#he’s a human blanket for Daniel

[cecoeur]

Ricallen size difference you are so important to me

[faeriekit]

43rd Annual Gotham Academy Bake Sale

dp x dc | FosterDad!Frostbite

❄ Now available to own on video and ao3 ❄

I promised @tourettesdog a snippet of More Yetis™ ages ago and I finally finished lol

❄*❄*❄

Bruce looked up.

And up. 

...And up. 

The— parent?— glanced down at him with a fanged smile. Not— not meanly. Just fanged. As in, he had fangs. 

And thick, puffy fur. And glacial blue horns. And a soft, muzzle-esqe face, and an equally blue prosthetic arm, with what looked like his original bone structure underneath it. 

What a sight at the PTA bake sale. Bruce huffed lightly.

(Remarkably, the puff of air came out as cold steam. Huh.)

“Good afternoon,” the parent, presumably, greeted him, his voice a low rumble. “I’ve been told that the purpose of this event is to raise money for the school, so there are baked good available for purchase. Please tell me if you are interested in any of the selection.” 

Bruce watched the giant, furry parent carefully set out a crocheted blanket to serve as a tablecloth on the provided folding table, dotted the space with carefully organize tupperwares and displayed, and sanitized his— claws— before setting out little treats on round wooden trays. A stack of napkins completed the setup. 

It was a good first-time setup. Downright exotic, even, considering the setting of Gotham Academy. It had a homey, home-grown feeling that was entirely anathema to the cultivated air of the usual attending crowd. 

It was nice, though. Bruce took a picture of the table for his public instagram. 

Usually Bruce and Alfred would man a table for the younger kids, but Damian was still attending the lower school, and Duke had been opted out of participating due to…prior circumstances…which left Bruce to be an attendee rather than a fundraiser. It was kind of nice. He got to try new foods. Check things out. Meet a giant yeti. 

“They look good,” Bruce complimented, because they did. They didn’t exactly look vegan, so Damian couldn’t try one, but they did look good. “What’s this one? On the bun?” 

The giant…whatever he was daintily got himself into a folding chair. From his side-satchel came a paperback copy of Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ‘69. “Salmon patties on potato buns. My charge assures me that they’re perfectly edible, although we did have to shop around for a suitable vehicle with which they could be eaten.”

Alright, so the guardian had missed the boat on exactly what bake sales were supposed to consist of. So what? The food sounded good, smelled good— and for four dollars, that was a good deal. 

“Keep the change.”

They tasted good, too. “Hey," Bruce exclaimed, "This is pretty grand!”

The yeti’s eyes crinkled around the edges. The muzzle couldn’t exactly replicate a human smile, but Bruce had the distinct impression that this was the equivalent expression. “Thank you. Daniel told me that it was overkill to catch my own fish for the raising of funds, but I always prefer the taste of a fresh catch.” 

With those fangs, Bruce would believe it. He took another bite of what was probably a salmon burger. “Nothing beats fresh-from-the-sea. When I lived in London for a few months, I was very spoiled by the seafood selection.” 

The yeti’s ears swiveled upright in interest. “Oh? I will say, living in Gotham, there is a lack of interesting seafood. The shellfish grows to be as large as my arm in my home territory.” 

Well, that didn’t lower the location down to anywhere in particular. The arctic? The deep ocean? Some vast, unknown world? “Sure sounds more interesting, that’s for sure. Hey, I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new to the school?” 

The being kindly answered his nosy-enough question. “I have taken temporary leave of my people to care for my charge. As he is mostly human, his elder sister and I came to the decision that the human plane was a better locale for him to grow up in. Gotham city simply has more volatile energy floating around.” 

Bruce’s eyebrows rose up over the rims of his sunglasses. Gotham was their first choice to raise a child in? A not-completely-human child to boot? “You sure about that?” he asked, just to be clear. “It’s not so safe here. We’ve got a guy who blows up buildings for fun. I think we’ve had the most toxic gas leaks…ever, really. I love the place, I grew up here, but man do we have problems!” 

“Hm,” the yeti hummed. “We were concerned about that. Daniel spent the first few nights beating up pickpockets, however, so I foresee that he will likely enjoy the challenge.”

As someone who beats up pickpockets, Bruce had no reliable say on the matter. He took another bite of his salmon patty. He made a note of the issue nevertheless. If there was going to be a new, half-human vigilante in his home territory, that ought to be something he stays abreast of.

“Hey! B! Over here!”

Bruce spotted Duke’s hand a head above the crowd. He waved back; his newest foster edged through the crowd of wealthy parents and their nepo-baby children to make his way over, a cupcake in his hand. “Duke! Find anything good?”

“Yeah!” Duke confirmed cheerfully, raising the cupcake in his hand. He continued his approach. “They had tamarind ones at the stand Mrs. Cheng is running! I got you one just in case you wanted to try it. They were almost out, and—“

Duke paused beside Bruce. And looked up.

And up.

...And up.

Bruce didn’t bother to hide his smile. “I’m getting to know some of the other parents here. Hey, what’re your thoughts on salmon?”

“It’s,” Duke started, thoroughly distracted by the parent’s height, “Good. Um. Hi?”

The gigantic being (he must be, what, nine feet? And balancing on that horrid folding chair the PTA shoves out every year?) roved a yellow eye down to his foster son.

“It’s very nice to meet you, young one,” the parent rumbled, cheery as anything. “My name is Frostbite. You may know my charge, Daniel. He is in his junior year.”

“Danny? Danny Fenton?”

Bruce finished off his burger with a bite. Well, there was curious tone. “Do you know him, Duke?” he asked. The tone wasn’t quite warning, but the edge was to be found in his phrasing.

Duke winced. “Yeah, we…uh. We might have gotten into a fight on his first day. And his second week. …And…last week.”

Bruce. Blinked.

“…And maybe a few hours ago. But to be fair, he has a really punchable face—“

This sounded more like Dick and Jason in their first weeks at Gotham Academy rather than Duke, who was generally better-mannered than most of his brood. (Bruce tended to chalk it up to the effect of being raised largely by loving, attentive parents.)

“But. Um.” Duke shuffled a little closer to Bruce, and a little farther away from the tallest parent to ever grace the pristine lawn of Gotham Academy. “He’s…you know. He’s fine. Usually.”

Thank goodness Alfred was across the way with Damian. He would have disapproved highly of the both of them for this slip.

Still, the gigantic creature only…huffed. Bruce would dare call it a chuckle, even. He popped a barely punctured bookmark into his novel, and gently set it to the side. “My apologies, young one; fighting is a favored form of socialization in our culture. His interest in you is likely genuinely meant, if…rough. Tell myself or his sibling if it becomes unbearable, and he’ll calm down.”

Duke’s lips twisted. “No, it’s not— It’s. Fine? I guess? We like blow off steam and stuff. When I sprained my wrist, he just punched my other arm and bought me ice cream.”

Bruce wanted to judge this kid and whatever parenting style this yeti was putting this kid through. He wanted to pass judgement so badly. But this also sounded exactly like something one of his own kids would do with someone they were friends with.

So.

So he bought a second salmon burger, took an offered bite of Duke’s tamarind cupcake (very generous), and tried to remember everything he could about his brief foray into romance novels. “Say, have you ever read any John Grisham? It’s not quite the same genre, but I’m more of a fan of thrillers myself…”

Honestly, the surreal part was that nothing untoward happened for the entire bake sale. Bruce would happily do this again next year.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Science Friday:

Flint Hills rancher Daniel Mushrush estimates that his family has killed maybe 10,000 trees in the past three years.

It’s a start. But many more trees still need to fall for the Mushrushes to save this 15,000 acres of rare tallgrass prairie.

Whenever other work on the property can wait, Daniel and his brother, Chris, don helmets and earplugs, grab their tools and pick up where they left off.

“It’s a lot of old-fashioned chainsaw work,” Daniel Mushrush said. “Walking rocky ridges and cutting down trees.”

The Mushrush family is beating back a juggernaut unleashed by humans — a Green Glacier of trees and shrubs grinding slowly across the Great Plains and burying some of the most threatened habitat on the planet.

This blanket of shrublands and dense juniper woods gobbling up grassland leads to wildfires with towering flames that dwarf those generated in prairie fires.

It also eats into ranchers�� livelihoods. It smothers habitat for grassland birds, prairie fish and other critters that evolved for a world that’s disappearing. It dries up streams and creeks. New research even finds that, across much of the Great Plains, the advent of trees actually makes climate change worse.

Now a federal initiative equips landowners like Mushrush with the latest science and strategies for saving rangeland, and money to help with the work.

Satellite imagery and a better understanding of how trees and shrubs spread could help landowners replace a losing game of whack-a-mole with a more systematic course.

Mushrush calls the approach, promoted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Great Plains Grassland Initiative with guidance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a morale builder.

“It works,” the third-generation rancher said. “We’re still overwhelmed with how to do this on 15,000 acres — but we have a plan.”

Each time he thinks about the Manhattan area, which is much more infested with juniper woods and seas of sumac, wild plum and dogwood thickets, he feels the threat creeping toward his home in Chase County.

“If a coral reef is worth saving, if some pristine mountain stream is worth saving, then so are the Flint Hills,” he said. “It’s not easy work, but it’s worthy work.”

[withleeknow]

minho and https://open.spotify.com/track/4gAIUEY7VkeiKQOPwIYaYb?si=oZNdDS-aTUm9V7bEycscDQ 🩷🩷

flower.

pairing: minho x reader genre/warnings: established relationship, fluff, a teeny bit angsty?; minho's pov word count: 0.7k note: i am very sorry if this is bad i wrote most of this while half asleep so please forgive me kshdkfhsk

as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

main masterlist / request masterlist / ko-fi

one day if a flower blooms in your heart would you be able to understand me?

Flower - DANIEL

minho has been up for a while now, just lying here with you as you snuggle close to him like you can't help but gravitate toward him even in your sleep. one of his hands slips under your shirt where he gently traces the smooth skin of your waist, careful not to rouse you from slumber.

he fails though. maybe a particular swipe of thumb over your body was too ticklish.

"you're so warm."

the words come out a little slurred, a little muffled from where your face is tucked into the crook of his neck, safe and sound on this chilly saturday morning. you stir awake for long enough just to say that, and before he knows it, you're off to dreamland once more, from where you probably won't return for at least another hour or so.

minho halts instantly. you're none the wiser, still sleeping peacefully with your soft breaths fanning his collarbones.

cold, mean, unwelcoming, standoffish, callous. you could name any synonym of these words and he's probably been called that before, by friends and by strangers alike. some of them didn't utter it with malicious intent, but rather it was only a passing comment said in a teasing manner, with a lightheartedness that they didn't think he would mind because, well, apparently he just didn't have enough heart to take it as anything other than a joke.

he's used to it, he's gotten numb to it. somewhere along the way, minho accepted that maybe his name is merely one of those synonyms. it's fine, it doesn't matter. he doesn't really mind it because at the end of the day, none of these people could ever be you.

you're the only person whose opinion he cares about. when all is said and done, he doesn't care if the rest of the world thinks cold and heartless, as long as you know who he is. you're the only thing that matters; everything else just simply... falls away.

he's always struggled with opening up, even if the person on the receiving end is you. it doesn't come naturally to him at all. minho was never raised to be openly affectionate, and it just isn't an inherent trait that he possesses. he's not the kind of guy that tells you he loves you every hour of every day, nor is he the type to smother you with gifts and kisses and grand gestures on a daily basis.

no, minho's love comes quietly, rooted in almost every mundane aspect of life that it's often easy to miss if you don't know where to look. his love comes in the form of packed lunches and home-cooked dinners, of a blanket draped over your form after you've fallen asleep at your desk while working on a project for work. of his hand holding tightly onto yours when you get overwhelmed in crowded places. of his eyes always looking at you as though you're the eighth wonder of the world and he'll never get tired of being mesmerized by you. of texts asking if you've eaten. of sporadic videos of soondoongdori simply sleeping or munching on treats, accompanied by no other message or explanation.

there's a million ways that minho cares for you; he doesn't have to shout it from the rooftops for you to know. you do know, and that's enough for the both of you.

but it's not until you uttered those simple words just now that minho realizes how much he needed to hear them out loud. he's well aware that you didn't mean it like that. you meant it quite literally, because sometimes he does run hot and you've always loved that. your personal human furnace to keep you nice and toasty whenever you wanted. he knows it and yet, he still lets the words wiggle their way inside his ribcage and make a home there. they settle somewhere beside his heart and mend something in him that he didn't notice was cracked and chipped, worn away after years and years of people telling him he was callous.

minho isn't sure how long he's been holding his breath, but the very second he inhales again, everything feels lighter, like he's finally leaving behind some of the weight that he's been carrying with him his whole life.

his fingers resume their ministrations on your soft skin as he presses a kiss to your forehead. he holds you a little tighter, and everything feels like it's going to be okay.

even in your half-asleep state with your mind completely elsewhere, you still manage to take his breath away. maybe you really are the eighth wonder of the world after all.

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 19.05.2024]

[aealzx]

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Prologue | AO3

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Consciousness after a difficult battle that he ended up heavily injured from was a struggle even when the injuries had been something more like bruised ribs. But waking up from a self induced cryo sleep made Danny feel like he was chained down in the blackest pits of the Infinite Realms. Was he actually dead? Had that been it, and he wasn’t able to even pretend to be a fully alive human anymore? His limbs felt numb, but his fingers also tingled slightly. A strange prickling sensation that wasn’t quite registering in his mind properly just yet. But slowly, dragging through an endless pit of tar clinging to his every effort, he started to feel less smothered in darkness. Sounds around him started registering as a muffled haze. He could feel the fabric of the blanket and sheets on his skin. The sunlight behind his eyelids made the dark feel more temporary. If only he could get them open. 

Yet before Danny could manage to get his eyelids to obey him his brain started to fully register the state he was in, his next breath bringing a burning pain scraping through the side of his chest, onto his shoulder. And with it the realization that what he thought was numbness was actually the subtle stinging burn from flesh that had been too cold for too long. He still felt cold, but he was currently too tense to shiver. The following breath hitched in Danny’s throat again and exited in a weak mix of a whimper and choked sob. He was definitely, very much alive and in so much pain. It was all he could do to twitch his arms up around his torso to try and smother the pain away. At least just enough that he could maybe think about something else. But for some reason someone was deciding to be cruel and while their touch was so tender on his wrists their hands were still pulling his arms away from his chest, ignoring his almost hiccuped gasps for air.

“Don’t apply pressure just yet. It won’t help.”

Whose voice was that? It was an adult man, but not someone that Danny recognized. And even though he managed to crack his eyes open for half a second his vision was too blurred by tears to see them properly. All he saw was a head of black hair. They had such a gentle voice though. It matched their grip on his arms.

“I’ve triggered a dose of morphine. Can you focus on taking deep breaths until it works?” The man’s voice was patient, coaxing, just trying to help. He had even shifted his hands to have his thumbs in Danny’s palms, gently rubbing into the muscle for comfort.

Danny knew hyperventilating was bad, so the request to breathe deeply made sense, even if it was hard to comply. His lungs either didn’t want to work, or the air hitched in his throat and escaped in another soft whimper. But he was trying, and the man seemed to appreciate that.

“That’s it. Follow along with me if you can,” he coaxed, his voice almost too soft and lulling back to sleep. He made his own breathing more audible so Danny could follow it easier. A deep, slow inhale. Then a gentle exhale. Another inhale, long but not endless. And a slow exhale. The morphine was quick to work, so by the fifth breath Danny was managing not to lose it, even though it shook coming in and leaving. But having someone else’s breath to try and follow proved more helpful than he thought it would. He could just keep his eyes closed, and focus on trying to match the rhythm being given to him. In. And out. Don’t strain too hard. Just make sure he was getting an even amount of air. And soon enough the pain in his chest and everywhere else was dulled enough that he could manage, and he cracked his eyes open to once again try to see who was there.

The man waited for Danny to consistently watch him for a second, continuing to breathe at a more even rate, before he smiled warmly and spoke up again. “It’s good to see you, Danny. My name is Bruce, and you’re in my manor. Sam, Tucker, and Danielle are in the kitchen with my children, getting breakfast. Jazz is next door, still asleep. I came to get her and noticed you stirring. You’ve been asleep for a long time. Aside from pain in your chest, how are you feeling?”

He answered a lot of questions Danny had, but also caused more to form. Yet for now Danny wasn’t too interested in getting them answered. He wondered where his parents were, but being told Jazz and the others were there placated his mind for now. It just took him a minute to find his voice, and Bruce carefully lowered his hands back to the quilt over him when he saw he was more relaxed.

“Are yo…d’ctor?” Danny mumbled.

Bruce chuckled lightly at the question. “No. Just some help.”

Oh. That didn’t answer the question about why he was there, nor did it allow Danny to ask the other question he had. But he ended up asking anyway. “Can you… fav’r … sedate me.. anyway?”

He felt Bruce’s shoulders sag at the request, worry pinching his brow. “No,” he answered, resting a hand on Danny’s arm. “Your family has been very worried about you. If you can manage to see them I think it would be better for all of you. You’ve been asleep for a few months now.”

At first Danny didn’t think his request was at all unreasonable. If he was hurting that bad then he really should just pass out for the day and sleep through it healing. Just like he always did. But then Bruce told him how long he’d already been asleep for and Danny sucked in a horrified breath. “Ja-,” his pained call for his sister cut off as he tried to sit up and merely managed to roll onto his undamaged side instead, grimacing as yet another whimper escaped him.

Bruce was quick to shift forward more, resting a hand on Danny’s back and upper arm to steady him, and try to keep him from moving more. “Try not to move suddenly, you’re still injured,” he cautioned, reaching for his phone in his pocket so he could contact Alfred. “I’m going to have someone bring Jazz here. Would you like to try sitting up?”

The hands on Danny were supposed to be in comfort, but it wasn’t hard to tell when the lad started squirming that he was thinking they were something else. He was used to being restrained. And while Bruce didn’t want him overexerting himself, he also didn’t want him to feel trapped. And the offer to let him sit up seemed to help, for Danny stopped squirming in favor of looking at Bruce in mild confusion for a moment before nodding.

Sucking in a stubborn breath, Danny pushed his arms underneath himself to try and shove himself upright on his own, fully expecting to be left alone to fail and prove he was too weak and should just behave. But to his surprise Bruce was careful in his movements to expertly help the boy upright. And once again Bruce’s hand rested on his back, while the other hovered in front of him to give him something to support himself on. Bruce didn’t even comment when dizziness caused Danny to lean against him, head knocking against his shoulder as he closed his eyes to block out his swimming vision.

“Danny?!”

Jazz’s voice from the doorway caused Danny to force his eyes open again, catching sight of his sister just as she crashed into the bed, half climbing onto it and pressing her hands against his cheeks. “Danny! Oh my gosh! You- Danny. Oh gosh.” Jazz’s breathless expressions of thankful disbelief in the form of repeating her brother’s name soothed the worry that had been in the back of Danny’s mind that he had been lied to and she wasn’t actually there. He gave her a weak smile, and tried to meet her gaze. But she didn’t make that easy for him, brushing his hair out of his face, giving him a huge kiss on the forehead, then eventually looping her arms around his torso to pull him into a firm hug. “You’re awake…?”

She sounded unsure. But Danny couldn’t blame her since he wasn’t super responsive yet. “Mhmm,” he made sure to hum in response. Give her a voice to reassure her instead of just vague motions. “S’sorry f… worrying y’you.” Now that he wasn’t tense from pain he was starting to shiver. But he’d just have to deal with it until there weren’t any strangers around. For now he could just return Jazz’s hug affectionately as well as use her to try and warm himself up a bit.

Jazz just wheezed a breath of mild disbelief, having not expected something so simple to be the first thing Danny said to her. “I’m just glad you’re awake,” she responded over budding tears, finding immeasurable comfort in her brother’s loose return hug. She didn’t miss the shivers shaking his form though, especially when they seemed to increase when Bruce moved away to give them space. She would have to address it in a minute though as the sound of rapidly approaching feet was the only heads up they got before Danielle’s form burst from the ground next to them.

“Danny?!- Hh! DANNY!” Danielle’s questioning tone was followed by a gasp before she called Danny’s name for certainty after his gaze shifted to look at her. She barely caught his smile before flinging her arms forward to snatch both of her siblings in a hug. Danny tried not to whimper again as the pressure on his chest hurt, but he still grimaced slightly.

“Gentle, Dani. He’s still hurt,” Bruce chided lightly.

“Sorry! Sorry,” Danielle apologized, but obediently loosened her grip as Sam and Tucker made it to the room as well.

“Danny!”

His name being called by his two best friends this time made Danny’s smile grow. “S’okay,” he quickly assured his baby sister before briefly raising a hand to greet his friends. “Hey g’guys,” was all he got out before two more bodies were added to the group hug.

“Dude, we were so worried!” Tucker cried.

“Don’t EVER do that again!” Sam chided as the best way she knew how to show her care.

“S’sorry,” Danny apologized, basking in the warmth of his friends and family being so close to him. There were other people coming into the room as well. A small crowd, but they were unexpectedly mostly keeping their distance. Only three other people actually entered the room, while the others were hovering at the doorway, peeking through. Bruce had moved once again to stay out of their way, but remained close by just in case.

“How are you feeling?” Sam asked, being the first to pull away so she could watch how he responded.

“....Dizzy,” Danny admitted, deliberately keeping his cheek against Jazz’s shoulder since that helped. “Cold. Morp’phine is n’nice.”

“Are you overloaded again? You’re shivering a lot. Your ice powers have built up too much, haven’t they,” Danielle pointed out, pulling away too and noting how much Danny was shivering.

Danny knew Danielle was a little loose lipped when it came to mentioning things, but her so casually mentioning his ability left him stunned, stiffening and holding his breath as his gaze flicked between the others in the room and he shrank against Jazz.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jazz was quick to assure while nevertheless trying to provide comfort by shifting to shield Danny a little more. “They already know. They’re the ones that helped us take care of you. They got us some ectoplasm to give to you, and have already seen Dani shift forms.”

They already knew what he was? That was…. Unexpected. Danny wasn’t sure what he thought about that, other than he wasn’t fully comforted by having a room full of strangers know he wasn’t human. One of the older boys that had come into the room approached them, but to Danny’s surprise he just crouched where he could see him.

“You also put yourself in a cryogenic stasis of sorts. So the ice powers were kind of obvious,” Jason added casually.

Another boy entered the room this time, coming to join Jason crouched next to the bed. “You said something about overload though?” he asked, looking at Danielle before looking at Danny. “Do you need- Hi, I’m Tim by the way. Do you need to burn off some energy? Can you do that, or do we need to help in some way?”

Danny couldn’t help snorting at the random, mid sentence introduction. It was odd, but also nice considering aside from Bruce he had no idea who anyone else there was.

“Danny generates ectoplasm and ice energy. But unlike the ectoplasm, the ice doesn’t have a cap. If it builds up too much it starts leaking out,” Danielle explained.

Oh. So they really were just open about everything with these people. How long had they been helping? They were starting to not seem so bad. Not like all the other people that seemed to only be friends with him after beating him up a few times. “I can d’do it myself,” Danny admitted, deciding to try and get on board with everyone else and attempt to trust these people. “J’just… d’don’t want to f’freeze everyone.”

“Eh,” Jason shrugged, the completely opposite reaction Danny had expected someone to have. “Wouldn’t be the first time. We can handle it.”

“Speak for yourself,” Stephanie scoffed from where she and the rest of the family were hanging out just inside the doorway now.

“Yeah, I’d rather not get frostbite,” Duke agreed with a chuckle.

“Poor babies,” Danielle jabbed, grinning, but still shifted to settle on the bed in front of Danny and behind Jazz. “They’re all vigilantes like us. So they’ve seen some crazy stuff already. But don’t worry, I’ll help make sure you don’t freeze anyone. You’ll feel much better without all that excess buildup anyway,” she explained briefly because of Danny’s very confused expression, holding her hands out in front of her with her palms up.

Danny’s expression moved to one of surprise at that revelation, the notion blanketing his emotions with an unfamiliar stillness. They were like him and Danielle? And she was comfortable enough with them to talk so openly about everything, and casually offer to help him? That earned a myriad of emotions that Danny wasn’t willing to deal with right then, so instead he focused on what Danielle had asked of him, his expression softening into a smile. ”... Thanks,” he said quietly, sagging against Jazz for a moment. He really would feel better without all this extra ice energy trying to convince him he was a walking glacier. So without waiting for further prompting he drew a longer breath, no matter how much it hurt to expand his ribs, and raised his own hand above Danielle’s.

The next exhale Danny gave came as a rippling puff of chilled air curling into the space in front of him. With another slow inhale the iced particles that didn’t immediately disperse started to pull towards the space just above his open hand. Then more icy mist began to form, almost agonizingly slow at first before gathering into a soft swirl of frost, coalescing into a gradually growing orb. Danny’s eyes had closed again as he focused on expelling the excess ice energy that had built up within him over the months, forcing it into as small of a point as he could manage so he didn’t affect the others in the building. But with the amount of energy being pooled into the condensed orb it was hard to keep them completely unaffected. Those who were standing in the room felt the temperature drop quickly, their own breath fanning out in front of them as even the color of the room seemed to mute into winter shades. If just for a few minutes.

It wasn’t long at all before Danny’s features began flinching intermittently from the stress. A brief grimace across his face, his brows furrowing more and more. His fingers twitching under the now four centimeter orb. His breath forced through clenched teeth as he tried to keep it steady. Just a bit more. Just get rid of enough that he didn’t have to worry about it for a while.

When the others involuntarily shivered and the orb had reached slightly over five centimeters Danny stopped. One more exhale of frozen air as the orb dropped into his palm and drove it towards the bed. Instead of the back of his hand meeting the quilt though, Danielle’s hands caught his hand in both her palms.

“...Look at you. Didn’t even need me,” Danielle giggled, turning Danny’s hand so the orb of ice dropped into her palm. Judging by the way her hand dipped slightly, the others could tell it was heavy. And despite the feed of energy being cut off, a gentle mist of cold air still wafted around it. The temperature of the room rose from that of a winter night to that of a slightly over used air conditioner as well.

“Feel better?” Jazz asked after Danny gave a weak snicker that turned into a tiny whimper at Danielle’s comment.

“...Yeah,” Danny confirmed, realizing Jazz was currently fully supporting him now and reluctantly having to let her do so while he tried to gather the will to move. But as soon as he had some physical energy back, he found himself unable to keep from pressing into Jazz a little more, the hand that had lost the ice orb curling around her. “Still cold,” he admitted, hating how pathetic his voice sounded. “But not because of my ice powers.”

“You still have a fever,” Jazz consoled, trying to keep from leaning too far over as he put more weight on her, and looking around for an easy blanket to grab. “Blankets should actually help now though.”

Luckily Dick wasn’t going to leave her to her plight, and stepped forward with an extra blanket made of soft faux fur, and threaded with thin heating wires. He was careful as he draped it over Danny’s bare and bandaged shoulders, tucking it in close and clicking it on to a low setting after plugging it in. “I know you haven’t been awake that long, but you shouldn’t try to force yourself to stay awake either. You still need rest,” Dick advised, noting how Danny was struggling to open his eyes again to look at who had come closer. “Just take it easy, and don't stress if you fall asleep again, okay?”

“...Okay,” Danny agreed, but figured he’d still try to stay awake for a while. At least long enough that his friends and family would feel less worried about him.

“....Can I keep that?” Jason suddenly asked, pointing at the orb in Danielle’s hands and earning a snort from several people in the room.

“Why? Weirdo,” Stephanie snickered, finally breaking the unspoken rule to stay back and coming just a bit closer. It was colder near the ice ball, to an uncomfortable level of chilled.

“Because if it always does that, then I don’t have to pay for AC,” Jason retorted.

Danielle laughed, but Bruce looked concerned. “Are you unable to afford AC?”

“No! I can afford my apartment just fine, Bruce,” Jason assured quickly, not wanting to deal with Bruce’s hovering right then. “But if I don’t have to pay for it then why should I?”

It was a fair argument, if unexpected, and Danny found himself snickering softly at the whole thing. “Sure,” he agreed, not needing the little orb of ice for himself anyway. “But only if you can carry it home on your own.”

The little tease from her brother, showing his more mischievous side, caused Jazz to smile warmly, feeling her throat tighten just a bit. She had missed him. It was so good to hear he was at least feeling well enough to poke at others.

“...Okaaayy,” Jason agreed, confused why that would be such a big deal and holding his hand out to receive the orb.

Danielle raised her hands above his, and grinned playfully. “Both hands,” she directed.

“It can’t be that-”

“Both. Hands,” Danielle repeated, grinning with just as much sass as her brother had and waiting for Jason to obediently raise both hands together before she opened her own.

The orb fell at an alarming rate and Jason couldn’t hold back the grunt he made as he barely kept from having his hands crushed under the weight. “What the-,” he hissed, hefting the orb experimentally. “That’s heavy.”

“Duh,” Danielle snickered. “He put enough ice in there to easily freeze over a city.”

“... Fair enough,” Jason grimaced, now understanding why Danny had given him the challenge of carrying it home as payment for it. “Cheeky bastards.”

Jazz flinched in offense at the name calling, but her two siblings just snickered like the little gremlins they were.

____________________

G'morning Danny 8'D welcome to ow

Quick update because I actually had this one mostly typed and already drawn before the previous one X'D just got in the mood for the vibes a while ago and finished things up easy enough.

I need help again though ._. How do I wrap this up and get them back home? Any suggestions?

____________________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep

[lizlovestofangirl]

HUGS

featuring: oscar, daniel, charles, lando, ollie, arthur

cw: a little angst i guess but nothing serious and swearing

ᡣ𐭩 oscar piastri

oscar is a polite cat. this is a known fact. it is also a known fact that cats are selective about the people they trust. luckily for you, oscar has put all his trust in you. you knew he had a rough day. he had been gone before you woke up and was just now getting back after you had already eaten dinner. you could see the exhaustion dripping off of him, eye bags evident and shoulders hunched. he greeted you with a small smile and then wrapped his arms around you. you could feel him relax as you stood together, his arms around your shoulders and yours around his middle. he places the most gentle kiss on your temple and whispered how he had missed you. there's nothing that makes him happier than coming home to you.

ᡣ𐭩 daniel ricciardo

daniel is sunshine in human form and finds joy in making other people laugh and feel good. but sometimes, he can get tired just like everyone else. he had been quiet all day but said he was fine when you asked. by mid afternoon, it was apparent that something was really wrong. you walked from the kitchen to your shared room to find him on the bed answering emails, looking like he wanted to curl up and die. you gave him a look, your eyes screaming 'tell me what's wrong'. he gave you one right back that said, 'talk later, hold me now.' he shuffled so he was sitting at the edge of the bed and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around your waist. he pressed his head into your chest as you ran your fingers through his curls and he realized in that moment that you were exactly what needed. then and now, forever and always.

ᡣ𐭩 charles leclerc

charles isn't the biggest hugger. he'd rather wrap an arm around you and place a kiss on your cheek, so when he does cave and hug you, it's even more special. you hadn't seen him in two weeks because of work. you guys had talked on the phone and texted constantly, but it wasn't the same. when he picked you up at the airport, he grabbed you and lifted you off the ground, spinning you like how they do in movies. "i've missed you, mon amour," he says as he puts you down. he pulls away and smiles at you, and before you can smile back he pulls you back in for another hug. "what's this about, charlie?" you ask. "i don't know, i just really missed you."

ᡣ𐭩 lando norris

it doesn't matter if you're happy or sad, lando just wants to be close to you. you were in the paddock grabbing food with oscar's girlfriend, lily, in between free practice one and two when he snuck up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing kisses to your exposed shoulder and neck. lily giggled, giving you knowing look that said 'he would do anything for you.' and it was true. he would. he would give you a million dollars or kisses if you asked, and give you a million hugs without you having to ask or think about it.

ᡣ𐭩 ollie bearman

ollie hugs are the best. staying true to his last name, he really does give a bear hug. he walked into hospitality after a great qualifying and his face lit up when he saw you. "hey bear," you said, your smile creeping into your words. he immediately pulled you into a tight hug. his thumb lightly tracing circles on your shoulder. he starts to rock you back and forth and you can feel his contentment as he rests his chin on the top of your head. his height makes hugs even better because he is able to envelop you like your own person blanket, or even better your own oversized teddy bear.

ᡣ𐭩 arthur leclerc

let's be honest, arthur is hot. like really hot. and he loves that you think he's attractive and sometimes get a little embarrassed about it. he had just finished working out and was walking through your shared bedroom to the bathroom so he could shower, but he felt your eyes on him. he looked up from his phone to find you staring, your lips slightly parted and your book completely forgotten on your lap. he smirked and said, "like what you see?" classic. but you couldn't help it! he looked so good. the arms. the waist. the layer of sweat that made him glisten. you looked away in embarrassment and he just laughed. that cocky motherfucker. he grabbed your hand and gently pulled you out of bed and into a hug. you hid your face in his neck and be gave you a squeeze. he pulled back to see your blush had worsened, quickly deciding to kiss your forehead and pull you back in so you could hide again. curse his hotness.

[norrizzandpia]

Longing Glances and Whispered Confessions (Part 2) (LN4)

Summary: In which the one person they thought would reject them completely is the person that forces them together again.

Warnings: language, sexual innuendos, Lando and yn are sad as hell, happy ending tho, Pietra being a real one

Note: i loved this story line also here is the link to part 1 if you need it

“There’s nothing louder than the silence between two people who used to love each other.” - unknown

Lando was never the same. Max noticed the way his best friend suddenly became a shell of a human, dark and blank. The brother was left to question why the closest person to him in his life was no longer than themselves. He tried to take the boy out, bringing him to movies and dinners, trying to understand the root of his depression. However, he began to put it together when he saw the way Y/n lost herself a bit too. If he was being honest, Max always had an idea that they held repressed feelings for each other, but he never entertained it. He was so afraid of that thought that he refused to diagnose their lingering eyes and prolonged touches.

Pietra was the first to voice his internal thoughts, “You know, it’s no coincidence that they’ve both suddenly stopped talking to each other.”

He groaned, looking at her from his side of the couch, “P, I’m not doing this with you again.”

He got up, walking out of the room only for her to follow him. She trailed behind his steps, pushing, “No, you are going to do this with me. I’m not going to let you ruin two people’s happiness because you can’t set your pride aside and let them be at peace.”

He forcefully turned around, staring down at her annoyed, “What are you saying?! They were sneaking around together behind my back?! Come on, P.”

She scoffed, “Maybe they were! You said it yourself that they were spending more time together! What do you think they were doing?”

He shook his head, “Being friends! Like they always have been!”

Pietra let her hands yank at her hair in exhaustion over her boyfriend’s obliviousness, “MAX! WAKE UP! THEY WERE NEVER FRIENDS!”

Her yelling silenced him, his eyes staring at her before floating down to his feet, “You think I really am the source of their unhappiness?”

She sighed, padding over to him and bringing his body into her hold, “I think you played into it, but I don’t think you’re the whole reason why. Y/n and Lando are so stubborn, they probably pushed each other away with how much they love each other.”

His head reared back, “Love each other?”

Her eyebrows furrowed, “Yeah… Max, you really think they would be this heartbroken over something that wasn’t love?”

The revelation was crushing, his eyes bulged and he stood, jaw agape, “I… I don’t know. I didn’t think they would be able to explore a relationship that much to realize they loved each other.”

She tilted her head, “Max, you don’t know how long they were together.”

And that was something he knew he needed to find out.

—

Lando dragged himself over to his door, eyes drooping from the lack of sleep. No matter how hard he tried, every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was her walking out on him.

He opened it, not saying anything as he let Max in. His best friend closed the door behind himself, following Lando into the living room and sitting on the couch beside him. Hesitantly, Max laid his hand on Lando’s knee.

He breathed out, “I’m worried about you.”

The blanket around Lando’s shoulders loosened as he moved his hand to rub over his face, “Why?”

“Because you’re not sleeping, you’re not eating, and you’re canceling on everyone. I keep having Oscar or Carlos or Daniel or any of the other drivers text me asking where you are, what’s wrong. You’re not the same person anymore, Lando.” Max retracted his hand, turning fully on the couch to stare at the boy’s side profile.

Lando huffed, standing up and trying to flee the conversation, but Max was quick to grab his arm, pulling him back. Lando gave Max a look that was so angry, so furious that he realized this anger wasn’t directed at him, rather at the world for putting him through such pain.

“Can you fucking leave me alone?” Lando gave, arm trying to move from Max’s grasp, but failed.

“No, I’m not leaving until you tell me.” Max tried.

Lando rolled his eyes, “Tell you what?”

His response was immediate, “Tell me what happened between you and her.”

Lando fell silent, his demeanor shifting and his eyes softening. Vulnerability and brokenness flashed in his eyes, such a pool of grief, Max hated himself for causing it.

Finally, Lando broke from his hold and walked further into his apartment, “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about.”

Max followed him, “Yes, you do and you’re going to tell me what happened between you and my sister.”

Lando aggressively turned around, his attitude changing quickly, his fiery gaze creating a tense air, “CAN YOU FUCKING STOP?”

Max shot back, “NO! I CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN! IT’S NOT FAIR TO ANYONE TO KEEP YOU FROM EACH OTHER IF THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE SEPARATED!”

Lando’s teary voice, stricken with yearning for someone he thought he wouldn’t have to yearn for anymore, yelled back, “NOTHING HAPPENED! NOTHING HAPPENED BETWEEN US! NOTHING-”

His words got cut off when a small sob racked through his body. The lie and deflection of their relationship hit him hard. He didn’t want to deny what happened with her because what happened with her was so important, so close to his heart. Denying her and the love they shared was like affirming their end, he couldn’t deal with that.

Max watched his best friend break down in front of him, the sounds of miserable tears filling the room as he rushed over and caught him. He had never seen him like this, agony making him cling to his best friend in search of something to ground him.

Max couldn’t stomach the way his best friend was crying, much less for the fact that he was crying for his sister and whatever happened between them.

He itched to know and knew Y/n would be able to tell him.

—

He used his key to get in. The apartment was dark and quiet, and Max almost thought no one was there, but the fresh tissues on the counter and romantic movie playing softly in the background told him his sister was somewhere within the few walls.

He wandered around, silently looking for any clues of her relationship with Lando. He mingled over to her desk, hoping to find some picture of them together and gain physical evidence of the things that happened behind closed doors. He was ready to give up in that spot when he didn’t see anything on the surface, but when he caught a glimpse of a small drawer hiding under it, he crouched down. His hands slowly opened it, creaking and groaning under the force.

What he found, clearly something that was trying to be hidden, shocked him. What he found was a large handful of printed out pictures, all of them consisting of Y/n and Lando. He took them out carefully, their edges worn as if someone had continuously worked with them. The pictures got progressively worse to see, in terms of knowing that he was the one to stop the love they had for each other.

The first photo was of the two of them laying on her couch, the piece of furniture sitting two feet away from him. Lando’s lips were pressed against her cheek, one hand holding the other side of her face to him. Whatever was happening in the moment must have been amusing seeing as his sister was in the midst of hard laughter. Her mouth open, smile exuding through, she seemed comfortable in his presence, the kind of comfortable Max had wanted to forget existed between them.

The second photo was in Lando’s kitchen, this time only of the boy himself. Y/n’s reflection was in the window, again laughing at his cooking skills, as Lando stared beyond the camera. His gaze was trained on Y/n, a lovesick glint in his eyes as he held a spatula and a bowl. He was smiling so hard at her, Max wanted to claw his eyes out and forget he ever saw these photographs. They were a living example of what he had destroyed.

He continued to look through them, however, as his curiosity got the best of him. The last one, the eleventh and final one, was the worst to gaze upon.

This picture was taken by Lando, it being of Y/n sitting on her couch. She stared down at a ring in a box that she held firmly in her hand, teary eyes staring at Lando behind the camera. She was smiling with her mouth slightly opened, as if she was in awe over the gift.

It was the worst to see because he remembered the day he clocked her wearing it, asking her where she had gotten it.

THREE MONTHS PRIOR

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Max asked, his eyes trained on the sparkly band on his sister’s middle finger, left hand.

She tilted her head in confusion, following his gaze before realizing what he was referring to and trying to suppress a smile.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a gift.” She said vaguely, trying to be nonchalant.

Max shook his head, laughing softly, “No fucking way, is this person in love with you?”

She mirrored his laughter, yet it had a nervous undertone, “What are you talking about?”

Max grasped his sister’s hand, inspecting the ring, “Anyone who gets you something this expensive is in love with you. I mean, Y/n, this is, borderline, promise ring.”

She had joked with him, “What if it really was?”

He stared at her, trying to decipher whether or not to take it seriously. In the end, he hadn’t, “Then, I’d say I wanted to meet whoever gave you this. Clearly they want to marry you.”

She laughed it off, waving her hand around, “No need. There’s no one to meet.”

PRESENT DAY

It had been right fucking in front of him. He had prodded and joked that there was someone in her life, and there had been. It had been his best friend and he was too selfish to recognize it. Who was he to dictate their lives? Who was he to stop them from being happy? Who the fuck was he to stop Lando from making good on the promise he had made to his sister?

With the picture in his hands, Max stalked to her bedroom in the back of her apartment. He flung the door open, clearly waking her up from the nap she had been partaking in, scaring her to death.

She yelped out, “WHAT THE FUCK!”

He shook his head, pacing around the perimeter of her bed, “What is this?”

He waved the picture in her face, dropping it on her lap, and staring at her as he walked around.

Her face dropped and then she was staring at him with vengeance, “You went through my stuff?”

She had said it coolly, quietly, and that scared Max gravely. His sister was furious.

He scoffed, “Yeah, I did! Because I saw Lando earlier this week and he fucking cried in my arms because I confronted him about what happened between you, and he couldn’t fucking handle it. I still don’t know what happened! What the fuck happened?!”

She stood up, “AND YOU THINK THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO LOOK THROUGH THESE THINGS? THESE PICTURES WERE FOR US ONLY AND YOU FUCKING RUINED THAT, MAX! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

Max shook his head and put his hands up in front of him, “I’m not mad, Y/n. I support you two if it makes you happy. I’m just fucking shocked as shit because I asked you about that ring and you lied to my face.”

She shrugged, “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU WANT ME TO DO? TELL YOU THAT I HAD BEEN FUCKING YOUR BEST FRIEND?”

Suddenly, he realized that if he hadn’t told her about his knowledge of the photos, she wouldn’t be as rageful as she was standing before him. Max was hit with a wave of emotions, wondering if he had just ruined the trust he had built with his sister over the course of their entire lives.

“Y/n,” He started, but she interrupted him.

“Get the fuck out.” She whispered, clutching the picture in her hands.

“What?”

“Get out of my house, Max.” She said again, this time stalking toward him and beginning to push him away.

He grabbed onto her arms, “Y/n, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that finding those pictures would make you this upset.”

When they reached the living room and she saw the drawer open with all the pictures strewn about, she leaped toward them, frantically gathering them up carefully.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” She screamed, ears turning red.

Max stayed silent, “THESE ARE MY PHOTOS, MAX! THESE MEAN SOMETHING TO ME! IT WAS NEVER YOUR PLACE TO FIND THESE!”

He walked cautiously over to her, letting his hands take hold of hers as they tried to gather all the pictures. She was crying, the tears becoming harder as she looked upon all their times together. Her brother gently coaxed them out of her hands and pulled her into him, cradling her head to his chest and trying to stop the tears that were wetting his shirt.

“I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” He whispered repeatedly in her ear.

Over time, as he continued to say those two words to her, they both knew the meaning of it was changing.

At first, he was sorry for finding the photos and infringing on her privacy, but, then, he was sorry for making her think she couldn’t love openly.

—

Sitting down on her couch, he passed her tea to her and silently urged her to start talking.

She took a deep breath, then began, “Lando and I dated for a year. I’ll just break that to you now.”

Max’s mouth fell open, he had not been expecting for it to be that long, “Okay… continue. I’ll be okay.”

She nodded, smiling lightly, “We had loved each other for many years before that, but we only got together after a night when he picked me up drunk and I told him about the feelings I had for him. He came to my house the morning after and demanded to know if what I had said was true or just my drunk self being reckless, but everything I had said to him that night was, so he kissed me and we made things official. At first, we said we would keep things hidden until we were certain we saw a future, but that plan was shit because, from the beginning, we saw forever with each other. So, all we were left to do was aimlessly wander around until we stumbled across a time to tell you. However, we could never agree. He wanted to stay secret, afraid of everything that would happen if we dated publicly, but I was more of a ‘fuck it’ person. I wanted to be with him and when he rejected the notion I continuously brought up about us telling everyone, I felt fully rejected and that caused an ungodly amount of fights. Toward the end, all we did was fight. I think that’s what did us in. There was never a time when we weren’t yelling at each other and, for the life of us, we just could not see eye to eye. The thing that broke everything was when he told me to come to him when I believed he loved me and I realized I would never become comfortable with that idea. I would never fully trust him if he continued to treat me like a mistress, so I broke up with him.”

Max nodded, “And that’s when you two stopped talking and I found out.”

She agreed, “Yeah, I’m surprised how quickly you put it together.”

He chuckled, “No, it wasn’t me. It was Pietra. She basically yelled at me and told me that I was ruining both of your happiness by refusing to come to terms with it.”

The look that Y/n got in her eye told Max that he didn’t know the full story, “What?”

His little sister giggled, “I knew she knew!”

He tilted his head in confusion, “What?”

She shook her head, “One time, Pietra came over to my apartment unannounced and she had chosen a time when Lando and I were… uh…” Y/n wiggled her eyebrows at her brother and his face scrunched up in disgust.

“Oh, fuck no! Move on!” He yelled, waving his hands around.

She smiled, “Okay, okay, well, anyway, she used her key and when we heard the door open, her voice yelling out my name, Lando hid in the closet. When she came into my room and saw me with no clothes on under my comforter, she just looked at me weirdly. Her conversation with me after that consisted of her walking around my room and looking behind curtains and all that. I’m surprised she forgot to look in the closet because, if she had, she would’ve found out. But, anyway, after that, she just always dropped little comments about me seeing someone and, one time, she asked me if I had feelings for Lando. I, of course, refused, but it was something in the look that she gave me that told me she knew and she wouldn’t tell.”

He scoffed, “Damn you, P.”

The siblings laughed together, but once it died down, Max gave her a serious look.

“Y/n, you need to talk to him.”

Her shoulders sank, “I don’t know if either of us could handle that right now.”

He shook his head, “Not to get closure, but to get back together.”

Her head pulled back, “What? Max, he probably hates me. He definitely does not want to get back together with me after I ripped out his heart, threw it on the floor, and stomped on it.”

Max looked at her weirdly, “No way. You didn’t see the way he broke down in his apartment. You weren’t there and you haven’t seen the way he’s been after everything ended. He loves you and he needs you. He always will.”

She mulled it over in her head, inviting her brother to continue, “Why’d you break up with him?”

“Because I was hurt and I doubted how we would ever continue healthily when we didn’t agree on this one thing. Plus I didn’t believe he loved me the way I did him.”

Max shot up from the couch, picked up the photo of Lando looking at her while he cooked and shoved it in her face, “Y/n, that is the look of a man so gone for you, he’s never coming back.”

Her fingers traced over his face on the paper, smiling softly at the boy she missed, before looking up at her brother, “How do you know for sure? What if I give myself to him and it doesn’t work out?”

Max leaned forward, took her hands in his, and squeezed them tightly, “I don’t, but I can guarantee you that for as long as he lives, Lando will never move on from you. You give him another chance and he will never stop loving you. He’ll never stop loving you whether or not you’re there to reciprocate it or not.”

She tearfully stared up at him, “Yeah?”

He nodded, wiping her cheeks, “Yeah.”

—

Lando groaned, wanting to tear his face off with the knocking at his door. He just wanted people to leave him alone. Why didn’t anyone get that?

He forcefully pulled it open, shaking his head at whoever was daring to startle his mourning.

However, when his eyes met hers, their color shimmering with regretful tears, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Even though the reason for her presence wasn’t clear and his ability to reach out and kiss her wasn’t there anymore, he was still at peace to see her.

“Hi,” She whispered, stepping through the threshold hesitantly.

He stood, completely shocked, and she chuckled at his state before closing the door for him. Her hands landed on his waist as she coaxed them over to his couch, sitting the two of them down and taking his hands in hers.

She didn’t say anything for a few minutes, the two former lovers staring at each other and letting a loud silence take over. A loud silence between two people who still loved each other dearly.

When enough time passed, she exhaled and began with the speech she had been rehearsing for days prior, “Breaking up with you was the worst decision I ever made. Yet, it was something that had to happen. Without us parting ways, Max would’ve never found out and we would never be here, having the ability to be together publicly. I’m sorry for giving up on us, I wake up every day and wish I could take it back. But, I came here today because Max and I had a conversation yesterday where he made it clear that I had to come see you. Come fight for you. I love you and I want to be with you, always have, always will. I’m giving you everything I have and I’m hoping, fucking praying, that you’ll embrace your fears like I am and let us be together.”

Lando looked down at her, absorbing her words for a few moments. He stayed silent, staring at her before smiling. He let go of her hands to grab her face, bringing it to his. He kissed her like it was their first kiss all over again, signaling that he wanted to start over with her like she did with him. His lips nipped and sucked at her skin, only pulling away to whisper his love for her.

When they ran out of breath, he met her eyes and softly said, “Of course, I’ll embrace my fears for you. I was so fucking stupid not to before. You’re the only person that I’ve been able to get lost in. I love you like I’ve loved no one before and I’d be so idiotic to let you go again. That day, when you walked out, I should’ve followed you, I should’ve shown you, proven to you, how much I love you. Hearing you say that you would never believe I love you was like a million stabbings all at once and I should’ve used that emotion, that pain, to communicate how much you mean to me. I’m sorry for that and I’m so sorry for shutting you out the way I did before. Of course, I want people to know you’re mine. That’s always been it for me and the fact that I had it, and still didn’t take it, is lost on me. However, this all goes to say that I won’t let that happen again. I will love you and I will love you and I will love you until you’re sick of me.”

She laughed through her tears, pecking his lips shortly, “I’ll never get sick of you.”

He continued to grin at her, hands still holding her face to his, “Better not. If you did, I’d just force you to stay with me.”

She giggled, blushing at his words, before he melted fully into her. Hitting her nose with his, emotion pooled in his eyes, “Please never leave me again.”

She kissed his cheek, then his neck before coming to stare at him, hugging him as tightly as possible, “Never again. Ever. I promise.”

A tear slipped down his eye and she wiped it away. At the gentleness, he nuzzled his face into her neck and breathed out, feeling the weight of the world being lifted off his shoulders.

Another silence followed, yet, this time, it was a silence of two people who would never let the other go again.

Comforting and loving.

End.

Tags: @luvrrish @sinofwriting @minkyungseokie @lisa24x @toasttt11 @prettyisntprettyenough21 @giuliaabergamini-blog @landoslover @arshiyuh @ophcelia @vellicora @sage-butterflyy @ironmaiden1313

[annoyinglandmagazine]

So I did Classical Studies in secondary school which was a fairly obscure subject, there were only nine of us in the class and we were all super into it.

Just for context here I’m talking about the class I was in from first to third year, between the ages of 13 and 16 for people with different education systems. We read the Iliad as part of course and it was really dense and when I tell you none of us could hear the word simile today without flashbacks to notating pages after pages of Homer comparing the way people walked to lions……

Anyway, it was a nightmare to read but we loved it.

We came out of those three years having forgotten most of the history of the Roman Empire but we all knew that Paris was a little bitch good for nothing but his looks, Achilles and Patroclus were definitely gay, Achilles was also a little bitch but we love him for it, Hector and Andromache deserved better and, most importantly, Agamemnon was a complete and utter douchebag who deserved everything he got and Clytemnestra was absolutely right to stab him to death in a bathtub, seriously fuck that guy.

We were so invested in this subject that we finished the curriculum early two years in a row and each year our teacher decided that we could put on a play related to the subject to fill out the last two months or so.

Naturally we settled on Troy Story 1 and Troy Story 2 detailing the Birth of Paris through to Achilles returning Hector’s body to Priam in two 40 minute instalments.

Absolutely no one of the forty people who wandered in by accident to witness our work of art understood a single second of what was going on or why we were all restrained laughter at what was basically eighty minutes of obscure classics in jokes. It was glorious. I recently found the script and I wanted to share the chaos.

Highlights included:

Jesse’s Girl playing over Helen and Paris’ introduction while she’s married to Menelaus.

So much unnecessary use of the word bro. Just so much.

Zeus and Hera narrating while passive aggressively bickering for every second of it. The gods constantly saying ‘do you want to get involved in some human drama’ to rope each other in

The extreme dramatic build up to the use of the word dog

Agamemnon speaks like a frat boy the whole time, like the biggest douche ever.

Achilles lifting Hectors body and dragging it around in slo mo while we are the champions plays

Achilles watching the war from his blanket burrito while eating popcorn out of his helmet

The shepherd who found Paris on a mountainside holding him up while the Lion King music played over it

Achilles’ trashy blonde wig. I cannot stress enough how trashy and blonde this wig was. Also Achilles was deliberately cast as the shortest girl in the class (5’ 3).

Odysseus and Diomedes night mission had mission impossible music playing over it as we parkoured across the stage and peaked out behind curtains. They also have dialogue in which they constantly want to stab something

Paris never appears in the sequel but is dissed constantly

We couldn’t do any actual Patrochilles cause Catholic school but we settled for prolonged eye contact to My Heart Will Go On and long pauses after dramatic references to My Closest Companion

Achilles: I need my best bro friend! My life soulmate! My favourite cook!

Achilles in the tent with headphones on listening to All By Myself with mascara streaming down his face after Patroclus died

The facts that Agamemnon killed his daughter and Zeus and Hera are siblings is constantly just kind of dropped in with no context

Everyone’s costumes were mostly just lab coats tied over our shoulders with shared armour from the one girl that apparently had a closet full of Ancient Greek style plastic swords, helmets and breastplates.

We spent an entire class making a giant pink tv frame out of cardboard, paper and way too much sellotape for one joke that wasn’t even that funny. We named it Daniel.

Briseis was an American Girl doll.

The gods yelling at each other to try and pick teams and resulting in a slap fight with an announcement that it lasted 3 hours.

Thetis yelling encouragement from the side lines and calling Achilles her little crib lizard for some reason also she’s reading Song of Achilles in one of her scenes

[sister-cna-reader]

Dan the Cat

“Well that could’ve gone better.” Jazz huffed, shaking the magic powder from her over sized leather jacket. Jason covered his mouth and his shoulders shook with stifled laughter.

“Babe.”

“What?” Jazz snapped at her boyfriend, not keen on yet another “Bat Family contingency that everyone and their dog would know”

White teeth gleamed in mirth as he gestured to the pair of cats on the cafe floor. “Were your siblings cat people?”

The void cat, all fluffy black with luminous green eyes meowed indignantly, it’s tail swishing in irritation. A smaller one, black with white socks and the same ectoplasmic green eyes attempted to claw her way up Jazz’s jeans.

Danny and Danielle were all accounted for, but they were one alternate self short.

“Sonofabit-”,

Dan shook himself free of the magic powder and took stock of himself. He had paws for hands and an extremely fluffy body that seemed to be more fluid then solid. He could still float, standing on air like it was solid.

Fuck “Meow.”

Great, just fabulous.. he was a cat.

He sat, then curious with his body, and leaned forward into a loaf, tucking his paws underneath his chest.

Ooooohhhh

Comfy.

Some time later, with no family in sight he wandered around the neighborhood, calling for Danny or Ellie or his sister.

~~

“Oohh pspsps. Hello pretty kitty,” Catwoman called from a rooftop when she caught sight of the glowing white cat. It walked on air, lime green toe beans barely visible under all of the ethereal white fur.

Like a ghost or living flame, the white cat meandered it’s way up to her, proud red eyes watching her every move.

“What’s a pretty kitty like you doing in a place like this?” she asked the creature, extending a hand out for the cat to greet.

Like a feared prince, it sat just out of her reach, long flame tail wrapping around it’s body. It’s gravelly prolonged cry caught her interest just as she registered the black collar obscured by the majestic mane.

“Who do you belong to handsome boy?”

Another, shorter rumble and an adjustment of feet.

“I might be able to hear you properly if you came a little closer.” Selena offered.

The tail curled in thought, and after a beat, the cat stood and came up to her leg, watching her.

“Where’s home baby?” she purred, raking cautious nails over the flame white fur.

Orange hair, tall woman, friendly smile, works at a computer a lot….

The proud cat was not fluent in cat speak, but knew enough to get his point across.

“Very well. I think I know where you go.”

~~

Barbara Gordon did not expect to adopt a cat. Neither did she expect to be a cat’s chosen human, but that’s what Catwoman had insisted at her bedroom window, the strangely handsome cat slipping in the cracked window opening like smoke.

“I don’t have a litter box.” She told the cat, running a hand down the plush white coat. “You certainly aren’t starving.”

The large cat was purring up a storm, quickly making himself at home on her blanketed lap. Barbara ran a finger along the slim black collar, finding a small tag with her nail.

“Dan, huh?”

A red eye opened and Dan the Cat licked a paw. Of course, what other name would I have? He seemed to say.

The sun was coming up, and this cat wasn’t a threat or an emergency to solve. He was actually quite the charming floof ball, despite his weight. So Barbara laid back down in her bed, content to leave the mystery for future her to solve.

[liightsout]

fresh out the slammer - daniel ricciardo x reader

(part one)

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

✯ pairing: daniel ricciardo x reader ✯

✯ word count: 2.2k ✯

✯ content warnings: swearing, abusive/unhealthy relationship ✯

✯ now playing: fresh out the slammer - taylor swift ✯

✯ this is part two in my ttpd series, you might want to read this first ✯

✯ masterlist ✯

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

“Now pretty baby, I’m running back home to you. Fresh out the slammer I know who my first call will be to” 

You didn’t have much of a plan, or even a rough idea where you would be staying for the foreseeable future as you stood on the pavement outside your now ex boyfriend’s apartment. 

It should have terrified you, but it was the first time you’d felt free in years. 

It was Danny who had suggested that you call Rosie and ask if you could stay with her. He had offered for you to stay in his apartment while he was out of the country, but you didn’t fancy being alone. That, and the idea of staying somewhere so surrounded by Daniel seemed like the wrong choice to make right now. 

Rosie had been more than happy to welcome you with open arms into her home. She had been over the moon to hear from you, and even happier to hear that you had ended things with Evan. The second you’d arrived on her doorstep she ushered you inside and enveloped you into a bone crushing hug. 

Yes, she was happy that you had finally escaped the clutches of your shitty boyfriend, but she was human enough to know that the whole ordeal had been incredibly overwhelming for you and that you were craving comfort. 

Later that evening the pair of you were curled up on her sofa, wrapped in blankets and sharing a bottle of wine. Rosie hadn’t asked you a single question all day about the break up. She had allowed you time to breathe and get yourself set up in her spare bedroom. It was hours later and you just knew she was going to explode if you didn’t provide her with some answers. 

“So, what happened after you left?” she had asked with curiosity in her eyes. You knew what she was hinting at. 

You had seen Danny’s name flash up on her phone earlier that day while she was helping you unpack. She had tried to hide it, but you’d seen it nonetheless. You expected he was checking in with her to make sure you had actually made it to her place and hadn’t turned around and gone crawling straight back to Evan. You couldn’t blame him, you were shocked that you hadn’t as well. 

“I called Danny” you said with a small smile as you recalled the conversation you had shared with him earlier that day.

“Hey pretty girl,” his voice sounded like liquid gold pouring straight from your phone and into your ear. “Hey you,” you replied with a shaky breath. You could sense he was about to start talking, you knew he would have questions as to why you were calling. 

“I did it. I left.”

A beat of silence passed between the two of you, as if neither of you could quite believe the words coming from your mouth. 

“For real?” his voice was quieter, less confident than you’d heard him before. It was unlike him to be so hesitant. 

“For real” you whispered back. The sound of the busy London street echoed out around you, but seemed to fade away the longer you waited for Danny’s reply. 

“Are you alright?” he said, his tone filled with concern. You felt your heart swell. It was such a simple question, yet it carried such weight. Were you alright? 

Was it wrong that this was the most ‘alright’ you’d felt in months? 

“I think so, or at least I will be.” 

You didn’t need to see him to know he was smiling. 

“Yeah, you will.” 

“Another summer taking cover, rolling thunder, he don’t understand me. Splintered back in winter, silent dinners, bitter. He was with her in dreams. Gray and blue, and fights and tunnels. Handcuffed to the spell I was under, for just one hour of sunshine. Years of labour, locks and ceilings, in the shade of how he was feeling, but it’s gonna be alright, I did my time.” 

As you lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling fan, you found yourself lost in the memories of the last few years.

You hated how easy you found it to scold yourself for how long you had stayed in such a toxic relationship. The voice at the back of your head told you that it was easier said than done, leaving your partner, but you still felt angry for how much time you had wasted. 

It was only now that you were on the other side of it that you could pinpoint all the times you should have left. The fights. The arguments. The shitty comments thrown in your direction. The gaslighting. You realised that you had spent the last few years of your life dictated by Evan and the mood he decided to be in that day. 

You could recall the times you would walk on eggshells around him, scared to provoke him when you sensed he was in a foul mood. The exasperated sighs and slamming doors. He would storm out of the apartment declaring that he was going “out”. He’d come home smelling of beer, cigarettes and ladies perfume. Or not come home at all. 

You’d wake up the next day to a picture perfect boyfriend. Breakfast in bed, flowers on the counter, extravagant gifts and invitations for weekends away in foreign countries. 

Evan had a way of convincing you that whatever terrible thing had happened the day before was just a one off. That he was sorry for his behaviour and he would never do it again. 

It made you laugh now. It was a shame that he had inherited his wealth. He would have made such a good con artist. He had the ability to fool you into believing whatever he wanted, and you ate it up every single time. 

“Camera flashes, welcome bashes, get the matches, toss the ashes off the ledge” 

It had been Rosie’s idea to throw a party. She had declared that you needed a “celebration of freedom” as she curated a group chat full of the usual suspects to invite round her house that weekend. You weren’t sure it was the best idea, you still felt hesitant about being around your old group of friends after such a long time away. 

“Have I missed anyone off? Or is there anyone you want to invite that I’ve missed?” Rosie said as she handed you her phone. You could sense her eyes carefully watching you as you scrolled through the list of names. You tried to be nonchalant as you looked for his name. You didn’t care who came. You just wanted to see Danny. 

It had been radio silence for the last few weeks since you’d moved in with Rosie. It wasn’t his fault. You knew he was busy with a double header and a new Enchante launch. You also suspected he was being a gentleman and giving you the space you had needed to clear your head. He wanted you to make the first move so that he knew you were ready. 

And you sure as hell felt ready. 

You found his name at the bottom of the list and smiled while handing Rosie her phone. 

“Yeah, looks good to me, I can’t think of anyone else. I don’t really have many friends anymore” you said with a nervous laugh, which earned you a playful shove from the girl sitting next to you. 

“Oh shut it, you’ve got loads of friends, you just don’t realise it. And don’t think I didn’t see you searching for Danny’s name, you’re not sly” she said with a laugh. 

“As I said in my letters, now that I know better I will never lose my baby again” 

You tried hard to hide your disappointment, but you had really hoped he would show up. He hadn’t directly responded to Rosie’s invitation, only offered a thumbs up in response to her message about hosting a party this weekend, but you had thought he would be here. 

You had chalked it up to his busy schedule, but you couldn’t help the doubts slipping into your mind.  

Four hours into the party and still no sign of Danny. 

Rosie had sent you a few reassuring smiles each time she caught your eye as you searched round the mass of bodies in her kitchen and garden. 

You knew she was being kind, but you could feel the sympathy radiating off her from a mile away. It made you feel pathetic. A feeling that you’d hoped you’d left behind in Evan’s apartment. 

You didn’t know why you kept checking your phone. You hoped he’d send you a message, apologise for why he couldn’t make it. But he hadn’t reached out to you since the day you’d left Evan. Why would he message now? 

It was now nearing 1AM and the majority of the party had left, with only a few of Rosie’s closer friends opting to stay a bit later and help tidy up, as well as share a nightcap or two. You had decided to steer clear of the noise and opted for unwinding in the garden alone. 

The twinkling stars covering the night sky and crescent moon illuminated the garden. You’d spent the last 10 minutes staring up at them, hoping a shooting star would cross your path and grant you just one wish. 

You’d never been lucky before, why would you be now? 

Your phone felt like a dead weight in your hands. The idea of messaging Danny was flying around in your brain like a gnat you just couldn’t catch, the buzz getting louder and louder the more you ignored it. You were a little tipsy, you couldn’t stop yourself from typing, even if you knew texting Danny was not the best idea right now. 

Hi 

Hey you 

Hi Danny 

We missed you tonight, sorry you couldn’t make it! Hopefully see you next time! 

Why didn’t you come? 

Did I do something wrong? 

FUCK 

I’ve already lost so much, and wasted so much time on someone who didn’t care about me, I can’t do that again, not with you 

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind you sent your phone flying out of your hand and tumbling onto the patio floor. A hand reached for the phone at the same time yours did, the 3 etched onto the pinky finger forced your eyes upward. 

At first you thought you might have imagined him. That you had actually fallen asleep outside and this was a figment of your imagination sent to mock you. But the smell of his cologne combined with the heat pouring off of his body confirmed that you were in fact definitely awake. 

You couldn’t speak as he held your phone in his hands. You knew he’d seen the message you had typed out from the way his eyes had darted from the screen to your face as you stood in front of each other. 

Sad. He looked sad. You’d never seen him like this before and it broke your heart. 

“I’m sorry” the words passed his lips and you fought hard to stop yourself from cringing. You tried to remind yourself that Danny was different from, you hoped. This wasn’t like those times with Evan, the meaningless apologies and shitty explanations. 

“My flight got delayed, and then cancelled, so I ended up flying into Manchester instead of London and then had to get an Uber down here, got stuck in fucking traffic and only got to my apartmet like 30 minutes ago” he rambled as he handed you back your phone, which you accepted with shaky hands. You hoped he didn’t notice. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry, I should have text you, but I had in my head that I was going to surprise you and it was going to be all romantic and shit, which I now realise was totally dumb and I should have just told you I was running late.” 

The frustration in his words was palpable, the desperation in his voice earnest. Both were something you hadn’t heard from Evan, ever.

“If you want me to go, I will, I just wanted to tell you in person that I was sorry and that I know I’ve fucked up and probably ruined it.” 

“You haven’t” your voice trembled as you spoke. You searched within yourself for the bravery you’d had those weeks ago. You didn’t want to lose this. You needed this. You needed Danny.

“You haven’t ruined it,” you shook your head as your hand reached out for his. His eyes seemed darker under the night time sky. “You defintely fucked up,” you said with a laugh as your hand laced with his larger one, “but you haven’t ruined it”. 

Danny’s hand squeezed yours and released as you took a step closer to one another. His arms wrapping around you and pulling you close against him as yours went around his waist. Your head was against his chest, his racing heartbeat echoed in your ear and matched your own. His head went to the crook of your neck, rough facial hair tickled against your sensitive skin and sent shivers across your body like lightning. 

You would have missed the words that he mumbled against your skin between soft kisses had he not been so close to you. 

“You’re not wasting your time, I do care about you. I think that you’re it for me.”

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

✯ authors note: soooooooo... it's been a while

i'm super sorry about how long it's taken to get this out, and it's only half of this part, but my motivation for writing has been super low.

hope this is ok and you guys enjoy!!!!

thanks for all your support, it means the world to me ✯

[vetteltea]

Daniel Ricciardo and Putting on Snow Gear [no warnings]

Day 6 of the Vetteltea Advent Calendar

Note: Dedicated to one of the most amazing people in my life, @lxnceclercs. Kay is such a sweet human being and it's a genuine pleasure to share our love of F1 together. ALSO GOOD LUCK WITH FINALS! YOU'RE GOING TO DO AMAZING!

There are some sounds in life which are recognisable from their tones alone; a baby crying, the sound of wedding bells. More importantly, Daniel Ricciardo’s laugh. 

Of course, it was audible before it was visual; the sound of his laughter as you stood in the center of the bedroom, the dark ski suit which you had bought on a complete whim less than three days ago, currently stuck around your waist, huffs of annoyance only growing stronger as you tried to shift the stupid garment.

This entire trip had been a complete whirlwind; Scotty had approached Daniel less than a week ago, insisting his best friend came to Switzerland; Red Bull were hosting an event day for all members of the sporting family and who would Scotty be, if not to invite his best friend and soon-to-be Red Bull coworker? (Alphatauri was a baby step, his place was already secured for the future.)

Your boyfriend is spontaneous, it was one of the things you cherished about him. However, being told you had less than four days to find and buy skiing gear, warm clothes and something formal for the fancy dinner the entire group would be happening. You had been rushing through the airport less than twelve hours ago, Daniel’s warm hand laced with yours as he pulled you both to the right terminal, already knowing too well he had forgotten half of his own things and would have to purchase them when you tapped down in Switzerland. 

The first day had been elating; walking through the blankets of snow with your boyfriend, his hands gently resting on your waist as he guided you to the half-pipe, eyes wide as you watched Scotty take to the ramp, both yourself, Chloe and Daniel cheering when it was time for him to perform. The event had made you excited enough for the next day, when you would be able to try out snowsports yourself. 

At this rate, you wouldn’t make it out of the hotel, let alone to the ski slopes. Daniel’s laughter was beginning to grate on you for the first time in its existence. 

“It’s not funny.” You huffed, attempting to wiggle the suit into a more comfortable position. It didn’t assist the matter; if anything, you felt yourself getting further tangled, the laughter only growing at your stubbornness. Part of you, a tiny part of you thinks that you will stay like this for the rest of the day. It’s only lifted when you feel two warm hands through the thick fabric, adjusting the suit until it sits comfortably on your body, the hood flopped over your face. 

One hand reaches up, pulling away the hooded garment and revealing the sound of the laughter. Daniel’s face is always calming; his bright smile and warm eyes. Gently, one tanned hand reaches to cradle your cheek, the other matching in synchronized movement as he leans forward, pressing a chaste kiss to your nose. 

“My little snow bunny is so cute!” He teases. “You look so adorable all wrapped up!” Daniel pulls you closer to his chest, looping your hair behind your ears and pressing a soft kiss to your temple. He’s giggling now, it’s almost as if he can’t help it, sometimes. Your eyes flicker, looking up, head cocked in confusion. 

“Why are you laughing now?” You mumble, watching as Daniel unloops himself from your body, stepping back to the bed in the center of the room, his fingers slipping up and picking your hat from the bed. His eyes are soft, pressing the hat to your head, his hands trailing down and holding your face in his touch. 

“You’re so perfect.” He mumbles, closing the gap and pressing his lips to your own. He’s warm, even through the body of your thick snow suits. Your kisses become frantic, his head tilting to deepen the kiss. Your hands wander, tracing around his neck and pulling him into your lips. Weight is unevenly distributed, Daniel gasping as he falls back onto the bed, laughing as you land atop of him. 

The laughter soon dies down when your lips find his again, one warm hand tracing underneath the ski suit he had previously spent his time fixing for you. You’re both so lost in the moment, you don’t hear the door to the hotel room open, Scotty’s voice echoing through as heavy footsteps skip into the bedroom.

“Where are you-” He’s immediately cut off, the only sound present is Daniel’s lips leaving yours, looking up with wild eyes to his best friend.

“Get out.” He snaps. Scotty doesn't need telling twice, the loud slam of the door echoing around the hotel room. This time it’s your laughter which echoes around, Daniel only joining in when his lips return to your neck, hands trailing to unravel you from the Ski Suit once again.

He would be all too happy to help you put it back on, after all. 

[monstersinthecosmos]

Vamptember Day 1 - Experiment

{agnes obel - kamma}

Daniel’s thoughts don’t make much sense.

Like everything is a fragment, like nothing is in order. 

Sometimes, a sound has a taste to him. Some remembered flavor from his human life, that he’ll never really know again. Sometimes a color has a smell. Sometimes, the music in the background of a television ad sends him spiraling into a memory so deeply that he can’t remember where he is when he comes back up for air.

His thoughts shuffle together. Don’t make much sense. Marius tries to keep a respectful distance, to give him privacy, but checks in from time to time, just to know how he’s doing. It’s often hard to tell. His thoughts are like a kaleidoscope some nights, and the sound of radio static on others. Sometimes he’ll be tidy, in perfect working order, until some intrusive thing sours him. It can be a texture beneath his fingers, a scent, a painting. It’s like an ink bottle tipping over to ruin a half-written page. 

Perhaps, Marius wonders, to someone Daniel’s age it’s more like the electricity shorting.

Some nights Marius stares at him, and Daniel doesn’t seem to notice. The child of his child, unmoving for hours, curled into the corner of the sectional sofa. It’s hard to tell how much is his own bias, but Daniel always looks young like this. The Blood had restored the weight in his face, erased the human signs of age, but it’s how small he makes himself. Marius stares, and thinks that Daniel seems like a broken little thing. 

“I heard that,” Daniel mumbles.

Daniel rubs at his face. His hunger cramps through his thoughts, permeates the entire room, and the pain in his strained arteries somehow becomes a color in his mind that he can’t unsee. He squeezes the bridge of his nose and pats at the breast pocket of his flannel shirt, as if looking for something.

Old human habit, Marius imagines. Looking for cigarettes that he hasn’t touched in over a decade.

“Would you like to hunt?” Marius asks. 

Daniel just shakes his head. He pulls his knees close to his chest. Nails scratch against his scalp.

“You’re hungry,” Marius says gently. He leans into the door frame, crosses his arms over his chest, wondering the best solution here. 

Marius is old. He can handle hunger. Likes it sometimes, the way the pain can clear him out a little bit. But Daniel is too young. Shouldn’t go so long without feeding. The weakness brought on only makes his acuity worse, makes him less patient, more quiet. The bad kind of quiet, though.

Daniel’s thoughts race, imagining the next handful of steps it takes to go hunting. Changing his clothes, putting shoes on. The cold wind outside and then the sweltering heat of a bar. The noise. The bitter chemical taste of perfume on a woman’s throat. Cleaning up afterwards. Too much for tonight, and the thought of the swoon isn’t even enough to drag him off the couch.

It’s not good to let the hunger build like this, though. Not for someone like Daniel. 

Marius reaches for the light switch beside him, twisting the dimmer to bring the lights lower. He grabs a blanket from where’s it’s lazily thrown over the arm of the couch and brings it closer, drapes it across Daniel’s shoulders as he takes the seat beside him.

“Drink from me, at least,” he says gently, as he unbuttons his cuff, and rolls the sleeve up his forearm. 

Daniel turns in his seat. Leans his temple into the soft couch cushion. Rubs his cheek in the fabric for a moment, as if it’s soothing.

Armand’s child. Marius looks at him, really looks, and he can see what Armand saw, just for a second. 

Marius holds out his hand. The purple veins still show, just barely. Enough that Daniel’s breath hitches when he looks down and sees them. He shifts, crosses his legs, pulls the blanket tighter around himself. Marius waits, with all his patience. He lets his hand fall into Daniel’s lap, inviting his control. 

“I always thought I’d be afraid of you,” Daniel says. 

It’s the most he’s spoken in months, but Marius doesn’t point it out. Thinks Daniel might take it badly.

Marius doesn’t answer, either. A quiet Hmm in consideration, to acknowledge him, as he settles back into the cushions. He tucks one of his feet beneath the opposite leg, lifts his free arm to rest on the back of the couch. Snow is beginning to fall outside, and he watches as frost grows on the corners of the windows.

The cool grip, finally, as Daniel touches him. Fingers tentatively curling around Marius’s forearm, as if reaching for a slithering thing. Not real revulsion, though, Marius can tell. Just the exhaustion and curiosity, too fragile to deal with any surprises tonight.

And then his teeth, and the cautious wet-cold press of his tongue. The pain tingles pleasantly in Marius’s spine, breaking through the barrier of immortality for a moment. 

“My fledglings weren’t like you,” he says softly, as Daniel drinks. His eyes are closed and he moans, just enough for Marius to hear. Quiet little noise, sated for the moment. Marius wonders what Daniel sees in the Blood, and tries to think of beautiful things.

But my fledglings weren’t like you, he thinks again. Even at her most morose, Pandora still floated at the surface. Amadeo could be reclaimed by a game of the switch. 

Maybe Marius just never knew, though. Never saw into their heads like this. Maybe Amadeo was this disorganized, too, maybe that’s why he liked this one.

Daniel pulls away with a gasp, and his voice garbles around the blood in his mouth. 

“Armand thought of me as an experiment,” he says. He drops Marius’s wrist and falls back against the cushions. He licks the blood from his teeth.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not—”

“He told me once that he was an experiment to you, too.”

Marius rubs a thumb over the healed wounds in his wrist. Straightens his shoulders as he buttons his sleeve back up. 

His throat cramps, and his heartbeat is loud in his own ears. He glances at the snow outside.

“I need to hunt,” he says. He pats Daniel’s thigh as he stands. “Please don’t leave the house without me.”

[jpitha]

"Look." Daniel held up the trap. Inside a small brown animal was quivering and running from side to side in the metal trap. "Mice."

El'ama peered closely at the small creature. "It's cute."

"Yeah, they are. But they're pretty destructive and they can bring disease with them. We're going to have to do something about them."

"How did they get here?"

"Oh, they've been following close behind humanity from the beginning. I'm sure a few snuck aboard from a ship." Daniel looked at the mouse. "I dunno. We could put out more traps, but maybe some cats instead?"

"Cats?"

"Yeah, predator from Earth. Small mammal, furry, pointy ears with a tail. They've been with us for millennia. They're good hunters. They've been following people just as long as the mice, earning a keep as mousers.

El'ama looked at Daniel, back to her tail, touched her ears and looked again at Daniel and flicked her ear.

Daniel got flustered. "I-I don't know! I don't think you really look that much like a cat, h-here, here's a photo of them." He got out his pad quickly and showed her a photo.

El'ama was amused at his embarrassment, and she looked at the photos. "Yeah, okay, they're not exactly the same as us, but it's really odd that you have a predator on your planet that looks a little like us that you keep as a pet."

"Pets? Hah! They don't think so. It's more like the cat chooses their human."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, there's evidence that they pretty much domesticated themselves. When around people and raised by people their vocalizations sound a little like a baby's cry - to better get our attention and to have us attend to them. They also tend to pick a human and just...go live with them. You'll be walking around, and as you walk into your house, a cat will scoot behind you and well, now a cat lives with you!"

"That's amazing." El'ama said. "Okay then, how do we get some?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. They're usually just like, there. I'll ask around, make some calls."

A few weeks later the Starjumper On Point made a call at the joint Human/K'laxi starbase. Onboard, in addition to the regular contingent of crew and passengers and cargo were two small crates.

The crates were meowing.

Daniel and El'ana were waiting at customs. "They're here!" Daniel ran up to them as they were wheeled off the umbilical. "Who are my new fluffy employees? You are! You are!"

The crates gave a warning growl.

El'ama looked inside. When her face was even with the crates, the cats inside shrank back.

"I think they're scared of me."

"They're cats. They're just nervous about a new situation. Let's take them back to the office and let them get used to things."

Back at the office, Daniel let the cats out and they wandered around the office, sniffing and looking at everything.

"Do they....do anything else?" Eliana said.

"Like I said, they're cats. They do everything in their own time. I've got their water and food bowls set up, and they have a litter box over in the closet and toys and blankets."

"And they'll take care of the mice?"

"If they feel like it yeah."

"IF THEY FEEL LIKE IT?"

"El'ana, they're cats."

The largest cat, who was all black and very plush came over to the K'laxi and rubbed against her legs.

"Awwww, Inky likes you! Give her a pet on the head."

El'ana bent down and gently touched the cat between the ears. They raised their head up and started making a breathy rumble.

"What's that noise?"

"She's purring! That means she's content, or she likes you. Good work!"

El'ana sat down at her desk and the large black cat jumped into her lap and promptly fell asleep.

"So, what do I do now?" she whispered.

"Oh, you don't have to whisper. But she's sleeping, we can't wake her! I'll bring you something to drink and your pad. You'll just have to wait it out."

El'ana flicked an ear. You're sure they'll help us with our mouse problem?"

"Eh, pretty sure. Cats are great anyway."

[lost-in-fandoms]

Oh when will kitten knight Max return from war I miss him :(

Daniel is on the innermost wall for his patrol shift when they come back.

He watches the commotion from above, horses, guards and carriages filling the courtyard, trying to follow Max with his eyes as he moves around, probably giving orders and directing things.

It's been three weeks, almost four really, and even just seeing him for far away settles something in Daniel that had been knotted up with worry and longing for as long as Max had been gone.

They are late, night shadows already stretching inside the castle, but now that Daniel knows Max is safe he's almost glad about it, knowing his shift is almost over, and he doesn't have to wait for hours up on the wall while knowing Max is back. As it is, he barely exchanges two words with the guard who comes to relieve him, scrambling down the steps towards the guards wing.

He briefly stops to grab a bread roll and an apple, not really feeling like wasting time on proper dinner, and then goes straight to Max's little office.

Which is empty.

He goes back to poke his head into the armory, then back around to check Max's room, before deciding that if Max is still with the King or in the baths, he might as well wait for him while relaxing in his room.

He finishes the bread right when he pushes the door open, placing the apple on the small desk and starting the slow process of getting rid of his armor and boots. It's only when he's shrugging off his underlayer, ready to wipe himself down with a flannel and the pitcher of water near the window, that he realises that there's a small lump on his unmade bed.

Water immediately forgotten, he strides forward, moving the blanket and revealing the little kitten hiding there, grumpily blinking up at him.

"Hello, baby," he says cheerily, feeling his heart soar with happiness. "Couldn't even say hi?"

Max just glares harder, hissing at him slightly.

It's only then that Daniel notices how tightly he's curled up, little body tense, ears flattened back. His smile immediately disappears, and he sits down on the bed, tentatively reaching out for him.

"Everything okay, Maxy?" he asks, pausing before his fingers can touch his fur, waiting for permission.

Instead of his usual nod though, Max growls, a tiny sound that would only be cute in any other circumstance, and uncurls, scrambling into Daniel's lap and meowing with displeasure, pawing at his chest.

"Okay, okay, easy," Daniel murmurs, laughing a little, following Max's insistent pushing and settling down on the pillows, dragging the sheets around them both.

As soon as he's laying down, Max finishes climbing over him, laying down on his favorite spot on Daniel's collarbone, little head pressed against his neck, and starts nervously kneading.

His nails are sharp, and Daniel winces when they press into his naked skin, but he doesn't say anything, too busy trying to relax and keep his breathing deep and slow, even as he frowns and worries, wondering what has gotten Max so worked up.

It's rare to see Max nervous in his cat form. Usually shifting helps him managing his emotions, especially when Daniel is there, but today he's not even purring, kneading over and over and letting out small sounds from time to time.

Daniel gently places his hand on Max's back, holding it there instead of actually petting him, and hums softly, hoping the vibrations will help Max relax.

It takes some time, but finally Max's little body goes lax, his kneading slowing down until it's being replaced by soft purring, his nose dragging along Daniel's throat in silent thanks.

"Are you hurt?" Daniel finally asks, when he's sure Max is not as worked up anymore. He knows how hard it is to get answers out of Max, human or kitten form alike, but he's worried, and he knows he won't be able to sleep until he knows at least something.

Max shifts under his hand, looking for a more comfortable position, and Daniel is already thinking about how to get him to tell him something when he feels him shaking his little head, a huff of breath like a sigh tickling Daniel's neck.

"Did something happen?"

Max hesitates this time, but then shakes his head again. It's slow going, trying to figure out what is wrong without irritating Max again and only asking yes or no questions, but Daniel knows him well enough it doesn't take too long to at least get a clearer picture.

And honestly, he can't blame Max for being twitchy after spending several weeks with the King and his entourage during their diplomatic visit, having to be alert to protect them while also having to endure being around them the whole time, almost unable to shift in fear of being seen or of missing something important.

It makes the part of him that is more and more displeased with the King grow louder, wanting to get up and straight to his chambers, to demand why he is so set on running Max to the ground so hard. If it's lack of care or of brains.

He knows though that not only that would be a terrible decision to make, but that Max would also get very mad at him. And he's much more comfortable just laying here, his kitten atop of him, finally purring steadily.

"I missed you," is what he decides to say, instead of do you want to step down and go live on a farm far enough from here you'll be able to shift whenever you feel like.

Max purrs louder, thumping his forehead against his neck before licking it with his rough tongue, making Daniel chuckle when it tickles, and Daniel accepts it as a me too.

Daniel closes his eyes, tugging the blankets higher and rubbing a finger on the soft fur between Max's ears. He hasn't been sleeping well while Max was away, too busy worrying and feeling lonely, and he suddenly feels like he's truly relaxed for the first time in weeks. By the way Max seems to be going liquid on top of him, he would guess he's feeling the same way.

So, deciding any further conversation can wait for the next day and feeling like his heart is finally all whole again, he lets himself fall asleep, lulled by Max's quiet purring and comforted by his warm weight on his chest.

[lilyrizzy]

for @toastandvegemite (thy for letting me steal our chatfic to make real fic) & @catofthecanals289 for always supporting my freak4freak behaviour & helping me make this better <3

cw: dragon max and er, dragon fucking lol. oh and like, its a lil undernegotiated

Max’s breath is hot on the back of Daniel’s neck. The softer scales of his belly brush against his back with every thrust, grinding Daniel’s knees down harder into the floor. Cushioned, of course, by the wad of blankets Max laid down before shifting. They can’t fuck like this in their bed; after the third time they tried, they broke it.

“Fuck,” Daniel whimpers, feeling Max’s teeth graze over his shoulder just the right side of too sharp. Immediately after, his tongue lathes over the same patch of skin, the curve of Daniel fitting perfectly into the fork of it.

Max lets out another huff of hot air, and if he was human right now Daniel knows he’d be laughing.

It’s not like Daniel can begrudge him his smugness. Inside him, Max feels good, filling him in a way that leaves Daniel nowhere to go, nothing to do other than to lie there and take. To shiver and ride out the way Max’s cock rubs up inside him perfectly. Big and thick. Underneath him, Daniel feels tiny.

“Maxy,” Daniel gets out, half swallowed up in another whine, “God, you feel so- How do you even fit?”

Max’s hips stutter forward then, and it’s Daniel’s turn to let out a breathy laugh, before strong, clawed hands push his shoulder blades down. Face down, ass up is usually how this goes, Max’s instincts taking over towards the end. The urge to mate, to breed becomes too much, he’d explained to Daniel once, afterwards. A little nervous like he was checking if it was okay, because neither of them, Max as a dragon and Daniel as a human, are meant to love this as much as they do.

But, fuck, Daniel loves it.

Right now, he wishes they were in front of a mirror. That he could see exactly what he knows they look like; Max’s giant, strong body draped over him, the golden tinge of his scales catching in the low light. His bright blue eyes half-lidded, where earlier they would have been fixed on where he was moving in and out of Daniel. His tail beating from side to side, as though impatient for its turn inside Daniel, after.

This is what everybody in the paddock wonders about them. Daniel has heard the whispers and giggles about how can it possibly work, and it only makes him shift his hips up higher to think about, only has him tipping further towards the edge.

Max is close too. It’s obvious from the way his breath is coming hotter and faster now. If Daniel tried to wriggle his hand between his body and the blankets to touch where he’s aching, leaking, Max would let out an unhappy growl. He knows Daniel doesn’t need a hand on himself, not when he can come from the unrelenting grind of Max inside, the stretch at his rim, that-

That is growing.

“Max?”

He lifts his head a little from where his cheek had been pressed into the floor. Something is happening, splitting him open wider.

“Max,” he tries again, voice cracking a little in his surprise. “Max, what is- fuck- What is your dick doing?”

Max can’t talk, of course, just lets out the closest noise to a whimper Daniel has ever heard him make. Usually, he’s all deep satisfied rumbles. His hips are almost completely still now, just hitching forwards and backwards ever so slightly as his dick pulses inside Daniel. Daniel is expecting the scorching rush of Max’s come, is hoping for it but instead he gets-

Something solid.

“Oh fuck,” Daniel groans, as it catches at his rim. He forces himself to bare down, to make himself wider to take it inside. Max’s teeth find his neck for real then, biting down as if to tell Daniel to stop the squirming of his hips as it- a fucking egg- slips inside him. It is so many things at once. Too much, yet not enough. Like Daniel is gaping, even at the same time as being stuffed full. He can’t resist rolling his hips down into the ground below, and then he’s clenching around Max, around the egg, as he spurts into the blankets beneath him.

They keep coming after that. Daniel has no idea how long he lies there for, under the weight of Max, shaking through the shock of his orgasm as more and more slide in. It feels like he is still coming, endlessly, as each one tucks up beside the next inside him.

A clutch, he thinks a little hysterically, and then the reality of it makes him shudder. He’s being bred.

It’s the warm, softer pulse of Max’s come inside him that lets him know when it’s over.

As Max finally pulls out, Daniel can only lie there, panting against the floor. The corner of his eyes feel sticky-damp. He doesn’t want to move, but Max’s snout nudges his side until Daniel gives in and rolls over. Immediately, Max is nudging his legs back open.

“Maxy,” Daniel tries, “I don’t know if-“

But when Max’s tail slips inside, it’s a sweet relief like always, giving Daniel something solid to clench around. This time, there’s an added purpose of course. Something to keep inside, and the idea makes Daniel a little dizzy.

Max is already curling up on his side next to Daniel. He lifts his head, and looks at him. Daniel manages to raise an eyebrow, and Max has the nerve to look pleading, until Daniel gives in and presses some kisses against his snout. Satisfied, Max settles his head back down and pulls Daniel’s body against him a little tighter but- Gently. Careful not to jostle his belly.

When Daniel dares to look, it’s round. Like-

“You didn’t tell me dragons laid eggs, Maxy,” Daniel says, feeling the same edge of hysteria creep up his throat. Max doesn’t lift his head to make any more pitiful expressions at him though. Instead, his eyes are firmly fixed on the bulge of Daniel’s stomach, letting one of his wings come across to drape over it. Protective.

“You’re not off the hook, you know,” Daniel insists, but when Max begins to let out exaggerated snoring noises, he can only laugh. Some things come with the territory of being in love with a dragon.

[gretavanmoon]

an omnipresent force • ch 5

Chapter 5 - DARK ABDUCTION

Jake x female reader

Words: 12K

A/N: Semi-AU// Set six years in the future, the world has decided to cast humankind aside, starting with the poisonous entities that are destroying her the most.

*So sorry it took me a damned month to write this LOL I love you all

Warnings: Dystopian Horror, Cursing, Suspense, Feelings of Fear and Uncertainty, An Apocalyptic World, Violence (& mention of firearms), Mentions of Smoking, Kidnapping, Blood, Death & Dying, Lying, Attacks, Deceit, Panic, Mental Anguish. Smut: Kissing, Heavy Pining, Heavy Touching, Mentions of Sex

JAKE

“Wait, you two kissed?” Sam places his hand harshly on my shoulder as his tired eyes delve deeply into mine. I see the tiniest hint of a smirk poking at his mouth, and I immediately regret my decision to let the admission of what happened last night slip. I’m struck silent for a second as I bite my own tongue for telling my brother what happened on the wall by the koi pond, but he perseveres. “Answer me, asshole! Tell me what happened!” His hand shakes at my shoulder as I glance around to be sure we’re away from the rest of the group, but I feel Danny’s presence suddenly hovering at my back.

“Wait, what happened?” he says with a monotone grunt, sitting down beside Sam and I with a plate full of canned something. “Who kissed somebody?”

Jesus Christ.

We’d all awoken from the restlessness of sorry excuses for sleep nearly an hour ago, buried up under old, musty quilts and blankets from the home Odin had us hiding out in. I fell asleep with Y/N’s hand in mine as we laid head to head on the dusty cushions, trying our best to calm our minds enough to sleep. We knew we needed it, hell, even if we didn’t fall into unconsciousness, just resting our bodies enough to relax was helpful enough. My mind had raced all night long with half-asleep dreams of Josh… of my parents and my family, all my dark daily thoughts even darker then under the cover of nighttime and complete silence. 

But her warm hand in mine gave me some type of solace, though she is still yet unfamiliar and more or less a stranger to me, that kiss on the wall felt like more than just two humans begging for physical touch after so many months without it. Deep down I knew that my body was acting more powerfully than my mind, taking whatever it could get just to feel something again, but after sitting with the memory of the feeling of her lips on mine all night long, I started to think it felt like something different.

Luckily Y/N had taken off to the woods to do her business, giving me a second of reprieve to sort my thoughts out while Odin and the brothers made some type of breakfast over the fire in the backyard. Sparrow was still deep in sleep, resting peacefully in the bedroom across the hall from us. 

“Jake kissed Y/N!” Sam belts to Danny in a loud whisper, earning him a swift slap of the back of my hand across his stomach. “Ow, fuck! What, you didn’t want him to know or something?”

“No, I don’t care that he knows, it’s just… not a big deal–”

“Not a big deal? Jake, this is like the first episode of a soap opera, man!” Danny exclaims with a toothy smile. “Need some romantic drama in my life, tell us what happened,” Danny orders as the two of them sit beside me with expressions of extreme interest. For a split second, it feels like we’re 16 again, telling each other stories about girls and hookups and how we managed to sneak out after midnight without getting caught.

“No drama to it, Daniel,” I begin to reluctantly explain, running my hand over my mustache. “Just… kinda happened, I dunno.” I stare back at the both of them, all three of us haggard, dirty, unshaven and feral… looking outwardly worse for wear than we ever have in our lives. I make a mental note to re-think what Y/N even sees in me, right now.  

Their eyes are trained on me, their jaws hanging slack as they wait with bated breath for the dirty details. It feels private, but also…eh, they’re going to learn about it eventually, I guess. I’ll keep a little bit to myself, but feeding into them will make for some unexpected entertainment. 

“Just happened…” Sam repeats. “I mean was it, good?” he asks, swallowing down his excitement. You’d never guess that we’re thirty-something year old men having this discussion right now. 

I feel my chest bloom with the memory of it, remembering everything about how she felt pressed against me, how she tasted, how she sounded when I let my hands wander…

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was… really good,” I can feel my cheeks blushing. “We just…” I throw my hands into the air and try to down play it all, but they know me too well. The bite of my lips between my teeth is doing all it can to keep me from relinquishing every detail to them, simply so I can relive it, myself.

“Fuckin’ come on, Jake. I didn’t realize you guys were that close…” Danny tries to urge me.

“We’re not, I mean, we were locked up in the same pod, she was a damned fan, for fuck’s sake,” I breathe, checking our surroundings again as I whisper. “She saved me, back at the sink hole…” I recount to them. “Got me out of there. They’d just hit me over the head when I was trying to save her Paps, I was passing out. I wouldn’t have made it out if she didn’t–”

I watch them adjust themselves as they listen, huffing through deep breaths of imagining what my negative memory might be going through. 

“I mean of course I’m… ya know. It’s been some time since I’ve—,” I try and explain without saying, earning understanding nods from them. “But things got a little…handsy, I guess.”

“Oooo!” Sam squeals, rubbing his hands together.  “You lucky motherfucker! What else happened? Did you do it?”

“God, no, Sam, we didn’t do it, you fuckin’ idiot,” I bite back as Danny laughs loudly. 

“What?” he howls. “I’m trying to live vicariously here!”

“Nah man, she’s like… really nice. It was really uhm, not just physical, I guess. We talked and stuff. She feels like…” I raise my hands and squeeze the air as I realize I’m having a hard time explaining to them exactly what I feel. Of course my body is feigning for more human touch, any type of connection I can get my hands on. I’m ashamed of the thoughts that plagued me on the couch last night, but I remind myself that it’s normal. And, after hearing what she had to say about a little touchin’ and squeezin’...

“She feels good. I don’t know how else to explain it. Just, really good. All the way around.”

“So there’s mutual attraction?” Sam asks, nearly begging for more detail.

I fight back another smirk. “Oh yeah. M’sure of that.”

“I saw her looking at you last night,” Danny adds quietly as he pulls food into his mouth. “She got those googly eyes.”

“Of course she did, Daniel, do you not remember being on stage? It hasn’t been that fucking long ago…” Sam bickers.

“No,” Danny laughs, “not that kind of eyes. She was looking at you. Like, really looking. With concern and empathy…while we were listening to Sparrow talk.”

All I can do is nod, remembering that I’ve caught her looking at me like that, too. A few times now. And each time it sends a surge of some type of emotion that I don’t have time to think about right now straight through my body like an electric shock. It’s funny, I’ve had my fair share of what you’d call crushes in my lifetime, some evolving into serious, years-long relationships and some fizzling out before I even had a chance to think twice about them. 

But never have I felt like I didn’t want to eat the food in front of me when I’m nearly starving, simply for the fact that the emanating peace I’ve felt in my chest and stomach for the past few days takes up enough space that I don’t need sustenance. Because she fills me. She’s making my heart race for a reason that I don’t yet understand, and I’m teetering on the edge of feeling guilty about it, as my heart should be racing with worry and concern for my family, instead. 

“Well,” Sam breaks the silence, “I hope that things stay moving forward for you, brother. Nothing like a little romance during the fucking apocalypse.”

Just then I hear her giggle from the back side of the house, causing my head to dart that way as I long to hear it again. I toss the pebbles that I had mindlessly picked up back into the murky koi pond and stand with Sam and Daniel, and we begin to make our way back to the fire to see what the day will hold. 

I catch her eyes as soon as I round the corner of the house, bright and rested as I assume she got better sleep than I did. Her face immediately turns the prettiest shade of pink before she shyly breaks her gaze, tossing a few pieces of hair behind her ear. That familiar knot pulls at my stomach, making me forget how to breathe for a second as I watch the too-bright sun bounce off her features. The day is already beginning to feel strange as the wind begins to shift from the warmth of the night into the freezing cold of the day. 

“Where is Odin?” Danny asks the brothers as they work to prepare a makeshift meal. 

“Went to sit with Sparrow until she wakes up,” Robbie answers as he stirs whatever is in the pot that hangs above the fire. “Want some?” He holds the wooden spoon out to me as I realize it’s some kind of oatmeal, and I immediately feel my stomach churn with hunger. Maybe I do need real sustenance, after all. I nod, grabbing two bowls from the stack and letting Robbie fill them for Y/N and I. 

I pass the bowl off to her as we both take our seats on a rock by the fire. “Awfully kind of you to think of me, Jacob,” she says sweetly, taking the hot bowl from my hand. 

You’re the only thing that’s been on my mind since last night, if we’re being honest…

“Sharing is caring,” I blurt, making her giggle again. 

“Do we have a plan? Are we making moves soon?” Danny asks, turning the bleak cheeriness of the morning straight into business. We always leave it to him to keep things on track. And honestly, if it weren’t for him naturally doing that at every single turn, it’s hard to tell where we would be today.

“As soon as Sparrow wakes up, and we see that she’s ready to share again, we will define a more detailed plan,” Josiah explains. “For now, Odin wants you all fed and for us to gather necessary supplies from the house. I found some backpacks and camping gear in the upstairs closet, we can fill them with whatever we need.” 

I tilt the bowl up and let the soupy oatmeal fall into my mouth, and as it burns my lips and tongue I feel nothing but gratitude for it. My mouth waters and my stomach churns again as it thanks me, my mind suddenly feeling a bit of clarity as the food hits my stomach. 

“We also need to hydrate. All of us,” Robbie adds. “I think these people were preppers before we even knew the world was ending… I found a ton of canteens and potable water in the basement this morning. Firestarters, water filters, hot hands, oil lamps… take whatever you want but make sure it doesn’t weigh you down. There’s also still a ton of clothing in the closets. Grab whatever you can.”

“We also need to remember that we’re being hunted,” Josiah says grimly from behind him. His eyes seem dark in the sunlight, a stark contrast to his brother’s cheery disposition. “Hunted by the ones who Robbie and I ‘work’ for.”

“Worked,” Robbie corrects him, glaring behind him to meet eyes with his brother. My gut suddenly falls as a worrisome thought flows through my head, one that hopes to the heavens above that these men aren’t actually luring us somewhere. I know Y/N, Sam, and Danny have the same thought, but it’s quickly extinguished as Josiah explains his demeanor. 

“Right, worked. Sorry. I’m just…” Josiah works his hands over his face and licks his lips, letting out a large breath of air as he shakes his nerves away. It hadn’t dawned on me that these two men have put everything out on the line for this, for us. To help save us, keep us protected. They are just humans like we are, just a couple of guys who agreed to fight the good fight. Of course they’re feeling just as overwhelmed. 

“We haven’t forgotten that, Josiah. And I don’t think you know how much we appreciate you both for coming out here and helping defend our asses,” Sam says through full mouths of his oatmeal. The other three of us agree and nod.

“We’re not gonna let these motherfuckers win,” Robbie growls. “They mistreated us for far too long. Lied to us, and we played their games, but we caught them up. Now we know how they operate. We’ll be damned if we let them take anything more from us.”

“Your family, are we searching for them, too?” Y/N asks from beside me. 

Robbie and Josiah share a sullen glance before their eyes land back on her. “No, we lost them all to the rash. Dad was able to stay with us for a while, but. It got him in the end,” Robbie says, tossing a few pieces of broken sticks into the flames. 

“Neither one of us have even shown any symptoms. Then we got picked up by these scary fuckers, they agreed to give us shelter and a lavish life in safety from what has happened to the world. Not sure why we agreed, we felt desperate at the time, I guess,” Josiah adds. “They said they would make it worth our while to come and work for them, and before we knew it we were in too deep. But we did learn nearly everything there was to know about how their world intersects with ours, and then we learned about you guys being found. Made all the musical ties ourselves, realized all the lyrics, knew that you’d be in grave danger, and we were right.”

“I still can’t believe you two were fans, too,” Danny breathes. “Feels strange.”

“Yeah man, big time. Used to play you guys all the time while we were overseas, bugged the shit out of everyone until they all started singing along. Took some time, but we converted them,” Josiah went on. 

“Wait, overseas?” I implore. 

Robbie clears his throat. “Yeah, we were both in the military. I was Air Force, Joe was Marines. We were both stationed separately when Starcatcher came out, but I remember we got on some shitty Zoom call and talked about it for like an hour. We were hyped.”

“Oh yeah!” Josiah yelps. “That was killer, I remember that. Fuck I played that shit over and over, got the whole squad turned on to you guys. Playin’ fuckin Highway Tune on jukeboxes in random bars in Germany… ah, what wild times.”

I feel a genuine smile warm through me as I realize that our music really did tie bonds between people, and they found comfort in it even while they were living in what most likely was their own versions of hell. Even now, months after we realized that our dreams had come to a quick and forced ending, it feels good to hear the stories of days past, when it truly did mean something to someone. At least we all will always have that. “So that’s why they hired you guys… you had experience in this shit…”

They both nod. “Yeah, somewhat. We ended up coming back home around the same time, I got an MP job, and Joe stayed with Special Forces for a while. Got out and got some civilian jobs or whatever, then the world ended,” Robbie says with a twist of his neck. 

I gulp down the strange sadness that has washed over me, and I feel Y/N’s side press a little harder onto mine. 

“Bet that was tough…” I mutter. 

“Yeah, ya know. We didn’t hate our lives, but it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows. The thrill of the job is what we got addicted to, but it felt like a prison most days,” Josiah goes on. “Now we deserted our posts as work hounds for those motherfuckers, guess we’re a couple of renegades, now.”

Danny’s eyes shoot open as he glances to them, then to me, realizing yet another connection that hadn’t even dawned on any of us, yet. Son of a bitch, Josh…how in the fuck did you do this? 

I shake my head in disbelief, feeling Y/N exhale hard as she makes the connection, too. It’s quiet for a minute or so as a heaviness falls over us.  

“Till Valhalla?” I finally ask, unsure of how else to propose it. 

Josiah purses his lips, offering me a stern look. “Or is it Alas, Babylon?”

I huff through my nose, breathing a quiet “fuck” as I place my bowl down onto the rocky ground, running my hands over my face. They’ve realized it, too. As the minutes tick, things become more and more unreal. Or more real, depending on how you look at it. I’m awestruck at how our words are still coming to life at every turn, realizing now that these two brothers are our Barbarians. 

“Well, thank you, guys… for all of it. Really,” Sam says with a little conviction as we all add in our words of agreement.

“Ah, no need for that. But it’s appreciated,” Josiah says as he stands up and elbows his brother. “We’re just out here still doing what we do best, huh?”

Just as the conversation starts to lighten a little, we hear the back sliding glass door open as Odin gently bounds through, giving us looks of intrigue as his one orange eye glistens in the sun. Behind him in hand, is Sparrow. 

“Good morning, everyone. I trust you all got some rest,” his voice is low and graveled as he uses caution to lead a tired Sparrow outside into the cool wind. 

“Got enough, I suppose,” I say, standing to greet them. “How are you, Sparrow?”

Her aura seems to shift as she moves, the air around her almost glittering in a dusty haze. “Well, Jacob, thank you.” It’s like the breeze warms as she speaks, blowing across us with a new wave of positivity and calmness. She emotes some kind of invisible tranquility, almost immediately filling me with a new gumption to keep going, keep fighting. I can hardly fathom the emotion, but I feel a warm buzz of stamina begin pulsing through my veins. She makes me feel like I’m…alive. 

Odin leads her over to take a seat on a bench as she hobbles across the gravel with her hand clutched protectively over her sword. 

“Is she…limping?” I hear Y/N whisper quietly in my ear, again furthering that the visions of her in Josh’s dreams were spot on. 

I nod slowly as she begins to relax onto the seat, stretching her back and raising her arms high above her head. “My friends, my sincerest apologies for bestowing that news upon you with such haste last night, but I thought it prevalent to our situation, and urgency became paramount. And then, my slumber afterward is always overpowering, and again I am sorry. I simply can never fight through it…” 

I feel Y/N rise from her seat beside me as she wraps a blanket around herself, making her way over to sit beside Sparrow. “It’s alright, you don’t need to be sorry. I think we are all grateful that you’re here, and willing to help us, right guys?”

“Right, absolutely,” we all viciously agree. At this point, I’m chomping at the bit for her to continue, to feed us more information that I know she is holding inside her. But I’ve learned that patience is key. 

We all gather in around her like children being read a Christmas story, anxiously waiting to hear what new news she has to offer. I’m nervous, and I’m a little scared to know, but I also can’t bring myself to think about anything else at the moment. The newfound urge to keep going is amplified the closer I get to Sparrow, but I also could absolutely collapse with worry for my brother. 

“Alright, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news…”

Y/N

I feel the overwhelming urge to reach out and grab Sparrow’s hand, but I resist, not knowing whether or not that will comfort her at all. I’m not sure where my want to comfort her has come from, but I can’t seem to step away from it. 

The guys and I sit and wait for her news, and I’m positive none of us have taken a breath since the last word left her lips. My nerves are swirling but I suppress them, knowing that Jake, Sam, and Danny are a thousand times more anxious than I am. Paps would want me to stay strong.

“The good news is that your brother is alive. And he is safe, in some sense of the word,” she sings, her accent flowing through a hundred millenia, but all of us are somehow able to understand it. “My friends, as I’m sure you all have probably assumed by now, Joshua has been found and captured by those who rule the Tower. His mind is still his own, but you must understand, once one crosses into the other world and begins inserting oneself with the beliefs of those who inhabit there, it takes a great deal of power to begin to reverse it. The words that flowed from me last night were indeed words spoken by your brother, himself, to the people there whom he will one day rule over.”

“Wait, rule over? What does that mean?” I interrupt, my body tensing. 

“Jacob, your brother is a Seer. Even in his adolescent dreams and nightmares, he was witnessing and experiencing a plethora of occurrences that were happening in real time, in the past and in the future, in our world. You know this, now. You wrote about it, about it all. Once our people learned that Joshua possessed this gift through learning of your music, they made it their mission to try and take him for their own. To rule over them as the true one that they could believe in, the one who stands, and watches over,” Sparrow says. My chest caves and my breath hitches as it all begins to come to life again. All of our lyrics, all of our stories…

She goes on, “Of course they wanted him, they just had no idea that a mere human would be the one to possess the power to see time. Time and events being prophesied by a human man in an enemy world is… unfathomable, for them. The end of your world just happened to be the perfect time for them to act upon their plans, as our worlds cannot live while the other is struggling to stay alive. Two sides of the same coin, spinning rapidly on its axis until it begins to slow and falter. But this time, oh, this time, things are different.”

“So they wanted Josh… to be their Seer, to be the one who can warn them of what’s to come, what will work in their favor, and what will not…” Sam drones, choking back tears. 

“Correct, Samuel. Odin, have you told them of what they are doing to their elderly? With their memories?” Sparrow asks. 

Odin shakes his head. “Yes, I have.”

“Your immune elders are being used for their experiments. They are trying to wipe their memories, wipe anything and everything they have ever known to soon bring them over into their own world, and convert them to follow the Seer. A whole new population that will know nothing but following him.���

“Blind faith…” Danny murmurs from beside me, his elbow pressing into my back. “It’s their fate.”

“That’s right Daniel,” Sparrow agrees, emanating another glow of positivity around us. “Blind in the sense that they will have no recollection of how they got there, or why they feel compelled to follow this omniscient. It’s the perfect storm.”

“You said that the hooded guards are all omniscient, why can’t they use one of them? Why does it have to be Josh?” I press, remembering what Odin had said. 

“I said they are all nearly omniscient. Your brother, in their eyes, is completely so,” Odin reiterates. 

I huff out an air of disappointment for news that I partially already knew, but hearing it all said out loud has crushed me. Why? Why?

“Josh didn’t know what we were writing about was real, though! They can’t take him and claim his mind like that, they can’t take away his free will!” I yell, feeling my heartrate taking off. 

“They can, Jacob, and they have already begun the process. You heard his words last night, and I know you know they were not his own. They’ve begun to manipulate his thoughts into believing that all he claims is truth, which partially, it is. They are deeming him as a new leader, a sovereign entity of whom will lead the people to their destiny.”

“Destiny? What destiny?” Danny asks.

“If their trials are successful, and they are able to completely wipe the memories of every immune human left on earth, they will take them all as their own and the Earth will have no choice but to relinquish all its power unto them,” Sparrow barks, and I can tell that the words sting a bit as they leave her mouth. 

“But I thought our worlds can’t exist without one another,” Y/N blurts, her hand now gripping hard onto mine. 

“They can’t, my love, without inhabitants who are strong and thriving.” Sparrow stands and approaches us, her warmth bellowing toward us as she raises her hand to brush across all of our faces. “That’s why they are hunting you. You are worth everything to them. If they can erase the memories of your elders, then they will be sure they can erase the memories of the stronger, younger immunes. Wipe your Mother Earth of her inhabitants, and watch as she completely crumbles. Once they convert you all, then their world will have more than enough power to exist on it’s own, without needing the support of Earth to survive.”

She comes in closer, her aura dripping with what feels like forced happiness. “You see, they want to fully extinguish the human race from the face of the Earth. They want you as their own. Their plan is to take you all, and Joshua is their sole key to the abductions.”

Abductions. 

Suddenly, I can’t breathe. 

I can’t blink, I can’t swallow… I can’t even feel the rocks that I know are poking through the thinning soles of my boots. 

Jake’s hand slips from my own as I feel him slowly turn to me, and to Sam and Danny, all of their faces void of any real emotion at all, other than complete terror. 

“This isn’t fair…” I whisper, and I’m not sure any sound came from me, at all. It feels like my chest is made of stone, the small breaths I’m pulling in unable to expand my lungs. Josh…

“What do we do?” Jake asks us, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as his pupils shrink to pinpoints. His face has dropped to a stark white, and I can feel the terrified energy radiating from him. His eyes dart from his brothers to me, looking to all of us for answers that we simply don’t have. “What do we do?” Tears begin welling in his eyes and the rims of them turn a bright red. I can see his hands visibly shaking.

“We search. Today. We leave, now,” Odin harks, standing from Sparrow’s side as he throws his bow and arrow over his shoulder. “Into the house, pack your bags, take only all that is necessary and nothing more. Pack water, warm clothing. Josiah, Robbie, the same for you. Make sure you lock all of the doors and windows, we will return to this place eventually.”

“Where are we going? What’s the plan?” Danny asks as everyone begins to shuffle. 

“First we find your families. Get them to safety. Then we find your brother and cross him back over. That will be the hard part,” he says, punching through all of us to go and begin packing his horse. Danny, Sam, and the others jump into action and begin rushing into the house to pack their things.

I notice that Jake is frozen where he stands, the news that Sparrow has just shared still coursing through him. I fear he is in shock, feeling the effects of learning the truth about his twin fully and completely. Truly, I’m not sure what to even say to him right now, but then I look to Sparrow and she gives me a tight grin, and I immediately feel another wave of comfort and courage wash over us. 

“Jake, I know you’re scared right now, and I know this is a lot to process, but. We’re going to find him, he’s going to be okay,” I reason, taking his cheeks into my hands to try to get him to look at me. 

“How do you know that, Y/N? What if we can’t get to him, and he’s already too far gone? What if he– what if he never comes back?” I never thought I would see him cry, I never thought I would have to be the one comforting him when he did… But here I find myself…

“You wanna know how I know that, Jake? Blind faith.”

“What–what do you mean? That’s…”

My hands release his cheeks and fall to catch his still trembling hands, cold and clammy in the blowing air. “How do we ever know anything is going to work for certain, Jake? We don’t, we just have to persevere. Josh wouldn’t stop looking for you, and he’d never give up on you. None of you would give up on each other. Right? All these years, all you’ve done is trusted each other, because it’s all that you had. You seized every opportunity, together. And look where it got you. You can’t stop now. You can’t think thoughts like that now, Jake. We don’t have time for them. Every single one of you is stronger than you know, and I’ll be damned if I sit here and watch you crumble because of a little fear. You’ve overcome so much, Jake, in your lives and in your careers, because of your blind faith.”

“Kill fear,” he whispers. 

I watch as his pupils grow a bit, and his muscles relax. I wipe the tears that are beginning to freeze onto his face, catching in his lengthening beard and mustache. “Yeah, fuck fear,” I smile.

He nods, turning his head to press a sweet kiss onto my palm. “Okay, yeah. You’re right. We’re gonna find him, he’s gonna be alright, the son of a bitch.” I smile as he picks himself up, gripping my hands that are still cupping his cheeks and placing more kisses onto my palms and fingers. “Thank you…”

I push myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he finally takes his first full breath in a few minutes. “Don’t thank me, Jake. You don’t know how many times you and your brothers have comforted me when I thought there was nothing else left for me in this world. You and your music were always there.” 

I hear him laugh, his chest shaking a little against mine as I realized the words I’d just said. “I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out,” I laugh along with him as he pulls away a little, holding my elbows in his hands. 

“Hell, maybe he dreamed about you and me too, then,” he mutters, sending my heart straight into glittering explosions. What did I do to deserve spending this time with him? The person that pulled me from the depths so many times… and now we’ve found ourselves here…

“Maybe he did…” I reply shyly, feeling his thumbs grazing across my arms. 

“Hey, love birds! Come on, we’ve got bags to pack!” We hear Sam yelling from the upstairs balcony of the house, and if it weren’t for the immediate action we jumped into, I would have had time to process the fact that Sam just used the word love.

JAKE

Only all that is necessary…

You always think about what you would grab and take with you if your house was burning down, but when it actually came down to it, you always knew you’d be able to gather resources again. Meals from a neighbor, supplies from the store, fuel from a gas station… 

But when it comes down, truly, to only what is necessary… I think I’ve drawn a blank. 

The empty backpack sits open in my hands as I kneel in the closet of the stranger’s house, my eyes scanning over the clothing that once kept this person warm. Sweaters that his wife had gifted him, socks with holes he had worn in, boots still covered in mud and debris from the hike he didn’t know was going to be his last... 

I swallow hard as my eyes scan even further into the bottom of the closet, shelves full of old memorabilia, high-school basketball trophies, photo albums, old vinyl records… these were part of someone’s life. And I am taking it, because I need to survive. 

“I can’t do this…” I mutter, shaking my head of the sudden overwhelming feeling of impeding into someone’s personal space, though their earthly body is long gone from this home. 

“You have to,” I hear from the doorway, looking up to see Robbie looking back at me. “Promise you, this guy wouldn’t care.”

I huff through my nose. “How would you know, did you know him?”

“No, but I feel like if he knew that it’s the actual end of the earth, the seasons are blending, your family was kidnapped by inhabitants of another world, and you’re running around with mythical creatures while you’re being hunted and used for your mind, I’m pretty positive he wouldn’t care if you stole a pair of socks or two,” Robbie says sarcastically as he gnaws on a long piece of red candy. “Twizzler?”

I laugh again, opening the drawer that houses the underwear and socks. “Yeah, actually, thanks. They aren’t stale?”

“Fuck yeah, they are. But it don’t bother me. Just keeps my hands and mouth busy, ya know?”

I stuff two pairs of woolen socks into a zippered part of the bag before removing my boots and slipping a fresh pair on. “You used to smoke, didn’t you?” I ask. 

“How’d you know?”

“Just a guess,” I reply, reaching far back into the closet to grab a pair of the man’s old hiking boots, happy with finding we were almost the exact same size. “I would have gotten you a pack or five if I’d have known… Right before you found us, we were in an old convenience store chock full of them. That’s where Y/N and I found Sam and Danny.”

Robbie grunts a laugh as he pulls another rogue Twizzler from his pocket, handing it off to me. “Sounds like we might have to make a pitstop.” 

It does sound intriguing… A cigarette would be fucking glorious, right about now. “Might could make that happen…”

“So Y/N… you didn’t know her before?” he asks, piquing my interest.

I shake my head. “No, just in the pods. She used to listen to us a lot, like you and Josiah did, so I guess she knew me, kinda… Why?”

I see him shrug from the corner of my eye. “Just wonderin’. Ya’ll seem pretty close.”

I shrug back, pulling a hoodie off a metal hanger. “Guess you could say that.” I pop the Twizzler into my mouth and bite off the end, zipping the overfull bag closed and tossing it over my shoulder. “Kinda feel like she’s mine to protect.”

He tosses me the last candy in his pocket as I stand and face him, watching his jaw work as he chews. “Raid the bathroom, too,” he suggests. “Soap would be nice.”

—-

“Got everything you need?” I ask Y/N as everyone gathers out back again. We’re all in a slow-motion hurry, now, as the morning is slowly drifting into noon. 

“Uh, yeah, think so,” she says, zipping the oversized pullover she’d found up around her chin, and pulling a toboggan down over her ears. “It’s so hard to think about it being so hot at night, and there’s ice blowing through the air, now…”

“I know, everything is so backwards,” I agree, leaning down to re-tie my boots. 

As I stand back up, she pulls me to the side, causing me to stumble a little bit into her. “Come here…” she whispers, her hand gripped hard in my jacket. 

“Yeah, whoa, yeah?” I laugh as she catches my fall and takes me in her embrace. 

“I found something else, while I was searching the house,” she whispers, her eyes trained on my face. 

“Oh?” I ask. “What’d you find?”

She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a brand new razor and a tiny bottle of travel shaving cream. My face falls and I feel my lips flatten into a sarcastic look. “What, you got a problem with this more rugged side of me, or somethin’?” I rake my fingernails through my beard, scratching hard at it. 

She glances around and sees that everyone else is taken up by their own tasks before she wraps her hands in my jacket, pulling me forward into her and around the corner of the house. We stumble back underneath the second-floor porch, hiding in the shadows and away from the wind a bit. She grips me again, pulling me into her as she speaks. 

“No. I love it. Really suits you,” she murmurs, her eyes traveling quickly from my eyes to my mouth. I watch as her breath turns to steam as she exhales, heavy and hot even in the blistering cold. It’s strange to say, but I almost feel like she beckons me without even saying a word. 

And fuck, she is so…

“Know what else I love about it? You feel more mature to me like this, I’ve always been one to prefer facial hair.”

“So I’m guessing you hated it when I used to shave my mustache off for shows, then?” I implore with a teasing tone, leaning in and letting my nose drift over hers playfully. “I couldn’t even grow a beard until I turned 31…”

“Yeah, used to get real fuckin’ mad about it,” she smiles, lurching her hips into mine. “We all used to place bets on if you’d show up with or without one. I lost most of the time, because you always shaved the damned thing off. But I guess it’s also cool that I’m the only one who’s ever seen you like this…”

I growl a laugh, gritting my teeth and feeling the need to be near her again. I feel flushed, even in the cold blowing air, but being near her makes me forget about every bad thing that’s surrounding us. I let my cold hands snake up under her coat, searching like hell to find her bare skin. Finally I find her stomach, attaching my cold palms to it and her hips. “Yeah, actually, I guess you’re right. Just you…”

“Fuck…” she breathes, her body shivering from my touch. “Just me?”

“Just you…” I repeat, taking her bottom lip between my teeth. God, she makes me want to lay her the fuck down, right here in this freezing cold grass. My mind begins spinning with want again as I feel her body weight pressing itself into me, my hands beginning to freely do what they please underneath her layers of shirts, just as they had last night. “What’s the razor for, then? If you like it so well?” 

Her hand comes up and grips the base of my neck, squeezing hard as I allow my hands to finally grip at her tits. She lets out a pitiful sound as her head falls back a little, spurring me on to keep exploring. I can feel her nipples hardening in my fingers, and I’m fighting with everything in me to stop myself from getting too excited, but the more her chest heaves, the harder it gets to concentrate. Her lips are ghosting across mine, and I feel her warm breath landing on my tongue. I need to taste her again.

“Just giving you the option to shave, if you wanted to,” she breathes, her eyes fluttering open and closed. “If not, you can pass it off to Danny.”

Her hand comes around and grips at my jaw, forcing me to thrust my hips into her again. I feel warm all over, almost as if the wind isn’t cutting us in two. There’s no way she can’t tell I’m impossibly hard now, and if the circumstances were different…

“If you like it, I love it,” I breathe into her as our bodies begin lurching and craning onto each other, my hands still massaging at her breasts. God, what I’d give to see her…

“Kiss me, Jake,” she mumbles into my mouth, our lips already almost touching, anyway. My mouth finally overtakes hers, my tongue unable to fight any longer as it begins exploring without any warning. She reacts the same way, pressing her chest more harshly into my hands, practically begging me to feel her even more. We stay this way for a minute or so, just like we did by the koi pond, our bodies pressing and moving as I forcefully back her up against the cold block wall of the house. 

She pushes me away a little, but catches her fingertips in the waistband of my pants, giving her a split second’s access to slip her hand inside. God fucking damnit. 

I take it as it comes as I feel her frozen hand work its way into my boxers, wasting no time in taking me fully in her hand. “Jesus Christ, baby…” I all but moan as I feel my head tilt back on its own. I reach for the wall behind her to steady myself as she squeezes me, her palm soft and gentle but using a little bit of force to show me what she wants. I come in close again, kissing her like my life fully depends on it. “Mmhmm…” I moan against her, my lips vibrating onto hers. 

“Call me baby again,” she whispers when we disconnect for a second to breathe. 

“Baby, baby, baby…” I say quietly, rolling my hips into her hand. “I’ll call you anything you fuckin’ want…”

She whimpers quietly into my mouth again as she pulls at my hair, knotted and ratty at the base of my neck. I’m reminded again of the thought of what she actually sees in me right now, dirty and gritted and unclean, but then again, she probably thinks of herself all the same. Her hair is tangled, her features are tired and a little sunburnt, yet I see her as the most beautiful thing I’ve encountered in ages. All of the things that society deemed as making a person desirable have flown out the window. Because truly, none of it fucking matters. 

Her hand grips around me again as my fingernails dig into the cinderblock, pulsing and throbbing as she takes her time with her show of intimacy. The essence of her is satiating all my senses… her taste, her scent, her touch… 

Then it hits me- this is the rawest I’ve ever felt in my life. 

Attraction comes in all shapes and sizes, and when you stumble upon it, it can either knock you down or confuse you even further. I’ve always been positive in what I want; I know exactly what attracts me and keeps my attention. And I’ve prided myself on that. Coming of age also determines and filters out what you do and do not want in life, and in a lover. And I know that my vision is blurred right now with this overwhelming need to fornicate, but shit, if she isn’t turning all of my past ideals about myself and what I want on their fucking tops. 

She’s different… she’s headstrong and brave, smarter than I could ever even think about being. She’s bold, and she’s unashamed. She acts as though she comes from a time that she didn’t have any business being in. She’s fucking beautiful, taking my breath away with every stolen glance. Yet she’s reserved in all the ways that I am… thinking before she speaks, studying people before she trusts them. I can tell all of this about her, and I’ve committed it all to memory, and I’ve only known her for less than a few weeks. 

Raw, unbridled and desperate, the wind biting at our cheeks as the wetness of our kiss coats our lips and faces, her hand gripping over me still, without any shyness about her aura, at all. Her preference of privacy stunning me as she shows me that she wants me just as badly as I want her. Not because of who she knew me as for the majority of our lives, but who she sees me as right now, untamed and ravenous for one another. And I am fucking enamored.

My hand leaves her breast and travels to grip her ass, covered in layers of pants and coveralls, but I don’t care. I hike her leg up across my hip, letting our bodies become closer as the cold wind whips through the bright green trees. I glance around every few seconds so that I’m positive we’re still alone, though at this point my mind is so fogged with desire that I truly couldn’t care less if we were caught. Her body is warm and inviting, and I let my fingers grip into the muscle between her ass and thigh, squeezing and kneading the skin there as her body rolls into mine again. 

“Would it be too forward of me to say that I fucking want you?” I blurt out with a forced whisper, my mouth overtaking my mind for just a second.

She laughs a little as we separate, her pupils blown as she shakes her head quickly from side to side. “No. It wouldn’t be too forward at all,” she says, squeezing me harder than she has, yet. “I’m the one with my hand on your cock, stupid.”

Fuck fuck fuck. Shit, get it together. My body shudders as I let out a quiet grunt of aggravation, completely blown with desire as my fist pounds into the wall that’s holding us up.

I swear if we weren’t fucking leaving in two goddamned minutes…

“I swear to god, baby, I do…” I growl again, making her grip on me move at a quicker pace. 

Just then we’re surprised by loud conversation near the fire pit, a rustle of everyone gathering up again breaking us from our intertwinement. She removes her hand from my pants and I adjust myself, rolling my eyes at our interruption as my teeth grit with annoyance. We both look at one another with the tiniest bit of shame on our faces, pink and wet with the after-effects of the session. I nod to the side as I silently tell her we’d better go. 

“Wait, Jake,” she whispers, pulling me back by the hand a little. “That’s not what I really wanted to give you.” Her closed fist stuffs into my jacket pocket and drops something inside it, and I watch her coyly turn and walk away with the sweetest smirk on her lips. 

Puzzled, I reach into the pocket and feel the familiar feeling of a small plastic package in my hand. A condom. I can’t help the cheesy smile that crosses my face even if I wanted to. I pull it out to inspect it, looking first and foremost for an expiration date. 

I glance back at her, purely entertained by her bold action. “2034,” she answers the question I didn’t even have to ask. “Actually found a whole box. We’ve got all kinds of time.” She shoots me a wink as she tops back into the gravel pit, going to join the others without me so as not to raise too much suspicion. 

Truly, if she thinks we’re waiting that long, she can go ahead and keep lying to herself. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, and it’s only worsening as the hours tick. For a mere five minutes, my carnal needs completely overshadowed the fact that we’re about to go on a mission that could cost us our lives, and the fact that my brother is currently being fucking brainwashed by entities that belong to another realm completely. I punish myself, but only for a second, as I know for a fact he would go on some big tirade about how humans need sex to thrive and survive in life. He wouldn’t fault me for it at all. In fact, he’d probably celebrate it with me. 

—

“Everyone gather, here is what we’re going to do,” Odin presents himself with a commanding tone, looking each of us in the eye as he speaks. We all take our places near the extinguished fire pit, backpacks and supplies in hand as we all listen intently. I try my best to calm my nerves and take in every detail of his directions, knowing that things could change at the drop of a hat. 

“Josiah and Robbie have reason to believe that your families have been taken to another set of pods just south of here, where no sinkholes have been reported as of yet. These pods are a bit smaller, locked down just as the ones you were in, but if they are going to be anywhere nearby, we assume that it is there,” he explains. “We will travel as a unit, sleep in shifts, and take cover as much as possible under the hindrance of the treelines. The brothers will scout, but we’ve decided it best to arm you, as well.”

Shit. I’ve fired a gun maybe twice, three times in my life? But when it comes to life or death…

The brothers bring us firearms that they’d found inside the home, passing them off to Danny and I. I throw it across my back and hope to the heavens above that muscle memory would kick in, had I need to actually use it. 

“I don’t believe that you will actually need these, as I will be with you always and our most dangerous threat are the hooded guards, of whom I can put to sleep with an arrow,” Odin goes on. “And I’m sorry, we can’t risk the sound of gunshot giving away our location. The smoke from this fire was already too much.”

We all bid a silent goodbye to the house that gave us the shelter we needed, and took off on foot from the coverage of the yard and nearby woodline, watching and waiting for the next threat to come our way.

Y/N

Was I too forward? Did I say too much? Did I move too fast… was the condom overkill?

A million and a half questions are rolling through my mind as we all traverse the heavy trails, making our way south to the other set of pods. We know it will be about a day’s travel, but luckily, with the guidance of Odin and the newfound spirit Sparrow had instilled in each of us, we know the journey will be fruitful. Treacherous, and probably a bit dramatic, but fruitful. Now that we have a better idea of where our families are, and likely Paps, I have a bit more pep in my step to get to him. And to Josh. 

Of course it wasn’t overkill, he reacted exactly how I expected him to. He even said he wanted me. Hello? Me?? I don’t even know what is happening between Jake and I, it’s difficult to even fathom. Just months ago he was an image on my phone screen or a video on my stupid tikok feed, but now. Now… 

I find myself wanting to text my friends again. Say, ‘You are never going to fucking believe this. Like, you’re really not…’, and they really wouldn’t. It’d be too good to be true. It’d take convincing, it’d take proof, it’d take receipts. I can hear them all squealing through voice memos, sending long strings of mismatched letters that don’t form words, immediate facetimes so they could watch me explain myself to their faces. Listen to every detail that we had all envisioned at one point or another in our lives.

But it’d never happen. I don’t even know if they’re all alive. 

“Watcha thinkin’ about?” I hear Sam’s voice suddenly startle me from watching my feet walk across the ground. 

“Oh, ah, nothing. Just…my friends,” I say to him, giving him a sullen smile as I pull my jacket closer around me. “I was thinking about what they’d say if I could tell them that I ended up meeting up with you guys. If they’d believe me.”

“Hm,” he laughs. “You think they would?”

“It’d take some convincing, but, I think they’d know I wouldn’t make something like that up,” I grin, pulling a few pieces of tree limbs away from my path. 

“Crazy that we all ended up here,” he says. “Crazy how we all found each other.”

“I know,” I breathe, glancing to Jake ten or so steps ahead of me. “I never even thought I’d even get to have a conversation with any of you, let alone–”

“Sneak off with one under a porch?” he cuts me off. 

I– oh fuck.

“Sam, what– what are you talking about,” I stutter, my face falling into a deep dark shade of red. Oh my god, if he saw us…

He lets out his classic guttural ha-ha laugh as a particularly harsh wind rips through us. His loud laugh causes Jake and Danny to whip around and look at us, and I shoot them and Sam a deathly glare. But I know that Jake probably notices the worry on my face. 

“I’m not gonna rat you out, don’t worry,” he goes on. “I didn’t see anything… just… watched you sneak off. That’s all. The rest wasn’t my business.”

“The rest?” I squeak, trying to stay quiet. “Sam!”

He’s gritting his teeth together in a huge, shit-eating smile, hissing annoying little laughs as he pulls sticks free from our way. I feel like I could trip him and watch him eat dirt right now, the little twit. Jake keeps turning around and glancing at us; he knows his brother is digging himself a cute little hole to jump into if he isn’t careful. 

“What the fuck do you think happened?” I press, kind of wanting to hear what he has to say. 

“Hey, I said it’s none of my business,” he goes on, puffing his cheeks up with air as he avoids laughing again. “My brother’s love life isn’t any concern of mine.” 

Will you please quit using that word, Samuel…

“God, can you just, not? Please?” I bark in a quiet tone, completely enjoying this back and forth with him. “I already feel weird enough…”

“Why?” he asks way too quickly. 

“Because,” I bite. I toss my hands up, trying to get him to understand. “I was, ya know… A fan, and stuff, and now it’s like..” 

“Oh whatever,” he interrupts me. “Hey Y/N, the goddamn world is ending and all our loved ones got killed by a flesh-eating rash. Yours did, ours did. There’s no such thing as levels of hierarchy anymore, if that’s the way you’re looking at it. We’re just fucking humans, ya know? We’re all just out here trying to survive this shit. Please don’t think like that…” he says a little confrontationally. “We could run into freaking Taylor Swift right now, and she’d still be trudging along in this damned frozen jungle just as we are.” 

I giggle at his comparison, as corny as it is, feeling just a little more at ease. “You’re right, you’re right. Just. Strange, I guess.”

He shrugs. “It is strange, Y/N. Nothing about anything that has happened in the past year is anything close to normal. But… maybe you were meant to run into him in the pods. Maybe it was meant to be this way, who knows?”

I nod, glancing again up to Odin and Sparrow on the horse to make sure they haven’t noticed any threats. 

“You guys are cute together, too,” he adds. 

I roll my eyes. “Ugh, Sam, don’t make me gag. I will shove you down onto this thorn bush.”

“I’m serious,” he laughs. “I don’t mean to poke fun at you. I’m just saying, maybe this is a really, really good thing, Y/N. He seems… I dunno. Excited. Even while worrying about Josh. It’s like you come around and he’s instantly relaxed. I think you have more of an effect on him than you realize.”

“HOLD!” Odin suddenly says from the front of the group, holding his fist high in the air as everyone freezes where we stand. My heart begins pattering as he slowly hops down from his horse, leading Sparrow to do the same. I watch as he pulls his bow from his back and loads it, Sparrow doing the same as she pulls her sword from it’s sheath at her side. 

“Fuck, what’s happening, what’s going on?” I whisper to Sam as he instantly grabs onto my shoulder, quietly leading us nearer to the front with Danny and Jake. 

The brothers bring up the rear and have their weapons drawn and ready. I don’t hear anything, and I don’t see anything, but I do feel Jake’s hand land forcefully on my hip as we gather in a protective circle. 

“Do not fire your weapon unless we say so, got it?” Robbie says to Jake and Danny as he passes, and I feel my heart drop. They both nod in understanding. The brothers exchange a few hand signals as they quickly dash off the trail beside us, keeping eyes with Odin as they scout around. 

“What did they hear?” Jake asks us, and we all shrug as our eyes stay trained on our surroundings. The wind has settled a bit, but the sun is bright and hot as it shines through the leaves of the trees. There’s bits of ice on the tall grasses beside us, and I feel myself become disoriented with the way the weather is working, again. 

I feel my heart pounding in my ears as my eyes scatter around the thick woods, Jake’s hand clutching mine protectively, now. I hear cracks in the trees, I hear steps that don’t sound like steps. High up, and down low. Sparrow backs up toward us, her dusty light following her as the wind floats her long hair into the air. 

A fast glance from Odin tells her something I cannot read, and he quickly hops back onto his horse, kicking his leg into its side as it takes off just off the pathway. They’ve disappeared and we’re still left clueless, the brothers back from their scout and closed in, just as confused as we are. 

“What was that?” I ask Sparrow quietly, my hot breath floating like smoke across the air. 

“More guards, they aren’t very close, but we can sense when they’re near,” she replies. “Their tactics to find us are becoming more clever, as they are now being told that you’re missing from the pods. And that Josiah and Robbie have turned on them.”

“They can come and fuckin’ get us, if they want us,” Robbie snarls as he readjusts his weapon. “Pardon my language, Ma’am.” 

I watch Sparrow smirk, giving him a look that says she is the last one he should worry about offending. 

“Come, let’s continue on,” she says as she draws her sword and keeps it protectively at her side as we keep going. “Odin will alert me if anything is close.”

It feels like my feet don’t want to move without me actively telling them to, now. The fear that’s beginning to settle in my bones has grown tenfold after that scare, and without me being able to see Odin. He has become a wall of peace and protection for us in the past few days, and it feels strange not having him in my line of sight. 

But still yet, Jake’s hand clutches mine, and to me, that feels more safe than anything else in our crumbling world. 

We walk along for another silent twenty minutes or so, clumped together and anxious along what used to be an old worn-in path used by hikers and bikers, now very much overgrown and succumbing to the wild again. Thorns catch on my clothing, and rocks and dirt scatter as I step, but we keep along, our eyes watchful and patrolling as we head south. I wish to god Odin would reappear. 

As we walk in the quiet, my mind drifts to Paps and what he might be doing right now, what they might be doing to him. Watching him be ripped away from me might be one of the most aggravating and terrifying things I’ve ever had to witness, and even though I know he is the strongest man I know, deep down I know that he hides his fears. 

If they really have taken him as a pawn for their testing, will he still have his memory? Will he remember me at all?

I feel a shudder as the frigid air envelops me and bites at the tip of my nose, making me feel like I’m frozen to the core. This cold feels different, especially with the sun shining so brightly. It doesn’t feel like it used to, it almost seems as though the debilitating feeling of fear is sewn into it, nefariously making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body doesn’t shake with the chill anymore, but it shakes with the unending fear of not knowing what the next second of my life will hold. What the earth will be doing. If we will be alive tomorrow or not. And the most terrifying thought of it all, is that there is nothing we can do to change it.

The wicked shiver chills me down to my soul…only time will tell.

I miss Paps so badly, and I want nothing more than to get to him. The possibility of their family being in the same pod as Paps is likely, which makes me feel a little bit better, but what are we going to do when we get there? Ambush the place? Sneak in a back door while we try not to get caught?

Surely Odin and Sparrow have thought it through, and I’m sure that the brothers have some sort of plan as to how to infiltrate the building. Or maybe, we’re just flying along with no plan at all. Because truly, none of us know the reality of what we're walking into.

Sam and Danny trail behind me, steadfast and courageous, truly grown into the men that I always envisioned they might have. I know they are just as worried as Jake is of what state of mind we will find Josh in, but I think they are holding it together for him. They don’t want to speak- yet- and bring such a horrific reality to life. If Josh is too far gone, and his mind is not his own anymore, will we have to leave him behind for the safety of ourselves?

I can’t even fathom that thought, right now. There is no way that will be our new reality. Starting a new life without Josh is just…

The sun has begun to slip behind the trees, and I know that the heat will return soon and we will all be sweating in the night air instead of freezing. I’m ready to feel a little relief from this new shiver that’s taken up shop in the deepest tissues of my body. In the back of my mind, I hope that Sparrow’s ability to make us all feel more at ease doesn’t take away from her energy source; she doesn’t know how badly we all need her.

Just as my mind feels as though it’s completely shoved full of too many unanswered thoughts, heavy cloud coverage moves in over the sun and begins casting strange shadows across the thick woods around us, and suddenly, my wicked shiver turns from a physical feeling into a subconscious gut suspicion of uneasiness. 

The wind hasn’t blown in minutes, now. 

I slow my steps, glancing around through the trees as darkness begins to shower us, faster and faster. Odin isn’t back yet, and the air feels as if it is standing still and creeping in around us. Something isn’t right. 

Suddenly I get the urge to pause and listen, stopping myself in my tracks as Sam bumps into me from behind. “Whoa, what’s–”

“Shh,” I hold my hand up to him, watching as Jake has noticed I’ve stopped, too. 

“You’re right, child, something feels wrong,” Sparrow says quietly from in front of Jake. Her hand grips her sword more tightly as she cranes her neck all over, looking up and around and through the woods. My chest tightens as I feel as though I’m preparing myself for something, something that has intention to hurt me. Hurt all of us. The feeling that I had when Paps and I had driven the truck into town and were stopped by those creatures has come back full force. Like a dark black cloud is hanging over me, and there is no way I am ever going to wash the feeling of dread from my psyche. 

Within seconds, the sunlight is almost completely gone. Jake’s hand takes mine again as we all press together in a terrified huddle, the brothers at the edges with their weapons drawn. “What is this? What’s happening?” Jake relents. I feel myself beginning to panic, my head darting side to side erratically as I begin to hear unfamiliar sounds coming from the forest. Not birds, not animals… there is no wind to rustle the trees, and there is no way of seeing what is now surely closing in on us. But I can feel it.

“Stay close, everyone, it seems as though we’re surrounded…” Sparrow says a little more loudly now. Her voice is panicked for the first time since we’ve met her. “Odin, Odin, where are you?” she says to herself, drawing her weapon higher. 

It’s dark, now. Pitch black. The world feels more hollow than it ever has. My skin feels like it could fall from my body as my depraved mindset becomes more and more dreadful. I know that whatever is surrounding us in the shadows is draining every ounce of happiness from my body, and try as I might, I can’t form one positive or uplifting thought. 

“Don’t let it consume you, my loves, don’t let it…” I hear Sparrow's voice as a loud hum begins to eat away at my ear drums, deafening me to almost totality. I grip onto Jake’s hand as we all crowd in together, writhing under the feeling of being so suddenly enclosed and debilitated. I can’t even see what’s around us. Not even Sparrow’s overwhelming power of comfort can match whatever it is they are putting onto us. 

“We should run!” I hear Danny suggest, the drone of the hum making him sound like he is a million miles away. “Let’s go!!” 

I feel him pull away from us as I begin to become disoriented, weakening as the seconds tick. “Jake.. I–” I can hardly form any words as I feel like all my energy is depleting. His hand is still latched tightly onto mine, and I begin to see spurts of light through the darkness of my vision, blurry and bright as my eyelids get heavy. 

“Y/N, no!” I hear his voice in my ear, the sweetest sound I have ever heard. “We’ve got to run, we’ve got to go!” Suddenly I feel as though every emotion has been ripped away from my body. 

Where is my gumption? Nothing matters, we’re all going to die, anyway. 

“Sweet Y/N, run!” Sparrow urges me, too, as I feel Jake begin to pull me along just as I had pulled him through the building as it crumbled into the sinkhole around us back at the pod. 

I can’t move, just leave me here. 

I feel my knees hit the dirt at the same time that I feel many sets of unwelcome hands all over me, burning through my thick coats and jackets as they touch me. The hum grows louder and louder, and my blood grows thicker and thicker. Just leave me…

I’m being pulled two ways- one way with the burning hands and one way toward the man whom I have come to adore so intensely, but I could somehow care less who ends up with me. I don’t even mind one way or the other. My endurance is gone. 

Jake squeezes my hands in the darkness, pulling me with everything in him as I feel Sam and Danny join him in his attempts. “Don’t let go of me, Y/N! Do you hear me!” he screams, his voice so worried and terrified. Why are you so scared, Jake? Why do you care about me? “Don’t let her go, Danny! Don’t let her slip!”

“She’s ours, now, you all belong to us…” I hear the crippling voice of the hooded guard say from behind me. I recognize the sing-song voice from their first attempts at taking us, like sirens luring us into the deepest depths of the night. “There’s nothing you can do, your world is a star defying time… you must come with us…”

Everything is blurry, nothing has shape. The burning hands are gripping at all points of my body, now, as I feel like I’m being ripped in two. I hear Sparrow’s shrieks in the distance, and I feel Jake’s grip on my hands begin to weaken. 

“Sam, Sam, get up! Let’s go! I– I can’t hold you both–”

His hands feel like my only anchors to the earth, sure and grounding, but I can’t find the strength to even try and hold on to them. He’s slipping from me, and it’s then that I realize he’s being pulled by them, too. 

We’re being taken. And there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

“Y/N, baby, please!” I hear his honeyed voice again, still so perfect even when he’s terrified. Don’t be so scared, Jake… you shouldn’t even be worried about me. I mean nothing to you. 

“Let GO of me!!” he yells, but it’s no use. He’s ten paces away from me now as I realize that our hands have finally separated, and the burning hands are still holding me. His screaming voice is nothing but a howl in the distance. “Y/N!!!”

My body feels limp and lifeless as the burning hands hold me upright, pulling my body across bushes and grasses and limbs, my legs and feet falling behind me. But I don’t even care. Why don’t I care? Death is probably soon, anyway. Nothing matters.

The eyes of the creatures taking me are burning a bright red, the drone of the hum still prevalent in my ears. 

Again I hear his voice calling out for me across the hillside, bouncing off the treetrunks and cutting through the warming air as the sound of it warms my soul and kills it at the same time. I want him, I need him… he’s the only thing that’s kept my head above water… But our magnets have somehow lost their polarity. I dig down deep and plead with myself, and whoever in the heavens above will listen to forsake me this one time, and bring me out on the other side of this. I have to help them, I have to find Paps… 

Jake…Please… Don’t let them keep me…

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