each side of your car, leaving you trapped between them at the back.

The one that drove came from your left and traced his forefinger alongside your car in a taunting manner. He was maybe mid thirties, had short dark hair and was quite tall, slender and bearded, much like the gardener that you noticed was now fully clothed and watching like a hungry hawk from the trees.

The other man, boy you should say, came from your right and was much shorter and younger, maybe mid twenties with longer dark hair...and clutched in his hand, swinging at his side was a crowbar.

The taller man spoke as he stopped at your bumper. "Well well well. What do we have here? Is this your Super Sport darlin?"

Standing your ground, you firmly replied. "It's not for sale if that's what you're asking."

The man chuckle and glanced at the other. "I don't believe I asked that question. Did you hear me ask that question Brandon?"

The younger answered in agreement. "Nope. I don't believe I heard you ask that question Aaron."

Now that the faces had names, Aaron took a baby step forward. "Is THIS your car? It's a simple question and a simple yes or no will suffice."

"Yes. Why?"

"Now see? That's not a simple yes, but then again, you are blonde. I don't like blondes and I ask the questions. Ain't that right Brandon?"

"Yep. That's right Aaron. I like blondes though. I prefer plump ones but I'm not opposed to tasting a beanpole." Brandon grinned as he glided his tongue over his teeth.

A sound you couldn't quite describe other than an eerie two-toned whistle, high then low like a doorbell, rode in on the warm afternoon breeze and then a voice spoke with a deep intriguing melody like Lee's, only Lee's was smooth as Crown Royal. This one had a grizzly edge to it.

"Is that so Brandumb? Plump as in joy toy plump? Seems your type. Never stuck my dick in a hot air balloon simply because I've never had the problem of getting laid by a real woman." the gardener jibed as he swaggered in from the sidelines with a cocky tone and grinned like the cat that ate the canary, or was about to, then his intensely rich hazel eyes found you. "You alright here sweetheart?"

Frazzled by the intimidating stranger and his profound dimples, all you could do was gape at him, just like the two other men were doing.

Brandon frowned when the lightbulb turned on. "Wait, did you just call me Bran...dumb? Did he just call me dumb Aaron?"

There was that dimpled grin again as the witty gardener barbed him again. "Well at least you got big alert ears under that perm. Maybe Dumbo would be a better choice?"

Aaron glared at the gardener. "Yes, I think he just called you dumb Brandon and also implied you screw blow up dolls and compared you to an elephant."

"Well damn, there I go again, saying shit exactly as I see it and what I see is a couple of redneck assholes who reiterate their names in every motherfucking sentence to appear all big and smart and spooky like a frill necked lizard, but guess what? I am a goddamn feral cat that eats reptiles like you for breakfast."

You jaw was still dropped, if not more than before, at this highly confident man as he stood at your side with a curled smirk, but Aaron and Brandon were much more astonished as they glanced at each other, seemingly not knowing what to do.

"Ahhh, it seems you boys are DUMBfounded. How fitting. Now, how about one of you speak up as to why you're harassing this young lady and trust me when I say this. It better be a damn good reason. Oh wait a minute. There is no damn good reason for that."

Aaron finally spoke up and fearlessly stepped forward, standing at arm's length before the towering gardener. "I don't believe I got your name boy."

And standing at least 6'2, the amazon gardener also stepped forward, merely inches from Aaron as he leered down at him. "That's because I didn't give it to you pencil dick, but when I do, I'll only need to say it once because you will most certainly never forget it."

Before Aaron could respond, the gardener sniffed the air, stepped back and made a sour expression. "Holyyyyy shitballs of fire, WHAT is that stench?? It could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon. Do you wear deodorant son? I'm about to start swinging a flyswatter and call you Pig-pen. I can only imagine what it smells like inside that piece of shit Pontiac over there on this humid day. Even the wind is trying to run."

For you, it was like sitting in class all over again and desperately trying to not burst out in laughter at a most inappropriate time over a joke your friend made. At this point, you knew 2 things for sure about this middle aged man. One was that he was absolutely fearless, considering he stood there with no weapon, provoking two nefarious men when one was armed with a rather large crow bar and the other had steam coming out of his ears. And two, this gardener was an original wisenheimer with a perverse and twisted sense of humor that you were quite frankly enjoying and you had to wonder if that was just his character or if something traumatic had made him that way. Whatever it was, he was killing you softly with his song.

Brandon snorted and chortled. "He got ya good Aaron."

Aaron's arm shot out like a chameleon's tongue snatching it's prey and smacked the back of Brandon's head with his open palm. "Shut your mouth boy. You'll answer to Daryl later for that one."

The nameless gardener couldn't hold his snarky tongue. "Oh let me guess. Daryl's your other brother? Now that would be hella fuckin funny if one of your names were Daryl too."

Now you giggled because you actually understood the reference, but Brandon didn't.

"I don't git it? What's he mean Aaron?"

Aaron's lips curled inwards. "I've about had enough of you AND your jokes mister, whoever the hell you are. Now let this here bitch answer my question."

The gardener's teeth gritted. "The only bitch I see here is you. You will ask her her name and politely address her by it. Bitch I said what I said. Have I made myself clear or do I have to go all ninja cat and paint this street red?"

He then looked down at you. "What's your name darlin?"

"It's Josie." you softly answered and then muttered as you tried to quietly rectify what he said. "and..um...it's Doja Cat."

"Pardon?"

"The song...paint the town red. It's by Doja Cat."

He was silent and stunned for a moment as his hazel hues delved deep into your eyes, making you almost choke on your own gulp. Had you pissed him off? You couldn't read him well enough yet and you probably should have just kept your mouth shut, but then, a grinch like grin formed on his thin lips.

"Well goddamn and fuck me sideways. I stand corrected and hard! Look at you Josie the pussycat, all puttin me in my place. I am 100 percent more into you now. Just sayin."

The gardener glanced down at the mini mind blowing weapon in your hand and then... paired with enraptured eyes, his voice became somewhat of a growl.

"My kinda woman. What'ya say there tiny Trouble? You wanna join me in shutting this shit down by painting the street red?"

His menacing eyes fixated on the two men, then he took a swig out of his water canteen, which you were standing close enough to get a good whiff of and realize it definitely was not water that he swallowed with incredible ease, but something of a very potent proof ...and then he smiled at them. His first smile full of beautiful teeth. As captivating as it was, it was also frightening.

The almost brawl was interrupted by an irate voice coming out of left field. Craig's....who was now nicely groomed, above and below the neck, minus the tie, as if he were going to some business meeting and tucked inside his belt, very visible on his frontside where his black suit coat hung open, was a gun.

"Everybody needs to back the fuck up. Nobody's painting my street red. Take the blood bath to the abandoned junk pile in the thicket down the block."

The gardener leaned down to you with a smirk and whispered his warm whiskey tainted breath upon your face. "Busted. The principal's here."

Craig gave the gardener a disciplining look. "What the fuck are you doing man? We don't need this attention here. And what in the blimey hell is that smell??? Is that pig shit?"

"Oh that. That's just Karen and Brenda. Some BULLshit that I was just about to shovel up and dispose of."

"Looks to me like you were about to smear that stench all over my property and right here for anyone to witness. You sending out an invite to the rest of the pigs?? Jo...what's going on here?"

"Craig...I..."

Your attempt to explain was immediately thwarted by Aaron stepping up to Craig, who's hand abruptly gripped his gun with caution as he gave due warning.

"Step the fuck back cowboy."

Aaron calmly raised his hands and complied by slowly retreating to a safe distance before he spoke. "This here car, which is too distinct to be mistaken for another, was driven by a man who attacked myself, Brandon here and 2 of my boys at the bar last week and your girl here was just about to get in it."

Both Craig's and the gardener's incredulous eyes simultaneously darted right to you.

"Ok, ok. "you swiftly intervened and rambled out your little white lie with your fingers crossed behind your back. "Look...it's my car yes, but not long ago, it was stolen and I just got it back, so I don't know anything about you being attacked. I've never seen either of you before in my life."

"Well now. Is that so?" Aaron countered with a skeptical tone. "It was dark and rainy that night. You wouldn't have seen us anyways from the headlights dead on your car. But we could see into yours. I counted 3 heads. You could have easily been one of them in this here car. So then, if what you claim is true, you must know who stole it right? Cops must have dusted her for prints."

"I said it wasn't me. Take it or leave it. Cops found it abandoned, keys in it and all and there was no hit on the prints. They must have worn gloves. And for the record, IF I had ever seen you, it would be damn hard to forget a pair of faces that only a mother could love."

The gardener was tickled to his core. "Ohhh that sassy mouth. You're killin me girl. You a bad bitch."

Ugh...all you could see when you heard the term bad bitch, was Gerry's drunken text to Megan that he had accidentally sent you....which you still had in your phone.

"Well there you have it. It was all a simple misunderstanding." Craig firmly attested. "She gave you your answer. You can't blame her for something she didn't do and even if by chance she had, what exactly was it you two hayseeds were going to do to a woman who was out here all by herself? I mean, your brother here is carrying a crowbar the size of my entire arm."

"Who, MIND you, made a very dick minded comment that was signed on the dotted line by his slithering tongue." the gardener readily informed.

Brandon defended the accusation with confidence. "Nahhh, I's just gonna mess the car up, thas all."

Craig's cynical eyes narrowed, causing a small vein on his forehead to become more prominent which you had noticed only happened when he was boiling inside.

"Oh. Is THAS all? No, I don't think that's what you were going to do at all. You see, I know your backwoods kind and I think you weren't even going to care about her answer and I think you were going to drag her into that pigpen on wheels and do something really really bad to her. In fact, I KNOW that was your plan and now, it's not even about a misunderstanding anymore. It's now personal when you mess with someone I care about. You took a wrong fucking turn and now you're in my territory you sorry shits. What do ya'll say we head on down the road and finish this conversation where it's more private."

The gardener, whom you were now beginning to get the distinct feeling that was not his sole profession, but more so in the "business" with Craig, cheerfully taunted the men with their soon to be fate.

"Oh snnnnap. It's really gonna suck to be you girls today. You done gone and pissed the boss man off. Hope you got your shittin pants on."

"Toss the crowbar. Now." Craig ordered.

"Hey, that ain't fair man. You got a gun." Brandon protested and frantically looked at Aaron. "What do I do man?

"What, are you 12? Life ain't fucking fair shit for brains." the gardener declared. "And don't ask Airhead what to do. He sure as shit don't know what to do. But I'll tell you what you're gonna do. Absolutely fucking nothing because that's all you scrotums have done since you rolled in here Joe Dirt style. Word war is over and now it's time to throw hands. Now, the great and powerful Craig has spoken. Give me the crowbar before I knock you somewhere over the fucking rainbow with it."

As the gardener held out his hand, Craig lowered it with his. "No. Let the trembling tin man keep his axe. As I said, I know his kind and he's too damn rusty to use it."

"Fine by me. Now move before I out my size 13 shitkickers up your insubordinate asses." the unknown soldier under Craig's command, commanded.

"No." Aaron adamantly stated.

"What did you say?" Craig asked as he leaned into Aaron with his hand cupped to his ear.

"I said..."

Craig swiftly snatched the kubaton from your hand and cracked him straight over the head with it, instantly drawing blood.

"Ahhh, fuck man." he wailed and dropped to his knees as the scarlet liquid streamed over his eye, blinding him.

"Oh DAMNNN Sharon, that had to hurt. I felt that crack from clear over here." the gardener chuckled and yanked him to his feet. "Come on naw, giddy up!"

The fun was over for you and now you were second guessing the entire situation as you had the disturbing flashback of doing that to Luke. As the gardener lit up a cigarette and blew donut holes while walking behind the men and flipping them off, you turned to Craig.

"Craig. Come on. Just let them go with their tail between their legs." you pleaded. "I'm a little worried here. I know you're going through some bad shit right now and need to vent but I mean seriously, what more are you going to do to them??"

"Oh..I.." he stressed. "Am not going to do anything. He is. Now, don't you worry about me. I'm a big boy and have done this more times than you know. You said you had things to do, so why don't you run along like a good girl and do them. You don't need to see this and I don't need the distraction of you being there in harm's way."

"Don't even give me your condescending bullshit. Like hell I will leave when this is happening because of me. I'm a big girl and have seen more than you know. You seem to have forgotten who my brother is!" you snapped and marched off to catch up with the mystery man.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Craig huffed and followed the parade, lighting up his own smoke on the way.

"You smoke?" the gardener asked and held his cigarette out to you.

"I..I used to..but...what the hell. I'll take a hit."

"Thata girl."

One puff and you were coughing and gagging, for you didn't realize it was a menthol.

"You alright there sweet cheeks?" he asked and patted you on the back.

"Yeah..I'm just used to regulars."

"Eww...as if." he smugly riposted and winked at you, then took a huge drag.

You felt your cheeks burning bright red and wanted to crawl under a rock. He had heard your rude comment in reply to his rude comment....but now, you didn't feel that way about him anymore and all of that could change right back after what you were about to see, or...you could like him even more. It was kind of hard to judge him when he was doing the same exact things Jason did. Taking the bad guys down. It made you chuckle inside though, because Sonny was the boss of all of them and he...was a bad guy.

"Sorry." you mumbled in embarrassment.

"Don't sweat it cupcake. It's my bad. I don't know if you've noticed, but I lack a filter on my thoughts. What can I say? That I'm sorry for thinking that you're one fine ass looking femme fatale? I'd be lying because I'm most definitely not sorry for appreciating such a vision...but I will apologize for not using my inside voice. So for that, I'm sorry Josie."

Although his jokes had receded for the moment, his honesty remained in tact but it was ok because he wasn't being inappropriate and you were actually quite flattered. Most importantly though, he was very genuine and humble with those 2 little words that most people didn't mean or found too difficult to say.

"You're forgiven and I'm sorry for saying something so mean."

"Soooo, you don't think I'm...eww as you so bluntly put it?"

"No, of course not."

"Well darlin, you might soon enough."

"Do you know Jason? Surely you must if you're one of Sonny's men like Craig is."

He was quiet and kept his eyes straight ahead as he finished his cigarette and flicked it at Brandon's head.

"Jason's my brother and I've seen it all. The good, the bad and the ugly."

Now his eyes scrolled down to yours, nice and wide. "No shit?? Morgan's your brother? Never would have guessed THAT." he jested. "Well...it sucks donkey balls what happened. I'm sorry for your lo..."

"She knows he alive." Craig cut in with an attitude as he now walked on the other side of you.

"Donkey balls?" you said with giggling astonishment. "Is that how you offer condolences?"

"Hey, believe it or not, I don't always have the words for certain things."

"Never would have guessed THAT."

"Damn girl. I LIKE you."

"That way ladies." Craig barked as he pushed the men into a wooded path and literally turned to give the gardener a severe stink eye.

The gardener was back to his comical comments as he quietly made one to you. "Uh oh SpaghettiO's. Are you and the landlord of the rings an item? because I just got scolded by the salty jealous eye of Sauron."

"Ohhh...n..no. I'm actually already taken. Well..." you corrected. "My heart is anyways."

"I see. Well, I tip my hat to that lucky son of a bitch and even to Craig because he gets to have you under his roof. Can't say I blame him for being sweet on you."

"Craig and I are just friends. No need to read into things."

"As I've already stated earlier, I call things as I see them and I know Craig like I know my own dick....ok...that didn't exactly come out the way I wanted it to, but I think you get the gist. Anywho, he's either truly madly deeply in love with you or he's well on his way there. One of the two."

Maybe you didn't see it before, but now that your eyes were opened to the possibility, it didn't seem that far fetched after the last 2 eventful days with Craig. You and he were definitely growing closer but either way, you couldn't think about that. Now...or ever. Lee was the only one who would ever fully have your heart.

"Let's get this shit show on the road already. I'm already running late." Craig rattled off as you all came to a remote clearing surrounded by overgrown brush that contained a few junked greyhounds and a pile of various tires. "And you stay back Jo. I mean it." he adamantly added and handed you back your kubaton, then walked off.

You froze solid and held your breath as the gardener stood at the point of a triangle with the men while Craig hung out on the sidelines, casually observing with his hands on his hips. He clearly meant what he said. The unarmed gardener was going to handle both men all on his own.

"Are we pissin our pants yet? Cause it's about to be pee pee pants city here real damn quick. Now which one of you candy-ass namby pambies should I pick first? I can't decide." he tormented as he ominously circled them. "I got an idea. Let's play a game. Eeny... meeny... miny... moe. Catch a piggy...by his toe. If he hollers...let him go."

Your heart raced as he came full circle and stopped in front of them and made his choice.

"My mother told me to pick the very best one and you....are....it."

The gardener glowered down at Brandon who's Adam apple prominently bobbed up and down in a gulp of fear.

"Go ahead. Take a swing at me with that iron bar boy. I triple dog dare you."

Aaron couldn't take it anymore and bravely stepped forward. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size tough guy. Leave the boy alone. You and me. Let's do this. I triple dog dare YOU."

"Don't you threaten me with a good time! And for the record, the BOY will get what he had every intention on giving. But if you insist on going first, by all means TOUGH GUY. Hit me with your best sh..."

Aaron spontaneously sucker punched him below the belt and then stepped back with both fists clenched and ready.

A grunt escaped the hunched gardener's lips and then he bellowed in laughter as he slowly stood up, unphased and ignited for war....and finally, he revealed his name.

"Well hot damn, collect two hundred and pass go! Ol boy here likes to play dirty huh? Well I'm the motherfucking king of dirty!! My nut sack is made of steel and I....am....Negan."

Aaron's fists lowered as his eyes widened. "I....I know that name. You...you're the notorious leader of that gang...the..the Saviors? The one who carries a bat wrapped in barbed wire and you..you're the one who burnt and disfigured Dwight's face with an iron!"

A stunned Brandon darted his eyes to the newly named Negan. "You're the one who did that to our boy Dwight??"

Negan made a sarcastic smirk as he looked up at the sky. "Uh oh Lucille. Looks like I've got some splainin to do."

He then brought his hardened eyes back to Aaron. "I told you you'd never forget my name. Ahhh, where to begin. How about with Dwighty boy. So that traitorous prick's been hiding, with a bunch of stank ass bumpkins? Small fucking world. You see, he ain't YOUR boy, he's mine and he touched something of mine and EVERYBODY knows not to touch something of mine so...he got what he had coming to him. Scarred for life indeed he is, for he scarred someone I loved for life, just as this little maggot here was going to do to Josie and that is so not cool in my fucking rule book. You got your clique and I got mine, the only difference is, yours is trash and the Saviors rid the world of trash like you. Too bad I didn't have Lucille here today because she's a vampire bat and she's been very fucking thirsty lately. SO...I'll just have to make due with what I've got. My trusty ol charismatic hands."

Negan's arm zipped out and clutched the back of Aaron's shirt, then he began dragging him over to one of the busses, opened the door and pummeled Aaron's head with it, over and over...bang, bang, bang.

Brandon contemplated on fight or flight, and he chose flight.

"Hey Jeff! We got a runner." Craig called out.

"Jeff?" you muttered, realizing that Negan must have been a stage name like Jason used with the last name of Morgan.

Negan left a whimpering Aaron on the ground and leisurely walked off after Brandon as he whistled that threatening tune once again.

"Going somewhere yellow-belly??"

Brandon spun around and tried to reason with Negan.

"Look." he smiled and turned. "I'm going to put the crowbar down and..."

Negan didn't let him finish because Negan didn't care. His eyes slitted and with his jaw clenched shut, he bee-lined for Brandon, snatching up a sizeable rock along the way and blindsiding Brandon with a powerful blow to the head and once he was down, Negan stood straddling him and gave him another strike for good measure.

Somewhere in that horror scene, you found yourself in Craig's arms, peeking out with one eye, only to watch Negan go and retrieve the crowbar. As he did so, Aaron appeared, revived and ready for more.

Negan smiled at the bloody sight of him, somewhat stunned to see him standing. "Good god, you got one thick ass scull and a death wish. How bout we test out this crowbar on that noggin? You know, kind of like a crash dummy test?"

"You've made your point Negan. Let me take my brother and go. We won't be a problem anymore."

"Oh you've got that right Arianna. You see, I don't like loose ends, for they are a most certainly a problem."

"Jo, don't watch anymore." Craig advised and placed his large hand over your head to shelter you from what was about to happen.

You didn't fight him as you burrowed your face into his the bare section of his chest where his shirt was not buttoned and then you winced as you heard it. The final crack.

All was silent and you slowly raised your head up to see a perspiring and panting Negan standing over Aaron's motionless and most likely lifeless body.

He then turned a sour face to Craig. "Thanks for all your help."

"I didn't want blood on my clean white shirt and you did fine all by yourself, just like you always do."

Still clutched to Craig, he could feel you shaking. "I told you not to come. Are you...alright?"

"Mmm..hmm." you whimpered with a nod and tear glazed eyes.

Negan's demeanor had changed. He was angry, almost as if he hated what he had done.

"I warned you too. How do you like me now sweetheart?" he groaned, then snapped at Craig before he headed over to a small stream to clean up. "You better get your boys over here to clean this mess up. I ain't the fucking maid."

Craig sighed and took out his phone as you stood there in complete shock. You may have witnessed things like this before, but it didn't mean it didn't negatively affect you, just as it seemed to had done to Negan...or Jeff.

Craig's phone call brought you back to reality. "I got a clean up at the junk pile and there's also a trans am outside the complex to get rid of. Keys are in it. Yes..yes I'm sure! I saw them in the ignition as I walked by. Take care of that first before it draws attention and call me back asap when it's done."

You and Craig walked over to Negan who was crouched down at the stream and washing his stressed face.

"The guys are on the way. You good man? Come on. Let's get out of here." Craig quietly relayed.

You could tell he wasn't feeling all that well about it either, but you knew in that line of work, they had to suck it up and deal with it, which once again had you questioning why in the hell they even chose that lifestyle. You asked Jason that many times and his answer was always the same. To make the world a better place and your thoughts were always the same as well. Then why did he work under a man like Sonny Corinthos? Probably because he was untouchable which meant they would be too, but that wasn't even logical. None of them were invincible nor immortal. It just never made any damn sense to you.

"Yeah, good as the good gets I suppose. I'm ready to blow this popsicle stand. I need a ride downtown to get my bike at Xtreme Motors. Fucking thing stalling on me all the time."

Xtreme motors. One of the many businesses Sonny owned throughout Salem where Jason also took his bike for repairs. Hell, the mob boss damn near owned have the waterfront too.

Craig's phone rang again. The cleaners didn't mess around. They were quick.

"Is it done?" Craig asked, straight to the point and then the expression on his face fell flat. "What do you mean the fucking car is gone???"

@redeemer46