#i wish there was a cool bouncer at the door to my brain

[extractingmystone]

catastrophizing thoughts DNI

[autumnsart22]

Oikawa x reader ch. 12

Sorry for the angst this chapter 🤭 Hope you still enjoy though!

Kuroo flicked me hard on the cheek. “Wrong again! Damn, this isn’t that hard.” 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “Chemistry is so boring!” 

Kenma looked up from across the table briefly from his game. “I wouldn’t say that, Y/n-san. Kuroo is a chemistry nerd. He loves it.” 

Bokuto laughed loudly in agreement, Akaashi snapping at him to get back to work. 

It was Sunday afternoon, and I sat at Kenma’s dining room table with Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kenma. Exams were coming up, and all of us were cramming as much studying in as possible. I had decided to tag along with the captains and setters of Fukurodani and Nekoma, knowing that they could help me with some of my work. 

I let out a pathetic moan, shoving my science homework aside. “I can’t! My brain is fried, it’s too much!” 

“Take a break,” Akaashi suggested. “Come back to it later.” 

I sighed, sliding out of my chair. “How about I don’t come back to it later?”

Kuroo chuckled. “I hope you know you’re never going to pass your chemistry exam, sorry.” 

I flipped him off, turning to Kenma. “Wanna play Mario Kart?” 

The Nekoma setter glanced up from his game, eyeing me. “Really?”

“Dude I love Mario Kart, why wouldn’t I want to play?” The long haired boy moved faster than I had ever seen. “Ok, I’ll set it up.”

Bokuto whined. “Akaaashiiii please let me play? I don’t want to write this anymore.”

Akaashi sighed. “Bokuto-san, you’re failing English. You need to study if you’re going to pass.” 

“But--!” 

“Fine, but only twenty minutes.” 

Bokuto whooped, and I covered my mouth to hide my smile. I noticed red staining Akaashi’s cheeks, and I glanced at Kuroo. The black haired captain was smirking as he surveyed the two Fukurodani players, and I resolved to ask him about it later. 

Bokuto and I raced to the living room, where Kenma sat cross legged on the rug. A few controls were already laid out, and I positioned myself next to Kenma. 

As we played, we got insanely loud, even Kenma. The short boy won every round, but I got kind of close on our third game, which caused him to start shouting louder than I had ever heard. Bokuto was the worst, flipping off the road more than actually driving and laughing giddily as he collided with other cars. 

After our fifth round playing, I threw down my control in defeat. “Dammit Kenma, can’t you just let me win one??” He smiled a little. “No, definitely not.” 

“Are you guys done?” Kuroo called from the kitchen. 

I scrambled from my spot on the floor, grabbing Bokuto’s arm. “Time to get back to work!” 

The Fukurodani captain groaned but followed me back into the kitchen, Kenma trailing behind. 

As I took a seat at the table, my phone dinged. I pulled it from my pocket, feeling my stomach leap as I saw Oikawa’s name across the screen. I opened the message, smiling a little as I read it. 

Oikawa

Hey Y/n-chan! R u free this saturday? 

Y/n

Ya why? 

Oikawa

There’s apparently a big volleyball club party happening in the city

Y/n

Oh cool with all the local teams? 

Oikawa

Yeah, and its at this big club 😱

Y/n

Sure ill come :)

Oikawa

Do you have a ride? I can drive you

Y/n

R u sure? I can drive myself

Oikawa

No I want to drive u

Y/n

Haha ok if you say so

Oikawa

🤩

Ill pick you up at 6 on saturday

I laughed a little, setting my phone down, only to find everyone at the table staring at me.

“What?” I asked. 

“Who were you just texting?” Kuroo asked, and I blushed furiously. 

“No one.”

“Hm...right.” 

Before I could blink, Bokuto snatched my phone off the table, clicking the screen and reading the last text from Oikawa. 

“OHOHOOOO, Mr. Pretty Boy from the beach!” He yelled. 

“Seijoh’s captain?” Kuroo asked. 

I groaned. “Stoppppp, he was just asking about a party this weekend.” 

“Then why are you blushing so much, Y/n-san?” 

Everyone at the table laughed and I buried my burning face in my hands. 

            ✨✨✨✨

Apparently the party at the club was going to be huge, even bigger than the beach one. Karasuno was going, as well as Nekoma and Fukurodani. 

I debated for way too long on what I should wear, eventually facetiming Kiyoko for support. She was wearing a glittery gold cocktail dress, so I didn’t feel bad about wearing my skin tight black body con dress. 

I usually didn’t wear much makeup, but I ended up putting on shimmery eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lip gloss, dressing the whole look down by wearing my adidas sneakers. 

At 5:46, I was so nervous, I felt like I was going to puke. I paced around my room, tugging on my dress and second guessing everything I was doing. God, I needed to calm the fuck down. It was just Oikawa, and it wasn’t even like we were going alone. 

I looped my bag over my shoulder, jogging down the stairs. I snatched my phone from the charger on the kitchen table and scrolled through my snapchat. Kiyoko was already at the club, proven by a video on her story of Tanaka and Nishinoya dancing together in the middle of a crowd, lights flashing different colors in a confusing blur. 

As I clicked over to instagram, I heard a knock on the door and froze. I practically fell out of my chair as I scrambled over to the door, flinging it open. 

Oikawa leaned against the side of the house, dressed in jeans, black shirt with a matching black bomber jacket, a pair of glasses sliding down his nose. My heart thumped, and I pressed my hands together to keep them from shaking. 

“Hey,” I said, smiling. 

Oikawa looked up and froze, eyes wide. “Y-You-”  His gaze moved down my body, his lips partying slightly as he let out a breath. “You look great.” 

I bit my lip and laughed a little. “Thanks. You do too.” 

He raked his hand through his hair, looking slightly flustered. Clearing his throat, he smiled radiantly. “Are you ready?”

“Yup! How long is the drive?” We walked together to the car, and he opened the door to the passenger side for me. I tugged down my dress as I slid onto his leather seat, and Oikawa set up directions on his phone to the club. 

“How is the rest of the team getting there?” I asked. 

Oikawa shrugged. “No clue. I think most of them are hitching Ubers so they don’t have to worry about getting drunk.” 

“Very responsible,” I grinned. 

“Speaking of responsibility…” he whipped a joint and passed it to me with a lighter. I took it, sticking the end in my mouth, lighting it, and taking a large hit. “Hey save some for me!” He cried. 

As we drove, top down, we blasted Harry Styles at full volume. I stood up with my hands in the air, the night air whipping across my skin and making me feel like I was flying. 

It was a way shorter drive than I expected, but parking took forever. Cars were lined up all down all the surrounding blocks, and we had to find a spot a few blocks away. As we walked, Oikawa smoked the remainder of the joint and we poked fun at each other. 

As we approached the club, there was a line of people out the door and down the block. I groaned when I saw it, but Oikawa spotted Iwaizumi and a few other Seijoh players closer to the door, so we slid down the line to be with them. 

“Woah, Y/n, you’re looking fine as hell!” Yuda smirked. I felt Oikawa stiffen beside me, but I laughed out loud. 

“Thanks Yuda, that means a lot.” 

As we got closer to the doors, music echoed into the night, practically shaking the sidewalk. My adrenaline was spiking, and I bounced on my heels in excitement. 

Iwaizumi looked a bit more stoic, and I leaned over to him to whisper in his ear. “Hey Iwa, how are you doing? Is your mom ok?” 

Iwaizumi smiled and touched my arm, nodding. “Yeah, thanks for asking. She got back from the hospital yesterday, and she’s doing a lot better.”

“Oh that’s great to hear!” 

He nodded, and I looped one of my arms with his, the other with Oikawa on the other side. “I’m glad you guys are here with me,” I said, smiling. “I’m glad I met you.” 

“Aw, chibi-chan, no need to get so sentimental,” Oikawa smirked, poking my shoulder.

I pushed him lightly, but sighed. “I’m serious. I really thought that Aoba Johsai was going to be a terrible fit, but I’m so lucky to have you guys as friends.” 

I didn’t notice the slightly pained expression on Oikawa’s face, or the pitying one Iwa shot his friend, practically screaming friendzoned.

Iwaizumi ruffled my hair. “I’m happy you ended up coming to Seijoh and becoming our manager too. I wish you had joined earlier so we could have spent more time with you in high school.” 

Oikawa opened his mouth to add something, but we reached the front of the line. By that point, the music was so loud that we had to shout to be heard over it. The bouncers at the front waved us through after we showed our student IDs, marking us as part of a local volleyball team. Apparently one of the local players had rented out the entire club for this party. 

As I entered the club with Iwaizumi and Oikawa on either side, I was momentarily overwhelmed. The huge dance floor was covered with people, colored lights flashing wildly across their writhing figures, smoke hovering in a cloud over the entire scene. The music pounded so hard, it was like I was feeling it in my chest. 

My body automatically began to move, dragging me towards the mass of people. I grabbed Oikawa’s hand, pulling him along behind me as we entered the chaos. 

“Call on Me” by Starley and Ryan Riback began to pound through the speakers, and I jumped up and down wildly, holding Oikawa’s hands and laughing until I was practically wheezing. 

“Y/n-chan?!” I looked over to see Daichi and Suga emerging from the crowd, both of them looking a little breathless. I laughed giddily and hugged both of them, still dancing to the music. Oikawa also reintroduced himself, which was a little awkward over the volume of the music, but they were all civil. 

“There’s a karaoke bar downstairs!” Suga yelled over the music, having to repeat himself a few times for me to finally hear him. 

“Karaoke? Ooooh, fun. Oikawa, wanna go?”

“Yeah sure, and I can show you my amazing singing skills!” 

“You’ve already shown me, and they were terrible, Oikawa-chan.”

“So mean!” 

We made our way out of the crowd together, wandering through some twisting hallways and getting lost multiple times before we finally found the stairs. A huge group of people were gathered down by the karaoke machine, and I spotted Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Hinata among them. 

“Hey guys!” I cried, joining them. Hinata glared at Oikawa when he noticed him, but for once I was glad Kageyama wasn’t with him. At least that tension could be avoided for the time being. 

“Y/n-chan!” Bokuto crushed me in a hug. “You ready for some karaoke?” 

I smirked, tossing my hair. “Of course! Not to brag, but I’m a pretty good singer.” It was partially the truth; my mom had forced me to take singing lessons throughout junior high, and I had kept it up a bit in high school, so my voice was decent. Definitely not what could be considered very good though. 

Bokuto ended up singing a slow Adele song to Akaashi, completely wrecking it with his horrendous voice. The Fukurodani setter seemed touched though, so I didn’t make fun of the captain that much. 

I didn’t notice Oikawa disappear from beside me as a few more songs went by, but he reappeared after only a few minutes, grabbing my arm and tugging me to his chest. 

“Wanna do a duet?”

I laughed. “Of what song?”

“Juice, by Lizzo,” he smirked. “Basically describes me, so it’s perfect!”

“But that’s not a duet--!”

I heard the beginning of the song starting on the speakers, and my eyes went wide as saucers. “You already requested it?!” 

He shrugged. “Yup! Now let's go!”

He practically dragged me to the front, where we were handed two microphones. Oikawa began to sing almost immediately, his confidence making up for his horrible voice. The ridiculous way he wriggled around made me instantly more comfortable, so I threw caution to the wind and became his backup singer. 

“If I’m shining everybody wanna shine…” He belted out. 

“Yeah I’m goals!” I screamed. 

 “I was born like this, don't even gotta try--” “Now you know!”

“I'm like chardonnay, get better over time.”

 “So you know!”

“Heard you say I'm not the baddest, bitch, you lied!” 

The song ended, and I wrapped an arm around his waist to keep from collapsing from laughter. We stumbled off the stage together, making our way back to Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Hinata, who all applauded us as we approached. 

“I have to send you this video, Y/n-chan! It’s classic,” Kuroo said, gesturing to his phone, where a video of Oikawa and I’s performance played. 

“HA! Please do.” 

Oikawa turned to me, checking his phone. “Iwa is wondering where I am, so I’m going to try and find him. Want to come?”

I nodded. “Yeah, just one sec. Can I meet you up there? I’ll call if I can’t find you.” 

Oikawa nodded, flicking me on the nose. “Don’t get lost, chibi-chan.” 

I ended up staying with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi for another ten minutes. Kenma had apparently flat out refused to go to the club, and Kuroo had decided not to force him. Akaashi handed me a few different drinks as I talked to them, so when I finally decided to head back upstairs, I was walking a little crookedly. 

Miraculously, I found Iwaizumi almost the instant I got to the second floor. “Heyyy, Iwa!” 

“Y/n-chan, there you are! Oikawa was just going to look for you,” he grabbed my arm so I wouldn’t stumble. “Damn, you’re wasted.” 

“Do you know where Oikawa went? I-I want to find him--” 

Iwaizumi gave me a knowing look, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah, he went that way. Just try not to say or do anything you’ll regret tomorrow. ” 

I giggled, face flushing. “I’ll tryyy.” 

Iwaizumi patted me on the head, pointing towards the crowd again. “He’s somewhere over that way. If you can’t find him after a few minutes, come back. I’ll be waiting right here, got it?”

I nodded, already turning away. All my fog filled brain could think of was finding Oikawa and telling him...something. Did I really want to confess how I felt? My sober brain screamed absolutely not, but my drunken head said YES. 

The second I entered the crowd, it was like entering utter chaos. I was bumped from all sides by dancers who paid me no attention, the smoke in the air making everything hazy, the smell of sweat and marijuana reeking from everything. I could barely make out the faces of the people around me because of the darkness, the only lumination coming from the colored flashing lights above our heads. 

I pushed on, not paying any attention to the people around me. My eyes scanned the dark shadows for a familiar figure, but it was too confusing to be able to tell who was who. 

“Y/n!” I whirled around to see Kiyoko squeezing between two people, her gold dress flashing as she moved. She gripped my hands, a wide smile on her face. “I’m so glad I found you!” 

“Kiyoko, how are you doing!” 

“Good! This is hella fun!” Her usually reserved way of being had been completely overturned, probably by alcohol. 

“I know right? Hey, have you seen Oikawa?” 

Kiyoko’s glasses flashed. “Oh my god, yeah actually! He was just looking for you!” “Really? Which way did he go?” 

She pointed, and I hugged her tightly. “Thanks! I’ll try and find you later, ok?”

She nodded, and I moved in the direction she had indicated. “Gas Pedal” by Sage the Gemini came on, and I laughed out loud as girls all around me began shaking their asses. 

I pushed past a line of four people grinding on each other, and my heart leapt as I finally found Oikawa. He had ditched his jacket somewhere, and his hair was pushed back and messy as he danced. Iwaizumi and Kiyoko had said he was looking for me but…

I felt all the blood drain from my face as I watched a tall, skinny girl with long black hair wrap her arms around his neck, one of her hands trailing down his chest. He smirked down at her, eyes dark and greedy, and I took a step back. I suddenly felt cold stone sober, and my hands began to shake. 

 As I watched, unable to tear my eyes away, as the girl turned around and began grinding her ass against Oikawa, and he grabbed her hips. 

The music pounded through my brain and I finally forced myself to move. Whirling around, I almost fell as I crashed into another person. 

“Oh-sorry,” I gasped, looking up and blinking in surprise. 

“Hello again.” The guy from the beach, with the serious expression and olive hair looked down at me. “Are you ok?” I swallowed, forcing back tears as I focused on the guy in front of me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m so sorry, I think we’ve met but I don’t remember your name.” 

“It’s Wakatoshi Ushijima.” 

“Right! I’m Y/n L/n. It’s good to see you again, Ushijima.” 

He nodded, eyes sweeping down my short dress, and he tilted his head. “Do you want to get out of this crowd?” 

I paused, feeling something in my chest tighten. No, I wanted to turn around and smack the girl Oikawa was with in the face. I wanted to shake my captain and ask him why didn’t he look at me like that? 

But there was another attractive guy right in front of me, and he was looking at me with a slightly glazed expression. I smiled up at him through my lashes, licking my lips and nodding. “Let’s go.” Ushijima’s hand was fucking gigantic as I pulled him through the crowd, keeping my head down so hopefully no one I knew would recognize me. 

I noticed Iwaizumi by the wall where I left him, and I walked by quickly, praying he didn’t see me with Ushijima. I told myself it didn’t matter even if he did; I was allowed to have as much fun as I wanted. I had no obligations to anyone. 

It didn’t take very long to find a hallway away from the party where no one was, and I glanced up at Ushijima. He stared down at me, his eyes intense, and I leaned toward him, my hands going to his chest. 

The second I moved, his broad hands wrapped around my waist and pushed me up against the wall. I gasped as his mouth crashed against mine, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hands running through his hair. I shoved all thoughts of Oikawa from my mind and let myself get swept away. 

Oikawa POV:

I moved through the crowd of people, eyes scanning for Y/n. I hadn’t seen her in awhile, and I was suddenly worried. 

The tall girl with the black hair tugged on my arm. “Baby, I’m not done with you,” she purred. 

I gave her a death glare, tugging out of her grip. “Fuck off, that was a mistake. I’m looking for someone right now.”

She pouted, but I was already moving away. I spotted Iwa by the wall, and sauntered over to him. “Iwa-chan! You don’t look like you’re having much fun--” “Oikawa, did Y/n find you?” He said, eyes serious. 

“Huh? No, I was looking for her…” “She came up here asking about you, so I pointed her in the right direction.” “I haven’t seen her, but she’s probably around here somewhere.”  I could see clearly something else was on his mind. “What’s wrong?” 

“She walked by just a second ago. She looked upset and....she was with Ushijima.” 

I felt my stomach drop. Oh god no. 

“Which way did they go?” I said, by voice completely blank of emotion. 

Iwaizumi pointed, and I began to move quickly, shoving people out of the way in my haste. 

I ran down a hallway, turning the corner and feeling my entire body go completely numb as I finally spotted her.  

She was pushed up against the wall, hands running through his hair as she kissed fucking Ushijima. The tall ace of Shiritorizawa had one hand on her waist, the other running along her ass as he let out a low groan. 

I moved without thinking, so angry I could barely see. I ripped Ushijima off of Y/n, shoving him as hard as I could, so he stumbled backward. He was bigger and stronger than me, but I had the element of surprise. While he was still off balance, I charged him, knocking him on his back and punching him as hard as I could in the face. He grunted, and I felt something crack under my knuckles. 

Y/n was screaming behind me, trying to pull me off, but it just made me more furious. Was she trying to defend him? 

Ushijima was attempting to cover his face, but I began to slam his head into the floor over and over. 

“Stop Oikawa, you’re going to kill him!!!” I felt a pair of strong arms grab me around the neck in a chokehold, dragging me off of Ushijima and throwing me against the wall. Iwaizumi pounded me on the chest, his eyes furious. “Look what you’re doing, Shittykawa! You’re scaring her.” 

My eyes moved to Y/n, her eyes filled with tears and her hands over her mouth in horror. Ushijima lay on the ground a few feet away, face covered in blood. All I could see was him kissing her. 

Iwaizumi let go of me, and I slammed my fist into the wall as hard as I could, feeling my skin tear and knuckles crack. Y/n let out a sob, and I turned and strode away down the hall. I was too angry to be here anymore. 

As I walked away, I heard Iwaizumi behind me. “I’ll take care of Ushiwaka. You go stop Oikawa before he does something else completely stupid.” 

Y/n POV: 

What had I done? Ushijima lay on the ground, his face completely fucked up, and Oikawa stalked away down the hall, blood dripping from his knuckles. It was utterly my fault. 

I was terrified, but not of Oikawa. No matter how angry he was, I didn’t think he would do anything to hurt me. I decided not to second guess that assumption as I spirited down the hall after him. Now was not the time to be afraid. 

“Oikawa!” I yelled, but he didn’t pause. “Oikawa, stop!” I grabbed his wrist, and he whirled around, eyes furious. 

“Get the fuck off me,” he snarled. 

“No! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“With me?” His eyes were wild as he raked his hands violently through his hair. “You’re the one who was about to fuck Ushijima!” 

I gaped at him. “I wasn’t...wait, you know him?”

“He’s the captain of Shiratorizawa!” He yelled and I felt my stomach drop. Oh god, I didn’t know…

“I-I didn’t--” “Who gives a fuck! Who it was doesn’t matter anyway!” “Then why do you care so much if I kissed him?” I shouted, clenching my fists. “You don’t give a fuck about me, so why the hell did you have to beat the shit out of him if it wasn’t because of who he is?”

“I don’t give a fuck about you?” Rage was boiling beneath every word. 

“No! Go back to that dumb bitch you were with before if you want to feel better about youself!” 

“What the fuck are you even talking about?” He snarled. Realization suddenly dawned in his eyes, almost instantly replaced with fury. “Maybe I will! Even she’s not as much of a whore as you.” 

I felt like I had been slapped. A whore? That’s what he thought of me? Tears pricked behind my eyes. “You fucking asshole.” I stepped back. “You act like you’re better than everyone all the time, like you’re so perfect, but really you’re just a piece of shit!” 

“God, you couldn’t possibly be any worse,” he hissed, eyes dark. 

Tears spilled over my cheeks, and took another step back. “I-I am done with you. Stay the fuck out of my life.” 

I whirled around, not looking back as I ran down the hall. 

The rest of the night passed in a blur. I somehow found Kiyoko and Daichi, but I was crying too hard to explain exactly what had happened. Apparently, Karasuno had been about to leave anyway, so I left with an entourage of tall, angry boys surrounding me like bodyguards. Yamaguchi held my hand tightly, and Kageyama looked like he was about to murder whoever had made me cry. 

I noticed Suga talking to Iwa as we left, and an ambulance pulled up in front of the club. Hopefully Ushijima was ok. I couldn’t find it in myself to care very much. 

Asahi drove Kiyoko, Tsukki, Yamaguchi, Tanaka, Nishinoya and I home, but I was silent the whole ride back, entering some form of shock. 

Kiyoko walked me up to my house when we got dropped off, holding my hand so tightly it hurt. “Y/n, Suga told me what happened. Breathe ok? I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.” 

I felt my body begin to shake. “K-Kiyoko...I think I just…” I clamped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t throw up. “I think I just completely ruined my friendship with the guy I’m in love with.” 

My friend looked momentarily shocked, but she began to shake her head. “No, no, that’s not true, Y/n-chan. He’ll forgive you.” 

“No,” I began to sob. “He thinks I’m some sort of horrible slut. Oh god, he hates me.” 

Kiyoko hugged me tightly, quickly opening the door to my house and pulling me inside. “Ok, ok, it’s ok just get it out.” 

She led me upstairs, helping me strip out of my party clothes, washing off my face and gently brushing out my hair. For once, I was happy that my parents were so busy most nights. 

 It was 4 in the morning by the time she ushered me into my bed, curling up next to me and hugging my tightly. I fell asleep to her murmuring in my ear, but I couldn’t help but think how much better it would feel if Oikawa was there instead. 

Chapter 11

[aubreyxeliza]

taciturn return || harper & aubrey

Rolling over promptly at 7:00am, Aubrey felt the brain floating in her head follow her body in a delay as she winced at the sun peaking through the blinds. As she unfolded herself from her covers, she saw her legs tangled up in her fleece pajamas – Got my PJs on last night… score. She belabored for a moment, noticing the residue mascara dried on her hands and sheets. It wasn’t rare that she shed some tears before bed. Sometimes, she watches videos of exploited communities totally sober on a Wednesday night before bed and just cries it out, and other nights, she lets the tears fall as she silently wishes someone else was in the other room waiting for her, or on the other line. When she was a kid, she could just crawl into the endless hallway of rooms with her siblings – or hope that her angsty musings alone in her bed were enough to trigger a cautious tap-tap-tap on the door. Instead, here she was: halfway to 28, alone in a studio apartment in Brooklyn, and still as emotional as ever.

Her phone buzzed and she jumped like she was tased. Every morning, there’s a blissful ignorance that exists for about 20 minutes. A few years earlier, she learned to turn off any social media notifications and wake up before anyone could text her so that she could have a half hour of peace in the morning – beholden to no one, not yet at least. Her heart was racing to find her phone in her sheets which were starting to resemble quicksand. Dalton – 1 missed call, 1 voicemail; (14) unread messages; NEWS: Florida man ambushes in wedding dress. Pretty typical morning. Except for the fact that of those unread texts were Harper Slade’s name hidden somewhere in the middle.

I fucking texted him? She unlocked her phone. I CALLED him? Her grumblings made her sick – but she was relieved to find out it was just a voicemail. It was so unlike her to get drunk and leave a voicemail like that. Those days were left in the disgusting dorm rooms of NYU, but then again, she thought Harper Slade was also left on Meeting House Road back home. Things keep changing. Her final grievance: I asked him… to meet me at Huckleberry? Aubrey tossed her phone to the other side of her bed, laid back flat, and let out a quick scream into her pillow. 

As she brushed her teeth, she ran to respond: Hey! Sorry about that voicemail. You remember Dalton, right? Well, he never lets me pay when we get drinks and sometimes I take advantage of that. I promise there won’t be an encore tonight. See you at 7:30. Send. After putting her phone down, she felt regretful. In typical Aubrey-fashion, she ignored everything he had said – well wishes, self-awareness. It wasn’t a good start for her, and she laughed to herself remembering that first email she sent him after he reached out. The anger was still there, but she didn’t have the energy to feel it. Thanks for the kind words, by the way. Huckleberry’s a cool spot. (It’s not). See you! Send.

Her mind wandered all day. At work, she had no assignments, so she left early and told them that she just had to go check in on her nieces and nephews. “Post-partum’s a bitch,” she asseverated to her supervisor before the elevator doors closed. One day, karma would catch up to her – and perhaps that day was today after all.  

Aubrey has been a script writer for two and a half years, but while she sat down to gather her thoughts about the night she was about to experience, she completely fell short. Perhaps things didn’t feel real yet. This whole time, except for 30 seconds in a crowded green room, he hadn’t felt real. Like he was just out of reach or a figment of her imagination like he used to be the first two years after he left. So now, when the clock was winding down and she was about to be with him again, she couldn’t process how she was feeling. 

The last decade, she’d gone through different emotions for this moment – the first was a total relinquishment of any resentment and a fall-back-into-love dream. She used to tell her therapist, “If he came back right now, I wouldn’t even think to talk about what happened. I’d forgive him in a heartbeat,” which, for obvious reasons, was met with extremely concerned glances and registering for a couple extra sessions. Then, the peace phase: “I don’t really think about it that much. I think I’m all good!” she said, during the busiest period of her life. That treaty came to a crumble when she met a Harper at the coffee shop – a 94 year old  man who would ask her for company. One day, she broke down into tears in front of him and they never met for coffee again. Then, perhaps her siblings’ favorite yet most feared, her anger phase. Sometimes, she’d walk into the house for Thanksgiving as a grown woman – 23, 24 years old – sit down at the dinner table, and exclaim, “Aren’t men just the most disgusting creatures to ever walk the earth?” Usually, she was met with commiserations and apologies from the phallic members of her family. One time, she did have to apologize – “Chandler, have you ever considered just how fucking inconsiderate it is that you kept your blonde hair all this time?” The next morning, she apologized thoroughly, and of course, blamed it on her alter ego: Brandy.

But, eventually she stopped going through the motions. Instead, the misery and memory would come and go, like a painful deep breath in. She would excuse herself to take a breath, or become catatonic for a moment, but one day, she turned 26, looked back at her life, and decided to feel contentment. What had happened… happened, and from that day one, she became a new kind of Aubrey. A more consistent Aubrey. So here she was, getting ready to meet up with the one and only Slade again, sitting with a ripped notebook paper and pen, hoping to find what she was feeling, and walking into an abyss of harrowing solitude. All she knew was that she had one goal: stay reticent. 

The trek to Huckleberry was unusual for her. Usually, she enjoyed the bus ride, but tonight, she decided to walk. Leaving 45 minutes early, Aubrey walked about 35 blocks in the hope that she would find how she was feeling, but instead, empty tears welled in her eyes and went. She listened to the way her heels clicked down the streets as she tried to convince herself everything was normal. Her phone started ringing – it was Sophia. But she hadn’t filled in Sophia in almost a week, what does she say? She let it go to voicemail, and as was pretty typical for Aubrey at this point, she’d explain herself in the morning. Instead, “I’ve read that he’s, like, a decent human being now,” played over in her head. A decent human being? In Dalton’s eyes? Did he save a burning orphanage? Part of her had hoped that he had become a sort of demagogue, that she could curse him out, he’d feel nothing, and then that would be closure. But she wasn’t surprised by Dalton. He’d always been a good guy to her. Always. Didn’t make anything easier, though – certainly didn’t help when he left. 

Getting to the door, she laughed to herself at the edifice. Her friends used to joke that this place was a secret brothel – the wooden panels, a bouncer you could pay off with a wink, and the watered down vodka crans. The good thing, though, was that they got busted for having underaged kids – it’s picked up since then, got new lights, repaired the leather on the seats, and was a restaurant until 11:00pm on the weekends. So, it was a pretty safe spot. 

She made her way through the tight entryway, sardine-packs of people to the bar area – finding a quick table, she sat down. What kind of a drink do you order when you’re about to meet up with your high school boyfriend? She let that color her mind for a bit before settling on nothing for now. It wasn’t a date – it was.. What it was. And it would happen how it will happen. Sitting in the booth, she tucked herself into the corner of the wall. 7:24, just on time. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Aubrey said a quick prayer to herself and braced for the cruel unknown.

[sunnyborabora]

Phoenix (Taeyong x Reader Mafia!au)

You are the living proof that you can run away from death itself. But you were to naive, thinking that you’ll be able to live your life like you want forever. With your past it’s almost impossible, and the world you desperatly ran away from is sucking you back in sooner than you thought. 

Warning: Angst, Violence, mention of blood, mention of past abuse, guns, Crack and a bit of fluff

It took me a month to write this, this is so long and absolutly not like I predicted. It’s litterally a big mess lmao but you’ll be able to see caracters from other groups and we love an extending universe. Love the mc with all my heart, please be kind to her. Hope you’ll enjoy and stay ready for some halloween drabble soon! 

Your breath was shallow when you finally arrived at your door. Stupid elevator was not working again and as if it was not already a messed up day you had decided to bring your entire life in your bag today, the thing weighing more than you at this point. You opened your apartment door, finally coming in. Maybe you had lost some of your instinct by starting a normal life years ago, but it was obvious that something was wrong. You kept your bag in your hand, his weight straining your arms already but you felt like it could me useful. There was no one in your living room, the place quite as ever. You almost cried on the spot when you saw him. This was why it was so quiet. « Oh no baby... » The little body of your small dog was laying on your carpet. You were tempted to call him, maybe he would wake up and come back to you wagging his tail like crazy. But you were doubting this. Your dog was dead. Someone came into your apartment to kill your dog. And for the first time since you opened the door you wished the intruder to still be there. « If you are still here, come out », you said, your voice full of venom. Nobody answered. You fell near your little buddy, looking at his pretty brown fur now spotted with red. Fuck what even happened. Maybe you were just crazy, he fell and hurt himself and you didn't come back soon enough. Yes maybe it was just an accident. But you suddenly heard something roam behind you, and maybe it was your instinct who was coming back at lightyear speed because you jumped on the side, avoiding the hit from a meter only. You watched the person who was in front of you, but could not see his face. Very convenient. « What do you want ? -Where is NCT ? » You almost screamed at the name. You got up off the floor, trying to look less pitiful than when you were lying on the floor. It didn’t seem to work and the man didn’t look intimidated one bit. « I don’t know where they are. If I quit years ago it’s because I didn’t want to do with any of that ». A new hit. You blocked it this time. The best you could at least because he was tall, taller than you and way stronger. But you gripped his arm and used it to keep your balance and kicked his face. He took a few step back, just enough for you to plunge on your bag, and with all the strength you could gather at this moment crash it against your opponent face. He felt on his knees. A last smack with it on the back of his neck, and he collapsed on the floor. You stayed a few minutes catching your breath, your brain completely dead. It took you a while to react again, deciding to move. You searched on the man body if he had anything that could allow you to identify him. There was nothing as you expected. You couldn’t recognize his face but snapped a picture, you knew some people who might know who he was working for. Last thing you took a bag and threw everything you could think would be useful inside. You had to leave. You had to be fast, you didn’t kill the dude that was currently lying in your living room, he would wake up at any moment. There was, under the board of your wooden floor a little box, with a passport, a driving license and a new phone. Yours was obviously compromised. Throwing this in your bag you were ready to leave. Maybe it was the sight of your dead puppy, the feeling of faillure that was invading your chest, the disappointment of, once again, having to start a new life elsewhere. You wrapped your dog into a blanket and you were ready to go. No way you were going to leave him here. You were maybe becoming paranoid, but a man just assaulted you so you had all the rights to. You almost fall off the stairs twice because you were running. Your car was so far away, maybe someone was waiting for you in the parking lot to kidnap you or something. You mentally slapped yourself when nothing happened because of course nobody tried to kidnap you. But you would not have thought about someone breaking in your apartment this morning when you woke up so… You didn’t really have an idea of where you were supposed to go. You had not planed your escape this time, silly you. You had to gather information, make sure to know what you were getting yourself in. Maybe you could just resonate with the people who were chasing you. If you understood correctly, they weren’t looking for you directly ! But at the same time, he didn’t seem to believe you when you told him you had no idea where NCT was. You did not have any contact with the mafia world for 4 years now, enough to make the majority of them forget about your existence. Well that’s what you thought at least. You drove out of town to find a small hotel where you could stay the night the time to lead the investigation. Maybe you should dye your hair, or shop it all off. Or maybe you were doing too much once again. You stopped on the side of the road before arriving to the hotel. It was time to say goodbye. Who had a shovel in their trunk, you wondered, except for the people who were burying stuff in the forest often. Digging the ground deep enough had made a mess out of you but at least it was over. That’s what you were salty about, this asshole had really killed your dog. At least, he didn’t steal your car or something. Didn’t mean you weren’t planning a revenge vendetta in your head. « Good bye buddy ». You teared up a bit, getting really sentimental. Everything but not your dog… What type of psycho was going around killing puppies ? Returning to the car was harder than you thought. It took you almost ten minutes to decide to leave your little puppy there. You threw the shovel back in the trunk and left. When you arrived to the hotel you decided to play it cool. You knew by experience than trying to be discrete was the best way most of the time to attract all the attention on you. Finally, there was plenty of room left and the owner, a sweet old man, let you choose. You settled in your room, ready to get into action. You knew that if whoever attack you this morning was looking for NCT it was pretty useless to look for them. They probably left the city. And even if they were still here, you would not have been able to meet them without getting killed. But you knew that they owned several club through the city and that if you intended to find information or people who could tell you what happened. You did not leave anything in your hotel room, anyway you had nothing to left here anyway. You arrived in front of the club and started cuing. You looked around you trying to see if you recognized anyone. First thing was that the club wasn’t closed. But if the entire group was supposed to be missing why the club was still open. You were soon in front of the door and there you realized that you were a big idiot. The bouncer looked at you in disbelieve. You looked around and saw that you were not really fitting the dress code. You smiled sheepishly at him, but apparently you were not as charming as you though because he still told you to get out. « Wait ! Someone is waiting for me inside ! » You were starting to look like those dumbasses who were trying to bullshit their way into clubs without paying. But suddenly you recognize a silhouette. « Kai ! » The man turned around and looked at you like he just seen a ghost. You saw him mouth « what the fuck » before walking, more like running, in your direction. You smiled as he got closer to you, but he didn’t seem as happy as you. « I am taking this one » he said before grabbing your arm hard and dragging you inside. « Wait, Kai, what the fuck ? » He shoved you inside the first room he saw before closing the door behind. « Y/n ! What the fuck ! -You what the fuck ! You crushed my arm you dumb ass ! » He looked at you in disbelief and you understood. « Yeah…. I mean… You thought I was dead, but I am not … Quite a shock I imagine. -Quite a shock indeed…. » This was really awkward. « I didn’t come here to cause you trouble. I know it’s hard to believe considering the situation… -What ?! That it’s hard to trust you when you literally simulated your death for four years… » Said like that it sounded really stupid. « Listen ! I just want information ! A man came, he fucking killed my dog ! And asked me where was NCT. I didn’t mention or even heard of this name in four years, and suddenly someone knew that I was linked to them in the past and thought I knew where they were ! I didn’t even they left ! » He seemed surprised. « Someone killed your dog !? » Of course. « Yes, fuck. Now I am on the go and don’t know what to do. I came here hoping to met someone who would tell me why NCT left. Running into you, not gonna lie, it’s the best thing that happened to me today ». He came closer to you and hug you. It has been so long. So long since you’ve felt like this. Comfortable, with someone that you knew since birth. Someone who knew you. « I missed you dumb bitch. - I missed you too » Jongin decided it was better to talk elsewhere, telling you, you already spoke too much inside those walls that had ears. To make sure that nobody was suspecting something between you two, you played along. « Hey, leave me alone ! » You screamed as soon as you were out of the room. He grabbed your arm again, a smile playing on his face. « No invitation, no entry. Now move ». He pushed you out of the entrance, you came crashing on the ground. You glared at him, and he answered with an innocent look. He was enjoying this way too much. You got up and walked toward your car trying to look as furious as possible. Like Jongin told you, you drove on the main street and turned around on one of the small street. You waited a while, watching the minutes pass as you were becoming more and more impatient. You almost had a heart attack when someone hit your window. « You scared me to death you bitch… -Good » he said smiling. He told you to drive, that you’ll be safer at his house than at a random hotel. « It’s good that you are not sleeping there. They probably already know where you are, they’ll go and see that you are not here. Did you tell the owner where you were supposed to go ? - Yes, I told him I was going in the south, that I was in a hurry and that I’ll be only staying the night. They’ll probably ask him and it’ll lead them to a wrong path ». He nodded. The rest of the drive was silent. « Are you living alone ? -Yes, it’s only for a few weeks left, my mission here is almost over, I’ll be back at the headquarters in no time. -How are the others ? Suho ? Kris ? -You have a lot to catch up » His apartment was a mess. Papers, notes absolutely everywhere. His walls were covered in pictures, red thread making links between different people. « You’ve been working hard damn… - Yeah I’ve been here for three months now, » You sat down and for the first time today you felt incredibly tired. « So, do you want to know everything now, or you want to sleep first. -Let’s go with this. » After a cup of coffee, Jongin sat down beside you. « The man who is looking for you, they are members of the organization NCT was a part of I think. A few month ago the boss was killed. -Tenro was killed ? By whom ? And why ? -Jaehyun killed him. » You gasped, suddenly speechless. « What… What happened ? -What happened to us. Wanting freedom. -He ran away after ? -We thought he was dead for a while, Ten and Jaemin had disappeared with him too. We didn’t know anything until three months ago, Taeyong called us. -What happened to the rest of them ?

-They had to run away too. After Tenro’s death, the organization literary exploded, everyone was starting to slaughtered each other, for the power. -Where are they now ? -No one knows, not even Suho. -So the man who attacked me this morning thought I would know where NCT is, that I would tell him, so he can finish the job ? -Yes basically. -I need to leave then. -I think you would be safer out of town, if you want I can call Suho. Even Kris. -What even happened ? -The group split Y/n, a bit after your…. Departure. -What !? -Tao, Kris and Luhan left. They have their own group now. We are still in touch, but we keep the business separated. » You looked at him, you could see the pain in his eyes, and you knew, because you were feeling the same. « I am- -Don’t say you are sorry. This is no one’s fault. -I know but… » Nothing came out of your mouth. All of this was a mess. « I don’t think this is a good idea for me to go back ». You wanted to say home, but you were not sure if you were worthy of calling this your home again. « You are always welcome Y/n, at least let them know you are alive. Please. » You nodded. « I’ll do it. But first I need to know where is NCT. I need to find Taeyong. -You can’t do anything for them, they should stay on the low right now. Which means it is going to be difficult to find them. » You thought about something. « You don’t know anyone, in the area, who is most likely to… collect information. -What do you have in mind ? -If someone as able to know I wasn’t dead, it’s impossible that a group of 20 guys disappeared without anyone knowing anything. » He seemed incredulous. « Wait ! Maybe I know someone. -Who ? -He is apart of another group. If you pay him a good price, he might tell you what you want to know. -Are you sure he knows what I want ? » He raised his shoulders. « I don’t, but that’s the best option you have ». You slept like the dead this night, maybe not being alone for the first time in what seemed to be for ever was comforting. Jongin had told you where you could find the guy you needed to see. They were apparently based out of town and where now at the head of a huge empire, with multiple connection on the other side of the ocean. Kim Seokjin was the man you were supposed to meet. He apparently knew everything about everyone in this city and it was exactly what you needed. You walked toward the coffee shop, telling yourself that it was the best idea to cover up a crime organization. The shop looked lovely, white and design, a very pleasant aesthetic. You didn’t know Bangtan when you were still a member of EXO. But apparently they now had the stranglehold on the biggest part of the city. « Hi ! Welcome ! » A man told you. He looked like an angel with his short blond hair, the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen. You smiled at him, walking toward the counter. « Hi ! I would like a hot Viennese chocolate, and something else… -Something else ? » He smiled gently. Your eyes shift on his name tag. Jimin. « I am looking for someone. Kim Seokjin ? » He stopped for a second. You noted the change in his demeanor. His smile seemed facked, and he was suddenly very suspicious of you ; « Jin-hyung ? He is not here today, sorry. -Are you sure ? » You smiled trying to look innocent. He smiled back but you knew that you were busted. He left, leaving by the back door. There was no other staff members in the room, just clients that were quite numerous now. You waited ans for a second you thought you should leave. But you needed the info, you doubted that they were going to kill you. Jimin come back still smiling. « Follow me ». You did so and prepare yourself. You really hope they weren’t going to kill you. But as soon as you passed the door you and the door closed behind you, you felt Jimin shift behind you. You felt something hard-pressed against the back of your head. « Keep walking. » You really wanted to tell him that you were not going anywhere anyway because you really needed to talk to Seokjin or whoever could answer your questions. You arrived in front of a door and Jimin told you to open it. As soon as it was open, you felt a hit in your back that made you fall hard. « Yo, what the f- -Who are you ? » You jumped on your feet. A bunch of man were standing there. The tallest was standing in front of you, a severe look on his face. « My name is Y/n. -Why are you here ? -I need information. Someone told me that one of you was a specialist in collecting information that people didn’t want public. -That must be me ! » He came out of his spot at the back of the room. «Kim Seokjin then ? » He smiled, his handsome features almost making your jaw fell. « If I knew how I was going to be treated like this I would have x=went to someone else. -Please, excuse Jiminie, he thought you were coming to kill me. -Why would I kill you ? -Because I told to those guys that you weren’t dead. » You law key hoped on your way here that it would not be him. « Dude what the fuck… -Business is business, sorry… -I hope at least they paid you well… -Don’t worry about that. » You groaned. Like he said business was business. Which meant that you had your chance. « I need to know where is NCT ». Seokjin looked at you weirdly. « Didn’t you ran away from them ? Why would you want to find them again ? -My cover is blowed anyway thanks to you… I am not safe out there… And I need to talk to them ». He smiled. « Do EXO��know that you’re alive ?

-Kai knows. I met him yesterday. -Not gonna lie, you are very impressive. Faking your death and hiding for like four years straight. -Yeah… Which lead me to ask you how the fuck did you find me ? -Taehyung", he pointed at a guy who smiled at you when you looked, "he is very good at snooping around » You raised your eyes. « Do you know where they are ? -It’s possible. -I have money. Even if after that you sold me to a group of hit man, you should do it for free. -Sorry honey, can’t do that » You simply threw your bag at him, maybe a bit harder than you intended to. You heard someone laugh in your back. You supposed it was that waiter, Jimin. « I need to look through it. And everyone need to go to work. That coffee shop won't run itself alone. » He looked at the taller man, who simply nodded. Maybe the leader wasn’t who you thought it was. « Come one follow me ». You did what he said. You had to walk up stairs before he opened a door on the left. He threw your bag on the desk and made a sign for you to sit down. « First, I just want to tell that I don’t know where NCT is - You’re kidding. -They split the group. I know where you can find some of them. Not all. -In fact I need to see the leader. Taeyong ». He smiled. « I can tell you that. -Good. Tell me. » He opened the bag. « I think it will do. -You did not even count. -I am good with money. » You laughed in disbelief. « Okay… » Jin told you how you could find Taeyong and the biggest group of NCT members. Apparently they were in the north, a day or so of driving, in house hiding. Nobody knew this except him because Jaehyun told him when he left. « I have a question tho. Why didn’t you tell the men were NCT was since the beginning ? It would have been easier than telling them where I was, so I could tell them where they were. Even more when I had no idea where they were. -I like the kid, Jeahyun I mean. And EXO are protecting them from afar, don’t want to have Junmyeon on my ass. -So you sold me ! Fuck you honestly ! » He laughed hard. His laugh was so obnoxious like you were whipping a window or something. « Sorry Y/n ! -They killed my dog tho… » You rose up, ready to leave. You had no point in staying here any longer, because the longer you will stay here, the longer you will be in danger.

« I am leaving. I need to go. They might be able to find me if I stay in the same place for too long. -They already have might locate you. -I know, this is why I need to leave. » Seokjin caught your arm before you could exit. « I might have an idea. For your escape plan. » You raised a brow. You were not going to reject help. Finally, a guy named Jungkook took you out of the building. He seemed younger than you but you didn’t ask him. « Jin-hyung told me to drive you to our warehouse. -Why ? Are you going to kill me there and I don’t know hide my body somewhere ? -No, oh my god, why are you so dramatic. -Yesterday someone tried to kill me, and they fucking killed my dog ! -They killed your dog ! No ! Not the dog ! » You thought it was sarcasm at first but it really wasn’t. He genially was sad for your dog. « I was almost killed too. » He simply raised his shoulders. « Yeah but the dog. » You almost hit him, but reminded yourself that he was driving the car. « What are we going to do here ? -A new car. So you can leave the city without raising suspicions. -Oh, that’s actually really nice. Just so you know I gave all the money I had to Seokjin. » He smirked. « Don’t worry, we are doing this for free. -Why ? -I don’t know. Jin and Namjoon-hyung, they have a thing for rescuing lost puppies. » You were not sure he was talking only about you. His phone started ringing. He didn’t move and just kept driving. You soon arrived at the warehouse. « So what are you going to do after ? -I am going to go find them and after I don’t know… -And what if they don’t want to see you ? -Why wouldn’t they ? -You left, I mean… » You stopped. « I hope they won’t… Jongin told me to come back… If Taeyong don’t want to listen to me… » Jungkook looked at you, he put his hands on your shoulder. « I don’t know if Jin hyung told you… -The lost puppy thing ? Yeah, he told me » you laughed. He smiled at you and you felt like he was going to say something but his phone ringed again. He looked at it and smiled. « Take the keys, it’s the black one ». You them and left, but not before you saw a smile on his face. You found the car, it was bigger than you expected. You sat at the driver seat and you were ready. It took you a few seconds to give you the strength to start it. Jungkook was waiting for you outside. « So ? You like it ? -Is it really important ? » You loved it really. « Try to get it back one day, in one piece. -Jeez so it’s not a present ! -Or maybe it’s just an excuse to see you again -Are you flirting with me ! Jungkook we know each other since three hours what the fuck ! -Goodby John Wick, try not to get killed and don’t blew off the car ! -Fuck you ! » You didn’t wait for his answer as you took the road. The drive was long and you were tired faster than you thought. Maybe you it was because of what Jungkook said. What if they didn’t want to see you ? Which would be completely normal. You left for four all years. You didn’t regret a thing, if you had stayed here, with them, you would have died. You didn’t want to remember in which state of mind you were during this period. You stopped yourself at a gas station, because you needed to eat something and to fill your tank. It was almost midnight, and you were hungry as hell. You put on your hood, trying not to show your face on camera. But not trying to look like you were gonna rob the place. A sandwich and a bag of chips in hands you were ready to go and pay. When a bunch of men entered. You didn’t lift your head but you recognized a voice. You needed to stay calm, if you were leaving now without paying you were going to look more than suspect. « Hello, this is all you need ? » You nodded. Giving the cashier the money as fast as you could you walked, trying not to run to the car. You opened your door, almost jumping inside as you started driving. Maybe you were more screwed than you thought, as the face of the man who assaulted you two days ago was coming back in your head. He was there, back in the store, very much alive. You had to hurry. You arrived near the hiding house around four am. You drove so fast you thought you were going to die several times. But you needed to arrive fast so you could tell them that the enemy was closer than they probably thought. But as you were now parked at the beginning of a small path leading to the woods, you wondered how you were going to do this. Maybe you should just walk in. And that’s what you did. You drove your car a bit farther down the path just enough that it would be impossible to see it from the road. And then you walked. The gun you find in the truck, tucked in your back. You were dying inside at each step you were taking. You posted yourself at the realm of the forest to see if no one was outside. You walked toward the door and no one was shooting at you. You knocked at the door, your heart beatting so hard in your chest. You weren’t expecting a woman to answer you. She looked at you incredulously. « Who are you ? » You opened your mouth but nothing came out. « What’s happening at the- » You looked at the man who just spoken. « Jaehyun… -Who are you ? » You flinched at his voice. « It’s me… Y/n... » He growled, his hand moving so fast you did not even see the gun that he was holding. « I repeat, who are you ? -I just told you, I’m Y/n…. -She is fucking dead stop it now ! » You heard the noise when it was too late. It was like your entire arm was coating fire. You gasped, and the shot made you fall back. You stumbled down the two steps that were leading to the house before crashing to the ground. You cried out in pain, your shoulder bleeding out as your blood was getting everywhere. You saw, as well as you could as your vision was becoming blurrier. « Please, Jaehyun listen… I swear it’s me… -It can’t be you… She is dead. I saw it myself ». He pressed the gun against your head. Tears were streaming down your cheeks. « Jae-, you remember…. That one time when we were with Johnny… I was like 10 or something…. And he had the idea of stealing the boss car. We crashed it against a tree… We swore to ourselfs to never say it to anyone else… You remember… » You felt the gun trembling against your head. When you didn’t get shot. You heard a scream before falling into nothingness. You woke up feeling nauseous. You groaned wanting to stand up but you couldn’t. « Don’t move. You’re badly injured. » You opened your eyes and even if it took some times for you to see. « Even dead you just keep fucking things up hm ». You started crying again. « John- » He took your hand in his as he sat down next to you. « Please…. Tell me what is happening, because I am a bit lost…. ».

You told him everything. As he was becoming paler and paler, he was holding your hand more firmly. « I-I… Why didn’t you tell us … Tell me… » You looked at him. He seemed to understand. « You know what, forget it… » He smiled at you, his free hand stroking your hair gently. « Rest, I had to tackle some of them to the ground to stop them from coming. -I should go apologies. -No. No you have nothing to apologize for. Now that I know, I am going to tell you something. You should never apologize for something you did that was meant to save your life. You just protected yourself. And now that I think of it, even if you had told us, I don’t know if we would have been able to help you. » You wanted to kiss him honestly. But you suddenly remembered something. « Wait John ! I came to tell you something. -So it wasn’t to tell your best friend that you weren’t dead… -We’ll be all dead soon if you don’t listen to me » He realized how much you suddenly seemed very serious. « It is about you. You’re safety. -I should call Jaehyun and Taeyong » You tensed at the mention of this name. « Don’t worry, Jaehyun calmed down. -It’s not Jaehyun that I am worried about. -Say yikes » You wanted to throw something at him but it was almost impossible from you to move. « Two or three days ago, maybe, I don’t know, when did I arrived ? -Yesterday. -Yeah, damn I really slept 24 hours ?! Anyway, a guy came at my apartment, he knew who I really was. But he wasn’t really looking for me. He asked me where you guys were. I think SM is looking for you… -Do you know who this man is. -No, but look into my phone, in my bag, I took a pic of him. -Okay, I am going to see this with the others. -Wait, there is something else. When I was on my way here. I saw him. The same man. They are coming close, I have no idea how. » His jaw clenched. « Our plan was to stay on the low. Hoping they would forget. -I don’t think it will be possible. You should leave. It’s not safe anymore.

-We can’t. We have to wait. -Why ? -You know why we left ? -Jaehyun has the trigger easy. » He looked at you before starting to laugh. « How do you even know ? -I met Jongin on my way here. -EXO knows ? -No, just Jongin. -And you thought telling us was difficult. -Hopefully nobody’ll shot me this time. » He laughed again, so hard this time he almost started crying. « I missed you bitch. -I missed you two, I guess. » He smiled before quitting the room. You thought you’ll be bored, staying by yourself, but you just slept. It looked more like a coma than sleep now that you thought of it. It was dark outside now. You tried to see if there was anything in the room that could tell you what time it was but you didn’t see anything. « It’s 1 am ». You almost jumped out of the bed. You looked at the person standing near the door. « You almost killed me from fear what the fuck -That’s pretty fair don’t you think. You die you come back get shot and almost die again ». Taeyong had changed since you last saw him. He seemed more mature, his hair were an icy white. He looked more tired. « Yeah well, I think we are good now. » He dropped a plate on the table that was near your bead. A smirk form on his lips. « No we are not ». Yeah, that’s what you thought. « Listen, I wish I could tell you. -You told Johnny. -I know. But it’s easier to tell Johnny. » He sat on the chair near the table. « I can’t force you to tell me. But I am not going to lie. Right now, I can’t feel anything but hate toward you. Loosing you. It almost killed me. And you did it only because you wanted a normal life hm ? -You think I did this because I wanted to live the « normal girl » life Tae ? That just proves that you don’t know me. And that you would never have been able to help me ». At the time, you had wanted to tell him so bad, because he was Taeyong, the boy who had loved you since you were children. « Staying at in the situation I was four year ago, it would have killed me. All the things the boss did to me…. And to the other girls…. I couldn’t tell you, I felt so unworthy, so dirty, I felt that if you knew… You would stop loving me… » He didn’t say anything so you took it as a cue to continue. « You know the last night we spend together ? When you find me crying. And that you comforted me… You told me that you loved me… » His eyes were shiny with tears. « I was crying because I tried to kill myself minutes ago. » You saw a tear fall down his cheeks, but your eyes were dry. He wanted to know anything, right, he was going to listen. « When you told me you loved me, you show me that there were good things in life, that maybe I should live. But I couldn’t keep living with all of you. » Killing your original form, to be able to live the life you deserved. Like a phoenix, you had reborn from ashes. He was now crying, his head low. « Please forgive me ». You did not answer. You simply turned your head on the side. You were suddenly very tired. When you woke up you were alone and that was better that way. You felt better, less comatose. Your shoulder was still killing you, but you felt like you’ll be able to stand up without falling. And that’s what you did. You went to the bathroom with the urge of taking a shower. It was a true trial. Taking of your clothes was in fact impossible. At the moment you were going to go into the bathtub all dressed up someone knocked at the door. « Hi ! I saw you weren’t in bed, so I assumed you were in here ! » It was a feminine voice. Probably the woman who opened the door to you when you arrived. « Can I come in, I could help you ? » You opened the door, and she was here standing, a smile plastered on her face. She was really pretty and sweet looking. « Yeah of course, come on in… -My name is Roxanne by the way » You smiled at her. « I’m Y/n. -I know, everyone is speaking about you. Johnny almost tackled Jaehyun to the ground this morning, so he would leave you alone. -This bitch, he shot me. » She laughed. « In his defense, I should not have open the door. He becomes kinda extreme whenever I do something. » It took you a second to react. « You- you and Jaehyun ? » She smiled, getting a bunch of towels out of a drawer. « Yeah, we are getting married in a few weeks. -Oh damn. That's pretty cool ! » She helped you to get out of your shirt, trying not to hurt you too bad. « How long have you know him ? -We knew each other since we were kids. » You remembered vaguely Jaehyun mentioned a girl from his school when he was coming back. Contrary to most of you, his parents decided to put him in public school. « I think I remember it. Jaehyun mentioned you a lot when we were young. -Really ? We still drifted apart at some point. -What happened ? » Her speaking to you was a good distraction from the pain in your entire body. You would have been shy about getting naked in front a stranger if it wasn’t for taking your first shower in almost two days. « He started ignoring me, when we entered high school. I thought he had, like, forgot about me. » He started ignoring her when you all turned 15. Approximately when you started doing your first missions. She helped you to get in the tube and got the water going at the good temperature. You had to be careful not to reopen the wound. « Oh I see. When did you cross ways again ? -At a party. I didn’t know at this time that Johnny was a part of all of this. I was friend with him, and he told Jaehyun who I was. This creep come all the way to my university to talk to me. -I am not surprised » That was a very Jaehyun thing to do. « Yeah, and you know, I told fuck off but still dated him. -Yeah they tend to have this effect. » You got off the shower, she handed you a towel but soon realized that you would need help with that too. « He killed the boss for you ? -I think. He told me all the time that he did this for himself first but… But I can’t help and think that I might have influenced him. -Don’t feel guilty. Jaehyun, well you know him better than me I suppose » It hurt you more than you expected to say that « He is not a man you can manipulate » She nodded, helping you to get into the clean shirt she had brought along with the towels. « You are right. He is so stubborn. -And he is not even the worst » You both laughed. But soon you found yourself in front of the room door and you realized it was time to face everyone. « You can stay here again for a bit. If you are not comfortable with seing everyone. -No it’s fine. I rested enough. » You’ll have to face them anyway. You didn’t see anyone on your way to the kitchen. In fact the house seemed pretty empty. You couldn’t help but feel relived. You sat in the kitchen, because your stomach was growling. « So you finally came out of your cave. » You didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. « Hey, how are you ? » And as you were going to answer you saw he wasn’t talking to you. « Yeah someone plunged me into a coma so sorry if I didn’t come earlier ». He turned his face towards and you saw his expression changed. He seemed not so oppose to plunge you into a new coma. He sat down at the table in front of you and you thought you would choke on the pressure. « Fuck I can’t believe it ! » You heard a big noise. And then you saw them. Heachan, Chenle, Jungwoo. Maybe you were going to cry. Chenle almost knocked you off your chair. And it almost became impossible to understand whatever was happening. Suddenly everyone was here and they had changed so much. They had changed. You left some of them as they were children, now they were men. Mark hugged you. « Welcome back » he whispered in your ear and that might have done it for you. Johnny was here too, happier than ever, smiling at the scene. You noted than neither Lucas, Kun or Renjun was here. Taeyong was nowhere to be found either. Maybe it was better that way. You didn’t know what had been said while you were sleeping but nobody asked question, nobody told you anything about your departure and your sudden come back. You were thankful. You might have been able to say everything to Johnny and Tae but you weren’t sure you’ll be fine with saying in front of all of them. Some things were meant to be buried deep. None of them let you lift a finger. They literally did everything for you all day, almost tying you up to the couch. The youngest then proceed to tell you absolutely everything that happened during your four year of missing. You then learned than renjun had fallen for a girl and that they were in hiding with Kun and Lucas. They all wanted to tell you what happened, even picking up fights about that. « Mark you suck at telling stories ! You make them boring ! -You don’t even know how to speak properly, don’t criticize my sorry telling » The day was spent like this even if you noted that Johnny, Jaehyun, Taeil and Ten disappeared. As you were on your way to the kitchen Johnny called you. « We need to talk. -Please daddy don’t say that you are scaring me... » He almost hit you but then remembered. « As soon as you are heeled I am beating you up again. -Fair enough » You entered a room that was in fact a sort of office. A table in the center was covered in paper, pictures, notes and documents. All the missing men from before were there. Taeil smiled at you and you smiled back. But you stopped when you saw Taeyong. He was doing his best not to look at you, and you appreciated that. « So we are here to talk about the fact that we’ve been naive enough to think they would leave us alone. -I looked into your phone and I didn’t recognise the man. -Does that mean that they hired mercenary ? » You asked. « That’s possible. » Said Ten, « It’s not their style but… -But you were their hit man. Now that you are gone. They might have had to call for someone else services ». Johnny nodded. « That’s what I think too. -That’ll make things more complicated… -Indeed… -How did you find us tho ? I am curious. -I find Jongin working at your club, he was in an infiltrated mission, collecting information. He didn’t know where you were, but he told me he might know someone who did. So I find Bangtan. -Bangtan ? Why would they help you ? And how did they know where we had been ? -I paid for the information they gave me, and I supposed that after meeting me and discovered my magnificent personality they felt guilty about telling me off to the hit man. -They what ?! -Yeah they law key sold my ass… But hey they gave me a car after, so I could run away... » Johnny looked at you as he didn’t seem convinced. « If they accepted to tell the hit men where you were, why they didn’t tell them where we were ? -Because of me. » You all turned around to face Jaehyun.

« I helped them at some point, me and Jungkook, the youngest, we know each other well. -This is what they told me too. -So we don’t have to worry about them ? -No, not at all, I trust them. -We need all the ally we can get. » Those were the first words Taeyong said since the beginning. Taeil raised his brows. « Allies ? What do you mean ? -I mean that it has become obvious they won’t leave us alone. If we can gather all the support we can find, it’s for the better. -He is right », you said, « At this point I don’t think they’ll give up, it’s not a question of fight or anything, it’s more deterrence. -Exactly. We won’t have to do anything, just spread the word that we have the support of multiple groups, and they’ll probably give up. -Then we should contact the groups we had deals with. -Call EXO, tell them to take Kai back before something happen to him. Y/n call Bangtan and explain to them the situation. The others, gather as much support as you can. Now we have to find a way to spread the word ». Everyone left, Taeyong not taking a look at you. You couldn’t help but feel sad. « Thanks for your help » Taeil smiled patting your shoulders. You ended up alone and you decided to stay here. You took your phone that had stayed on the table, and composed the number Jungkook gave you. You ended up leaving a message telling him to call you back as soon as he can. It was already dark outside when you came out. You had spent some time looking at the diagram on the table, trying to make some link they might not have made but nothing. You joined everyone at the table to eat, you wondered a second how everyone was even fitting around one table. This house was bigger than you thought. Soon everyone was dispersed inside the house, in their room. You were sitting outside trying to think, your phone still in your pocket expecting a call back from Jungkook. « Can I sit ? - Yeah, of course » Taeyong had stripped down his day clothes, and you could see his hair were still wet from his shower. « I am so dumb. -I mean… Can’t deny that ». He looked at you already exasperated. « Why is it so hard to talk to you ? Before it was the easiest thing… - I don’t know… Time has passed… -Yeah » He took a deep breath by his nose. You looked at him. The moonlight hit his face so perfectly, casting shadows accentuating his beautiful features, his white locks looking like liquid silver. He was ethereal. « I am sorry. For what I told you. I don’t hate you. I never hated you. I loved you since the beginning and I never stopped loving you. That’s what I think made me angry. I- I was so sad…. You made me so sad at one point… How was I still able to love you. » You were still looking at him, but he wasn’t looking back. « But how can I blame you. I feel so fucking guilty. I didn’t see anything during all those years… How you, and the other girls were treated… I never see what they were doing to you… » He looked at you. His eyes full of tears. « I am so sorry Y/n, please forgive me ». You started crying as well not being able to stand. You took him in your arms, your shoulder suddenly killing you, but you didn’t care. He was here. « Why are you sorry. You are not a mind reader. I can’t complain about you not knowing what I never said to anyone. But please, never say you hate me ever again… -I swear » He kissed you and it was like the first time. You were sure that you knew his kiss by heart and that it was impossible to forget them but you were wrong. You both had changed, and he was kissing you with an unknown passion. « I missed you. -I am not leaving this time. » He was ready to kiss you again when phone ringed. You turned your face at the moment he was going to kiss you and as you took your phone to answer you found a pouty Taeyong. You smiled before picking up the phone. « Jungkook ? -Fuck Y/n sorry I couldn’t answer you earlier. Thank god you are picking up. -Yeah I wanted to talk to you about something- -No listen, they moved, they are a group of hit men who are on their way to find you. You have to fucking move. -Wait, Jungkook are you sure ? -Yeah, fuck, they came here and fucking threatened Jin. They think he didn’t tell them the truth ». Well technically he didn’t. « Are you all okay ? Fuck is Jin fine ? -Yeah nothing happened but they are coming closer. Get the hell out of he- » You heard a crack on your left. Taeyong jumped on his feet, suddenly pointing a gun at the source of the noise. You saw a man emerged from the shadow. « Jungkook… I think I’ll need your help…. -It’s too late… Fuck Y/n I am so sorry… -It’s fine… Call Jaehyun tell him everything » You hang up. « Here she is… Sneaky little mouse. » It was the man from your apartment. « I knew you would find them. To your credit it’s not you who lead us here. », he laughed. You were injured, weaponless, and emotionally unstable. But you were ready to fight if you had too. A second man appeared and lashed onto you. « No ! -Tae be careful ! » He turned around just to see the first man grabbing his gun. The hold of the other man on your throat become stronger. You pushed him back, hitting the house wall. His grip become looser, and with a hit of your elbow he let you free. But the sudden pain in your shoulders almost made you fall down. You tripped on your feet and at the moment were a hand grabbed your hair, you yelped in pain. You heard a loud bang, and suddenly you were free. You fall down a pair of arm keeping you from hitting the floor. Even with your blurry vision you could still see Taeyong’s face. « Told you I would end up shooting you again. -Fuck you Jaehyun » You heard him laugh as Tae was holding you closer. « What’s the deal with you and dying I swear… -You know what you say to the god of death… -Don’t fucking quote Game of thrones while you are bleeding all over me. » You laughed but stop when you almost faint from the pain. « Did you kill the other guy ? -The first one ? -Yeah -Yes, why ? -It was the one who killed my dog. -I am going to spit on his grave after » Jaehyun almost chocked on his saliva. « Come on carry me inside before I really die this time. -Too soon. -So you can do jokes about my fake death but I can’t ! -Exactly » He carried you inside where Jaehyun was waiting with the medical equipment. You ended up with new sutures and a very confused Johnny watching you bleed all over his carpet. « So we are moving out again ? -Apparently » He sighed for the millionth time now. « I had Junmyeon on the phone. We’ll stay there. » Everyone looked at you. 

« Fucking perfect ». 

[smileyoongle]

Deception (A Kim Namjoon Mafia AU)

Summary: A damsel in distress and a lonely mafia leader. Different but not too different. The two worlds collide on a rainy night when Kim Namjoon, a renowned Mafia leader is called for an emergency and Y/N Y/L/N is on the run from her abusive father. Feelings stir and he rescues her. But one of them is a liar. And the other's life is on the line. It's only a matter of time until all secrets are out in the open.

Will love be born? Or will death conquer?

chαptєr ηïηε: Betrayal and Longing

Character Count: 12,084

Pairing: Namjoon×Reader (Appearances by the whole of BTS)

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Wrap me in the softest love I have ever known, show me that I'm not alone.

- Christy Ann Martine

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"She's heading to Club Delirium tonight. I eavesdropped on a conversation she was secretly having so don't ask me how I know." Rex announced, entering the conference room with a shit-eating grin on his face. Even after not having gotten enough sleep the previous night, he felt energetic and excited. All the credit belonged to Hana and her secret, of course.

Who knew a mafia leader's best friend was gonna be an undercover cop?

Namjoon sat with his head buried in his hands, his brain still trying to process everything. It wasn't just him though, every single person in the room was just as shocked as him. How did they not know? All the questions they had regarding Hana's disappearance had just been answered and no one was happy about it. Namjoon was affected, yes, but so was Jungkook.

The latter's eyes were bloodshot, his lips pale and his hands clenched as if he would knock out the next person who spoke. He felt so betrayed and lost. At first, when Rex had told him that the guy Hana met was Nelson Shaw, he had no idea who that was. But later on, as he was fed all the information, he began to connect the dots. The guy who had broken into Namjoon's house was Nelson Shaw, the same guy who Hana met and worked with. His so called sister like friend, was a police officer, trying her best to bring them down.

Jungkook slammed his fist on the table, making Rex flinch while the others didn't react at all. Rex's eyes were wide, wondering why no one else moved a muscle because Jungkook was definitely scary when angry. They were probably used to it.

"We'll get her red handed then. Alert the bouncers at the club." Yoongi voiced, earning a nod from Taehyung who quickly walked out of the room to carry out the task.

Namjoon couldn't even begin to express how mad he was. There were still questions that he wanted answers to, but he didn't even wanna look at her anymore. It was early in the morning when he had gotten a call from Hoseok, asking him to come over for an emergency. The dull tone of hoseok's voice was definitely concerning but Namjoon wasn't expecting this. That's why Shaw broke into his house. To find dirt on him and turn him in. Well, too bad. Hana was out of the game now.

Jimin chuckled bitterly, all eyes turning to him questioningly. Namjoon slowly looked up, glaring at Jimin as if to ask what was so funny. Rex raised an eyebrow, eyes flickering over to Namjoon. He could smell drama already and he wished he had popcorn. Even though he knew you-

"Tell us, Namjoon. Did you know about this?"

Jimin asked, a bitter smile planted on his lips. Namjoon frowned, tilting his head to convey that he had no idea what Jimin was trying to say. Jin sighed, closing his eyes momentarily to keep himself in check. "Jimin, just because Hana was his best friend-"

"Forget it. Let's just get over with this Hana bullshit first." Jimin interrupted, standing up abruptly and rushing out of the room. Namjoon made a mental note to talk to Jimin about this later, standing up and proceeding to go home for a while. He placed a hand on Jungkook's shoulder, squeezing it tightly to let him know that he understood what it felt like. Jungkook glanced up at his elder, nodding absentmindedly. Jungkook still wanted to ask Namjoon about you but he figured this wasn't the right time, no matter how angry he was about being left in the dark.

"Delirium at 9. I'll see you all then." Namjoon said, glancing at everyone before leaving to go back to you.

_____________________________________________

You eyed the man in the kitchen, watching his every move as he cleaned the counters passionately. You had woken up in the morning to find Namjoon gone and this new butler in the house. It was quite amusing how there was a new butler already, Walter having left just the previous night. Namjoon must be really superior, you concluded, sipping on your cup of coffee.

Your fingers grazed the bandage on your forehead, memories from last night still burning in your mind. You missed Namjoon and the way he had held you. It was as if he was trying to shield you from everything bad in the world. You couldn't understand what was going on but you certainly liked him. And now that you thought about it, it seemed inevitable. A man like him surely had many admirers. You were just another one in the crowd.

You heard the front door slam shut, your body flinching in surprise as you turned around in your seat. Namjoon entered the living room, his eyes glaring at everything that came in his way. Work must have been hard on him.

"You came back early, today." You said, smiling at him softly when he looked at you with slightly wide eyes. His expression changed within a second, the frown on his eyebrows now smoothed out completely and his lips flashing you a small smile. His legs dragged him towards you and he sat beside you, glancing at the new butler.

Sangmin was here on Rex's recommendation. According to the boy, Sangmin was as skilled as a man his age could be. Due to the urgency, Namjoon decided to take him in. Hopefully, you'd be in better hands whenever Namjoon wasn't at home.

Namjoon sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head on the backrest. He was stressed and anxious, the upcoming events wearing him out completely. He wasn't ready to know why Hana was doing what she was doing. Did 16 years of friendship suddenly mean nothing to her? Did she forget everything that she had promised him?

"Namjoon, have you ever danced?" Your voice ran in his ears, making him immediately look at you as if you were an alien. He slowly registered your words in his brain, wondering why you would ask something like that out of the blue?

"Danced? Does head banging when I was home alone at the age of 9 count?"

You ended up throwing your head back and laughing, almost imagining what it would look like. Namjoon grinned, satisfied with the response he got from you, his heart melting at the way your eyes closed shut and crinkled. For sometime, he completely forgot the situation he was currently in. He didn't care that Hana betrayed him. He didn't care that he had lost a best friend. He just didn't care.

You stood up and proceeded to place your empty coffee cup in the kitchen, running back out and stretching your hand out to Namjoon. Namjoon frowned, eyes flickering between your face and your hand. He hesitantly placed his hand on yours, only to have you push it away.

"As much as I like your hands, I actually want your phone." You stated, shaking your hand to make him hurry up. Namjoon pulled out his phone and handed it to you after unlocking it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and watching you as you stuck your tongue out and connected his phone to the music player at the corner of the room.

You were only trying to distract Namjoon from whatever was bothering him. Namjoon wasn't very good at hiding his despair and you understood that. His shoulders would always sulk and his smile would never quite reach his eyes. It felt bad to see him sad, knowing that you were of no help at all. So here you were, searching up a song and pressing the play button before leaving it on top of the music player. With a deep inhale, you turned around and slowly walked towards Namjoon, stretching your hand out again.

"May I have this dance, Mr Kim?" Namjoon chuckled, standing up and shaking his head. From what he had seen in movies, he knew he was supposed to be the one asking. So he bowed in front of you and placed his palm forward, glancing up at you with all the affection he could gather. Your heart fluttered, a shy smile dancing on your lips as you gently placed your hand in his. If you thought that was the best thing Namjoon could have done, then you were wrong because the next thing you knew, his lips were pressed against the back of your hand.

Keep your cool, Y/N.

You told yourself, ignoring the way Namjoon's eyes gazed at you. So much attention was surely gonna be the death of you. You bit your lip harshly to stop the grin from showing itself, Namjoon's hands finding their way to your waist. You were definitely shocked at how much Namjoon already knew.

The silence of the room had been replaced by the soft chords of a guitar, your eyes lighting up when a male voice filled your ears. This was one song that you used to listen to whenever you felt lonely and lost, pretending that you did have someone who loved you. That was far from reality when your life was all about being used like a rag but it was different now. Perhaps you could find someone who really loved you.

Maybe that person was right in front of you.

You swayed with your arms around Namjoon's neck, his feet moving in sync with yours.

Settle down with me, cover me up, cuddle me in.

Lie down with me and hold me, in your arms.

Namjoon swore his heart was being too fuzzy now. He hadn't felt this way before. Not even when he had a crush on Hana. It was so intense that Namjoon had to convince himself that he wasn't in love. At least not yet. But was he even being honest with himself?

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck.

I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet.

Your body was pressed against Namjoon's, your heart pounding in your chest. Your cheeks were too warm now and you felt dizzy. The air was thick, but not in an uncomfortable way. You could feel Namjoon's breath on your face, your eyes stuck on his. Life hated you, yes, but you weren't so sure anymore. After surviving your entire childhood, you were finally living. With a man who had a kind heart and was willing to do a lot for you. There was no way you would ever be able to repay him for everything he had done for you so far. At least not in this life.

And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now.

Namjoon leaned closer, every ounce of self control having been lost. All he could think about now was how perfect you were. His eyes were now fixed on your lips, already thinking how good they would feel against his. He promised himself that he wasn't gonna let you go, no matter how many more lies he was gonna have to spew. No matter how many secrets he was gonna have to hide. Because you belonged with him. You were saving him and you didn't know that.

Kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved. You wanna be loved.

You took in a shaky breath when Namjoon's hand cupped your cheek, tucking your hair behind your ear. Your hands tightly held on to each other behind his neck, your chest heaving in nervousness. You wanted this. You wanted him to kiss you. You wanted him to show you that you weren't broken. You moved your hands to the back of his head, your fingers tangling in his hair as you hesitantly pulled him towards you. You closed your eyes, his lips barely an inch away from yours. Just as Namjoon was about to close the little distance that remained, a loud clang echoed through the room, making you both flinch and pull away.

Your head whipped towards the kitchen, your eyes falling on the utensil that lay on the ground. Namjoon cursed under his breath, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. So damn close.

He clenched his jaw and walked towards the kitchen, glaring at Sangmin as you followed behind. "Sorry, Mr Kim. It slipped from my fingers." The man bowed, your head shaking in response to his apology. It was a mistake and nothing had been damaged anyway.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it. It's time for me to leave for work so I'll go get ready." You stated, turning on your heels and rushing towards your room. Your cheeks were hot and your breathing was uneven. You tapped your cheeks to pull yourself back to reality, scowling at your heart which was uncontrollably fluttering in your chest.

You closed the door to your room, leaning your back against it and sighing in relief. You weren't gonna deny the fact that you were disappointed, your work uniform mocking you from your bed. Things could have happened but here you were, dragging yourself to work without letting Namjoon know anything about your job. You pursed your lips and pulled your hair up, getting ready to go and cover your shift at Club Delirium.

Taglist: @uwunamjoon @shadowstark @all-fandoms-rise @tzuyyyuuu @stressedinmedschool247 @ifellinluvwithdorks @min-t-posts @floofwrites @pretty-in-pink-just-because @bts-d-onut @fangirllbookworm @mystical-writer @it-is-dana @ximaginx @kpopgirlbtssvt @pearylove @anothermisspark @annoyingpessimist @motivation-idontknowher @atwoodscott @soundofwonderland @btsarmysvtcarat @i-am-supermerwholoked221b @bunnymaknaereacts @iamcrazyforkdramas @ddaeing @basicallyanothernotebook @btsxdoll @spike-meowsters

Tell me what you think and if you wanna be tagged! Interesting stuff coming soon!

-XX

[hereforaus]

Now Breathe

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader

genre: bodyguard!jungkook , rebel!reader , numb!reader, smut, angst

“people invading your personal space is one of the top most annoying thing to ever exist on earth and your overprotective politician mother hiring a personal bodyguard for you didn’t help at all”

wordcount: 2k+

WARNINGS! : 18+ , foul languages, smut and violence on future episodes

A/N: this is my first fic and i hope yall like it. This is completely unedited but i want to post it now. This part is just an introduction to reader’s pesonality. Literally all the happenings is to describe her as a person. The plot is so so far from unfolding so yeah,,,message me if you want to be tagged for the next episodes : )

part 2

“Mom please!!!! just this once okay? I promise i’ll come home all in one piece”

You’re practically giving your all with your little show of being in so much pain in front of your mom just so she can let you go to the concert you’ve been dreading to attend eversince forever with no company from her baggy shabby body guards.

“Im telling you I’ll be okay without those unnecessary bouncer looking body guards of yours. Just this once please? huh? huh?”

“First of all those body guards are skilled okay? don’t underestimate them.” Oh yeah here she is again. You have to remind yourself to not roll your eyes in front of her for you to not lose your last hope of getting a peaceful concert experience without some random guys boring holes at the back of your head the whole time. “And second, what makes you think I’m letting you get outta this house without those body guards when that concert is practically a 3 hour drive from here?”

Sigh. You already know where this is leading.

“Take it or don’t attend sweet pea, no more argument and go to bed please it’s close to midnight you still have classes tomorrow.”

What else can you do? Oh yeah nothing.

That said night, you have to climb down your way out of your room so you can have a peaceful time with yourself on the seaside. You like being alone most of the time to get things done with your art and music but sometimes the silence in your room is becoming too much for you to the point that it suffocates you and the only thing that can really help you is a fresh air and the cold but soothing sea breeze. Environment is a medicine, you don’t know if that works for other people but for you it surely does.

~

“I don’t know but he just told me he wants space for now and that we both have to cool down for a while.”

Lea. She’s been your friend eversince primary school. How she managed to endure you through out these years is still a mistery for you but you love her nonetheless. She’s one of the most precious things in this world that you can’t afford to lose. She’s like a treasure that you so luckily found under the sea and you don’t understand why of all people who is deserving of her, you’re the luckiest one who found her.

“Maybe he needs time to breathe? You know sometimes things become too stuffy for us and all we need is to breathe?” he doesn’t feel thrilled anymore. His heart doesn’t beat fast the way it did like before. He’s not happy anymore.

“You know we can talk about it. He doesn’t have to go through it alone. We can fix everything that’s wrong together” You hate to see her like this, completely helpless and vulnerable in front of you. The before sparkly now glassy eyes, a true indication of pain, confusion and frustration

“You know there are times when you need to help each other to find the way out of the misery but there are times where you need to find yourself first in order to do it right and for that to happen a person needs to spend time with their self alone” he doesn’t want to figure it out with you because he already knows the answer

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe he needed time to think and find himself first.”

I wish that’s really the case.

“But it hurts that I have to wait for him to fix something that I don’t know what is. He’ll have to find himself while leaving me alone in this misery, waiting for him to fix it without knowing if he will comeback after he find the answer.”

“Time can fix anything you know.” but not everything. “so give him that” cause you don’t have any choice but to.

The shiny glass covering her eyes has now broke into tears and sobs. You really hate this. You wanted to tell everything that’s in your mind without hurting her further but how could you tell someone that you don’t believe in love? that there’s no such thing as falling in love and falling out of love because you believe that falling in love in the first place is just all made up by some weird ass part of the body called brain and nothing more. How could you tell her that a person’s feelings can never be the same overtime and that the only constant thing that she could hold into is change alone.

No you can’t tell her. You don’t wanna be the reason for her tears and as much as possible you don’t want her to feel numb. You don’t need another person like you. You want her to feel different things other than not feel anything at all. Numbness will save you from the pain but feeling is a strange thing that can make a person happy, something that you lost a long time ago.

You let her lean on your shoulders until your shirt is soggy and waited until her sobs turned into small whimpers and hiccups. When it does you spoke: “Tell me something funny”. For a normal person, that small statement could have been strange (cause she’s supposed to be the one asking that) but somehow for the two of you, those words are the only ones that was able to put a small smile on your bestfriend’s face. She’s now lifting her head while wiping her tears using the back of her hands, a small smile imprinted on her lips.

“Never in a million years have I thought that me sobbing in front of you is the only way for you to tolerate my dad jokes. I should’ve known sooner”

“Don’t be too touched. Im giving this one for you because you look ugly crying like that and I can’t afford to wet my shirt further” You rolled your eyes, your right hand making its way to your pillow to throw it on her way.

“Hey!!! Just say you have a soft spot for me, no need to be aggressive for nothing” She’s practically grinning right now. You swear to god you wish you can shut her up already.

“If I knew you will be acting like this I should’ve just let you sob there until your eyeballs fell out”.

“If that’s what helps you sleep well at night, I’ll just bury the fact that you don’t want your dearest friend crying because it hurts you too. Who would’ve thought that Y/N has a kryptonite and that so luckily turned out to be me”

“Oh please your nacisissm suffocates me. Get out of my room now!” You said voice stern but not too much to actually hurt her.

“Goodnight love” she said seemingly happy as if she didn’t pour a whole bunch of tears just now. Just like that, she grab her bag and left with the biggest grin on her face that week but you know it’s not going to last because the moment she step foot on her constricted bedroom, the tears won’t help but fall and the sobs won’t have to ask for permission to come out relentlessly.

-

The following day you’re dressed in an extra large shirt partnered up with sane cargo pants and reebok sneakers. Coming out from your bedroom, you saw your mom downstairs talking to a tall man dressed in normal white tees and ripped jeans, your mom seemingly spewing words you can only assume to be reminders on how to take care of you during the concert and some precautionary measures on how to not lose you in the process. You rolled your eyes, purposely letting your stomp on the wood floor be heard to signal them to hurry up whatnot is left to be talked about. By the time you reached the door, the said man you don’t know the name (and is not planning to anyway) is already behind you. He smelled of vanilla soap and you noticed that he’s much taller than you, probably 178 to 180 cm. In no time, the both of you are already seated on the car. You took the passenger seat cause you like taking care of the music and that is most definitely your favorite spot while mister body guard took the driver’s seat. So he’s not just the body guard for the day but also the driver. This is going to be too easy.

“You know what let’s have a deal” The easiest way to get what you want is through talk and you know more than anyone else how to get the thing that you want from someone through words.

“Nice to meet you too miss Y/N. Your mother clearly is right. She warned me that you’ll have to ask me for a deal through out this whole drive in order to lose me and watch the concert alone. She knows you really well.”

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. This won’t do. You didn’t see that coming.

“Do you really think that i’m going to pay you or something for you to let me go to the concert alone?” You fake smile towards him. The first time you see his features clearly and god is he ethereal for a body guard but that’s none of your business because clearly you have other things to fix.

“Maybe not pay? I don’t know, you seem more capable and smart than that, your mother told me”

Oh yeah your mother. You wouldn’t be surprised if she told him your whole life story.

“You’re taking your job too seriously, I was just gonna ask if I can suck your dick or something because you’re pretty hot but I guess you really are not into that kind of things.”

It’s his turn to be caught off guard. You will not back out to this, you are more capable on controlling a person just like what he says and that exactly is what you’re going to do now.

You almost missed the shade of pink on her cheeks because soon it’s gone and back to its normal shade. This person is something else, you know it. You need to step up your game in order to win it.

“I dont know your plan but i know that you’re up to something. Miss Y/N that’s not gonna work with me.”

This is harder than you thought it would be.

“Yadda yadda. Believe what you want sir” If you can’t get him with a talk, then there’s a whole other plan lined up just for him, you dont know until to what extent you can go but you surely know one thing, you’ll have the last laugh.

Two and a half drive. Thirty minutes before you reach the arena. There’s no sounds but The 1975 playing on the speaker of the car connected to your phone. Your bodyguard spent most of the hours concentrated on the road in front of him while you are lazily nodding your head to every song from your playlist, your head leaned on the window most of the time while you look at the trees and houses you pass by.

“Pull over. I need to pee” You said pointing to your right where variety of drive thru fastfoods can be found.

“Sure miss”

Sure my ass.

You’re walking in front of the restroom seperated from the restaurants when you notice your body guard suddenly came to a stop.

“Aren’t you going to come with me inside? I mean I might slip out?” You said voice mocking.

“No need miss, I’m just going to wait for you here” His voice is never not stable and you wonder just how some people can’t be like him. You like how confident he is and unflappable almost.

“You know what my offer from earlier is still up.”

He seems confused at first but in no time, he came into the realization and there comes his wide eyes and rosy cheeks on full display for you.

“You act like a virgin” And then you smirked and left. Teasing him is fun and you decided you’re up for that.

-

It’s not like you to throw out things just carelessly because you treasure everything under your property but you don’t have any choice now. Wrapping up all your colorful clothes together, you throw it to the bin. You’re now in your black fitted shirt and denim shorts. You decided to remove your bun too. The only reason you wore those huge ass t shirt and cargo pants is in order to have another pair of clothes inside for the sole reason of disguising and you’re pretty much sure that this time it will work. Holding your wallet containing money and two of your tickets (one from your mother and one you bought for yourself because sure as hell the ones from your mom has the seat next to your body guard), you leave the bathroom acting so casually as if your bodyguard isn’t just standing there outside the restroom.

When you reach the nearest cafe without a body following behind you, you let a smirk make its way to your face. Bingo. Now you wait for your uber driver.

-

You can’t be more happy. You’re going to see your favorite artist and will be able to dance like crazy without a single soul caring. Holding your ticket, you hand it to the person standing on the entrance and eventually you’re inside the venue. You chose to buy a standing ticket because you’re pretty sure that this concert will turn to a party in the middle and you want the best experience to enjoy the music that you waited for so long to hear live while your body act on its own.

Three hours and it’s almost past midnight. The band is playing their last song. You’re physically exhausted for spending the whole time singing the lyrics on the top of your lungs, screaming and dancing nonchalantly. You can feel the energy being drained out of your body. It’s a good thing that the band decided to end the whole concert with a soft melody song about heartbreak (or is it first love? you don’t know. you don’t really care since it’s your least favorite). You close your eyes listening to the song while swaying your whole body. You feel peace while listening to the soft melody and you can’t help but continue doing that until 30 seconds before the song would finish. The moment you open your eyes, you see him. His eyes, was it like this earlier? As if it holds the dust in the universe in it? His mole under his mouth, was it there earlier? Everything looks so real and clear and for a moment you thought it was real when suddenly.

“Did you enjoy the concert miss?”

-

“How exactly did you find me” You allowed yourself to look at him for a second before bringing your eyes back to your phone to scroll for music while again leaning your head on the window just like earlier.

“Let’s say I waited just a couple of distance from the entrance and I saw you there.”

“You’re impossible” He smiled. Oh he smiled? “So you saw all of that?”

“All of that miss”

Fuck.

“You’re a creep”

“You dance well”

At that you hiss.

“Fuck you”

He’s annoying.

“You lost in this one”

“You did your job pretty well. Let’s not see each other again. Yeah?”

“Im afraid that can’t happen”

Now you’re utterly confused. “What? Why?”

“Your mom just hired me to be your personal body guard from now on and not just for today. It’s a pleasure to serve you Miss Y/N. I’m Jeon Jungkook”

~

[theperksofbeingbarbie]

The Empath (Pt2/6)

Summary: Picking up after Klaus comes back from his chat with Reggie, you join the Umbrella Academy as the heat starts turning up under this apocalypse. 

Set during I Heard a Rumour

Warnings: Language; Mention of former overdoses; Mention of CPR

Pairing: Diego x Reader; Platonic!Klaus x Reader

Word Count: 1.436

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6

A/N: So this might suck, but here’s the second part. This is really just kinda setting it up for the big action-y parts. A little bit of banter, the introduction of a stranger into this weird ass family. Feel free to let me know what you think! Do have any thoughts for this going forward?

                                          ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You huffed as you sat in your car, Klaus staring straight ahead in the passenger seat. “You wanna talk-”

“No,” Klaus replied quickly, not giving you a chance to finish your sentence. 

It wasn’t the first time you had to do CPR on Klaus. Hell, you had plenty of overdoses between the two of you. It was, however, the first time you used your powers to push back the group of men that attacked him. The fear of them hurting your best friend was overwhelming, stifling. You didn’t mean to let out that big of a pulse but there were hundreds of people in that building, all of their emotions filling you; it was only a matter of time before you snapped. It was also the first time you were afraid he wouldn’t actually wake up. But in true Klaus fashion, he woke up and just... left, asking where Luther went. You heard someone mention the bouncer kicking him out as you trailed after Klaus. 

“Will you stay at the mansion with me?” Klaus finally requested after a few silent moments in the car, glancing over at you as you started the engine. He had mentioned the impending apocalypse and how he thought you’d be able to help earlier in the evening, it only made sense to stay the night and meet the family, though you could tell he just didn’t want to be alone. 

“I can’t believe you actually slept with the furry,” you commented with an amused laugh as you poured Luther a cup of coffee. 

“Who the hell are you?” Five asked as he took the cup out of Luther’s hand, taking a sip as he sat down, grimacing at the taste. “Who do I have to kill for a decent cup of coffee around here?”

You paused pouring a cup for Ben, glancing up at Klaus. “Why is a literal child talking to me like that?” 

“Now, now, you two. Behave. Five, Luther, this is [Y/N]. [Y/N], this is Luther and Five,” Klaus introduced, handing you the sugar as you sat down, remembering how you liked your coffee. 

“I thought you said this was a family meeting? What are they doing here?” Luther asked, groaning quietly as Klaus tapped the spatula he was holding on the table. 

“[Y/N] is more like family than you realize, dear brother. They’re one of us.”

“Klaus dubbed me the Empath,” you added, taking a sip of your coffee. 

“You can feel people’s emotions,” Five clarified on behalf of Luther’s hungover brain. 

“And do some pretty cool shit with the energy. Like get a group of douche bags off your brother while you dance the night away with a girl,” you added, glaring at Luther who just ducked his head in embarrassment. 

“Okay!” Klaus interrupted before you got more annoyed. “Is this everyone? Has anyone seen Diego or Allison? No? I guess this is as close to quorum we’ll have.” You could feel the empty space behind you grow slightly agitated: Ben didn’t think this was a good idea. “I conjured Dad last night,” Klaus finally admitted with a sigh. 

There was a pause before Luther spoke up, “I thought you haven’t been able to conjure anyone in years?” 

You looked to the space beside you. Did Klaus not tell his family about Ben? Did they not believe Ben was actually there? You couldn’t usually feel the emotions of the deceased, but with the bond Ben and Klaus had, you could feel him as if he was actually there. How could they not believe that Klaus could manage to conjure their brother? 

 “Well, no, but I’m sober now! Yay!” Klaus answered with a smile. 

You stayed quiet as the brothers bickered among themselves, feeling Klaus growing... Sad. They weren’t believing him, they didn’t care that he was clean, he was missing his love. It wasn’t fair. You were about to speak up when Pogo came out of his room. Suddenly the energy went from sadness to anger, confusion. “Luther,” you warned, feeling him growing the most agitated. 

“It was his dying wish, Master Luther,” Pogo said softly, looking down sadly. 

You huffed once everyone went their separate ways, rubbing Klaus’ back as he sat down beside you with a tired sigh. 

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

You were sitting on the end of Klaus’ bed catching up with him as he attempted to knit. He mostly just pulled on the yarn and sighed dejectedly. 

“Get dressed, we’re going out,” Five said as he suddenly came into Klaus’ room. “You too.” 

“Where are we going?” you asked, not making any effort to move because Klaus didn’t. 

“To save the world, of course.” 

“Oh, is that all?” Klaus asked with a playful roll of his eyes as he sat up. 

You climbed out of his bed to find something clean you could borrow, tossing a tie-dye shirt toward him. You hid behind the wardrobe door to change your shirt, appearing a moment later in one of his old band t-shirts. You listened to the pair wonder about their father and how he could’ve known about the end of the world but kept out of it. You followed the brothers out of Klaus’ room pulling on a cardigan that was hanging up by Klaus’ door. Your motley crew stopped when another of their brothers ran by. You quickly figured out it was Diego, your first celebrity crush. How could someone still look so fucking hot? 

“Where have you been?” 

“Jail- don’t ask. Who the fuck are you?” Diego asked as he appeared in the hallway again, pulling his harness on. 

“Does no one in this fucking house know how to say hello like a normal human?” you replied sardonically. “[Y/N]. Klaus’ friend.” 

“Oh, yeah, we met before. I think you were high.” Diego’s eyes dragged over your body, nodding in approval. “You look a lot better now. Has anyone seen Luther?” 

Your cheeks went bright red at the attention from Diego, shaking your head. 

“Haven’t seen him since this morning, why?” 

“Allison’s in trouble.” 

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

After trying a few bars, Klaus managed to find Luther in one close to the Academy. “Look!” You all filed in, standing next to the table as Luther refused to look at any of you. “Trying a little hair of the dog, hm?” 

Diego sat down beside Luther with a huff. “Give us a minute,” he demanded, waving the three away. 

“Yes, daddy,” you drawled, turning on your heel to follow your friend to another table. 

“Don’t make me hear that with my ears ever again,” Klaus growled, causing you to laugh. 

The corner of Diego’s lip quirked at your teasing before he turned his attention to Luther. 

You couldn’t hear much, but it was taking a lot longer than you expected. Klaus even mimed checking his watch to Five who seemed just as confused. Luther was out of his chair a moment later, breaking the door off its hinges as the group ran after him. 

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

“So, you’re one of us?” Diego questioned quietly, looking over at you. There was a bit of time to kill on the drive to Harold Jenkin’s house in the woods and nothing to do. 

You nodded, pulling your foot up onto the seat beneath you. You lowered it a moment later when Diego glared at you. He didn’t mind you sitting in the front with him, as long as you respected his car. “I can feel people’s emotions and use the energy to do things. Anger conjures fire, fear pushes things away from me, and sadness or pain causes things to break. I’ve broken a lot of mirrors because of exes.” You chuckled at the memories, shaking your head a bit.

“Happiness makes them all warm,” Klaus added with a fond smile. 

You laughed again, thinking of all the times Klaus would make you laugh just to act as his personal heater on cold nights. 

“Are you and Klaus....?” Diego inquired awkwardly. 

“No!” you said in unison with your friend. “Jesus, no. I’m single as a Pringle.” 

Five let out an uncomfortable sound at that, causing you to wince. 

“Pringles are always better when you have two stacked together, though,” Diego replied, trying to follow along with your awkward flirting. 

Klaus slowly slid forward, resting his elbows on the back of the seats. “Diego, brother, are you trying to get with my friend?” 

You managed to manifest a little flame on the end of your middle finger, flicking it at Klaus’ forehead, smirking when he yelped. 

“That’s mean!” the medium protested, sitting back in his seat as he rubbed his forehead as if to disperse the heat. Everyone chuckled at the expense of Klaus and for a moment, it wasn’t like the apocalypse was in two days.

                                           ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Tag list: @misspygmypie 

Message me to be included on the tag list for upcoming chapters!

[tommyquackson]

Getting Me a Little Bit | t. holland | part 1

Not My Gif

summary: toms an angel but his life begins changing when he meets one of the most dangerous monsters he’s ever heard of, you. angel!tom and demon!au

warnings: angels, demons and supernatural creatures,

note: new series!!! mostly based of the song Horns by Bryce Fox because i love that song so much.

New York City was bright and alive at 2:57am on a Friday. It was almost the witching hour, which usually meant Tom would be in the safety of his apartment asleep by now, but his mission required him to be out tonight. He wasn’t exactly excited about it, but he was ready to do his job and carry out the will of God.

His mission was to gather info on a supposed succubus at one of the more popular clubs in NYC. As a field angel, Tom was to report back to the higher ups about what they found and then they’d intervene is necessary. He always felt a little disappointed at this aspect of the job, he wanted to be in the action, actually making a difference on Earth.

He straightens his collar as he walks up to the building entrance, there’s a long line to get in but Tom doesn’t plan on waiting, he’s got to get in there and fast. He takes one look at the bouncer and knows that this place is demon infested; only demons hire Leviathans as their bouncers. He gives himself a mental peptalk as he adjusts the bracelet that allows him to hide his angel form. He walks forward, doing his best to exude confidence and authority, despite having neither. The bouncer takes a look at him, eyebrows raising up, but Tom smirks and pulls out a necklace with a pentagram and a few other demonic symbols. He felt dirty just touching it, much less putting it on, but he needed to get in and blend in. The bouncer nodded and allowed him in, saluting him as Tom passes.

The club was much different on the inside, no doubt a few hexes and charms on the place to keep people coming in and staying. The strobe lights moved like hips across the sea of sweaty people dancing way too close together. It almost looked like a blue, red and green lightning storm, with the bass of the music as the thunder. Tom could feel is bones shake and his brain drum against his skull, he pushed it to the side and began surveying. He walked to the bar, looking around for any signs of the main succubus. He orders a vodka, but turns it to water as soon as he gets his angelic hands on it. He sits at the bar for a while, just watching and pretending to enjoy himself.

“You waitin for someone?” A voice drips sultry from his left side, he turns and sees a gorgeous women with large curly hair, and a tiny red dress on. She’s got a childish devil horn headband sitting in her hair, her nails are long and pointy and clearly fake but it adds to the appeal. She’s shorter than Tom but her heels make her legs look deliciously long. It takes Tom a moment to swallow the surprise in his throat.

“Uh, no, not waitin on anyone” He speaks, finally looking at her eyes, which are sparkling with mischief. She smirks and bites her lip, giving Tom a view of her canines that seem almost too sharp for a human. Of course, she’s a demon, maybe she has some info on the succubus.

“So, you’re looking for someone?” She feigns innocence and for a split second Tom almost believed it. He laughs at himself for even letting her almost trick him.

“Something like that, what’s your name” He smirks, trying his best to play her game, after all, he was supposed to convince these blasphemers that he was one of them.

“Y/n, whats yours pretty boy?” She tilts her head to the side, sipping out a drink that has seemingly appeared in her hand.

“Tom, whaddya say we go somewhere we can...talk” He looks down at her. She smiles widely, standing up straight and grabbing his hand.

“I know just the place” She speaks walking off and pulling Tom through the crowd of people dancing. He watches as she dances through people, still holding onto Toms hand, occasionally pushing her body against his when the crowd gets to dense for them to have breathing room. The finally step into the clear, and walk down a flight of stairs, passing couples in various positions on the way down. She pushes open a red door with a cartoon rendition of the devil as a baby.

Tom finally realizes that it’s her, she’s the succubus, now how does he get out of here without becoming a victim.

“Wow, you’re smart, what are you?” She walks backwards against the door, pulling Tom against her body.

“What do you mean?” He nearly gulps but tries his best to remain calm. She rolls her eyes and runs her hands up his shoulders. The act alone made Tom feel like he was forsaking his Father, he holds down the fear in his stomach.

“Oh come on, you found out I was a succubus, not only that, but you were looking for me, so what are you? A hunter?” She locks eyes with him and he feels himself forcing the answer to the forefront of his brain, he can’t help but blurt it out.

“Angel” He mentally screams at himself to stop speaking to this succubus.

“Oo, an Angel, never had one before. This could be fun” She grins then flicks a finger towards her and a chair slides across the floor and Tom is pushed into it. As he goes to protest, rope begins to quickly slither up the chair and tighten around his legs and wrist. She being slowly swaying her hips, causing Tom to focus on her body and only her body. His struggle seizes and he finds himself unable to form a coherent thought that has anything else to do with the succubus in front of him.

“Tell me Angel, d’you come here to kill me?” She speaks moving into his lap, ghosting red lips against his throat. He shakes his head no as hard as he can, he could never kill her, he wants nothing more than to please her.

“You were gonna tell on me Angel?” She says pouting at him, her eyes look so sad that Tom feels his gut wrench. He looks down at his lap, completely ashamed.

“S’okay Tom, I forgive you. You won’t tell on me anymore” She smirks, he shakes his head no again, looking up at her hopeful that he’s pleased her.

“You wanna know a secret Tommy?” She finally stands and walks around him a couple times.

“Please” he croaks out, his voice raspy.

“I’m not a succubus” She giggles dropping down to a squat in front of Tom. His face twists in confusion and he begins sputtering trying to puzzle what she could possibly be, she shows all signs of a Succubus. except the telekinesis, that’s more a demon thing.

“I’ll let you guess, here’s a hint. My daddy’s very high up, and i’ve got a pair of these” She practically whispers out, as she says it, two horns grow from her hair, slithering into shape of the horns on her headband. Her whole eyes have turned red, with flames dancing around. Her pupil had completely disappeared, making her eyes look much bigger.

He doesn’t get it for a second, like a riddle that takes a few seconds to solve. He thinks, running through the list of every higherup demon he can think of until it hits him. Demons don’t have horns, there’s only one that does, Lucifer. She’s the Devils daughter. Y/n smiles at the gasp Tom lets out.

“Still gotta feed on humans tho, mama was a succubus, what can I say” She chuckles and runs her hands up and down his thighs. He licks his lips and stares with his lips parted, breathing fast and hard.

“Ya know what Tom, I like you. I’m not gonna use you to feed. I’m gonna keep hanging out with you though, think we’d make great friends.” She states flicking her wrist, making the rope holding Tom down falls to the ground. She walks and sits on the bed, crossing her legs and bouncing her top foot.

“You’re letting me go?” He stutters, not quite believeing it. Maybe she likes a good chase, to hunt her prey.

“Sure am, gonna visit you all the time though. We can hang out like mortal friends do. Be a real cool duo.” She shrugs.

“I don’t think either of our fathers would appreciate that.” Tom speaks, that’s the longest sentence he’s been able to confidently say to her yet.

“Oh because our daddy’s are so present in our lives, please. You think i’d be here if my dad actually gave a shit about me. It’s clear you don’t wanna do this either, but you’re an angel so you may not question what the almighty says” She speaks the last part in a deep mocking voice. Tom has nothing to say, letting her know she’s telling the truth.

“Well, go on. I’ll see you soon, don’t stay long or I will feed on you. Haven’t fed tonight” She flashes her fiery red eyes and extended canines at him, jumpstarting his heart and making him almost jog up the steps and out of the hot and humid club.

As he steps out into the street, he breathes deep, confusion clouding his brain. Now that’s he’s nowhere near y/n, he realizes how wrong and purely evil this all is. He rips the necklace off of his neck and places his hands on his head. He should immediately go to his supervisors, but what can they do. Heaven and Hell would wage a mighty war of angels killed Satans daughter. He shakes his head, going back and forth through different scenarios the whole way home.

He gets inside his apartment and locks the door, though he decides to skip the protection protocols. He grabs a water and drinks it down quickly. He crawls into bed and the second before he falls asleep, he imagines y/n laying next to him, wishing him a goodnight.

-

Toms nose crinkles in his sleep, he’s lightly awaken by the smell of, pancakes? He squints his eyes trying to figure out what was going on. He stands and slowly creeps down the hall and into his kitchen. His breath stops when he’s greeted with the sight of y/n dressed in leggings and a red bleach stained t-shirt. She’s quietly humming as she flips pancakes and stirs eggs.

“Morning tommy,” She sings without turning around.

“Uh, what’re you doing here?” He mumbles looking around to see if anyone else is present.

“think that’s pretty obvious angel, i’m cooking breakfast” She finally turns around, a glowing smile on her face and of Tom didn’t know any better, he’d think she was an Angel herself, except for the horns slightly peeking out of her bouncy curls, they look messier than last night but beautiful nonetheless.

“I didn’t know you were serious, uh last night” He gives in, sitting at the table in the kitchen.

“Course I was, don’t worry, I made sure none of your superiors were here before I showed up.” She winked at him, placing a plate of food in front of him.

Tom has to admit it looks and smells delicious. He’s not one for eating a lot, he has no real reason but he enjoys it every now and then again. She sits across from him and begins eating her plate.

“So, what are your plans for the day?” She asks so casually, it almost tricks Tom to believe they’re a completely domestic and mortal couple.

“I have to go to a mission report meeting, about the uh succubus” He gulps down his food and struggles through the sentence.

“Can I go with you?” She asks and tom almost chuckles before he sees her face and realizes she’s serious.

“I can’t, how would I explain you?” He says eyes wide, he knows that you’re not gonna back down to going.

“I’m an angel, i’m on a long term mission to prove that there’s demons in the NYC government.” She says matter of factly. It’s obvious she put thought into this.

“They’d never believe that, they’ll want to see your records and-“

“You already know I can be very persuasive. As long as they look into my eyes I can be whatever I want and they’ll believe, all under the assumption that they’ve come up with the info themselves. Angels are egotistical and very easy to convince.” She shrugs and stands to clean her plate. “Also, i’m not asking you, i’m coming either way. Gotta make sure my club stays out from under your radar.” She winks at Tom.

He puts his head in his hands and sighs deeply,

“Fine but you have to” He looks up at her and sees her now dressed in white jeans and a light blue sweater. Her horns have completely sunk into her hair and her nails are now short and bare.

“Change? Way ahead of ya angel” She smiles walking out of the kitchen and moves towards his room. He quickly stands and follows her, grumbling about how much trouble he’s going to be in of her plan doesn’t work.

[crystallized-iron]

Bite Me - Chapter One

Please read the tags on the Masterlist! Masterlist

***** ***** *****

It was a cold evening. Tiny flakes glistened in his gelled-back dark hair. His boots crunched in the piled snow. Every now and then he would glance around, making sure he wasn’t being followed by anyone his father knew, and was satisfied with the lack of familiar faces. If his father knew he had skipped designing something useful to instead go to a club, the man would kill him.

He came to his destination and took out his ID for the bouncer to see. The bouncer looked him over before handing it back and allowing him inside. Tony flashed him a grin and slipped the ID back into his pocket before going into the building.

There was still a chill around the door, but the temperature further in increased to something more comfortable.

Tony quickly found Rhodey and Pepper at the bar, simply enjoying each other’s company. Rhodey had been his first friend in college and his roommate. Tony ran over to him, making his presence known by wrapping his arms around Rhodey’s waist from behind and then resting his head on the other man’s shoulders. “Hey, honeybear.”

“You’re lucky I wasn’t holding my drink,” Rhodey told him, “or you’d be buying me a new one.”

“Oh, like I can’t afford a drink or two,” Tony said with a dramatic sigh before smiling at Pepper, Rhodey’s girlfriend since their sophomore year at college. It had taken Tony nearly five months to get Rhodey to finally ask the amazing redhead out in the beginning. “Hiya, Pep.”

Pepper returned his smile, getting her own hug from him before he took a seat beside Rhodey. “I see you were able to sneak out. What did you tell Howard this time?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “He thinks I’m still sulking in my room after the last argument.”

“Well, glad you could come out,” said Rhodey.

“As long as I don’t get caught.” His smile faltered for a moment before he had it up again, though now a little more forced. “So what’s new with you guys? He get you a ring yet, Pep?”

Pepper laughed. “I wish. No, he isn’t sure if he wants marriage yet.”

“Seriously?” Tony raised an eyebrow at Rhodey. “You better move fast, someone else might sweep her off her feet.”

Rhodey shook his head. “Weddings are expensive though.”

“If you need to have a fancy schmancy wedding, I can pay for it,” Tony assured him. “But you don’t need something that extravagant to show off your love. You guys can just head to the courthouse. Oh, and be sure to take me along, I don’t want to miss it.”

“He is right, you know,” Pepper spoke up with a smile to her boyfriend. “I wouldn’t mind a courthouse wedding.”

“That’s not even a wedding,” Rhodey argued. “Just the legal stuff.”

“So become mister and missus first, and have the wedding at a later date,” Tony suggested just as the bartender came up.

“You guys,” Rhodey sighed while Tony ordered a beer.

Pepper kissed his cheek. “Relax. I’ll be right back, boys,” she told them, hopping off the stool. “Stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”

“Whatever you say, Pep,” Tony called after her. He watched her head to the restroom and once she was out of sight, he spun on his stool and faced Rhodey, tilting his head with a raise of his brows. “Sooo…”

“So.”

“Did you get it?”

Rhodey gave him a single nod. “Not taking it out here, though. This really is not the place for it.”

Grinning, Tony leaned closer to him. “But you got it. That’s the first step. Excited for you, man.” He patted his buddy’s back. “Hope she says yes to spending the rest of her life with you.”

“Do you think there’s a chance she’ll say no?” Rhodey wondered, his voice lowered as unnecessary nerves began to creep up.

“There’s always a slight chance,” Tony answered him. “Bit of advice, don’t do one of those big engagement event things.”

“Wasn’t even considering that. That’s for guys with way too much time on their hands.”

“Right, and then the show was so big that the girl is pretty much forced into saying yes unless she wants to look like a bitch to the world.”

“Yeah. I will never do that to Pepper. You, though -”

“Am never getting married,” Tony stopped him.

“Never say never, Tones. I know that if you did meet someone, your old man wouldn’t approve, but -”

“Forget approval, I’d probably get fucking disowned and fired on the spot.”

Rhodey gave his friend a sympathetic look. “Sorry your dad’s so old school.”

“Yeah.” Tony glanced at the countertop, finally noticing the beer in front of him. “Did anyone touch this?”

“Only the guy behind the bar,” Rhodey assured. “I would have seen if anyone tried something.”

“Thanks.” He took the glass and held it to his lips as he turned to look the other patrons over. Everyone was having a good time, either dancing or just hanging out, but then his eyes fell onto one of the hottest men he had ever seen. All he could do was stare as his hand slowly lowered.

Rhodey followed his gaze, seeing the man leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Dark long hair hung around the stranger’s shoulders, pale skin appearing almost sickly against black leather.

Rhodey didn’t think Tony had such a type, but then again he never really saw Tony date anyone before. “You gonna go introduce yourself? Looks like he’s alone.”

“Are you kidding? The guy’s probably taken.”

“Never know if you don’t try, Tones,” Rhodey reminded him.

“Using my own words against me.”

“Of course. Go on, go talk to ‘im.”

“It’s not that easy,” Tony muttered, turning his attention back to the counter.

“Tony,” Rhodey began but stopped as Pepper rejoined them. “Hey, can you help him?”

“What’s going on now?” she asked with a peek at Tony.

“Tony’s got his eyes on someone but won’t go and talk to him.”

“Again?” Turning to Tony, she said, “Want one of us to go with you?”

“No,” he replied, finally sipping at his beer.

“Want us to talk to him for you?”

“Definitely no.”

“Well, you’re never going to get anyone if you never talk to them.”

“And that’s fine,” Tony told them. “I don’t need anyone.”

“But you want to have someone someday, right? Better learn how to talk to attractive people, Tones,” Rhodey teased.

Tony rolled his eyes with a sigh before looking down at his hands. He did want a relationship, but it was better in the long run if he kept his distance rather than giving his father another reason to get pissed off at him. If he were more attracted to women, he might feel more at ease with the idea of dating. But the thing was, he was gay, and if Howard ever found out, Tony would most likely be disowned. Losing that tie to his father might not be so horrible given the chaotic nature of their relationship already, but he also risked losing his job at Stark Industries, and that was something he didn’t want to give up.

He was a top designer and the opportunity to see his designs coming to life was something he was not ready to lose, even if it meant never finding love. There was maybe a chance for romance in the far future if he outlived his father and maybe took over the company as soon as the dirt settled, but would it be too late then?

Tony had been so caught up in his head that he didn’t notice the man he had been staring at before had moved until he looked up. The attractive stranger was gone. It was for the best; Tony didn’t need that kind of temptation.

“Hey there,” a deep voice behind him purred, and Tony turned to see him standing so close with a smirk on his lips.

Rhodey and Pepper stared at the stranger while Tony tried to get his brain to work, because, Fuck this guy is hot! “Uh, hey.”

“I caught you watching me,” the man explained as he stepped further into Tony’s space. “Are you interested in something?”

Tony’s brain seemed to short circuit while he stared at the handsome stranger’s lips. He was just so gorgeous and, wait, did he ask Tony a question? He managed to get his brain to function enough to say, “I… in something?”

“Yes?” He placed a hand on Tony’s arm, making him go still, face coloring with warmth as his heart began to race. “Maybe if your friends allow it, we could find an empty room somewhere.”

Tony gulped. Was this happening? Was this really happening?

It took some incredible effort to look away from the beautiful stranger’s face so Tony could turn to his friends. Rhodey raised a brow at him while Pepper mouthed ‘go, go’ with a shoo of her hand.

After taking a breath, hoping to calm his heart but failing, Tony turned back to the man. “Um, sure, okay.”

With a grin, the man’s hand slid from Tony’s arm to his hand, so cold to the touch that Tony involuntarily shuddered at the contact. “Great.”

Tony was led away from the bar, through the sea of dancing bodies moving to the rhythmic beat. His heart pounded in his chest. Something good was happening for once. He had a moment to just be himself with someone. It wasn’t for anything longlasting, but it was still something, and the excitement of that alone sped his heart up even more.

The man found them an empty room easily enough and pulled Tony inside, claiming his lips right then in a hurried kiss. A moan escaped Tony as he shivered from the chill of the stranger’s flesh against his own heated skin.

“Your lips are cold,” he pointed out in a breathy murmur when his partner pulled away.

The man looked at him a moment before his lips turned up in a smile. “It’s cold outside.”

“But - mm…” Tony hummed as the stranger’s hand slipped under his coat and up his shirt, cool against hot.

“But what?” The man’s mouth went to Tony’s throat, planting gentle kisses along it.

Tony gasped when the kissing turned to sucking a bruise onto the side of his neck, his fingers grasping the man’s shirt. “W-when did you… get inside?”

“You really want to focus on temperature?” his partner asked, laughter in his voice.

“Sorry, but…” There were more cold kisses printed on his skin. “It’s ju-just that… that you could, you could be sick.” It became increasingly difficult to concentrate on important thoughts when those amazing lips were on him. “So...ugh, a-are you… are you sick?”

The man lifted his head so he could look into Tony’s eyes. “You’re that concerned about a stranger?”

Tony couldn’t respond at first, getting lost in the icy blue stare. “I…” He remembered to breathe, taking a couple breaths to try to calm himself down. “Yes, because… w-well, your skin, and you’re so… so cold.”

There was a pause as the man’s eyes seemed to glisten in the light and soon there was a more thoughtful smile on his lips. “What’s your name?”

“Mine?” A series of blurry thoughts flew through Tony’s mind before he could answer. “It’s… i-it’s Tony.”

“Tony… I like that. Short for Anthony, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Well, Tony, I’m -” there was a short hesitation that he dissipated with a small shake of his head - “Bucky.”

“Bucky.”

“Yes.” He let go of Tony then, the sudden lack of physical contact making something ache inside of Tony as Bucky backed away toward the door. “And I’m not going to do it to you.”

“Wait, wait!” He ruined it. He asked too many questions and fucking ruined it! “D-don’t go, please! I’m sorry! I didn’t know I wasn’t -”

“Hey, no.” Bucky covered Tony’s mouth with his hand before he started rambling again. “Stop. You’re not in trouble.” He kissed Tony on the forehead after seeing the tears filling the other’s eyes. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Tony wanted to ask what he meant, trying to pull the hand away; when Bucky did, it was to give Tony another kiss, sliding his tongue inside which, like the rest of Bucky, felt so frigid. But Tony didn’t want to ask anymore, didn’t want to ruin it. He kissed him back in desperation, and when Bucky pulled away again, Tony tried to follow, but he was met with Bucky’s hand on his chest instead to keep distance between them. Looking up at Bucky’s face, Tony was shocked to see the pained expression.

What happened between them that would cause that reaction?

“I won’t hurt you,” Bucky said again.

“You’re not going to hurt me,” Tony whispered, trying to argue. “Please don’t leave, please!”

But Bucky took a step back, his hand like a barrier between them. “If we continue, I will hurt you.”

Tony disagreed, was about to voice it but suddenly the hand was gone. Bucky was gone out the door, and Tony was alone. The room felt too large, too empty, and his breath quickened. His time was up and all he got were a few desperate kisses. It wasn’t fair!

The tears began to trickle down as he fell to his knees. Why did he leave? What did I do? Hands covered his eyes as the tears kept coming. It hurt. It hurt so much. What did I do?

Why did it hit him so hard?

He gave himself time to calm down, wiping the tear tracks on his cheeks, and hoping there would be no more before he went back out to his friends. After finding them in the same spot, he made a quick glance around the room - no sign of Bucky. It was as though he simply disappeared.

With a sigh, he walked back to Rhodey and Pepper. She noticed him first, and he must have looked crushed because she quickly pulled him into a hug.

“Tones, what happened?” Rhodey asked.

“Uh, didn’t , d-didn’t work out,” Tony replied, cursing his shaky voice.

“Why not?” Pepper asked, caressing his head with her fingers. “We thought -”

“I-I talked too much, I guess.”

Rhodey put his arms around them, the two of them keeping Tony enveloped in a loving embrace. “Sorry, man.”

“It’s fine… It’s fine… I’ll just forget about him. Not try again.”

“Tony, it’s okay,” Pepper tried to tell him. “That guy doesn’t know what he’s missing, just walking out on you like that.”

“Please just stop.”

Pepper held onto him even when Rhodey let go, the two sharing a concerned look for their friend.

It was rare for Tony to get so close to a glimpse of what happiness could be like in his life, but now the reality was back in full force and he hated it.

===== ===== =====

Next Chapter

[xavierplym]

Babysitting Duties.

Chapter two, part two.

wc; 3.7k

Time to get lit.

“You did what?!” Olive pulls her phone away from her ear as Mel basically screams down the phone. “Olive, wait. Wait, wait, wait.” She rolls her eye as she holds her phone between her shoulder and ear to light a cigarette. “What was I supposed to do?!” The tall girl say abruptly, cigarette hanging between her lips. She continues to listen to her friend ramble on, if she rolled her eyes any more, they’ll do a 360. “Mel, honey. You’re making it out like it’s a bad thing,” she laughs to her friend, walking down the street minutes to their flat. “No, no. It’s not that, it’s just…” her sentence drifts as if she was still thinking, another eye roll from Olive as she takes a drag, she waits for her friend’s response. “The girls are gonna freak. I’m already freaking!” the friend on the other end of the phone groans dramatically and then laughs at herself. Olive cant help but chew the inside of her cheek, “Yeah, that’s true. But it’s not like I’m not going to warn them though!” “To be honest, there’s only one person I’m mainly worried about.” Mel mumbles and chokes back a laugh, Olive only sighs, breathing out the smoke. “Hope.” The friends say in unision.

Not that there was any problem with Hope, Hope was great. But the worry the two friends share is the fact she’s probably going to pass out when Noah walks through the door. You can say she’s a fan.

The two friends laugh over the phone as Olive keeps walking and turns a corner to the street she lives on, getting closer to her flat building, she sees a familiar figure exit a convenient store in the distance past her building. Olive loudly laughs and throws her cigarette, hanging up the phone. Shrugging as she walks closer to the figure, to get a laugh in response. The two friends stop infront of each other in front of their building still laughing. “How the fuck you gonna tell them?” Olive smirks to her friend and raises a brow, “Maybe I won’t?” She then turns to head to the door. “Oh Lord, that’s not a safe idea.” Mel laughs out following her evil thinking friend.

-

The two friends are dancing round their living room, hair wrapped in towels, wine glasses in hand and bodies covered in matching onesies they both bought as a half joke and now always wear whenever they pamper together. Olive moves to the kitchen to top off her glass and check her battery percentage, thinking intensely she looks to her friend who was checking her own phone. “Do I message him?” She says bluntly and causes her friend’s eyes to snap up at her, gulping down her wine. Her friend then smirks and brings her glass to her lips, “I would.”

Olive looks back to her phone, opening Instagram. She accepted Noah’s follow request when she was on the tube and left it at that, not checking her phone since. Once opening Instagram, she checks her notifications and is surprised to see Noah has liked her recent post. Not surprised because it was a cute message for her friend, Molly, wishing her a happy 21st birthday. It was more the fact they were all pretty embarrassing photos of not only Molly, but herself too. The first photo saying enough. A great memory they shared together and was captured at the most perfect time. It was only a couple of months back to Olive’s 21st birthday, everyone dressed in 70s wear and it was them two on the floor, Molly ontop of Olive, faces of shock and laughter, Olive holding her cup in the air and her drink splashing in the air. A bit of a messy photo, but a photo she cherishes the most with that one friend. Smiling to herself, shaking her head to the fact Noah has now seem such states. She heads to his profile and heads to send him a message.

She stares at the blank message box, not knowing what to say. She pulls a face, annoyed her brain is refusing to work. Sighing, she grabs her glass and takes a large gulp of her wine.

Olive (5:36pm): If you’re still down for tonight, meet us at 8 at Vodka Revolutions yasss

She presses send quickly before she backs out and locks her phone straight away, turning back and downing the rest of her wine, hoping that’d stop her nerves getting in the way for no reason. Her eyes shift back to her phone as her screen lights up, “what the fuck,” Mel’s lips go to a small oh shape, in slight shock also. “nahhh, already?” Olive slowly nods and then giggle at their reactions. She lift her phone and reads the message from her lock screen. “Sounds good, girl,” Her eyes shift from her screen to her friend who was watching her without blinking, Olive breathes out a laugh and carries on. “I’ll make sure I’m there 10 minutes early so I can get the first round for you girls,” Olive laughs and shakes her head, “Wink emoji, beer clinking emoji, kiss- fuck!” The two girls laugh and curse out of disbelief. “Reply! Replyyy!” Olive scoffs at her friend and unlocks her phone,

Noah (5:38pm): sounds good girl ill make sure im there 10 minutes early so I get the first round for you girls x

Olive (5:41pm): ooh, what a gentleman Rum and cokes all round x

Noah (5:46pm): my kind of ladies see you honeys later x

She pushes her tongue against her cheek and tosses her phone onto the couch, heading to prepare herself for the antics that will be tonight.

-

Olive hops off the tube, spinning on the platform loudly singing the lyrics to Mr. Brightside. She’s feeling free and comfortable, with her black wash mom jeans and light Hawaiian shirt tied to compliment her waist, rocking with her well-worn converse. Mel shortly gets off after her, following her friend with her flash on her phone filming an obvious snapchat video. Laughing loudly, Mel captures Olive spinning again and slightly tripping over her own foot, causing her to stumble. Olive lets out a loud awkward laugh and moves closer to Mel, pushing up her roundish glasses up her nose, slightly embarrassed. Also, not enjoying the fact she’s needing specs tonight after running out of contacts. You can say the wine has gotten to their heads already.

Running up the stairs on to a busy street of London, they see the location they need to be at to meet the rest of the group they’re with tonight. Entering the bar with ease, they try their hardest to keep straight faces so the bouncers don’t think they’re a pair of lightweights. Olive’s shoulders lightly shake as she quietly laughs and pulls out her phone, checking the time. “ “Okay.” She turns to her friend, who smiles widely when they make eye contact, earning a stifle chuckle from Olive. “It’s seven forty-ish. We’ve literally only have ten minutes to find them and tell them Noah is gonna join u-“ Olive is cut off by the sudden outburst of squeals and laughter. “Yas!” The group of friends speed walk over to each other and happily embrace in a group hug. Olive frees herself to know grab Molly by the shoulders and pulls her into her chest, “Happy birthday, my angel!” Molly laughs, ecstatic. Wrapping her arms tightly around Olive’s waist and sway side to side. “This is crazy! It’s been so long!” Molly pulls away and cups Olive’s face, squeezing her cheeks making the tall girl laugh. “We’re no longer allowed to stay this far apart for this long, all of us!”

The group laugh together and find a booth to settle at, before Olive got distracted by conversation, Mel lightly elbows her side and gives her a look. “Oh yeah,” She mutters to her friend beside her. “How did today go, Olive, man?” Hope quickly adds in, looking eager, causing the tall blonde to laugh. “Yeah about that guys,” The three girls faces drop. “Oh no! it went great! It was amazing, he was great…” “Knew it” Hope’s eyes pretty much go into heart shapes at the thought. “Hmm, yeah he was fab. He asked me after what was fun to do around here, as yknow” Shrugging to Mel, her and Olive nod to one another. “yeah, he’s on his own for a while before he has friend to visit.” Olive grips tighter to the Despirado bottle she bought just before sitting down. Her friends look at her intensely. “Well, yknow I felt bad and didn’t want him to not do anything tonight. So, I uh – haha.” She struggles to get her words out, looking at her friend’s faces. Mollys brows furrow in worry. Beth remains blank where Hope’s expression is just shock. “Yeah, he’s gonna meet us in like,” She pulls her phone out of her bag to see a notification. “Haha, well he’s probably gonna meet us in about 30 seconds as he’s now here apparently.” Hope pretty much chokes on her drink, covering her mouth with her hand where as the other two laugh. “Oh shit, mate!” Beth loudly expresses her words and hits Hope across the arm as she still struggles to catch her breath. Mel puts her head in her hands, not being able to cope with her friends reactions and chuckles, noticing faces turning to the loud girls. Olive can only chug pretty much most of her tequila beer and sighing in amusement. “Honestly guys, act cool for fuck sake. After getting over the fact he’s an actor, you’ll realise he is just someone the same age as us” She chuckles out to her friends who are in other conversations on how to cope. Olive stands up from her chair to head to the bar, in hope to meet Noah before the rest do. To pre warn, of course. As she heads over she turns back to look at her friends and she lowers her hand to silently tell them to chill and they only giggle to themselves and carry on with their conversations. She continues to head to the bar and chugs down the rest of her beer to settle her nerves. Mid-chug, she noticed the tall, messy haired man walk in. Hand running through his hair, looking around looking for a particular person. Not even finishing her drink, she raises her hand to get his attention, locking eyes his smile turns bright with amusement as he’s already seeing her chug down a beer. With the same hand, Olive points over to the bar for him to meet her there. Nodding his head at her with agreement, he makes his way through the growing crowed. Olive sets down her empty bottle on the bar counter and looks in both directions to see where a free bartender would be. A tall figure stands close to Olive, due to the crowd. She adjusts her specs and looks up brightly smiling knowing already who it is. As a bright smile is returned, a hand is placed on her lower back. “I can’t believe you’re chugging beer already, and without me!” He chuckles out his words, loud enough to be heard over the music. The speccy girl rolls her eyes and mockingly laughs, “Believe me, you’re going to want to soon.” He cocks his head and gives her a look in confusion, pushing her to keep talking. She gives an awkwardly funny side smile to him, “My friends are more than excited to meet you, as yknow,” His face goes slightly smug and she presses her lips together, not amused as he doesn’t get what she’s talking about. “I’m just saying!” smacking his shoulder lightly to then have a bartender take your attention away to get your order. As you were about to request, Noah buts in. “Six Rum and cokes, please, buddy!” His voice is raised slightly for the bartender to hear and he gives Noah a nod. Olive turns her head to look at him, brows furrowed with a false shocked expression, he mocks her look but not being able to stop his smile getting wider. “A man who keeps to his word. Such a daydream, you are.” Her voice slightly filled with sarcasm, he shrugs his shoulders and exhales a laughs. “I didn’t get a chance to get the first round, so not exactly keeping to my word,” The bartender returns with a try of six drinks, telling Noah the price. He bring out his wallet from his back pocket and hands him the cash. “But that isn’t my fault you guys aren’t patient enough.” He winks in her direction, grabbing the tray. Not having any free hands, he bumps her side with his hip, “You gotta lead the way.” He smirks down at her as he can tell she’s getting nervous, “I’m sure they’re going to be fine.” He tries to help as they walk to the direction to the booth the girls are at. “Oh, my friends are fine! But Hope is the one to watch out for.” She keeps walking but he stops for a moment, “Wait, what does that mean?!” He dramatically says, she rolls her eyes and turns on her feet to look at him with an amused smile. “She – She just, really loves Peter Kavinsky.” She says with humour and he returns with pushing his tongue to his cheek, raising his brows with confidence.

Getting closer to the booth, all four girls look towards Olive’s direction. Excitement taking over their expressions. Noah lets out a smiley laugh and lifts the tray of drinks, Beth and Mel raises their arms with joy, Molly laughing more and Hope’s face not changing since Noah’s came into view. “Yes, lad!” Beth cheers, standing from her seat as the two get closer. “Ladies! Good to meet you!” Noah can’t help being excited either, enjoying the energy he’s getting from the group. Going between Hope and Molly, he places the tray down onto the table. Hope looks over to Mel and mouths ‘Oh my god.’ Still in shock and trying to remain calm. Olive takes her glasses off briefly to rub the corner of her eyes to hide the laughter to Hope’s reaction. Coughing to grab the groups attention she stands next to Noah, reaching up to wrap an arm over his broad shoulders. “Ladies,” She speaks calmly and confidently, waving her other hand to his direction. “Noah.” He leans back with a chuckle, enjoying her way to introduce everyone, he reaches for a drink and takes a sip looking to the girl next to him. “Noah,” She looks back to him and then back to the girls, “Mel, Beth, Molly,” She then turns her head dramatically to Hope, who’s covering her cheeks with her hands to cover her bright smile. “That’s Hope.” “Oh! You’re Hope? It’s great to meet you, girl.” He sets his drink down and then leans over to bring her into a hug and places a light kiss on her cheek. Hope melts in her seat, “Wow, holy shit.” She couldn’t bring herself to say anything else and Noah’s shoulders shake holding back a laugh and rests his head on her shoulder briefly.

Hugs are passed around, welcoming the new member to the group for tonight and conversation flows between the group, all together as well as small conversations separately. Noah sits there comfortably, enjoying the girls talking amongst themselves as well as to him, getting him involved. “So Noah!” Beth grabs his attention, bringing her glass up to take a sip. “How did our lovely Olive do today for the video?” His expression becomes amused as he looks over to the girl next to him as shes waving her hand and looking away like an embarrassed child, “Beth, stop! You’re worse than my mum, I swear” Beth only shrugs and pouts her lips, not caring and her looks goes back to the hazel eyed man. “Hah, well.” He lingers, causing Olive to snap her head round to look at him, causing him to scoff. “she did great. Of course she did.” All the girls look towards Olive with pride, causing her to place her head between her hands, enjoying the praise. “It was lots of fun, it was great to see him squirm.” She chuckles evilly, Noah rolling his eyes he then nudges her not realising she was taking a gulp of her drink, making her spill her drink slightly onto her lap. “Oh shit! I’m sorry –“ He laughs loudly like the rest of the girls do, whereas Olive sits there acting not amused. “On that note!” Olive exclaims loudly, she washes down whats left in her glass, “I’m gonna get more drinks, because,” She gets up as she speaks and turns facing the group again. “Because, well. I want to get drunk.” She shrugs and scoffs, disappearing into the crowd towards the bar.

Everyone is a little bit intoxicated by now, more stories as well as jokes are being told. Laughing at one another is happening that little bit more as well as pictures and videos being captured of the night. The group are expressing the overdrive of confidence by taking it out on the dancefloor with the rest of the crowd. Singing loudly and badly but not giving a care in the world. Noah comes back from the bar after offering Olive a drink. He gets to the edge of the dance floor for the music to change. I Like It, Cardi B blasts out of the speakers and the groups of girls he has befriended are cheering and changing their dance moves. He breathes out a short laugh watching the sight, not being able to help his eyes falling onto Olive, for a woman he only met eleven hours ago, he couldn’t of enjoyed someone’s presence more already. Even for someone to dance terribly and not care, she did it so well and he couldn’t help for it amusing him. Holding two bottles between fingers, he now using his free hand to get out his phone, he was in temptation to record the moment before him. Mid filming, Olive’s gaze finds him as well as his phone pointing to their direction. Smile getting wider, she points to his direction singing along to the lyrics towards him. “Oh, he’s so handsome, what’s his name?” She shouts towards him, dancing more for the video. He shakes his head, being more entertained and taps on his phone before putting it back in his pocket. Looking back up to her direction he remains still for a moment, causing her to do the same. He suddenly yelps out the lyrics and walks into the middle of the dancefloor, joining his new friends.

-

3:20am and Noah, Olive and Mel are on the tube, dancing around the empty carriage. Incredibly intoxicated at this rate, like the rest of them were. Beth, Hope and Molly called it a night an hour before and decided to head back to the hotel after tight hugs and loving goodbyes.

“KiKi, Do you looove me?!” Noah awfully sings out, making his voice crack while swinging around the pole in the middle of the carriage. “What the fuuuck?” Olive laughs at her sights as she takes another snap of many she’s taken that night. Noah looks towards the girl, with his arm extended so he’s leaning to the side, “Are you ridin’!” Just as he was going to continue, the tube comes to a stop causing his fingers to slip and for him to fall flat onto his back, his arms fall back and he’s just laying there. The two girls, through tearful laughter, quickly rush to him to get him up. “Holy shit – are, are you okay?!” Mel is gasping for breath, not getting over what she just witnessed and Olive is just unable to talk as an inaudible laugh is coming out of her. “Dude, pft.” Noah straightens his posture and puffs out his chest, “I was meant to do that.” Not being able to hold back he joins in on the laughter and throws his shoulder around Olive’s shoulder, for slight support, and exists the tube.

-

Sunrise is starting to come through the buildings of London as the three are sitting out on the small balcony Olive and Mel share. “I’m pooped guys, I can’t hold on any longer.” Mel sadly admits and gets up from her corner, stretching she goes over to olive for a hug and does the same for Noah, expressing how it was a pleasure to meet him. He says the same, returning the hug and she heads inside. The two sit in a comfortable silence for a couple of moments, with the faint sound of music in the background coming from Olive’s phone. Noah leans his head back onto the wall behind him and looks toward the also visibly tired girl. “Tonight was a blast.” She look back at him with a light smile and sleepy eyes. “You don’t need to stay up,” He speaks gently, wanting to sooth her. She only shrugs and stands, he does the same and they’re stood face to face. “We have a very comfortable sofa bed if you want to crash?” She speaks quietly, not having anymore energy – but still filled with humour. He slowly nods, happily accepting the offer, not being able to help his intoxicated mind wonder and take in the details of her face.

Hey. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful angel. Love your imperfections every angle, Tomorrow comes and goes before you know. So I just had to let you know.

Soft lyrics fill the silence, Olive lips form into a smile as Noah stays silent. “Do I have something on my face?” Breaking the moment, he looks down at his feet. Somewhat feeling embarrassed. “I – sorry. Hah, you’re just – You’re just looking really pretty tonight.” Olive is taken back by the sudden compliment and feels her cheeks heat up causing the corners of Noah’s lip to curl upward. Breaking away from the moment, Olive looks through the window into the living room. “Lets go to bed.” Noah, again nods in agreement, cocking his head to the side as he watches her walk back into the flat.

[samkat10423]

Adventures With Theo - 03-26-2012, 02:27 PM

Hokay! Can you hear me? I'm whimperin real soft like, so no one hears me, 'kuz I'm in this here box, doncha know! Well, you prabebly don't, 'kuz you're not here. But beleeve me, I'm in here! And I don't want the crew Sims to hear me, 'kuz if they do, they might throw me off the spazship, and I can't fly. For real! I tried wunz when I was a little. Kayana told me if I flapped my arms real hard, I would be able to. But, you know what! I think she might have lied to me. 'Kuz I got up on the roof like she said, and ran real, real fast, and flapped for all I was worth, and it still didn't work! Not even a little bit! Busted my arm, I did! In two spots! And boy, was my mom mad at me! Had to go to the hospitible, and get one of them kastor thingies. Which was pretty cool, 'kuz you can rite on 'em and draw piktures and stuff. But anyways, I gotta be real quiet like, so no one hears me. But I wanted to let you know, I made it! How cool is that! And in a kuple hours, I'll be on Loonytic Lakes, for real this time. At least I hope so. 'Kuz like I told you before, this box ain't got no bathroom, and I kinda got to go now. Like rite NOW! And it's kinda hard to cross your legs, when you're all scrunched up inside a box, doncha know. Well, it is! Swhew! Well, the ship finelly landed. I'm not real sure when, 'kuz this box doesn't have a klock or any windoz. So I can't see outside. Witch is one of the reasons I haven't taken any piktures. And it's dark in here too! And I don't have a flash on this kamera. And, to be honest, I might have fallen asleep. 'Kuz it's dark, doncha know! But I can hear some Sims talkin, and they said somethin about goin into town for a beer, after work. So I'm guessin we're on the ground. I mean, I don't think there are any towns out in spaz, just floatin around, but I could be wrong. I think they had that one town in them Star Warz, but that Dartie Wader dude blasted it to smithereens. At least, I think so. I'll have to check that out, the next time I visit one of those hysteria mooseeums. Anyways, now I gotta figyer out how to get out of this here box. I tried to push the lid off, but I think one of them Sims screwed it on real tight like, right before they loaded this box on the ship. At least I think I remember hearin a drill go whirrrr. So, I gotta think real hard for a minute or so. Maybe longer..... Unless you got some idea? Oh! Wait! I think someone is liftin the box! I sure hope they don't stack any boxes on top of this one, 'kuz then I'd really be in trouble. Maybe I should just start makin some noise? But then, I might get arrested again, for sneakin onto this world without a tikit. The crew on my last ship said crews hate tow-aways more than anythin, 'sept those Origin dudes. They hate them the most! Them and their launcher. But, what do you think? Should I maybe make some noise and get rerested, or keep still and hope for the best? I don't know ether.... I tell you true. It's times like these that I wish my sisters were here. Or maybe Annie. 'Kuz they're so smart, doncha know.

Well, while I was debatin what to do, I heard some skratchin on the outside of my box. Then a bark! And next thing I know, the lid came off, and two guys with a funny-lookin dog, were starin down at me. The one guy thought he rekegnized my pikture from some newzpaper he read. But the uther guy kept yammerin somethin about, "I'm telling you, Zenr, she sure doesn't look like any art supplies I've ever seen. And this box is plainly marked, 'Art Supplies'. Do you think someone in packaging made a mistake, Zenr?" So, the green dude with the oranjey-red hair, told his friend, "I'm telling you, Leisr, this is Shelley Cooper, the theoretical physicist, the guys out at the bio-robotics lab have been expecting. The paper said Dr. Cooper was coming here to give a lecture on quantum mechanics and string theory." "But if that's true, why'd she come inside a box marked "Art Supplies,' Zenr? And I thought that scientist's name was Sheldon, not Shelley." "Sheldon, Shelley... you know how those reporters always get everything ass-backwards." "That still doesn't explain the box."' "These science types are all crazy, Leisr. No offense, ma'am. Probably doing some kind of weird experiment. Again, no offense, ma'am."" "I don't know, Zenr. Seems pretty peculiar to me. I say we call the MPs."

Well, I figyered my goose was cooked for sure! ‘Speshelly sinz I didn’t know what the frack they were jabberin about. And I know lots! No lie! Anyways, to stall for some time, whllst I thinked things through a bit, I asked them if I could get my notebook out of the box, 'kuz it's the only thing I own right now. (I didn't tell them that part. Jist that I needed my notes.) And I don't know what I said.... Well I do, 'kuz I jist told you, but all of a sudden the blue guy - Leisure - gets kinda nervous and squirmy. So the green dude asks me, "Notebook? What kind of notebook?" "Nothin speshel. Just some observations that I've been makin." (That's a new word I learnt. I saw one of those "Word A Day" books in the bookstore on that last world I was on, and I wrote it down. Mostly 'kuz I liked the way it sounded. Ob-ser-va-tion! I'm still not too sure what it means. Prabebly somethin to do with a vakation, doncha think! 'Kuz of the 'vation' part.) But it must have been the right thing to say, 'kuz all of a sudden both dudes got real respektable like. The green guy even took my pikture with that gizmo he had hangin from his belt, while the blue guy called someone on his walker-talker. While they were waitin for the guy he had called to anser, I desided, that it would be a good time to ask about a bathroom. 'Kuz I still had to GO!

Anyways, while they were argyooin over where the klosest one was, I desided to jist go look for one on my own. I mean, I had to g-o-o, GO! Luckily, there was one klose by. And after I got done, I desided to just keep on walkin toward the road. I fiyered, if the dog dudes came lookin for me, and asked me why I didn't come back, I'd jist fib a little and tell them I got losted.

Well, wunz I got out by the main road, there was this gardhouz, and I figyered my goose was really cooked this time! (BTW, that's Kayana's faverite sayin, about the goosez. And it's pretty good, doncha think!) Now, where was I....? Oh yeah! The gards! They had guns and everythin! Maybe even some bullets. 'Korz I didn't look down the pointy end of their guns, but I'm guessin they prabebly had some in there. But they jist waved at me, and said, "Welcome to Ankh-Morpork, Dr. Cooper. Here's your planetary visa, and ID. And we've taken the liberty to call for a car for you, to take you over to the science facility. Your driver should be here in about ten minutes." Well, I did not know what to do! I mean I'm pretty smart, and I do know lots of big words, but I'm not sure I could fool a bunch of scienz guys. While I was argyooin with myself about what I should do, the gard had leave to anser the phone. And luckily for me, I saw one of those metro stop buildinz across the road. So, I ran - even though there's that Twoftmama law against it - over to the stop. And it's a good thing I ran, 'kuz it was a lot farther away than I thought, and the car showed up jist as I reached it!

And guess what! That Idea card the gard gave me.... It got me a ride on the metro! How cool is that! All I had to do, was swipe it through this thingamajig and a tikit popped out. Was that lucky or what! So I rode on the metro, 'til that line stopped. When I got back outside, it was near this big dome thing and a stadeeyum. No soldiers in sight! Witch was good, let me tell you. ‘Kuz wanna know a sekrit? Their guns skared me. For real! But there were two guys playin frisbee. So I desided to go ask them where I was. I mean, this plaz is a lot prettier than that last world. It even has some trees, but I didn't see any skwere lakes or yellow ground. And that gard said somethin about, welkomin me to an ant park. Witch doesn't sound much like Loonytic Lakes, do you think? So I walked over there, and waited 'til they were done playin. Then I asked the adult - 'kuz, up close I could tell the one was a little. And even though I like littles, sometimes they aren't as informulated as us adults. No, it's true! I think it's 'kuz their brains are still growin inside their heads, doncha know.

At first he thought I had amneesure. You know, that dihzeez that you get when you bang your head real hard on somethin. But I told him, I had jist urr....urriv...come here from out-there spazes, and I think my crew might've got themselves losted out there in the dark. 'Kuz it was really, really dark out there, doncha know. And I didn’t see any headlights on the ship. And I wanted to make sure they got me where I was sepozed to be. (I added that last part, 'kuz I didn't want to let him know I was a tow-away, and have me rerested for comin here without a tikit.)

Well, he kinda looked at me all subspicious like, and asked to see my 'papers'. Good thing that gard gave me some, utterwise I'd been in big trouble! But wunz he read my name was 'Dr. Cooper,' he was real nice. Told me that this is someplace called Antie-Morpork, which is NOT!! Loonytic Lakes. So abveeslee that merrychant back at that bar was lyin about where his ship was headed! But this dude says he's the Petrishen - or somethin like that - Lord Havelock Vetinari. I don't know what any of that means, but I think he has somethin to do with pollyticks. Anyways, he asked me if I'd like to do with him to a klub and get somethin to eat. And sinz I hadn't had anythin to eat in like ferever, I figyered, "Why not!"

So we went to this really nice place called the Black Ops Club. I think it's a dance klub, 'kuz the bouncer at the door didn't get all snotty about my klotz. He didn't even card me, witch is good. 'Kuz even though I’ve got that new photo idea from the gard at the base, I didn't have time to memoryize any of the stuff on it. I mean, if that bouncer had asked me that Dr. Cooper Sim's birthday, I don't know what I'd say. 'Kuz chances are, it's not the same as mine, doncha think.

Anyways, Havelock and I danced some. And for an aleeon, he's pretty good. Almost as good a dancer as me, and I'm really, really good! No lie! Then I met some more aleeons. One lady Sim looked like she had spinach growin out of her head. Witch would be really handy if you ever got real hungry, doncha think! But Remus Lupin - Havelock told me that he's a wizard - told me it was her hair. So I guess she can't eat it, after all. Witch is kinda sad, sinz I bet it would have tasted good with some Ranch dressin.

While Havelock was gettin us some drinks, Remus told me, "The rumors of my and Nymphadora's recent deaths are greatly exaggerated!" I don't know what that means, but everyone else seemed to think it was a great joke. But, you want to know a sekrit? I think they were all pretty drunk, 'kuz they all thought he was dancin with that Nymphadora Sim, but I didn't see anybody. Unless she's indivisible. Then of korz, I wouldn't be able to see her, doncha know! Leastways, I don't think so. But I did learn somethin useful. Somethin real impourtent! And I'll tell you all about it, when I get back from the bathroom!

[itispossibleihaveissues]

Another Perfect Catastrophe -4

AUTHOR: Mikimoo PAIRING: JayDick RATING: Mature

WARNINGS: Non Consensual drug use, Non Consensual touching, Non Consensual kissing, humour, slight mayhem

SUMMARY: Dick goes undercover as himself in order to catch a gang of international thieves. Jason reluctantly tags along as his long suffering bodyguard. During the ensuing mayhem they get to know each other again and build a few bridges.

Thank you to burkesl17 for the beta!

Notes: An embarrassingly long time ago, the amazing and very, very talented Pentapus invited me to do a reverse bang style exchange, and drew me an amazing prompt. I have no idea how this story was the one that emerged from the many options I had, but such is the creative process I guess! Anyhoo, many thanks to Pentapus for both encouragement and patience, and of course the incredible art! (which will be included at the end of the appropriate chapter)

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

 “Oh, it’s very rustic!” Dick said, as the limo drew up the grand sweeping driveway.

The place was a damn castle, with an actual turret. Jason tried not to be impressed. “When was it built?” he asked Celia, opening the car door for her. He was curious to know if she had bothered even doing any research about the place.

“Mid Seventeen Hundreds,” she said primly, as she disembarked. Her designer heels crunched menacingly as she stalked towards the house. It seemed Richie Grayson had been getting on her nerves during the long, sober drive from London. At least Dick seemed to be in better spirits, getting under the skin of this little gang of thieves seemed to have improved his mood immensely, and he was practically swaggering towards the house.

“That's kind of old isn't it?” Dick said, in his most obnoxious, dumb-ass tone. “I would have thought your dad would have bought something a little newer, more spunky? Bruce got me an island for my eightieth. A private getaway, you know? But it was kind of shit, so I sold it for a penthouse in New York and a jet.”

Celia forced her mouth into something that resembled a smile, but she still looked like she was thinking about gutting him and possibly setting fire to his innards.

Sofia came to the rescue and draped herself over Dick's arm while she smoldered up at him. “Tell me more about your travels.”

Dick launched into a hugely embellished story about how he had once met the Queen. Jason noticed he left out the fact that he had been ten and had spilled juice down his shirt. Bruce seemed to remember that incident fondly, although at the time they had spoken about it, Jason had felt he had been really glad it had been Dick who had been on that trip with him. He remembered how that had stung, even though he didn’t want to go see some stuck-up old lady in her big stupid palace. He had spent so much time consumed with jealousy and fear of not being good enough, just remembering it made Jason’s chest ache with its echoes.

As they entered the foyer, a tall man came to greet them. “Celia, you brought guests,” he said, smiling insincerely. His eyes lingered on Jason with cool assessment.

“Henry! I didn't realise you would be here!” Celia said, unconvincingly. “This is my brother Henry. Are you here with friends too?”

“Yes, just four of us, but we'll stay out of your way. I'm sure you kids want to have fun.”

He didn't look like her brother, he looked like a bouncer or hired muscle, a mercenary maybe. He moved like a fighter, confident, and like he was used to packing a gun. Unusual for a Brit who wasn't attached to armed police or the military.

Things were taking shape now. They had armed back up and an isolated environment to work with so it probably wouldn’t be long until things kicked off. Hopefully he and Dick would be ready for them.

 Jason was given his own room, but he chose to join Dick in his while he 'rested' after the trip. They chatted about the estate, their plans and casually flirted, while carrying on a second conversation via text. Until they could check for hidden cameras and bugs there was no point in taking chances.

So, research house then snooping? Dick wrote, while glibly commenting on the twee furnishings in the room.

find me blueprints while i check for bugs

Jason scanned the room using the Wayne Tech installed in his phone. He detected what appeared to be a crude camera in the light fixture and a recording device under the bedside cabinet. He texted as much to Dick. It was going to be difficult to cover the camera subtly – Jason had a brief vision of tearing Dick's shirt off and flinging it over the light shade, but it was unlikely to actually work in any convincing manner. They were going to have to work fast or things might get awkward, if not downright fucked up.

“If you're going to nap, then I'll take a look round the grounds if you don't mind?” Jason said out loud.

“Cool, wear your jacket, it’s pretty chilly out. I thought we could go to the beach, but it's freezing!” Dick pouted.

“It's England in May, Richie, not exactly the Bahamas.” Jason didn't bother to hide his peeved tone, he didn't need Dick reminding him how to do his damn job, of course he would wear his own, armoured jacket, that was the whole point of bringing it. Although they worked well together, Dick did have a tenancy to drive Jason insane, especially when it came to his duel inclinations towards being both bossy, overbearing and a mother hen.

Still, he felt good putting on his real gear, the weight of it was comforting. His pockets were filled with electrical goodies for planting his own bugs and he felt his mood lift slightly. He was looking forward to getting this wrapped up and hopefully cracking a few heads in the process.

He headed out into the gardens first, checking carefully for surveillance. They hadn't set much up - very sloppy and overconfident. If 'Henry' was a merc, he was a piss poor example of one.

He did a circuit of the house, first he went through what would in summer no doubt be an impressive rose garden, then across a perfect lawn of fresh green grass that smelt like heaven after a week of bar rooms and sweaty drunks. From the edge of the lawn he could see what looked to be a freaking hedge maze, and beyond that, cliffs and the sea.

Finally he made his way back towards the small back courtyard and headed back inside via the terrace. He had yet to see anyone, either the brats or the hired muscle, so he cautiously but casually investigated the lower floors. He planted a few bugs, and mentally marked the location of any he had located during his search. The two rooms he most needed to enter were the master bedroom and the lower office, where he suspected the gang was hanging out and plotting. But there would be time for that later.

 He headed back out to the gardens with his cigarettes, making it obvious he was going for a smoke, although the artifice was kind of pointless, nobody seemed to give a shit what he was doing. He easily avoided the crappy surveillance outside and headed towards where the blueprints told him the office was. He wouldn't have a chance to get inside for a while, but he could still gather some intel. He positioned himself by the window and switched on his ear bud, then used a small but powerful microphone to pick up the conversation inside.

“Why the fuck is the bodyguard here?” That sounded like 'Henry'.

“Because Richie Rich is fucking him and can't stand to be separated for a single day.” Celia's voice snapped.

“You know we will have to kill him, it's going to get fucking messy.”

They had no idea how messy. Jason idly wished he could just whack the lot of them, no further investigation, no proof to stand up in court, no more dealing with all of these fuckheads. But the tenuous relationship that had formed between himself and Bruce, and even with Dick, was not something he actually wanted to sacrifice, or at least not for these bunch of morons

“It could work in our favour,” Celia said, jarring Jason from his murderous daydreams.

“I don't see how, and we've never killed a mark before, let alone two.” That was Jack.

“We will do what we have to,” Celia said. “The thing is, Bruce Wayne might be a drunken perv most of the time, but when it comes to business he's very shrewd. He has declared no ransom should be paid in the event of his own kidnap. The few times he has paid a ransom for someone else, he's got his money back after the fact through hiring people to hunt the perps down.”

Maybe she was the brains behind the operation after all. Actually doing research. One point to House Denbury.

“So, what are you saying is ransom is out, so we kill them? Do you think that will make Wayne less likely to come after us?” Jack said, he sounded aggravated, killing was apparently a step too far for him. Or maybe it was the thought of the help that Bruce allegedly 'hired.'

“Not necessarily, it's the loss of face he hates rather than the money, he and Grayson aren't exclusive. He's probably too old for Wayne's tastes anyway, he just keeps him in fast cars and booze in order to keep him quiet. If we clean out his accounts it will still be a huge score, and we’ll probably be doing Wayne a favour if we kill him.”

No points to Denbury for that one. But it probably made scene to her icy-cold, sociopathic little brain.

“But Ed wants him first, doesn't he? He said we should wait until he gets here before drugging them, so he can do his thing,” Jack said.

“Fucking pervert,” Henry muttered, sourly. “He's a sick freak.”

“Be that as it may, he can have his fun after we get Grayson’s account details. Then we make it look like a murder-suicide. They have a horrible breakup - the bodyguard gets fed up with Richie’s philandering ways, kills his erstwhile lover and then himself.”

“It’s hardly Romeo and Juliet,” Jack said petulantly.

“It hardly needs to be. Wayne may look into it, but he won’t come after us the same way as he would with blackmail. I stake my life on it.”

“You’re sure he and Grayson aren’t a thing any more? He will be pissed if we kill his boyfriend.”

“He has at least two younger boys already in his house. I looked into it carefully. Grayson is nothing but an expensive liability. This is perfect.”

Jason wondered just how many people actually believed the slander that just skirted the edge of a lawsuit in some of the shadier gossip mags. It was strangely upsetting.

“You’re forgetting one important thing,” Sofia’s lightly accented voice said. “The police will look into it, and they will discover the missing money. It will be obvious it was more than just a lovers tiff.”

“So we invent a third party. Lay a trail and let them follow that. Then we can head to the continent to lay low and consider our next target.”

“It’s agreed then. Tonight or tomorrow,” Henry said.

“Tomorrow gives us time to prepare. But we should speak to Ed tonight, I’m not sure when he’s due to arrive.”

“He’s the one who’s going to fuck this operation up, you know that right?” Henry said, “His sick games have no place in this.”

“He gets us access, so we need him.”

“If you say so,” Henry said, even more sour than before.

 The television was on loudly, but Dick was somehow actually napping when Jason returned to the room. He woke up when Jason tossed his jacket onto the chair, toed off his boots and slid into the bed with him. He pulled Dick close and buried his nose in his thick hair, which smelt like the expensive sandalwood shampoo from the hotel. The position of Jason’s face conveniently hid the movement of his lips, and put his mouth close to Dick’s ear so he could whisper low enough the sound of the TV would cover his words even if the microphone was a powerful one, which he doubted, but it never hurt to be careful.

“They’re planning to kill us rather than blackmail Bruce,” he whispered, and felt Dick shiver slightly in response to the hot breath on his skin.

“Mmm, nice,” Dick purred pushing back against Jason and making him inhale sharply.

“Garner’s in on it, he’s the sexual sadist, although the others go along with it. They’re going to kick things off quick, tonight or tomorrow – when he gets here.”

Dick turned in his arms and kissed his way up Jason's neck, open mouthed and sloppy. Jason had to take a moment to remind his body he was working and not playing. When he reached Jason's ear, Dick whispered, “We need info from their laptop, for proof. When we have that, we can call the cops and be done with it.”

Jason returned the favour, nuzzling against him in a way he had never imagined himself doing – even in his guilty fantasies it was all rough fucking and lacking affection. This was horribly nice and Jason once again forced his wandering mind, and body, back to work. “It’s risky, splitting up – you’ll have to distract them while I get the info,” he said.

“So be quick, I can’t refuse food or drink without appearing suspicious, and if they decide to dose me I'll be useless – you’ll have to look after me.”

To Jason’s slightly addled mind that sounded rather suggestive, at least when Dick was all but sucking on his earlobe. “I will,” he replied, in a slightly breathy voice.

He could feel Dick grin against his skin, the bastard knew exactly what he was doing. In retaliation Jason dragged his teeth across Dick’s throat, pausing to bite gently at his Adam’s apple before kissing up to his other ear. “I will,” he said again, firmly. Then he was suddenly flat on his back and Dick was straddling his waist, looking rumpled and beautiful.

“Lets save it for later,” Dick said, his voice husky. He gave a sinful roll of his hips, that despite appearances, didn’t actually make contact with Jason's crotch.

Jason sucked in a breath, and smiled cockily up at him. He had to get his own mind focused on the job. Despite his teasing, Dick was all business and was doing his best to respect Jason's perceived boundaries, avoiding actual sexual contact while maintaining the illusion of it. They probably should have spoken about it previously, on the off chance there were cameras – how far would they go? There were ways around it of course, without having to have fake sex, or have actual sex, and Jason had to firmly pull his mind out the gutter again. If they didn’t get what they needed tonight and had to continue this charade, then Dick getting wasted and passing out would be the logical way to deal with it. Yup. That was going to be the plan. Assuming the brats weren't actually expecting an orgy.

Dick smiled down at him, expression sharp and almost challenging, then to Jason’s relief he swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching with his arms up and his lean back twisting to the side with a sinuous motion.

“So, Jase, you want to come to dinner?” 

“Do I have to?” Jason asked petulantly. “You know I hate having to sit and watch these things, I fucking hate rich people.”

Dick laughed, there was an edge of mockery to it. “You like me well enough.”

“I like fucking you, Richie.”

Dick laughed again and strode over, all confidence and predatory grace, then he grabbed Jason's jaw and kissed him hard on the lips. It was possessive, more like a dog marking its territory than anything romantic. Jason's pants felt suddenly very tight.

“You’ll join us after though, won’t you? They’re all hot, right? I’m sure the evening will bring some perks,” Dick said.

“They are an attractive bunch, even that brother of hers.”

Dick leaned down over him again, eyes bright and intense. “You can play with the girls, but out of the guys, you only fuck me, no one else. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Jason somehow managed to say without embarrassing himself. It wasn’t clear to him if Dick knew the effect he was having with this sudden random improv. Jason was a bit surprised himself.

 After Dick went to dinner, Jason did another circuit of the grounds and house, this time tagging heat signatures. The office was clear, so he figured it was a good opportunity to get in and get into their computer system.

Their security was sloppy for someone of his calibre, and easily disabled. Once into the room he had a very quick look through the draws and loose papers, but there was nothing of any real value, so he turned his attention to the laptop. He hooked up his tablet and got to work cracking the security – it was surprisingly hard, considering how poor the rest of it was, someone was clearly very good with this side of things. He was better, of course, but he was rather tight on time.

His phone buzzed with Dick checking in.

all good. Weird vibe. Heard car in drive they said it was staff, check out?

Jason was starting to get that tingle of intuition that suggested this might all go to shit at any moment. After a brief internal debate he pinged Tim.

“Jason?” Tim’s voice was groggy like he had just woken up.

“Sleeping the day away? Tut tut, what would Daddy say.”

“I work nights, Jason. Double time at the moment due to everyone having broken limbs. What do you want?”

“You got a program that can get us into this system quick? I can do it, but time is of the essence as I suspect Dick might need back up soon.”

“Email me what you have and I'll see what I can do.”

Jason did so, and then went back to poking around the room while Tim muttered about codes and hacks in his ear. He found an interesting array of weaponry poorly concealed under the bed. Two pistols with silencers, a selection of vials with a clear liquid inside, a hypodermic needle that looked more like an instrument of torture than a medical device, and what looked like a dart gun – the kind vets used to anaesthetise wily zoo animals. He pondered for a moment, weighing up the likelihood that things would kick off today, and then emptied both guns and pocketed the bullets, then disabled the rest. He took a sample of the drugs too, for future analysis.

“Any joy?” he asked Tim.

“I know this work, it would have been harder than you might expect to gain access. It’s written by a hacker known as BellaCiao2000. That’s the name of an Italian partisan song.”

“Yes I know what it is, you little nerd. And I think I can hazard a guess which of our little gang of thieves is our techie.”

“Send me their info, I’d love to tangle with them again.” he sounded wide awake and interested now. Dork.

“In more ways than one, she’s smoking hot, if you like that sort of thing. She’s known only as Sofia among this bunch, I don’t have any idea who she is really. Perhaps you’ll have better luck.” He sent the info across, just as Tim cracked the code and the laptop opened up to reveal its secrets. It wasn’t particularly interesting stuff, but there should be enough to be incriminating. Tim stayed on the line, while Jason worked, delving into Sofia’s background.

Jason's phone bleeped again:

Think drufs duckingmice tho

That did not sound good: Either Dick was sitting on his phone, he was having trouble typing or he was off his face. Possibly all three.

“Tim, looks like that back up might be needed now. I gotta go. Can you deal with this crap for me and get anything interesting to the British police, and Interpol maybe. These chumps are global.” 

“Yeah, I can monitor things from this end too. Go rescue your damsel in distress.”

“I’m telling him you said that.” Jason rang off and packed up his gear as quick as possible. He didn’t bother covering his tracks too well, he trusted Tim to have ferreted out what they needed and having this wrapped up before it became an issue. He checked his watch. Two hours since he had separated from Dick. One hour since his coherent check in, fifteen minutes since the nonsense one, which Jason had loosely translated to mean: 'I think I’m on drugs, it’s fucking nice though.'

It was too long, fifteen minutes in an altered state with a bunch of potential sexual predators and indifferent sociopaths was an alarming length of time. Especially if that car Dick had mentioned earlier had been Garner.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Beagle Birthday Massacre!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Bob Snow

Storyboards by: Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm, Jason Reicher

Directed by: Dana Terrace

a.k.a. The Beagle Birthday Breakout, since there's technically no massacre. It's Disney.

The episode starts with the boys and Webby getting ready to go on a kayak, and Huey is listing off practical things from his Junior Woodchuck handbook like sunscreen and a compass. Webby decides to add a hotdog lifevest, but it's immediately rejected. Eventually, it turns out that the kayak only fits three ducks, and while Huey tries to let Webby, she decides to let the boys have their fun.

This episode treads similar ground to Daytrip of Doom, in that both episodes involve Webby finding issues relating to the nephews. In many ways, it's a sequel to that episode, and it's not just because they have the same villains, as the title suggests. As they leave to go on their kayaking adventure, Webby finds a message in a bottle asking for help.

After the title sequence, this turns out to be a false alarm, several of them, all done by a rebellious teenage (?) duck named Lena. Not even a few episodes into the first season, and we already have a brand new character. She shrugs off most of her questions, like where did she get her shirt, , and what's with the talisman.

After accidently kicking a bottle into the sea, she uses parkour to get the bottle back. Though she immediately throws the bottle into the ocean, this is enough to gain Lena's respect. Lena extends an invitation to go to a "blowout", which she has to explain is a party, not an explosion. Webby tells her that she should wait for the nephews to show up, but she shrugs it off, saying that they'll be late if they wait any longer. Webby, wanting a cool teenage friend, decides to oblige. That's not suspicious!

Even less suspicious: it happens to be at a junkyard with a door that Webby has to unlock with her parkour. Webby questions why she needs to do this if they're invited, only for Lena to say that they aren't. She still obliges, because she needs that friendship, and we get a proper fistbump joke. Who would have guessed those could be used for something other than a laugh track replacement?

Right from this scene, it's quite clear Lena is not exactly a goody-two-shoes. In fact, the TV Guide summary calls Lena a “new mysterious friend”, which is doing this episode a disservice. Judging by most episodes with them, “mysterious friends” don’t necessary raise questions like “should they be trusted”, but “what kind of evil are they”. The answer is going to be more complicated than one would think.

They enter the party, and Webby can't help but notice some familiar faces. Familiar faces that tied her up and held her for ransom.

Turns out, Lena knowingly went to a party filled with the Beagle Boys. Specifically, it's Ma Beagle's birthday party, and all the Beagle Boys were invited to celebrate and give her love. They even get to sing the Happy Birthday song, a pleasure they couldn’t have done a year ago! We're finally free of the curse of "So He's A Jolly Good Fellow". Or, in this case, she.

In a lesser cartoon, this would be the big twist, but it's only the beginning.

By "all the Beagle Boys", I mean we get to really see how far the family is spread. Not only do we get to see the classic trio of Big Shot, Bouncer and Burger, but we get to see several other gangs of Beagle Boys. One of the more interesting is the Tuggle Bums, creepy clowns with different gimmicks. Oddly topical, even if clowns being creepy seems to be an eternal thing.

Webby immediately tries to leave the party with Lena in tow, but immediately bump into Bouncer Beagle. Bouncer Beagle isn't too happy to see her.

Bouncer Beagle: Hey, you're the one that busted Ma!

I wasn't kidding when I said sequel, Webby actually talks to Lena about how she got caught in her ballpit net trap. It sounds like a "noodle incident", but it's something that actually happened in Daytrip of Doom. I kind of feel bad for saying that episode was the most skippable, but it's still slightly less than the others.

They never really get into why Lena wanted to crash this party in the first place. Is there something about mother praisefests? Lena decides to save Webby by throwing the cake at Ma Beagle's face, putting Lena on Ma's list of ducks to deal with. The rest of the episode is about them being chased after the various gangs. A duck hunt, if you will!

For example, the classic trio begin by trying to run them over with a truck. I guess as long as they're doomed to fail, you can show the threat of vehicular manslaughter without an FV. "Massacre" is in the title, but I didn't think they were going to follow through with that! Then again, considering beagles are good hunting dogs, I shouldn't be surprised.

Webby manages to escape from this situation, only to get into another situation from the Longboard Taquitos, who glide around using their caped-suits. After Webby saved Lena, Lena gets to save Webby again in her own way.

There's another group named the Ugly Failures, who desperately want to be the Ugly Winners. Even they know to aim low. One of them has a habit of getting his fingers stuck in bottles, a reference to The Warriors. They never do the obvious line, but it's The Warriors. Webby tries to do a plan that involves sneaking out, but Lena decides to try to act like a Beagle Bird from another country, complete with a British accent.

Even the Ugly Failures don't buy this, so Webby has to save the moment by convincing them she's family with her own far more accurate accent. They buy this, as families don't lie. This scene shows that Lena isn't exactly perfect, as she still can have a habit of...winging it? Y'know, for a show called DuckTales, I'm surprised there's not that many duck puns. Not a complaint.

Lena: With my brains and your more-specific super-brain, we can run this town!

Can't help but think this is some sort of admission that Lena's kind of a second Webby at this point. She's older and wiser, she knows how fans work against people who glide, but that's about it other than her lack of parkour skills. This will be improved.

Webby brings up that he can't wait to tell the boys about her, but Lena brings up that they're just nerds who left her. She tries to explain that this is all a family thing, but she instantly shoots her down by saying that family isn't really her thing. There seems to be a lot of layers to that onion, and maybe that will be expanded upon later.

Webby does admit that the boys have so much history, they practically speak another language. Lena assures her that they are making history. "This new character relates to the canon character far more than the other canon characters" kind of rubs me the wrong way, but I think that might be intentional.

Speaking of family, they hear some ruffling in the bushes. We saw the daredevils and the losers; could it be those clowns?

Nah, it's just Huey, Dewey, and Louie, though that doesn't stop Lena from trying to beat them up until Webby tells her to stop. She still has the time to mock them for being exactly alike. This joke would fit the original Huey, Dewey, and Louie more, and they try to convince. Unfortunately. A good gag, showing that despite their unique personalities, they're still Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Then, they get into a fight. This only exacerbates Lena’s feelings about family. Again, onion. Before she can give more detail, this is all interrupted by some whistling. The radio confirms that this isn't a fake-out...we're about to see the Tuggle Bums.

These guys have really cool designs, and I would not be surprised if these guys are reccuring Beagle Boys alongside the main trio. I will say they do get beaten rather easily, though I wouldn't say how they were done in was unfitting.

Before any of this though, Lena tells Webby to come with her, and leave the nephews behind as bait. She even holds out her hand, asking if she trusts her. This one's a bit subtle, especially if you just watched that Star Wars trailer. Hey, a benefit to how late this review was!

Surprisingly, Webby decides not to take her hand here, and goes back up to help the nephews defeat the clowns. I'm kind of shocked; usually after scenes like the last one, we get a betrayal of some sort. Guess it goes to show that despite their differences, Webby doesn't believe in leaving the nephews behind. Take that, Bliss.

The clowns are dealt with and the boys celebrate. Webby tries to find. We cut back to the beach, and we realize there's about 5 more minutes to the episode. While, she gets another message in a bottle from Lena, saying she needs help. Of course, she has to send two of them, because Webby assumed the first was a lie like all this all started.

Huey gets out the binoculars, and they see Lena captured. It turns out, Lena isn't plotting anything, she got captured! Despite the subtleness I've talked about, there really isn't a reason not to trust her.

Unfortunately, they get captured. I guess running into a bunch of Beagle Boys isn't a great idea. I do like how they decide to tie Webby up differently, somewhat explaining how it takes her slightly longer to get out of this trap than the one in Daytrip. Yes, she gets out. That shouldn't be a surprise. The surprise is how exactly they get out of this entire situation. Even if they got out, they still have a bunch of Beagle Boys to deal with!

I don't to spoil too much of this ending, but what happens is a good payoff to the family line earlier in the episode. I have to say that I like how a fog machine is used in this scene to simulate the cloud of fighting trope. It's actually Lena that does this, too. It's not just Webby that saves the day all the time.

Strange, you'd think there'd be some sort of twist, but it didn't seem to happen! Lena says goodbye, and...wait, why is Lena looking at the camera like that?

This show’s love for last minute reveals shows its head again in this episode, and I literally mean “last minute”. Outside of one tiny scene that could easily be missed in the beginning, there's little hinting at the real twist, at least as far as I can tell. The only hint I'll give out in the open is that it is an answer to a question I really, really wanted to be answered ever since I saw the intro. Again, I’ll talk more about it when the appropriate episode arrives...which is next week, oddly enough!

How does it stack up?

DuckTales 2017 continues its streak for episodes that reveal twists, turns, and characters that will keep me interested in watching. Lena still needs some time to grow on me, and that twist will certainly help. This episode reveals a lot of potential, and I can't wait for the payoff.

As mentioned before, we get even more Lena in the next episode.

← The Great Dime Chase! 🦆 Terror of the Terra-firmians! →

[iwriteficsnottragediesladies]

Knight in Shining Armor

Since fanfiction.net isn’t really a bandom hub, I decided to just post it here.

A/N: This fic contains an attempted attack and strong language. It was originally uploaded a couple days ago, but I added to it, edited it, and fixed some typos. It is my first x Reader fic, as well as my first bandom fic, so I hope it’s good! Please leave feedback if you’d like! I originally intended for this to be a one shot, but please let me know if you want more/have ideas!

You had felt the man’s gaze on you multiple times that night. It seemed like every time you looked up, you caught his blonde head pointed in your direction. You were creeped out, to say the least. You decided to consult your friends accompanying you, Tara and Liz.

“Jesus, is it just me or has that guy been staring us down all night?” “Yeah, he’s been prowling this whole time,” Liz agreed. “Come on,” Tara took both of you by the hand and dragged you away to the dance floor.

You were dancing your hearts out when you spot Dallon and Brendon in the crowd. You waved enthusiastically and they made their way over.

“Hey Y/n!” Brendon greeted you with a hug. “Hey Brendon,” you smiled. Dallon also greeted you and leaned down to give you a big hug. Liz and Tara exchanged pleasantries with them too. You all talked about how the night was going. Brendon and Dallon felt like they were imposing on a “ladies’ night” so they decided to keep moving through to the bar. You secretly wished they would stay. Well, at least Brendon.

You and the girls continued to dance but it was only a matter of time until one of your drunk friends needed to break the seal. “Taraaaaaaaa, I have to peeeeee,” Liz said, clearly feeling the alcohol both in her brain and her bladder. You only had one drink and was barely affected by it, but Liz had quite a bit more. “Okay, come on,” Tara replied, “You coming, Y/n?” “No,” you replied shaking your head, “I’m going to get some water.” You began to forge a path out of the crowd and towards the bar, and the girls head off in another direction. You sat yourself down on a stool and asked the bartender for water. You sipped it happily and looked around for Brendon or Dallon, but they aren’t nearby.

By the time your water is finished, your friends are still nowhere to be seen. You made your way to the bathroom, but they aren’t in there. You tried to take a good look at the dance floor, but you didn’t see them there either. Liz was pretty drunk, so maybe they stepped outside for some air. You entered the lobby, which had glass windows with a view of the road outside. The club area was separated from the entrance of the lobby by a black wall and door.

You exited the lobby and walked out onto the sidewalk. The LA night air was cool on your bare skin as goose bumps appeared. You peered around, but you didn’t see anyone out there. You turned to go back inside and you’re faced with the blonde haired man, standing near the entrance. Did he follow you outside?

You tried to walk past him without acknowledging his presence, but he stops you. “Hey,” He said cooly, “How is your night?” “Good, thanks,” You replied quickly, trying to be polite. You started to move forward again, “I’ve got to go meet my friends.” He stepped into your path. You realized there was truly no one around. The bouncers were inside the venue, behind the closed door. Shit.

“What’s the rush?” He asked with a shrug, “You don’t have a boyfriend waiting on you, now do you?” He reached out and placed his hand on your shoulder, grasping firmly.

You tear yourself out of his grip. “Don’t touch me,” You say, trying to push past him.

He grabs you by the forearms and jams your back against the wall. You gasp as suddenly your night has changed. You are now fighting for your life.

“I said don’t touch me!” You repeat yelling, struggling with all of your might against him. He is so much bigger than you. You try to make as much noise as possible and kick your legs, trying to get him in the crotch. You manage only to get his knee, and he seems unaffected.

The man is more agitated now and with one quick motion, he throws you to the ground. You don’t have time to catch yourself and you land awkwardly on your arm. All of the air is forced out of your lungs, escaping as a pained scream. You feel your heart beat in your head and the sounds around you become dampened. Did you hit your head? Was it the adrenaline? The figure above you is beginning to move when you hear the door fling open.

“HEY!” A familiar voice shouts, “GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!”

*Brendon’s POV*

Brendon saw you making your way to the door from across the bar. He decided it would be a good opportunity to hang out with you one on one.

“I’m going to go see Y/n,” Brendon says to Dallon. Dallon didn’t say anything, but he gave Brendon a knowing, suggestive look. “Oh shut up,” Brendon replied with an eye roll. He began to push his way through the crowd. Once he made it out into the lobby, he was horrified by what he saw through the window: a man has you pinned against the wall.

Brendon sprints to the door as he watches you fall to the ground. Your cry breaks his heart. Barreling out of the building, he shouts, “HEY!” The man’s head pops up. Brendon runs towards the man, screaming “GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!”

The man begins to step away from you, but Brendon doesn’t hesitate to wind up and plant a punch right onto the guy’s cheek. Brendon shoves him away and the man stumbles off of the curb.

“WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?” he shouted, getting in the man’s face before shoving him again.

The man turned around and took off running, saying nothing.

Anger tore through Brendon’s chest and he thought he might chase after the guy. But then he heard a whimper from behind him. Immediately he refocused to you, curled up on your side on the pavement. He ran back over to you and knelt down. You're eyes were shut and he wasn't quite sure if you were conscious or not. A knot of concern tied his stomach.

“Y/n” he called gently. He placed his hand on your shoulder.

*Reader’s POV*

“NO,” you shrieked, pulling away from his touch. Brendon withdrew his hand immediately. You realize your eyes are pressed shut and open them. You see Brendon kneeling next to you with his hands up, trying to show you he is not a threat. Your eyes dart around, but he catches your eye contact.

“Y/n, It’s just me,” He reassures you quickly.

Your eyes focus more clearly on him.

“It’s just me,” he repeats soothingly, “It’s Brendon. You’re okay.”

You look at him and nod, tears streaming across your face. You start to work your way up to sitting and Brendon moves to assist you. He cautiously places his hands on you, not wanting to scare you again. This time his touch does not upset you. He looks relieved at that. In fact, now his touch seems comforting to you. Everything is silent.

“Oh my god,” You utter quietly in disbelief, looking around aimlessly. “Oh my god,” You repeat, volume rising as you suddenly feel a new wave of panic. Sobs begin to wrack your body and you can’t seem to control them.

“Y/n,” Brendon calls to you sweetly. You can hardly hear him as your crying escalates.

Brendon hesitantly moves closer to you, hoping it wouldn’t upset you. You instantly reciprocate and pull him as close to you as possible, grabbing a handful of his soft t-shirt. He wraps his arms around you, holding you to his chest. He is happy to see how much you trusted him.

“Shhhh, It’s going to be okay Y/n,” He whispers into your ear, “You’re safe.”

Brendon is always so carefree and humorous. It was kind of weird to see him so serious. Suddenly, a wave of pain radiates down your arm and your other hand flies up to support it.

“Ah,” you squeaked out quietly, “Fuck.”

Brendon immediately releases you, his concern evident. He quickly rotates himself to face you, lowering his head to get into your line of vision.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?” He asks calmly.

You can only respond with another squeak, wincing.

“What hurts?” He asks, realizing you were in physical pain.

“My wrist. I can't—I can’t move it,” you manage to respond. You can’t seem to catch your breath. Shit, you’re hyperventilating.

“Hey, hey,” Brendon jumps in, “Y/n, you’re okay. Take a breath.”

You look into his deep brown eyes and microscopically shake your head, gasping.

“Breathe with me,” He instructed. You ignore him, too caught up in your panic. “Y/n,” he places a hand on the side of your face to catch your eye contact. “Breathe with me,” he repeats. He took exaggerated slow breaths to guide you.

You match him, and he starts to talk to you. “I know it hurts and I know you’re scared,” He says slowly, “But I am right here. Alright?”

Your breathing is shaky but finally at a normal rate. You nod slowly, mustering up some confidence.

“I want to get you some help,” He says slowly, “Do you think we could go to the hospital?”

You start to lose control once again but Brendon is prepared for this. “Y/n,” he interrupts your panic, “You’re hurt and I’m worried about you. You need to get your wrist checked out.”

You ponder his rationale and nod, surrendering to your need for medical attention.

“Do you want me to take you?” He asks sweetly.

“Yes,” you reply very quickly. He makes you feel safe.

“Okay,” he gives you a sad smile, and pauses for a moment. “Do you think you can get up?”

You start to make your way to your feet, but you can’t use your hands to push yourself. Brendon helps to stand you up.

“Are you good?” He asked.

“Yeah,” You lied, feeling a bit light headed. He puts an arm around your shoulders and begins to guide you forward but you don’t make it far. You feel the ground spinning beneath you. “I don't—” You stutter, unable to finish. Your vision fades and your knees fail you.

“Whoa,” Brendon reacts instantly, catching you underneath your arms. You look so sleepy and his heart sinks. “Okay, you’re alright,” He reassures you while leaning you against him. He glanced down at the ground, considering lying you back down again.

You open your eyes wide and blink hard, but your vision doesn’t come back. Brendon looks at you closely, assessing your level of consciousness. You are clearly not going to make it to the car. “I’m going to pick you up,” Brendon says hesitantly, again wanting to be sensitive to your emotional state. The last thing he wanted to do was make you feel violated or scared. He looks directly into your eyes, searching for some kind of consent, despite your drowsiness. You trust Brendon endlessly and make some movement resembling a nod, giving him your full permission. Brendon relaxes, relieved to have your approval. He leans down just enough to slip an arm behind you knees. You can now rest your injured arm comfortably on your lap and lean your head into Brendon’s chest. This felt so much better. ”Good?” He looked down at you, cocking his head. ”Good,” you sigh, the light headedness disappearing. He begins to make his way to the car. The pain in your arm had only intensified and your side was now aching as well. The rocking motion of his steps make you so nauseous, but you swallowed hard, hoping to suppress it. You were so close to the car. You could make it. Maybe. Okay, maybe not. You took some deep breaths, trying to keep quiet so Brendon wouldn’t notice. You adjusted minutely in his arms. You knew you couldn’t hold it together anymore and although you don’t want to, you call to Brendon. “Bren,” You say with an uneasy tone so quietly, you wonder if it was audible. It is, because immediately Brendon stops and looks down at you. The concern in his eyes is clearly evident “I can’t–I don’t–” You just can’t get the words out. You try to wiggle out of his grip for some reason, unable to stay still. Brendon is confused and trying to comfort you. You nearly fall, but Brendon holds you close to his chest as he sinks down onto his knees as soon as possible. He’s still not quite sure what is happening, paranoid that you were panicking because of his touch.

“Okay,” he soothed quickly, “easy, easy.” You squirm some more and he places you on your butt. You instantly leaned away from him and threw up a little onto the pavement. A little bit gets on your leg but you don’t even care. Now that Brendon understood your hurry, he softened, gathering your hair in his hand. He gently rubbed circles on your back. You gagged one more time and was finished. A wave of pain then crashes down your arm and side. You double over and you feel Brendon grip your shoulders, presumably to keep you from falling into your own vomit. You try to press your lips shut but you still end up screaming out, a line of swears attached to the end. You realize your hearing had been dampened by the pain as Brendon’s sweetened voice becomes clearer next to your ear. “I know, it’s okay,” He is whispering, “Just breathe, you’re okay.” You gasp a bit, swallowing down much needed air. You hissed it back out, holding your side. “What’s hurting you, Y/n?” Brendon asked, noticing your new pain. “I don’t know,” You winced, “my ribs I guess.” You looked down at the vomit and back at Brendon. Sorry,” you instinctively say. Brendon nearly giggles.

“Y/n, you don’t need to apologize for throwing up,” He reassures you with a smile. “How do you feel now? Honestly?”

“I think I’m good though,” you say with certainty.

“Okay, think we can make it to the car?”

“Mhmm,” you nod. He moves to pick you.

“Are you sure this is okay?” He pauses, before making contact. He wanted to confirm for sure it was not him that made you feel sick. ”Yes Brendon,” you exhale with a small smile, realizing that he doesn’t know he is the only thing in the world you want right now. He again scoops you up, careful not to touch your injured arm or side. You make it to the car without incident. He places you in the passenger seat but you’re preoccupied with holding your aching arm, so he does the buckle for you.

Brendon walks around the car and climbs into the driver’s seat. He looks over at you and your eyes well up with tears.

“Y/n?” He asks, worried about you.

“Please don’t leave me,” You whisper, too afraid to say it any louder.

Brendon turns toward you and places a hand on your knee.

“I’m here, Y/n,” he replies gently, “And I’m not going anywhere.” A/N This was inspired by something similar that happened to me, and I really needed a Brendon, but didn’t have one. It was kinda cathartic to write this, so I hope that’s okay. I just realized there are some heckin tense disagreements in here, but like and reblog if you’re still feelin it.

Read part 2 here: https://iwriteficsnottragediesladies.tumblr.com/post/162263316028/knight-in-shining-armor-pt-2

[where-ls-my-mlnd]

“You’d have to tell me that ancient figure for me to give you a proper comparison.” The sheet attitude in that one statement and the swiftness with which it arrives shocks me so hard that it almost gives me whiplash; my eyes bulge, my jaw drops open, and I’m utterly speechless as I just stare at him incredulously. ...Alright, then. Alright, J, give me life, you mouthy ass little shit! Fuckin’ sassing me like that. Okay. Okay, I see you. You know what - I don’t even care. I probably deserved that anyway. I totally meant to taunt him. I kind of half-assed it, ‘cause I don’t really care that much, but I meant to taunt him. You’d be hard pressed to find a teenager who doesn’t have a fake ID, like, it’s not embarrassing to have one, but it’s embarrassing for people to know you have one and that you need to rely on it to be able to do adult things and I know this because I was a teenager once. You don’t ever want to hear a fucking word about your fake ID unless it’s your peers telling you how very cool you are. I remember being seventeen and I know that if anyone ever shattered the pretense that I was an adult and exposed me for being a child I would have lost my fucking mind. I was spectacularly delusional. My favorite age to play was always 22 and I had no fucking idea how young I really looked. If I wasn’t lucky enough to know people who passed for 21 - every single club in the Bay Area would have said “fuck off” and sent me back to my parents. And they were dead. And I looked so offensively young that nobody would have believed me if I told them that. They would have just thought I was lying in an attempt to remove all authority figures from the equation and thereby avoid facing punishment. Sorry, you can���t call my parents - they died! Haha, I can do whatever I want! Until the state of California steps in, anyway. J is...quite the selectively sensitive person. He’s cool with most things, but every now and then something will affect him deeply and much to his chagrin he won’t be able to hide it. I was aiming for his fake ID to be one of those things and I can only assume I was right, based off of what a massive attitude he just caught. You know what though? I like it, honestly. I do. I like this bitchiness for him, it’s fun. I suppose I’m an emotional masochist - I’ve always enjoyed strong, fiery people whose words burn and humor cuts just a little too deep. J is actually on the milder side of what I’m used to. He confirms that he paid an insane amount of money for his fake ID, attributing the splurge to his nicotine addiction, which I get all too well, and that he got it done online, which is new, then tells me to chill out with the J name as it doesn’t appear anywhere on the ID. That throws me for a second. I always forget his real name isn’t J. It may not even start with J, but my brain only knows him as J. It’s weird! Does the fake name on his ID start with the same letter as his real name? What is his real name? I wish I knew but considering how slow he is to open up I doubt I ever will. “I’m not dumb, man. I’ll keep the one letter of your name that I know to myself, since I know it would be so incriminating if it got out,” I quip. “And 2008, wiseass. That’s the figure. Contrary to your beliefs, I am actually not a decaying geriatric. I just turned 24 two months ago. I guess anyone could seem worldly and wise compared to you, though, huh, kiddo?” I put my arm around him and give him a condescending squeeze on the shoulder. He almost immediately squirms out of my grasp and it makes me start to hysterically laugh again. That’s what he gets. We play nice for the time it takes to get in line, which makes me sort of proud of us. God must be feeling remorseful for the way he just completely fucking dropped the ball when it came to my life, because the line isn’t too bad. It’s still pretty fucked, but that’s what happens when you live in one of the most populous cities in the most populous state. In fact, it’s rather forgiving compared to some of the other lines at clubs I’ve seen. According to my estimations, we should arrive at the front of the line within ten minutes: and more or less, those estimations turn out to be correct. This makes me breathe out a sigh of relief, stifling a smile so I don’t look even more like a giddy, over-excited teenager. J, or whatever his real name is, jerks suddenly back into movement, shuffling up to the front of the line with me. I could stifle my smile, but I can’t stifle my laugh at the almost comical way he resurges. I can practically hear the Windows XP Startup sound. The bouncer neglects to ask for my ID, but demands to see J’s, and there is quite the fucking stutter when this happens. J doesn’t show that he’s freaking out; just takes his (fake) ID out of his wallet and flashes it to the guy coolly, but I know that he has to be inside. I am too, a little bit. I mean, it’s like...being rammed up the ass by reality right now. I can’t help but feel incredibly fucking dirty and wrong for sneaking an underage kid into a nightclub. And all because I felt like being social for once, but don’t actually have any close friends my own fucking age. Aren’t I a little old for this? Aren’t I a little old for J? He’s got to know there’s something fucked up about this, he’s too smart not to...at least he’s just doing it for the money, right? Not like he’s gonna lose his fucking mind and start binge drinking once we (if we) get inside. If he does, then fuck it, I’ll spend the whole night looking after him if I have to. Would’ve served me well to have that sort of supervision when I was his age. Would’ve served me well to have a lot of things that I never got. J’s fake ID is met with a curt nod of approval from the bouncer, and we can both finally breathe again. Out of nosiness, I steal the briefest glance at his ID as he shoves it back in his wallet, and what I see almost makes me shit a fucking brick. Ryan Dale Miller. Miller, huh? Didn’t know I had a second long lost brother... “Okay, come on, Ryan,” I say cheerfully as I approach the door, my laughter drowned out by the low, pulsating bass pouring out from the depths of the club. I turn to him briefly, “Should I call you Ryan for the rest of the night? I think I’m getting kind of used to it.” “Go ahead and try,” is his retort. This has no real effect on me; I just snort and raise my eyebrows. “Maybe I will. Not like you could stop me anyway.” It’s the last thing I say before I disappear into technicolored oblivion, into the sea of bodies crowding the club, into the dark, moody, pounding dance music. The full blast of it comes over me in a huge wave, in a dazzling, euphoric fucking rush, and it’s like I’m coming alive, like those primal instincts that had been dormant for three years are rising to the surface and erupting straight out of me. With the blink of an eye, I’m seventeen again, and yet I’m not at all. I can feel all of the phantom sensations of being seventeen, of being fucked up out of my mind, of fevered infatuation, of sweet obsession, of feeling so alive that I thought that I might die. But I’m not seventeen, I’m twenty-four, and there’s something so disorienting about that, like I’m staring at a puzzle put together with all the wrong pieces. It’s some kind of future nostalgia. Everything is different now. There is no illicit rush, no feeling like I’m someplace I shouldn’t be. There is no incessant worry that someone is going to find out I’m underage and kick me out, there is no sense of danger, no sinister undertones to my being here. There couldn’t be. I’m not vulnerable anymore, I’m safe, I know damn well what I’m doing. I belong here now. And as I take in my surroundings, the lights that shine in gorgeous, vibrant blue hues, the pillars that frame the club’s landscape and tower above me, glowing and grand, the overwhelming crowd of people dancing to the rhythm, I’m hit with the most sickening, comforting, terrible, beautiful feeling. Welcome home.

[dvbermingham]

Chapter 9: Jazu

It was about three in the morning when we got to Tonic. I knew it was on the west side, over by 10th ave, so we drove around for a while until we spotted a few greasy looking inebriates who were walking with a little extra swing in their step, not looking for any trouble, no girls around to impress, too tired from dancing wildly through the night. This was the mid-nineties, mind you, so this kind of thing was just about to get very irritating to a lot of people.

They showed us the way — an old warehouse with no line, no bouncer, no velvet rope, just a light bulb glowing green above a door. Inside, there was a small man inside a small wooden encasement, old and chestnut brown. He looked like a fortune teller at a carnival, and took our money and told us to have fun.

Inside, smoke clouds plumed and collided like volcanic eruptions, formed a haze that swam between and through the purple and green lights. It was a wild atmosphere. The music was spastic, incredible. The kind of music Takuto listened to whenever he had the chance. The drummer led the band, calling out expletives each time one of his bandmates made his ears orgasm. It was a thrill to watch. I was glad to not have to talk anymore.

We walked up to the bar, the man there wearing a leather apron and a bow-tie, knives and strainers and jiggers attached to his apron like weapons and ammo. Matsusaka introduced himself and ordered two scotches neat. The bartender twiddled his mustache to greet us and introduced himself. Whit Bissell is what I heard, and that’s what I chose to believe. He served up the scotches and put out a plate of raw cabbage with a dipping sauce. The scotch burned its way down and we ordered another. Matsuzaka did the talking, while I watched the room. Pure human writhing, sweaty and beautiful. There were people of all ethnicities, all ages, even young boys and girls, dressed up in oversized suits and wing-tip shoes, drinking from rocks glasses and throwing them down, skidding off and slicking the dance floor to give the whole human carousel a slippery twist. No one seemed to care about anything. I finished my scotch and asked for another. For the first time that night I was feeling good.

Then I suddenly felt even better. Across the room I met the eyes of a beautiful creature, a mature woman with hips bursting from her tan high-waisted pants, a ruffled green shirt that looked softer than five-star hotel sheets. Her hair was as red as hot brick, cascading over itself like lava, the kind of hair her parents were baffled at having created, the kind of hair never seen before in the family, like the genes were biding their time, waiting to bestow it when the right person came along. Our gaze was quickly broken. She was dancing with everyone and no one all at once and for forever, her body airborne, her feet never once touching the ground. I wanted to breathe her in, smell every inch of her, let her aroma bewilder my brain. Then there was a tap on my shoulder. “Lou! What the fuck are you looking at?” Matzu handed me my third scotch. “Pay attention, alright? This place is dangerous.”

Dangerous it was indeed. Dangerous for the heart, dangerous for the soul, dangerous for what a woman like that could do to the only body I had. But Matzu was right. I forced my head in different directions, scanning the room for threats. There were quite a few people I would classify as goons or thugs or just generic intimidating security types. Nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, a fair number of Japanese men and women though, the security definitely sushi. What did a place like this have to worry about? What did it hold? Who did it attract?

The hot jazz explosion on stage came to denouement with the drummer executing a long solo that in my sloshy mind turned him into a cartoon octopus. The crowd roared, the band screamed, the cymbals clattered and the kick drums shook and the musicians started backing up as though their leader was about to self-immolate. Two people in the middle of the dance floor fainted, several more threw their drinks in the air, liquid courage showering the room. It felt like New Years Eve.

The drummer fell off his chair in a show of exhaustion, then bounced back up as soon as the clapping turned to a chant, all smiles. He straightened everything, held up his hand to quiet the audience, a call of a new mood. The frenzy came to a hush — soon all you could hear was heavy breathing, giggles, suggestive whispers. The trumpeter started up something slow and blue. The dance floor paired off, the bass showing them the way, slowly. Then the shhhhh of a brush on the ride, more slowly now, dragging the band a half-step back. I scanned the dance floor with hopes to see her again — she was pulling her hair back in an effort to cool off, revealing a thick neck I wanted to explore with the tip of my nose.

She watched as I walked toward her, the sea of dancers separating, my tribe cheering me on. My momentum carried me too far, and I found myself unable to stop my body from crashing into hers. Luckily, a woman of such magnitude had no problem side-stepping my oafish clumsiness, catching me by the arm, spinning me around, and leading the way. We danced for what felt like an eternity. Neither of us spoke, our bodies turning and turning over on each other, the bar and the other dancers having long faded away, leaving only the rhythms and us.

Of course that moment passed, gone forever, a moment I will never get back but am grateful to have had at all. The music kicked into another gear, and I realized I had been away from my post, had left my mark. I severed, but before I could, she pulled me back by my forearm and asked me my name. I said Lou, Lou Mastiff, and she said hers was Vicky Felix. I told her I had to go, that I was working, and I saw no concern on her face, no sense of loss, no pining. I, however, pined. I pined immediately for the dance that just ended. But there she went, away to dance alone again, never losing an inch of that smile, as though knowing something she was sure I would soon know as well.

Matsuzaka watched me the whole way back to the bar. “Sorry I just had to get that out of my system,” I said.

He shook his head. “No worries Lou. It was fun watching. You’re a good dancer.”

“I am?”

“I wish I could dance like that.”

“I could teach you.”

“Unfortunately I’m a little focused on not getting shanked in the alley, so maybe we can push off the dance lessons a few weeks, hm?”

“Right I’m s—“

“While you were over there over there with Miss Hipswivels I’ve been here talking to my new friend Mr. Bissell. He tells me there was quite a scene here a couple weeks ago involving our friend Takuto. Turns out Takuto had a bit of a drug problem. Got him into some trouble with the local dealers I guess.”

“Drugs?”

"The devil’s sushi rice. Colombian short-grain. Brought out his aggressive side. I guess that was enough for Senju to give the okay for him to get taken out. No sense in jeopardizing the whole city of New York for one junkie, right?”

“I never realized,” I said.

“That’s what my new friend Whit here seems to think. And if that’s the case, then we, my friend, are in the clear. Raise a glass. You too Mr. Bissell. A toast to our dearly departed friend Boss Takuto. And to new beginnings. And to New York!”

“To sushi!”

“Here here.”

We drank. Matzu ordered another round and we turned our attention back to the band, which was putting forth glorious noise feasted on by the pack of insatiable hyenas on the dance floor. I tried to pick out Vicky Felix, but she was no where to be found. I told them I’d be right back and went to go look. As I moved through the frenzy I got the feeling again, the same one that I got in the alley outside Takuto’s apartment, that same feeling that came too late, after he had already been cut up and left for dead. I glanced to the perimeter of the room and the guards had shifted, and multiplied. Some were in among the dancers, others were moving in groups of two and three. I turned to the bar. Neither Whit nor Matzu were there, just a couple of jazz freaks trying to get a round of drinks. That’s when I felt a hand on my shoulder, a pistol in my side. Turn around sir, I heard him say. And don’t make a scene.

I was sandwiched between two Japanese men with long hair and black suits. They moved me through the crowd with ease. The trumpeter and I made eye contact and he blew a little harder. I tried to swivel my head one last time to see if Ms. Felix was anywhere near by and got a nice clock in the spine for it. Keep moving, buddy, he said, jamming the pistol deeper into my kidney.

I was relieved to find no aquatic themes in the back room of the club. There were no decorations at all, just exposed pipes, uneven floors, ceiling rot, peeled paint. The metal chair bolted to the floor had little metal jags on the corners which tore my clothes as my body absorbed the alternating slaps and punches and the occasional stomp. The slaps actually hurt more than the punches. With this mass my body can absorb any number of direct blows, but something about the tautness of my skin, maybe due to being overworked trying to retain all the blubbery bits inside of me, it’s a little more sensitive than most other parts of my body. This guy, the slapper, seemed a well-practiced skin-stinger. Still, years of taking beatings gave me the ability to dissociate from the pain and the torture of it all so I just kind of coast through and deal with the physical trauma later. As for the psychological trauma, well, I just hope I die before I ever have to deal with that.  

“I’ll tell you whatever you want,” I said, trying to gauge what level of back-rooming we were dealing with here. But they hadn’t asked me anything, didn’t seem to care. Like a classically trained boxer I sat there absorbing everything those henchmen could give me. Then I hit them with some basic trivia, current events or pop culture from decades ago, general knowledge type stuff. This was a tactic I learned years ago from one of my early mentors Don “Loopie” Loper, back in my days as a caddie. When I was starting out, the best way to get into the hired goon industry was through your local caddy program. Loopie told me that when he was getting worked over by a couple of tough guys you wanted to tire out without getting yourself too messed up, just quiz them a little. Nothing too hard. Give them questions they feel like they probably know or used to know once upon a time. It distracts them, makes them feel inadequate, but it won’t enrage them. It’s a subtle defanging that creates self-doubt. Punches will land a little softer after that.

As the one part of my mind took care of the beating-end of business, the other part, the one hiding deep in the brain-bunker, began trying to remember those last few moments between when I walked away from Matzu and when I turned to find him gone. Had I seen anything suspicious? What did Whit Bissell’s face say to me when I slugged back that fourth scotch? Did he smile? Did he glance to the corners of the room?

A while went by — who knows how long. At some point I glanced at my new friends through what I assumed were my swollen eyelids and saw them panting, a little sweaty on the brow, a little hunched over, and I decided it was about time. I stood up, grabbed them both by their wrists and squeezed. Right there I heard two separate snaps. I held on, squeezed some more. That was another trick Loopie taught me. The old adage “break the wrist, walk away” was for amateurs. Professionals snap the wrist and hold on, they squeeze, grind up those little bird bones into dust. Make the pain so intense and long lasting that your enemies collapse that their whole bodies quake and they wet themselves. Then let go.

Out front the band was packing up. A few people still lingered, flirting with the musicians, sucking back the remaining ice in their highball glasses.  Security had vanished. I let my nose guide me to the smell of fresh city air.

Night was over. The sun was making its way over the horizon, giving the sky a nice peachy preview of the day to come. It was going to be a warm one. High humidity, hazy sky. I tried to catch my breath enough to get walking, seeing as I didn’t want to hang around the club much longer.  That’s when I heard a voice. A woman’s voice. A voice that made my buttocks tingle. I looked over to what appeared to be a small cluster of bikers wearing cut off shirts, long hair, standing around their motorcycles.

“The big bad Mastiff got away,” she said. Now I knew my eyes were swollen, as I saw her figure walk towards me, I was unable to make out a single feature. Instead I smelled a glorious sweet aroma, hers and only hers. “Looks like they did a number on you.”

“I’d say you should see the other guys, but honestly, it’s just two grown man who’ve pissed their pants.”

“You got a ride?”

“I’ll just hail a cab.”

“Nonsense. I’ll take you home.”

We rode without helmets down the empty New York streets, too early for traffic, maybe it was a Sunday.  I felt the air whisk away the dried blood crusts off the corners of my mouth. Vicky took local streets, coasting through red lights, swerving across four lanes and back again, taking her time. I saw the sun cast double in the river as we crossed the bridge headed to Brooklyn. The air smelled different above the streets, closing in on a new borough. I became overwhelmed with emotion, thinking of how I lost Matzu, how I left the tuna, how I might be 0-8, or is it 0-7, I couldn’t remember. The sight of Brooklyn made me wonder how much of the world was really out there for me to explore, and what exactly was holding me back.

We pulled up to a big building on Atlantic ave, across the street from some Lebanese grocers. It was an old concrete thing with the words Ex-Lax carved into stone above the entryway. She said it was the old factory, or one of them, she didn’t know. When we got inside she told me to flop down on the couch while she runs a bath. There was nothing I wanted more than a nice flop, and she knew it. She could tell that’s what I needed, knowing me only a couple hours. I knew I had found someone special.