#i do like what mr. jalapeno did better

[daffodil-duchess]

As a total greek mythology buff + someone who actually studies Greek philology and hence knows a bit more about the Odysei, I absolutely love seeing all of you sad little souls not expecting to see Odysseus's mother in the underworld saga

I'd be a cackling demon rn if the lines didn't just hit so hard

[angryschnauzer]

As Sweet As Honey - Chapter 4

Summary: Finding a new life in a new town, you stumble upon a Honey farmer at the town market. You both have pasts that have shaped the way you now live your lives, but can you find a way of putting them behind you to find happiness?

Pairing: ‘Lucas’ Syverson x Female Reader

Fandom: Henry Cavill, Sandcastle (Movie).

Ongoing Genre: Fluff, Angst, and Smut

Story Warnings: Slight Angst, Talk of a car accident in the past, Anxious Sy, Mild Embarrassment, First Date Nerves, Kissing

Wordcount: 2689

Here is my masterlist and AO3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2,  Chapter 3,

  I do not run a tag list, instead please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you’ll then get an alert each time i post something new. My AO3 also has my entire back catalogue of stories (going back to 2013).

As Sweet As Honey - Chapter 4

The farmers market was busy, the sunshine and good weather always bringing people out to enjoy what the town had to offer, and as the summer approached the amount of tourists increased too. From the moment Sy had set up there had been a steady stream of customers stopping by his stand, but at every given chance he would be looking around, trying to find one particular face in the crowds. 

It was one such moment when he was looking away did someone clear their throat, to which he was a little startled by as he turned and spotted an older man in his late 60s standing beside his stand holding a jar of honey;

“You make this?”

He spoke with a strong Italian accent.

“I do Sir. Would you like to try it?”

“And the bees, they are local, yes?”

“Yes Sir, the hives are on the meadow as you head West out of town”

“Ah, so not far, hmmn”

The older man held the jar up to the light, watching as the amber liquid glinted in the sunlight. Sy bit back his smile, he knew exactly who this was, although had never met in person before as he turned back to him;

“Is it good to cook with?”

“It would be perfect for the dip to go with the churros. Though a Jalapeno would work better with this rather than the red chilli’s you already use”

There was a moment of quiet, before the older man finally smiled and held his hand out;

“Antonio Cosentino”

“Lucas Syverson”

“Good to meet you Mr Syverson. I saw you in my restaurant last night with your lovely lady”

Sy smiled at the mention of you;

“Yeah, she’s great. She actually suggested i approach you about the honey”

“She’s got a good head on her shoulders” he leant forwards; “And a good pair of burrata… if i was 30 years younger you’d have some competition i tell you that” 

He held his hands out in front of him in a cupping motion and Sy did his best not to laugh too much at the old Italian commenting about your breasts and likening them to the shape of balls of fresh mozzarella cheese. Instead Sy diplomatically changed the conversation;

“I tell you what Mr Cosentino, take that jar - it's on me - put it on the menu tonight and i’ll swing by on Monday for an espresso, you can tell me what you think”

Antonio held out his hand and gave Sy’s a firm shake;

“You have a deal… and you said espresso without the ‘x’ so you already have gone up in my book”

“I spent a couple of months in Italy on special assignment with the Pozzuolo del Friuli after my last tour of Iraq, you only say it with an x once when you are with them”

“Bosnia?”

Sy shook his head;

“Before my time with them. Assisted with peacekeeping in Lebanon”

Antonio nodded solemnly;

“You’re a good man” he held up the honey; “Grazie. 11 o’clock on Monday?”

“Sounds good”

As Sy watched the old man walk away he smiled but it was bittersweet. His time with the Italian’s had been his last in the forces, and the sights he’d seen in Lebanon had made him question a lot of things, but had been a deciding factor in leaving the Army. He took a deep breath and looked around the market, taking in the bustling crowds and happy faces. He glanced up to the higher walkway that surrounded the market place and saw a sight that lifted his mood immediately; you.

-

You were surprised at how busy downtown was, but then it was also approaching lunchtime so there was the lunch crowd out as well as locals doing their shopping and people just enjoying the sunshine.

After sleeping in late you did some chores before Tamara swung by to drop the books off she’d borrowed and had offered you a ride into town, but you’d declined as a walk in the sunshine was just what the doctor ordered after the indulgences of dinner the previous evening.

Once you’d stopped at the post office and mailed the original manuscripts for the SATS test papers you’d finalised, you just had a couple more errands to run before you made a trip to the market. It wasn’t that you were nervous about seeing Sy, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to concentrate on much once you’d seen him, so you got as much done as possible before that eventuality. As you came out of the post office you recognised a tall burly figure crossing the road towards you, a very familiar dog on the end of a leash trotting alongside him. For a moment you stood and watched as Sheriff Marshall and Akia approached, noting how the dog was as obedient for him as she was for Sy. He passed you without noticing, but Akia started to drop behind, turning to look back at you;

“C’mon girl” Walter tugged gently on the leash but instead the dog just planted her butt on the sidewalk, looking back at you. The hulking Sheriff finally turned and looked up to where Akia was staring, before a moment of recognition. Looking back down at the dog he spoke;

“Do you want to go and say hello?”

Akia stood and wagged her tail, to which he let her trot along the sidewalk to where you were standing;

“Hi”

“Morning Sheriff”

He held his hand out to you;

“I guess as my cousin is dating you, you could call me Walter”

Shaking his hand you smiled at the normally grumpy Sheriff, before Akia let out a quiet ‘wuff’ and you moved your attention to her;

“Have you been a good girl?”

The big dog got all wriggly like a puppy before laying on the pavement and showing you her belly, which you obliged and gave her a quick tummy rub;

“You big softie” standing you smiled at Walter; “So Sy said we’re dating?”

Walter nodded, before gesturing to say he was going to continue walking which you nodded in agreement too, Akia moving and falling into step between you;

“He called me after your date last night, he was so happy” he paused; “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s been a while since he let anyone this close, even longer since he admitted his feelings to me”

You nodded;

“I really like him too, I just want to take things slow at first, you know?”

Walter nodded, as he did in fact know. You’d made a point when you first moved to the town to make an appointment with him and give him details of the restraining order, and he had quietly taken in the information you’d given him. He’d assured you it was a safe, tight knit community, and would make sure your new identity was kept private.

As you turned the corner and walked alongside the railings you could look over the market, spotting Sy’s yellow sunshade immediately. He gave you a wave and smiled before turning his attention back to his customer, Walter clearing his throat;

“Just… be honest with him. I know you don’t have to tell him anything, but…”

“I know. He’s my first relationship since. When the time comes i’ll tell him”

“Thank you” Walter said quietly.

As you approached Sy’s stand Akia picked up his scent and started to strain on the leash, excited to see him again. Once it was safe and there was a clear light of sight, Walter let the leash drop and you watched as the big dog ran to the stand and shuffled under the table, sitting on her haunches as she almost vibrated with excitement whilst Sy handed the customer their change. He turned to her and smiled;

“Have you been a good girl?”

“Wuff”

“Did you chase racoons at Uncle Walters house?”

The response was a whine, to which Akia was greeted with an enthusiastic face rub as Sy called her a good girl and gave her rump a couple of friendly pats with the palm of his hand. Your mind focused on that, how he was gentle but firm, and you wondered how the palm of his hand would feel doing that against your own ass.

“If you ask him nicely he will”

You hadn’t even realised Walter had moved in close until he’d whispered in your ear, but you felt the heat rise to your face immediately;

“I didn’t say that out loud did I?”

“You didn’t need to. I could see your mind working and where your gaze was trained”

You smiled;

“You should be a detective”

“I was. Much prefer this” he grinned at you, before turning to Sy and checking in with him briefly until a local came up to him and started to draw him into a conversation about nuisance speeders on the North road out of town.

“There’s my girl”

Turning to Sy, you were a little taken back by his public show of affection, but didn’t shy away from it. Resting your hands on his chest you smiled as he pressed his lips to yours. His kiss was warm and welcoming, and held just a little promise of more had it not for standing somewhere incredibly public.

“Come sit in the shade with me”

He took your hand and led you around the table, pulling out a second camping chair for you. He delved into a cooler and pulled out three bottles of water and a metal bowl, filling the bowl for Akia before handing you a bottle.

“Thanks. How’s it gone this morning?”

“Busy. Lots of weekenders from out of state”

Just at that moment more customers turned up, and you watched from the shade as Sy worked his sales magic, their purchase list soon growing;

“... and they’re the bath fizzers, simply run a hot bath and pop one in. The honey helps moisturise and the locally grown lavender helps relaxation”

The tourist nodded;

“Is the lavender local? I don’t like that artificially scented stuff”

“Grown right here in town by the lovely lady in the shade”

You looked up and waved, and that seemed to reassure all of the customer’s thoughts on the product, who happily nodded and asked for three. Once they’d left Sy turned to you and pulled a small paper bag out from one of the storage totes he carried stock in to the market;

“For you”

Taking the bag from him you peered inside and saw there were a pair of bath fizzers in the bag;

“Oh, thanks”

You realised your reply hadn’t been as enthusiastic as he was probably expecting, looking up just as a customer arrived but you didn’t fail to miss the slight look of disappointment on his face. For a moment you weren’t sure what to do or say, but as the customer left you stood next to Sy;

“Thank you, really. They smell amazing… would they work in a shower?” Sy blinked a couple of times, trying to process his emotions before you continued; “I don’t have a bath”

“Oh. OH”

“I’m not disappointed Sy, i really do like them, they smell absolutely amazing”

He let out a deep breath;

“But without a bath… yeah, I get that. Sorry, I didn't mean to get pouty” he smiled at you.

“Don’t apologise, please. I should have explained”

For a moment you both just stood there, the bag of bath fizzers awkwardly between you before you set it down;

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat a horse”

You laughed;

“How about some tacos instead? I passed a stand as we walked in”

“That sounds good”

Ten minutes later you’d returned from the authentic Mexican food truck with two take out dishes of their best tacos, sliding in behind the table at Sy’s stand and handing him a box. As the stand was quiet you both took a seat, eating in silence before you took a rest between your 2nd and 3rd tacos.

“Everything alright?”

You nodded and rubbed your stomach;

“They’re really filling, just taking a break”

Although he didn’t have to, Sy sat back and paused his eating;

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure”

“You can tell me to fuck off if it’s personal, but I kinda thought all girls loved baths? Like if you remodel a chick’s place the first thing they do is install a fuck off enormous tub”

“Well, it is personal but i’ll tell you the short version; I was in a car accident a few years ago where the car ended up going into a river in the middle of winter. I now can’t cope with being surrounded by cold water… and baths get cold no matter how hot you run them”

Sy nodded thoughtfully;

“I understand” he paused; “If there was a way to guarantee the water stays hot no matter how long you were in the water, would you consider it?”

It was your turn to pause and consider what he was saying;

“Possibly. I never really looked into it. I just know i didn’t want to be surrounded by cold water and i was super happy with my walk in steam shower”

“Now that does sound nice” Sy agreed 

In a moment of bravado you lowered your voice;

“I look forward to showing you how nice”

It was Sy’s turn to blush, the moment interrupted by a customer. You settled back in your chair when a furry snout rested itself on your lap, the drool from Akia’s mouth soon seeping through your dress;

“Yes i got something for you too Akia” before pulling a small plastic bag from the corner of your takeout box; “One burnt end of the brisket”

As the dog happily crunched away on the small morsel you watched Sy, taking in how his ass looked in jeans, how the fabric clung to his thighs. No flannel shirt in the heat, instead he wore a red t-shirt, the fabric taut across his wide shoulders.Your mind wandered to how he’d pushed one of those meaty thighs between your own as you’d kissed on your porch, and the thought of him doing that to you without any clothing barriers between you, in your shower no less, was something you were more than happy to let your mind drift off to.

-

As the afternoon grew late and the flow of customers waned, Sy sat next to you again and looked around;

“Thanks for the company today, sometimes these things can get a bit boring without anyone to talk to apart from Akia”

“It was fun. You’re a good salesman, I think you could convince anyone to buy your stuff”

Sy laughed;

“I’m just a good negotiator”

Soon it was time to pack up, the market coming to an end. You happily stayed to help as it wasn’t like you had anything other than a book waiting for you at home, and babysitting Akia as Sy went to get his truck. Once everything had been loaded he opened the passenger door and watched as you easily climbed up in your sneakers and shorts.

When he reached your place he turned to you;

“So, still on for dinner at my place tomorrow night?”

“Sounds good. What time do you want me?”

He looked you up and down, a smug grin on his face;

“Oh baby, i want you all the time”

“Sy!” you laughed

“Come over about four, or i can pick you up”

“It’s fine, i’ll walk across the meadow”

You leaned across the centre console of the truck and let him draw you into a deep kiss, which neither of you were in a hurry to finish until a soft whine came from the back seat and you could hear Akia’s stomach grumble;

“I’ll let you go home and feed Akia”

Sy pulled you back for one final kiss before letting you go. He watched as you crossed your yard and let yourself in, making sure you were safe inside before he left. Old protective habits die hard.

________________

Authors Note:

When the readers breasts are referred to as similar to burrata, it is referring to the size and shape, not the colour. I keep my reader race neutral so anyone can enjoy reading the story.

Chapter 5 >>>

[epic-the-musical-confessions]

Unpopular opinion probably, but I don't want an Iliad musical in the style of Epic. There's plenty of Iliad musicals already in the works by other creatives that deserve so much attention that aren't getting any.

And to be quite honest, as a certified weeb and cringe gamer who loves when things take influence from anime and video games, even I'm starting to feel the burnout of those influences in Epic. This most recent saga just felt like it was too much.

That's not to say that all the work Mr. Jalapeno put in is bad or anything. I think he did fantastic with all the previous sagas. But at least half of Vengeance felt far too video-gamey and like it came from a completely different project than what we got before. And it feels like we're missing a third of a musical with how fast act 2 is going.

I'd rather Jay perfect his style and finding a better balance between what he's done in prior sagas, what's lacking in the more recent sagas, and the rule of cool sort of things he wants to do, before moving on to an Iliad musical. Or anything else in the Epicverse.

.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

First Date

Summary: The reader accidentally sends an angry email off to a co-worker but winds up with a date instead...

Pairing: Landscaper!Dean x reader

Square: First Date

Word Count: 1,900ish

Warnings: language, fluff

A/N: Written for @spndeanbingo​​​​ . Enjoy!

_______

You yawned as you trotted out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand down to your home office. You plopped down in your chair and got on your computer, checking your email with a tired hum. You saw an email from the facilities manager and sighed.

“Oh come on,” you said, rolling your eyes. “I’m work from home now, jackass. Refund my parking pass. That was like five hundred bucks.”

You growled and typed out an angry email in response, getting so fed up when you finished you knocked your coffee all over your computer.

“Shit!” you said, grabbing some tissues and moping it up.

You saw a sent message appear on screen and you shook your head.

“No. No. No, I didn’t send that. Recall, recall,” you said, shoving the tissues aside. It’d already been opened though and the recall failed, your jaw dropping. “No! I just moved into this house! I can’t afford to get fired.”

You grabbed your phone and decided to bite the bullet, trying to dial the guy when you got an email back.

As highlighted in my original message below, your refund will show up next month along with all other refunds to staff now working from home.

You hit reply and started writing an apology, praying he didn’t report you to HR.

I’m so sorry. It was an accident. I wrote it to express my frustrations and had no intentions of ever sending it. I’m deeply embarrassed, Mr. Winchester, and apologize once again.

You bit your bottom lip and waited a minute, getting a response back.

Thank you for your apology, Ms. Y/L/N. Seeing as today is my last day and it was a mistake, I see no reason to pursue this further.

“Ah, thank you, thank you,” you said. “Now let’s deal with this coffee.”

Two Weeks Later

“So what’s the damage?” you asked. The man in the flannel and baseball cap wrote up a tally on his clipboard before looking back at the house and yard again.

“Normally, for total lawn maintenance, that includes your weeding, trimming, spring and fall clean up, etc. for a lawn this large, you’re looking at around eighty a week,” he said. “But we’re trying to break into this neighborhood so let’s call it fifty a week. We get ten yards around here, we’ll knock it down to forty. How’s that sound?”

“Fifty for everything?” you asked. “Including the snow removal?”

“We’ll negotiate a separate contract for that but I’d call that about 350 for that season,” he said. “So. We have a deal?”

“For fifty bucks, you got a deal,” you said, shaking his hand.

“Perfect. I will have a contract written up and sent over to you this evening,” he said. He dug around into his back pocket and pulled out a business card.

“Super Natural Lawn Services,” you said. “Winchester.”

“Hm?” he said, writing something down on his clipboard.

“Name sounds familiar is all,” you said.

“Used to be in charge of managing the grounds at a local place until they decided to have their staff work from home. Ms. Y/L/N,” he said with a smirk. 

“Oh my…” you said, Dean chuckling. “I am so-”

“I like running my own business a lot better,” he said. “Besides, you apologized. We’re all good. We’ll get that contract straightened out and I’ll get a team over Friday morning to start on your landscape design.”

“I really am sorry, Mr. Winchester. I-”

“Y/N. It’s good. I promise. I’ll see you around, okay?”

You nodded and he headed back to his car, giving you a wave as he drove off.

Two Weeks Later

“Hey, Dean?” you called from your front porch. He poked his head up from where he was head first in a notebook, staring at the dirt edge around your house. “You want a drink? It’s really hot out.”

“I’m okay,” he said, sweating pouring off of him.

“You want to come into the air conditioning for a minute?” you asked. He was about to say no when he took off his hat and his hair was soaked with sweat. “Come on.”

“Alright. Just for a minute,” he said. He hopped up onto the porch and stepped into your foyer, letting out a sigh. “Okay, that’s nice.”

“You like lemonade?”

“Sure,” he said. He took off his boots and followed you to your kitchen, taking a seat at the table when you waved him down. You brought over a large glass, Dean gulping it down. “Do you have a minute? Now that your lawn is in good shape, I have a few ideas for landscaping near the house if I could pick your brain.”

“Sure,” you said. He flipped open his notebook and showed you a drawing, your eyes wide. “You drew that? It’s great.”

“Do you like that kind of style? It’s minimal upkeep but it’s not barren out there this way,” he said.

“I love it. How much does that cost?” you asked.

“It’s part of your weekly bill. I have a few other ideas in here you can take a look at and tell me which you like best,” he said. You flipped through the notebook with him, still liking the first one the most. “Alright. We’ll get that going for you then.”

“My neighbor was asking about you the other day. I gave her your name,” you said.

“Fingers crossed we get a bit more business around here then,” he said as he stood up. “I’ll get out of your hair now. Thanks for the drink, Y/N.”

One Month Later

You hummed as you sat on your front porch with your morning coffee, watching Dean across the street and walk around a yard with his team. They’d already done your yard for the week and you knew Dean was up to about six or so houses in the development. With a big stretch you glanced over to your car and saw something on the windshield. You got up and walked over, plucking off a note.

Found a problem with one of your plants. Rabbits were eating it. I’ll replace it later today.

You looked across the street just as he looked over. You gave a wave and he returned it before you headed back inside.

Four hours later you were getting home from the store to find another note stuck up against your front door.

Plant should be all good now. Enjoy your weekend.

“Hey,” you heard behind you and you nearly jumped out of your skin. “Sorry.”

“Hi, Dean,” you said. “S’alright. I got your note.”

“It was a simple fix,” he said. “I actually am looking for my work gloves. I either left them at your place or the Jones’ but I didn’t find them over there.”

“Are they black?” you asked.

“Yeah. You find them?” he asked. 

“Maybe they’re near my new plant,” you said, nodding your head. He looked over and they were on the grass beside it.

“Ah. That’s what I get for taking calls while working,” he said. He grabbed them and started to leave, pausing at the driveway. “Hey, Y/N.”

“Yeah?”

“You single?”

“Why?”

“Cause if you’re dating someone, I don’t think my odds of getting a date will go very far,” he said as he spun around. You smiled and leaned against the porch post. “Single?”

“Why would you want to date me? I was very rude to you once.”

“You were pissed about throwing money away for no good reason. Trust me, I got plenty of emails that day. You’re the only one that apologized. Plus you may have once told the grumpy guy in the cafeteria to go do a job that makes him happy.”

“You knew who I was when I emailed you, didn’t you.”

“Yeah. I looked you up at work. You were nice back then. You always offer my crew cold water if you’re home. I just like you,” he said.

“Pick me up at seven,” you said as you spun around. “You decide what we’re doing.”

“Alright,” he said. “I wouldn’t advise a dress and heels.”

“Now I’m intrigued. I’ll see you later then, Dean.”

“Yes you will, sweetheart.”

“Hi,” said Dean when you opened your front door just before seven. You laughed when he held out a packet of flower seeds. “They’ll go great in a planter on the porch.”

“Thanks,” you said. You put the packet inside and locked up, following him to his car. “So what are we doing?”

“I figured we could do something and grab a bite after if that’s okay?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. “Were you thinking of a movie?”

“Hopefully it’s more fun than a movie,” he said. “Trust me.”

“Okay, that is the most fun I’ve ever had on a first date,” you said, Dean chuckling as you both turned in your helmets. “I did not even know there was go-karting in this town. Like really nice go-karting too.”

“We could come back sometime,” he said. “I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

“Same,” you said. 

“Well follow me then,” he said, walking past his car in the parking lot and headed for the street. He took your hand and you walked across over to a diner, Dean walking the two of you inside and to a booth by the corner.

Twelve minutes later you had a double bacon cheeseburger with jalapenos in front of you along with a basket of fries and onion rings. You dug in, Dean smiling to himself as he enjoyed his own burger.

“Too much?” you said.

“Save room for dessert. They have out of this world sundaes,” he said.

“If it’s as good as this burger, I’m sold,” you said. “So what made you want to have a landscaping business?”

“I get to be outside, do some hard work but some mental work too. We’re doing pretty good for our first year,” he said. “I didn’t like my old job very much.”

“It sounds like this one is working out for you.”

“It is. Probably would have taken me longer to ask you out if I hadn’t sort of known you already but I don’t mind,” he said, taking one of your fries.

“You flirt with all your customers or just me?”

“Just you,” he said. “How’s it working out so far?”

“Pretty good. Want to go catch the music fest downtown after our meal? Main act comes on at nine,” you said. “Unless you’re not into rock.”

“Oh, sweetheart. You and me are gonna get along just fine.”

_____

[redrobin-detective]

Just one single glimpse of relief

TW: OC death, death themes

“Hey,” Sydnee looked up at the sound of the voice. It was familiar, safe, and it stopped her tears for a moment. She can’t remember where she was or what she’d been doing. All she knew was that she was scared and upset and didn’t know what to do. It felt like she’d been crying forever when the voice appeared. “Hey there, it’s Phantom. Can I come closer?”

Sydnee gasped as the town hero, Phantom, approached her slowly. Syd was a bit of a nerd and she couldn’t get enough of those superhero movies. She always tuned in to Phantom’s fights on TV; he was as close as she’d get to a real life Superman or Captain Marvel. She’d never seen him up close before though. He was younger than he appeared on TV, not more than his early teens. Sydnee, almost 24, was hit by a wave of mortification over how they’d described the hunky, we-thought-he-was-older kid on Margarita Night. This day just got better and better, not that she remembered it.

“How are you doing?” Phantom asked quietly, floating near her but not getting too close. He was watching her warily but not unkindly. She saw how some folks treated him, he was probably worried she’d throw a shoe at him. “What’s your name?”

“Sydnee, with an extra e not a y. Uh Tanner, Sydnee Tanner,” she mumbled. Ugh why were words so hard. Her head felt fuzzy and very far away, she thinks she was going to start panicking again. What was she even so upset about? “I don’t know what’s going on. Where are we and what happened. I don’t- I don’t remember anything.”

“It’s okay,” he said soothingly, floating a little closer. The soft glow he emitted brightened up the dark place they were in. Was she in a collapsed tunnel? What had she been doing here? She’d never been claustrophobic but the debris and rubble of the place seemed to close in on her. “Hey, hey, just look at me.” She turned and met his kind eyes, soft and easy. “We’ll walk through it together. What is the last thing you remember?”

“I was late to work,” Syd said, the memory popping up before her. “I um work at the Donut Delights bakery in that strip mall next to the middle school. My cats had knocked over some of my houseplants in the night so I had to clean them up and was running behind. I open the store on Wednesdays - oh it’s Wednesday! - so I knew I’d be in trouble. But I made it, just barely. I was starting up the ovens when.” Syd furrowed her brow and took in the hero before her. The one who was almost never seen outside a fight. “There was a ghost attack, wasn’t there?”

“Welcome to Amity Park,” Phantom said grimly. “I’ve been here a couple times; the jalapeno bacon topped donuts are my favorite. My mom and sister buy them sometimes if they want to bribe me into doing something.”

“You weirdo, only crazy people eat that weird flavor,” Sydnee chuckled. “You have a family?”

“Of course, we all have a family out there somewhere. What about you?” He asked gently. There was something about the soft way he was talking to her, the way his eyes flickered around the dark like he was looking for something. He had news he didn’t want to tell her and she wasn’t ready to hear it. Not yet. Just a few more minutes of denial before she faced the revelation she couldn’t bear to touch yet.

“Yeah, mom and dad and two younger sibs. Folks divorced forever ago, I barely remember them actually being together. Mom is is living it up in Dubai working as a pastry chef in one of their fancy hotels. Dad’s an auto-mechanic down on Maple street, Duke’s Car Services. Pretty sure you got tossed through the window a year ago.”

“I’ve been tossed through many windows but I know the place you’re talking about. So a big family, any friends? Boyfriends? Girlfriends?”

“I have a boyfriend,” she continued on hastily, taking the distraction for what it was. “I like him, a lot and we’ve been dating since high school. Everyone says I should marry him and we’ve talked about it, casually, but I’ve never dated anyone else and wonder if I should see other people first. You know, test the waters before I settle down with my high school sweetheart like my folks did and look how they turned out.”

“Mhmm,” Phantom hummed nodding, encouraging her to continue.

“DeShawn is great though, he’s very supportive and sweet in his own kind of absentminded way. He’s got epilepsy real bad though, I have to drive him everywhere since he’s always at risk of a seizure. Annoying sometimes but its nice, you can learn a lot about a person from a conversation while you’re alone together.”

“Very true, I’m learning a lot now,” Phantom smiled. “What about your siblings?”

“I have a brother and a sister, Kennedy is finishing his sophomore year of college and Janelle will be a senior in high school. She was a surprise baby, one last attempt of my parents to reconcile before the big D. It didn’t help but I got a great sister out of it, she’s a real firecracker.”

“Janelle,” Phantom’s eyes lit up. “She’s the one always dying her hair. I see her in the hallways of Casper, she’s hard to miss. I think she draws too, she won an art award I think.”

“Yeah!” Sydnee said enthusiastically, she reached out and grabbed ahold of Phantom’s arm. It was cold but solid. It reminded her that she really couldn’t feel anything, nothing but him. “Yeah, I swear her hair is a new color every time I see her. It’s a dark purple now, it looks pretty good on her. She was a peachy orange for picture day last year. Mom called her up screaming when she saw the photos.”

“I thought it looked cool,” Phantom grinned, “not that I was there for picture day. Ghost attack, you know. My mom was upset with me too.” They laughed lightly for a minute before it gently petered off leaving them alone in the dark. Sydnee didn’t have any feeling in her toes, in any part of her. She felt light and disconnected and all over out of sorts. She was pretty sure she knew what had happened but she couldn’t face it yet. But talking to Phantom, it seemed a little easier.

“I remember the attack now,” Sydnee stated quietly. “It was a big ghost bear only it was the size of a pickup truck. It rammed into the store there was chaos and screaming. It was so loud, the screaming of the customers, the bear, building coming down on top of us...” her lips wobbled. “We’re still in the store, aren’t we? I haven’t wanted to turn around because... because I know my body is buried underneath the concrete back there.”

“Yeah,” Phantom breathed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get here in time. Most everyone in the area got out but you and a few others in the store got trapped under the rubble. Mrs. McDaniels who lived on Eustis street and was the first woman in her family to go to college plus Eddie Drake who came down from Chicago to check out the ghost stuff with their boyfriend and was a tattoo artist.”

“Did you talk to them too?” She questioned in surprise.

“Briefly, Mrs. McDaniels didn’t stay long, just long enough to tell me, and I quote, “stop wasting time on her dead ass and get to the others.” She already passed on. Eddie, they didn’t take it well. We talked for a while and I think they need a little more time to accept it, see their loved ones first. I warned them that the longer they delay death, the harder it is and the more you lose yourself. You’re the last, all the way in the back of the store. When you’re ready, I’m going to bring your body out.”

“Thank you,” she whispered before breaking out into hysterical laughter. “God I bet I’m a wreck, I think I put my shirt on inside out I was in such a rush this morning,” she sniffled. “What do I do now, as a ghost? I don’t have to, like, attack people, do I?”

“No,” Phantom sighed. “Most ghosts are just normal people, no one else but other ghosts will see you and you’re not going to be strong enough to interact with the real world for a long, long time. You can stick around a bit if you want, watch over your family but it’s like I told Eddie, you forget things pretty quick. Or you can move on, that part I can’t help you with but I’ve helped a lot of others go that route and I’m told it’s easy.”

“Easy, then why haven’t you?” She questioned angrily, the full weight of the situation crashing over her. She shoved him and he floated back passively. “I’m a freaking ghost and you’re here talking to me like you’re my therapist or something. Who’s gonna take DeShawn to his appointments? Or praise my sister’s creative messes? Or badger Ken into picking major? My life is over and you think you can float there and lecture me about it being easy to move on!”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Phantom soothed, scratching at the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry Sydnee, I wish I could turn back the clock an hour, two hours, and prevent this from happening but I can’t. I’ve tried to mess with time and it doesn’t end well for anyone. I just want, I just want what’s best for you now. You can stay or you can go but I want you to make the decision that you feel most comfortable with. That’s all I can do for you.”

“I think I’d be sad,” she said, crying again, “being able to see everyone but not talk to them, to watch them cry over me. I don’t want to forget them either.” Phantom watched her, easily and earnestly. “What made you choose to stay? Why didn’t you go?”

“I’m a little complicated but I can tell you, when I’ve done all I need to here, I’m not hanging around a second longer than I have to. Being a ghost has it’s perks but it’s also, it’s being stuck in a place you longer fit, watching the world go on without you.”

“Okay,” Syd hiccupped. “Okay, yeah okay.”

“Okay,” Phantom nodded. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No, please don’t,” she grabbed his hands again. “Please I don’t, I know I died alone but I don’t want to do... this alone. Please stay, ugh, calling you Phantom is weird sorry.”

“I don’t know if it’s any less weird but you can call me Danny,” Phantom, Danny, laughed. It was an ordinary name for a superhero but it fit. There was a special thrill in knowing the ghost boy’s name but it’s not like she was going to be around to tell anyone. It was scary, to think of not existing but also sort of comforting, like a long nap with nothing pressing to get up for.

“Can you tell them that I love them, in my place? I know it’s a lot and I’m sure you’re super busy saving the town and everything-”

"It’s not a problem. I’m sure they know but I’ll be happy to pass on the message,” he smiled and it made him look so young. For a second she was struck by how sad it was that she was relying on a kid a decade younger than her for support. But he was here and he was kind and he was what she needed right now. Maybe one day, he’d have his own person talking him through this last step. 

“Okay, Danny, thanks really. For talking, for staying. I’m scared but I, I think I’m ready.” She closed her eyes and squeezed his hands tightly. “Do you, will it hurt?”

“No,” he said, his voice warm despite his inherent chill. “No, Sydnee. No, the hurting is all over now. All you have left ahead of you is peace. Thank you for all that did, you’ll be missed.”

“I’ll see you on the other side. Goodbye.” The world faded to a pinprick, consumed by light. The last thing she saw before she went into it was a stranger’s smile. 

XxX

“Here’s the last,” Phantom said solemnly, delicately setting a broken body he’d carried out of the dilapidated building and on the sidewalk next to the others. “This is Sydnee Tanner, she was the only employee in the store at the time. She has cats at home who will need taking care of. Her dad works at Duke’s Car Services along with siblings and a boyfriend.”

“Don’t know how you know all that but thanks for getting these folks out,” Sheriff Newton sighed. “Damn shame. Keep up the good work kid, we’ll save the next ones for sure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some rather unhappy news to break to several people.”

“Do you mind if I tag along? I have a few messages I need to pass on.”

[depressedacadamia]

5 times Leo hit on Calypso as her Barista and one time it worked

Word Count: 3.8K

Summary: Coffee Shop AU! Calypso is running late one day so she ends up going to a coffee shop- what she doesn’t expect is for her barista to be Bad boy supreme

Later on in this fic, they sing this song.

Warnings?: Not much, terrible pick up lines, mainly fluff, making out.

A/N:  This took me so long but alas, here it is! This is kinda my first official fluff and I tried okay. Anyway, enjoy, comment, share, like- you know the drill. <3 from moi!

The 1st Thursday

Calypso was not happy with the line she was waiting in. She was running late and thus was at a coffee shop- somewhere she preferred not to go. The weather was terrible, grey skies as well as heavy rain that had Calypso drenched. The stupid forecast hadn’t predicted the rain and thus she had left her apartment without an umbrella nor raincoat. 

The coffee shop was small but cute, she had to admit. The staff seemed small but efficient and within a few minutes, Calypso found herself at the front of the line, face to face with a boy with rich dark tan skin and the most dazzling smile she had ever seen. He had long dimples and his dark curly hair would flop over his face in a cute manner.

“Hi, Welcome to Steamy Beans Coffee. I’m Super sized Mcshizzle and I will be taking your order today, do you have your order ready?” He looked up at the girl in front of him and immediately, his lips stretched into a lazy and goofy smile. She frowned at the nickname but internally she wanted to laugh, even his name badge read Super Sized Mcshizzle- Who called themselves that?

“Can I get a cappuccino with 2 espresso shots, please.” She reached into her bag to pull out her purse while the boy at the counter hummed and tapped at the machine in front of him.

“What kind of milk?” He looked up again, cheekily smiling as if he had something planned.

“Uh, almond is fine.”

“And your name?” He asked, pulling out a marker. Before she could answer, he cut in.

“Does your name start with a C-”

“-Actually it doe-” 

 “-Because I can C us together.” 

Calypso resisted the urge to smile and instead raised an eyebrow at the horribly cheesy pick up line. Despite this, she was a bit impressed- Her name did technically start with a C.

“Calypso. That’s my name,” She told him as she walked away from the counter and sat at one of the stalls, waiting for her name to be called out. 

The 2nd Thursday

Somehow, Calypso found herself queuing outside the same coffee shop the next Thursday. Whilst she told herself it was because the coffee was perfect, it was truly to see the brown haired grinning boy who had served her last week. Pick up lines weren’t really her poison, but he wasn’t creepy and even she had to admit it- He was cute. 

As the queue grew shorter, she grabbed her purse ready to pay. She had subconsciously chosen to wear better clothes and style her hair today. Was it a stupid decision to wear white when drinking coffee? Absolutely. But Calypso was 100% willing to take the risk. 

“Hi, welcome to Steamy Beans Coffee. I’m Bad Boy Supreme and I will be taking your order today, do you have an order ready?” The boy looked up, with his hair flopping about. He had rolled his sleeves up and Calypso, who wasn’t about to get caught, quickly averted her eyes elsewhere. She noticed that his name had changed- so had his badge. Did he have a collection of these names? She’d have to ask him next time.

Oh, so there will be a next time, huh? She asked herself. 

Shut up. 

“Oh. Calypso, right? Same as last time?” He asked as he hovered his finger over the machine.

“Oh, yeah. Cappuccino please.” 

As she waited for her name to be called out, she pulled out her sketchbook and started sketching the cute barista. From his elf like ears to his slanted chocolate eyes and the funny curl that went in the complete opposite direction of his hair earning him a messy hair look. It was only a basic sketch but it had outlined him. 

“Cappuccino for Calypso?” a familiar voice called out. She was slightly surprised to find her Barista also handing off her coffee but she also quite flattered. Or maybe she was just overthinking this. He could easily just have switched around for a friend- it can’t have been just for her.

“Thanks,” she murmured as she reached into her purse, trying to find the appropriate change in her purse. 

“You and I are like nachos with jalapeños. I'm super cheesy, you're super hot, and we belong together.” The pick up line rolled off his tongue as he leant over the counter separating them. He had a smirk that made Calypso immediately lose her strong front and spill her change all over the counter.

“What?!” she sputtered as her eyes darted to the change. She managed to scoop most of it into her arms without looking too much like a fool. She quickly grabbed her coffee and made her way out of the shop as fast as she possibly could, hoping she didn’t look as ridiculous as she thought she did. 

The 3rd Thursday

“You don’t understand, last time the pick up line was creepy. She probably thinks I’m a weirdo now!” Leo groaned as he slammed his head on the counter beside his friend Will who always worked the same shift as him. Unfortunately, Will did not get to witness what Leo kept on describing as ‘a catastrophe’. 

“She won’t come in today, I bet. Ugh, I really screwed up.” 

“It really can’t have been that bad!” Will argued, dragging Leo by the arm to the front counter. 

“I said You and I are like nachos with Jalapenos. I’m super cheesy, you’re super hot and we belong together.”

Will cringed. “Okay, that is bad.”

Calypso could not believe she was coming back to the coffee shop. The previous pick up line was terrible, in fact it was almost as bad as the ‘I’m here, what are your other two wishes’ pick up line that a creepy person had used on her earlier but in all honesty it wasn’t the barista that was the problem. It was the fact that she could not crush over someone with pickup lines as bad as those. This time, she had decided to use her card to pay so she wouldn’t have to deal with spilt change everywhere. 

“Hi, welcome to Steamy Beans Coffee. I’m Commander tool Belt- that’s because my major is engineering and I fixed the old coffee machine- how can I help you?” The curly haired boy in front of her said miserably while slumped behind the counter with his face practically leaning on the machine.  

“I was hoping for the usual?” Her meek voice came out questioning. Leo’s head shot off the counter, almost slamming into the machine. 

“Wow… uh cappuccino again?” 

“Yep…” she searched for something to say. “So engineering major huh?” 

“Mhmm. I like making things I guess. What about you?” 

“Natural sciences. I was going to do art but I guess plants and animals are more of my poison.” She shrugged. 

“You can draw?” he asked, his voice peaking interest and turning around slightly. 

“Yes, why do you sound so surprised at that?” 

He batted his hand. “Oh nothing, just something we have in common.” He then winked and Calypso had to do everything she could to not react. She stood in front of the counter, waiting for her coffee but saw that her barista was screwing his eyes up and writing something on a cup. She wanted to pull out her sketchbook and draw the cute face he was pulling, leaning back and holding the cup in front of him as if it were an invention he had never seen. 

“Cappuccino for Calypso!” A sing-song voice that could only be her barista called out. She had to admit, his voice was not bad. In fact, it was quite impressive and it had a nice harmonious tune to it. 

“Thank you…” she said in a suspicious tone, as she swiped her card over the contactless payment machine. Her barista was suspiciously silent and she had yet to hear a terrible pick up line. He had a mischievous smile as if he had set something on fire and not told anyone anything about it. As she picked up her coffee, she noticed a lot more black marker on the cup and held it away from her face to read it.

Are you made of Copper and tellurium? Because you are CuTe.

She wanted to face palm at such a classic science pun but she was also impressed that he knew elements of the periodic table so easily. She let out a small laugh to let him know that she had noticed the pick up line before she took a small sip and smiled. 

The 4th Thursday

“I’m telling you, she actually laughed at the line! That’s a good thing right?” Leo asked as he put on his apron. 

“And I’m telling you, if you want her to go out with you, hit her with a star wars pun,” Will ugred while tying his apron behind his back.

“You’re obsessed with star wars.”

“Hey, it worked for me and Nico!” Will pointed out as they made their way to the counter.

“Sun boy, we all know you and Mr Debbie Downer did not get together over Star Wars pick up lines,” Leo argued. 

Calypso was running late. She hated being late. It was like slowly ticking off the boxes for panic 101. She was wearing mismatched socks, had the wrong books for class and the laces of her shoes were untied. At least the line was significantly shorter than usual and while normally that would have made Calypso question the occasion, she was too much in a rush to truly care.

As she ran in, she tripped over her laces and almost fell had it not been for the arms of the person in front of her. As she looked up to find her saviour, she found herself face to face with the curly brown haired boy who today wore the badge of ‘Admiral Leo’.  She thought Leo was a nice name and it suited him very well- much better than any other name would have.

“Hey, tie your shoes!” he scolded her and she was surprised by his concern over her safety. Alas, she had spoken too soon, 

“I don’t want you falling for anyone else.” he murmured, his lips right by her ear and his hot breath making goosebumps form all across her neck. He then reached down onto his knees, and did her laces. However, she noticed the manner he did them were different to how she would normally do them. 

“You know that’s how children do their laces, right?” Her hands rested on her hips as he gasped dramatically and held his hand over his heart. 

“Are you calling me a child?” 

Before she could say yes, he cut her off.

“The answer is I totally am a child because that means I can eat off the child menu,” He grinned foolishly. “Life hacks with Admiral Leo!” 

The 5th Thursday

“I’m telling you Leo- Make the Star Wars pun. Please! For me, do it for me!” Will begged as he tied Leo’s apron for him. Leo was reluctant to go with a Star Wars pun. He didn’t know if Calypso would get it or if she was into nerdy stuff like that but he was running out of ideas. He hadn’t gotten any terrible sparks of inspiration and the Star Wars inspired pun that Will had told him couldt go too badly?

Nervously, Leo waited behind the counter, his hands tapping as if he had just slapped on a nicotine patch and then glugged 6 espresso’s. In other words, Leo was anxious. If he just made the drinks without thinking about it, he could get his mind off it but when he started remembering that she may walk in at any moment, he could feel his hands shake and his stomach begin to churn. 

Calypso was very happy. She had no classes today, no research studies to deal with and she had even managed her time well enough to hang out with a friend before heading towards her newly found and now favourite coffee shop. She knew it was it because of a certain curly haired and cheekily grinning boy. 

“Hello, welcome to Steamy Beans Coffee, I’m Flaming Valdez- don’t ask please- how can I assist you today?” He once again looked up and when seeing Calypso, he recited her order before the words could come out of her mouth. 

“Cappuccino with 2 espresso shots and almond milk?” 

Calypso, a bit shocked, nodded. She could feel small butterflies forming in her stomach thinking about how Leo had memorised her order. 

Stop being silly. He probably memorises every regular’s order. 

 “Soo… Flaming Valdez… what’s the story behind that?” She asked, despite his warning. Leo tipped his head back and let out a throaty laugh that had Calypso tingling all over- How can a person have such a gorgeous laugh? How can someone look so good while laughing? 

“Oh, that’s a good story. Every year, we celebrate the owners birthday by having the shop to ourselves. No customers, just the staff chilling. Anyway, so it’s like 9pm and we’re all meant to be out because it was sunset an hour ago but instead we’re still in the shop. Everyone’s gathered right out there because your boy, Flaming Valdez, brought in Roman candles!” Leo pointed to the chairs and tables outside the shop.

“Roman candles?” Calypso asked, a tad confused. Her face scrunched up a bit and Leo almost died from how cute her face looked.

“They’re like fireworks. There’s a slight difference with how the shell explodes compared to fireworks and they are a much more traditional version of fireworks but…” He trailed off when he noticed Calypso’s confused face- he just managed to remember that she wasn’t a nerd like him and didn’t study fireworks in her freetime. 

“Anyway, Will has the red ones and I have the green ones and so we literally start shooting them at each other like we’re re-enacting Harry Potter or something!”

“What! Can’t someone get set on fire from that?”

“Well yeah actually, they can. Will shoots one at me, sparks at my hair and sets it on fire. I’m running around trying to stop my burning hair while everyone is laughing. The crowd started cheering ‘Flaming Valdez’ and since then, they’ve adopted me that name. I’ve tried to get them to change it but it seems to stick,” he laughed while making her coffee. 

“Yeah, I think I’ve seemed to notice. Super sized Mcshizzle, Bad boy supreme, Commander tool belt, Admiral Leo and today- Flaming Valdez.” She listed all the names he would wear on his badges off her fingers. However, that may have been a mistake because when she looked up, she saw Leo shooting her a sly grin that made the butterflies start going crazy in her stomach again.

“So you remember my names, huh?” 

“It’s the nice thing to do,” she defended, a blush rising on her cheeks as she reached for some napkins.

Leo took a deep breath- he couldn’t believe that he was going to use Will’s Star Wars pick up line. 

“Do you like Star Wars? Cause Yoda only one for me.” The words practically rolled off his tongue and Calypso froze before breaking in laughter. She couldn't hold it in anymore- this was by far the funniest of all the pick up lines he had used. She pulled out a pen and scribbled something down on her sketchpad before ripping it out.

Leo, distraught, watched as she laughed at the pick up line. He should have listened to his gut and never made the pick up line. Oh gosh, he looked like an absolute loser now. Who makes Star Wars puns other than nerds? He handed Calypso the coffee and watched as she quickly left.

 He noticed the sketch she had left behind, it looked oddly familiar. In fact, he could have sworn it looked just like him. She had been sketching him everytime she waited for her coffee. He traced finger gently over the outline of his face, smiling. She had drawn everything in such detail, he felt like he was looking in the mirror but at the same time he felt she had facetuned him and made him look.. Well, perfect. Did she think he needed all these faults fixed? Or was this just how she saw him? She somehow made every flaw seem gorgeous and beautiful and he didn’t know how to feel as he looked at the bottom of the sketch. 

His eyes widened as he read the note left at the bottom of the sketch. 

Hey Leonidas (your co-worker told me that). Here’s my number - 07669833256. 

P.S- Star Wars puns ALWAYS work.

Yours truly, Calypso

“Leo? Are you good?” Will stopped to ask him. 

“Star Wars puns always work- you were right,” he said starstruck. 

The Next Friday

“Mamacita, get off those tables, I need to clean them,” Leo huffed, holding a spray bottle threateningly and a cloth in his other hand. Calypso, giggling and giddy hopped off the table. She watched as Leo quickly sprayed it down before wiping it. 

“Are you checking me out?” Leo’s smug voice cut through Calypso’s thoughts, snapping her out of mind. Her initial reaction was to stutter and wildly deny it however today at 7pm, she felt more bold than usual and decided to tease him a bit.

“So what if I was?” 

Leo almost froze at the bold response, not expecting the reaction from her. They’d been officially going out for one week and so far, Calypso had been quite shy. A kiss on the cheek here and there, a bit of innocent flirting but no one had really openly confessed their feelings. It was obvious to everyone around them that they liked each other but they seemed determined to have the other say it first. 

“Well if you were… " He turned around to see her smirking with both hands on her hips. He was not losing to Calypso- he would make her confess her feelings first if it was the last thing he did. She sat herself on the counter behind her and beckoned Leo forward with her finger. He raised an eyebrow at the bold move but obliged. 

Leo stood between Calypso’s thighs, his hands slipping around her waist. Their faces were close enough that if Calypso and Leo both moved their head slightly forward, they’d be kissing. Funnily enough, they both had started eating mints and chewing gum whenever they’d be with each other as if they were planning the moment. 

“I still can’t believe those pick up lines worked,” Calypso sighed, her hands moving onto Leo’s shoulders, comfortably rubbing them back and forth. 

“Bad Boy supreme is very much offended by those comments.”

“Nu uh. Ever since that blond co-worker of yours told me that your full name is Leonidas...” She paused to unsuccessfully hold in a small laugh. “...That your name is Leonidas, it’s been Leonidas and it will always be Leonidas to me.”

“Not even Leo?” He asked, his eyes entering puppy eyes mode. Calypso remained unimpressed and shook her head. Their eyes locked and they could feel each other's thoughts. Just as their heads were leaning in,the radio behind the counter bugged out and static started blaring everywhere. Calypso wanted to curse god- of coure something just had  to ruin the moment. Immediately, the two students shoved their hands over their ears and Leo jumped over the counter to quickly fix the horrendous noise. A few minutes later, About Love  by Marina started softly playing through the cafe’s speakers. 

The moment seemed like it was manufactured for a movie. The beautiful sunset on the horizon, the romantic music and most of all, Leo’s playful smile as he held his hand out asking Calypso to dance. She, of course, accepted and the two twirled about in each other's arms. They weren’t very good and they kept on stepping on each other's toes but eventually they got into a position where Leo’s hands were wrapped around her waist and Calypso’s arms were thrown around Leo’s neck. 

Leo watched as Calypso closed eyes and softly sang the words to the song under her breath. 

“Started in the strangest way, didn’t see it coming.”

Leo started singing with her, “My head gets messy when I try to hide.”

“The things I love about you in my mind” Their voices were harmonious and in sync. 

“I don’t really know a lot about love, a lot about love, a lot about love but you’re in my head, you’re my blood and it feels so good, it hurts so much.” Calypso had her head leaning on Leo’’s chest and she could hear the steady thumping of his heart quicken.

“Shall I take this as your confession of love to me?” He murmured into her hair. Calypso shot her head up so fast that she almost butted Leo in the chin. 

“Hell no, Leonidas.” 

Yet, as she said those words, her face leaned upwards towards Leo with her intense gaze falling to his lips. They looked soft, supple even and she felt so tempted to reach out and brush them. In fact, she felt so tempted to touch them that she didn’t even notice her actual hand reaching out to brush against his bottom lip. 

Leo had to physically restrain himself from shivering when he felt Calypso’s finger brush over his bottom lip, dragging it back slightly before slowly setting her hand at the side of his face. Slowly, like they were two magnets slowly attracting each other, they leaned in. When they were practically breathing in each other's face, Leo decided to spring one more pick up line on Calypso. 

“Did you know that my lips are skittles?” Leo cut in quickly. Calypso quickly frowned, not catching on. Leo continued, “ And you’re about to taste the rainbow.”

Calypso groaned, throwing her head back while Leo giggled to himself. Sick of chasing each other, Calypso grabbed Leo’s face with both her hands and smashed her lips into his, abruptly shutting him up. To say Leo was surprised would be the understatement of the year. He was in a true state of panic, thinking what he should do with his hands, his lips, his entire being. Her lips moved against his, encouraging him. He wrapped his hands around her waist, both of them moving up her back, pulling her into the kiss. 

They pulled away for a brief second, looking each other in the eye before slamming their lips back together. Had anyone walked in on them, it would have only been appropriate to say that they were devouring each other- their lips pushed and their hands pulled. Their lips moved in sync and Calypso weaved her hands into Leo’s curls. It was demonically passionate as their tongues slipped across each other's lips. The heat of the kiss spread across Calypso’s face- the blush was so obvious, she felt like her lips were on fire. Nothing could have stopped them, not even if the entire world was on fire. 

As they pulled away, Calypso had one more trick up her sleeve. 

“As far I’m concerned, the rainbow tasted pretty damned good,” She remarked, referencing to Leo’s previous pick up line. 

[feeling-weirdy]

This was in a recent ask, but the story potential is so interesting that I think it deserves the form of a drabble. So, a prompt: What happened during the Paprikash night before Clint arrived and Vision got yeeted through the compound floor.

It had felt like hours since their conversation in the kitchen. The paprikash had been deemed inedible, whatever he had mixed together had not been correct and so he had fallen back on his backup plan.

Pizza in hand, Vision stood mindlessly on the other side of Wanda's door, worried he may tip the scales further if he pushed her too far.

While she did well to hide it, he could feel the disappointment in her voice as he tried desperately to do what he thought was best for her. Perhaps talking with her previously would have been to his benefit, but it was far too late for those kinds of musings.

Vision tapped on the door, summoning a decent amount of courage as he pushed it open.

"I ordered your favorite: pepperoni and extra jalapenos.”  Vision’s voice squeaked out, worry filling his mind as his eyes locked onto her small form hunched on the far side of the bed.

"Great," she said sadly, her eyes focused on the television in the corner of her room. An episode of Bewitched that he had watched nearly a half a dozen times with her flashed against the screen.  He had come to realize that it was one of her favorites.  "Just set it on the bed. I'll eat it later."

He nodded, obediently placing the box on the corner of the bed.  Rather than leave, however, he stood still as the stale air between them grew with each passing moment.  

"Wanda, I hope you don't think less of me for my actions. I admit they may not have been handled correctly, but I do not wish to make you a prisoner in your own home."  Vision tried to explain himself, desperately trying to make her understand the reasoning for his actions.  Her sad eyes flickered up to him, some semblance of betrayal hidden deep within her gaze.

"And yet, you won't let me leave,” she bit back, her teeth clenching together.  He could see the glassy tint to her eyes that told him she was about to cry.  Vision sat on the bed beside her, exhaling softly as he mulled over his options.  Mr. Stark had explicitly told him that she was not allowed to leave the compound, but what would he have him do if Wanda forced her way through?  Fight her?  Force her to remain in her room?

The very idea was almost laughable.

Training was one thing, but he would never turn his hand against Wanda.  It didn’t matter what promise he had made to anyone else.

"I will not keep you here if you truly wish to leave this place, but I do agree that it is within your benefit to do so for the time being."  Vision’s eyes trailed over to her, the corners of his lips stretching along his face.  “I would never force you to do anything.”

"But you want me to stay...I can't just hide away forever, Vis."  

"I would never want you to, but as long as the Accords are on rocky ground Mr. Stark insists,” Vision explained.  

"And how long are you going to follow his every order, hm?"  Her words bit at him in a way he hadn’t expected.  Was that how his actions came off to her?

Vision’s head fell, running his hand along the back of his neck struggling to come up with better explanations.  "I only did what I thought was necessary.”  

The air grew quiet between the pair, their eyes reached up, as if by habit, to the end of the episode as Betwitched came to an end.  They watched the credits roll in silence.

“I’d be fine.  Everyone would be.  I can control it,” Wanda promised, her words sharp and calm as she focused ahead.

“Your power has always been unruly.  You may not mean to bring about that sort of destruction, but given the current climate at this moment, I do not feel it is wise."  Vision reached over, gently taking her hand with a smile.  "I think only of you, Wanda.”

Vision watches her, taking note of every movement.  She lifted her leg and tucked it under the other, twisting herself so that they were facing each other.  Her hand slowly trailed along his forearm, soft eyes crawling up his body.  Wanda was hesitant with her movements, but she didn’t allow herself to stop.  Reaching out to his chest, her fingers tickled against the fabric of his sweater, her eyes still glossed over as if she was about to break down at any moment.

"So, you're doing this because you love me. Is that it?”  Wanda’s voice softened, curious eyes shooting back and forth from his gaze.

“That is one of many factors, yes.”  Vision reached out, cupping the length of her jaw in his hand.  He ran his thumb against her skin, carefully taking in the warmth that she provided.

“Then prove it.”

“Pardon?”  His head fell to the side slightly as he stared at her, clear in what she said, but uncertain as to how exactly he should execute such a task.

“Kiss me,” Wanda offered, raising up to her knees and moving closer to his body.  Their lips hovered against each other, barely touching as Vision sat up to properly meet her.  “Please.”  Voice falling to hardly a whisper, he could feel her fingers meander underneath his shirt.  The soft, tiny digits scraping along the hard metal of his stomach.

Pressing his lips against hers, a shock shot through his system.  Desperately trying to hold himself back, Vision took things slowly.  He allowed his hands to run along her waist as they pressed against each other, Wanda’s kisses becoming a lot more forceful as they moved on.

With hurried breaths, Wanda pulled his sweater over his head, closing the distance again once they were free of the fabric.  Vision’s mind raced, unable to fully grasp any one thought in particular as enveloped each other.

He knew he needed to stop this, but the thought of ending this perfect moment pained him a great deal.  

Vision pulled away from her mouth as she quickly removed her own top.  “Wanda, I don’t think we should be too hasty.”

Wanda kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him against her.  

“Wanda, Wanda...”  He murmured against her lips, pushing her a bit more forcefully.  “While I’m elated to move our relationship forward...you’re upset.  Given our current predicament and what transpired earlier today, I do not feel this is wise.”

Wanda’s eyes opened and locked onto his, her wild emotions written along the creases of her face as she slowly distanced herself from him.  Her gaze fell, sadness slowly flooding back into her face.  Vision reached out, placing a hand along her shoulder for some sort of comfort.

"Perhaps in another instance...later.  When you’re more centered.  I don’t want to take advantage of the situation.”  

She avoided eye contact with him, pulling her knees against her chest with a small sigh.  “Just go then...I need time alone,” she mumbled.

Vision nodded, pushing himself up from the bed.  “That may be for the best.”  Quickly grabbing his shirt, he tried to hurry out of the room without it seeming too obvious.  Once on the other side of the door, Vision pulled the sweater back over his body, carefully trying to still his shaking hands.

As much as he wanted to keep going, he was certain that was the right call.  They would have plenty of time for all that if she truly desired him in that manner, but now...with everything else going on: He had to remain focused.  Summoning a deep breath, he forced the nerves away.  

A loud explosion could be heard outside, forcing him into a more focused state as he reentered the room to get a better view through her window.  Wanda joined him, a worried expression crossing her features.  A cloud of smoke and fire covered a small section of the forest outside of the compound.  There was no possibility someone was foolish enough to attack their hideout, but he suspected it was someone with more intelligence than that.  Regardless, he had to investigate.

“What is it?”  She asked, mesmerized by the flames.

“Stay here, please.”  Vision’s words were more of a plead than a demand, worry circling in his mind that she may try to flee while he was distracted.  He had faith that she would remain, certain of her resolve to harness her power on her own time.

Phasing himself through the wall, Vision kept his focus forward.  It didn’t matter what caused the explosion, he would keep Wanda safe at all cost.

Check out my other drabbles here or feel free to request some!

[hoodoo12]

The Ties That Bind (And How To Follow Them) 1/?

Heave ho, here we go!

@werwulfy @rainingpaint @bunnys-beetlejuice-blog @mel-time @heresathreebee @sweetcat-666 @turtlepated @infptarius

Pate was dreaming, and this time she knew it.

For weeks she had been checking her reflection in mirrors, examining her hands to make sure they were normal, asking herself while awake “Am I dreaming?”, all in preparation for when she was actually dreaming.

“I am dreaming,” she told herself matter-of-factly.

In the months since her encounters with the demons Beetlejuice and his brother Rigel, Pate had apparently had many, deeply unpleasant dreams from what Beetlejuice told her afterwards; moaning and tossing in her sleep, desperate to escape something. She never remembered when she woke, which might be a blessing but was mostly annoying.

Now she had developed the ability to take control.

“I am dreaming,” she repeated to herself in the same, flat tone.

She looked around herself to see where she was. In her mind’s eye, she was standing amidst the hazy impression of a coniferous forest, the sky overhead gray like it was threatening rain. The road she stood on (and she felt sure it was a road, it was hard underfoot) was a rainbow of colors all splotched and running together like an impressionist painting.

Everything was slightly fuzzy around the edges, as though it was all out of focus and if she could just tune in her mental binoculars she could see it clearly. But already the dream was beginning to unravel and she felt herself waking up. She opened her eyes, finding herself reclining on a squashy pleather couch where she’d lain down to fall asleep. With a sigh, she sat up.

“Did you see anything?” asked the older woman sitting in a worn wingback chair across from her. Pate nodded and relayed the muddled details of the rainbow road in the watercolor woods. “Don’t forget to write it down,” she advised. Pate had begun keeping a dream journal for the purposes of trying to remember as much as she could from her dreams, carrying it with her to add details if and when they came back to her.

“It’s been the same pieces and fragments for weeks now,” Pate griped. “And I don’t know what any of it means.”

“You will,” assured her mentor, shrugging absently. “Or you won’t. It might not mean anything. The important thing is learning how to take control of what’s inside your head.” Pate grumbled, her face in her hands, but privately acknowledged that maybe the other woman had a point.

It was sheer happenstance, or maybe fate, that had brought Pate into Lillian Borden’s second-hand shop. She liked antique stores and sometimes used goods stores had interesting or rare finds. Pate had probably passed the shop a hundred times without ever going in, but Mrs. Borden had recognized something in her from the moment they met. Whatever Pate had, Lillian Borden had it, too.

At Beetlejuice’s urging, Pate had asked Mrs. Borden to teach her how to manage her . . . whatever it was she was having. Psychic episodes? Recurring nightmares? Visions? Either way, his concern had prodded her to seek outside help and Lillian had agreed to do what she could.

“Try to go back to it,” Lillian was saying. “See if you can make anything else out.”

With a sigh Pate shut her eyes and willed her mind to revisit her dream. It was overcast but not raining, and as she focused the irregular splotches of color on the rainbow road became brighter, the details of the surrounding woods more defined. They were definitely cone bearing trees.

The beginnings of a headache were making their appearance behind her eyes and in her temples and Pate checked the time. They’d been in the back room of Lillian’s shop for over an hour, and she still had to do something about dinner and get ready for work tomorrow.

“I guess we’d better call it a night,” she said.

Lillian hummed noncommittally, then said, “You burn that sage I gave you?”

Pate hesitated, only for the briefest second because, no, she hadn’t used the smudging tools. “Yeah,” she lied, hoping it was more convincing than it felt. Lillian’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if she didn’t believe her.

“There’s a presence around you, girl,” she said. “A dark presence, a powerful presence. The smart thing to do would be to get rid of it.” Pate nodded her understanding, but immediately dismissed the idea.

There was only one dark, powerful presence she knew of that would be around her, and she had no intention of sending him away. In fact, he would be waiting on her to come home.

⁂

Puttering around Pate’s apartment, Beetlejuice couldn’t find a thing to do. He’d already read ad nauseum the graphic novels Pate had gotten from the library for him. She’d expressly forbidden him to shove any dirty kitchen towels back into the drawer he found them in; he was permitted to use them--her nose had wrinkled at the word “used”--but if one was “used”, she made him promise to wash it. The birds on the birdfeeder were just dumb sparrows and starlings, nothing fun like crows or vultures. He had the brilliant idea to put scraps of meat out to attract them which worked to draw in the acceptable alternative of raccoons, until Pate got a letter from the landlord that made her yell because it threatened eviction, so raw meat outside was even less allowed than using the towels to wipe his junk and putting them back where they belonged.

Seeming to realize that a bored Beetlejuice was a potentially destructive one, she did concede to purchase the streaming Disney channel. He spent some of the time she was gone flipping from The Muppet Show and documentaries about animals. He promised not to watch WandaVision without her. Sometimes she allowed him to go to work with her, if she knew no one else would be there. During her visits to Lillian’s, however, he was not invited. “I have to concentrate,” she told him, “and you hanging around distracts me.” She didn’t say it, but one time he’d chased a pesky minor poltergeist out of a chest of drawers in the older woman’s antique shop. It caused a racket and broke the drawers, and he knew that was more likely the reason he wasn’t to go back. He lazed around and watched TV and practiced card tricks in front of her mirror. He didn’t need to practice card tricks; he had his own sleight of hand better than any stage magician, but it gave him something to do to fill the time. Like a dog, he was tuned to when Pate returned. In a quick movement he made the deck he was holding disappear faster than humanly possible, and was beside the door waiting for her to open it the next second. Tonight was taco night! He took the bags of food the moment she was in the door. It was a move more greedy than gracious, but she didn’t seem to mind because she asked him how his day was and told him not to eat the raw ingredients in the same breath as she hung up her jacket. The specter waited for her to come into the kitchen before hugging her. “You look tired, baby,” he announced, eyeing her critically. “Are you sure Lillian is helping you? It seems like she’s just making everything worse.” He wanted Pate well and whole, but wasn’t pleased that although Pate had faith in this woman, it didn’t seem to be doing much good. He had to admit, however, that nothing he’d done had been able to help alleviate her nightmares either.

⁂

Having never had a live-in partner before, Pate had never given much thought to what it would be like to actually have someone waiting for her at home. But she found that she liked it. For the most part, anyway.

Despite the few hiccups like the incident with the racoons and the time he’d ruined her good skillet melting marbles in it on the stovetop, they had a pretty good thing going she thought. The way he always appeared at the door the second she walked in, like an overlarge, excitable, slightly moldy golden retriever never failed to make her smile. Tonight was no exception.

Pate gratefully allowed him to take her bags through to the kitchen while she deposited her keys and purse and jacket in their usual spots, following him and sighing contentedly as he wrapped her in his arms. She smiled against his chest, wishing she could simply live there and not have to worry about work or training or anything else. At his proclamation, she drew back enough to look him in the eye, smiling wanly.

“I kinda am tired, Beej,” she admitted. It had been some time since she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep, the dreams and nightmares taking turns with a general sense of unease and restlessness that kept her awake.

“The dreams may not be getting better, but she’s helped me enough that I can remember them when I wake up. Maybe that’s the key to figuring out what they’re all about. And if I keep practicing the lucid dreaming thing, maybe I could even stop them myself.”

Raising herself on tip-toe to press a quick peck on his lips, Pate then set his destructive proclivities to chopping up the tomatoes and jalapenos and other toppings while she browned and seasoned the meat for their tacos. It filled her with a cozy, domestic feeling as Beetlejuice jabbered absently about whatever had come into his head, interspersed with the ambiance of sizzling hamburger and the clacking of the knife against the cutting board.

She considered telling him about Lillian’s insistence that she cleanse her apartment and dismiss him, but she had a good idea how he’d respond to that and didn’t want to upset him. Besides, if she had anything to say about it he wasn’t going anywhere he didn’t want to. He was here because they both wanted him to be, and that was the end of it.

Instead she removed the pan from the burner, turned off the eye and moved to stand beside him at the island and the heaps of thoroughly massacred vegetables. “What’re we watching tonight?” she asked, opening the taco shells and arranging them on the plates.

⁂

She made him use a knife--knife tricks! He should practice knife tricks!--on the tomatoes since on the first taco night he’d simply crushed them to pulp, but she did say it was okay to rip the lettuce with his hands. Beej did that with relish, managing to fling bits into the air. Like he was imparting a secret, he told Pate that they recorded the noise of breaking lettuce and celery to substitute for bones breaking in movies.

Pate reminded him he told her that every time they had tacos, but softened her chiding with a kiss.

There was a Nicolas Cage movie he was interested in seeing, Color Out of Space, but maybe that wasn’t Pate’s idea of a good time. It was Friday, so the decision was easy: what was with the recasting of Pietro? Did it mean there was finally going to be a connection between the X-men and the Avengers? They settled on the couch to catch up on the latest episode of WandaVision. For the entirety of the show, with the exception of once or twice having to rewind because it was hard to hear over the crunch of the taco shells, they ate without interruptions. Once it was over, the dishes had been cleared, and Pate changed into pajamas, Beetlejuice escorted her back to the couch. Sometimes she had emails to answer from work or simple tasks to complete from Lillian, but tonight she seemed more tired than normal, so he held her while she told him about her day. She said something about wanting to . . . Beetlejuice waited a moment for the rest of the sentence, but Pate had dozed off without completing it. Despite what they’d been through, he still marveled at how easily she gave her trust to someone like him. It would be easy enough to get her into her bed, but he liked being her pillow, so he pulled a blanket from the back of the couch over them, and turned that Nic Cage movie on low to watch it while she slept. Maybe it was the different location, maybe it was because she had just had a lesson with Lillian--maybe it was Nic Cage!--but Pate didn’t stir while they were on the couch. Smiling and hopeful that maybe her nighttime dreams were getting under control, Beetlejuice carried her to bed. It was in the darkest part of the night that she kicked and cried out against him, lost in her head. ⁂

Pate sat bolt upright with a gasp, chest heaving and heart racing. After taking a moment to orient herself, she buried her face in her hands. The same dream, the same tantalizing images, the same mounting sense of dread that grew worse and worse as the dream wore on, pressing between her shoulder blades and against her breastbone, constricting her chest.

The scenes flashes behind her eyelids again: standing on the rainbow road in the middle of the misty forest; the strange red brick tower that stood like a transplanted European castle turret on top of a hill; the sound of rushing water; and standing the in center of a round room with no roof, the starry sky overhead, surrounded by figures that all looked exactly like her.

And the overwhelming notion that something was coming, something unfathomable and indescribable, something powerful and ravenous, drawing closer and closer.

Sighing into her fingers, Pate dropped her hands, sure that she must’ve roused Beej from his restive state, but before she could turn to him another figure appeared in her periphery. Standing by the side of the bed was a strange woman, tumbles of auburn waves falling over her shoulders, her eyes glinting like a cat’s in the darkness.

“Hello, dear,” she purred at Pate, a friendly yet unsettling smile on her pretty heart-shaped face. “You have something I want.”

Without taking her eyes off the intruder, Pate fumbled behind her for Beetlejuice, to wake him, to warn him, but her hand found only empty air. Jolted by this realization, Pate turned to find his place in the bed vacant. Jerking back around to face the smiling woman with her strange eyes, panic surged through Pate’s chest and propelled her heart into her throat.

“Where is he?” she demanded, somehow knowing the woman was responsible for her vanished demon lover.

“Where he belongs,” the woman responded, her smile widening into a predatory grin that froze Pate’s blood in her veins. The terrible foreboding she felt quickly grew into abject terror that she would never see him again.

Then, blessedly, her eyes snapped open to find herself wrapped in Beetlejuice’s arms as he cooed and whispered into her hair that everything was okay, she was just dreaming. Shaking, she clung to him to assure herself that he really was there, feeling the wetness of tears on her cheeks.

“You were gone!” she croaked against him. “There was this woman, her eyes were wrong and she took you!”

She said this with the certainty that comes with dreams, where you simply know something to be true. That certainty told her that something, be it the strange red-haired woman with the glowing eyes or the unknowable presence that stalked ever nearer in her nightmares, was going to try and take him from her. She couldn’t let that happen, wouldn’t let it happen.

⁂

His lover’s abrupt startle awake after twisting and turning and being unable to be roused made him feel worse. What use was he if he couldn’t help her? During her struggles he held her as best he could and soothed her, even though he wasn’t sure Pate even heard him. The tears weren’t uncommon, but specifics about what her mind conjured up were. Beej brushed it off as simple lingering fear, and assured her he wasn’t going anywhere and there was no woman. A weak joke that if she wanted to invite another woman in he wouldn’t object was summarily chewed up and spit out by the rational portion of his brain, the one that had a slightly better understanding of what may and may not be appropriate. It was small, but getting larger. It also nixed allowing him to say, “I guess Nic Cage isn’t the answer.” So he continued to whisper to her and let her cling to him, and because she’d requested it before, asked open-ended questions to help her try and recall as much of the dream as possible. He didn’t understand why that seemed to be important to her mentor, but it was easy and maybe if Pate talked through it, she’d be less frightened.

Mostly he hoped she would just be able to go back to sleep, and vowed to let her stay in bed as long as she would like the next morning.

tbc . . .

[tinyboxxtink]

“My Fairy Abogado” *Part 2*

I’m really shocked people like this as much as they do, this was literally a dream I had one night and decided to write about. 😁

PART 1

Part 3

Tag List

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@objection-argumentative

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@dumauier

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

“Sooooooo, what was that?” Marisol immediately grilled you.

“What was what?” 

“He slipped you a card! I saw it!”

“Oh,” you handed her the card. “He said he might be able to help my parents,”

“Can he even do that? Don’t you have to be like a special immigration lawyer or something?” 

“He can do whatever he wants, he’s the ADA,” a voice came from behind you.

“Ah! Ash! Don’t DO that!” You spun around to see her sitting on a bar stool. 

“Why? Afraid I’ll hear you talking bad about my abogado? Or….good, even?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh shut up,” You hit her. “Did you need something?” 

“Yeah I just wanted to tell you Raf and I will have two number 23’s, mine with green chile sauce his with red and extra extra jalapenos, and a dozen tortillas,” 

“That’s a lot of food for two people,”

“He’s buying,” She shrugged with a smile before walking back to their table. 

“I swear to God that girl is like a cat,” 

“Yeah, thank god she came up before we actually got to the juicy stuff!” Mari giggled.

“What ‘juicy stuff’?” 

“Oh please, I saw the way you looked at him when he came in, and while you were talking to them. 

“And how exactly was I looking at him?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Like a popsicle on a summer day,”  She poked her tongue to the side of her mouth, moving her hand to the other side in a pumping to the side motion. 

“OH MY GOD, Marisol!!!” You grabbed her hands and moved them away, looking around frantically. 

“What’s that mean?”

“Ah!” You yelped again, this time it was your seven year old sister Chloe.

“Chloe, you can’t just sneak up on people,” 

“I was sitting right here,”

“Right,” “Did you need something Chlo?” 

“Yeah, I need a refill,” She held out her soda cup to you, which you leaned over the bar to fill up. 

“Who’s that guy with Ash?” She pointed at Rafael and Ash’s table.

“He’s her…'Tio,” You lied.

“I thought it was just her and her abuela,” 

“He’s a….long lost Tio,” 

“Oh, why’d he give you his number?” 

“Who gave Y/N his number?” Your fifteen year old brother Beto came up behind Chloe.

“Now what do you need?”

“Mas chips,” he held out the empty chip basket. You sighed and handed it Marisol to fill up from the kitchen.

“Now who gave you his number?”

“Ash’s Tio,” Chloe informed him, pointing at Rafael.

“Ash doesn’t have any family, they were all ki--” he started, but you made a slicing hand motion across your neck. 

“...Kicked out of America,” 

“Like mami and papi?” 

“...Yeah, sure. But Ash doesn’t have anybody else,” 

“Yes, she does. And he’s her--” you started to tell Chloe, but she was gone. Your eyes darted to Raf and Ash’s table, where Chloe had run off to. 

“Are you Ash’s tio?” You could hear her ask, as you practically leapt over the bar and ran over to the table.

“I am so sorry, she’s…” You clamped a hand over Chloe’s mouth.

“Nosy,” Ash finished for you. She stuck her tongue out at Chloe, who did the same back. Sometimes you didn’t know who was older.

“It’s fine,” Rafael smiled, then held out his hand to Chloe. “I’m Rafael,” 

“Chloe,” She took his hand very regally. “Very nice to meet you,” she said in a very proper accent. 

“So why did you give my sister your number?” Beto once again came trailing up behind the group. 

“Are you kidding me-- BETO,” You turned around and smacked him. “Don’t you have chips to refill? And homework to do?”

“Well if a guy papi’s age is hitting on my sister, I’d like to know about it,” he glared at Rafael, who smirked in amusement back.

“That’s it,”  You took them both by their shirts and escorted them away, back to their table.

“Yasmine,” You hit your twelve year old sister, who was listening to her iPod. She took out her ear pods when you hit her. 

“What?” She exclaimed angrily.

“You just let them run around, bothering customers?!” You gestured to the two of them.

“Beto’s fifteen, and he can watch Chloe. I have a science quiz tomorrow, I’m trying to study! Or do you WANT me to fail Bio? I’m sure that’ll look really awesome on the progress report that gets sent to Child Services!” She scoffed. 

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes then looked at your brother and sister.

“Look-- Rafael is a nice man, who offered to help mami and papi, okay? NOBODY is hitting on anybody, it’s just a business thing. Okay?” 

“He’s going to help mami and papi?!” Chloe’s eyes lit up. You probably shouldn’t have made that kind of promise, seeing as you didn’t even know if he could help you.

“Try, Chlo,” you shushed her. “Try. I don’t know if he can,” 

“Yeah well, that better be all he’s doing,” Beto narrowed his eyes at their table. “I saw the way he was looking at you,” 

“Beto! Jesus…” You grabbed the full chip basket off the bar and shoved it in his hands, gesturing for them both to get back in the booth. 

“Now you three finish up and go upstairs, shower, and you two help Chloe to bed,” You instructed the three of them.

“And NOBODY bother Mr. Rafael again, si?” you eyed them. 

“Alright fine,” Beto grabbed a chip and went back to his homework. 

“I wasn’t bothering him-- but fine,” Chloe sipped her soda.

“Great,” you sighed, turning back and heading to the kitchen to grab Rafael and Ash’s food. 

This was gonna be a long night.

------

You walked back across the restaurant and saw Marisol handing them their food.

“Um, Mari-- I got it,” You came up behind her.

“Oh! Hey, Y/N,” She grinned. “You know, I was just thinking, maybe you sit here and chat with Rafael. I can cover the tables,” 

“....And why, would I do that?” 

“Because I asked her to,” Rafael poked his head around her. You glanced at Mari, who gave you a suggestive look. 

“I...Um...Yeah, okay,” You shook your head and took your apron off, sitting next to Ash in the booth across from Rafael. 

“I’ll be right back, margarita for the lady?” She winked. 

“Use the cheap tequila, Mari!” you called after her. “It’s easier to mark off!” 

“Oh I’ll pay for it,” Rafael assured you. 

“What? No, that’s-- no no no, that’s fine,” You waved your hands in dismissal. You hated being a charity case.

“Oh God do I have to sit here and be a third wheel on your date,” Ash groaned.

“It’s not a date!” You blushed. “It’s an...interview,” 

“An interview?” 

“Well yeah, don’t you interview people you want to hire? I assume you do that with lawyers, right?” 

“Oh! Yeah, sure sure,” He nodded, sipping his scotch. “Works both ways,” he winked. 

“Lord Jesus kill me now,” Ash faked a gagging noise.

“If I give you the weekend off will you shut up for the rest of the meal?” You offered.

“You won’t even know I’m here,” She smiled, popping ear buds in her ears and pulling up Netflix on her phone.

“Excellent negotiating skills,” Rafael smiled. “I might have a formidable client,” 

“I try,” you smiled back.

------

The rest of the night went by so fast, you couldn’t believe it.

You and Rafael talked about literally everything. You told him about how you had moved into the city to pursue acting, but when your parents were deported you came back home to take care of your siblings. He told you about growing up in the Barrio, how hard he worked to pull himself up and out of it. You admired that so much, especially because it’s exactly what you were trying to do. You talked about likes, and dislikes. Favorite things, pet peeves, everything under the sun. Before you knew it, the restaurant was empty and Marisol was locking the doors.

“Oh my god,” You noticed her.  “Oh my GOD, what time is it?!” You glanced at your phone.

“Oh Jesus, it’s 11:30,” Rafael noticed his watch. 

“I am so sorry, Ash--” you turned next to you to see Ash asleep against the wall. 

“Wow,” You half laughed. “She’s so sweet when she’s sleeping,” 

“And only then,” Raf added with a laugh himself. 

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Barba,” Marisol finally dropped off the check. 

“Rafael, please Marisol,” He told her as he handed him his credit card. 

“I am so sorry, I must have talked your ear off,” You apologized, nudging Ash to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched, then looked at her phone with wide eyes.

“Holy SHIT, Rafa!” She jumped up. “Abuela is gonna think the Diablo’s came for me!” 

“I texted her, she knows you’re with me,” He assured her. 

“Right...did you also tell her you were trying to sleep with my boss?” She raised an eyebrow.

“ASH-- Door, now.” He pointed to the front door. She rolled her eyes but went and waited outside.

“I really am sorry,” You nervously apologized again.

“Don’t be, I haven’t had someone to talk to like that in a very, very long time. It was nice,” He took your hand. 

“Yeah, it was,” You could feel yourself blushing.

“Okay Rafael, there you go. And thank you for stopping in,” Mari handed him his check back. 

“Thanks Mari,” He scribbled a tip and signed it, nodding to the both of you. 

“Holy shit,” Mari whispered, handing you the check. Your eyes grew three sizes, you practically sprinted after Rafael.

“Wait!” You caught him as he walked halfway out the door. 

“What’s up?” He turned back towards you.

“I’m, I’m sorry-- I think you might have accidentally written an extra zero, I didn’t want you to be shocked tomorrow,” You sheepishly smiled, handing him the check back. In the tip area it read “$1000”.

“Oh um...no, that’s right,” He muttered.

“...Excuse me?” 

“I just, I wanted to help you out,” He gave you a soft smile. 

“So...So that’s what this was,” Your voice softened. 

“What?”

“This whole night,” your voice became angrier. “This whole time, you were being nice to me because you felt sorry for me?!”

“What? No! I--”

“Well thank you, Mr. Barba. But I am nobody’s charity case,” You took the check and ripped it up, tossing the confetti on the ground. 

“Y/N come on, that’s not what I was--” He started to explain, but you wouldn’t hear any of it. 

“Ash I’ll see you Monday,” You called to her, then shut the door and locked it, leaving Rafael standing outside, dumbfounded. 

“What the hell was that?” Marisol walked towards you from the kitchen.

“The NERVE of that--” you pulled out his card from your apron and ripped it up angrily.

“What the hell did you do?” She gestured outside.

“What did I do?! Mari he just tried to give me a thousand dollars! To be ‘nice’!” You almost screamed.

“So? That is pretty damn nice!”

“I’m not a charity case!” You did your best to calm down, trying not to wake the kids. But your blood was boiling. 

“Y/N look around,” Marisol gestured around the restaurant. “You are the DEFINITION of a charity case,” 

“Oh screw you,” you rolled your eyes and started walking towards the back to count your 

“I’m serious!” She followed you. 

“You’re drowning, and you know it. You have zero idea how to run this place, let alone take care of your brother and sisters,” She gestured upstairs. 

“My parents opened and kept this place running for 25 years, with nobody’s charity,” you mumbled angrily.

“Yeah and they started with just the two of them, not three extra mouths to feed,” She stopped you from counting and made you look at her.

“What are you gonna do when Child Services shows up and they see the shape this place is in? They’ll take them, and then you’ll really have no one.” She pushed a finger on your chest.

“This perfectly nice, amazingly attractive guy shows up and offers not only to help you get your parents back but graciously gives you some extra money? And you yelled at him?!” 

“You yelled at Rafael?!” Chloe’s voice came from the stairs.

“Oh my god, Chloe!” You turned to see her sitting on the bottom stair.  “You are supposed to be in bed!” 

“I couldn’t sleep, you weren’t upstairs,” She shrugged. “Why did you yell at Rafael?! Now he’ll never help mami and papi!” 

“Chlo, come on he--” 

“No! He wanted to help, and you yelled at him. Now he’ll never come back, and we’ll never see mami and papi again! I hate you!” She stomped back up the stairs in tears. 

“...Great,” You sighed, looking at Marisol who had a look. “What?” 

“I’m just saying--” 

“And I’M just saying, I thought he really liked me, okay?” You had tears in your own eyes. 

“How do you know he didn’t?!” 

“He tried to give me A THOUSAND DOLLARS, Marisol! For a $50 dollar meal. He must think I’m pathetic! He probably sat there all night just…” You trailed off, imagining all the bad things he could’ve been thinking. 

“Babe, I don’t think he would’ve talked to you all night if he thought you were pathetic,” She raised an eyebrow. 

“....Whatever, I have to take care of Chloe-- can you finish down here?” 

“Yeah. I’ll lock up, night babe,” 

It took you a while, but you finally got Chloe back to bed. Then you went into your own room and laid down, now beating yourself up. 

What if he did like you? What if he was just being nice? You weren’t used to people just being nice. Was that even a thing? There was nothing you could do now, you ripped up his card. 

How were you going to fix it??

[serensama]

To Release #4-#7

In my unbridled rage, I started and finished everything- even the two I lost for Jumin and Saeyoung. I specifically apologise for Jumin’s- it’s short and brash and nowhere near to the standard that my original piece had. I poured my heart out into that one... and it’s gone. I do not have the strength to try to write it again. So, instead I offer my apologies. This was written in one sitting with no editing, so this will have typos and missing words and incorrect tenses everywhere. Again. My apologies. 

Jumin, Saeyoung, Saeran and V need to let MC go. 

Years ago, I had asked the amazing @promiscuous-jalapeno to write a HC for me when I was too scared to write my own and she did an amazing job- tore me right up it did. I asked her shortly thereafter if she minded if I tried to do it and she was kind enough to encourage me. Nearly 4 years and I’ve finally done it.

Trigger warnings: Character death, curse words, mild sexual themes, and cancer.

This is for my friend, my sister- Susana. I don’t know how to let you go. But one day I will. And one day I will see you again. Rest well until then dear one.

This is for my baby, my puppy Meiko- run free my little one. I know you’ll be waiting for me too. Keep Susana company and keep her safe until we catch up, okay? Good Boy.

Jumin:

-       They came home from a business trip and MC wasn’t feeling her best, but it was a long trip and she was bound to be tired.

-       Except she was sick for over a week and she was too tired to fight Jumin to not send over the doctor to check her over.

-       It wasn’t good news, but not yet the worst.

-       So of course Jumin sprang into action. He called every doctor he knew and every pharmaceutical company, money was not an issue so he could afford to ensure that MC got the best of care. However he never paid for anyone to assist him in looking after his beloved wife.

-       He took time off work and appointed Jaehee into a temporary role to replace him whilst he looked after MC. From fluffing her pillow to bathing her to ensuring the correct doses of medication were taken on time, no task too menial or below him if it was for his MC.

-       And after a year of treatment, she got better. Things were back to normal, sure she wasn’t as strong as before but she had time to build up that strength. To be stronger than before.

-       Two years passed and her sickness was almost forgotten, except when she wouldn’t wake up one day.

-       Jumin couldn’t wait for the doctor to come to him so in his pyjamas he carried her to the car and drove to the doctor’s house himself.

-       There was nothing left they could do. All treatments exhausted, the cure would end up ravaging what was left of her life.

-       Instead of staying idly by at home she refused for Jumin to take any more time away from his company like he had those years before, she wanted to make sure he could still return to being Jumin even when she was long gone.

-       But he didn’t know how to be Jumin without her anymore. He didn’t know anything.

-       The sickness was relentless this time, only weeks before her body rejected the years of hard work and effort she had given to get better. She was weaker than before. She had no more fight to give.

-       However before she was completely bedbound MC asked Jumin for a favour. To return back to the vineyard he had taken her to back when they were just engaged. She longed to see the sunset amidst all the red and purples. Longed to relive a time when things held so much more promise.

-       How could Jumin refuse?

-       It was a long drive but he quite fancied the idea of spending hours in the backseat with MC just talking to her, playing with her hair, her hands or running his own down her cheeks. Any time with her was all he needed to be content.

-       They were talking, just chatting away, lost in the in between, the mixture of what was memory and what could be… when she slipped away from him. So quietly and gently as was her way, never disturbing him in life… or in death.

-       He held on to her, wishing and hoping to anything that would listen to give her back to him. He would pay any price, do any deed if she would just come back. He didn’t know he was saying these out loud. Didn’t know anything else existed.

-       Driver Kim asked if they should head back or perhaps go to the hospital but Jumin wouldn’t have it.

“Drive on.” “But Mr Han.” 

“I said. Drive on.”

-       And so he did. He drove and he drove and all the while Jumin kissed MC’s brow and let his fingers trace her soft, frozen features. She was still warm. He knew she was gone but… she was still warm.

-       They had stopped for petrol not surprising seeing as they had driven throughout the day and it was almost midnight, he didn’t even know where they were. Nor did he care.

-       Then the door opened beside him.

-       It was cold.

-       Cold air rushed through the car and MC would get…

-       “Assistant Kang.” “Mr Han.” “What are you doing here? It’s late and you’re in your nightgown.” “I’m here to help you Mr Han.” “I am in no need of help.” “Driver Kim called me and told me what happened. Oh Mr Han, I’m so so sorry.”

“I… yes. Thank you. If Driver Han needs to be replaced in order to sleep then please arrange for another driver to meet us here and we can continue on-”

“Where are you going to go Mr Han? You know this isn’t right, you need to take her back.” “Assistant Kang this is above your pay grade.” “She was my friend Mr Han. Not just your wife. You can’t dismiss me for trying to help my friend.” “She is fine.” “I wasn’t only talking about her.” “Assistant Kang-” “Jumin.” “Please.”

-       Jumin stopped and stared at his friend, eyes bloodshot and skin pale. “Jaehee. I … I don’t know what to do…” “Let me help.” “If I let her go now… if we turn around and she goes… I don’t belong anywhere. She was my home. When I got back to that apartment that won’t be home because she won’t be there. I can’t return to C&R because that’s where we worked together. Right now… here… this is all I have left Jaehee.” “Jumin-” “If I don’t leave this spot. I can tell myself that she’s sleeping. That none of this is happening and she’s just sleeping until we get to where we need to go. If I go out there… it makes this real. I’m not strong enough to let this be real.” “…” “I can’t do this.” “…” “I can’t do this without her.” “…” “I’m scared.”

“I know. Me too.” “I can’t.” “But you will, you will learn. We all will, together.”

-        Jumin nodded and allowed Jaehee to help. His hold on MC still as strong as ever. However when the time came for him to let go, to relinquish his grip on her, he learned that he did know how to release her hand… and still remember the feel of her hand in his. He took one last breath of her scent and muttered words of love in her ear once more.

-       In time he would learn to live again, how to function in society and somehow continue on. And perhaps, one day he would learn to exhale and know how to breath again.

-       Perhaps.

Saeyoung:

-       It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

-       That was the saying wasn’t it.

-       It kept replaying over and over in his head as he sat in the ER replaying the scene in his head. Trying desperately to retrace his steps and find out where he went wrong, where it all went so so wrong.

-       It was just a normal afternoon, MC had managed to drag him away from the computer and one thing lead to another and they got into a play fight, nothing out of the normal for them. Rough and tumble play was a great opener for rough and tumble sex after all. She had pinned him down between her legs and he pushed on her shoulder a little harder to try to tip her over and instead of the haughty laughter that would normal bubble out of her mouth, she screamed. Blood curdling. Sweat inducing. Heart drop stopping. Screamed.

-       Saeyoung watched as he could see the visible dip in her collarbone as she rocked back on forth above him with tears streaming her face. The red head scrambled out from beneath her, cursing his lack of grace as he accidentally jostled her, her wails of pain resonating deep within his ears.

-       He could feel the adrenaline start to course through his veins and his thoughts clouding and clearing at the same time. He had scrambled to his desk and found his phone and wallet and pocketed them before carefully helping MC up and escorted her to the car, every movement measured and cautious to ensure the least amount of pain for her. And for him. Hearing her cry out like that… it was the worst kind of torture.

-       So there he was. All alone with his thoughts. His cyclical, evil thoughts.  Finding ways he could have prevented that from happening. If only he didn’t hit her so hard. If only he didn’t work so much and paid more attention to her and… shit.

-       He opened and closed his eyes, squeezing the tears away that came unbidden, staring mindlessly at the speckled tile of the waiting room.

-       After what may have been hours or days, two feet came into his line sight, forcing his eyes to rear upwards to the face attached to the scuffed white sneakers.

-       The doctor in front him continued to talk and he could feel his head nod along at what he thought may have been appropriate times, his words muffled and obtuse. Until the word he hadn’t expected popped up and it felt like it crashed straight into his eardrums and forced his world off kilter. Forcing him further down into his seat as if his spine had melted and settled to the floor.

-       It was just game. Harmless. They were laughing. She was laughing.

-       She was dying.

-       The disease already deep in her system, deep within her. Untapped and unchecked. That was why she was so fragile- he had always known that he had to be careful with her- and he had placed the chink in her brittle armour.

-       The doctor tried his best to prepare him and make him understand that were ways to keep her comfortable until her time would eventually come to pass.

“Weeks… maybe months…”

Maybe.

-       She was so small in the bed. Her arm in the sling and so pale even amongst all the white. The bastards had told her everything as she sat in the room alone and in pain, no one to hold her hand and tell her that everything would work out just fine.

-       He would make sure of it.

-       She offered him a small smile and a playful shrug of her shoulder which earned her a string of colourful language falling from her tongue. He smiled and shrugged back. Small, familiar gestures to offer them both comfort; falling short but the intent warming nonetheless.

-       The doctor said his goodbyes and left the two to their own devices.

-       “I’m… I’m so sor-”

“No.” “…No?” “I don’t have enough time left on this earth for sorry ‘Young.”

“You will. I’ll make sure you’re around until you’re old and grey, giving me more time to apologise for all the stupid things I still have to do with you.” “-‘Young-” “Like, I still need to go skinny dipping at the new waterpark that opened up.” “You promised you were going to do that at night where no children would be witness to your dangly bits-” “Or wear another one of your new dresses and stretch out the arms-” “-I can’t believe you did that, Jaehee bought that last dress-”

“Or throw our kid up in the air and accidentally smash their head into the ceiling.” “….”

“The point is… you’re going to be around.” “I will try.” “No, you will be. I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll contact Jumin… o-or Vanderwood… or a couple of the other agents I used to keep in touch with-” “Saeyoung, no.” “… Surely someone will know a better, more advanced treatment that can give us more time and-” “Saeyoung-” “I might have to do a couple of jobs in return-”

“NO!”

-       Her voice echoed out of the room and into the hall, snapping him out of his musings. “No. No more jobs. No Vanderwood. No agents. Don’t… I don’t want that. I want you. Here, with me. I don’t want you out there doing God knows what that could have you hurt or dying-” “AND I WANT YOU TO DIE HERE? NOW? NEXT WEEK? NEXT YEAR?” he bellowed back, hands shaking the end of the bed, her chart clattering to the floor. “If I can fix this, doing it anyway I can, I will.” “Saeyoung… please…” “I don’t want to hear it-” “Please I’m scared.” “… MC…” “I’m scared for me and for you and… I don’t want to do… do this right now and… I want to go home but I c-cant and-”

-        Her words dissolved into shuddering cries, quickly buried in Saeyoung’s protective embrace. Their squabble forgotten the moment he heard the crack in her voice. Saeyoung tightened his hold on her and brushed his lips against her hair, breathing in her scent.

-       He wouldn’t leave her, however he wouldn’t sit futilely by and just watch the woman who saved him wane away into nothing- not when he could do something about it.

-       After undergoing more tests and meeting after meeting of specialists with their shots and pills and treatment plans- they were finally able to go home.

-       Except for MC, it may have been better to stay in the hospital because for all intents and purposes she was alone. He may have not been going out doing secret missions and getting shot at but he was always at the computer or on the phone, talking in hushed tones that seeped through the walls no matter how low he spoke. Each secretive whisper adding to the loneliness she felt inside her own home. Beside her but not with her.

-       Taking care of her every need but not the one she needed most.

-       Time. More than food, water or air. She needed time with him… and she was running out of it.

-       And he… out of options.

-       No one had anything he could access without going back in deep and to do that meant to go crawling back to… MC would never forgive him… but if she was dead he would never be able to forgive himself.

-       It had been two weeks and she looked like she was stable. This mission would pay well and get the CEO of the best pharmaceutical company in his debt, it would take four days, one week tops. It would be worth it. She would be safe and they would have time together, time enough to waste arguing over this and to move on from it. He would do anything.

-       Saeyoung had purposely planned to leave on a night where Saeran was out with his friends and had waited until she had fallen asleep with her dreams playing behind her eyelids. Saeyoung pressed the lightest of kisses onto her forehead, on the tip of her nose and on her perfect lips. His silent apology for what he was about to do.

-       He picked up his bag and headed towards his garage, thankful that he didn’t have to say goodbye to her lest he lose the will to do what was necessary.

-       Steeling his resolve, Saeyoung took in a deep breath and readied himself for a task he’d have done in the other life he had left far behind. Digging into his shirt he found the crucifix at the end of his necklace, the silver shining even in the dim light of his car. A prayer, a wish, a vow- sealed with a kiss to the cold metal.

-       He was ready and prepared. He was all set to go- what he hadn’t accounted for was a certain blonde haired friend walking up his driveway with a bag of fried chicken to share.

-       “…Yoosung?”

“Hyung? Where are you going off to?” “Wh-Why are you here?”

“I was in the neighbourhood and thought that you and MC Noona would like some company? It’s been a while since I last visited.” “Uh… uh that’s… now’s not a good time right now… I uh… MC’s not feeling well and I’m about to get her some medicine and-” “She’s right.” “Um… what?” “She says nowadays you’re so out of practice, you get flustered when you have to lie.” “What… what are you even talking about? Look I don’t have the time, I need to-” “I don’t know where you’re going. Or what you’re about to do… all I do know that you leaving MC alone now is the worst thing you can do.” “All of you don’t understand that I’m doing this for MC-” “And you still can’t get it through that thick head of yours that you trying to do what you believe is best for MC always leads to hurting her more!” “Could you just get out of the way?” “All those years ago- when you pushed her away, made her suffer all alone- you’re doing it again. She can’t talk to you so she talks to me, to the rest of the RFA. You’re letting history repeat because you think you know what is best and not taking her feelings into account.” “Don’t be ridiculous-” “She’s dying Hyung. The way she talks… she doesn’t have long. Are you really going to spend one second away from her when all she wants is you? Not me. Not anyone else. Just you.”

-       Saeyoung could feel the wall he had built up to cage his emotions slowly crumbling away with each passing second. It was true, he had learned nothing. Making the same mistakes. Hurting the same woman time and again. It was time he made the right decisions.

“So stay. Please Hyung. Don’t do this, not again. She needs you.”

When did you get so smart Yoosung? “Did you bring any of the spicy kind? You know MC loves those the best.”

-       Yoosung smiled and nodded, of course he did.

-       They both went back into the house to find MC sitting up in bed, all bleary eyed and hair sticking up at odd angles.

“… Do I smell chicken?”

-       So they all sat down on the bed, regaling in each other’s company and good food. None of them mentioning the fact that there was a backpack at foot of the bed.

-       Saeyoung made a new promise then and there, amidst the sounds of Yoosung asking MC advice about how to ask one of his LOLOL guild members out, that he would make every last second count and make it worth a lifetime. He would take every chance he could to bring her joy, to make up for all the times he made her sad. In homage for all the times he would never get to make her happy in the future. He would fill her time with laughter.

-       Her descent happened slowly at first, needing to nap a little bit more, the aches in her body happening more frequently. Then as her sickness began to sink its claws deeper into her, the fatigue had her bedridden and the drugs that kept her ‘comfortable’ were slowly getting becoming ineffective. However throughout it all- Saeyoung still made her laugh. Through the pain and the exhaustion, her heart was full. She was not alone after all.

-       They would spend the days snacking and watching anime. Baking cakes for breakfast and having ice cream for dinner. Ordering food at 3am in the morning. Taking long drives out to nowhere and sitting on the roof of his car and stargazing. It was on one such a trip that he knew what their next great adventure should be.  

-       The new drugs she was on… she could barely stay awake. She had mere moments in the day where she was lucid, not enough energy to barely keep a conversation longer than 30 minutes at a time before needing to rest. She was going on without him and there was nothing he could do but…

-       He made one last phone call.

-       She was awake, she knew it- but it was dark… oh that was right… ‘Young had blindfolded her. Where were they going? They were in the car before but she had told him she was tired… she must have fallen asleep and he wanted to keep this destination a mystery… what… what the hell was that noise… “’Young… slow… slow down you’re driving too fast.” “Sorry, no can do MC… I promise, it will be worth it.” “… S’long as you’re being… careful.”

-       A familiar pull drew down in the pit of her stomach as she felt the car lift off the road.

-       The… wait

-       “Young?”

-       Fast. They were going too fast. “Young?!”

-       Her heart thumped harder in her chest, fear coursing through her as she was certain and frail bones could no longer contain the strength of her heartbeat.

-       And then- light- she was so light. Only tied to the world by the harnesses holding her in place.

-       Warm hands unfastened the tie around her head, the light piercing her eyes as they adjusted as quickly as they could. Bright red hair and obnoxious orange glasses, kind amber eyes and smile… such a beautiful smile from the man she loved. Strong arms wrapping around her to hold her close as they swam in the free air of the plane, unbound  from the constraints of gravity.

-       As they came back down the first time MC gasped and clapped in glee, tired eyes gleamed with joy and as she realised just what was happening.

-       “Saeyoung…” “We did baby… we’re at the space station… just like we always said we would be.”

-       Again and again they basked in the feeling of lightness, those snippets of time where they were free of the of the weight of the world and everything that awaited them when they would eventually land.

-       “’Young… we’re flying… we’re flying.”

“… We are.” “’Young… ‘Young…. Flying.”

-       His fingers curled into her clothes as he clung to her, her body so tiny against his and even though she weighed nothing- cradling her lifeless body would forever be the heaviest thing he would ever had to bear.

Saeran:

-       She was just getting a physical because she had gotten a new job.

-       She felt fine.

-       She was completely blindsided by the fact that she had been asked to come in by the doctor who had examined her.

-       Apparently… apparently she had something wrong with her heart. Something she was born with. Largely inoperable and… well it didn’t… it didn’t bode well.

-       She could try some medications to slow down what was happening but…

-       MC told her parents over the phone. She had planned to tell Saeran some other time when she knew how to handle it better, when she could think of a way to make it sound more palatable. But how did you tell the person you loved that you were going to die?

-       No. MC was not ready to tell him.

-       Which of course meant he walked in on her crying to her mother that she didn’t want to die.

-       She didn’t expect him to take the phone and hang up it up. Didn’t expect for him to look at her with wild eyes and limbs shaking, lips pulled tight with worry and blood drained from his skin. She didn’t know what to expect. “Is it true?” was all he could ask, his voice so quiet she could barely hear him. She nodded. “How long have you known?” “Three days.”

-       She didn’t expect for him to throw the phone against the wall beside him as he rushed out of the door, trying his best to ignore her cries of his name. How could she expect for him to handle this well when she couldn’t. MC just slipped to the ground from their sofa and continued to cry on her own, still muffling her sobs for a reason far beyond even her knowledge.

-       He didn’t know what to do. Too many thoughts. Too many feelings. None of them good and all too fast for him to catch between too clumsy hands. He felt as if his skin wasn’t enough to hold him together and he would burst at the seams and still… he would still have too many thoughts and too many feelings.

-       He had to do something. He couldn’t save her. He couldn’t do anything right. But he know so many ways he could do something wrong and he could do those over and over again.

-       He didn’t target anyone specifically. Just some random guy on the street who was yelling at his girlfriend? Sister? Co-worker? He didn’t care. He just had too much pain in his head and in his chest and if he didn’t…

-       He felt an explosion of agony in his fist. He probably splintered a bone or something. Didn’t matter. This pain he knew, this pain he understood and knew how to stow away and forget about. This pain he could handle.

-       So again, one hit then two, until the guy was out cold. He felt someone spin him around and try to subdue him but no, there were too many emotions and not enough skin to contain him. Two guys, then four. Whose blood did he wear on his hands? His own? His foes? He didn’t care. More. He needed more screams that weren’t his own… cries that weren’t hers.

-       Finally someone managed to connect with his eye and he was almost giddy from the sting of their right hook. Yes. Yes. He needed this.

“Saeran! What the hell?” Oh. The actor. Great. 

“Fuck off Zen.” “No. Stop. STOP! What are you doing- hey buddy get off of him I got this handled- why are you attacking these people?” “Fuck them and fuck you. I don’t answer to you.” “What would MC think of this? She’s been by your side and helped you through all these years and you repay her by deciding to on a crazy free for all?”

-       At the mention of her name, a flurry of emotions passed over his face. Anger. So much anger. Until it subsided into a frown, and then a shuddering breath and a chocked sob.

“It doesn’t matter what that woman thinks-” “Woman?!”

“She’s dead.” “What?!” “She… she will be. She’s good as dead. She’s sick. Dying. She’s leaving me behind so … it doesn’t matter what she thinks or does from this point out because.. it’s me. Again it’s just gonna be me so you can go to hell and she can too.”

-       Zen’s eyes softened at the sight before him. Of course. Of course. If MC was his girlfriend and she told him she was going to pass away… well… he couldn’t blame Saeran. He might have done even worse.

“Saeran, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t want your pity asshole.” “What can I… is there anything…” “Shut up! I was doing just fine without you. Without all of you. Leave me the fuck alone.”

Then why are you crying Saeran. You say all of this as tears stream down your face. “Okay then. Back to it.”

-       Saeran stared at him in shock as Zen put up his fists and crouched down to a defensive position.

“The fuck you doing?” “Fighting you. This was helping you said, fighting me. So come on. Fight me. Hurt me. Whatever. I can take it.”

-       Saeran stared at him as if he were the one in torn clothes and covered in blood.

-       “If this is something I can do to get you back to normal so you can get back to MC and help her, then this is the least I can do. So come on. Fight me.” “N-no.” “Come on man, I’m a little rusty but I can do this.” “I said no!”

-       “You’re hurting right? That’s why you want to hurt others. I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve done this too. Let it out, let it out on me, don’t hurt anyone else. I’m here for you.”

-       Saeran stepped back as he made to lift his hands… only to slump back down at his sides as he began to cry in earnest. His motives easily revealed, his adrenaline whittled back to nothing. Zen straightened up and dropped his fists. “Let’s go get you cleaned up. You can’t go back to MC like that.” “I can’t go back to MC at all.” “Don’t be stupid. That’s where you belong. Hurry up, it’s getting really late now, we can’t have her all alone at home in your neighbourhood. She’d probably be looking for you if you stay out much later.”

-       She was just about to leave when she found him standing at the front door. She had her jacket half on and her keys dangling from her mouth. Eyes puffy, red, sore. Still. Still she worried about him, looked out for him. Saeran swallowed up the regret that bubbled in his throat and stepped forward, drawing the dazed woman into his embrace. “I’m sorry.” “Saeran-” “I… I wasn’t ready to hear about you. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready but… it wasn’t right what I did and I’m sorry. I’m sorry to you and your father-” “-Mother” “Right. Yeah. I’m sorry. What can I do? What can we do?” “… Dinner? Let’s have some dinner first… after that.. I don’t know either.”

-       MC didn’t take the new job that was still offered to her. He didn’t blame her, who would want to stay in an office job stuck doing the same boring thing day in and out when you had only a few months to… well… office work was never his cup of tea in the first place.

-       “Saeran. Let’s go to Japan.”

“Huh?” “And then let’s go to China. And then maybe we can go to Europe… and maybe to South America? Oh and the Caribbean!” “Wha- what are you talking about MC?” “I want to see the world and I want to see it with you while I can. I don’t want the rest of my life to be just going to the doctors and going to RFA meetings. I want to experience everything I can.” Saeran could feel his heart break. This was what she wanted, this was her final wish. He could never deny her this when it was so easy for him to grant.

“Sure MC. Let’s go to Japan. Let’s go wherever you want.”

-       They travelled through sky and through the seas, experienced culture and food and yes they even made a friend or two. However there was no denying, the travel was taking its toll on her. She was fading. She was tired.

“Saeran… I want to show you where I grew up… is that okay? I’d like to go home.” “Uh yes, yes of course. We can go wherever you want.”

-       It was a beautiful town where she had grown up, she often talked about it when he was going through withdrawals or woke up from a particularly nasty nightmare. She would talk about the small city and about the children who would still play out in streets until their parents called them back home. It was idyllic, so picturesque, he had regretted not taking her up on her previous requests to go there back in the past. It was the perfect place for her to choose to die.

-       They had found themselves atop her favourite hill, under a large apple tree she once described as her first friend to him. She amused him with more stories of her childhood and how this tree had been integral to so many of her memories, from seeing her first scraped knee, to her first kiss. She told him of her memories of him and how she had pictured that if they ever did marry, it would be right here underneath its branches, their wedding date carved into the trunk to preserve their story. “….And what would happen after that?...” “…MC?...”

-       Yet another part of her life spent with the tree that only he was able to remember for her. “And then... when our first child is born we’d come back and etch their birthday beneath our wedding date… we would live a life of adventure and… you would want for nothing. We could do whatever you wanted. We could go where ever you wanted. We could do anything MC. Our story would have been… it would have been something amazing.”

V:

-       He found the lump, as so many partners did.

-       She hadn’t felt anything off and was lax in checking and… he was the one who found it. During a time they were stealing so Lucy wouldn’t be able to disturb them. They loved being parents, of course they did but sometimes… it was nice to be lovers and not just parents.

-       When he cupped her breast and squeezed and a sweet sigh came out of her mouth to wordlessly encourage him on and … nothing came… MC opened her eyes and found Jihyun with knitted in concern as he palmed her, concentration on his face born from careful curiosity and not the kind that resulted in her pleasure. “MC… is this… I don’t think this is normal.” “What?” “There’s a lump here.” “That’s not funny Jihyun.” “I’m not trying to be MC.”

-       Tests. Prodding and poking and biopsies and… options. So many discussions about options. The only option was for his wife to live, the mother of their child to live.

-       It wasn’t easy for either of them to explain to their daughter that mummy was sick but MC always managed to find the right words to say. ‘I am going to come right back and everything will be back to normal’ and ‘no honey this didn’t happen because of you’ and that ‘no matter what, your mummy loves you’.

-       The last one, that one sounded a whole lot like goodbye.

-       She didn’t stay at the hospital for as long as they thought and… the prognosis was good. They had caught it and it hadn’t spread… they just had to watch it. Mummy could keep loving Lucy for many years to come. Jihyun had time to learn how to be funny. She could come back home.

-       Seven years. Every year they would test her to make sure it hadn’t returned… it was the final year she was meant to be tested this way… she was home free.

-       Except it wasn’t a lump in her breast. It was a growth in her kidney and in her liver. Further testing proved it was in her lungs and in her bones. In her bones. It had taken root and…

-       Damn it.

-       No. It didn’t matter. She was going to fight, she was going to do everything she could to stay with her family. They hadn’t had enough time together yet and MC was no stranger to doing things the hard way.

-       The second time around explaining it to Lucy was much more difficult. She was older, she knew about the world and the pain it held for so many people. That illness could take people away from you and not just for a month tucked away in hospital… but forever. There was still the “I am going to come right back and everything will be back to normal’ and ‘no honey this didn’t happen because of you’ and that ‘no matter what, your mummy loves you’.  Although this time there was also having to answer, “Mummy… are you going to die?”

-       She couldn’t answer her, not how she wanted to.

-       “I am going to do everything in my power not to.”

-       Jihyun found himself jealous that even then, she always knew what to say.

-       The treatment was… it felt like she was dying. She didn’t know what she preferred. The first round resulted in some bloating and some fatigue, this time fighting the disease left her unable to stomach anything, the feeling of nausea never leaving her. MC could barely keep her eyes open and most of the time she spent with her family and friends was with her fast asleep. Her loved ones having to be content with accompanying her as she dreamed.

-       However throughout all of it, all the pain she endured, she knew she had Jihyun. Jihyun who juggled taking care of Lucy and helping her get to school and help with her homework and spend the rest of his day by her side. He would read to her and bring in his sketchbook to draw her when she wasn’t looking- and sometimes when she was. He would pick up their daughter and let her spend time with MC, to soak in as much quality time they could before taking her home and making sure she had dinner and went to bed before coming back to spend more time his wife, until the nurses would usher him out as he had, once again, stayed past visiting hours.

-       He was the glue keeping them altogether, he was the rock that would prop them all up- steadfast and strong. Unyielding and unnerved. He had faith that it would be alright, she was going to beat this. She had to.

-       Then one day he was told he could not visit her; that she had developed a strong infection and with her immune system so compromised… she couldn’t afford to get any sort of sickness. She couldn’t fight off a cold to literally save her life.

-       They were separated for weeks. Only the sound of her weak voice at the other end of the line to ease both him and Lucy and fell too short of what he would call a cold comfort. He knew all too well how her voice cracked when she lied… and it would always crack when she said she was feeling much better and it wouldn’t be too much longer until they were reunited.

-       When she had finally stabilised enough for him to return, the nurses had urged that it should only be him to visit and that he would need to prepare Lucy for the next time she could come along. He had only wished they had given him the same courtesy.

-       How could she have lost so much weight since the last time he saw her? How could her cheeks have fallen and her skin turn into such a sickly grey pallor that it physically hurt him to look at her- but it hurt even more to turn away. “I’m so sorry Jihyun.” “Why… why are you apologising for?” “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back home.” “Don’t- don’t say that. Don’t say those kinds of things. You had a rough patch and you’re fighting through it. Things will get better, they will.”

-       MC smiled at him, the same pitying smile that so many of the nurses and doctors gave him as he walked the hospital halls. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”

-       Fight with me damn it. Show me that fire. You have so much to fight for.

-       The following day, even with all the preparation Jihyun had tried to give Lucy… their daughter had cried upon the first sight of her mother. MC inviting Lucy to come upon the bed for a cuddle as Jihyun slipped away into the bathroom for him to cry in one of the stalls.

-       He was the rock, their pillar of strength, their anchor. He couldn’t let them see him break down.

-       A week later he found MC awake in her bed, sitting up and writing in a book, her smile weak but true when she heard him come through the door. He placed a kiss on her temple and asked her what she was working on, her smile deepening but the words sealed behind her lips. “Can you please take a photo of me? Everyday?” “But… I don’t have my camera with me.” “Oh… well can you please draw my picture and date it each day?” “Of course.” “But not… not how I know you’re doing it. Don’t make me pretty-” “Now MC you are very pretty-” “No. Not your fake pretty where you draw my position but how I used to look like. I want you to draw me as I am. Truthfully and with no pretence.” “...Why?” “I need you to. Please. For me.” He wanted to scream. “For you, anything.”

-       So he would draw her. Her hair slowly falling away, her body shrinking away to bone all the while as she wrote. She wrote and wrote and slept and threw up and wrote and slept. While he woke up, attended to Lucy, drew MC, cried alone, drew his wife some more and came home sleep to do it all over again.

-       He was burning out. The time pretending to be strong shaving away the layers from him, cutting him down to his last threads. Something was going to give but he couldn’t afford to break down now. Lucy needed him, he was her father. MC needed her, she was his wife and she was sick… he couldn’t be selfish… he could do this. He was their rock, their pillar of strength, their anchor.

-       He was broken.

-       He hadn’t realised how much until he had received a call from Jumin. It was well past 6pm… but how could that have been… he had left MC’s side at 3pm to pick up Lucy from school. Yet there he was, in the car with the key in the ignition, engine still and cold. How did he lose more than three hours? What had happened? Did he fall asleep? Blackout? He didn’t feel rested, he didn’t think he would feel rested even after 20 years asleep. “Jihyun, where are you? What has happened to you?” “Um.. I’m at the hospital.” “MC, is she okay? Has something worse happened?” “Uh no… not that I know… what’s the matter Jumin, how can I help you?” “The matter? Nothing I guess. Lucy’s school called me as no one had come to pick her up and I’ve taken her home with me as I found no one at your house. I thought it best she stay with me in case anything had happened so I could take care of her.” “Th-thank you Jumin. Truly. That was very kind of you and I know you’re so busy lately. I’m sorry to put you out, I’ll come right away-”

“Put me out? No, not at all. I don’t spend enough time with Lucy and I was more worried that I couldn’t find you.” “Thank you Jumin.” “Is there anything I can do to help?” “N-no. It’s fine. We’re fine. Just must have fallen asleep in the car after visiting with MC.” “You’re not alone in this you know? You act as if you don’t have the means to ask for help-” “I don’t need to pay a nanny to look after my child or a maid to clean my house-” “I wasn’t talking about money. You have us. You have me. You are my best friend and I am always here for you, even if it’s as simple as looking after Lucy after school.” “…” “Or sitting with MC after work.” “That’s not necessary.” “Lucy told me she hears you crying at night.” “What?” “She told me in the car on the way back home. That she wanted to know how she could help make you happier. She said that you smile when she’s looking at you but when she goes to bed- she hears you crying. She’s a very perceptive girl Jihyun.” “Oh my god… I had… I didn’t know she could.”

“It’s okay you know.” “What do you mean?” “She also said that she felt a little better when you did… because it meant that she could too. But she didn’t like you crying alone, because she knows you’re pretending to be strong just for her and she doesn’t need that, she just wanted to know if there was something she could do to make you happier.”

-       Jihyun couldn’t help the tears that fell from his eyes and onto his lap. He was grateful that he seemed to be alone in the carpark so no one had to see a man wailing in his car… though he understood that given the location he was probably not the first to do so and certainly not the last.

-       He wept and allowed himself to release his anguish. For an hour, without a word spoken, Jumin let his friend cry and not once did he draw his ear away from the phone.

“Jumin… thank you.” “Anytime. Now, come back when you’re able I’ll have the cook fix you a plate and keep it warm until you’re here. We can all have dinner and you can get some rest and tomorrow, take your time with Lucy at home and I’ll keep MC company until you are able to spend time with her yourself. If you are unable to I will ask our friends to sit with MC. We can all take turns in keeping Lucy company after school too- or perhaps you would let me just buy this hospital and let them move you in and-” “Jumin. No. No thank you.” “Well. The offer is there should you wish to take it.” “You’re a good friend Jumin.” “Of course I am. Now come by, your daughter is monopolising all of Elizabeth the Third’s time and I would very much like to have my cat back.”

-       He was their rock, their pillar, their anchor. But he himself had his own rock, pillar and anchor in each of their friends. In his sweet, kind daughter.

-       MC… would never get better, would never come home. They had accepted that, silently acknowledging that this would be where she had to stay… her condition requiring care that she could not receive at their family home. So he made her room as much of a home away from home for her; filled with pictures and flowers and trinkets that made her comfortable… made him and Lucy comfortable too. It was easier to focus on the person and not the machines hooked up to her when the room smelled like home, felt like home.

-       They were quickly running out of time. She couldn’t sit up on her own, she was in and out of consciousness but still… she wrote in the book as best as she could. So Jihyun would still draw.

-       It was when he was putting the final touches of his drawing one evening before leaving to pick up Lucy from Yoosung’s apartment, that he heard it. The most horrible sound he had dreaded to hear… no more beeps… just one, long, relentless tone.

-       He didn’t get to say goodbye. He didn’t get to say he loved her or that he would look after Lucy. He was so focused on his work and watching the clock the make sure he wasn’t late that he missed her very last moment on earth. He had nodded mindlessly when someone talked to him, he wasn’t paying attention. All he heard was silence.

-       So small and a whisper of what she used to be, her could lift her with one arm though she lay heavy within it, limp and gone. Jihyun allowed his hand to trace over her skin, something she hadn’t really allowed him to do near the end. Too self-conscious of herself to let him indulge in the feeling. The texture was different but the warmth stirring in his heart was the same. This was the face of his wife, her neck, her arm.

-       He was thankful that he had the chance to draw her everyday as she had asked, because his hands would never forget the curves of her face even as they changed through the years. She had become muscle memory. Beautiful to him, in every way and every day he was blessed to spend with her. He was just filled with regret that she didn’t get to hear it from him at the end.

-       He lay her back down, tucking her back under the blankets to prepare her for when Lucy and Yoosung arrived.

-       As he moved the sheets, a book fell to the side.

-       He opened the book to find a page for each day she had been in the hospital. Starting from the first day she was admitted so many years ago when Lucy didn’t really understand what was happening and they were all still counting down the days of her return back home.

“Thank you for letting me be your Mother.” “Thank you for choosing me and Lucy every day and not letting the past dictate your future.”

“Thank you for letting Saeyoung come with some snacks, hospital food, even the fancy kind, still gets boring.”

Each day was filled with one or many things that she was thankful for. Even (especially) on her bad days. Things she was thankful for with him, with Lucy and from their friends. Jihyun flicked through to the final page, dated for that day, a simple line of scratchy writing; her beautiful script changing into plain, almost childlike text with her lack of motor coordination and strength. “Thank you, my love, for seeing past the sickness and seeing me. Every day. Always.”

-       And that’s when he understood, he finally got why she got him to draw her portrait every day. Even through all the pain and suffering, she could find good in the bad. She wanted them all to know that even through it all, she was thankful for them and that it was because of these things that she could endure it. Along with her words, his pictures were a testament of her journey and the role everyone had played in her life.

-       He would need to read a page every day for a long time, perhaps with Lucy or one of his friends- whoever needed this comfort. Knowing his daughter would only be minutes away from having to say goodbye to her mother, he opened up a random page and felt himself smile, even amidst his grief.

“Thank you all for facing the bad days with me, know that even in my sleep I knew you were there with me. Know that one way or another, I will be there with you.”

-       Then he wept with a ferocity he didn’t know he possessed because-

-       MC would always know what to say.

[rfaromance]

can i request....jaehee coming back home and being tired from work, and mc cuddling with her and helping her relax? 🥺

This is my first Jaehee piece, so I hope it’s okay! ;w; Give Jaehee a vacation ASAP.

Bells.

The soft, familiar chime echoed throughout the room, and MC’s head perked up at the sound of it.

“Let me turn that off really quickly,” she murmured, and she gently placed her knife down and patted her hands on her apron. “Let’s see… phone, phone…” MC strode over to the kitchen table, where a single smartphone sat humming that same jingling tune. “There we go.” A simple tap was all that was necessary to shut off the alarm, and as suddenly as it had started, the phone fell silent. “We can’t have her finding out about that alarm, after all.”

Perhaps setting an alarm to indicate the usual time when her girlfriend came home was… embarrassing.

However, if MC had to guess, Jaehee Kang was the type of person who would be impressed with her attention to detail and her dedication to her relationship. After all, as soon as she figured out the average time that Jaehee came home from work each day, she had coordinated her own schedule accordingly. Tonight, MC was determined to show her girlfriend her culinary progress. Last week she had spotted a particularly delicious recipe that she was certain they would both enjoy, and so today, she had shifted her own work hours so she could arrive home with enough time to prepare the meal.

Of course, judging from the fact that her alarm had already gone off, MC’s cooking speed was not quite up to par. “I have to hurry,” she murmured, and with a new sense of resolve, she dashed back into the kitchen to chop up vegetables. Jaehee would be arriving any minute now, after all.

~~~

One hour.

MC wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as she gazed down at her masterpiece. Warm, steamy rice; heart-shaped carrots and cucumbers; tantalizing tuna tartare; and rolled eggs covered in a heart-shaped ketchup smear. “Perfect!” Her chest swelled with pride at the sight of the meal, and she bit her lip in excitement as she imagined herself presenting her work to Jaehee. “That didn’t take too long,” she murmured, and relief washed over her. Jaehee wasn’t even home yet; she must have only taken… an additional ten minutes? Fifteen at most, if the subway was crowded?

When MC peeked at the clock, she felt all of her enthusiasm melt away and anxiety begin to creep into her heart. “An hour?!” she gasped. “I took that long?”

Note to self: add an extra hour to estimated cooking time.

More importantly, however… Jaehee still wasn’t home.

“It’ll be any moment now,” MC breathed, as she reached into the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water. “Jumin must have had to talk to her after work, or something like that.”

She set the little kitchen table with two place settings, eagerly awaiting her girlfriend’s imminent arrival.

~~~

Two hours.

Two hours had passed since that alarm chirped.

Curiously, MC’s phone had been silent ever since then. Not a single call or text from Jaehee, or even Jumin. Yoosung must have been playing LOLOL or studying, Zen was probably at rehearsal, and Saeyoung…

Quite candidly, MC tried not to think too hard about what he might be doing at any given moment.

She sat on the couch, absentmindedly trying to read a book but finding her mind wandering too much to actually be able to focus on the words. Where was Jaehee? How was Jaehee? Was she safe?

A clattering of bells suddenly slapped her ears, and MC’s head jerked up and her gaze immediately locked onto her phone. However, the little smartphone remained silent and still. Curiously, MC’s eyes traveled towards the front door.

The sight that awaited her made her jump to her feet. The bells that hung on the doorknob rattled wildly as a familiar figure flung the door open. MC had specifically chosen her bell ringtone to mimic the sound of the bells on the front door; she had never heard those blissful bells sound so frantic, frenzied, and jarring.

One step. Two steps.

Jaehee stumbled over to the couch, raised her hand feebly to wave at MC, and then collapsed onto the plush surface.

“Jaehee!” MC cried, and she immediately dashed over to help ease Jaehee into a more comfortable position. Exhaustion dragged at her eyelids, leaving her amber eyes frighteningly dull. Her soft brown bangs were scattered all over her face, sticking up in odd directions. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Finally sitting upright, Jaehee managed to nod and place a hand on MC’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry you have to see me like this,” she murmured, and her embarrassment became evident as a deep pink flush spread onto her cheeks. “I promise I am fine.”

MC pouted and reached forward to brush Jaehee’s hair back into place. “You don’t look fine,” she stated flatly. She hated to be so blunt, but her girlfriend was the type of person who would prefer straightforward honesty… as long as she was considerate. “Have you eaten?”

Jaehee chuckled softly and shook her head pitifully. “I had… a glass of milk,” she murmured. “Mr. Chairman approved Mr. Han’s latest cat-based project, much to everyone’s surprise. And Mr. Han, ever practical, ever productive, ever business-minded and ever…” She lowered her voice to a mere whisper, as if she were worried about being overheard. “…heartless and robotic,” she continued, and a sly smile flickered onto her lips. How long had she been waiting, desperately, to say those words? “Sorry, I should not speak of Mr. Han that way. He is my boss, he is an RFA member, and he is your friend.”

MC gently lifted Jaehee’s hand from her shoulder and squeezed it tightly. “You can always speak your mind with me, Jaehee,” she assured her. “We’re equals. We’re each one half of a whole.” She leaned forward to plant a kiss on the young woman’s forehead. “And besides, since I am friends with Jumin, I know perfectly well how robotic he can be,” she added with a laugh. “I’m guessing he worked you way overtime, right? The nerve!”

Jumin’s assistant shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but the shadows in her eyes betrayed how exasperated she felt. “He wants to release a cat clothing line before winter settles in,” she explained. “So that people will buy more of his products to shield their cats from the cold. Plus, once Christmas comes, people will be spoiling their pets. All things considered, he is being very smart about this.”

MC frowned and gave Jaehee’s hand another squeeze. “He’s a brilliant businessman but a bumbling boss.” She grabbed her girlfriend’s other hand and tugged on her arms, trying to lift her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you some—oh!”

Jaehee let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed back onto the couch, startling MC. She quickly dropped her girlfriend’s hands and took a step back, trembling slightly. “Did I hurt you?” she gasped. “Did I pull too hard? Oh, no…”

Before the flustered young woman could fly into a panic, Jaehee raised her hand to stop her. “My shoulders are just a bit sore,” she explained. “A good night’s sleep will help me. Assuming Mr. Han doesn’t call me or email me…” she added, and a flicker of fear fluttered in her eyes.

“No. I’ll pick up if he calls,” MC insisted. “And you know what? I’m banning any mention of Jumin for the rest of the night.” She planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin up high. “I declare that you, Jaehee Kang, are the star of the evening!”

She wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she expected, but a blank look definitely was not at the top of the list. “S-star?” Jaehee echoed. “Me?”

MC nodded definitively. “Yes,” she declared, and her tone suggested that there was no room for argument. “Jaehee, let me give you a massage,” she went on, shifting gears now. Her voice fell to a low murmur, and she plopped down on the couch beside her so she could reach Jaehee’s back. “Before we get you to the kitchen, we need to relieve some of this tension.” She rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up, then gently placed them onto the tops of Jaehee’s shoulders. “Let me know if it’s too much, okay?” she whispered, blowing directly into Jaehee’s ear.

Her girlfriend turned to glare at her, and MC whistled innocently before turning back to the task at hand. Flustering Jaehee was a little too easy… and a little too fun.

The overworked assistant grew silent, however, as soon as MC began to rub her fingers into her exhausted, tight muscles. “God, Jaehee, how do you even move?” MC muttered. “There are more knots in your shoulders than in a shoelace factory.”

“Shouldn’t the shoelaces be free of knots?” Jaehee pointed out.

MC blushed and just continued to rub, massaging Jaehee’s shoulders by moving her fingers in small circles.

“C-could you move closer to my neck?” Jaehee asked timidly. With a simple nod, MC began to dance her fingers across Jaehee’s back, until finally she was able to dig her thumbs into the top of the young woman’s trapezius muscle.

“So stiff,” MC muttered, and she began to massage and pinch with extra vivacity.

“I think I feel better though,” Jaehee informed her. “I can stand now. Would you… give me a hand?”

MC shook her head defiantly. “Nope. I’m bringing your dinner over here,” she insisted. “And I’ll go grab ‘The Jalapeno Topping Was Quite Spicy’ for us to watch while you eat.”

“P-please pick any other one but that!” Jaehee pleaded, and MC giggled as she snuggled up beside her girlfriend to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Okay, okay,” she murmured, and she nuzzled her nose against Jaehee’s (hopefully more relaxed) neck. “But only if you let me sit like this for just a minute longer.”

~~~

“… please move, MC.”

MC shook her head and spread her arms out wide, blocking her girlfriend from entering the bedroom door. “No! I’m telling you, hot water will help your muscles to heal!”

Jaehee sighed and rubbed the back of her neck subconsciously. “Your massage helped me immensely,” she tried to reassure her. “I just want to sleep now.”

“Please?” MC pleaded, now clasping her hands together. “When’s the last time you took a soak in a hot, steamy bathtub?”

Jaehee tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Probably not since I was a child. I prefer showers.”

MC could feel her eye begin to twitch. While Jaehee was eating dinner, she had dashed off to the bathroom to prepare a surprise for the exhausted businesswoman. If Jaehee went directly to bed…

‘My hard work will go to waste!’

“When’s the last time you took a shower, then?” MC pressed. “With how busy you’ve been?”

Jaehee opened her mouth to respond, but then her eyes grew wide and her face grew pale. “I… will go take a shower now,” she mumbled, conceding defeat. She turned around and headed towards the bathroom door.

“I’ll fluff your pillows for you!” MC called out after her, and she turned around to turn the doorknob that led to the bedroom. She could picture the scene in her head already: candles on the counter, a bath full of hot water, soapy bubbles coating the surface of the tub, and the soft lullaby of Zen’s musical album reverberating around the room. Surely, nothing could make her happier and more relaxed—

MC squeaked as a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder.

“You…” Jaehee began, breathing down her neck and into her ear. “You… did all of this for me?”

MC didn’t even bother to turn around. “Of course. I love you, Jaehee.”

She didn’t have to see Jaehee’s face to know that she was blushing furiously right now.

“Do you…” Jaehee began, and the tremble in her voice was admittedly concerning. Did she do something wrong? Should she have chosen different candles? Was Jaehee not fond of lavender bubble bath?

“…care to join me?”

Now that would definitely help Jaehee relax.

[doubleleoenergy]

VI; Blue Bayou Series

Oh that boy of mine, by my side. The silver moon and the evening tide.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: TFAWS!Sam Wilson x fem!Reader

Summary: Finale of the Blue Bayou Series

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of hospitals, mentions of eating

Word Count: 1560

Author’s Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this series! I cannot wait to write more Sam fics!

“When is y/n coming?” Sarah asked expectantly, setting a pot of boiled crawfish on the picnic table. Today was an important day for Sam, helping Sarah finish setting up for one of their famous Wilson cookouts. Everybody in the community was invited, as always, and most of the people who were in attendance had been close with Sam and Sarah’s parents.

Sam ran a lap around the table, chasing after AJ and Cass who were in a fit of giggles before they ran off along the docks. “Soon, her class was finishing up their final exam this afternoon.” He huffed, stopping to catch his breath. It had been four months since the mission that had sent him to the hospital, his arm and ribs fully healed, the only scar left on his right hip bone. 

He had taken the first two months of his recovery off from missions to fully heal his body and get his mind right, which was incredibly easy since he had y/n around. She was the light of his life, his other half, and he loved her with all his heart. Sam wasn’t convinced of the term soulmates until he met her, and since he had his life had changed for the better. His healing process was unmatched with a caretaker like y/n, making him dinners and giving him extra special attention in the bedroom.

“Well help me finish setting out this food for everyone, we don’t need a group of hangry guests.” Sarah commanded, handing him another pot of crawfish to set out. They had all the fixings ready; crawfish, potatoes, corn, salad, gumbo, jalapeno cornbread, and some of Sarah’s special pecan pies for dessert. Sam set down the other pot of crawfish, noticing Bucky joking around with AJ and Cass, greeting some of the guests that he’d met at their previous cookouts.

“Buck!” He called out, jogging up to the man and giving him embracing him with a huge bear hug. Bucky’s metal arm squeezes Sam’s shoulder, a huge smile spreading across his face.

“Hey man, y/n here yet?” Bucky looked around the crowd of people, trying to spot her.

“Nah man, she’ll be on her way soon though.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest, swaying a bit on the heels of his shoes. Six months. It had been six months since he had first met y/n. And now Sam was about to do something that brought him both excitement and anxiety at the same time.

“She’ll say yes, Sam. Y/N’s love for you is undeniable. I really hope to find someone as great as she is.” That sure as hell was a lie from Bucky. He had secretly been seeing Sarah for a few months now, waiting for the right time to tell him. If Sam was riding high on y/n saying yes, Bucky was in the clear with his secret.

“Yeah, yeah I hope so. Go ahead and sit down and eat.” Sam patted Bucky on the shoulder before heading back over to Sarah to get the rest of the food set up. This needed to go well, especially for y/n.

An hour later and the cookout was in full swing, everyone eating and having a great time. Sam and Bucky were sitting at a picnic table near the dock, talking about an upcoming mission when y/n arrived. She was so beautiful, and Sam couldn’t help but stop his train of thought to stare at her. Her curves were accentuated by the blush pink floral dress that wrapped around her figure, her strappy wedges strutting as she walked. She made her way over to Sarah, giving her a hug before AJ and Cass ran towards her, hugging her tightly and handing her a few wildflowers they had picked in the grass.

Her eyes scanned until she met Sam’s gaze, her plush lips curling into a smile. The way she smiled had Sam’s heart beating in his chest, standing up and walking towards her. Her left hand still gripped the wildflowers as he picked her up in his arms, slotting his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.

Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss after a moment with a loud gasp. “You just saw me this morning…” She teased, letting go of his neck as he set her back on her feet.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, his hands running down her arms until he held her free hand. “I can’t be excited to see you?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, placing another soft kiss against his lips. “I’m excited to see you too. Also, I’m starving. Sitting in a classroom of kids quietly working on their final really worked up my appetite.” She pulled Sam over to the table he and Bucky had staked claim of, giving Bucky a side hug as she sat down beside him.

“How’ve you been Buck?” She asked, grabbing a plate off the table and starting to pile it with the contents from the cookout. Bucky continued to break apart a crawfish, sucking on the head before digging into the body.

“Been good, Sam keeps me busy as always.” Bucky responds, a wide smile on his face. Y/N places a forkful of salad into her mouth, swallowing before working open a crawfish of her own. Sarah always made the best food, Sam learning first-hand from her and then teaching y/n. The meals y/n had consumed since moving to Louisiana were better than most of the food she had in her lifetime.

“You’re always busy, now that Sammy’s all healed up it seems like missions have taken off.” She countered, taking a bite of her crawfish.

Sam couldn’t help but zone out as Bucky and y/n talked, the small black box burning a hole in his front pocket. He needed to wait at least until she was finished eating, his leg bouncing nervously as he watched them converse again. This was the most nervous he had been in his entire life, including all his missions, but it would hopefully all be worth it soon enough.

A few hours had passed, y/n moving from table to table chatting with the guests. It was great to see her enveloped in conversation with the community he loved, and the people who were there for him through everything. He loved that his close friends and family loved her as much as he did.

The sun was starting its descent in the sky, the nervous jitters setting in as he realized what he was about to do. Sam took a deep breath, standing up from the table he was sitting at before moving closer to the docks, facing the group of picnic tables.

“Could I uh-could I get everyone’s attention for a moment please.” Sam shouted, waiting for the groups before him to quiet down, moving their attention from their individual conversations to him. “Y/N, can you come up here please?” He asked, holding out his hand as he waited for her to weave through the throngs of people.

“Sam, what’s going on?” She whispered, letting go of his hand as she stood before him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

Sam’s heart fluttered in his chest, his nervousness slipping away as he focused on her and continuing to breathe. “When I first became Captain America, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was hard to meet people again with my new identity, getting stopped on the street all the time to take a picture with someone or having to Facetime with a fan whose parent I had met on the street. It was all very overwhelming, until I met you. You knew who I was and didn’t let that shroud your judgement of me. Our first date, when you told me that you wanted to go out with Sam Wilson, that Captain America was not just all of me, was the first time in a long time where I felt normal. Every day since then has been an adventure with you, getting to know you and having you get to know me better. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve gotten through a few bumps and bruises.” Sam paused, a wide smile spreading on his face.

“I told you at the hospital that I wanted to love you forever, and I meant that. And today’s the day we can start that forever.” Sam stepped back, moving to get down on one knee, his hand fumbling around in his pocket for the box.

“W-what are you doing?” Y/N asked, her eyes wide as she watched his motions.

“Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N...I love you with every fiber of my being. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” He pulled out the black velvet box from his pocket, revealing a 2-carat marquise diamond cut ring nestled inside an 18k white gold band.

Tears fell from y/n’s cheeks, her head shaking up and down excitedly. “Yes...yes of course I’ll marry you Sam!” Sam got up from where he kneeled and swept her up into his arms, kissing her lovingly. The crowd of people cheered behind them, Sam’s hand shaking as he guided the ring on her ring finger. Y/N admired it for a moment before peppering kisses along his face, nuzzling her face into his neck.

“You’re my forever, Sam. I cannot wait to be Mrs. Samuel Wilson.”

Figured you’d like to get tagged in the finale: @midnightf​

[skinsharpenedteeth]

Truth or Dare - Halloween fic

Hey there! Here’s a Kinktober prompt fill and the prequel to a College AU 5+1 I’m planning. I guess it’s a little unkind to Maria? I don’t know. I don’t hate Maria, but I could live without her character. No body is dating anyone in this, so it’s not that kind of Maria unkind. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it! Definite smut after the cut. 

Kinktober prompts filled: Nipples/petting, Costumes, Getting Caught, Body Modification Words Count: 7.5k AO3

               It was nearly midnight on Halloween and Alex was *over* frat/sorority mating rituals. The first half of the party had been drunker-by-the-minute sorority girls offering to help him experiment with his sexuality in case he ‘wasn’t sure’ that he was really, really gay and the second half had been bro’s approaching him after their girls had whispered about him to test if he was really, really gay. Once the herd had been assured he was super duper gay and not willing to perform party tricks to prove it, he’d been left blissfully alone. Well, sort of blissfully. Alex was bored out of his skull. He’d been leaning against a hallway wall for the better half of an hour sipping rum and coke and people watching.

Maria had drug him here under the false pretense of introducing him to someone from her Algebra class only to have them mysteriously not show up. Now she was holed up in a corner dressed like a vintage playboy bunny and talking to some curly haired dude bro dressed as a caveman while Alex drank alone and stared lasers through them. He could be working on homework or picking up a shift at the 24/7 diner right now…or sleeping! The dude bro would catch his eye every so often and give him frank, curious up-and-downs, until finally he seemed to say something to Maria about it because she turned and looked at Alex, rolling her eyes. Oh, hell no. A few minutes more of close conversation between them and with a put-upon sigh, Alex watched Maria make her way over to him.

              “You’re being creepy,” she announced, sipping her drink casually as she mirrored his position and leaned against the wall to face him. Alex rolled his eyes and proceeded to scowl at her.

              “Well, it is a Halloween party,” he deflected, sipping his own drink and cringing inwardly at the idea that Curly Caveman might think he was a Creepy Gay.

              “Yeah, but you’re a pirate on the look out for some booty, not a ghoul. Go find someone to talk to or to not talk to. I should have this,” she indicated Curly Caveman with a backward jerk of her head, “finished within an hour or two and then we can go back to the dorm.”

              Curly Caveman was walking over to them and Alex tried to ignore how little the animal print loin cloth covered of him. Alex tried not to memorize every inch of him, but his brain was not cooperating. Maria, while being self-centered and completely unreliable, had excellent taste in boy toys. Curly Caveman slid up next to them and eyed them both with a cautious smile. He turned to Alex and gave his costume a good once over.

              “Dread Pirate Roberts?” Curly asked, smiling appreciatively.

              “At your service,” Alex flirted. He couldn’t help it. Technically Maria had called dibs, but she could literally fuck anyone at this garbage fire of a party and he wanted to have a little fun too.

              “Alex, this is Michael. He belongs to Alpha Alpha Beta. We have Composition together. Michael, this is Alex, my best friend since junior high,” Maria introduced them. They did the head nod acknowledgment thing at each other and then awkward silence descended on the group.

             “Hey, why don’t we go upstairs? Michael has a room here. Maybe we could play a game or something? It’s just so loud down here and I’d love to be able to get to know you better” Maria suggested, a mischievous glint in her eye as trailed a finger down Curly’s naked torso. Curly Caveman—Michael‐‐ looked consideringly at the crowd around them and nodded.

             “Lead the way,” Alex commanded, waving them towards the stairs across the room.  He thought he saw Michael look between himself and Maria and take a bolstering inhalation before turning and starting for the stairs. Alex had an excellent view of his ass and thighs as he started climbing the stairs ahead of him. What he could do with those wrapped around his waist….

             “Ow!” Alex exclaimed after a sharp elbow found a soft spot on his ribs. He looked sharply at Maria who was glaring at him.

             “I see that look in your eye! He’s mine, Alex. He’s obviously straight. We’re going to drink a little, play a game or something and then you’re going to excuse yourself for twenty minutes so I can get to know him better alone. Deal?” Maria whispered insistently.  Alex gave her a sharp look in return.

             “Maybe. Maybe you should excuse yourself in twenty minutes and I’ll get to know him better. You owe me for dragging me to this God forsaken hetero garbage fire so if you’re not laid in the next half hour, you’re taking me back to the dorm and then you can come back or whatever on your own. Tonight was not cool of you,” Alex retorted. They’d stopped at the top of the stairs and now Michael was at the end of the hall standing in front of an open doorway watching at them curiously.

             “Like you would’ve done anything else with your night, Mr. Responsible. You’re twenty and in college, this is what you’re supposed to do with your weekends in case you forgot!” Maria whisper yelled at him even as she smiled charmingly at Michael down the hallway.

             “You guys still want to hang up here?” he asked, looking uncertainly between them. Alex watched Maria put back on her flirty girl face and saunter over to him. Alex rolled his eyes as he saw the extra hip she put in her walk as she approached Michael’s room. He wanted to cut her bunny tail off and stuff it down her throat for putting him through this. Sighing, he followed and nearly jumped out of his skin as Michael put a hand on his lower back to help usher him into the bedroom. He caught Michael’s eye over his shoulder and nearly died at the shy little smile and wink he gave him.

             “Come on in, darlin’. Hope the floor is okay? My roommate is pretty territorial about his bed and stuff,” Michael explained, not breaking eye contact with Alex for a long moment before turning back to Maria. Well, well, well…

             They gathered in a circle on the carpet with their drinks. Alex reached up and pulled off his mask and head scarf, throwing it next to himself before taking a long swig of his drink. Then he went ahead and took off his leather gloves. Michael was watching him from across the circle and he pointed to his boots in clear question on if it’d be okay for him to take them off. Alex figured he might as well get comfortable. The rum and coke, though barely making him feel floaty and buzzed, had definitely made him feel hot in the close confines of the party downstairs and he was enjoying being able to shed some of his costume to help cool down.

             “You guys want to play truth or dare?” Maria suggested, sitting on her hip with her body angled so if Michael wanted, he could get a very thorough view of her cleavage in the costume. Michael looked at her and smiled, glancing over her and then back to Alex. Alex swallowed at the heat in his eyes, but he wasn’t sure yet if it was for Maria or for him that the heat was there. The bedroom was lit only by a weak lamp on top of a desk by the window. It smelled like sweat and old laundry and cheap detergent…and rain. Not like mildew or wet cloth, but the smell of the air minutes before a deluge started. Alex took a deep breath and hummed an easy agreement to Maria’s plan, noting that Michael had waited on him before doing the same.

             “So Michael….truth or dare?” Maria started, smiling and fluttering her eyelashes. Michael smiled and his eyelids lowered as he flirted back.

             “Truth,” Michael answered, glancing between the two of them. Alex smirked back at him for his answer and Maria looked slightly disappointed but shrugged it off.

             “Okay. I’ll start off easy. How old were you when you lost your virginity?” she asked, sipping her drink and looking at him thoughtfully. He looked a little taken aback at the question and Alex jumped in quickly to save him.

             “Wait, what are the rules? If we refuse a dare or truth or whatever, what are the consequences?” Alex interjected before Michael could answer.  That stalled them for a moment and Michael gave him a grateful look as he took a nervous sip from his red Solo cup.  

             “Hm… How about if you refuse to answer a truth you have to do a shot? If you refuse a dare, you have to take off a piece of clothing?” Maria suggested, looking at Michael like a shark stalking a fish. Michael laughed and looked down at himself.

             “I guess I better not refuse any dares for awhile then,” Michael replied with a smirk.  She seemed to take that as a challenge and Alex groaned inwardly. Michael obviously didn’t know Maria very well if he thought she’d let him get away with that.  

             “So then… do we have anything with which to do shots?” Alex asked, looking around the room as if a bottle of liquor was just sitting conveniently on a shelf ready to go.

             “Uh…” Michael stuttered for a second, looking blank before reaching under his bed and pulling out a mostly empty bottle of jalapeno vodka and looking sheepish as he offered it to them.

             “Uhm, no. No, no, no. My mom owns a bar and absolutely not,” Maria said, waving her arms and shaking her head for emphasis.

             “It’s not that bad,” Michael protested, laughing at her.

             “Yeah, I’d be happy to drink it and I don’t plan on backing down from a challenge. If you don’t like it, you could go grab something from downstairs?” Alex suggested, trying to look innocently over at her while also thinking about having Michael to himself for a few minutes.

             “Ugh, fine. We’ll finish this off and then maybe get something else,” she conceded, grabbing the bottle and putting it in the middle of their circle. “So Michael, as you were saying….”

             “Uh, what was the question again?” he asked, leaning back onto his hands and looking much more relaxed than earlier. He wasn’t a super hairy guy, but Alex wanted to run his fingers through the dark hair on his chest and stomach. Leaning back put his body at a very good angle for ogling.

              “How old were you when you lost your virginity?” Maria prompted, looking expectant.

              “13,” he answered shortly, not seeming to want to elaborate. Alex wondered what the story was there.

              “Very precocious,” Maria commented, smirking and looking over Michael’s body lasciviously. He gave her a somewhat brittle smile in return.

              “Okay. Alex,” Michael said, switching his attention from Maria’s eye-fucking stare to look at Alex directly. Alex hummed in acknowledgement and set down his drink. “Truth or dare?”

              “I dare you to French kiss Maria.”

              “Gross,” Alex replied tonelessly to which Maria let out an indignant yelp. “Sorry, Maria. I love you, but I’ve got a lot of clothes to go before I have to start giving in to stuff I don’t want to do.”

              Alex immediately lifted his black, blousy pirate shirt up and off his body, tossing it next to him where he’d thrown his mask, head kerchief, and gloves. Michael was watching him, an appreciative grin on his face as he looked over Alex’s bare torso. Alex wasn’t as buff as Michael, but he’d spent too long living in a military household and competing on the swim team to be considered scrawny,so he knew he didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

              “Oh wow, you have your nipples pierced?” Michael exclaimed, leaning forward on his hands and knees so he could look closer at Alex’s chest. Alex grinned knowingly over at Maria as he leaned forward and stuck out his chest to let Michael look at the silver bar bells through his nipples. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, mouthing the words “he’s straight!” at him over Michael’s shoulder. Alex mouthed a sardonic “O-K” at her before turning his attention back at Michael whose hand was hovering inches from his chest.

              “Can I touch one?” Michael asked, a little breathless and obviously fascinated. He hadn’t seemed to notice the silent conversation Alex and Maria had conducted over his head.

              “Sure, you can,” Alex all but purred. Michael pressed his hand to Alex’s chest, the space between his thumb and forefinger framing one of Alex’s nipples. Slowly, he slid his thumb under the bar, not quite touching it, but gauging Alex’s reaction. Alex bit his lip, holding it between his teeth as he stared at Michael’s inspection of his body modification. Then he was pulling his fingers together, pinching the end of the bar and pulling the bar gently away from Alex’s body. Alex sucked in a breath, but held down any other sound, teeth pressing harder into the soft flesh of his bottom lip. Michael let the bar go and fall back against Alex’s chest before dragging his thumb down over the center of his nipple. Alex had to shift at that because this was starting to feel way too good to stay innocent.

              “Wow, are your nipples like super sensitive now or were they always sensitive?” Michael asked, looking up at him through his eyelashes. His thumb was still sweeping over Alex’s nipple and it was driving him a little bit insane. Michael definitely knew the effect he was having on Alex.

              “They, uh… they’re actually a little less sensitive now, but they’re still pretty sensitive in general,” Alex breathed, trying to keep from pushing into Michael’s touch with Maria staring daggers at him.  

              “Yeah, when Alex was in junior high his nips were so pointy. You’d always see them through his shirts and it became a thing that people would tweak his nipples in the halls between class. He would get so embarrassed,” Maria offered, obviously feeling ignored and malicious. Alex turned to her with a controlled blank expression and blinked at her, completely embarrassed she’d bring up that little bit of his personal history to someone he’d just met. He knew he was blushing but refused to acknowledge it and give her the satisfaction.

              “That must’ve sucked. I was fat in junior high. Kids that age are the fucking worst,” Michael offered, sitting back on his side of the circle, also blushing slightly. He gave Alex a small smile of understanding and Alex melted a little bit inside.

              “I did fine in junior high,” Maria replied, sipping her drink. Alex felt a flash of anger roll through him at her comment and decided it might be time to get a little petty. She had done ‘fine’ her whole life.

              “Truth or dare, Maria,” he asked, noting that his voice was a little tight.

              “Dare,” she replied, smiling like she knew he was going to try and embarrass her back if she chose truth.

              “I dare you to lick every doorknob out in the hallway. Every. Single. One,” he dared, watching her face scrunch up in disgust.

              “Ugh, gross,” she replied, looking over her shoulder at the doorway and considering it.

              “Feeling chicken?” Alex taunted, watching her over his drink which was starting to run a little low. He knew Maria couldn’t stand backing down to a challenge like that.

              “No! Fuck you. Michael, do you have mouthwash?” she asked even as she stood up, adjusting her bodysuit. Michael laughed and nodded before getting up himself. Alex followed after Michael offered him a hand and helped pull him up from the ground. They followed her to the doorway to watch her complete the dare. She stomped across the hall in her ridiculous black heals and immediately bent over to lick the doorknob. She shrieked in disgust and then went down to the next one. There were seven doors on one side of the house and six on the other. Alex felt Michael rumbling chuckle behind him as he pressed part of his chest against Alex’s back while they hung out the doorway watching. Alex felt a tentative hand press against his lower back and when he didn’t startle or remove it, he felt Michael’s hand smooth over to his hip and then up until his nimble fingers sedately started playing with his nipple piercing.

              “You’re playing with fire,” Alex warned him in a low voice that wouldn’t carry to Maria who was about halfway done with the doorknobs.

              “Am I?” Michael responded; lips close enough to Alex’s ear for him to feel the slight heat of his breath. “Maybe I like it hot?”

              Alex turned and gave him an accessing look, trying to figure out if he was serious or just being a cock tease. He decided to test the idea a little further and shifted his hip minutely, rubbing the swell of his ass over Michael’s loin cloth covered crotch.

              “Want me help your make the bed rock, Flintstone?” Alex ask coquettishly. Michael snorted, but let his hand drift to rest on Alex’s large leather belt.

              “Looting for some booty, Pirate?” Michael responded, bouncing his crotch off Alex’s ass playfully. Alex groaned at the joke but couldn’t deny that his stomach was tightening in response to their flirtations.

              “That was terrible,” Alex laughed softly, looking over his shoulder affectionately at Michael’s grinning face.

              “What was terrible?” Maria asked breathlessly as she tottered over to them from the last door to Michael’s. She looked a little unsteady after running around and bending over every few feet, but still cheerful.

              “We’re exchanging puns,” Alex explained blandly, even as he felt Michael’s hand drop away from him and his body shift to let Maria back into the room. Alex tried not to feel so disappointed at the loss of contact, but he knew it was necessary. That thought didn’t calm his racing heart though. Alex sucked in a breath and straightened his spine before he turned back to the room. He could see Maria in the rooms Jack and Jill en suite bathroom already swishing mouthwash like her life depended on it. Thinking about the habits of frat dudes, Alex surmised it just might.

              “We still playing or what?” he called from the door, shutting it behind him as he made his way back into the room. Maria held up a finger and spat the blue liquid from her mouth into the sink before coming back into the room and immediately picking up the jalapeno vodka and taking a large mouthful of it. Alex and Michael watched her with twin looks of impressed shock on their faces.

              “That was by far the grossest shit I’ve ever done, but no one can say I’m a bitch that doesn’t follow the fuck through,” Maria announced after she’d swallowed the vodka. She took another long pull before recapping the bottle with an expansive sigh of relief. She looked down at the bottle in her hand for a moment before looking back at Alex and Michael. “This shit really is pretty good.”

              “I told you!” Michael exclaimed, excited someone else agreed with him about the alcohol.

              “You guys are nuts,” Alex said laughing.

              “Alright, alright, alright. Settle in, let’s keep this going,” Maria announced, relatively elegantly slipping down into a cross legged sitting position on the floor while still holding the bottle in one hand. Michael and Alex followed suit and when they were settled Maria turned back to Alex.

              “Truth or motherfucking dare, Alexo,” she challenged, eyes squinting menacingly. Alex wasn’t falling for it.

              “Dare,” he chose, sitting back on his hands and watching her unfazed.

              “I dare you to finish this bottle,” she announced, shaking the jalapeno vodka at him. He eyed it warily but judged that it maybe had a double shot worth of liquor left.

              “Sure, hand it over. Does that mean you’re going to go get us another bottle of something else to finish the game with?” he asked, taking the bottle from her offered hand.

              “Sure, but I have to see you drink that first,” she said, narrowing her eyes. She knew he hated the taste of jalapenos. He liked other peppers just fine, but jalapenos made his lips curl.

              “Fine,” he agreed, unscrewing the top. He tilted his head back with the bottle and opened his throat, letting the liquid just slide down into him, barely touching his tongue before he was swallowing it. It was over in a second and he grimaced as he set down the bottle.

              “Yuck. You guys are lying liars. That shit is disgusting,” he remarked, looking around for the trashcan. Maria was giggling at his discomfort, but Michael was staring at him with eyes a little wider and pupils a little bigger than they had been a moment ago.

              “Your face is the best! Jesus, that was worth it,” Maria crowed next to Michael, laying her hand on his thigh in an ‘innocent’ attempt to steady herself after her fit of laughter. Michael grinned and laughed a little too, but his eyes didn’t leave Alex’s.

              “Okay. I’ll go grab some booze. Don’t get bored without me,” she commanded, standing up and wiggling her hips at Michael as she sashayed out of the room. The door shut behind her and left Alex and Michael in relative silence.

              “Michael, truth or dare,” Alex said quietly as soon as he was sure Maria wasn’t going to come right back. Michael stared at him with heat and knowing in his eyes, a smirk perking the corners of his mouth up.

              “Dare,” he challenged, still smirking.

              “Hm… I dare you to piss on your suitemate’s bed,” Alex dared, not really expecting Michael to do it. Michael full on smiled at him before standing up and taking a step closer to Alex. He ran his thumbs under the waist band on his loin cloth before pushing them down past his hips and letting them fall to his feet, leaving him gloriously nude and only a foot away rom Alex’s watering mouth. Alex looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a small, knowing smile on his face.  

              “I don’t have a death wish,” Michael answered, cocky grin still in place. Alex shifted to his knees in front of him, his hands landing on Michael’s thighs and rubbing up and down them as he stared up at Michael with blatant hunger in his eyes. Michael was half hard in front of him and getting harder. Alex was really hoping he was about to become a notch on this guy’s bedpost.

              “Are you just fucking with me?” Alex asked softly when Michael grasped himself and started stroking his cock slowly right in front of Alex’s face. Alex almost went cross-eyed trying to watch his hand smoothing up and down over his thickening shaft.

              “What do you mean?” Michael asked, hand slowing as he looked down at Alex seriously.

              “This isn’t your gay experiment is it?” Did Alex really care if it was, he wondered? The way his pants were beginning to feel uncomfortably tight and the fact that he’d been unconsciously leaning closer to Michael’s naked body said ‘no’, but he wanted to know exactly what he was getting in to.

              “Hell no. I’m bisexual. Practicing bisexual. Experienced bisexual. I know what I want,” he finished, reaching out his unoccupied hand and curling his fingers under Alex’s chin. “Which is definitely you if you’re up for it.”

              “I’m up for it,” Alex agreed quickly, shuffling closer on his knees and shooing Michael’s hand away from his dick so Alex could grasp it, angling it towards his mouth where he immediately gave the underside of the shaft a long, thorough lick with his tongue before closing his lips around the head and sucking. He swirled his tongue around the crown, a full-body throb going through him at how turned on he was to be doing this.

              “Oh shit,” Michael groaning, hand immediately resting on Alex’s shoulder for balance. Alex hummed and set to work with his tongue and lips, trying every trick he knew in an effort to drive Michael up the fucking wall. He pushed himself, relaxing his throat and taking Michael in deep over and over again as he stroked and gently tugged at his balls. He let his hand creep further back, massaging Michael’s perineum, before stroking a dry, questioning finger over his asshole. The noise Michael made was shockingly desperate and his hips jerked forward choking Alex for a moment.

              “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Michael apologized above him as Alex came off him coughing and wiping at his eyes.

              “It’s fine. I surprised you. Have you ever…?” Alex asked, petting Michael’s hole gently while his other hand slowly stroked him, Alex’s spit smoothing the way.

              “Fuck, yes. Have you?” Michael asked, pushing back lightly against the pressure of Alex’s fingers.

              “Only a couple times…. Do you want to?” Alex asked, feeling a little shy at the question. Michael nodded enthusiastically and backed away, walking over to his bedside table and opening the top drawer. He pulled out a condom and some lube which he tossed on his bed before turning back to Alex with a grin.

              “Well, get up here!” he said, and Alex realized he’d been frozen in shock. This was not how he expected this night to turn out. Michael’s utter confidence and enthusiasm towards being fucked was… surprising. Hastily he stood up and approached Michael by the bed.

              “I know this is a little backwards, but…” Michael started before cradling Alex’s head in his hands and rushing forward to kiss him. Alex responded immediately and with enthusiasm. He opened his mouth and almost swooned as he felt Michael’s tongue sweep over his, inviting him to respond. He did, following Michael’s lead, and his hands started wandering over the expanse of Michael’s skin at his disposal. He found himself trying to pull Michael closer, over and over, hands on his waist, his back, his ass, just trying to keep him close. Michael, for his part, was trying to get Alex’s belt and pants off, but Alex’s insistence on keeping them pressed together kept hampering his progress. Finally, Michael had to break their kiss to talk.

              “If you don’t let me get your pants off, this isn’t going to end the way we want it to,” he said, breathlessly as Alex’s mouth simply moved from his mouth to his neck and was biting and sucking the flesh there. Alex came back to himself, nodding wordlessly and bringing his hips back far enough for Michael to finish the job of getting him naked. His mouth, however, he couldn’t convince to leave Michael’s skin. He felt his waist band loosen and the fabric of his pants and underwear drop to the ground. He kicked the offending garments backwards, not paying attention to where. Then Michael’s hands were sliding against his skin and pulling him back against his body.

              “Fuck, you’re distracting,” Michael commented as he backed up until he could sit on the edge of the bed. Alex planted a knee on the mattress to follow him but was stopped by Michael’s tongue smoothing over a nipple and quickly being covered by his mouth. He hissed in pleasure and pushed his hand into Michael’s curls, cradling the back of his head and holding him steady. Michael hummed in pleasure and palmed Alex’s ass as he teased the tightened flesh.

              “Bite it,” Alex gasped out, watching Michael’s mouth work on him. Michael met his eyes through his eye lashes and Alex saw the flash of white as his teeth grasped the flesh and pulled, letting the skin scrape achingly slowly as it was released. Alex cursed and his cock, which had been mostly ignored, gave a desperate throb at the pleasure-pain mix. Michael, spurred on by Alex’s reaction, immediately switched to the other nipple and gave it the same treatment. Alex grabbed himself and found he was leaking precome already from the attention. He smeared the sticky fluid around the head of his cock and stroked downward as Michael kept sucking and biting at his chest, making his nips puffy and swollen against his skin. He felt himself getting embarrassingly close to coming from just the feeling of Michael’s mouth on him.

              “We gotta stop, fuck,” Alex said desperately, tightening his hand in Michael’s hair but not pulling. Michael stopped and looked up at him, confused. “No, not all of it. But I’m going to come if you keep doing that and we didn’t get that lube out for nothing.”

              “You were about to come from just me playing with your nipples?” Michael asked in awe, looking like he’d like nothing but to dive back in and see that scenario play out.

              “Yes, you’re very, very good with your mouth,” Alex huffed out the compliment with a laugh as he put his hands on Michael’s shoulders and pushed him playfully to lay back on the bed. Michael pulled himself back until he was laying on the mattress and beckoned Alex to follow him, spreading his legs immediately to allow Alex in between them. Alex leaned down to kiss him, hands smoothing down the sides of Michael’s ribs and waist, just enjoying touching him for a minute. When he came up for air, he reached over and grabbed the lube from beside Michael’s pillow. “You still sure?”

              “Yes, fuck yes. Please and thank you,” Michael said with a grin. He flipped over and grabbed his pillow, jamming it under his hips before spreading his legs wider for Alex.

              “Jesus, yes you are,” Alex mumbled to himself, turned on at how into this Michael seemed to be. He grabbed the condom and rolled it on before slicking up his fingers. He started slowly by rubbing small circles around Michael’s hole to spread the lube. He leaned forward and trailed kisses over Michael’s shoulder and back. He pressed inward with a finger and then backed off, trying to slowly work him open.

              “Dude, I fingered myself in the shower like three hours ago. You can move a little faster than that,” Michael said over his shoulder. Alex’s brain stalled out on the image of Michael in the shower, wet and soapy with three fingers up his ass and his hand on his cock.

              “Jesus,” Alex whispered, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Michael’s shoulder blade. He pushed a little harder with his finger and found that it did sink in quite easily. Michael gave out a soft moan at the feeling and Alex decided to press his luck. He withdrew his finger and came back with two, still pushing in easily but not so easily he wouldn’t need to stretch Michael a little more. “You can’t be real.”

              Alex pumped his fingers in and out of Michael, scissoring them and twisting his wrist slowly. He withdrew and added lube before starting to press back in with three. He took this more slowly and Michael seemed to appreciate it. He was moaning more loudly, his body pushing back against the pressure of Alex’s fingers, the muscles in his back flexing and relaxing as he tried to chase his own pleasure against the pillow beneath him.

              “You ready for me?” Alex asked after a particularly loud groan from Michael. Alex hoped so, he was still on edge from Michael’s mouth on his nipples and now the absolutely pornographic sound of Michael’s vocalizations as Alex pumped his fingers in and out of him.

              “Yes! Get in me!” Michael directed, sounding almost frantic. Alex chuckled a little and withdrew his fingers before he shuffled his body forward on the bed. He positioned himself, rubbing the head of his cock through the mess of lube at Michael’s hole, before beginning the push inward. He took it slow, pushing in and retreating several times before he was able to press his hips flush against Michael’s cheeks. Alex let out a heavy breath, panting slightly as he tried to get through the initial bliss of being so tightly wrapped in another person. He leaned forward and settled his weight on his hands to either side of Michael’s ribs. Before he could ask if Michael was ready, Michael took the lead from him and started shifting his weight below him. After the first couple of times, his movements became surer and Alex found himself watching as he started to fuck himself back on Alex’s cock in precise, fluid movements. When he squeezed his rim as he pulled away, Alex let out a gasp and one of his hands went to Michael’s hip to steady himself.

              “You’re just going to do all the work down there?” Alex asked breathlessly as he let Michael continue to work himself back and forth on Alex’s cock. Alex was utterly turned on by how desperate Michael seemed to get fucked, how ready he was to take what he wanted, and how fucking hot he looked doing it.

              “You didn’t seem like you were going to get to it, so I thought I’d start without you,” Michael teased through a pleasure filled groan. Alex bent down and bit his shoulder lightly, making him moan again at the sharp feeling.

              “Then I guess I’ll have to start doing my fair share,” he responded before drawing back onto his knees and grabbing Michael’s hips to pull him up as well. He started thrusting in a counter rhythm to Michael’s backward pushes, making their skin slap together loudly as he was buried over and over as deeply as possible. Michael was swearing softly under his breath, his hand under him working his cock to the feeling of Alex filling him so completely, his cock pushing over Michael’s prostate and winding him up.  

              “You feel so fucking good, Michael,” Alex groaned as he tried to stop himself from just rabbitting into the man below him. His body was a hot velvet clutch around Alex’s and he found himself getting lost in the heady feeling of it.

              “Fuck, you’re ruining me,” Michael moaned beneath him sounding impossibly turned on and needy. Alex privately agreed that Michael was ruining him also. They were getting close, moaning getting louder and more frantic as their bodies chased each other’s movements. Michael was back on his stomach with Alex’s gripping his shoulder as he made sharp, pointed thrusts that had Michael white knuckling the sheets in ecstasy. The door suddenly banged open and startled both of them into freezing, bodies pressed tightly together as they looked to see who had broken in.

              Maria was standing in the doorway with a bottle of rum and a mutinous expression on her pretty face. They stared at each for a long moment, Alex trying his damnedest not to move, but feeling like he’d probably start fucking Michael again soon if they didn’t end this stand-off. The feeling of Michael around him was almost too good to waste in a pointless conversation.

              “Goddamnit, Alex,” Maria started, walking further into the room and slamming the bottle onto the desk at the end of Michael’s bed. “You promised you wouldn’t do this again!”

              “Again?” Alex asked, wracking his brain, trying to remember to what she was referring. He was feeling a little dumb since most of the blood in his body was not centered in his upper half.

              “Again?!” Michael asked incredulously, looking over his shoulder towards Alex and then back at Maria. The movement shifted him away and back onto Alex’s dick. It was only an inch, but it made Alex’s stomach muscle clench in an effort to stay still. He squeezed Michael’s shoulder in warning, earning him a small squeeze of Michael’s rim in retaliation.

              “You remember Valenti?” Maria asked, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for his response.

              “Kyle was going through an experimental phase. I was helping a bro out. Besides, you had no claim on him!” Alex defended himself, a little affronted she would bring up something so far back in their history now.  That had been freshman year of high school and it was just a kiss.

              “You knew I had a crush on him!” Maria exclaimed, stamping her foot angrily.

              “Still not a claim. Besides, you ended up dating him like two weeks later and you thought he was boring! It’s not like you lost out in the long run,” Alex pointed out. Michael cleared his throat below him, the tightening of his abs doing wonderful things to the parts of him surrounding Alex.

              “While this is fascinating and I would love to explore your competitive hooking up history, I would like to point out that Alex is actually inside my body right now. Right this minute he is deep, deep within me. And as much as I’m enjoying the feeling of being high cock warmer, I’d also like to come sometime tonight, so…. Can we finish this in like ten or fifteen minutes?” Michael asked, seeming a little blasé about having Maria stare at them while they were connected and in such a compromising position. With less alcohol or maybe if it had been someone else, Alex was sure he’d be dying of embarrassment and probably be in the bathroom trying to figure out an escape route, but he couldn’t fathom pulling out of Michael at that moment just to save a little face.

              “More like twenty. Someone here took my head out of the game. It’s almost like I’m going to have to start over,” Alex joked, pushing his hips forward a little and earning himself a grunt and playful slap on the thigh from Michael.

              “Not til she’s gone,” he teased back, looking oddly soft as he stuck his tongue out at Alex over his shoulder.

              “Ugh, guys are the fucking worst. Alex, you’re the fucking worst. We’ll have words about this later and you can find another ride back to the dorms!” she yelled, grabbing the bottle of rum and storming out the door, furious that they’d started to ignore her.

              After the door slammed shut there was silence.

              “Well, that was awkward,” Alex commented. Michael pulled forward and off his dick, getting to his knees and turning around to face him. Alex held his breath waiting for his response. Was it too much? Had Michael decided the exchange was too awkward for them to keep going? God, Alex prayed not.

              “She’s the one who took forever getting the rum. She could’ve joined in if she’d gotten here earlier,” Michael joked, wrapping his arms around Alex and beginning to kiss his neck and jaw.

              “Gross. You may be bi, but I am super gay. I love her, but no. So much no,” Alex commented even as he tilted his head back to give Michael’s mouth more access on him.

              “So much no?” Michael asked, biting at the prominent cord in his neck and letting one of his hands pinch and tug at one of Alex’s nipples.

              “Fuck, yes. Yes to this,” Alex breathed, moaning and wrapping his arms around Michael, hand immediately going behind him to play with his stretched, slick hole. “But so much no to her.”

              “Lay back for me, then and we’ll get back to where we were. I don’t stop for pedestrians,” Michael whispered against his skin as he pushed Alex’s hands away from him. Alex laid back on the bed and Michael straddled him immediately. He reached behind himself to hold Alex’s cock and line it up with his hole before lowering himself down.

              “Fuck, you feel so fucking good. Your cock is perfect,” Michael moaned, tilting his hips in a shallow grind against Alex. Alex whined at how good it felt, his hips rocking up in counter point to Michael’s. Michael’s hands came to rest on his chest, catching Alex’s attention before he said breathlessly, “Hold on, darlin’.”

              Michael lifted his body and started a brutal pace with his hips. Alex almost couldn’t keep up, but he bent his knees to plant his feet so he could thrust up as best he could. He did hold on, his hands going to Michael’s hips and he bounced on Alex’s cock, his hand jacking himself over Alex with abandon. He looked so good chasing his own pleasure. He looked confident and lost in the sensations he was experiencing and Alex was mesmerized by the sight of it.

              “Fuck, just like that. I’m going come,” Michael bit out, a high pitched whine pushed out of him as his cock started to spurt onto Alex’s chest and stomach, his ass clenching over Alex’s cock and wrenching an orgasm out of him at the same time. That had never happened to Alex before and it was almost too much for him.

              When it was over, they collapsed against each other, breath heaving from their chests, bodies sweat soaked and sticky, ebbs of euphoria flowing through their muscles. Michael reached down while Alex was still recovering and, holding the condom, slipped his body off of Alex’s so he could lay down on the bed next to him, shoulders overlapping in the small twin.

              “We should do that again,” Michael commented once he’d gotten his breath back. The tingling feeling that had taken over Alex’s body made him feel come drunk and dopey.

              “Tonight?” Alex asked, wondering if he had the strength to have that good of sex for a second time in 24 hours. Weren’t there universal laws about that much pleasure in so short a time?

              “Well, sure. But like, some other time too. Maybe after dinner or a movie or something,” Michael suggested. Alex felt his body go cold. He didn’t date. He was too fucking busy to date. He was working every possible odd job on campus to pay for school since his dad had cut him off for not following the family legacy. So he didn’t date. He didn’t do parties. This was such an anomaly for him to even be out tonight. He cringed at the necessity of what he was about to say, knowing it was going to ruin the afterglow of their activities.

              “I can’t. I don’t date. This was fun, but it won’t happen again,” Alex explained, sitting up suddenly. He needed to go. He stripped the condom off and looked around the trash bin. Michael rolled to his side behind him and rubbed a hand over his back comfortingly.

              “Are you not out? Cause I can be ‘just bro’s with you if it’s—” Michael started, but Alex cut him off. He’d finally remembered where the trash can was and tossed the condom into it.

              “No, it’s not that. I’m absolutely out. Fuck closets. No, I just don’t have the time. It wouldn’t be fair. Look, it’s not a big thing. Maybe I’ll see you around campus sometime?” Alex said in a rush and tried to offer some unlikely run-in as a placation. He stood up and grabbed his pants from the floor, pulling on his underwear and then them quickly. He grabbed for his things off the floor without looking up at Michael. He could feel his silence like an oppressive weight on his skin and the judgement radiating from the bed didn’t help the claustrophobic feeling coming over him.

              “So that’s it? Fuck ‘em and forget ‘em?” Michael asked in an angry, hurt tone. Alex turned and looked at him, anger starting to rise in him in response.

              “Like you learned how to fuck like that being a monk? It’s a hook-up at a party, Michael! You don’t even know me,” Alex spat out, pulling his shirt out of the mass in his arms and pulling it on with angry jerky movements.

              “I just thought there was a connection there, but ya know, you’re probably right. I’m probably just a cock-slut with dependency issues. Shit, and they say frat bros are fuck boys,” Michael mumbled the last bit under his breath as he too got out of bed. He headed over to his dresser and yanked out a pair of boxers, shoving his legs into them and then up his hips before facing Alex again.  “Have a nice life, Alex.”

              “You too,” Alex bit back, turning and leaving the room. He had to stop on the stairs to put on his boots, but he didn’t stop after that. He walked right out of the frat house and towards the dorms. It would be a long walk, but he wasn’t too worried about it. The longer he walked, the worse he felt about what had happened with Michael. He should’ve handled that better. Ruefully, he stopped and looked over his shoulder back towards the house and swore he could see someone standing in Michael’s window. Sighing, he turned and started walking again. It might’ve been nice, but it wasn’t to be. Alex reminded himself for the next two miles that he didn’t have room in his life for anything more, no matter how good the sex was or how addictive the smell of rain against his skins seemed to be.

[darling-dummy-blogs]

🎂Surprise! Happy Birthday Gavin!🎂 (Part 2)

Summary:It's Gavin's Birthday! Carmela wanted to make the most of his birthday by taking him out for a sweet surprise birthday at the Amusement Park; A full day of soft and fun times yet there is something that Carmela has to tell him. Something that might change their future 👀

Paring: Carmela(OC)XGavin Bai

Genre: SOFT FLUFF!!!

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen's Choice

Warnings: None needed!

Word Count: 7.6k

Parts: 1 / 2 / 3  

"I brought us here to have a good time,” she continued. 

“Lately you've been pretty busy with work and so have I, so I made sure to check ahead of time for us to have a great day for your birthday. B..because I love you. And I want you to always be happy." 

"I had everything set up as a surprise just for the sake of making sure your birthday spent with me went great" She gently takes his hand, lacing her fingers with his, softly squeezing his hand, blushing more "Are you ready to go in..?" She asked him, and he nodded, fingers tightening around hers in response. Ready to begin their day of fun.  

Leading him out of the car and into the huge amusement park, she looked around, her eyes scanning over all the rides, until one caught her attention. 

The Carousel. 

One of her all time favorite rides! Her eyes lit up as she turned to Gavin, "Would you like to go on the Carousel with me?" Her voice tried to seem calm, but it ultimately gave away her excitement. 

The childish side of her was revealed the more excited she became, slightly bouncing in her place, a big grin on her face as she looked up at Gavin, her smile dropping into a pout as she gave him puppy eyes, "Pllleeeeaaasssseee…?" She begged. 

He couldn’t help but blush at the look on her face.

“...Alright,” he said at last, then cleared his throat, glancing away. “Just one ride can’t hurt, I guess.”

Making their way toward the Carousel ride, Carmela noticed that there wasn’t a line for them to wait in, instead, the park employee gestured them right through the gate and onto the ride.

“Which animal are you gonna choose to ride on?” She asked. “I think a dog would suit you, maybe even a wolf?”

Gavin followed her as she made her way around the ride, taking in all the options excitedly.

“What if I just watched while you ride your favorite?” 

She pouted. 

“This is for your birthday, Gavin, you’re no fun! And you said you’d ride it once with me, didn’t you?” She pouted, giving him the puppy eye look again. 

“What if I just stood next to your animal on the ride?”

“Gavin.”

“...Fine. The wolf, then?”

Her eyes lit up with joy, as she nodded vigorously.

“That’s perfect! Then I’ll take the bunny, we’ll be right next to each other!” She smiled as she got onto the Bunny. 

Once they were both situated, the park employee started the ride for them. Carmela held onto the pole that held the bunny in place, a bright smile on her face as she enjoyed herself. She then glanced at Gavin, wondering if he was enjoying the ride just as much as she was. 

However as she did so, her hat came off, due to the sudden wind current that washed over. She gasped slightly, "Oh no! My party hat!!" 

Gavin, who’d had a small smile on his face only moments before, frowned in concentration even as his wolf mount continued to bounce up and down. A soft summer breeze soon wrapped around the party hat, carrying it opposite the wind current and back into Carmela’s hands.

“Gavin! But your Evol-- won’t somebody notice?”

His only response was a warm chuckle. When she looked over at him on his wolf again, the lingering breeze still stirring the edges of his hair, his amber eyes alight with the summer sun, a sudden thought crossed her mind-- he’d never looked more handsome to her than in this moment.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Nothing!”

She felt her cheeks growing hot, averting her gaze for a moment, placing the party hat right back on her head once again. A giddy smile tugging at her lips, one that she couldn't hide. "I'm just admiring how handsome you truly are." She admitted, smiling more. 

~~

By the time they had done a few more rides, the couple had decided to get some lunch! Knowing very well that Gavin loved spicy food. Especially anything involving noodles.

Carmela had decided to take him to the new little restaurant that they had recently added into the Amusement Park.  

"They recently opened this place to the public and already people had said that their food was delicious! So why not try it out?" Carmela told Gavin as she led him in the direction of the restaurant.  

Once they arrived, they were able to get themselves seated, seeing as the place wasn't as crowded as Carmela thought it would be for being very popular. 

A waiter came over, handing them the menu, and ordered their drinks for them. Before giving them time to choose what they would like to eat. 

Carmela looked over the menu, humming as she thought about what to get, "What do you plan on getting, Gavin..?" She looked up, glancing across the table at him. 

"...I'll get whatever you get," he replied with the smallest smile. “Gavin.. I can’t just choose for you, silly! It’s your birthday you should get to choose what we eat!” She giggled slightly. 

He was silent for a long moment, brow furrowing as he finally went through the pages of his own menu.

“A pizza then, to share?” He asked at last. “But only if you help me choose the toppings.” “I’m fine with that!” She looked through the menu for the toppings for the pizza, humming thoughtfully. “Hmm.. how about sausage and jalapenos for the toppings?” She looked up at him, smiling. 

“Good idea,” he replied. “As long as it’s not too spicy, for you.”

“I’ll be fine!” She reassured him, before calling the waiter over to take their order. 

Once their order had been placed, they patiently waited for their food to come. Carmela gently hummed, “Are you enjoying your birthday so far?” She asked him, curiously. He smiled, and reached across the table to take her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

“Of course I am, since it’s time spent with you.” 

Carmela blushed, smiling as she lightly squeezed his hand, “Then I am glad. Because I am enjoying my time spent with you as well. I only want you to be happy on this day."  

After a while of chatting about random topics, their food finally arrived!

As they began to eat their Pizza, the more Carmela ate, the sudden jabs, more so of kicks from her stomach, halted her from eating more. 

Her eyes widened, she knew exactly what was kicking her in the stomach. 

The kicking didn't seem to stop either, which made it a bit difficult to eat. She stifled a groan. Clearly they did not like the spicy food that she was eating.. 

“Carmela? Are you okay?” Gavin glanced up from his slice, brow furrowed with worry.

She softly cleared her throat, looking at him "Y-Yeah! I'm alright! My stomach is just hurting a little bit, but it's nothing to worry about!" 

“Is it from the food? Is it too spicy?”

When she didn’t immediately respond, he moved from his seat across the table to her side, taking her free hand in his. 

“I can ask the waiter to bring us some milk?” 

“A-ah.. Yeah, the food is a bit spicy, but it’s okay! I can handle it.” She reassured him to the best of her ability, taking another bite of her slice, which earned her yet another kick. She bit down on her lower lip. “....Maybe.. I-I might need that milk..” She whimpered. 

“Hey, don’t eat more--!” He gently took her by the wrist, guiding the remaining portion to his mouth. “We’ll order something else, alright? Take this water first, and I’ll ask for the milk, too.”

She frowned, “B-but.. This is what you wanted to eat..” She then took a sip of the water that had been provided to her. “W-we don’t have to get anything else..” She looked at him.  

“Ice cream, then? You need to eat something, alright? And the milk should help with the spicy, too.”  

Carmela softly thought about it. Ice cream did sound more appealing then getting constantly kicked in the stomach with every bite of pizza. “I...I suppose ice cream would be better for me to eat then..” 

“There was an ice cream truck back near the carousel. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” 

[tdatdroleplay]

You’ve Got Explaining to do, Mr. Wilder

Including @HisTeenDream @RookByTheBook @lnMyWilderDays

Lux: [She finished getting ready, giving herself a once over before grabbing her purse, locking the front door and then heading out to the car. Getting into the car, she headed toward the hospital. She was eager to see her dad, but she wasn’t sure she could keep the break in from him.  The drive to the hospital, she spent thinking about Hank, about her father, about the whole cello playing dreams she’d had. When she parked in the hospital garage, she grabbed the bag from the backseat and headed inside the hospital. Her father had his own room, and she was happy about that. She got to the elevator and rode up to his floor. Stepping out of the elevator, she kept the bag on her arm as she walked to her father’s room. Tapping lightly on the door, she pushed it open and saw her father sitting up in his bed.] Hey, daddy. [She walked in and bent down, giving him a kiss on the cheek.] How you feeling? I brought you some stuff. [She set the bag down and started to pull out a few things. She smiled as she looked over at her dad.] I brought you a razor cause, no offense, daddy, but you’re looking pretty scruffy. Some shaving cream. I brought you a few snacks, some of your favorites if you’re up to eating them. [She looked back at him as he started talking. “Lux, sit down, honey. You don’t need to come in here like one of those nurses.” She smiled.] I don’t mind taking care of you, daddy. She finally gave her father his way after a series of stern looks from him and sat down.] You never answered me. How are you feeling? [She wet her lips, still looking over at the bag she’d brought. She really wanted her dad to eat something. But she knew his stomach was usually upset after his treatments. With her dad no doubt exaggerating and telling her he felt just fine, they talked a little more about things. Of course he asked if she’d found a job yet. And of course, her answer was no. Though he didn’t seem too perturbed by it. They just chatted about everyday stuff, and she tried to build up the courage to tell him about the break in. She raised a brow at her dad as he told her about all sorts of different people in the hospital, but not himself. She sighed.] What did the doctor say, daddy? [She listened to him beat around the bush, saying he hadn’t seen the doctor today.] That’s...well, I don’t believe that, dad. I know how you hide things. Like I /know/ that you knew about your diagnosis /months/ before you told me. But it was my last semester and you knew I was close to graduation. So you put off telling me. I understand why you did it, but you should’ve told me. You just wanted me to finish school. 

Eric: [He sucked in a deep breath. As deep as he could given the condition of his lungs.] Lux...I haven’t seen the doctor today. That’s no lie. Haven’t seen him since my last treatment. I’m not lying to you. Or hiding things. And I don’t know how you found out, but you’re right. I did. I found out a few months before your graduation, but I wanted that for you. I wanted you to finish, to live your dreams. I hated telling you when I did. It put a damper on your graduation, on that celebration. But I knew I needed to.

Lux: [She sighed at her dad and then nodded.] I understand, daddy. I just worry about you. You’ve gotta tell me stuff. You’ve got to keep me updated, daddy, so that I can help make the right decisions. [She heard her phone go off and she dug it out of her purse, seeing Hank’s text. “Can’t wait to see you. I’ll take one of those Chalupa burgers from Bigz Burger Joint.” She looked up at her dad.] Daddy, you hungry? Something from Bigz sound good? [She looked back down with a smile, ready to finish the reply before sending it to Hank.]

Eric: [He saw the way his little girl’s face lit up when she looked at her phone, and he raised a brow.] You getting delivery? [He pulled a face at the thought of food, but wanted to try for Lux.] I’ll just take some fries, honey. I know better than to make the mistake of eating a big meal right after a treatment. Wish I could have one of those jalapeno burgers. Or...the chili cheese fries with jalapenos on the side. But that wouldn’t be good for my stomach. [He gave his daughter a soft smile.]

Hank: [Getting the text from Lux, he went ahead and headed in the direction of the burger joint. He had to admit it was good to get that place. It was one of his favorites. He went ahead and called in the order so that he could pick it up and not have to wait for anything. In about fifteen minutes, he made it to the joint and texted Lux back. “Be there soon. Grabbing the food, babe.” He hit send, went inside, did a little small talk, paid and then headed back out of the place and into the squad car. The drive to the hospital wasn’t long at all and before he knew it, he was pulling up and parking. Perks of the car, he had a good spot. He grabbed the paper bag with the food and the plastic bag that had some sodas in them. After getting a visitor’s badge, he made his way up to the room where the front desk told him to go.]

Lux: [She shook her head.] Nope. You’re getting a visitor today, daddy. And no, I don’t wanna hear it. There’s a lot that I need to talk to you about, OK? I know you’re a private person and everything, but you have people who love you. And you aren’t alone in all this. The sooner you realize that...the better. [She stood up and leaned over her dad, giving the top of his head a kiss.] 

Eric: [He lifted his brows and grumbled.] Lux, you know I don’t want any visitors while I’m here in the hospital. I thought I was clear when I said I wanted to keep this between us. And I…[He heard a knock at the door and sighed.] Well, I’m guessing it’s too late to argue now. But I do wanna know what exactly you need to talk to me about. We aren’t getting away from that topic no matter who walks through that door.

Hank: He waited for the door to open, he wasn’t gonna just walk in. Mr. Wilder could’ve been getting some meds or something and he was already a private man, he didn’t want to make him feel embarrassed. He smiled when Lux opened the door.] Hey there. I brought food. Hopefully this’ll ease the blow. [He winked at her and then waited for her to let him in the room.] 

Lux: [She waved a dismissive hand at her dad and then smiled, getting up and heading for the door. Pulling it open, there was Hank. In his uniform looking all sorts of handsome.] Hey there, you. [She smiled softly at him.] You look handsome. [She stepped back to let Hank in to her father’s room.] Look who came to see you, daddy. It’s Hank Page. [She took hold of his hand.] Come on in. Sit down.

Eric: [He sat up a bit more and then looked toward the door when he saw Lux heading toward it. When the door opened, he saw a familiar face. And while he was glad to see Hank, he was...embarrassed wasn’t the right word really, but he just...well, he knew that Hank didn’t know about his cancer. And he hadn’t told him because he didn’t want him to think he was weak. He cleared his throat.] Well, hello there, Hank. 

Hank: [He smiled at Lux and then handed her the bags, walking over, he had his hand out to shake Mr. Wilder’s.] Hey, Mr. Wilder. How’s it going? I was over at your place yesterday and imagine my surprise when I saw Luxie standing there. [His brows raised.] You didn’t tell me my homegirl was coming back home. [He chuckled as he sat down, motioning to the bags.] Brought you some fries. Hope you don’t mind me taking my lunch break here with you and Lux. Kinda wanna catch up. 

Lux: [She took the bags from Hank, went ahead and started to get things set out, getting her father’s fries set out for him.] You want any ketchup, dad? [She looked over at Hank with an arched brow.] Homegirl? [She laughed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head.] You’ve gotta be joking me. [She wet her lips.] That’s what I was just getting ready to talk to you about. You know...why Hank ended up at the house yesterday.

Eric: [He shook Hank’s hand and then shrugged his shoulders.] Well, son, I’m assuming Lux already told you why I’m in here. Isn’t just pneumonia, kid. I’m...well, I’ve got cancer. [He let out a sigh.] No ketchup, sweetie. Just the fries are fine. Thank you, Hank. [He cleared his throat.] And yeah, I didn’t mention anything because if you knew why she was coming home, well, you would’ve ended up knowing about all of this. [He gestured to himself.] Though I’m not sure what a homegirl exactly is, I’ll say this…[His brows lifted when they were both talking about Hank ending up at the house.] Did you two finally decide to give the whole dating thing a go? Hank’s doing great, Lux. Moving up in the department. And Lux...well, this little...mishap with me isn’t going to be forever, and soon my baby’ll be in a beautiful gown, playing the most beautiful music in the world.

Hank: [He shook his head and then took the bacon burger with jalapenos from her. The fries going to Mr. Wilder. He couldn’t help but chuckle. He kind of just wanted to go ahead and give Mr. Wilder that news.] It’s a friend, Mr. Wilder. But…[He cleared his throat.] I think you’re right. And I’m pretty sure you knew that. [He chuckled.] But, I asked Luxie to have dinner with me tonight. So if you don’t mind, Mr. Wilder...I’d finally like to ask your permission to date your daughter. [He grinned as he looked over at her and nodded his head.] She’s gonna play for me too. I’ve got no doubt that her hands are capable of making incredible music. 

Lux: Daddy…[She shook her head at her father talking about her and Hank finally dating, about her going off to play music. But then Hank surprised her by asking for her father’s permission to date her. She paused, looking at him with wide blue eyes before the smile broke across her face.] I know Hank’s a winner, daddy. You don’t have to convince me. [She took a bite of the burger, messy but delicious. After swallowing and wiping her mouth with a napkin, she looked from Hank to her dad.] I’ve put in an application with the San Antonio Symphony. But I haven’t heard anything back yet.

Eric: Shit, son, call me Eric. I’ve told you to call me Eric a thousand and one times over. [He chuckled and sat up a bit more, his hand coming over the side of the bed to slap Hank on the shoulder.] Of course you’ve got my permission. So long as you treat her right, like the princess she is. You hurt her, and...well, there’ll be hell to pay. [He looked over at Lux.] He’s a winner, but so are you, darling. You’re a beautiful woman, a smart, talented woman. And that symphony will be contacting you to come in and play for them. But...you know...I was thinking. I know a guy who knows a guy...who’s in big with the director and some folks on the board at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Now I know it’s hours away and all, but I could have him put in a word, pull some strings, and...boom, there you are in Dallas playing the big stage. What do you think of that? 

Hank: [He chuckled and shook his head.] I couldn’t agree with you more, Mr...Eric. [He chuckled.] She’s been special to me since the first time I saw her in homeroom. [He grinned over at Lux and then lifted his brows as her dad started talking about the Dallas Orchestra. That was a huge opportunity.] 

Lux: [She smiled at Hank and then moved her chair a little closer to his. She set the food down when her dad started talking about Dallas. She looked at Hank, wondering if he thought it was a good idea or not. Especially since she’d just moved back to San Antonio. Moving away to Dallas? She hoped that he wasn’t too keen on the idea, but she also knew he probably wouldn’t say anything. She shook her head.] Dad, don’t do that. I don’t want anyone pulling any strings. I want to get in on my own merit. But Dallas is a little out of the question. I don’t want to move to Dallas. It’s even farther away than Houston. I just got back here. Trying to get rid of me so soon?

Eric: Well, I’m glad you two kids finally decided to give it the old college try. [He smiled and then shook his head.] Lux, you would get in on your own merit. You’d have to audition. Honey, there’s no harm in getting your foot in the door. Tell her, Hank. [He shook his head.] I’m not trying to get rid of you, Lux. I just want you to...well, I just don’t want your life put on hold because of me. You need to go on and live life to the fullest. I’ll just give him a call and tell him to see if he can get you an audition.

Hank: [He cleared his throat and then wet his lips. He’d be lying if he said that he wouldn’t be seriously disappointed. She’d be gone. As quick as she came, she’d move away. He went ahead and set his sandwich down and looked over at Lux.] If it’s something you want, you should do it. You’d spend your life regretting not taking the chance for...one reason or another. [He cleared his throat.] And I didn’t mention before, but...you don’t have to worry about that, Eric. I’m not trying to treat her any other way. 

Lux: [Her brow furrowed as she looked up at Hank. If it’s something she wanted, she should just do it? They’d just found each other again. And she knew why he was saying it. She knew that he was saying it because he wanted to be supportive, but she wanted him to fight for her to stay. And maybe he would’ve if they weren’t in front of her dad. Hearing her dad press the issue, she slapped her hands down against the chair she was sitting in, her voice raised a bit.] I said no, dad. [She felt extremely flustered.] I’m not gonna just take off when my father is…[She felt a little choked up and stood up.] Excuse me for a second. [She turned and headed out into the hall for just a few minutes. She just needed a little air.]

Eric: [He was giving Lux a triumphant look as Hank agreed that if she wanted something, she should go for it when Lux all but exploded. He sighed as his daughter excused herself from the room. He looked over at Hank.] She’s having a hard time. Coming to terms with...this. I’ve always been a strong man, someone she could always go to when she needed. And now...well, let’s be honest here, Hank. I’m dying. These treatments are just prolonging the inevitable. And then Lux is really going to be alone. An only child. Her mother passed away when she was just an infant. It’s always just been me and her. This is hard for her. [He sighed, looking at the closed door.]

Hank: Lux…[He sighed a bit as he wiped his hand on the napkin and looked at Eric. He wet his lips and shook his head.] Yeah...it’s going to be hard on her, Eric. You're her father. You’ve been all she’s ever had and to be honest, Eric...I’m a little upset that you didn’t tell me. I’ve been coming over for years and you know...you’ve always been there and when were you gonna tell me about all of this? [He had so many things he wanted to say.] She won’t be alone. She has me. And honestly, I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to go that far away. Not right now. I don’t wanna hold her back. Ever. But I don’t want her to just go away either. I think I need to go see if she’s alright. 

Lux: [She leaned against the wall outside the room, tearing up. Everything was happening so fast with her dad. He was looking rough, and she just didn’t want to admit to herself that he might not be around this time next year. And the last thing she cared about right now was her damn cello. A nurse stopped, asking if she was alright.] Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you. [She sighed, her head tipped back against the wall. She knew she had to go back in there, but she didn’t want to burst into tears either.]

Eric: [He sighed.] It’s hard to admit, kid. It was hard to admit to myself that I was sick, that this disease is probably going to kill me. That I’m not going to get to walk my baby girl down the aisle and give her away. That I’ll never see her make it big. Hear her babies call me grandpa. And I just...it took me a few months to even tell Lux. You’ve become sort of like a son to me. Helping me. I knew I could count on you, that I could call you anytime. [He cleared his throat and nodded.] Go on. Go after her.

Hank: [He shook his head.] You don’t know...you’re one of the strongest men I know. You could beat this...just..let us help you. [He sighed.] We’ll be right back. [He turned and opened the door, he expected to have to go find her, but she was there, right outside the door. He pulled it closed and then stepped in front of her, pulling her into a hug.] Just take a deep breath. 

Lux: [When the door opened, she saw Hank step out. When he pulled her into a hug, she put her arms around him, her forehead against his chest.] I...I almost said I’m not gonna take off while my father is dying. Dying, Hank. And then you...if I want it, I should go? You don’t want me to stay here? We just...reconnected and you’re just…[She sighed.] I know you’re just trying to be supportive. I just...I was hoping you’d say you didn’t want me to go. And I know dad’s just trying to be...dad. Pretend like nothing’s wrong, still trying to make sure my life’s settled.

Eric: [He sighed as Hank stood up and left the room to go and comfort Lux. He knew that he was just trying to be optimistic, but he wasn’t so sure that he’d be around for those milestones. And he was trying to accept it. He went ahead and finished his fries before leaning his head back on the pillow.]

Hank: We don’t know that he’s dying. He can still respond to treatments and…[He shook his head.] No...I don’t want you to go, Lux. I’ve wanted to be with you since I was a damn teenager, but if that’s your dream, what kind of person would I be to take that from you? Does that mean I’ll just pack your shit and send you to Dallas and say thanks for the other night? No...I wouldn’t. I would try to figure out how to make it work, but I do think you need to not...go too far from here right now. It’ll help him get stronger and because I’m selfish as hell. 

Lux: He isn’t responding to them, Hank. He won’t tell me the truth. He keeps saying he hasn’t talked to the doctor. It’s shit. [She sniffed a bit and shook her head.] You’d be a person who wanted to keep me here with you. That’s the kind of person you’d be. Work...a job...that isn’t everything. At least it isn’t to me. I put myself and my dreams of playing cello professionally ahead of everything for a long time, and I wish I hadn’t. I wish I’d spent more time developing relationships. You wouldn’t be holding me back. You’d just be...holding me. Period. Maybe it’s stupid, but I don’t want to go. I know. One night and I’m clingy and sappy. And it’s stupid, but I just...Jesus, I need to just...take a step back. I’m really emotional right now. I’m all over the place. I just think...I should take things one step at a time. Dad’s just so hardheaded. He doesn’t listen. [She sighed, her cheek pressing back against Hank’s chest.] I’m sorry. This isn’t very much of a break, is it? 

Hank: [He shook his head.] Hey...come on now. [He put his arm around her back, the other against the back of her head and kissed the top of it.] I am the person that wants you here. I am the person that’s holding you. It’s not stupid, Lux. Nothing you’re saying is even remotely stupid. And you listen to me. It’s one night that we slept together. It’s not one night for us. You and me have history. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hold onto something. [He moved his hand beneath her chin, tilting it up.] I’m here with you. I’m gonna help with your dad, getting you what you need. Whatever that may be. It’s the way it was supposed to be, Luxie. And this is a good break. Sharing it with my girl and a man who’s been like a dad. 

Lux: [She looked up at Hank with a soft smile.] I swear...I’ll pull it together. I’m not usually this...crazy. Because that’s how I feel. Just...out of my element. I guess all this is just hitting me at once. [She smiled at him and kept her hands against his sides, just above the bulky belt around his waist.] Thank you. You’ve always been there for me. And I can’t tell you how much it means to me. [She drew in a breath.] Now...let’s go back in there. You need to eat, and let’s enjoy the rest of your break before you have to leave and go back to work. 

Eric: [He drummed his fingers against the little rails on the bed. He hoped that everything was alright. And he wished he could just get up out of the bed and go outside the room. He always felt weak after the treatments, but he was going to go ahead and try. Shoving the blankets off, he sat up and made to swing his legs over the side of the bed.]

Hank: [He smiled and shook his head.] You ain’t gotta thank me, slick. [He grinned and then took her hand and walked her to the door. Once they went in, his brows lifted.] Oh...you going somewhere? Cause...that’s probably not the best idea, you know? [He shook his head and then went back over to the chair.] You shouldn’t let those fries get cold either. They taste like grease when they’re cold. 

Lux: [She took hold of Hank’s hand and then when he opened the door, she saw her father trying to get out of bed. She rushed over to him.] Dad, you can’t get up. Just rest. [She pulled the blankets back up over his legs once he’d settled back. She turned and looked at Hank.] See what I’m dealing with here? This man is so stubborn. [She gave her dad a smile.] You feeling OK?

Eric: [He looked up just as one foot touched the ground, the door opening and Hank and Lux walking back inside.] Busted I guess. You two were taking awhile and I got a little worried. So I thought I’d come looking for you. [He huffed out a breath.] I’m not an invalid, Lux. [He got himself back into the bed.] I’m feeling just fine. I’ve eaten almost all those fries. Which is better than I thought I’d do. So how’s the SWAT thing coming? And...you two never told me why Hank was over at the house.

Hank: [He chuckled and shook his head.] Good word choice for a cop coming in the room. [He reached forward, grabbing his burger and taking a big bite. After wiping his mouth, he shook his head.] You could get someone to come in after your treatments. At least that way you’d be home and not stuck in the hospital. It’s an option. [He nodded.] It’s coming I guess. Did the psych eval. Waiting on my last two tests before I get the word if I can head back to the academy. [He shook his head.] Before you get all up in arms, I took care of it. 

Lux: [She sat down next to Hank once her father was settled back in the bed.] I know why you stay in the hospital after your treatments, dad. It’s because you don’t want me seeing you sick. But Hank’s right. You could come home. And I can help you. We could hire a caretaker for the times I absolutely can’t. If I got a job…[She saw her dad’s look.] /when/ I get a job. [She heard Hank preface the story with his own statement. She sighed.] When I got home from the hospital yesterday evening, the house had been broken into. A lot’s missing. Televisions, computers, your medications, your gun. Hank was the responding officer and he helped me with everything, including patching up the window until I can get it replaced. I called a few people this morning about estimates and having them come take a look at it. Everything’s fine, daddy.

Eric: [He shook his head.] I’m just fine staying in here for a few days. It’s only a few days. And Lux, you know I love you, and I know you can take good care of me, but honey, that’s not what I want. I want you to focus on more positive things. [His brows rose when they started talking about a break in at the house.] Lux...you…[He looked over at Hank.] Tell me everything. I want to know how they got in. I want to know what you’re going to do about it. Did you stay with her? Did you let her stay in that house alone? Lux, you should’ve called me immediately. You should’ve come straight back here. 

Hank: [He shook his head.] I got there not long after the call came in. She was waiting outside, she didn’t go in to check things out. I went in, went through the whole house and called in the guys to come collect evidence. And no, I absolutely didn’t let her stay there alone. I took her with me to the police station, filed the report on your gun and the rest of the things that were stolen. I took her back home and fixed the window for now and we got things straightened up. I left a little before she did, but then she came right here. It looks like they came in the back window. Just a smash and grab. Doesn’t seem to be any other motivation. But to be safe, Lux is going to stay with me tonight. 

Lux: We did all the right things. Hank didn’t leave me alone. And we cleaned everything up, and we’ve already made plans for tonight. You don’t have to worry about me. Hank’s gonna keep me safe. But he’s right. They just wanted to steal things and sell them for a quick buck no doubt. But we’re gonna get the window fixed, and everything’s going to be OK. It isn’t something you even need to worry about. And I’m sure that if at all possible, Hank’ll check around and see if they tried to fence any of our stuff.

Eric: [He was relieved to hear that Lux had been smart and waited outside for the police to arrive. He nodded as Hank spoke about the collection of evidence, glad that he hadn’t left her there alone. He knew that Hank had always been a little sweet on his daughter. And normally, as a father, he wouldn’t have been thrilled with his baby girl sleeping over at a man’s house, but he didn’t want her staying at the house by herself.] I don’t care about the stuff. I’m just glad that you’re ok.

Hank: I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, Eric. And whatever else needs to be fixed in the house. I know where everything is and I have my own set of tools so there’s nothing to worry about. Plus, it’ll give me something to take my mind off waiting for those results to come back. [He gave her father and her a smile.] If you don’t mind me bringing the pup over to the house, I’ll stay around your place and work on it for a few days. 

Lux: [She shook her head.] I can take care of myself, boys. Not that I don’t want Hank around. I do. [She gave him a smile and then finished off her burger. She was seriously going to do a whole lot more than have him fix things to keep his mind off those results. And that thought alone had her looking down at her hands with a soft smile.] And dad’s gonna be coming home in what? Another day or so? 

Eric: I know you will. You’ve always had my baby girl’s best interests at heart. And you know that I don’t mind you coming over, working at the house, bringing your dog. All of that’s fine. Just don’t spend all your time working. Either one of you. Life’s short. And you never know when your last day is. So...you have to make it count. You two remember that. [He nodded his head.] Yeah, should be home in a few days.

Hank: [He nodded his head and smiled when Eric said it would be alright to bring the dog and work at the house.] I’ll make sure to have everything ready by the time you get home from this treatment, Eric. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again either. [He’d make sure Lux had an alarm system installed at the house too.]

Lux: [She listened to Hank and her father talk about the things that needed fixed around the house, about preventing another break in. And she was listening, just sitting there, smiling as he talked to her father. It was clear he was really comfortable with her dad. And her dad seemed comfortable with Hank. They liked each other. They were close, and she wished she’d been around to see them both more.]

Eric: [He nodded as he spoke about making sure it didn’t happen again.] Definitely. Whatever needs to be done? You do it. I’ll foot the bill. But you make sure that it’s top of the line. We can talk more about it once I get home. [He leaned back against his pillow, feeling a little tired.]

Hank: [He wasn’t going to let anyone foot anything. Not with the medical bills they were going to be racking up, not to mention if he couldn’t make it, the last thing he wanted was for Lux to feel the pressure from all of that. He cleared his throat.] We’ll get it worked out, sir. And when you’re home, if there’s something else you want done, you call me first. [He looked over at Lux and reached for her hand to give it a squeeze.] 

Lux: [She felt Hank reach for her hand and then she felt him squeeze her hand. She smiled and then laced her fingers with his. She looked back at her dad, seeing him rest his head against the pillow.] I think you should get some rest. I’m sure Hank’s gotta get back to work. I’m gonna walk him down to his car, then I’ll come back up and sit with you some more, OK? [She stood up, keeping hold of Hank’s hand.]

Eric: [He had his eyes open despite the lids feeling pretty heavy. He nodded his head.] Of course. You’re my first call, son. [He blew out a breath. His chest felt a lot lighter now that he wasn’t trying to keep this from his daughter or from Hank. He didn’t have a whole lot of friends, not close ones anyway. And his brother in Florida knew. So that was all the people he was close to. He nodded.] Thanks for coming by, Hank. Be safe out there. And you and Lux have fun tonight. [He lifted his hand to shake Hank’s.] See you in a few minutes, sweetheart.

Hank: [He reached forward, shaking Eric’s hand and giving him a smile.] Just a phone call away if you need me. [He wet his lips.] Get some rest, don’t give the nurses too hard of a time. [He chuckled softly and then kept Lux’s hand in his as he walked out of the hospital room with her and shook his head.] How often is he coming in for the treatments? [He walked with her toward the elevator.] 

Lux: [She kissed the top of her dad’s head and then left the room with Hank. Getting to the elevator, she blew out a breath.] He comes in every three weeks. At first, he was doing treatments once a month, but his doctor changed some of the drugs or...doses or something and now he comes in every three weeks. They’re pretty intense treatments I think. But...I’m just glad he’s taking them. And not just giving up the fight. [She stepped into the elevator with him.]

Eric: [He chuckled and then shook his head.] I won’t. You guys be good. [He watched Lux and Hank leave the room and he leaned his head back again. He closed his eyes and let himself rest. He felt better that Hank was now spending time with Lux, that she wasn’t alone. And she wouldn’t be alone if he couldn’t beat this.]

Hank: That’s important. I know he wants more out of life and we just gotta help him get there, Lux. It’s a rough road, but just because this treatment isn’t working..doesn’t mean something else wouldn’t work. They’re always coming up with new things. Better medicine. [He smiled down at her.] Just keep your head up. We’ll get this worked out, alright? You gonna be ready for tonight? 

Lux: [She reached up, giving him a hug, only them in the elevator as they rode down to the ground floor.] I know. Sometimes it’s hard to keep that hope, but I know we can help each other out with that. [She stepped out of the elevator with him and headed toward the exit.] Yeah, I’m really excited. I’m going to spend just a few more hours here with dad, and then I’m going to head home and start getting ready. What time are you coming to pick me up?

Hank: I’ll be there by seven. I need to head home, shower and that and then come and get you. [He nodded his head.] That’s very true. But if things were easy, people wouldn’t understand the value of hard work. [He stopped at the door to the hospital and turned toward her.] If you need anything before I get there, call me, yeah? Make sure to get what you need for the night and I’ll do the same tomorrow. [He leaned in, tipping her chin up and pressing a kiss to her lips.] 

Lux: [She smiled.] I’ll see you at seven. [She hooked her hand around the back of his neck when he bent down to kiss her.] I’ll be ready. And you know I’ll text you throughout the rest of the day even if you can’t answer. But if I need anything, I’ll call. [She smiled and then stepped back so that he could head to his car.]

Hank: [He smiled and nodded his head.] That’s good, darling. I’ll see you in a few hours. [He reluctantly let go of her hand and then stepped away, but not without looking back several times to see if she was still standing there. He just couldn’t help himself. It was almost the teenager in him that just wanted to make sure that cute girl was still looking in his direction. And the man in him thinking that /that/ was all his. Eventually, he got into the car and started it up to head back to the station.] 

Lux: [She stood there at the door, just outside the hospital, watching Hank walk to his patrol car. She lifted a hand, smiling and waving at him as he backed out of the spot and then pulled away. She stood there for a few seconds before turning and heading back upstairs to her father’s room. He was asleep when she walked in. She sat down and looked out the window, planning the rest of her day out in her head.]

[believerindaydreams]

I was not expecting to channel Tuco Ramirez energies into a young pregnant hatmaker but Carla has very promptly become the sardonic loveable glue in this ongoing ball of poly!energies

This'll all show up on a03, properly edited. Eventually.

Into the fire, part 3

"He's scared stiff," Carla says, looking at Arcade sleep. "I mean, literally stiff. Look at how tightly his hands are clenched."

She fluffs a pillow to put under his head and I'm falling in love with her all over again, just to see her. That calm, sure way she moves, the sparkle of earrings she ground herself from broken beer bottles. Utter self-confidence wrapped in a hand-knit shawl.

"He's not as important as you. Nobody could be."

She snorts. It's cute. "You keep thinking you need to surrender something for me. That's not true and it never has been."

"Might be this time. Uh- we weren't planning to stay in the Mojave. What with him both of us being marked by Legion assassins, a friend of ours was gonna help us get out."

"Ooh. Friend friend, or-" She gestures, disgracefully. Makes me bark with laughter.

"No. Dyed in the wool lesbian. On the outs with the Brotherhood...she says she can get us cross-country. I don't know if it's by Vertibird or what, but if she says she can do it, she can."

"Are you sure she's trustworthy?" Hell, just the way she wrinkles her nose half kills me. Manny used to tease me about the way I'd keep on about her.

That was before he met her, though. "Yeah. If she wanted us dead, she had plenty of chances she didn't take. And we didn't tell her anything about...you know."

"I still say we need a better way to refer to that." A big smile appears. "Maybe we could say baby names. That's personal but not strange in a conversation."

I run my hands along the inviting bump of dress; she's pretty far along now. "What happens when the baby's born, though?"

"We can say we're planning for the next one." She laughs, pins my arms back in a bear hug; and I don't mind a bit. "But hey. If you were planning to go, let's go. God knows I'm hardly stuck on this two-bit town."

Whatever that means. Her Vault had some funny expressions. "I'd like to say it'd be safer to stay put...but honestly, it wouldn't be. Not while I'm still here."

"And I am not letting you wander off without me," Carla says, cupping my chin in her hands. "Bad things will happen. I want you where I can see you."

"...okay. Then I guess we'd better pack. Your sewing machine is under the bed."

"Not anymore," Carla says, tapping a footlocker with her bare toes. "Manny fetched it for me, all the way to Arizona and back."

"Guess I wasn't up to much compared to him, was I."

"Listen," Carla says, her small face suddenly turning intensely serious. "You're here, I'm here, Manny is here. And your new boyfriend. We're all alive, that's what matters."

She makes me blush, sometimes; and it doesn't help when Manny comes out of the bath, drying his hair with a towel and butt naked otherwise.

"Damn. Your Arcade looks cute curled up like that."

"He says it's a habit. Bedrolls aren't ever long enough for him."

"I can fix that with my magic sewing machine," Carla says, grinning dryly. "And I'll make him a hat. That's an important order of business."

"Don't know what I did, to deserve you two...look. You're sure you're okay, him coming along?"

"Would you be here if he hadn't helped you?"

"...no."

"Then let's bring him," Carla says conclusively.

"If it's good enough for your wife," Manny says with a wink, "it's good enough for me. Besides. That ass."

"Definitely one of the more shapely asses populating this wasteland," Carla agrees, straight faced.

"Fuck...you two don't talk about me that way when I'm asleep, do you?"

Manny gives me a patient look. "Don't be stupid, Boone."

"Huh."

"Of course we do."

***

It's ridiculously late by the time Arcade wakes up; and he has a pretty good idea why. There's a part of him that never quite feels safe falling asleep, without the hum of conversation and a trustworthy guard around; and he hasn't really had that since the Old Mormon Fort.

(Avoided going places for exactly that reason, if he's being honest. He's still never seen the Strip.)

He looks at the Sierra armor, frowns, puts on light doctor fatigues instead. It's hot already, that's a fair excuse.

Manny's asleep on a spare mattress, but there's no sign of the other two. He heads out and finds Carla cooking at the motel campfire, a tired Boone besides her.

"Oh good," she says when he approaches, poking her husband. "Boone, go to bed. Someone else is here to play bodyguard."

"Mmm...'s Manny?"

"No, it's Arcade. Go to bed."

He grunts and goes, slightly to Arcade's surprise. Carla looks after him fondly.

"They always were a little paranoid, even when we thought Novac was safe. And it wasn't really good for them, being on opposite shifts...they missed each other." She shoves beans around in a cast iron pan, takes the lid off a milk crate filled with tortillas. "Would you enjoy a burrito for breakfast? Or I can just give you some caps to buy from Cliff, if pre-war food's more your thing."

Right. After being taken as a slave and then dumped into a pre-war casino he is in fact broke right now, at least until he and Boone split the pre-war money stashed in the room. "Burritos sound fine. Trust me, you don't have the luxury of choosiness at the Old Mormon Fort, it's too chaotic."

"Sounds terrible. But then I'm a luxury hatmaker and I enjoy what I do, I'm probably the last person who'd understand charitable impulses." She places a tortilla on a grill to warm. "It did seem simpler in the vault, when we used lotteries and left morality out of it...my other vices include overpacking, an impatience with village idiots who think that three cornfields equal New Vegas, and I will bite you if you hurt Boone or Manny. Hard. Just getting that out of the way upfront."

"Ah." He's been expecting something like this conversation, but had rather expected he'd have to go first. "Um. I'm a poor liar, despite being privy to more secrets than I ever wanted to know. I seem to have mislaid an inherent pacifism in favor of wanting to shoot any Legionary I see, which despite Boone's opinion I can't really see as an improvement. And despite my ostensible position with the Followers, my medical capabilities leave almost as much to be desired as my bedside manner."

"You seemed to handle it well when my husband passed out."

"Battlefield medicine is one of the things I can do, yes. Along with making broc flowers grow anywhere and boiling homemade bagels."

" ...actual bagels? You're hired. Damn shame no NCR caravan imports lox yet, Boone took me to Shady Sands for our honeymoon and that's the only time I've had it...do you want to make bagels? Do you need ingredients?"

"Uh. I would need to buy a few things, yes, and it would take time to grow a new culture." He thinks with a mild pang of the last sourdough he had going, left unattended in a Followers tent. Hopefully someone found it before it started to smell. "What I mostly did for the Followers was garden, actually. We've figured out ways to emulate stimpaks with herbs, but they always put the subject in a fever, and there are ailments that's contra-indicated for. And of course nobody wants that on a battlefield...except the Legion, apparently, they don't seem to care."

"A crafter rather than a soldier. I'm not outnumbered anymore, that's great news." She has buck teeth and it shows when she smiles. "Honestly, I've had to become a regular Crusoe just because the boys aren't. Want them to turn any kind of ammunition into any other kind, they'll do that for you. Anything else, it's strictly DIY." She forks a piping hot burrito onto a plate, hands it to him. "There's sour yoghurt in the fridge if you prefer topping."

"Mmm...this is fine." Better than fine, actually, there's grilled iguana in the mix and a hint of jalapeno. "You've read Crusoe?"

"Oh, we had education machines in the vault, they worked great. Mr Gutsy reading your ABCs to you and blasting radroaches...we were happy." She starts on her own burrito, looking a little pensive. "I'll never forgive Mr House for that, never. Half the kids my age ended up in the Gomorrah turning tricks for sleazeballs, a lot of the others signed up for the NCR and died right away at Hoover Dam...there was a rumor going around," Carla says, a little vicious now. "That House cut a deal with the NCR, so many warm bodies in exchange for not appropriating the Strip. I'd believe it, but then I'd believe anything of the bastard."

Arcade nods, mentally notes one more vice: Carla, for all her sunny disposition, certainly can hold a grudge.

But then, she is Boone's wife; not entirely surprising. "So you got to Novac and hoped it would be home sweet home?"

"If such a place exists, it isn't here," Carla says; and violently pokes out the fire.