#hopefully i can at least be on later for this prickly cactus

[risingsouls]

It's Vegeta's birthday! Send him stuff! Bother him! Make his day delightful! Or miserable!

[astrodances]

Is it possible to get an excerpt of Thief Scrooge pickpocketing wallets? Or even Goldie pickpocketing wallets?

Oh, I don't have any excerpts of them pickpocketing for the AU (although oddly enough the non-AU WIP that I've been not working on since pretty much the finale features pickpocketing, in a very small, special way, but anyway...). What I wrote in my last answer was all on the fly, so I could do that here, too, for a quick scene (and hopefully to get my writing going again). No guarantee though that this will ever show up in a future fic - consider it a standalone unless proven otherwise. ;P Also, this probably isn't exactly what you're asking for in terms of them pickpocketing, but of all the ideas from my last answer, this was the one that excited me the most.

Anywho, hope you enjoy!

*** I guess I should say this is rated teen and up for kissing and some suggestive physical affection? Yeah. ***

Also I'm putting in a "read more" for the aforementioned rating and because this actually got away from me a little bit with the length.

___________

Scrooge couldn't stop grinning.

Sure, the feeling of exhilaration wasn't as strong as the first time he'd done it and his conscience was still waving a tattered red flag in the back of his mind ("Both will subside with experience," Goldie had assured him), but he was proud of how far he'd come.

"Did ye see me?" he asked his partner as they navigated the cacti and brush of the desert back to their current hideout camp, the sun providing just enough light for them to get back in time to make a fire. They were far enough away from town now to not have to keep an eye over their shoulders for any potential accusers.

"Oh, I saw. Way to go, tiger," Goldie answered, a small grin of her own forming, her hands tucked into her vest pockets.

She really was impressed.

They'd been leaving the local saloon after a quick bite and a listen for any chatter of potential targets, and as a pair of cowboys strolled in, Scrooge had given them a tip of the hat. But only Goldie saw the way his other hand kept low and gently "brushed" the pockets of the nearest cowboy's duster, without so much as disturbing the dust.

It'd been his smoothest pickpocketing to date, as if all their lessons had finally clicked into place for him.

They'd make a thief of him yet, but not quite yet.

If only Scrooge knew that his prize, a roll of dollar bills secured by a black string, which he'd been so eager to flash at her as soon as they'd reach the edge of town, now laid tucked into the secret inner pocket of Goldie's vest, courtesy of the master's nimble hands themselves.

And if only Goldie knew that Scrooge knew what she'd done.

He knew he still had a lot to learn about thievery, especially to catch up to her level, but sometimes he wished that she would just let him enjoy his victory with no need to prove himself further by stealing his prize from her again, for once.

But if that's the way she wanted it? Fine. He never could resist a challenge, especially from her.

The maze of cacti continued, and Scrooge used that as an excuse to walk closer to Goldie, to avoid one of the prickly plants and to reach his hand out to the left pocket of her pants for his first guess, making sure to keep a half-step behind her.

Just as he was about to make his move though, Goldie took an extra quick step forward, causing him to stumble behind her. He caught his footing, and shot a glance her way. She kept walking as if nothing happened, save for the telltale smirk playing on her beak.

Oh, she knew that he knew, and she was enjoying every second of it.

In the silence of the desert, the sound of their footsteps was impossible to miss. The second that she heard Scrooge begin to follow after her again, her pace quickened, but she otherwise remained unchanged in her stance or her path.

He caught up to her easily, and Goldie nearly shrieked with laughter when she felt his hand brush against her back. But at the last second, she stepped to the left and kept going, and Scrooge came face-to-face with a cactus arm that would've blinded him had he not had the reflexes he did. He spun out and away from it, letting out a very startled swear in Gaelic, and took a moment to reassure himself of his wellbeing.

"You're gonna have to do more than that to find it this time!" Goldie called out to him, her voice laced with playful innuendo, the challenge now well-defined.

She had nearly ten yards on him now, but the moment he took off running, a growl rumbling in the back of his throat, so did she.

The chase carried on almost all the way to their camp.

Goldie was nearly in the clear, too, but in the waning remnants of daylight, coupled with her growing desire to declare herself the victor and finally get some rest around the fire, she erred. Her boot slipped on a rock that she thought was stable enough to use as a stepping stone over a wild hedge of desert flora, and instead of leaping over it all and thus finding a shortcut, Goldie found herself falling face-first towards a very spiny barrel cactus.

She shut her eyes in anticipation, adrenaline rushing through her heart as she entered free-fall, hoping that her hands might at least break her fall a bit. She'd rather deal with a couple of wrist injuries rather than a face-full of cactus needles.

At this point, she'd rather have just let Scrooge keep his stupid money.

Inches away from agony, Goldie felt a yank jolt through her system, causing her to yelp and open her eyes to see just how close she really was to the cactus (way, way too close). A second later, and she felt her shaking form being pulled back by the scruff of her vest into strong, enveloping arms on stable ground.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Scrooge teased, and despite herself, Goldie snorted at the joke. "You okay?" he whispered, and after a hesitant, but affirming nod, he added, "Good."

Still, neither made a move to leave the embrace, and after a moment, Goldie's eyelids fluttered closed when she felt Scrooge peppering kisses down the side of her neck. She could get used to this...

So distracted as she was that she failed to notice Scrooge's roaming hands sneaking past the buttons of her vest and into her not-so-secret pocket until his arm suddenly wasn't there to hold her anymore and she realized, belatedly, that he'd known.

Even as she turned around in his remaining arm and tried desperately to grab the other that was now out of reach (whether she wanted it back for the stolen money or the warmth more, she wasn't sure), Goldie couldn't stop the quip on her beak. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

Scrooge managed a shrug, holding her that much tighter while maintaining that frustratingly cute grin of his. "What can I say? I have a great teacher."

In the span of another kiss, the money disappeared from view, and Goldie found two arms holding her close once again.

All in all, he was learning his lessons very well.

[smalltowndetective]

Thinking of You

Here is the 23rd request! The last one! Hope you guys enjoy!

I’ll talk a little more on the masterlist of these all, but hopefully Nat is a good way to end it! :D

And thank you so much to @wayhavns for letting me use your detective! Hopefully I did Eden justice! :)

Ao3 Link (All Requests can be found here!)

Title: Thinking of You

Pairing: Nat and Eden

Words: 1.2k

Notes: I suppose I’ll put this sometime between Book 2 and book 3? Maybe a little later? Not sure to be honest.

Prompt:- #12- “What are you thinking about?”

Detective Eden Hollis was bored.

               Absolutely, hopelessly, bored.

               Piles of paperwork had started to collect on their desk, but it was the last thing they were interested in. Especially for a job that they got because it was a so much better alternative to jail time. (Something that they wondered sometimes if it truly was)

               But that had stopped their job at the station to be the most uninteresting thing in the world, something they had found out after their years as an officer. Each day had seemed to drag on forever, the only bright spot in it all was Tina and Verda, even if he had only been in Wayhaven for a few months.

               Then suddenly, they were a detective, somehow being promoted, and after watching Detective Reele work and shadowing her for a few days, Eden was sure that being a detective was going to be just as uneventful, regardless on how they felt about getting promoted.

               That however, had turned out to be so so wrong. Their life quite literally seemed to be turned on it’s head so soon after it had been made official, but they tried their best to take it all in stride, even if that could be hard at times.

               And the hard part of it all? What still managed to make their blood boil without barely even having to think about it?

               Their mother, if she even deserved to be called that at all.

               Rebecca had, after their entire childhood had already ended, had just decided to show up out of nowhere, and had the audacity of trying to insert herself back into their life again, with the notion that now that they knew everything, a closer bond could be formed.

               Screw that however. It was far too little too late, the years of loneliness never seeming too far from their mind. Eden had tried to make bonds with others in their neighbors and friends at school, but nothing that they had done had filled the void that was left by never knowing their father, or really, their own mother.

               Any offer to patch their relationship was pointless, since there was nothing to fix if there was nothing there in the first place. Rebecca had made her choice years ago, and she would have to live with that. It was far too late to change her mind now.

               If that was all that had come with being a detective, they could absolutely take that all back, needing none of that, but that was hardly the only thing had seemed to crop up with becoming a detective.

               And having them here, would make me much less bored.

               Unit Bravo of course, who had all “crashed about” into their life, entering it in an almost whirlwind, but it would never being something that they would take back.

               The four of them were easy to be around, that enough of surprise to Eden. It was hard to say now what they would have been doing now if they had never met them, since now they all seemed like a permanent fixture in their life.

               Felix had always been easy to talk to, making them feel like apart of the team even when it could be argued that they were not (at least, then anyway). Even if he did bring out their dare devil side more then anyone, that was not something that they were going to complain about, even if the others did!

               With Mason, even though he could be as prickly as a cactus at times, there was so much more to them then that exterior that he constantly tried to put out. His loyalty to other members of the team was still something that surprised them at times, but the most they got to know them, it almost seemed obvious, and Eden could not believe they had completely overlooked it.

               And there was Ava, at which the thought of annoying her was enough to bring a smile to their face, certainly making her far less bored. It was not like she entirely meant to do it at first, but she had always made it so damn easy to do. On day, they were sure, they would get her to laugh just like they were able to get Nat and Felix to laugh, it just had not happened yet.

               But Nat, oh Nat was on a whole different level.

               Never in all of their life had they meant someone like her, or ever thought they would. Someone that seemed to see them, appreciate them for who they were, rather on who they could be. It was more then they could have ever wished for, and goodness was it sweet.

               They could spend hours and hours with her and absolutely never get bored, and Eden was someone who could get bored fairly quickly. Heck, Natarino could read her paperwork out loud to them, and they adore it anyway, her soothing voice all that was needed, even if it would still never get done.

               Even so she was not here, just thinking about her was all that they needed for a distraction, a smile seeming to lift their face, their newly founded relationship always finding a way to make even the dullest part of their day to seem brighter.

               In fact, they had been so distracted, that they hardly noticed that Nat had entered their office at all, closing the door behind her gently as if it would disturb them if she did.

               A light chuckle suddenly reached their ears, and Eden turned to see her, her brown eyes alight with amusement, “What are you thinking about, dearheart?”

               And oh, the petname. As if she just knew exactly how to make them swoon. They were no short in boldness themselves, the two of them together always seeming to be right on the same page. Even though they may have not been an easy one to make flush, Nat certainly brought that out of them, and it always left them to wonder if she just knew the effect that she had on them.

               “What makes you ask that?”

               “You look awfully focused about something”, she said in response, her smile only seeming to shine brighter, “And I’m guessing it’s not the paperwork”

               “10 points to you, Natmiester!”, Eden exclaimed, their tone slipping into its joking way, “You’ve guessed correctly!”

               She laughed at that, it making the edges of her eyes crinkle in softness, “Then what were you thinking about?”

               “You want to find out?”, they asked, getting up from their desk and walking over to Nat, who always made them look tinier than she already was.

               Before she could say another word, Eden did their best to stand on their tiptoes to kiss her, not quite making it there, having to trust Nat would lean down the rest of the way.

               Which it would seem, she had no problem doing.

               The two of them met in a kiss, that was more then enough for an answer, and it seemed to alight for them both.

               I’m always thinking of you.

               It vaguely came to Eden that they had never actually asked why Nat was here in the first place, but that seemed like the least most important thing in the world at the moment.

               All that mattered was that she was here, and there was nothing else in the world that mattered more.

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Ride or Die ch.15 -Dead End

Colt's POV of chapter 15, when MC crashed her car

Colt x MC (Ellie)

Words: 3557

Warnings: NSFW

This was requested by @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction 

Colt had spent all day looking for Toby and Ximena, finally finding them and filling them in on what’s been happening. He told them about the plan Ellie came up with, capturing the Brotherhood on video.

“I’m hoping they’ll be too distracted by my attempting to catch them on camera that they won’t even notice there are others. “I bought a burner phone specifically for this, so it really doesn’t matter if anything happens to it.”

“Wow, that…could actually work.” Toby told him

A flash of pride rippled through Colt. That’s because my girl is smart.

  After telling them what they need to do, where they need to be, and at what time, they parted ways. I hope Ellie’s right and they pull through.

Colt rode his bike to a random small house in South Central, roaring into the quiet neighborhood, parking behind Ellie’s pink car.

Pink. She had to have pink. So noticeable, so girly girl, so…Ellie.

He gets off his bike and saunters over to where Ellie is standing with Logan. Fucking Logan.

“Is it done?” She asked

Cold nodded. “Green light. We’re just waiting for a call sometime tonight.”

“You’re sure?” Logan had his eyes narrowed, looking at Colt accusingly.

Anger bubbled up inside him. “Yes, I’m sure, you…”

“Guys, we’re on the same side, remember?” Ellie cut in, glaring at the both.

Colt sighed, running a hand through his hair. Fine.

Logan looked at her apologetically. “Let’s just get inside.”

Colt takes Ellie’s hand and holds her back as Logan walks ahead. “Hey, look…I stopped by the old garage earlier, to try to find some things. Anything, really, to remind me of my family’s legacy. And I found this. I guess my pop kept it from my first car. He had it in his desk. And now, well, no place for it on my bike, so…I figure you might as well have it, if you want.”

He hesitantly holds out a little cactus bobble head, complete with a mustache and sombrero. Please don’t laugh. I know it’s lame. I was a kid when I got it and thought it was cool. Something prickly just like me.

“Colt…thank you.” She smiled warmly at him, and butterflies erupted in his stomach.

He shrugged casually. “It’s nothing. Just a trinket, but…maybe it’ll bring you some luck.”

Taking her hand again, they follow Logan up to the door. He knocked, and a moment later the door swings open to reveal some food truck guy Colt had seen around every now and then.

“Logan! It’s been a minute, cuz.” He steps forward to give Logan a hug but stops short when he sees his expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Can we lay low out here for the day?” Logan asked.

“Course. Come in.”

The guy leads them inside. He takes in Ellie’s prom dress. “You wanna tell me what’s goin on?”

Mother fucker better not be checking her out ever again. I’ll forgive the dress, because it’s odd she’s still in it, but next time…

“The less you know, the better.” Logan informed.

“You at least gonna tell me who this dude is?” He points to Colt, and he fists his hands, agitated. Seriously?

“That’s Kaneko’s kid. And you remember Ellie.”

Kaneko’s kid?? I have a name!!!

“Colt.” He said flatly.

“Hey, Vaughn. Sorry for intruding.” Ellie shot him a Look, and he shrugged slightly. Whatever, it’s my name.

“Nah, it’s cool. Get comfy, change outta those threads…”

“Thanks. We’ve got some planning to do.”

“Well, hang on just one second. You can stay here, but I need something in return.”

Naturally

Logan’s face fell. “You do?”

Vaughn turns away, walking to the kitchen counter. “You might be my cousin, but nothing in life is free. You gotta do me a favor.”

“What?” Logan asked hesitantly.

“You gotta taste test my new dishes for my truck.” He turns back around with a tray of fresh, eclectic street food.

Logan grinned. “I think we can manage that just fine…”

Colt’s mouth immediately started watering, and as they discussed their plan, they scarfed down amazing food.

Hours later, the sun sets outside, and the showdown with the Brotherhood draws nearer. After planning every last detail of the night, the four of them are passing time half-watching TV in Vaughn’s living room.

Ellie keeps looking at the clock. Logan nudges her. “There’s nothing we can do but wait.”

Colt slid his eyes over to her. She looks just as nervous as I feel. I need an outlet. We both do.

Ellie gave a half smile. “I know, I just…I feel like I need to do something now. Get all this anxious energy out so it doesn’t distract me later.”

“I know how you feel.” Colt clenches and unclenches his fist, over and over and over again.

“You can lie down in my spare room for a bit, Ellie.” Vaughn offered.

Right. Mr. Nice Guy. No wonder Logan brought us here.

“Thanks, Vaughn. I think that’ll help.”

“We’ll get you when it’s time.” Logan assured.

She nods, the heads toward the hall, she pauses in the doorway, looking back at them. Colt catches her eye from across the room.

Come on, Ellie, bring me with you, I know exactly how to get out all our frustrations.

“Colt, could I talk to you for a minute?” She asked.

Yesssss. Shove it, Logan. She wants to fuck me, not you. I win.

Colt shrugs, not showing his excitement, and follows her down the hall to the bedroom. He closes the door behind them, then leans against it casually. “Did you actually want to talk, or…?”

“No.” Ellie wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him into a passionate kiss. He pulls back to smirk. “Not even dirty talk?”

“Colt!” She slaps his shoulder playfully, but then he captures her mouth with his. Their embrace is heated, insistent. He walks her back toward the bed, his hands running all over her body, under her clothes…

“Colt…”

He can feel his kisses make her dizzy, his touch alone sets her on fire. Something tells him they’re both barely on the edge of control.

This feeling…what is this feeling….it feels like…I can’t control myself around this woman, I need to consume her. She’s mine and I’m hers and this is forever.

“Ellie, what’re you doing to me?”

“Hopefully making you feel really, really good.”

He groans into her mouth, pulling her flush against his hard body. “Yes…Can you feel how good you make me feel?”

He thrusts his hips into her, letting her feel how hard he is. He wants to plunge his cock inside her. His lips travel down her neck, nipping and licking at her exposed skin. His hands slide under her sweatshirt, and she arches into him.

“Colt…take it off” She says breathlessly.

As you wish. He doesn’t need to be asked twice. He quickly pulls her sweatshirt over her head, then unbuttons her jeans and pushes them down her hips, and she quickly shakes them off. He pulls her back into his arms, her bare skin rubbing against his still-clothed body.

“Not…fair…” She moans as he caresses every inch of her exposed skin.

He licked his lips, unable to stop the smile appearing on his lips. “If you want me outta my clothes, all you gotta do is ask.”

She tugs on his leather jacket, pulling it off one shoulder. “Off. Now.”

Colt pulls back to take off his clothes, throwing them haphazardly across the room. “Better?”

“Much.”

The two of them settle back on the bed together. He pulls her in for another searing kiss, his body flush against hers. He squeezes her ass and knows exactly how he wants her.

“Don’t stop” She begged.

“Wasn’t planning to. Come here.” He nudges her onto all fours, facing away from him. He kisses her spine, making her shiver

“Colt stop teasing…”

“But I love when you moan my name.”  And now you’re gonna fucking scream it.

He glides his hands down to her hips with a featherlight touch, a whimper escaping her mouth, then guides himself into her tight, wet slit. He grunted as he began to thrust in and out of her, his need for her consuming them both as she puts a hand on the headboard to steady herself as he moves faster and faster.

“Colt..oh, god…”

So fucking tight. So fucking perfect, This body…I love this body, she feels so good wrapped around my dick. Where the fuck has she been my whole life?

He can no longer contain himself. He swivels his hips just so, pulling on her hair so she leans more backwards and together they fall apart. He shot his hot sperm into her as her sweet pussy drank it up, milking him completely. The two of them collapse on the bed together, a tangle of sweaty limbs.

She snuggled into his arms and he kissed the top of her head gently. After a few minutes, they caught their breaths.

“We’re gonna have to do this soon, aren’t we?” She whispered into his chest.

Colt runs his hands up and down her arm in a soothing pattern. “Whatever the Brotherhood throws at us, we’re ready.”

She flips over to face him. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

He runs his thumb over her cheek, gazing deep into her eyes. “Only if you promise me the same thing.”

I know you. You’re just like me. Both of us do what needs to be done.

She sighed. “…This whole plan is kinda stupid, isn’t it?”

He kisses her forehead. “Maybe, but it’s the best we’ve got.”

Logan knocks. “We got the call. We’re in. It’s go time.”

Colt kisses her one last time before getting up and pulling on his clothes. “I’ll let you get ready.” She just nods, and he leaves the room.

Joining Logan and Vaughn in the living room, both men were giving him death stares. Alright. Guess Logan told Vaughn I stole her away from him. Which I did, so…fuck off losers.

Steps sound in the hallway and they all look up to see her.

“Oh, damn.” Vaughn’s eyes were wide.

“I’m ready.” She announced.

“You sure look like it. Logan’s jaw was practically on the floor.

Colt eyes her ravenously, soaking in her appearance. He really likes the red leather coat. “I already feel better about our chances.” You look bangin’.

Logan tosses her her keys and she catches them out of the air. “Let’s go.” She pulls out her phone, powering it on for the first time in a while…and dial a number. She presses speakerphone, so they can all hear.

“9-1-1 emergency, what is your location?”

“My name is Ellie Wheeler. I want to turn myself in.” There’s silence on the other end for a moment.

“Alright, what is your location Miss Wheeler? We’ll send someone to come pick you up.”

“There’s only one person I’ll speak to. Detective Wheeler. Have him meet me at the Pacific Division station. I’ll be there soon.”

“Miss, if there’s…”

She hangs up the phone. “Clock’s running.”

They all walk outside to where her car is parked at the curb.

Logan grabs her hands. “You’re sure I can’t convince you to let me go in your place?”

She shook her head. “No. It has to be me.”

Logan’s shoulders slump a little. “I know…but a guy can hope. Just…if anything goes wrong, Ellie, look out for yourself. Run.”

Colt watches from a short distance, arms tensely folded. He just gives her a nod when she looks his way. Yes. Run, and I’ll find you to live out our lives. I promise, Ellie.

“Well. See you on the other side.” She gets into her car, shutting the door. Colt sees her put his old cactus on her dash and his heart feels like it’s going to explode of happiness…until she turns the engine on and drives out into the moonless night up the 405 toward Mar Vista.

His heart sinks as he climbs on his bike and heads for his location. Hardly any time passed when his earpiece went off, Ellie’s voice coming through.

“Logan? Colt? We’ve hooked them. They’re coming up fast in the cars we stole for them off the hauler truck.”

Logan’s voice sounds through next. “Already? Damn, they’re quicker than we thought.”

Colt narrows his eyes in frustration. “It’s too early! They’re gonna catch you before you get to the target! Step on it!”

“They’re almost on me!”

“You’re still a ways out. Hang on. I’ll be there as soon as I can!” Logan shouts into his Bluetooth.

Right. Knight in shining fucking armor. Ugh.

“Hurry up, Logan.” He spat out. “You better not let anything happen to her.”

“I got it, Colt.”

As Colt reaches his destination, he sees her rocket forward, the two cars that were at her side crashing into each other and sending debris flying.

Oh my god…my pop…he trusted her with a NOS system?? He taught her how to use it?? His heart ached at the realization of exactly how much his father cared for her and looked out for her…all because his son did.

Thanks pop. I had no idea. Thank you for keeping her safe.

She dodges another car back and forth across the lanes, barely staying out of reach.

“You’re almost there, Ellie!” He shouts into his speaker.

Come on, come on, you’re gonna make it! Just a couple more miles!

Colt whips out his burner phone and sets it up to record. He hears bare metal and looks back up, gasping. He felt like he was watching everything unfold in slow motion.

Ellie’s car stalls as her tire blows out, sending sparks flying against the pavement. Another car slams into her, sending her spinning.

“Ellie! Can you hear me? I’ll be there in a few seconds! One last go for old times’ sake?” Logan pleaded.

“One last go” It was barely a whisper, but Colt still heard it.

Ellie dodges hard to the side as Logan turns on his high beams directly in front of the Brotherhood cars.

“Ellie, go! I’ll catch up!”

“Hurry! You’re at the off-ramp!” Colt added.

She steps on the gas. “I’m almost there! I can make it…”

One of the cars in pursuit flies ahead of her and skids to a stop, blocking the exit ramp.

His heart began pounding erratically. This is looking…familiar.

Flashes of his father speeding towards the barricade and crashing his car to save the crew, to save him, swam through his head. He felt sick. She’s doing the same thing. Oh my god, please no.  

“Dammit! Okay, just stay on the freeway, Ellie!” He could hear his voice but it didn’t sound like his own. It sounded a bit higher, panicked…fearful.

“Colt, I have to get there! If I don’t, all of this was for nothing…” She argued

Colt shook his head violently, his breaths coming faster and his head starting to spin.  “There’s gotta be another way.”

“No. This is where I get off.” She said, fury and determination evident in her tone

She floors it straight towards the stopped car, while Colt fell to his knees, bile rising in his throat, shock overtaking him. No, no, no…NO!!!!! NOT AGAIN!!!! THIS CAN’T HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN!!!!

He screamed, yet there was no sound. He didn’t feel attached to his body anymore. He was with his father, whom he didn’t even think loved him and yet gave his life to keep him safe. He was with Ellie, whom he had found love himself and loved him back…and was about to give her life to keep him safe. And he was completely helpless to stop either one of them. For the very first time in his life, he was terrified of losing someone he loves. He never had to think about it before his father died.

Like a missile, she crashes into the car, knocking it aside.

“Ellie!” Logan cried.

Her airbag deploys as gravity abandons her. She goes airborne off the ramp, spinning like a top. She slams down on the pavement of a wide, empty lot fifteen feet down. Colt could practically feel the metal crumpling and denting, unable to handle the impact. Her momentum sends her rolling several times until finally coming to a rest on the car’s roof.

Colt gaped at the heavily damaged car, the glass broken and scattered in all directions.

Oh my god, Ellie, what did you do?? You can’t…I don’t believe…you have to be okay. You’re all I’ve got left

Slowly he realized he was shaking uncontrollably, the phone in his hands had already dropped to the ground, his face the only thing on the screen. He became vaguely aware of Logan’s voice in his ear.

“Ellie! Ellie, can you hear me?”

A weak cough responded. “yeah…I made it to the target”

Oh my god, she’s alive. She made it. She FUCKING MADE IT!!!! MY GIRL MADE IT!!!!

“That was absolutely insane!” He finally found his voice. SHE FUCKING MADE IT!!! SHE’S ALIVE!!!

“Colt, are you in position?”

Taking several deep breaths to slow his still racing heart, he answered. “Ready and waiting by the transformer box. They’re coming up on you now.”

“Okay…*cough*…make sure to get their faces on camera.”

But she sounds so weak. She must be hurt. No has that kind of accident without getting hurt. Not even someone as crazy as her.

Headlights approach and the cars stop, doors opening, masked figures approaching the destroyed car. One of them offers her a hand helps her crawl through the shattered glass.

Jason.

Jason’s helping her to her feet when Logan approaches. Jason draws a gun, putting the muzzle to Ellie’s temple just as Logan comes around the bend. He slams on the brakes, skidding to a stop ten feet away, bathing them in his headlights. Jason’s form casts a long shadow across the lot.

She survived the crash just to take a bullet to the head? I don’t think so. We’ve come too far. Time to end this. Without thinking, Colt started marching forward, ready to kill the Brotherhood. He’s blind with rage, not seeing the woman deftly approaching him.

“Nice phone.” She snarled, snatching it away and wrenching his arms behind his back in a hold.

“Thanks. It’s insured.” He snapped back. FUCK!!!

A walkie-talkie crackled at the woman’s side.

“Hester, it’s Shaw. You find Kaneko’s kid?”

“Bringing him in now.” The lady spoke back.

“I have a fucking name, and it’s not ‘Kaneko’s kid’.” Everyone calling me Kaneko’s kid. I’m not my father, and I never will be.

Crossing the lot, Hester pushes Colt along at gunpoint. “I really don’t care.” She replied, sounding bored. She calls out to Jason. “Caught him over there trying to film us on this.” She tosses Colt’s phone onto the ground and shoots it. It shatters and sparks.

“Trying to get us on tape, huh? Get us locked up? Oh, so close.” Jason teased menacingly.

 “Good thing we wore masks. You would’ve had nothing, anyway.” The Brotherhood then peel off their masks.

“But how…did you know?” Ellie asked, her voice feigning disbelief.

Jason smirked, shaking his head. “Ellie…come on…we tapped your phone. Duh. We’re the goddamn police. I thought you would’ve figured that out by now.” He laughed.

“We heard you call 911…we heard you tell Kaneko’s kid what to do, where to be.”

“Colt!” He couldn’t stop himself, the words just slipped out angrily.

Jason rolls his eyes and steps closer to Ellie, the barrel of his gun just inches away from her head. “It’s actually kind of tragic. I thought you would’ve made a good cop, Ellie…but I was wrong. A cop always needs to think one step ahead. And now…now your dad will never know what happened to you.” He aims the gun at her, his face neutral.

“You said you didn’t want to hurt her.”

Mona. Traitor. Never trusted her.

Jason frowned. “I didn’t. But she didn’t learn her lesson. You should know, Ellie, I take no pleasure in this. We really were never that different.”

A slow smile spread on Ellie’s face. “Oh, really? I think we are.”

“How’s that?”

“The difference between you and me? Well, for one, I’m not the dumbass who just walked right into a trap.”

She really is going to be okay. There’s that snarky tone I love so much. Colt let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

“What is she talking about?” Wallace asks nervously.

Jason looks around, anxiousness spreading on his face. He looks far across the lot…to the façade of Mar Vista High, and the dozens of CCTV cameras on the streetlamps.

“Say cheese, asshole.” Logan grinned.

Jason’s eyes went wide. “No…”

Gotcha   “Go ahead. Wave to Toby and Ximena.”

Inside the school’s AV club, Ximena grins, her voice ringing loud and clear in the parking lot. “We got ‘em”

“In crystal clear high definition.” Toby agreed.

“Shaw…what just happened?” Hester’s voice raised a few octaves.

“I…”

“Always gotta stay one step ahead, isn’t that right, Jason?” Ellie asked sweetly, winking at Colt. He smiled at her before directing his gaze back at Jason and the other two members of the brotherhood.

That’s right asshole. No one messes with my crew.

  @annekebbphotography @gardeningourmet @zigortega4life @eileendannie @thequeenofcronuts @drakewalkerfantasy @friedherringclodthing @coffeebeandragon @drakewalker04 @alesana45 @mfackenthal

@i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction

@rhymesmenagerie

[beneathtreemomo]

For the character thing!! Yukimura Hyouga, Gouenji, Kidou, OH and that guy, Fidio Aldena, was his name? Along with Fudou. (I have to run and sleep, so goodnight ^_^)

Night night hun! Sleep well and talk to you tomorrow/later today! The rest are under the cut!Yukimura Hyouga:     How I feel about this character: He is a precious smol snow leopard cub with a mischievous streak a mile wide by the time he turns 15 and I will fight canon for his backstory and give him the best one possible in fanfic where he is loved and just grumpy instead of betrayed and hurt like too many kids in this series are. (in short: PRECIOUS BABY WILL LOVE AND PROTECT)     All the people I ship romantically w/ him: Never actually crossed my mind to ship him with anyone (probably because in Yoru’s universe he’s still 5 and hasn’t had to deal with it yet xD) BUT I read your fic and now I will gladly ship him with Itetsuki because the way you write them is pure adorable.     Non-romantic OTP w/ him: I am a firm shipper of Hyogua & Hakuren, Hyouga & Healing, and Hyouga & Fubuki bros. Just soft healthy platonic relationships all around :3     Unpopular Opinion of him: ?????? I don’t know?????? I’m not into fandom stuff idk what their opinions of him are xD. I guess mine is that he had a childhood crush on Fubuki that later turned into him putting him on a pedestal. Like, the type of crush that your friend’s little sibling or the kid you babysit has where they insist they’ll marry you when they’re older. Not an actual romantic crush during his teens. And then he ended up transitioning from a crush to hero-worship since Fubuki is probably the first adult to believe in him/ see his potential in a long time. So that would lead to him feeling betrayed when Fubuki suddenly disappears off the grid w/o so much as a goodbye.     One thing I wish had happened in canon: LITERALLY ANY BACKSTORY PAST SHIROU TRAINING HIM. ACTUAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HIM AND HIS TEAM. MORE OF HIM AND HIS TEAM AFTER THE MATCH WITH RAIMON.

Gouenji Shuuya     How I feel about him: Cool loner boi with a heart of gold and daddy issues who isn’t actually a loner and would die or kill for his friends and family and I would gladly be his friend if I met him. Hopefully. If not friends I’d still have mad respect for the kid if he just let down some of those walls.     Romance ships: Honestly the only romantic ship I can get behind with him is Shirou because A) Fire and Ice, B) they compliment each other so well, and C) THE CHEMISTRY. Like, they’re just perfect for each other in a way that’s so subtle but so caring and it’s really hard for me to see either of them with anyone else after it.     Non-romantic ships: Break Trio, Gouenji & Yuuka (loving sibling relationship ftw!), Gouenji & Toramaru. I don’t really know what else to say, I love their dynamics, I just don’t see them as more than friends xD And again: HEALTHY LOVING SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE WIN     Unpopular Opinion: ….. another I don’t know, I’m afraid xD Even more so since I don’t have a single clue what fanon even does to him, really. I guess... that maybe when the situation call for it he shows more than a tick of a smile? Like, it’s probably OoC but I feel like if he needs to talk to someone about something super important (like, for instance, Shirou’s mental breakdown after Okinawa) he’d end up expressing a lot more than he lets on. He may keep his emotions from showing on his face, but I feel like he’d accidentally let more slip in both expression and tone if he’s focused on something else.     One thing in canon: More of his struggle in his stay w/ Hijitaka would have been nice. Especially with the younger kids! Gouenji’s so soft with kids, it’s adorable!Kidou Yuuto     How I feel about him: Eh, he’s ok I guess xD Honestly can’t even think of a silly thing to say about him even though I know there are plenty out there. He’s just... not that spectacular to me. Don’t get me wrong-- he’s really cool! A really good strategist and his struggles with coming out from under Kageyama’s control make for an interesting character! He’s just not a fav or a character I feel strongly about.     Romance ships: Wow this is really showing my one-track “faves only” brain because I honestly never thought about it???? I guess maybe I can see something with Sakuma? But honestly I can’t see him or don’t really want to see him romantically with any of the characters.     Non-romantic: Break Trio, Kidou & Teikoku, Kidou & Otonashi, Kidou & Fudou. Some nice deep friendships and another healthy sibling relationship after they’ve been separated for at least a few years? Heck yeah, sign me up!     Unpopular Opinion: Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if me not finding him all that amazing is an unpopular opinion xD I don’t even know why I’m not a fan of him, but I’m not! *shrugs* just happened to be the way the cards fell, I guess.     One thing in canon: Uhhh more home life outside of the team? Him and Otonashi starting to reconnect outside of school would have been nice. *gasp* it would have been awesome to see him hanging out with Teikoku casually after he transfered to Raimon!Fideo Ardena     How I feel: He’s a cutie! I love how he’s so interesting in Endou (and by proxy, InaJapan) and honestly while I wasn’t super interested in other teams the first time I watched Inazuma Eleven, after nearly a decade and actually getting a friend who’s from Italy, it made me so dang happy to see him! I was just like “Hey!!! He’s from ‘Milla’s country!!! Yay go Fideo!!!” and idk I’ve had a soft spot for him since xD     Romance ships: Another don’t have ‘em character, sorry xD I guess I can see him having a bit of a crush on Endou, but also feel free to ask me this again once his appearances in the show are fresh in my mind xD     Non-romantic ships: Fideo & Orpheus and Fideo & Rushe! A shame they weren’t close in the anime; I would have liked to see that.     Unpopular Opinion: N/A; I don’t know enough about fanon or about him to give an opinion, sorry xD     One thing in canon: HIS! RELATIONSHIP! WITH! RUSHE! were they actual siblings? how did they meet? WHY WAS HE THE ONE SHE WAS CLOSE TO IN THE GAME. WHY NOT ORPHEUS IN GENERAL?!Fudou Akio     How I feel: He is a little gremlin who acts like being mean and angry at everyone is fun but actually he’s just a prickly pear cactus protecting himself from others in case he gets hurt again and while he’s a jerk he’s actually super cool and his jerk-ness is acceptable. (in short: *in the tune of He’s A Tramp* he’s a jerk but I like him)     Romance ships: Don’t have any! He’s too prickly with everyone xD I mean, him and Kidou are cute but I can’t see it as romantic as it’s too near “well, I guess you aren’t as much of a jerk as I thought, but I still can’t trust you” for me. Sure, they work out their differences, but idk it’s too hard to see as romantic xD     Non-romantic: Kidou & Fudou, Fudou & Teikoku, Fudou & OG Hiroto, basically everyone who went “Oh come ON” since they weren’t stuck in the past w/ him and the others were screwing up perfectly reachable passes when Fudou was finally allowed to play in a match in FFI.     Unpopular Opinion: another N/A, sorry!     One thing in canon: I would have loved to actually see him trying to form friendships instead of always being a loner? Like, he gets close enough to them to be friends eventually, but we never actually get to see it? And that makes me a little sad. All we really see is him kinda pushing the others away while saying slightly less mean things to them and him and Kidou coming to an understanding, and idk I just feel like seeing him interacting more with the team off field w/o someone getting a bit mad or disgruntled would have been nice.Thank you for asking about these guys!

[rycbrar97]

Consequences [part two]

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female!OC

Warnings: Minor swearing, mentions of menstruation, brief mentions of sex, sickness, mentions of pregnancy, character feeling anxiety/shock

Word count: 3745

Summary: One too many drinks leads to a night both Tom and Alessia will definitely forget and a morning they will always remember.

A/N: I am so excited to write this series, hopefully I didn’t rush this chapter too much. I was just real eager to get this out there to everyone! Let me know if you enjoy it 😉  

Taglist Requests

Part one 

By the time she made it back to her hotel Alessia had already decided that there was no point in telling her sister who she ended up staying the night with and losing her virginity to. She would never believe it. It was hard enough convincing her that she actually had lost her virginity in the first place, nevertheless with Spider-Man himself. 

“What?! You? Had sex? As in done the dirty? Miss ‘I can hardly say the word penis without blushing’,” Sophie had let out incredulously, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Oh my goodness, yes, Soph. Do you have to make it so goddamn embarrassing? Why would I lie to you about this?” Alessia groaned, hands digging into her eyes and legs pacing her back and forth.

“I don’t know! I guess I just didn’t expect my saint of a sister telling me that she lost her virginity on a one night stand whilst completely pissed up the gutter-”

“God, do you have to say it like that?” she interrupted, stopping her pacing mid-stride and staring at her sister dead on, the mortification screaming off her face.

“Hey, that’s what you told me! Just because you don’t want to admit you’re a whore now doesn’t mean that you aren’t one. Somebody has to say it-”

“God, just shut up! Shut up, okay?!” Alessia’s hands shook up and down at each word, her pacing returning with increased intensity.

“Jeez, stop freaking out! This is a normal thing, okay? This is what normal people do. They get drunk, have sex and do the walk of shame the next morning. There’s nothing wrong with that—” Soph explained bluntly, trying to calm her sister back down, despite it having the complete opposite effect. But when a sudden thought crosses her mind, her blabber mouth just couldn’t help but voice it,“—oh my god though, mum is going to freak...”

Alessia’s back snapped rim rod straight and she spun herself right round to her sister, “You will not tell her about this,” she whispered lowly, “don’t you even dare,” her hazel eyes pierced sharply into Soph’s wide round ones, finger pointed menacingly at her face.

The sister put her hands up defensively, “Okay, okay. No need to be so dramatic,” she squeaked, briefly terrified at her older sister’s stone cold gaze.

“Promise me,” she demanded, her eyes struggling to keep out the desperation in them,“ promise me she will never know of this,” she repeated. She knew how her younger sister could be. She couldn’t keep a secret to save her own life. God knows the amount of gossip that girl has revealed to all her friends and family. All the nitty and gritty. She not only loved a bit of drama but she also revelled in it. Alessia just hoped and prayed that she would instil enough fear into the girl to keep this personal info locked away permanently. Most importantly, away from their mother. 

“I promise,” she vowed, the sincerest that Alessia had ever seen her be. But yet, she still couldn’t completely trust her.

She just had too big of a mouth.

Two months gone, and so far Sophie had kept to her promise, but Alessia was still hedging her bets. Life returned relatively back to normal; the girls returned home from their Europe trip three days after that fateful morning. And despite feeling like a completely changed woman after her sexual milestone, the world continued to spin around Alessia as it always did. She returned to her comfortable one bedroom flat with the yellow tea stains still imprinted on her carpet, books and coffee cups scattered across the living area from where she first left them because she couldn’t be bothered to tidy them up before her trip. Her bed was made at least, for which she was eternally thankful for as she felt like she needed at least ten years worth of sleep. Jet lag was an absolute bitch she came to saw.

She was back at work two days later, her body clock still out of whack. While it was nice to catch up with all her colleagues and get back into her routine, she found it quite hard to concentrate when she was yawning almost every two seconds. Luckily, her boss was an absolute gem and completely understood how she felt.

“Oo. Jet lag got you good, huh?” Linda inquired sympathetically, her soft wrinkled eyes observing her knowingly.

“Yeah,” Alessia yawned, rubbing briefly at her eyes before returning to snipping the stems of the daffodils laid in front of her, “I was hoping to be adjusted by now, but I guess my body has other ideas.”

Linda nodded understandingly, “I know what that’s like. It took me almost two weeks to start getting back into my normal sleep routine after coming back from Egypt. You just gotta try and push through the urge to fall asleep during the day and wait until night comes. It’s hard, but worth it in the end,” the older lady advised, continuing with her rose arrangements.

“Thanks, I’ll see how I go. Hopefully I’ll stop feeling tired soon. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve pricked myself today because I couldn’t focus. I almost grabbed one of our cactus succulents by mistake instead of the ferns. Now that would’ve been an interesting endeavour,” she joked, her smile sluggish and eyes dragged down by the dark circles underneath them.

Her boss shook her head at the mention of her clumsiness, “You’re a workers comp nightmare, you are,” she teased lightly, pausing slightly to eye her in concern, “just take it easy today, kiddo. Maybe stay away from all the prickly plants, okay?”

Alessia nodded her head silently, gladly taking on her boss’s advice.

It was a trying few weeks going back to work. Although she had started to get a bit more sleep each night, Alessia just couldn’t seem to shake the lingering fatigue that dragged her down every day. It was like all the energy she should’ve gotten from sleep each night was zapped right out of her as soon as she got up on her two legs in the morning.

“You sleeping alright, kiddo?” Linda had asked on one particular sluggish morning.

“Yeah, actually I’ve been sleeping fine now. But for some reason I’ve still been feeling so exhausted,” she expressed glumly whilst checking over orders.

“Oh no, that’s no good,” the silver haired lady tsked, “I hope you’re not coming down with something.”

Alessia paused thoughtfully at her words, “Maybe I am,” she considered, her head tilting slightly to the side, “I have been feeling a bit nauseous lately...”

“Hmm, might be the flu. Nothing a nip of apple cider vinegar can’t fix.”

She rolled her eyes at the older woman, “You and your apple cider vinegar,” she shook her head, “last time you told me it would cure my acne if I rubbed it on my face,” she remarked drily.

“You never know if you don’t try,” Linda sung as she finished tying a bow around a box of natives.

“I think I’ll just check in with my doctor first if it persists. Leave the vinegar as the last resort.”

Her boss clicked her tongue at her, shaking her head disapprovingly, “Stubborn one you are, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of home remedy from time to time,” she defended in a light tone.

“Yeah, well, I might not even need it anyway. This could just blow over any day now,” she pointed out, crossing her fingers in hope.

Unfortunately for Alessia, the nausea and fatigue did not ease up anytime soon. If anything, she felt like she was getting worse. The vomiting started about a week after her chat with Linda, prompting her to take time some time off work, much to the concern of her boss.

“Make sure to take some apple cider vinegar. It’ll help. Trust me.”

Alessia rolled eyes while on the phone with her. She sure was one persistent lady.

She lounged at home for the week, feeling absolutely miserable for herself. The urge to throw up always came at the most inconvenient times, whether it was three in the morning or one in the afternoon after just finishing her lunch. She always ended up right at the toilet bowl dispelling what was left in her stomach. It almost reminded her of that morning in London and she would relive the embarrassment moment all over again puking in Tom Holland’s toilet. She groaned as she rested her head on the porcelain seat. She did not need those memories to come back to her right now; being sick was enough torture.

For a couple days she finally felt like she was on the mend. She hadn’t had a spell of nausea for thirty-six hours. Her appetite returned full throttle with the craving of raspberry jam crumpets, for which she devoured a total of four in one sitting. She couldn’t be more relieved and satisfied that the worse was finally over and she called up work saying she would be back the next day. Her fatigue still hadn’t let up and she would get a few dizzy spells every now and then, but for the most part, Alessia felt fine enough to go back to her to work routine. She missed the flower shop too much; the colourful, cheerful atmosphere never failed to bring joy to her and the wonderful smell of lavender and roses would always lift her spirits. It was like a second home to her.

A couple weeks passed and aside from a few bouts of queasiness and persisting lethargy, Alessia was back in action and arranging bouquets like no other. She was considering going to her doctor to try and tackle this fatigue that never seemed to let up, but hadn’t found the time yet to arrange an appointment. She was keeping herself too busy. Well at least, that’s what her mother said.

“I worry about you, Lessie. You look tired. You never give enough time for yourself,” she remarked out of blue on their monthly lunch date, her eyebrows frowning down at her in concern.

Alessia sighed warily, not wanting to deal with her mother’s fussiness right now.

“I’m fine, Mum. I just think the combination of jet lag and getting sick must’ve overwhelmed my body for a bit,” she reassured as she bit into her chicken salad, “I’m fine,” she repeated. She hoped it would be enough to appease her. It was not.

Her mum observed her for moment, eyes running all over her face then coming back to peer into her soul. They squinted at her sceptically.

“I think you should see a doctor,” she said finally, prompting Alessia’s fork to clank down on her plate.

“Mum,” she whined, picking her fork back up and placing her other hand on her forehead to rub away the headache that was beginning to form.

“What? Don’t ‘Mum’ me. It’s been two months since you’ve come back from Europe, three weeks since you were sick with that bug, and you still aren’t well. That’s not normal, honey.”

“Fine. If it’ll make you happy, I’ll book an appointment with Doctor Cox,” Alessia grumbled petulantly, stabbing at her salad mindlessly. She was already planning on going to the doctors anyway, but for whatever reason, her mum bringing it up just suddenly made her not want to go now. It was that old ingrained trait of hers in always wanting to disobey everything her mother said. Alessia knew more than anyone that it was hard to shake that annoyance of being told what to do, even when reaching adulthood.

“You’ll book it for tomorrow,” her mother ordered with no room for question. Alessia groaned in frustration, flinging her hands up in the air at her bossiness.

“But I’ve got to clean my bathroom and kitchen tomorrow. Plus I was hoping to find some time to focus on my music, I haven’t played my keyboard since I got back from Europe and I finally have some inspiration to write something. Do you know how hard it is to get motivated to write?” she rambled on, trying to make up as many excuses as she could.

“Alessia,” her mum called out warningly, not taking any of her daughter’s bullshit. Her gaze was strong and deadly, and Alessia shivered knowing the potential wrath behind those eyes.

“Okay, I’ll make the appointment,” the daughter relented, shoulders slumping heavily and eyes closing as she let out a long drawn breath. Man, her mother could be trying at times.

She scheduled the appointment for the next morning, feeling oddly nervous for no apparent reason whilst driving to the clinic. Doctor Cox was a lovely dark woman in her mid forties, quick as a whip and as kind as the sun’s warmth on a spring morning. If anyone knew what was wrong her, it’d be Doctor Cox. As always, her raven hair was woven into a beautifully made braid and her eyes sported a pair of smart spectacles. She greeted Alessia with a warm smile, directing her patient to sit in the chair facing her desk.

“What can I do to help you today, Alessia?”

The girl in question scooted back into her chair, hands folded into each other, thumbs fiddling in her lap.

“Um, I’ve been feeling a bit tired lately, more so than usual. You see, I just came back from a trip in Europe a couple of months ago and had to adjust to the jet lag. So I thought the fatigue was just due to that...but the thing is, I’ve been getting plenty of sleep at night now, at least eight to nine hours worth, and I still I feel sluggish every single day,” she confessed. The doctor hummed thoughtfully, typing out notes on her computer, giving no indication of her thoughts.

“Are there any other symptoms present?”

“Uh, I did get sick about three weeks ago with a vomiting bug, and still get the occasional bouts of nausea and dizziness.”

The doctor nodded, her face still as blank as a canvas. Alessia could get no read on her whatsoever.

“How long did the vomiting occur?” she questioned whilst tapping the buttons on her keyboard like a speedster.

Alessia paused thoughtfully, trying to recall that horrid week,“About five to six days give or take, it was kinda off and on.”

The typing stopped suddenly.

“Off and on how so?” Doctor Cox clarified curiously, an eyebrow raised.

“Well one day I would be good, completely normal, and then the next morning I’d be puking my guts out. The vomiting kept on coming and going.”

“Uh huh,” she nodded, returning back to the computer to type some more, “and you said you were getting dizzy as well?”

Alessia nodded her head in confirmation, her right hand pinching her middle finger. She forgot how much she hated all the questions being thrown at her when being examined by a doctor. They just seemed to throw them nonstop.

“How often does the dizziness occur?”

“Um every now and then. Sometimes daily.”

“Have you ever fainted, or felt close to fainting?”

“I have felt faint yes, but haven’t actually blacked out.”

“Are you a vegetarian or vegan?”

“No, neither. I love meat too much. What would life be without bacon?”

“Yes what would life be,” she chuckled, “do you usually have a heavy blood flow when menstruating?”

She paused awkwardly at that one, squirming in her seat,“Um, yes. Usually for the first two or three days.”

“Hmm, okay...” she finished typing on her computer, “and are you sexually active?”

That nearly made Alessia fall out of her goddamn chair.

“Uh...come again?” she squeaked, her eyes wide and hand gripping tightly to the armrest beside her. Memories of London flashed by quickly in her mind; hungover, naked, lying next to a movie star.

“Have you been sexually active, as in recently had sexual intercourse?” the woman repeated calmly.

“Um...” her face flushed in embarrassment, her heart racing in panic, “I- I-” why did she have to ask that? How could that question possibly connect to her being sic- oh god. Oh fricken god. How could she be so stupid? Two months. It had been two fricken months.

“It’s okay, take your time. This is a private place, nothing gets outside of these walls, I promise,” the doctor reached over and placed a hand on her knee comfortingly, waiting patiently for her reply.

“I...” she gulped, her chest heaving as all the pieces started coming together. The tiredness, the nausea, the constant craving of crumpets, “I...um...I...” she was peeing more frequently. She had thought that it was just all the water she’d been drinking lately but...and her breasts! God her breasts had started to ache. She just figured it was a hormonal thing and that she was finally getting her period- god it couldn’t be- she couldn’t be-“...I lost my virginity recently,” she breathed.

Doctor Cox blinked in brief surprise and then adjusted glasses, her calm facade returning back promptly

“Oh. How recently exactly?” she asked cautiously.

Alessia breathed in deeply, closing her eyes, “Two months ago,” she murmured, her entire body slumping as she rubbed away the tension in between her eyes. She could already feel the tears burning beneath her eyelids.

“I see. And when did your last menstruating cycle end?” 

“A bit over two months,” she mumbled into her hands, her fingers dragging down her face whilst wiping away her sniffles. Her eyes became red with tears and chest heaved up and down, desperate for air, “am I...?” she croaked miserably, looking at her doctor for any answer that wasn’t what she was thinking.

“There’s no point in jumping to any conclusions just yet,” Doctor Cox interrupted, “I’d like to run some tests before we determine anything. There could be multiple diagnoses for the symptoms you possess and I don’t want to rush into things and make you panic about something that might not even be applicable to you in the first place,” she explained logically, spinning back to her computer, clicking on her mouse and typing a few keys, “I’m gonna write you up for a full blood count, a glucose level check and a hCG test. Basically these tests will tell us if there is any sign of a virus in your system, check how blood sugar level is going and test how high your hCG level is. Your iron count will also be measured which is what I’m most concerned about. A lot of woman, especially at your age, suffer from iron deficiency and your symptoms hint heavily at this diagnosis. However, with the information of your sexual activity and your last menstruation it does lead to the possible conclusion that you are...” the printer screeched back and forth, signalling the deliverance of the test referral, “...pregnant, Miss Carter,” the doctor sighed sympathetically, handing her over the form.

Alessia stared at it with watery eyes, her body unmoving as her doctor voiced the conclusion she had already come to in her own mind. It was finally out there. Pregnant. She could be pregnant. The girl now understood why she was so nervous about coming in today. It’s like subconsciously she already knew what would happen.

“Of course, we won’t know for sure until the test results come back. It should only take a couple days at the most. I’ll let you know as soon as they come in and we can arrange an appointment to discuss the results. All you have to do now is head down to pathology and they’ll run all the tests for you.”

She made no move to get out of her seat, still frozen on the chair and staring at the referral form in her hand. She stared at it but wasn’t actually seeing it, the words and boxes a complete blur to her. How did it get to this? How did she even let herself get into this situation? What the hell will she do? Pregnant. Pregnant. She was-

“As I said, Miss Carter, there’s no need to panic about something that isn’t confirmed yet. My best advice for you is get some rest, clear your mind and focus on the now’s, not the what if’s,” she spoke softly, standing up and placing her hand on her shoulder, “and if it’s any consolation, if the pregnancy test turns out to be positive, just know I’ll be there to help you every step of the way. I’ll answer any questions you have and help you arrange any appointments that you’ll need if it comes to the situation. You won’t be alone,” she reassured firmly, squeezing her shoulder.

Alessia nodded shakily, thankful for the doctor’s kind words and for helping her snap her out of her daze.

“Thank you,” she whispered, slowly standing up and making her way out of the room.

“I’ll speak to you soon,” Doctor Cox farewelled, her warm honey eyes conveying total calm.

Alessia nodded and waved at her awkwardly before making her way quickly out of the office and downstairs to pathology. The tests went by in a distorted haze. Normally she was absolutely terrified of needles, but today Alessia could barely feel the prick going into the crook of her elbow. She couldn’t even hear the voice of the chatty redheaded nurse taking her blood. Everything was submerged underwater. Cold. Quiet. Unnerving.

The drive home was a quick and direct route though she barely made it out alive, having several close calls with multiple cars and unexpected trees that she swear on her life came out of nowhere. Her keys rattled and clanked as she frantically searched for the right one to open her apartment. It took multiple attempts to finally get into the lock but eventually she got there and accidentally slammed the door a bit hard behind her. She couldn’t find it within herself to care in that moment.

She flopped immediately down on her couch, feet resting on one of the armrests and head tilted up towards the white ceiling. Snippets of waking up to a similar ceiling fluttered into her mind, all dazed and disoriented, the memories of the night before nonexistent, blacked out, erased. Her body aching and the warmth of an arm wrapped around her stomach...

That was where it all began. 

And now she was left in an agonising state of reliving that memory over and over again, nervously awaiting its consequences.