#i cried this morning because i couldn't pick up something correctly

[im-a-marion3tt3]

A little drabble of Phantom having a very bad day. Tw/Cw for sh and dissociation (depersonalization)

"....." "... ...tom" "Phantom" "Phantom" "Hey, are you with me?" A soft voice mumbles from somewhere around him. He's not too sure who's talking to him.

Today had just been a bad day to say the least. It started off this morning when he dropped his breakfast, ruining half of it and with that, his appetite. As he went to clean up, he tore his pants in the cabinet and tripped in the process, causing him to have a meltdown for lack of better words. Swiss told him that it was okay, Mountain could fix the pants and that he'd clean up the spill so Phantom didn't have to worry. The young ghoul stormed away to his room, still in tears and flopped onto his bed, hiding beneath the covers as he cried himself to sleep. It wasn't until 3 pm that he finally woke up once more, which annoyed him because he wasted the entire day. He changed his clothes but they didn't fit right, his pants were too loose and his shirt was too tight. He didn't have time to change again, having practice to go, so off he went, only to get his sleeve caught on the door. He couldn't cry over this though, not now, so he sucked up his tears and kept moving. Practice went without a hitch, that was until he started playing wrong. It got him a scolding from Dew, stressing that he knew Phantom could play the part and the fact he wasn't doing that was unexpected, especially since they were trying to figure out how everything sounded for their new album. Softly, he had apologized, looking down at his feet as they took it from the top. He tried so hard the next time but still couldn't play correctly this time, it was as if his fingers were made of lead. All Dew had to do was turn and look at him to get a harsh yell of "I'm sorry! Fucking replace me at this point if it's such a bother!" And with that, he threw his guitar down, much harder than one should ever set down a guitar, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The rest of the band was left speechless, their usually bubbly youngest was simply not himself. Phantom went and hid again, needing to be alone. He found himself in the pantry in the kitchen, closing the door behind him as he sat in the far back corner, under a shelf, his tail spilling into his mouth. It was a bad habit but the slight sting of him biting it helped to ground him a little bit. However, he didn't realize when the biting became sucking on it like a child as he slowly started to zone out more and more. Eventually it was dark, darker than the lightless closet he was sitting and Phantom felt light and airy but as though he was no longer within his body. It was scary. And that brings us to now.

Phantom looked at Rain, his eye round and fearful as he nearly bounced on his band mate in a hug, his tail slipping from his mouth. The water ghoul steady himself, startled by the attack, before carefully wrapping the smaller in a hug and picking him up. He took the 2 of them out of the pantry and set him down on the kitchen counter. Rain held him a little longer before slowly pulling back, grabbing Phantom's hands.

"Why are you so scared?" Rain asked softly, having seen his expression. It caused another panic look and for phantom's tail to flick in panic.

"It's okay, Tom, I have you. It's just me and you right now, no need to rush your words," he continued, holding onto the other a little tighter and offering him a genuine look.

"I wasn't.... me" he says, far more panices than Rain had ever heard. He wanted to fill in the blanks, to say something along the lines of that he understood and Dew should have been nicer but then again, Rain felt like there probably was more to it.

"What do you mean by that?" Rain spoke in a soft tone, trying encourage more.

Phantom felt too panic to speak though, no words coming to tongue so he tried to charade it, gesturing to himself then upward before covering his eyes all while shooting a silent prayer to Satan that Rain would get it.

Rain did not get that but he still spoke gently, "That seems really scary, I'm so sorry," before pulling him into a hug.

"Dew wanted to speak to you if you feel up for it, he's not mad at you. Promise. I think he's more mad at himself. It doesn't excuse what he did, but he's under a lot of stress right now." Phantom just nodded and leaned against his chest. Dew could wait, Phantom just needed someone to hold him for a little bit longer

Sorry for taking so long to post 😭 I'll try to get more frequent. Also, I'm sorry if it's very jumbled and not the most cohesive, I'll try to get better at writing again

[beaversatemygrandma]

Remember how i said i was scared i may have caught the rona even though i never leave the house anymore? I didn’t. I’m fine.  I had a fever for 2-3 days and my whole body feels like ass. But I’m good. Physically. 

Turns out the sheer pain coming from my out-of-date glasses prescription and my wisdom tooth is driving me to absolute hell and my body wants these things fixed so i can go back to regularly functioning but the US has other plans.  I can hardly speak from the pain in my jaw, i at least don’t want to speak. I haven’t worn my glasses all day today because it got to the point where i couldn’t even move my eyes without the feeling as if they were going to burst out of my head. And somehow my body had a fever of 101 that went down to 96.5 (BELOW Regular body temp btw) at night and went right back up in the morning. 

I feel like I’m not only losing my mind in quarantine but losing control of my own health because i can’t afford to go out and get this shit fixed. 

[ejlovespie]

Heartbroken (Pt. 1)

Fandom: Supernatural

Author: EJ (@ejlovespie)

Summary: The reader sacrificed herself to save Dean so when she comes back she is surprised and heartbroken to find him living a new life with Lisa and Ben. Will they be able to fix their broken relationship when they reunite?  

Pairing: Dean x reader

Word Count: 1900

Warnings: Angst/Cursing/Depression 

A/N: I would love to hear any feedback you have to give. Any mistakes are mine. Thank you for reading! :)

You were on the outside looking in; in more ways than one. You stood with Sam, who was not himself, on a street of a nice suburb. You hid in the shadows and stared into a large front window on a house across the street. Inside the house, sitting around a dining table, you saw the man you loved having dinner with his new family. Sam had explained in a bored voice that the woman and the kid were Lisa and Ben, two people you had heard of but never expected to see. Sam was...off and you knew you should be concerned for him but at this moment all you could feel was pain. The sight of them all smiling and laughing together like they were in a Hallmark movie had your heart aching in a way that was so tangible. You felt like at any moment, it would give out and you would die all over again. To be clear, it wasn't the sight of Dean with them that hurt you so much; it was knowing how little he cared for you. You had died; no. You had sacrificed yourself to save him, to save the world from the apocalypse, and not even a month later he had moved on. He looked like he was finally happy. This is heartbreak you thought to yourself.

You weren't sure how long you and Sam had stood there, watching them, before you both left, leaving Dean to live his new life. You thought back to the events that led you here. You, Sam, and Samuel had woken up when you should never have. The three of you were dead but someone or something had brought you back. The first thing you had done was go find Dean.

Next, you went to find Bobby and let him in the loop. You all had agreed to leave Dean out of the current events, so you had gone your separate ways. Sam decided to join his newly discovered family while you, in a heartbroken haze, decided to move on. In a car loaned from Bobby, you drove in a daze. You weren’t sure where you would go; you just needed to get as far away from Dean as possible. You knew it wasn’t true but you had hoped if you drove far enough away, you could forget everything. Forget him.

1 Year Later 

You were sitting alone in your motel room when you got the call. You knew this day would come, when Dean found out about you, Sam, and Samuel, but you had hoped for more time. You stared at your vibrating phone and Dean’s name flashing across the screen. You couldn’t, wouldn’t, answer it so you just stared at it until it stopped. He had called you three times before your phone chirped, letting you know you had a new voicemail message, then it went silent. Shit. Your phone buzzed again as a text message popped up on your screen. Shit. Shit. It had been a really long day and you were not ready to talk to him. You eyed the bottle of liquor you had bought from the gas station on the corner and decided to get drunk and face the music in the morning.      

                                                     -

You didn’t know how much time had passed, only that your bottle was half empty. At some point the dingy room had started to spin around you. You had hoped the booze would help you to forget about your phone and the messages you had yet to read. Why couldn't you forget him? You had tried so hard over the past year. Thinking about Dean Winchester living his new apple-pie life was bittersweet; heavy on the bitter. Knowing he was out of the life, safe and happy, was the only thing that brought you any peace. You loved him with everything you had. Hell, you died to keep him and Sam safe. Then you would remember how Dean always looked at you, like he pitied you. He knew your feelings for him and because he didn’t feel the same way, he felt bad for you. Dean’s face popped into your mind then. His green eyes, flecked with gold. His strong, stubbled jaw and full lips. His smile, which was so rare but would light up a room. You may be drunk but you could never forget the details to his face. 

A groan escaped your lips and suddenly you were desperate to hear his voice again. Picking up your phone, you pulled up the voicemail you had been avoiding. You clicked the play button and held it to your ear before you could change your mind. There was a short pause before Dean spoke, 

“Y/N..It’s Dean. I know everything; Sam filled me in. Call me back.” 

He sounded pissed. With that one short message, a slew of memories filled your drunken head and all of the pain you had been trying to bury hit you at once. The sound of his gruff voice, his unique smell of whiskey, leather, and the impala. His tall, muscular body, his strong arms and hands. A tear rolled down your cheek without your permission and you quickly wiped it away with the back of your hand. You checked your phone again and read his text message. 

Call me. Now.

You snorted and mumbled drunkenly, “Bossy...boss pants. How are you so sexy over text. S’not fair.” 

Grabbing the bottle in front of you, you poured some more liquor into your empty glass and nearly fell out of your chair when your phone started vibrating on the table again. Dean’s name flashed across the screen and you wanted to hear his voice so badly, even if he was pissed at you. You resisted answering...until he called again and you couldn’t take it anymore. You clumsily picked up the phone and brought it to your ear and listened. 

"Y/N?"    

Dean practically barked at you on the other line. There was a short pause and then he spoke again in a more controlled voice. 

"Y/N. I know you're there." 

He sounded...sad? Frustrated? You heard a sigh and then Dean kept talking. 

"Fine. You don't have to talk. Just listen...Sam told me everything. Apparently the three of you have been back for a whole year." 

His voice was getting hard, angry again and you could hear him take a breath before going on. 

"I know you guys wanted me to have a normal life but I know now okay? I'm hunting again and I need to see you...We need to talk."

You had imagined this conversation and what you would say to him when he confronted you. Your drunken brain tried remembering the rehearsed words but you couldn't remember. At some point tears had started to roll down your cheeks. You were horrified when you opened your mouth and a strangled, broken sound came out. Dean said your name again but you couldn't listen anymore. You thought about the night you came back and your heart broke all over again. You opened your mouth the words rushed out in a sob. 

"There's nothing to talk about. Bye Dean." 

Hanging up the phone, you broke down. Your phone rang for a while before you shut it off. You sat alone, drunk in a craphole motel room, and finished your bottle of cheap booze and cried, wishing you had never been brought back. 

6 Months Later 

You were in between cases, which you hated because it left you with too much time to think. Working kept you busy, kept your thoughts away from the Winchesters, away from the past. You were at the bar, nursing a beer, when you heard a fluttering behind you. You knew what, or rather who, it was right away. You took another sip of your beer before turning in your seat to face Cas. He looked the same as always. He was wearing the same brown trench coat, blue tie, and serious expression. Cas nodded at you and then took the open seat on your right. He sat for a long moment, not saying a word. When he finally looked at you, Cas surprised you by saying, 

“You’ve lost weight. Why?”

Deciding to ignore that comment, you answered his question with one of your own. 

“What are you doing here Cas?” 

Blue eyes stared at you like they knew all of your secrets and you started to fidget in your seat a bit. 

“Sam and Dean sent me to find you. I need to take you to them.”

“You’re supposed to be a powerful angel Cas. Why are you letting the boys boss you around like you're their bitch.” 

You snorted when his face remained stoic and he said nothing again for a minute. 

“I don’t know what that means but they need to talk to you. Apparently, your phones have been disconnected but I suspect that was on purpose.”

“You suspected correctly.”

Cas sighed and an irritated look crossed over his face.

“Y/N I don’t have time for this. We’re leaving.

Before you could react, Cas had grabbed your arm and you were zapped through space and time. One minute you were in the bar and the next you had blinked and found yourself in Bobby’s living room. Looking down, you realized your beer was still in your hand. You brought it to your lips and finished it before setting it on the coffee table. Shit. You looked around the room and noticed Cas had disappeared again. Traitor. You mumbled to yourself. Picking up your empty beer bottle, you walked to the kitchen to find the trashcan and froze in the doorway.

Dean was leaning against the counter, legs crossed in front of him, looking at something on his phone. This was the first time you have seen him up close in at least two years. He was just as gorgeous as you remembered. You swore you could feel your heart skip a beat in your chest when he looked up at you and straightened. Anger filled Dean’s eyes and his jaw started to tick. Putting his phone down on the counter, he stared at you and you stared back at him and waited for him to say something. Anything. It felt like an eternity passed before he walked over to you, plucked the bottle from your hand, and tossed it in the bin behind him. Turning back to you, Dean looked you over and you panicked internally. His expression became angrier, his nose flaring slightly and his lips pursed. With gritted teeth, he said, 

“Look who Cas dragged in.” 

His words cut you, even more than his glare. You knew he was beyond pissed. You tried to turn to leave when Dean’s large hand had reached up to grip your chin, turning you back to face him. He continued to stare at you and you stared back up into his eyes. Suddenly, his arms were around you, gripping you so tightly you were having a hard time breathing. Dean’s smell surrounded you and you felt his stubbled chin rest on the top of your head. You had never hugged each other like this. Closing your eyes, you wrapped your arms around Dean and breathed him in. You knew an argument was coming but right now you would just enjoy being held by the man you love.

To Be Continued... 

Dean Girls: 

@akshi8278​

[l000ey]

i got you ━ storm

𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮 ━ 𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖺 𝗅𝖾𝖾 𝗑 𝖻𝗍𝗌

𝑺𝑼𝑴𝑴𝑨𝑹𝒀 ━ 𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖺 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝖺𝖾𝗁𝗒𝗎𝗇𝗀'𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝖺𝗅𝖾𝖽

𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺 ━ 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍, 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗑 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝖻𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈, 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝗃𝗈𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾

𝑨/𝑵 ━ 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝖺 𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝗈𝗍

𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹 ━ 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟢

• 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮'𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

She laughed at the message Mark had sent her, a stupid instagram meme. She gave it a like while with her left hand she opened the door of the house. She waited to hear the now so familiar screams of the boys when she opened the door but the silence made her raise her head from her phone, she frowned when she saw the seven sitting in the room talking in low voices as if they were sharing secrets, except for Jungkook who was in complete silence staring at the ceiling. She put her bag on the table, the sound of the keys hitting the glass caught the attention of the seven boys.

"What have i done now?" She laughed jokingly as she approached her groupmates. She expected someone to laugh at her joke but none did, not even the slightest smile. Her body tensed as the air in the room thickened.

"We have to talk." Namjoon's serious voice sent a chill run down her spine, she raised an eyebrow leaning against the television cabinet. A memory came to her memory, the situation was very similar to when she almost left the group years ago.

"Uh, okay?" She looked for Yoongi's gaze but he didn't reciprocate as he was very interested in the floor. A pain planted in her chest.

"Did you had sex with Taehyung?" The leader's question almost made her choke on her own saliva, her eyes darted to find the boy who shook his head.

"W-What?" Her voice came out hoarse, suddenly her throat was dry.

They knew it, they knew it and they were going to kick her out of the group. God, she was going to lose her family and everything she had worked for for four quick fucks.

The oldest of the group cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the situation "We know that you and taehyung...you slept together."

"Did you tell him ?!" She exclaimed to Taehyung, shocked and hurt. They had sworn that no one would ever know, for the good of both of them and the group "We agreed that we would not talk about it."

"I didn't say anything" The older's deep voice rang out across the room. The girl snorted in denial and separated her gaze from his.

"Arabella, this is not..."

“Look, it was many years ago and it was only once. You don't have to worry, we have nothing. We're just friends. ”She crossed her arms over her chest interrupting the leader.

"But that doesn't matter!" He raised his voice making everyone jump in their place. His face had turned red and the vein on his neck popped out “Since they put Yoongi hyung, Hoseok, you and me together we decided that nothing could ever happen in the group. Don't you understand how dangerous this is? BTS could go to hell for your hormones!" The leader was angry and it could be clearly seen since he never raised his voice to the girl, he never swore when he addressed her, much less called her by her name.

At that moment she wanted to cry.

“You are stupid! All our work, everything we've suffered could go to shit because of you. Do you understand?" He screamed again and this time a pout formed on her lips, Namjoon's gaze softened for a moment when he saw her like that but he quickly returned to its dark and cold tone "We live scared if at some point someone finds out who you are sleeping with, but this is the last straw".

"Namjoon..." She heard Jin in a mumble but they both ignored him. The only girl clenched her jaw angrily, she hated feeling like this. With tearful eyes she looked up at him.

“I know it was stupid but we were kids. It has not happened again and it will never happen again. I understand that you are angry, but you must stop treating me like if i was a fucking kid. I have sex, I like sex!" She exclaimed approaching him. Yoongi and Hoseok got up quickly in case they had to intervene “I'm not a baby. I'm not fourteen anymore, Namjoon. You can stop being my father, I'm old enought for that" Her tone relaxed, she looked at him sadly but more angrily.

Namjoon barely glanced at her before speaking again, this time with disdain “You have disappointed me, Arabella. I expected more from you, i expected for you to not be a whore”.

A silence filled the room, although it was interrupted by gasps of surprise from some of the members. She opened her mouth, looking at him hurt. This couldn't be happening. She sniffed, looking at him saddened and angry. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to cry "I guess you're not the only one disappointed here."

She went to the table and after taking her bag she approached the door, she looked at him with a sarcastic smile "Ah, I've done threesomes, put it on the list of disappointments."

And with that she left the house. The pale skinned one sighed, drawing everyone's attention.

"Where are you going, hyung?" Jimin's sweet voice brought some peace to the tense situation.

Without looking at him, Yoongi headed for the door as well “I'll go find her. It's late, I don't want something to happen to her”.

"Let me know when you find her." He and Seokjin shared a nod before he left the house. The older of the group turned his head towards the leader "Nam, I can't believe you say that to her."

“Hyung, it was my fault. I kissed her” The other protagonist of the drama confessed looking at how his fingers played between them. He looked up at the youngest rapper in the room "I started it all, it wasn't her fault. After having se-..." He swallowed so hard his throat hurt when the older one glared at him "... doing that she felt very bad about what happened, she even cried".

"Was that why you didn't talk to each other for a whole month?" Jhope shifted instead so he could focus on his donsaeng better "That was in...2010? If I remember correctly" When he nodded Jimin pulled his little hands out of his hoodie pockets and started counting on his fingers, he gasped widening his eyes in surprise.

"You were sixteen and she was fifteen, you were very young."

This time it was Seokjin who gasped as he hit the boy sitting next to him on the shoulder "You perverted my baby!" He brought his hand to his chest in a dramatic "My poor baby."

"Well, it seems that she is not much of a saint either" Jimin's laugh sounded like one of a schoolgirl excited by some rumor.

"No...let's not talk about this anymore" The voice of the dimpled one interrupted the light atmosphere that Jimin and Jin had managed to create to ease the tension. As soon as he spoke the air became thick again. He glared at them from his spot "We won't tell anyone, but I don't want to see Taehyung and Arabella alone. We'll have to keep our eyes open."

"Hyung" Daegu's boy whimpered like a regretful puppy, he opened his mouth to explain that his relationship with Bella was no longer like that but the sound of the eldest Kim's cell phone interrupted him.

The name of the other boy from Daegu was written on the screen when Jin took the phone out of his pocket, quickly accepted the call and put it on the speaker.

"Have you found her? Is she okay?" Hoseok was the first to speak, approaching his hyung almost sitting on top of Jimin, who complained.

"No, I've gone to her apartment but she's not there. I've called some of her friends but Venus won't pick it up, Sunmi is in Japan and Mark says he has no idea pf whre she can be. I can't think of who else to call, I'm going to that coffee shop that she like so much but I doubt she is there. "

Taehyung bit his lower lip bringing his face closer to the phone while the others shared worried glances "Maybe she went to some party, maybe she's at Red sunbaenim's nightclub."

"Jigoku? Nah, it's closed today. I looked at it on their schedule on Google" The wind sounded strong making Yoongi have to raise his voice so they were able to hear him, he frowned when he got to the cafeteria and saw that It was closed. He looked at the time on his rolex, of course it was closed, it was one thirty in the morning. He let out a sigh "The cafeteria is closed."

"Maybe she went to one of our apartments, we all have keys" Jimin shrugged trying to come up with a solution.

"Why would she go to one of our houses having her own?" Yoongi's kick came off the phone again "Yah, Park Jimin that's so stupid."

The grey haired boy made a mini pout "I just wanted to help."

"I think it's not a bad idea, we should at least go check it out" Jin said while Hoseok stroked Park's arm trying to comfort him.

Jungkook got up from his place, all eyes were directed to him since he had not said anything at any time. Namjoon, who had also remained silent, frowned as he saw the maknae disappear down the hall and a few seconds later he returned with his keys in hand.

"Where are you going?".

The smallest of the group looked at him without any expression "To fix your mistake" And then he went out the door making him sigh, he brought his face against his hands.

"These kids are going to kill me one day."

A few minutes later Jungkook found himself in the elevator of the expensive and luxurious apartment building in which the group lived. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, he was angry and hurt but mostly confused. He liked Arabella, fuck liking. He was in love with Arabella Lee and knowing that she had slept with Taehyung didn't help his feelings, of course. He clenched the bunch of keys in his hands, not only was he angry at Arabella, Taehyung and himself but he was also angry at Namjoon. How dare he call her a whore when she looked at him as if he painted the stars and hung the moon in the sky? Namjoon was one of the people Arabella loved the most in this world but he had to open his big mouth while he seeing everything red.

He sighed trying to relax when he started to shiver with anger, he decided to think of something else like where he could find the girl. He got out of the elevator when it opened letting him see the garage full of expensive cars, he went to his but something made him stop in the way. He looked at the green sign that indicated the stairs and below these a panel with the number of floors in the building, a little light came on over his head when he read the word rooftop.

She loved the rooftops, she loved to go up to smoke while she saw the views that the city of Seoul could offer.

"I got you" He smiled and went back to the elevator, pressing the button that led to the top floor, when he reached it he went to the stairs that led to the rooftop. He opened the door and immediately found her, there she was smoking a cigarette exactly as he had predicted.

He sighed again, this time remembering the last time the two of them met on a rooftop. He mentally cursed before approaching her, he gave her a small smile when she looked up and their eyes locked. She did not answer him but after a few seconds observing him without saying anything she got up releasing the white tube and throwing herself at his arms, it was not long until he felt his shirt get wet. He stroked her back lovingly, letting her cry.

"Shh, I got you. Everything is okay" He kissed her hair ignoring the bitter feeling that began to rise in the back of his throat.

[hoopdiddies]

I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 2)

Summary: You had always loved Ben ever since you two met at university and became the best of friends. That feeling went out like a candle flame when the two of you parted ways until he re-entered your life...but this time with someone who has already occupied his heart.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, FlUFf, AnGst. Just one mention of alcohol.

WC:2184

A/N: Irrelevant but omg tomorrow's the Endgame premiere. Please pray for my grieving soul.

Tags: @mrsmazzello , @likeit-or-leaveit

"Hey Joe, I'm going to get something from the car. Mind if I borrow your keys?" You ask Joe who's enjoyed a few drinks but hasn't intoxicated himself. He nods in a lousy way and fish his car keys from his back pocket, dropping it onto your open palm. "Bronze key."

"Thanks, Maz." You ruffle his fiery red hair and leave it a mess, making your way back into the kitchen and through the living room. You had expected to at least find Ben close by but he's probably somewhere else. The guests are gradually leaving anyway so that could be a good thing. Upon reaching the front door and swinging it open, you gasp breathlessly at the sight of Ben standing in front of you.

"Oh god, you scared me." You plant your hand on your chest as to catch your breath and punch his arm jokingly. He rubs his nape, chewing on his bottom lip as a playful smile dares to take form on his face. "Yikes, sorry, Y/N. You were little jumpy there."

"No kidding." You raise an eyebrow as you zip past him, in a rush to get to Joe's car.

"Wait, where are you going?" He calls out and you turn, juggling Joe's keys carelessly. "Just going to get something in Joe's car."

With the amused smile still plastered on his face, he glances sideways and strides over to your side. "I'll go with you."

"I think I'm capable of crossing the street, Ben." You fold your arms together yet to no avail he spins you around and leads you across the empty street to Joe's car, squeezing your hand. Your brows furrow at his eagerness but at the same time, you feel your blood accumulate in your face as the way his fingers entwine around yours triggers a weird spark between you.

However elating it feels, you wonder where Rosy is.

"I know, but I had to tell you something, right?" He looks at you over his shoulder with a lopsided smile and you nod, avoiding eye contact. Upon reaching Joe's car, you pull out the bronze key and unlock the driver's seat to retrieve your wallet from the dashboard.

Afterwards, you slam the door shut and secure the lock, slowly turning to Ben to prompt him to talk. He inhales sharply and shoves his hands into his back pockets. "See, I wanted some advice from you. And a little verbal encouragement." He averts his gaze from yours, leaning towards the hood of the car.

Your brows couldn't be any more higher than they already are. "Did you and Rosy bicker?"

"No. But yes. It is about Rosy." It's almost as if he nearly hesitated to say her name but you could've been just hearing things. You encourage him to go on and he does, lacking the will to look you in the eye thereby giving you the inkling that he wants something to progress between them.

"Thing is, do you think I'm ready?" He finally looks at you directly and you smirk. "Ready for what?"

"For you know...that life."

"You're not making any sense, Ben."

He scratches the side of his nose and swears underneath his breath, letting out a faint chuckle. "I'm not good at this."

"Just build up the words right."

"Okay, do you think I'm ready for a new life with her? You know," and out of the fear that he might say the thing you now dread the most, you unconsciously hold your breath in, "settling down?"

It takes a good five seconds for you to fully comprehend the latter words and just as Ben is about to snap his fingers to bring you back to reality, you heave out a rough exhale and force a supportive smile at him. "If you want to, of course."

"What would I be like as a husband?" He just had to ask. Had he meant that in the fictional situation where you were in the place of Rosy, you would have a definite answer. But he's asking you as a friend. As someone who knows you and looks at you from a sibling-like perspective.

You feel yourself crumble from the inside as you open your mouth to answer. "You as a husband? Oh god, the horrors!" You joke to mask the pain.

He rakes his hand through his hair and plays along. "Come on, Y/N. Silly idea but I wanna hear it from you."

"Why me? Why not the girl who inspired you to ask this?"

He takes a light step forward and rubs your shoulders, having his green eyes burn through you. "Because you've known me longer."

Yes, I have. But why did you still pick her? The inner voice in your head cries out. The only rational thing you could do now is be here for him. As you always have. No matter how painful it is, you love him enough to support him with this.

"You as a husband? You wouldn't be perfect, " you pause to look down but after doing so resume, "you'd have your fights, temper tantrums and frankly, I doubt you could be a lot less messier in the morning."

"Y/N-"

"But your ability to love makes up for your imperfections, Ben. I know of Rosy's little episodes and despite her being a mess sometimes, being moody and hard to handle, you loved her regardless," you gently press your palm against Ben's cheek, caressing his skin softly, "you'd be the husband whom she'd wait for at the door every night."

Touched by how delicately you delivered your words, he takes you by surprise and hugs you tight. Your eyes widen for a couple of seconds before finally surrendering to his the beat of his heart, wrapping your arms around him too. No matter how bittersweet the situation is.

You've lived through Ben being that way. He truly is someone you'd always wait for at the door. Someone you wish to wait for.

"How come you're still single?" He asks amusingly and you look up to prevent the tears from falling. "I'm not."

Wait a minute.

Ben quickly releases you from his hold and his expression shifts instantly. "Who's the guy?" He asks you directly and you still haven't recovered from what you just said. In a daze, you ask back. "What?"

"You said you're not single anymore. Who's the lucky guy?"

Why did you say that? You haven't got a clue as to why, it was probably some kind of involuntary thing to fight back the hurt but now that there's no taking back what you said, you play along awkwardly. The somehow bright idea of pretending to be in a relationship to compensate for being in a hopeless situation popping into your mind.

"Um...um. Uh.." You can't think of anyone decent enough but luckily, and unluckily at the same time, you spot Joe jogging across the street over to you and reluctantly, you answer Ben's question.

"Joe!" You say out loud, catching Ben off guard and confusing an approaching Joe. "Hey...guys. What are you two still doing out here?" Joe, clueless to what you just said, asks.

You glance awkwardly at Joe and pull him close to your side. "Yeah, Joe and I are together." You say out of nowhere, making Joe do double-take at you to make sure he's hearing you correctly. Ben's eyes fall as a smile forms on his face. "That's awesome! Since when?"

Just as Joe begins to protest, you answer abruptly before he could utter a word. "Just last week. Sorry for not telling you earlier. We've dated for a while, often so when you and I don't hang out." You swear you could just toss yourself in the middle of the road and hope for a truck to run you over.

As being the only one who knows how you really feel about Ben, Joe seems to catch your drift instantly and what you're trying to pull, so he decides to play along.

"Is that right, mate?" Ben asks curiously and Joe nods in the most casual way possible. "Yeah. Been seeing this lovely girl for a while now."

"I see."

"Ben, darling! There you are!" You close your eyes as you hear Rosy call out from a feet across. Ben shrugs meekly before whisking past you and Joe in his way to Rosy.

"Hey babe, sorry. I was just helping Y/N with something." He smiles down at her. She gives you an almost curt glance and smiles back at Ben. "It's alright. Let's get back inside, it's cold out here."

"Yeah."

You apologize to Joe quietly for involving him in your mess yet he doesn't mind, as long as he's helping you get over it. You suddenly feel the need to get back home to recharge your batteries and escape the unwanted strains you get from seeing Ben and Rosy in each other's arms.

You walk towards them and huff. "Hey, uh, Ben? We better get going. I'm so sorry if I can't stay any longer but I have work tomorrow."

He turns his body to you fully and by the looks of it, he's quite disappointed that you have to go so soon. "Oh. Are you sure?"

You nod and he sighs, giving you one last embrace for the night. "If you have to. Thank you for coming and the gift. You have no idea how much it means to me everytime you're around." You ought to slap yourself everytime Ben says something that just breaks you into two. You rest your head over his shoulder and smile softly. "Of course. Thanks for the time as well. Happy Birthday again."

You pull away deliberately and give him and Rosy one last smile before walking back to Joe. He opens the driver's seat for you and you get in, clipping the seatbelt over yourself.

Accepting that you're now in the arms of someone as trustworthy as Joe, Ben smiles crookedly at him."Don't break her heart. That's just one rule, okay?"

"Never been one to do that. Don't worry." Joe reassures with a wink and gets in after you, the two of you waving at Ben and Rosy before driving off. You immediately take out your phone to text Lucy and Gwilym about your rush to leave the party. After doing so, you place your phone on your lap and cover your face with your hands.

"I'm curious, what prompted you to lie to him about being in a relationship with me?" As eager as ever to hold back a laugh, he asks, keeping his eyes firm on the road.

You throw your head back against the seat and tut. "He thought of proposing to Rosy."

"Seriously?"

"He didn't actually say that, per se. But he gave a clear hint. It didn't even seem like a hint."

"But what if he does propose," he adjusts his rearview mirror all the while stealing glimpses of you, "because I can tell you, when a guy implies like that, it's go time." You shrug weakly, "What can I do but be there for him? Yes it'll hurt, a lot, but seeing him happy is enough."

"Are you sure? You've known Ben longer, heck even loved him longer. Why didn't you ever tell him?" Now that Joe's brought up the question, you begin rethinking what could've been had you told him.

You didn't want to ruin what you already had. Your friendship with Ben was already considered a strong bond, it was on all levels...except romantic. You feared it might have just caused a riff in your relationship and damage what you've built with him through the years.

What if he does propose?

Would you still be strong enough to be around him?

You look out the window and trace your finger across the glass. "It's complicated, Joe."

"Okay," Joe exhales softly and raises his brows at you, pressing his lips to a hard line, "if you're tired, feel free to doze off. You look bummed." You smile at him and pat his hand that's on the gear lever, leaning against the window afterwards to take a nap through the drive back.

--

By the time you arrived home, you give Joe a kiss on the cheek and thank him for the night and particularly for saving your ass when you couldn't think of someone to name as your "boyfriend" at that moment. He bids you good night and drives off.

You kick the door to your apartment open and toss your shoes aside, flopping like a pancake onto the couch and feeling your phone buzz from your back pocket. You take it out and find one message from Lucy, two from Gwilym and...one from Ben.

You narrow your eyes as you skip the first, three messages to read Ben's and find yourself unwillingly tear up at one simple text from him.

Hhhh- Ben:

We finally found our soul mates like we once swore. Thanks for bein here, love. Good night, love you.

Your eyes gloss over those two words once more.

,love you.

If only he knew.

(Part 3 will be posted tomorrow...after I come out of the theatre wheezing uwu)

[stormfloret]

Shortly after Nora had gotten Ren into a safe position, his unconscious body began to convulse, short breaths escaping his open mouth as he rocked back and forth on the floor. He was half curled into a fetal position and his eyelids were fluttering rapidly, all the while his hand kept grasping for something that wasn’t there.

Lei watched in horror as his father endured this intense seizure, and a pang of guilt ate at his chest when he came to realize he had caused this. This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't right, but Lei couldn't so anything to stop it. Nora's cries had come across very vaguely to him, almost distant, but when his mother ran at him he threw his hands up in front of his face instinctively. It did him little good as she brought the heavy gun to his skull, however, and his vision went black. He was knocked out fast and his body hit the ground with all the force of Nora's powerful hit.

Ren's body continued to jerk unevenly for a minute or so, and saliva dribbled from his lips and into a small pool on the floor. By the time Nora had returned to his side, he had stopped moving, and he was already coming back to consiousness. A pained groan left Ren's lips as he came to, and he could vaguely hear Nora's voice in his ears.

He opened his eyes and looked around, still not moving from his position, and he locked his gaze on his wife kneeling above him. He blinked a couple times, and then tried to lift his hand to wipe the saliva from his cheek. When his arm flopped uselessly to the side, he whined, and dragged his hand across the cold floor to reach his face, where he used his thumb to wipe himself mostly clean.

Once more he tried to figure out what Nora was saying to him, but he couldn't seem to process her words correctly. He simply stared at her, wracking his brain to figure out what she had said. He felt confused, in more than one way, and he didn't like the feeling.

"Where... 'm I..?" Ren managed to get out a couple words, working hard to string them together correctly. His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced around once more. When his gaze fell on the two people tied up in front of him, his eyes widened, and he let out a confused noise.

Something felt very wrong, Ren was having trouble figuring out why a strange girl was tied up across from his son. His son? Ren stared at Lei's unconscious body and blinked a couple times to make sure he wss seeing things correctly. He was tied up as well? Panic settled in Ren's chest for the sake of his son, and his breathing picked up quickly.

"N-n... mm! Lei-!" having intense trouble trying to get his mouth to properly form words, Ren called out for his son. He looked back to Nora with a scared expression, and whined at her in hopes that she would do something. How could she just sit there while their son was tied to a chair? Ren couldn't wrap his brain around the situation.

He moved to curl up against Nora's body, as much of it as he could manage, and then groaned in pain. His muscles hurt, his whole body hurt, and he felt exhausted. It was only then that he managed to put two and two together, and realized he had just had another seizure. He didn't get them very often anymore, not without a trigger, so he thought back to what he could remember from before the seizure to figure out what happened.

Slowly, it came back to him, as he put the pieces together. Ren had caught Hazel spying on them, and he brought her down here. He wasn't sure if that had been yesterday or the day before, because he couldn't remember what day it was. He remembered hurting Hazel, leaving her overnight, and then visiting the next morning. He remembered trying to kill her...

A soft smile crossed his face as he thought back on the feeling of her gasping for breath underneath him. He recalled just the way she slowly stopped struggling, slowly gave into the idea that she was going to die. Had it worked? Apparently not, because she was tied to her chair once again. That brought up the question of why Lei was also here, also tied up, and why he was unconscious. Ren couldn't seem to remember any of that.

He carefully opened his jaw, stretching it a little to relieve some of the muscle tension and pain in his teeth. He licked his lip once and then glanced back up at his wife. He thought for a couple moments about what he was going to say.

"Why..." his voice was distorted by how little his lips and tongue wanted to move, "why... 's Lei... here..?"

Ren tried to move, huffing as he attempted to sit up, using Nora's arms to hold himself stable. He was able to turn and sit up enough to lean against Nora's shoulder, despite the fact that his body ached. His pain worsened when he moved, but he wanted to be more alert than he was currently, so he did what he could to stay sitting upright. Breathing slowly into Nora's hair, he closed his eyes.

"She... isn't dead... is she?"

how it goes in the mafia

After noticing that he and Nora were not alone, Ren scrawled down a warning to his partner and reached out, wrapping his hand in hers. He passed the small shred of paper from his palm to hers, and then brought her hand up to kiss her fingers gently. He kept eye contact the entire time, a look of reverence on his face, and then finally spoke. "Stay here," he started, hoping she would look at the paper once he left, "I have to go, I'll be back soon." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her lips and smiled.

Turning towards the door, he walked away, opening it and closing it slowly behind him. He walked down the hall and made towards the front door, leaving the building entirely. Once outside, he wrapped his fingers around the guns at his hips and crept along the walls to the back of the building. There, he saw their visitor.

Without a word, or a note of hesitance, Ren got closer and finally wrapped his arm around the spy's neck and held the point of his gun to their temple.

"Quiet now, my dear, we don't want to alarm my wife... she's definitely more dangeous than I." He pressed the gun harder to their head and then turned them around to face him.

He recognized her immediately; Hazel was the daughter of the opposing family, the daughter of their enemy. Had Emerald and Mercury sent her to spy on them? Why send someone so precious?

Ren quelled his surprise and a dark smile flickered over his lips, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, you are going to wish you were never born, sweetheart." He put his gun away quickly and pressed his hand to Hazel's face, covering both her nose and mouth to stifle any breathing. He pushed her back to the wall of the house and held her there, waiting patiently until she stopped struggling and passed out. He held on a little longer than necessary, just to make sure she would stay out for a while, and then picked up her limp body and carried her back inside.

"Nora, darling, we have company!"

Taking her down to their basement, Ren set to work strapping Hazel firmly into a chair. There he leaned against the far wall and waited patiently for her to wake up.

@tcpazed

[qwertycallimit]

One Day

---The Meeting---

"Hi," said the stranger on the next barstool. Slightly annoyed due to the interruption in his chain of thoughts, Rishi looked over to see who it was. This guy was unusually handsome. Tall. Well built. Handlebar moustache. Gelled hair. Black tuxedo. Shiny shoes. Rishi was not used to handsome guys starting a conversation at the bar counter. "Hi," replied Rishi. "Deep thoughts?" asked the stranger. "Yea. I guess so." Rishi's annoyance was increasing at this nosey stranger. "I'm Raj." "Hi, Rishi." "100 bucks if I guess correctly what you're thinking?" "I'm not interested in a magic trick. Thanks." "No it's not a magic trick I swear." "I really don't care." Said Rishi as he got off the barstool and started to walk away. "Yes, Giselle is cheating on you."

Rishi stopped in his tracks. And turned around in a jiffy. "What did you say?"

"Well, in her defence, she's really tired of your ego. And. This might hurt. Karan does last a hell of a lot longer in bed than you. I could show you a video but no man should have to see that."

Rishi was too stunned to speak.

"See? I guessed correctly didn't I?" grinned Raj shamelessly as he broke the silence. "What makes you think I'll just believe you?" "You know you want to. You knew it was true somewhere within." "Who are you? And how do you know all of this? How do you know us?" "I know everybody. It's a part of my job description." "What!? Who are you?" enquired Rishi as he settled himself on the barstool again. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Yaman Raj. Or widely known as Yam Raj."

Rishi couldn't help laughing even in a situation such as his. For the first time since they had met, Raj was maintaining a straight face. "Yam? Like the God of Death, Yam? Come on man. You did make me laugh but you really should reconsider your comic timing. Not really a good time for me right now. You of all people should know that."

"No you don't. But I'm not kidding. I knew you might react similarly, so let me give you a demo."

Rishi humoured him.

"You see that waiter? In exactly 5 seconds he's going to trip over and spill over the drinks on that lady in red dress."

Rishi couldn't​ believe his eyes when the events unfolded exactly as Raj predicted.

"Pure luck." Exclaimed Rishi.

"Really? Even the blue Mercedes that will pull up in 10 secs with number plate ending with 6550?"

Rishi looked out and in exactly 10 seconds, the Mercedes arrived.

"You had a life-threatening fever when you were 12. Nobody knows that. Except your mother. Lovely lady. Anyway, an executive decision was made not to take you that day. We picked up Manan from the next ward." "Ok what the hell is going on?" enquired a really frantic Rishi. "I told you who I am. The sooner you believe me the quicker we get to my business, the better for you." "If you really were Yamraj why are you so impeccably dressed? Why do you look so handsome? And yes, where's your bull?" "Call it an upgrade. It's the 21st century my man. It doesn't just apply to humans. And yes, riding a bull these days? Seriously? I do have a black SUV parked out though. It's better than any other car on this planet." "I am not sure if I should be saying give me a ride. What is it? Are you here to take me?" asked a nervous Rishi. "It's complicated. Here me out."

Rishi didn't say anything. Raj began.

"Well, how do I put this politely!? You have just 24 hours to live. I'm not supposed to be telling you this. I'm not supposed to be here. In fact I've to pick up Kumar from Jhansi in 3 mins. I'm forewarning you because I like you. You're an asshole with an ego the size of Jupiter but I do have a soft corner for you." "Right, being Yamraj's blue eyed boy wasn't really my life-goal." "Shut up. Who do you think enforced that executive decision to let you live when you were 12?" "I don't really care, you're not human I believe now. You've just told a man he's gonna die the next day and you expect normal conversation." "Don't you get it? I've given you 24hrs to live your life before you die. Nobody. I repeat, nobody, gets that. You're extremely lucky. Do what you've wanted to do always that can be done in a day. You can also do what you want and not face the consequences. Do charity. Anything. Really not going to give you anymore ideas. By 7.07 pm tomorrow, I'll pick you up. It's time. Yam out."

With that statement, he just went out of the door. The next second Rishi spotted a black SUV zooming away. He sat there finishing his drink. Not sure what to make of whatever​ transpired in the last 10 mins. He never thought he'd get just a day to live out his life. He didn't know what to do. He had saved up a lot of money for his future. His business was booming. He smiled. How futile. He had no dependents. Except Giselle. "That bitch." he thought. "She had the nerve to cheat on me. I'm sure it's his money. He can't outperform me elsewhere. I'm sure." His anger surged. He had to calm himself down. He ordered another drink. And then another one. He sat their going over his life. Could he have done anything differently along the way. He didn't regret much, except marrying Giselle. He finally checked his watch. 11.34 pm. He downed the last drink, left the place, took a cab back home.

Giselle wasn't home. Still. He checked his phone. She had texted him. 'Baby I'll be late today again. I'm sorry. This pitch is killing me. Don't worry Karan will drop me. You sleep. Good night.'

.

---The Day---

He dug his head into his palms and cried. Cried profusely. Cried his heart out like there's no tomorrow. In his case, there literally wasn't any.

Crawling up on the bed, he realised that he felt a lot sober for the amount of alcohol he had consumed. 'Perks of last day? Oh god. I'm going to die tomorrow. I can't believe that.' With that thought, tears started to roll out of his eyes again.

He woke up early next morning. 6.40 am. He had no hangover whatsoever. Giselle was fast asleep beside him. She always looked extremely beautiful while sleeping. Today was no different. The first rays of the sun, escaping through the curtain gaps illuminated her face, and that mole under her ear. Her beauty had always astonished him, even made him forget his situation. She was wearing his favourite satin nightie that barely came up to her knees when standing. Currently, the way she was sleeping, it barely covered her modesty. It arroused him. It clouded his memory about her deeds behind his back.

He leaned over and gave a peck on her cheek. To his surprise, she opened her eyes. "I was beginning to wonder how long before you do something." she said with the most sensuous of morning voices that always made him go weak all over. "You were awake?" "Ofcourse. You know I can always sense you looking at me mister." He just stared in her eyes, unable to form words. "Now what are you waiting for?" She winked with intent. Before he could lean in again, she grabbed his head, and pulled his face towards her. They kissed. They kissed like they hadn't kissed for ages. They kissed like it was the last time they were kissing. Her tongue was clearly dominating, and he had no problems playing second fiddle. He wasted no time in taking off her nightie. And she got rid of his pesky boxers the next instant. The next hour was spent with the most passionate love making either of them had indulged in, in an extremely long time. They were all over each other. Giselle was sitting on top of Rishi when they were finally done, naked, full of sweat dripping from every inch of her body. They looked at each other and laughed, as they both gasped for breath. She leaned over and lied on him. They both loved the unison of each other's wet naked bodies. Wrapping his arms around her, he couldn't stem the flow of tears. He tightened his embrace. They fell asleep.

After a few of hours, she woke up, which woke him up too. She got up and proceeded towards the shower. He couldn't take his eyes of her. Her long tresses. Her back. Her ass. Her legs. She was perfection for him. She suddenly turned around and caught him staring. "Stop it." she said playfully as she entered the shower. He replied, "Not a chance." Rishi seemed to have totally forgotten about her actions, and his timeline. He decided against telling her anything, considering it pointless.

He got up and followed her in the shower. He couldn't hold himself back. As he opened the door, he found her under the shower in her most fabulous self. He tiptoed inside, and grabbed her from behind. "Wow what's gotten into you today baby!?" enquired a visibly surprised Giselle. "Why don't you find out yourself?"

He turned her around and they started kissing again. The struggle for dominance began again under the shower but this time he decided to take charge. He overpowered her easily. It was worth it.

He exited the shower with her still inside. Quickly dressing up, he collected all the necessary documentation, and just before leaving the house opened the bathroom door slightly, to see her. Possibly for the last time. Satisfied, he left.

11.30 am. His first stop was the orphanage that was just a kilometre away from his house. He always saw it, but never cared enough to explore. It had been there since a year, but he never found the time. Today, he decided, was the day. He spoke kindly with the staff, announced his intention to make a donation and requested to spend time with the kids. With the amount of money he had donated, he was allowed to spend as much time as he wanted with the kids. He donated every last penny he had, emptied his accounts to zero. He spent close to 4 hours with the children. It didn't take them long to open up to him, after all he had bought the most amount of toys anyone ever had. Rishi was thoroughly surprised with himself. He never knew he had this side to his personality. That he had to figure this out on his last day dampened his mood a bit.

He couldn't believe he was shedding tears while bidding adieu to the little angels.

4.14 pm. He headed straight to the coffee place he frequented. He wanted his favourite beverage, made just the way he liked it, by his favourite barista. Natalie. A beautiful French national. She owned the café. They had become good friends since a client had decided to meet Rishi here, 8 months ago. The prospective client was a no-show. But he hit it off instantly with Natalie. Turned out she did back in France, what Rishi did for a living here. But she gave up that life, sold off everything and had come settled here 2 years ago. She opened this café a year ago and has been very happy. Her timely inputs had helped Rishi expand his business exponentially. She was the best thing to have happened to him professionally. And that she made mind-blowing coffee was a bonus. She always took time out for him.

"You seem different today!" stated Natalie. "Good different? Bad different?" enquired Rishi. "Good. Definitely good. Why were you not this way always?!" "If only I had known," Rishi murmured. "What?!" "Nothing. I'll get going." "So soon?" asked Natalie. "It's been almost two hours. I have to go, do a thing." "Fine. But will you stop by later? I like talking to the 'new' you." "Sure." With that reply he took his leave.

6.13 pm. He was at the waterfront. He had decided to spend the last hour with himself. He gave away his phone to a beggar on the way, wanting no interruptions. Picking a random bench, he sat. Took a deep breath. And enjoyed the view. He loved the feeling of fresh air on his face. He reflected back on his life. Thinking how he could've done things differently, and some things he could've done, way too differently. Eitherways, he wasn't happy about his conduct much. He sat remorseful.

Suddenly he wondered, "How am I going to die? Is it going to be a heart attack? Or a car losing control and coming this way?" He never bothered about it till that instant. Suddenly a chill ran down his spine. His heart was beating at a pace it never did before. He was scared. Finally. He had never thought about this all day. Now he was genuinely afraid.

7.01 pm. He felt a tap on his shoulder

.

---The Death---

He half anticipated the person standing behind. He turned around to find Raj.

"Ssup bro?! What the hell?! You look so pale." asked Raj.

"I'm going to die in the next few minutes and you expect me to look fine?"

"Hahahahahahaha ohh man. What the hell! You're so gullible. Hahahaha you have to look at your face at this moment. How can a well educated, successful businessman buy that even for a second?"

"What do you mean?" enquired a puzzled Rishi.

"You still don't get it you moron? You're not dying. I'm no Yam. And certainly no God. Obviously. We were hired to prank you. We specialise in this."

There was a massive shift in Rishi's mood. His eyes widened. He didn't know what to say.

"That. Can't be. What about all the predictions you made in the bar? Even about my personal life"

"Those? They're so easy. We had rehearsed the same scene 16 times before we executed it with you. The waiter fumbling, the Mercedes, everything was timed perfectly to my cue. Everyone, except you, in the bar was our crew. And as for your personal life, well, nothing is personal in this digital day and age. Everything is available online, especially with the kind of IT strength our organisation possesses. And to know you were thinking about Giselle's affair was obviously a part of that. Your chat history clearly suggested there was only one thing on your mind after that fight on WhatsApp."

"But has she been unfaithful?" Rishi asked, shivering, dreading the answer he anticipated.

"Never. You're stupid to even think that."

Rishi fell down on his knees. Dug his face in his palms. Then looked up and wailed loud enough for the other side of the world to hear. He let out all of his emotions at once.

He got up and charged towards Raj with all his might. Raj, had seen this kind of reaction coming from a mile away. All he had to do was step aside at the right moment. He did. Rishi went and dashed into the ground. Raj, maintaining a straight face, preferred to tighten his windsor knot and adjust his cuffs.

At that exact moment, a police van arrived at the scene. Two constables and an inspector descended from the van. The constables headed straight towards Rishi. The inspector headed towards Raj.

"Sir, do you know this man? Was he bothering you?" enquired the Inspector.

"No I don't and no he wasn't. He just lost his balance while running and tumbled."

"We have been looking for him the entire day. He's our prime suspect in a murder."

"Ohhh! Really? Whose?"

"His wife. She was found dead in the shower of their apartment. Somebody tipped us off. Prima facie it looks strangulation. But we'll let forensics decide that. Anyway, now that we have him, I'll be out of your hair. Thank you."

"Thank you officer. I think you arrived in time or else he might've harmed me as well."

"It's our job sir. Thank you."

.

.

Just as a handcuffed Rishi was being taken to the van, he happened to look at Raj. He was casting an evil smile back at him. That smile somehow assured Rishi this was anything but a prank. This was much more sinister. What, he knew not.

----

17 months ago.

.

An expensive sedan arrived in front of an old, abandoned warehouse. The man, in a well fitted suit, got down, looked around and questioned himself regarding the credibility of the information. Just at that moment a woman appeared from behind one of the pillars and asked him to follow her to an elevator door which wasn't visible due to its camouflage.

Atleast 15 floors below the city, this organisation functioned like normal. There could easily be around 500 employees across various departments. They were known as 'The Agency' to the elite.

"I'm sure the government knows about this. There's no way you guys exist without nobody in power knowing about it." said the man.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that sir." the woman replied and led him to the most important cabin in the entire organisation.

"Please come in. I've been expecting you. Let's not waste time in pleasantries. Tell me what can we do for you." said the impeccably dressed man behind the table.

"Hi, ummm​, I don't know how to explain this." said the visitor.

"You don't need to. You just need to tell us what do you want done, and I'll tell you how we can get it done."

"Ok. I want to put someone in the ground. Destroyed professionally and personally. I hate him."

"Name of this person?"

"Rishi. Rishi Mathur."

"Ok. Any personal rivalry?"

"He raped, & killed my sister 13 years ago. And got away with it. She rejected his proposal in front of his friends. His ego couldn't handle it. I've been wanting to get back at him ever since."

"Fine. I've got what i needed to know. I'll now redirect you to our Research Department. You'll be asked to give a complete download of your knowledge about Rishi, however little. We'll do the rest. You'll be again called after a month. We'll take you through our plan, basis our research and how we plan to execute it. Be advised, our plans involve long term planning and execution. It's not going to be a quick fix that you'll have your result within a week. Our last assignment spanned over 3.5 years."

"No I don't expect it to be quick. I just want it to be done."

"Be assured. Nothing will be traced back to you or us. See you in a month. Tanya will see you out."

27 days later.

"Welcome back. Let's get to it without wasting further time." Said the man in the tuxedo.

"Nothing I'd like more." Replied the client.

"Firstly I'd like to tell you that your story about your sister's rape checks out. He did get away with it. So we decided to proceed with your assignment."

"Thank you."

"Our Survellience teams have backed up your claim of his gigantic ego. He hasn't changed at all if your word is anything to go by. We are going to use his ego to bring about his downfall. This will be executed in 3 stages.

Stage 1 - His sub-conscious

We will subject his sub-conscious mind subtly over the next few months or so with our propaganda. We have scanned his residence and the area around. We buy out the big supermarket outlet, and open up an orphanage. We want him to notice this orphanage everyday during his commute. Our child actors will engage his attention every now and then he passes on front of the orphanage. This will be imprinted in his brains. Why an orphanage, will be answered later. Or you'll figure it out.

Stage 2 - His Ego

While his sub-conscious mind is being worked upon, we will begin work on stage 2 simultaneously. It's a good thing you have the same profession as his wife. I will get you employed at the firm his wife works. And also in her team if possible. Your job, Karan, is to get as close to her as possible. Don't try to flirt. Just be nice. Be a friend. A very close friend. Friends, husbands are jealous of. It's a good thing you are handsome. We could use that to our advantage.

He needs to feel he stands a chance to lose his wife. Harmless flirting is fine. But be very careful. You can't be anything more than a friend. You have to be chivalrous, get her coffee, the occasional lunch, etc, without overdoing anything. We will make sure Rishi finds out the right way. All we have to do is plant a seed in his mind. And for that we have our newest recruit. Natalie. Her professional background being similar to his, is our advantage. She will own the café, which also we open a few blocks down his house. Her primary role will be to befriend him, gain his trust by sharing business tricks. Let him succeed a bit. The higher the flight, the harder the fall."

"But how will he trust her about his wife's affair? She doesn't even know​ her."

"Nothing we do is direct. She is not going to be the one to tell him. Natalie will​ just be showing him some photos she clicked in her phone during one of their casual meet-ups. Those photos, in the background, will have Giselle and you having lunch and appearing a bit too 'comfortable'. It will appear that she has inadvertently blown the cover of his wife's affair. Once the seed is planted it is going to be cakewalk.

Stage 3 - The Final Act

This will be the final nail in the coffin. We only execute this stage, when we think it's time. No matter how long it takes. One wrong move and all falls flat. We will stage an act in a place he frequents, so he doesn't suspect anything thanks to the familiarity. Mostly a bar we have seen him go thrice in 20 days. His alcohol will be diluted. We don't need him sloshed. Also, his drink will be mixed with a drug which will make him susceptible to suggestion. He will have negligible capability to question the happenings. His ego and suspicion have already got him to the edge. Now all he needs is a little push. I will provide that myself. I will playing 'Yamraj'. The primary objective of this act is to make him believe he has only 24hrs to live. This will create a sense of urgency in him. That will be all as far as our part is concerned. Rest will now be up to him. Which I'm sure he'll act exactly as we expect him to. Killing his wife for instance. That will nail him down for murder."

"What?! No. Why does the wife need to die? She's innocent in all this."

"No she's not."

"What! What do you mean?" asked Karan as his very foundations were shaken.

"Who do you think invited your sister to the library that day? Giselle was madly in love with Rishi and would've done anything he asked. And she did. You never found out because it never occurred to you to look in that direction. And there was no way anybody thought of her, if the killer himself got away. You just assumed your sister happened to visit the library that night because of her exams. Her closest friend betrayed her. But I wouldn't blame you to not know about her. You had just returned to the city a day ago. But we dig up everything. Absolutely everything.

So, that's the plan. Do we have your approval to proceed, or are you having second thoughts?"

"Go ahead."